Pyro faces 11 rivals in the $750,000 Blue Grass to be run at Keeneland Racecourse on Saturday, April 12. The Steve Asmussen charge is the even money morning line choice. Pyro will be running on the polytrack for the first time and has drawn post seven. At week’s end in the third future Derby pool, Pyro closed at 5-1.

On Monday, Pyro worked 800 metres in 50.60 seconds and did the last 400 in 23.80 seconds. Scott Blasi is supervising Pyro’s day to day activity and he said, “it was a good work and was very smooth. We’re very happy and he fits the racetrack well.”

Opposing Pyro is a strong quartet headed by Cool Coal Man. Listed at 4-1, the Nick Zito-trained sophomore comes off a win in Gulfstream’s Fountain of Youth. Zito spoke about his trainee’s chances. “I wanted a fresh horse. He’s two for two this year and looks good. Blue Grass is a good race and I have been lucky in it a lot of times.”

Big Truck and Visionaire are both at 6-1. The former was victorious in the Tampa Bay Derby. Visionaire eked out a win in Aqueduct’s Gotham Stakes in the slop. Halo Najib, second as the favourite in the Lane’s End Futurity, is in the Blue Grass field.

The Arkansas Derby, a Grade II event, will be held on April 12. A large field is expected. Gayego from California is likely to carry the public purse. Oaklawn Park hosts the Arkansas Derby and more on that race in a day or two.

Here is an interesting story from Ireland. Dundalk is an all weather racetrack that opened last year in Ireland. In the third week of March, a jockey suffered minor injuries in a spill when his mount clipped the heels of another horse. A ban on apprentices claiming ten pounds went into effect. Riders who have not had three winners can claim ten pounds.

Now news comes about the lifting of the ban. Top Irish jockey Pat Smullen, who rides primarily for Dermot Weld, put it succinctly. “Everyone has to start at the beginning and you need to get valuable experience. When you look at tight tracks like Ballinrobe and Down Patrick, to say they cannot ride at Dundalk is not fair. Low grade handicaps are run on all weather tracks and these are the races in which trainers give apprentices opportunities to ride.”

Ballinrobe and Down Patricks are two tracks in Ireland that do not have sweeping turns.

Let us move to France where an upward curve has been registered in the Pari-Mutuel Urbain. It is France’s tote betting framework. There are shops across the country, mainly coffee shops. When you go to a PMU facility, you are expected to order a beverage. There is a clerk or two depending on how busy the shop is. You can watch the action and get paid after the results are official. The first time I was at a PMU shop, I did not order a beverage or food and was asked to leave. Luckily, an English-speaking fan intervened and explained to me what was happening. He went a step further and bought a cup of coffee for me.

In 2007, a sum of 8.84 billion euros was wagered. That was a nine percent hike over 2006. After the takeout, 727 million euros were returned. Figures show that 6.5 million fans made bets, Women constituted 40% of the fan base. Fans under 35 constituted 25%.

Fields have been announced for two important races to be run at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on April 27.

The Hong Kong Grade I Champion Mile will carry a purse of 1.03 American dollars. It is a grass race. There are eleven entries. Good Ba Ba, Bullish Luck and Able One are International Grade I winners. Armada, Floral Pegasus and Joyful Winner are Domestic Grade I winners. Bullish Luck, at nine, is the oldest.

The Audemars Piguet Q E II Cup, a Grade I race, will be over 2000 metres on the grass. There are twelve horses going. The race carries a purse of 1.8 million US dollars. Viva Patace, second in the Dubai Sheema Classic, may rule the favourite. Viva Pataca, Matsurida Gogh, Quijano and Sir Slick have won International Grade I races. Helene Mascot (former name, Salford Mill) is the only horse to have won a Domestic Grade I contest.

More on the two Hong Kong races in the days to come.

Courtesy: NTRA, Racing Post and Hong Kong sources