Frankel is starting to IRRITATE ME !

[Final Voyage]

I've heard about Bobby Frankel's sense of bravado and much criticism directed his way on other forums. I never heard about the girl friend ...

A few years ago Frankel stole Nick Zito's girl friend away from him and the Hatfield and Mc Coy feud started.

A few years ago Frankel stole Nick Zito's girl friend away from him and the Hatfield and Mc Coy feud started.

Round one was when Zito started claiming a large majority of Frankel's TB. Thats before Frankel was training for Juddmonte, when Frankel was in the claiming ranks.

LOL.... i have to wonder about women who date men of note like this... perhaps she is a "gold digger" , then again maybe she isn't. Either way I can't understand how if Frankel this so much of himself, that he wouldn't just "fugget about it....". LOL..

Jack Van Berg has been one of my all time favorite trainers, big time or not, his father Marion was in the Nebraska Hall of Fame, and one of them made the Guiness Book of World Records for most lifetime wins. I think more than a couple of good trainers have come up under Jack Van Berg and into thier own success. That speaks volumes to me. Maybe he'll never have the level of success he had with Gate Dancer, but i'd love to know what he's doing now. I'm sure that old Nebraska bred man, hasn't lost his midwestern charm.

[Sheikh]

http://horseracing.about.com/library/we ... 042199.htm

[louis finochio]

Sheik: Do you want to know about Wayne Lukas or C. Whitingham?

[Tairaterces]

Trainer Wayne Lukas is not in the same class as Charlie Whittingham, many mornings I have said good morning to Wayne Lukas and he never returned the same.

Wayne is another stuff shirt nose in the air trainer. If you drove a Mercedes or have a Michael Jackson profile Wayne will roll out the red carpet for you.

Wayne has to much artifical light shining on him. Amen

Louis, would love to know your feelings about Bob the BaffyBoy. If you would be ever so kind . . . . . . .

Much thanks,
Tairaterces

[louis finochio]

Thanks Sheik for that classic Charlie article.

Now I have one for you. Ralph Neves the jockey that told Charlie to take the blinkers off was vanned of the track after his horse broke down.

When he arrived at the hospital he was prounced dead.

Ralph Neves was taken to the morgue and was laying on the table with a sheet over his body. A few hours later Ralph sat up and asked the mortician what time it was.

The mortician told Ralph it was 4:00 so Ralph got up and went back to the track as he had a mount in the last race.

When Ralph went into the jockeys room to get dressed for the last race, all of his fellow jockeys turned white as Ralph was thought to be dead from the fall.

Ralph rode in the last race and came back from the dead to do it. LOL

[Final Voyage]

I recall that story about the "dead" jockey. Im sure the mortician turned white as a ghost (not that i've ever seen one) and I think its an incredible story.

Heard Ralph Neves died in the late 1980s?? of cancer.

[louis finochio]

I first met Bob Baffert when he made the transition from QH to TB.

I became good friends with Bob as his grooms are my best customers.
Bob used to buy AA+ Nicks from Jack Werk, but Bob soon realized that he could do better picking out his own TB.

Being a QH trainer Bob used to purchase TB that were the blocky QH type.

But now Bob has purchased the non blocky type, with distance capabilities.

Bob has excellent grooms that have been with him for years. His barn managent is high echelon, as this is refelected by the appearance of his TB.

When Bob started training he only had 5 TB, then when he started winning, his stable has grown to 60 TB at Santa Anita.

Many of his fellow trainers dont like the rah rah antics Bob displays in his winners circle appearances, but to each his own as this is the way Bob is.

I enjoy his TB and watching them develop and become major winners, and TC winners. Maybe next year Bob will train a TC winner, as he has come close twice.

[Shammy Davis]

If it is not Bob Costas, it's Bobby Frankel, I just don't understand these mean spirited remarks. If we must denegrate these people, I for one would relish more specific information concerning Zito's lost love to Frankel, or the embellishment of specific incidents of animosity. This type of tabloid information leaves more for the imagination to fill in the lapses of fact.

[louis finochio]

When both Frankel and Zito are called upstairs, then they will realize that all these personal vendetta's are childs play.

[louis finochio]

Trainer Jack Van Berg father Marion was a trainer from the old school of Oats, Hay, Water, Leg Paint, and Time.

Marion ran his TB at the class level where they could win. Thats why Marion won so many races.

Marion had a bad and mean watch dog that was in his shedrow at all times.

The above info about Marion was told to me by Tim Van Berg, Jack Van Bergs son.

Jack Van Berg is stabled at Hollypark and has 20 TB at this time. Jack has the same barn help that he had over 25 years ago.

Jack doesnt win that many races today as his quality of TB is not was it was in the past. Jack is a good trainer and is still looking for that big horse to train.

[BJ]

I don't care if Frankel wins races. He is a good trainer. I just don't understand the need when he does decide to talk to the media that is, to to bring other horses and people down.
.

He is a self-centered, pompous ass! Other than that...he's not worth the emotion!

[Final Voyage]

Louis,

Thanks for the info on the Van Bergs. Marion sounds like he was a tough taskmaster, but one who knew what he was doing. A friend that used to work on Aksarben's backside for 20 years once told me that those old horsemen took a lot of good knowledge to their graves about keeping horses fit for training. I'd bet Marion knew a few cures a vet doesn't to keep them healthy too.
I don't think Jack has enjoyed the kind of success he had since Gate Dancer back in '84, but he still gets a lot of respect back here in Nebraska. I've heard Hollywood Park is a bit of a dump with a lot of lowlifes that hang out there, but thats what i've heard, and not what i know for sure. Tell Tim Jack is welcome to come back to the beginnings in Nebraska where he is still loved and missed. I've heard Fonner Park has a lot of their memorabilia. Tell him also to call OJ Glass's some Bennie out in Kentucky as he's been buying horses for the West's and might have a line on the "next big one". I'd love to see Jack make a comeback.

As for the subject Frankel, well i don't know him personally. He's been accused of ruining a lot of good horses, but horse's break down all the time for one reason or another. So i will defer judgement until such time as i actually meet the man.

[BJ]

If it is not Bob Costas, it's Bobby Frankel, I just don't understand these mean spirited remarks. If we must denegrate these people, I for one would relish more specific information concerning Zito's lost love to Frankel, or the embellishment of specific incidents of animosity. This type of tabloid information leaves more for the imagination to fill in the lapses of fact.

The Zito/Frankel rivalry is probably a combination of two New Yorker's with a natural level of testosterone bubbling over. The difference is, Zito at least lends his time, reputation and name to good causes such as equine retirement and stopping the slaughter of horses.

Frankel...hmmm, can't think of anything off of the top of my head that he does to give back to the horses he makes his living from. I do have a story of a very class filly that lost her life while in his barn. But best let sleeping dogs rest.

In any event Shammy, Frankel causes the controversy and negative responses to him, by the public and his peers. I feel zero sympathy for him. He is generally seriously lacking in class. And as they say in this biz...class always comes through.

[BJ]

Louis,

I love Jack Van Berg. Truly wish he would get some good horses to work his magic on. He trained my all time favorite male horse...Alysheba. The few times I saw him on the backside he was all business...riding his horse to the track to watch his charges work and growling like a big ol' bear at the barn employees who dared second guess his instructions. A true horseman!

[Shammy Davis]

Louis: You are a pot full of information. Jack Van Berg is one of my favorites too. You must be 200 years old to know all this stuff.

BJ: Besides TB's, I have a passion for good gossip and good chuckles. Of course, just so long as it is not at my expense or vanity.