8/14 - Kevin "Brooklyn Cowboy" Cox Saratoga Selections - Happy Birthday Bijou !! ( Day 2 )

As Walter J. "Bijou" Cox's birthday lands on a dark day this year. y'all get TWO viewings of his yearly tribute.

Enjoy.

 

It would all start with a list.

A few days before we'd leave, it would be on my father's dresser. "Q Tips, Listerine, pens, socks, underwear...", and on and on it went. One would think he was Jimmy Hoffa going away for a stretch, but in reality, it was how he would prepare for our two night excursion to Saratoga year after year. Obviously, normative society doesn't feel compelled to itemize the most trivial minutia for a 48 hour pass to nirvana, but this wasn't just any Saratoga fan. This was the uuber fan. The greatest Saratoga fan outside of that one in your family...or your co workers' family...or maybe your neighbor... You get the idea. 

We'd shove off at 5:15 in the morning. A time that didn't work for me then, and works even less for me now. He, on the other hand, was as bright eyed and bushy tailed as whatever bushy tailed is supposed to mean. We'd roll into town too early to check in, but that was okay, because we'd go right to the Spa City diner for breakfast. Traditions, you know. After breakfast, while I'd be playing a video game or two in the now abandoned entranceway, he'd be at the table performing origami with his brand new Racing Form. Ripping out the tracks not needed, ( Simulcast ? What's that?? ) then re-folding it so it fit perfectly into the back pants of his shorts pocket. ( Which of course were accessorized with matching hush puppies, because isn't that what fathers do ? )

We'd then check into the best kept secret in town -- the Brentwood motel. Located a horseshoe's throw from the seven furlong chute, and across the street from some breakfast joint which is now the hot spot to go after the races---assuming of course, that you don't want to hear what someone six inches away from you is saying. He would take me to watch the horses enter the starting gate in the morning. It wasn't our place to venture farther than that, you know, but that was okay, because that was the world to an 8 year old.

We'd head over to the races, and go right upstairs to make sure that the plastic owls hanging from the rafters hadn't flown off over the winter. Of course they hadn't, but tradition, you know. We'd meander over to the Big Red Spring for a funny tasting water, but you didn't mind it because they'd give you these nifty red and white souvenir cups. ( A tradition that has since gone the way of periodontists' mouth rinsing dixie cups, but waddya gonna do? )

We'd watch 'em get saddled before the race, then he'd watch me try to get an autograph from a rider who was just beaten by 30. We'd go and sit by the same area in the paddock under the tree, which was a nice little tradition, until someone needed a condo built there. On rainy days we'd scoot to a bench under the old scratch board inside from where the bandshell is. Yes, men would walk out on a catwalk and write all of the changes & results on a giant board, then go back through a door that was as mysterious to me as how that quarter kept ending up under my pillow through the years.

"Can you taste the twin lobsters, Pat?", he would gleefully say throughout the day to my mother ( and the months leading up to that day ) as tradition dictated that we dine at the long gone Weathervane restaurant. $9.95 they were, with a coupon from The Pink Sheet. He never bought a Pink Sheet, but he always ended up with the coupon somehow. He made sure that he had the last bite of the last lobster on the table. Not because he was pacing himself, mind you, but because tradition said that he had to torture my mother over it.

We'd play a round of mini golf afterwards at Murphy's right next door. It's still there these days, but you'd need to use your imagination to remember playing the "Starting Gate" hole, or even the long straightaway of "The Yaddo". Think hard enough, and you can even remember the sounds of your old man holing one out on the "Skee Ball" hole.

Maybe it wasn't a successful day at the track ( for the $10 you bet ), or maybe you got snubbed on a few autographs, but you didn't care, because you were in receipt of something much more valuable at the time. Something passed on that you can never lose, or forget, or put a price tag on.

Those days are long gone, and my father is as well. When he moved on, I asked Bill Nader of NYRA if we could do a race dedication for him and have a plaque put where my parents sat. "Gee Kevin, that may be hard" he glumly said in his office "if we did that then everyone would want one. When was his birthday?" he asked. "August 13", I told him. After an odd stare and a substantial pause, he said "That was MY father's birthday. Where do you want the plaque?"

Something about fathers and sons.

The plaque was unveiled, the race was run, and who was the winner? "The Daddy", of course. Why wouldn't it be?

Every year afterwards, my mother would sit there during her summer sojourns. Getting as close to him as possible. A catharsis, of sorts.

On the night of her passing a few years ago, just before she left ( during the Saratoga meet, no less ), I said "Mom, just give me any sign that you're with him, and that all is well. That you're both happy." Two hours later I entered her house only to find it burglarized. Only it wasn't burglarized at all. A picture had fallen off the wall and landed unbroken on the floor...It was the winners' circle photo of "The Daddy"---with my mother in it. They were together again, in his favorite place---and a list wasn't needed to ensure a good time.

So today I'll give the plaque a bit of a shine, and sit there and sip a beer with Bijou, just as I have done every year.

Because tradition dictates it, you know...

This homage has been published for several years, and continues to be been brought back by popular demand. Additionally, if this annual piece about Bijou resonated a certain way, you'll be happy to know that I was asked to do a reading for "Our American Stories" (1.7 million weekly listeners), and while the verbiage is pretty much the same, there are some subtle differences, including background music. Here it is...   My Parents Are Gone, But Their Traditions Aren't  )

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Today's Beatable Favorite(s): Race 6 - #5 Annascaul

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I'd like to leave this bit of info here for y'all. When we're using the DRF Formulator platform while writing our columns, if we say "Sprints", for the most part we mean any one turn race, and when we say "Routes", we mean any TWO turn race. ( For example, we consider a 1 1/8th mile race at Belmont an elongated sprint, and a 6 1/2 furlong race at a Charles Town a route. ) We feel this way, because in our eyes, it's the number of turns that necessitate more energy than being relaxed on a straightaway. Sometimes the sample size for our study can be too large to manually break down, so there may be a few from one category in another, but usually the end result is pretty much the same. Additionally, when it comes to layoffs, we consider more than 50 days in a dirt to dirt scenario a layoff, more than 58 days in D to T or T to D a layoff, and more than 67 days in a turf to turf deal a L/O. Furthermore, if we amend our selections for a wet track, and the track becomes fast, our original selections are in play.

One of the biggest Steeplechase events of the year, and it's a highly competitive rendition of the Jonathan Sheppard handicap. We're going to give the nod the #7 GOING COUNTRY (IRE). This gelding is conditioned by a gal who cut her teeth under the master, and although this runner has been camera shy for more than two years, we see that he owns a win and a placing from 4 second off the layoff engagements, and is running with blinkers for the second time. There may be some value here. #4 ZARAK THE BRAVE (FR) hasn't been in action since the placing at Fairyhouse on April Fool's Day, but this fella is a nifty three or five off the shelf, and has amassed himself a decent resume'. #1 TOO FRIENDLY (GB) completes the Guinness/Escargot/Crumpets triple based on an honest fourth place finish when besting 16 others in a  $190,000 event across the pond last time out. Aside from that, the overall jump record is honest enough.

#3 MIDTOWN LIGHTS hasn't faced the starter since besting only one in a local stakes during Belmont week, but we are assuaged by the fact that this one is on a four for seven run outside of that kind of company. The white flag has now been run up, and that's understandable, as he's more than doubled his auction price in earnings thus far. #1 CINDERELLA'S CAUSE should be no worse than second for all you place punters out there, and how do you argue with the fact that she has two wins and four placings from her last sextet ? Mainger danger. #5 SARATOGA KISSES is a solid check earner and can land a share.

#8 NOT SO CLOSE has lost ground in the lane in her last handful, but you can never discount her kind of early zip, and gal has done some nice work beneath Ricardo. Mild choice in a race with but two first draft eliminations. #6 THIRTY THOU KELVIN is another speedy sort, and has won two of her last four outside of stakes competition. #3 BLISSFUL has done some decent work this year, and appears to do better on firm ground, than a course with give to it, so keep that in mind.  OFF TURF: 4-2-7-5-1(MTO)

These three and no more for all our rolling action. #5 HELCIA had improved over each start last year, but then went into the HPP ( Horsewitness Protection Program ) after a November 17th move. Filly gets the miracle drug for the first time today, and Flavor Flav hops on. Obvious factor if sound and fully cranked up. #3 COST CONTAINMENT ( uncoupled barnmate with the above ) was an even third place finisher when beginning her working life at the end of June and the solid Tomlinson figure tells us that result was likely not an aberration. Solid show play for all you grinders out there. #1 LORD I WONDER closed out the exact in her debut during opening week, and after breaking tardily  in that event, we wouldn't be surprised to see Jose be a little aggressive with this one to keep her forwardly placed early on.

Although she hasn't hit the board but once in her last threesome, #7 MUNNY GRAB has been a completely different animal from a speed figure aspect since switching over to the gramma. Good to see Gaffalione come back, and this one is a slim margin in a race that's difficult to hug. #1 BROCKNARDINI is one for two on firm ground, and that score came in her only try on the Inner. That's more than enough reason to include in today's second of the bench deal. #2 SUMMER WHIRL is another one who picked up in the lion's share in her only start on this course, and as she's yet to miss the money, who are we to rock that boat?  OFF TURF: 8-5-4-9-2  NOTE: AS OF 9:37 A.M., THE #7 WILL BE OUR 3RD SELECTION.

#9 TIMIA ( a town in Niger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timia ) has been doing okay in the mornings for today's lidlifter, and this April foal went for 16 times the $6,500 stud fee at Ocala early in the year, and that's something we like to see. The pedigree is a bit unproven, but the paternal grandsire did exceptionally well on the synthetic, which often translates well to the turf, and the paternal granddam found the line first in her only sod sprint. On the other side of the family tree, mommy's mommy was three of nine on the green stuff, and that includes a Grade Three win and a Grade One placing. Some things to like here, at what we hope will be a solid parimutual offering. #2 ALPINE GIANT is another one who's been faring well in the AM, and this 'Miah charge does in fact have decent bloodlines for this sort of deal. Logical. #1 CARA'S DREAMWEAVER outran her odds quite nicely when completing the Exacta in her Aqueduct overture on the 5th of July, and we'd be silly to leave out.  OFF TURF: 8-1-3-13(AE)-9  BEATABLE FAVORITE: #5 ANNASCAUL

#3 FONTANNAFREDDA has banked nearly 58 large since being claimed for a quarter by Randi back in December, and is now halved in price as the connections look to pad that profit margin. From a DRF Formulator aspect, this barn is a snazzy four of five when doing such to their mid level dirt stock or breaks of 10 to 29 days, with the winners returning a juicy $18, $20, and $10 x 2. #1 AWESOME ANNMARIE has wins  in all three dirt starts when entered for $12,000 or less, and note that this chestnut mare has been kept in jail since the purchase, and is now dropped. #7 WILLFUL DESIRE has been apart of the superfecta in six of her last seven, and 12 of her last 14. Sensible unders candidate.

#5 TAKE SHAPE may not appear to have shown much in either turf start to date, but the lone event when routing yielded an adjusted buyer of 75.3, which would put her smack dab in the middle of things here. That effort came without blinkers, which is now part of the makeup, and we're always happy to have this pilot on our horsey. #3 DESTINY STAR is on a 3:2-1-0 streak when not dancing w/ steak gals, and despite his low percentage for the meet, you should know that Saez is in fact heating up. #11 PRELIMINARY hasn't been seen since Hector was a pup, but trainer knows how to have them ready for their returns, and this guy was victorious in her only turf route on firm ground outside of stakes company.  OFF TURF: 2-1-7-8-12(MTO)  NOTE: AS OF 10:29, DUE TO A LATE SCRATCH, THE #8 WILL BE OUR 3RD SELECTION.

#4 DR OERAN has been kept in prison since being bought for 35 big ones on the 13th of July, and returns wearing eye cups for the first time and right back at that same level. You may get some decent odds here, given the last two performances, and if you go three back ( which we always like to do ) you're looking at a goodie. #2 GASLIGHT DANCER is another one who is eligible to be answered for the price claimed this afternoon, and wheel toss in after the clumsy onset last time out. #6 TYPHOON FURY rounds out the top three.  OFF TURF: 2-5-8-4-3  NOTE: AS OF10:33, DUE TO A KEY LATE SCRATCH, OUR AMENDED SELECTIONS WILL BE 6-2-8.

Saratoga Summer ( Current ):   42-232  ( $503.20 ) Beatable Favorites: 2-12  ( 16.7% ) Favorite's Win %:  79-232 ( 34.1% )( As of Wednesday morning )

Aqueduct Spring/Summer ( Final ): 66-292 ( $454.70 )Beatable Favorites: 4-10 ( 40% )    Favorite's Win %: 118-292 ( 40.4% )

Saratoga Spring  ( Final ):                7-47      ( $31.20 )  Beatable Favorites: N/A                 Favorite's Win %: 19-47   ( 40.4% )

Aqueduct  Spring( Final ):                28-136 ( $278.70 ) Beatable Favorites: 1-10 ( 10% )    Favorite's Win %: 57-136 ( 41.9% ) 

Aqueduct Winter ( Final ):                85-377 ( $616.70 ) Beatable Favorites: 5-16 ( 31.3% ) Favorite's Win % 139-377 ( 36.9% )

All Triple Crown, Breeders' Cup, Selected Grade 1's and Travers full days ( These are also counted in the "Dirt Tracks" category ): (2013-2023 Final ) 83-496 ( $779.60 )

Dirt Tracks 2013-24 (All Final):4241-20632 ($34,946.80) +/-: -15.3% against a 16.1% takeout . Polytracks 2013-16 (All Final): 85-568 ( $819.20 ) 

Beatable Favorites : 474-1772( 26.8% ) Favorite's Win %: 7945-21369( 37.2% )

Cumulative Stats (All Final): 4261-21247 ( $35,897.30 ) +/-: -15.5% against a 16.6% takeout