Barbaro Updates: 245

Posted March 31, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1692: NoBiz completed his final work for the Wood Memorial on saturday and will ship to New York on thursday: Nobiz Like Shobiz Ready for Wood After :59 3/5 Drill. Street Sense has traveled from Florida to Churchill Downs: Street Sense Returned to Churchill Downs Stable.

Edgar Prado, who had a banner day at Gulfstream on saturday, is offering the saddle he used to win on Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby for Charity: Barbaro's Saddle to Raise Money for Disabled Riders.

Update 1691: At the races! Teresa from Brooklyn (occasional poster) sent this report from Gulfstream Park yesterday:

General impressions of Gulfstream: I didn't go anywhere near the newly-opened casinos and gaming rooms, focusing instead of scoping out betting machines, food/drink, and a place to sit. When I arrived at 12:30 (later than expected due to early morning car trouble on Alligator Alley), I was fearful that I'd look like one of those people who shows up at the Travers at noon and is bewildered that there's nowhere to sit. I was pleasantly surprised to find that parking was easy and that the main building, while crowded, wasn't unmanageable. I wandered past he main building to the tented area, where reasonably comfortable bleachers had been set up, starting at the 16th pole. Those seats didn't fill throughout the day, and I ended up with a front row seat at the 16th pole--prime seating, especially as it was free (as was parking--thank you, slot machines). By about the 6th race, demand had exceeded capacity: long, long lines to bet (I got in line at 6 MTP and got shut out, at least in part because people didn't know how to use the betting machines--did me a favor because my horse lost, anyway), get a drink, go to the bathroom. The place never felt excessively crowded, but nor did it feel like it could comfortably provide the services needed.

For a Grade I day, the undercard was something of a disappointment, aided no doubt in part by the Dubai races and the quality of horses and jockeys over there. With all due respect to Prado's greatness, he benefitted significantly by JR's (Velazquez) decision to ride in Dubai; Prado picked up JR's mounts on Pletcher's horses. Good move by Edgar to stay put! I can't imagine that Pletcher won't give Scat Daddy back to JR for the Derby (JR's been on the horse since he was a two year old), but it will be an interesting scenario.

The Derby set up perfectly for Scat Daddy, who showed that he's figured out what he's supposed to do. As a baby, he came from way off the pace, greenly flying down the stretch and relying on his speed. Yesterday, he stalked nicely and comfortably, and when the time came, he did exactly what he needed to do. When I saw Stormello go to the front and set reasonable fractions through the half, I knew that Scat Daddy would be tough to beat. He was impressive.

Given Chelokee's trips in his last two races, we probably haven't seen what he can really do, but his jockey's got to figure out how to get him in position; at this point, we don't even know whether Chelokee knows how to close when given the opportunity, though he gives every indication of having what it takes.

I'll be at the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct next week, and it will be interesting to see how the field compares. The Wood was won by Bellamy Road in a remarkable 17 length victory two years ago, and last year, over a muddy track, Bob and John narrowly beat a fast-closing Jazil, who came on the national scene for the first time that day.

Update 1690: A quiet morning this morning for me at Fair Hill. I went in late and only had Hawty Creek to take care of, and was not planning on riding her. I cannot see a race in the current book for her so will need to just keep her ticking over until something comes up. I saw Tim when I arrived at Fair Hill. He had just breezed Red Aspen, and was happy with the way she breezed. I think she has one more breeze to go and will then be ready for her debut. Lets hope she continues her impressive career this year. Tim and I also discussed the races yesterday. He's a big Invasor fan, so was happy about that. Anyway, a nice quiet morning, mucking out Hawty Creek and then giving her a good pick of grass.

Update 1689: Godolphin reports that Discreet Cat is suffering from a throat abscess: DISCREET CAT UPDATE. Sporting Life reports: ABSCESS BLAMED FOR CAT DEFEAT, excerpt:

Godolphin's racing manager Simon Crisford explained: "He was scoped in the week before the race so the problem has materialised in the 48 hours coming up to the race.

"He basically has an aggressive throat abscess which is clearly causing great discomfort and he is on a course of anti-biotics.

"Breathing would have been difficult during the race which explains his performance."

Discreet Cat won each of his three starts in America last term, culminating in victory in the Cigar Mile, and a return trip is still on the agenda.

"The plan remains for him to go back to America to continue his career. Obviously it is disappointing he was beaten but at least we know there was a reason for it," Crisford added.

I spoke to Peter Brette last night. Chelokee appeared to cool out well after his Florida Derby third. He noted Ramon was pretty upset with himself. There are no plans yet for Chelokee, but it is likely he will ship to Keeneland and they will take it from there. Peter was very happy with Chelokee's performance.

Update 1688: Here are some of the media reports from yesterday's racing:
Florida Derby:
Scat Daddy does Pletcher barn proud
'Daddy Just Dandy in Florida Derby
Scat Daddy solidifies status as classic contender with Florida Derby win
World Cup:
WORLD CUP GLORY FOR INVASOR
Invasor wins World Cup stretch duel
Invasor Conquers World Cup; 'Cat Last
Invasor wins Dubai World Cup
UAE Derby:
Asiatic Boy dominates UAE Derby
Asiatic Boy Overpowers UAE Derby Field
Asiatic Boy streaks clear to resounding runaway in UAE Derby
Dubai Duty Free:
MOON SHINES IN DUTY FREE
Admire Moon wins Duty Free for Japan
Admire Moon Secures Dubai Duty Free for Japan
Japan's Admire Moon takes Dubai Duty Free, Lava Man finishes last
Sheema Classic:
PERCY FOURTH AS RAIN CLAIMS SHEEMA
Vengeance of Rain Thunders to Sheema Classic Win
Vengeance of Rain pours it on in Dubai Sheema Classic

Update 1687: Scat Daddy took the Florida Derby, beating Notional and Chelokee. Scat Daddy is certainly looking like a strong contender for the Derby, but Chelokee ran a terrific race in his first race in stakes company. Ramon tried to bring Chelokee up the inside rail turning for home and the gap narrowed. He had to take up and then bring Chelokee wide, they closed to finish third. Chelokee ran an impressive race in defeat.

Update 1686: Some quick thoughts on the Dubai World Cup evening. Excellent competition from horses around the world. Nice to see horses from Asia, Europe and America competing. Invasor was amazing. Discreet Cat looked like he did not get the mile and a quarter trip. English Channel looked uncomfortable throughout his race. Lava Man still cannot win outside of California, no matter the surface. Godolphin is strugging (and not sure Coolmore even showed up). Great to see the victories and horses we did, from around the world!

Jeannine Edwards just e-mailed a few pictures from tonight's festivities: ABC crew in Dubai for World Cup.

Update 1685: I N V A S O R ... very impressive, Premium Tap was a good second. The rest were far ... far behind, including Discreet Cat who finished last!

Update 1684: Jack Ireland, who is planning to attend the Delaware Park Celebration on April 29, writes about the local horses in the Florida Derby: Florida Derby a big step for local horses.

I just saw a replay of Asiatic Boy in the UAE Derby, that was a dominating performance. I am not sure what happened to Godolphin's filly Folk but there was only one horse in this race.

Update 1683: A quiet morning for me this morning, with six to ride. My leg is no better than yesterday, and felt sore on my first set, riding Hawty Creek out back. She was good, which was a good thing! My second set was Grandma. Tim was on Nautical Agent. As we were approaching the track (Tapeta track) a set was breezing by the gap. This spooked Grandma who then wheeled. That's not good at the best of times, but when you are a little sore and protecting something, it is not good. Anyway, we did survive. Grandma galloped a mile and a quarter in behind Nautical Agent. Tim then went on to breeze Nautical Agent 3/8ths. She looked good drawing away from me and Tim said she went nicely, really lengthening her stride. My next set was Nonpariel, who went across the fields with Tim on Quick Quest. We did two gallops up a hill. They both went nicely. After that I had three more to ride, one to the Tapeta track, and two joggers on the dirt track. A nice low key morning which I survived!

We had a couple of Fans of Barbaro visiting which was nice, I hope they enjoyed their visit and were not to put off by my limp! Now settling in to watch some of the races on HRTV, and of course I'll then look forward to the ABC show. Tim reckons Invasor is a lock. I am not so sure.

Update 1682: The main racing focus today will be on Dubai (World Cup) and Gulfstream (Florida Derby).

Invasor versus Discreet Cat in the $6million World Cup will be a terrific showdown. They did meet at this meeting last year in the UAE Derby, Discreet Cat winning in fine style. Since that time both Invasor and Discreet Cat have been unbeaten, Invasor meeting the best America has to offer. Invasor is coming to the race off a recent win, Discreet Cat has not run since the Cigar Mile in November. It should be very interesting. The undercard is fantastic. HRTV covers the races live this morning, ABC will have a 2 hour special this afternoon beginning at 2:30 pm (and here they are this morning preparing: ABC crew in Dubai for World Cup). Enjoy.

Clash of the titans in World Cup
World Cup Connections Confident Day Before Race
It's on! Invasor, Discreet Cat to do battle in the desert in Dubai World Cup.

The Florida Derby is a major Derby prep, used last year by Barbaro to set himself up for his facile Derby victory. Michael Matz has another contender, Chelokee. Chelokee comes into this race off an allowance win, and while he has no stakes experience, he has looked impressive in his two wins. The Florida Derby includes three of the first four finishers of the Fountain of Youth (NoBiz is going for the Wood Memorial next weekend), Scat Daddy, Stormello (who went back to California and now is back in Florida) and Adore the Gold. Notional also comes in from California. This should be a great race, HRTV will be covering it.

A chance to grab the spotlight
California Shippers Create Formidable Florida Derby
Adore the Gold continues unlikely climb in Florida Derby

Posted by Alex at 10:34 AM | Comments (475)

Barbaro Updates: 244

Posted March 30, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1681: Sheikh Mohammed has a vision and Dr. Richardson is among those impressed: Dubai Unveils Meydan Complex; Facility to Replace Racetrack, excerpt:

"It is a pretty amazing plan and you have to admire their imagination," said equine veterinarian Dr. Dean Richardson, who was in Dubai for the first time at the invitation of the Dubai Racing Club. Along with a veterinarian from the United Kingdom, Richardson was expected to offer advice and expertise as the Saturday World Cup races took place.

Based on his observation of how quickly Dubai is being developed, Richardson said there is no reason to think that Sheikh Mohammed's Meydan will not succeed.

Update 1680: Here are the Dubai World Cup Past Performances. The Dubai World Cup will be shown live on HRTV (first race 9:40 am east coast) and ABC has a Dubai World Cup show from 2:30 to 4:30 pm which should be spectacular. Unfortunately the Florida Derby will not be shown on network TV (NBC is showing it on their web-site) but will be live on HRTV.

And a first: Secretariat first equine to enter Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.

Update 1679: More generosity from the Fans of Barbaro: PLAQUE PRESENTATION.

Update 1678: Another lovely morning at Fair Hill, although it was rather chilly early. My left leg was stiff when I woke up this morning, so I was hoping it would be OK to ride. Hawty Creek was going to be my test. I also took one advil on my way into Fair Hill. I took Hawty Creek out back. As we were moving into the field I saw a deer silouetted at the top of the hill. It was pretty. I moved to a jog and my leg was hurting. It was hard to adjust to get it comfortable, but eventually I got it in a position that things were more than bearable. We jogged around the fields for a couple of miles. For my second set I had Nautical Agent, and she was to gallop a mile and a half. I was hopeful my leg would be fine, but I was also prepared to pull her up if that was not the case and discontinue riding for the day. Fortunately Nautical Agent went very nicely and my leg was very comfortable throughout the gallop (perhaps the advil had kicked in properly by then). I had a bit of a break and Nautical Agent, so I did Hawty's stall and cleaned her up while she was picking grass. I then had three more to ride, and each was jogging a couple of miles. All went well, including the last one which was the one I fell off yesterday. His trainer said the owner was pretty upset about me falling off, well these things happen, and we survived today, and hope tomorrow will be even better!

Its always nice to see Barbaro's caregivers honored, it begins:

The New Bolton Center, the veterinary clinic that treated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, is the recipient of this year's Silver Horseshoe Award, the Kentucky Derby Festival has announced.

The Silver Horseshoe is given annually by the festival to a group or individual for significant contributions or service to the thoroughbred racing industry.

Update 1677: Jeannine just sent this e-mail from Dubai:

Friday morning was gorgeous here.... the weather has cleared, there was a light breeze, and it wasn't too hot. We went out at 6:15am to get some shots of Collier Hill for my report during the ABC telecast (2:30-4:30pm ET on Sat.) Jockey Dean McKeown was kind enough to stop and pose for us on Collier, although Collier's not too keen on standing still. He looked great galloping on the turf.... he's a 9-year-old with arthritic ankles, but he seemed to travel well. We also saw Invasor, who looks fantastic! I know his trainer, Keiran McLaughlin is extremely happy with his condition right now. He told me the only worry, is not being able to run on Lasix. He said he doesn't really need it, but you never know until they run a taxing race without it whether or not it will be a factor. Lava Man looks super.... it's so cool to see this Cinderella horse all the way over here in Dubai. He has certainly taken his connections on the ride of their lives. What a story he is. Honey Ryder, who's taking on the boys in the Sheema Classic, galloped as good as any horse I've seen out here. Watch out for her!! She took my breath away this morning.

The party last night was breathtaking!!! It was literally in the middle of the desert, in big tents, with pillows to sit on, elaborate buffet stations set up, lots and lots of interesting food, and about 3000 people milling around. We rode camels, held falcons, and watched a fire dancing display before a fantastic fireworks show culminated the evening. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was there eating, just like the rest of us.

Lo and behold, as I was out walking near the rail just a little while ago (around 8:30am here) I spotted a familiar face, who was looking at me and smiling. It was none other Dr. Richardson! I knew the Jacksons were coming, but didn't know Dr. R. was coming. We hugged and he teased me about "making him look bad on the TV last week..." (referring to the ESPN interview during which he choked up.) I said "Do you know how overwhelming the response to that piece has been?? Do you know how you have endeared yourself to so many with your sentiments in that piece??" He said I was a bully making him cry. Then he said even his wife liked the feature, so it must have been good. We had a nice chat, I introduced him to one of our producers, and he said he was looking for me at the party last night, but with 3000 people milling around, it was kind of hard to find people. Then he said, "But most importantly, how's Jessie doing??" He's more interested in how Jessie's leg is healing than anything. I gave him a status report, she's doing well. He said he will be going to visit Sheikh Mohammed's state of the art Vet Clinic/Hospital here today, and I'm sure we'll see him tomorrow during the races. He seemed relaxed, happy, and said he was blown away by the party last night. It was really good to see him, and I hope he and the Jacksons have a marvelous time here in Dubai.

Hope all is well back in the states! And if any of you are sending notes to Dr. R, be sure to tell him he did NOT look bad in that ESPN feature, quite the contrary, he showed what a remarkably dedicated and compassionate man he is. ( I told him this, but it might sink in better if it comes from some of you guys.)

Pictures from the Arabian Nights party thursday night.
Pictures from Nad Al Sheba friday morning.

Unfortunately Collier Hill was scratched from saturday's race after exercise friday morning. I just got off the phone with his jockey, Dean McKeown. Dean said he galloped well this morning (and you can see Jeannine's pictures of him), cooled out well but they noticed he was not 100 percent afterwards. He is a nine year old and they want to be very careful with him and want to be able to campaign him in other races later in the year. Dean felt that by risking him tomorrow, he may be in jeopardy of running his last race. He has been too important to them to risk running if they think he is not 100 percent. A tough call to make given he was coming off the best race of his career (win in the Hong Kong Vase), but a necessary and right decision.

Posted by Alex at 10:25 AM | Comments (242)

Barbaro Updates: 243

Posted March 29, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1676: I spent this afternoon at Delaware Park taking a quick look at the set up that Sharon has been working on with Christine of Delaware Park. All I can say is I think it is going to be very impressive. Those who have not fully made up their mind whether to attend Barbaro's Birthday celebration at Delaware, I encourage you to come. They are organizing a terrific event for you. At this point we have just over 300 people signed up. We have room for many more.

Matz Has New Derby Shot, but Barbaro Memories Remain, the article concludes:

Peter Brette, Matz's assistant, compares horses to Barbaro all the time.

"You're constantly surrounded by horses, and every time you ride one you just think of him," said the Englishman who exercised Barbaro and now handles Chelokee in the morning. "Obviously, you are going to compare them forever. When we get babies in, you're going to compare them straightaway."

However, he says Barbaro is the horse of a lifetime. "Twenty four years I've been riding, and he was the best. I can't imagine sitting on something as good as him."

"Right now, I'd love nothing more than for this horse to run well and go back to the Kentucky Derby," Matz said of Chelokee. "Whether I have the same shot as I did last year nobody will know. But we're trying."

Update 1675: Another amazing rescue effort from Fans of Barbaro: 13 at risk foals Topeka Ks. sale barn!!!

Update 1674: It was a little chilly this morning, but once the morning was complete it was gorgeous. I had seven to ride today. First out was Hawty Creek, who again went out back across the fields. She felt great, we jogged and hacked around. She did spook a little close the end when she saw some deer in the woods (white tails bobbing) and I did not! No harm.

The two I rode for Tim were Nautical Agent and Real Lace. Nautical Agent galloped a mile and a half and then high stepped it all the way home. Everyone seems to get a kick out of that. Tim breezed Drop Kick Murphy on that set, he seemed to go a nice easy half mile. Real Lace galloped a mile and a quarter, she was in company with Tim on Medi Man. Both galloped nicely on the Tapeta track.

My next horse went out back. He jogged / galloped around and enjoyed himself. I then had three more to the track. The first was great, just jogging around and learning the new environment. The second "buried" me on the way to the track. That basically means I fell off and hit the horsepath pretty hard! He galloped around free for a while then we caught him. We were reunited and went to the track and jogged a mile and a half. I was lucky my foot did not get hung up in the iron. Anyway, I feel I have a bit of a "dead leg", but between my knee and ankle, on the outside. Hopefully it will be fine tomorrow. The last horse I rode I breezed a half a mile. As I was jogging back I realized I could not ride too short (due to my sore leg). I dropped my irons a little. Turned around to gallop before the breeze, and just got on with it. Anyway, the horse breezed well, picking it up a little bit the whole way. She also galloped out pretty well, I then stood up and pulled her up before the leg started aching. Finally I took Hawty Creek out for a pick of grass, she is loving the new grass that appears to be coming through.

Now to rest the leg and hope all is well for tomorrow.

Update 1673: Michael Matz is preparing for his second assault on the Florida Derby: Matz in underdog role with Chelokee, excerpt:

"I would love to go back to the Derby and I'm really looking forward to this race, but if he doesn't make it to the Kentucky Derby there are plenty of other derbies around where we can go with him and do well," said Matz. "There's not a whole lot of pressure on us this time, although to tell the truth, even though we had the favorite last year, Barbaro was just so good he never made you feel any pressure when he ran."

Jeannine Edwards sent this e-mail about events in Dubai:

The weather here in Dubai has been dicey since we got here. It's been extremely hot and windy, which means the sand is blowing. We're in the midst of a mini-sandstorm, so you can't see much. It's very hazy out there, which is impacting our shooting schedule. We have scheduled shoots of Dubai scenery, tourist attractions and landmarks, but we've had to postpone them twice now because of weather. Hopefully it will clear up so we can get those done. And believe it or not, this morning it's raining!!! Who ever heard of rain in the desert?? So that put a bit of damper on the Breakfast With The Stars this morning, for which about 1500 people showed up to eat, watch horses train, and mingle with some of the horsemen. When the rain started, people pretty much scattered.

Yesterday we went to the Post Draw at 5pm, then had an elaborate dinner with our sponsor, Emirates Airline. About 12 of us had the most amazing evening on the beach.... drinks, a 10-course tasting feast at Nina's in the One And Only Royal Mirage hotel, and then more drinks up on the rooftop bar. It's a Moroccan-styled hotel that literally takes your breath away. The Emirates people are so warm and hospitable and have gone out of their way to make every aspect of our trip remarkable. We can not thank them enough.

Today is a long work day with lots of research, shoots, and setting up of interviews and such. Tonight is the Arabian Nights Party..... an unbelievable soiree in the desert with every kind of food imaginable, music, performers, camels to ride, you name it. About 3000 people will be there. It's a spectacular night.... that party alone is worth the 13-hour plane ride!!

When Tim and I went to the World Cup a few years ago we also attended the Breakfast With The Stars and the Arabian Nights Party. The latter was simply spectacular! Pictures of the ABC mobile office here.

Posted by Alex at 10:34 AM | Comments (349)

Barbaro Updates: 242

Posted March 28, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1672: This afternoon I went over to Freedom Hills to see Mike Rea again. He was in great form and we went on a trail ride. We shared a few laughs and I only hope Mike had as much fun as I did. Anyway, a very pleasant afternoon with lovely weather to boot. On my way back I stopped by Fair Hill to give Hawty Creek her Papaya juice and saw Tim. Gatornation was just coming off the van and looked fine after his race.

Scat Daddy is the 5-2 morning line favourite for the Florida Derby, he drew post position 3 and Chelokee (8-1) drew post position 6: Scat Daddy Heads Florida Derby Field.

There was plenty of action this morning at Nad Al Sheba (as well as Al Quoz as we noted earlier today): World Cup Report: Tension Mounts at Nad Al Sheba.

Great racing this weekend.

Update 1671: Gatornation was third at Laurel this afternoon. Much like his last race, he was taken off the pace and asked for a closing run at the end. Unfortunately the pace in this race was not as strong as the last race and it just did not set up as well for him. He closed well but not quite well enough to catch the first two. He is cooling out well.

Update 1670: The draw for the World Cup has been completed with the two principals book ending the field: Invasor to Break from Outside Post in World Cup; Discreet Cat on the Rail.

Lava Man appears to have settled in well at Nad Al Sheba, the main knock on this horse is he can only win in California, lets see if that can change on saturday: Demeanor Has Lava Man's Camp Optimistic, excerpt:

"The turf is excellent. To tell you the truth, he looks better here when he gallops on the grass than he does back home in California," said Carlos Pena, who has been overseeing Lava Man's preparations before the arrival Tuesday of Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill.

Although the gelding has a reputation for not shipping well or adjusting calmly to new surroundings, he has been relaxed in Dubai.

"Before when he traveled, he didn't eat. He's eating well and sleeping well here," Romero said.

"I cross my fingers, but this time he looks different than he did in Kentucky for the Breeders' Cup," Pena added, referring to Lava Man's journey to Churchill Downs for the 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) on dirt.

Update 1669: Ron Mitchell, of the Bloodhorse, was at the media event this morning at Al Quoz (along with Jeannine etc.) and had this to report: Folk Likely for Kentucky Oaks; Day Pass Still a Question Mark for Derby. You will note Al Quoz uses the Tapeta surface, the same surface we have at Fair Hill.

Update 1668: Another lovely spring morning this morning at Fair Hill. This morning I had six to ride, which started off with Hawty Creek going across the fields. She seems in good order after her race on sunday, no apparent stiffness / soreness. It was about 6:30 am when we set off across the fields so it was still pretty dark. Hawty saw the fox first, she shied away from it a little, and I wondered what it was. After that we saw a couple of deer, which are easier to see with their white tails bobbing up and down as they are running away from us. As I was grazing Hawty after she went out I could here a couple of woodpeckers doing what they do. A pleasant start to the day.

I rode two for Tim, Who's Happy, who again jogged a couple of miles on the dirt track, and Real Lace, who galloped a mile and a quarter on the Tapeta track. Both went well. Later Tim was on the pony supervising a work set. He had Robby Walsh (Grandma) and Nonpariel (Victor Molina) working three eighths together.

Of the three others I rode one was to break out of the gate for the first time, and also have company in the gate for the first time. Her owner was coming to watch so to be honest it was a recipe for plenty of things to go wrong! Having said that she had only done everything right in the gate so far. Anyway, we broke from the gate and my filly actually outbroke her company by about half a length. A good performance for sure. The other two I rode were ones that only arrived in Fair Hill yesterday, so they had another light day today and we successfully remained united. Small accomplishments, but important.

Gatornation is in at Laurel today, lets hope he breaks his maiden today!

Keep calling.

Update 1667: Jeannine Edwards just sent this e-mail following her early morning visit to Al Quoz, Godolphin's training center in Dubai:

Hello from Dubai everyone! First, I would like to thank you ALL for the very heartfelt, touching sentiments you expressed on this site after seeing the Dr. Richardson feature on ESPN on Sat. Your comments were so thoughtful. I don't want to name names for fear of accidently leaving someone out, but all of you touched me with your kindness, and I'm sure Dr. R. was even more moved by all of the genuine expressions of compassion, empathy, and admiration. Thank you all so much!

We arrived in Dubai last night after a 13-hour non-stop flight from JFK. There were many racing people on the plane, and it's kind of surreal to travel to such a far away land, yet feel totally at ease because you're surrounded by familiar faces. After about 4 hours of sleep, we got up and went to the VIP morning at Al Quoz this morning (Wed.) The Godophin horses come out for training in single file, they wear numbered saddle cloths, and we get a sheet with all of the horses on it, in numerical order, and a brief description of each. Simon Crisford, the racing manager for Godolphin, gave a running commentary on each horse as they came by, and Sheikh Mohammed's trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, was on hand watching the horses go. Jockeys Frankie Dettori and Kerrin McEvoy were also there. A full breakfast was served under a covered seating area, on fine china, and a nice light breeze kept it pleasant. After training, Simon, Saeed, Frankie, and Kerrin answered questions from the press. I can tell you that Discreet Cat looked fanstastic as he preps for the World Cup, even better looking and moving than last year, when he won the UAE Derby. The Godolphin clan is understandably excited about him. They are also very much looking forward to seeing their filly, Folk, run against the boys in the Derby. Simon described her as a big, powerful filly with a great professional constitution. They are hoping she'll run big and then the plan is to run her in the U.S. in the Kentucky Oaks. Day Pass, who they also have running in the Derby, is sort of a question mark right now. They say his stamina is suspect, and they were hoping he'd run better than 4th in his debut here in Dubai last month. So he faces a stiff test in the Derby. Keiran McLaughlin trains Day Pass in the U.S..... Keiran of course also has Invasor in the stable.

You can view some great photographs Jeannine took this morning from Al Quoz here: ABC crew in Dubai for World Cup.

Posted by Alex at 10:38 AM | Comments (328)

Barbaro Updates: 241

Posted March 27, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1666: An excellent summary of activity on tuesday morning at Nad Al Sheba ahead of the Dubai World Cup on saturday: World Cup Report: McLaughlin Eyes Biggest Win. It includes a positive report from Dean McKeown regarding Collier Hill. They are scheduled to work tomorrow, I will try to catch up with Dean after tomorrow morning's work. The ABC crew has also arrived, they will be covering the races on saturday: ABC crew arrive in Dubai.

Update 1665: Steve Haskin assesses Hard Spun's polytrack victory last weekend: Kentucky Derby Trail: Spun Gun Firing Bullets Again and also sketches out the Derby preps and likely candidates over the next couple of weeks.

Update 1664: Some interesting truths in this opinion piece from the Bloodhorse: The Decline of the Sport.

Update 1663: A lovely spring morning this morning at Fair Hill (I had to take my long johns off after second set). I ended up riding six, with Hawty Creek having another day off after her race on sunday.

My first two were for Tim, but a couple of different ones today. Who's Happy, who jogged 2 miles first set and then Nonpariel, who galloped a mile and a half in company with Quick Quest (under Tim). Both felt good and seem to be doing very well. My next set I worked one, essentially a mile. He open galloped the first 5/8ths then breezed the final 3/8ths on the Tapeta Track. I managed to get the last 1/8th in 12 seconds so the work seemed to work out as planned. I was tired afterwards! Of my final three, two were first time starters at Fair Hill ... the goal in this case is to simply survive and perhaps do one turn on the main track. We managed to do both with both.

All in all a decent morning's work finished off by grazing Hawty Creek under a decent sunny sky with warm temperatures. I curried her some and her coat is still falling out. Tim has Gator Nation in tomorrow, and I think I will get on Hawty Creek tomorrow and take her across the fields for a jog, assuming the weather is decent.

Update 1662: Ramon Dominguez, who missed four weeks this winter due to a knee injury, is one ahead in the standings at inner-track Aqueduct meet and looking to take the riding title: Dominguez can taste Big A riding title. Ramon is also scheduled to ride Chelokee on saturday in the Florida Derby. Jose Santos, who was more seriously hurt in the spill that sidelined Ramon, is the guest for Bloodhorse's Talkin' Horses on thursday: Jose Santos. Jose rode Funny Cide to Derby victory among many other successes. Continuing the jockey theme, Garrett Gomez will be moving from California to Kentucky and then back to the New York circuit this summer: Gomez to Kentucky; Migliore Stays in California.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of writing cheques to Kentucky Equine Humane Center and H.O.R.S.E. of CT as a result of the two most recent quiz questions. I will be offering quiz questions on a more regular basis (I already have one lined up for this weekend), if you know of anyone interested in sponsoring the quizzes please e-mail me.

Posted by Alex at 10:54 AM | Comments (255)

Barbaro Updates: 240

Posted March 26, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1661: Real Quiet is now back at Stud: Real Quiet Returned to Pin Oak Lane, excerpt:

"He's excellent, completely 100%, and is breeding at the farm on a normal schedule," said syndicate manager Mike Jester. "Just to make sure, he covered three mares on each of his last two days at New Bolton. Dr. Dean Richardson and his staff did a great job with him."

Aidan O'Brien hosted a media day, which gained a little more interest with the recent retirement of Holy Roman Emperor and the return of George Washington (who is apparently not completely infertile): O'Brien Focus on 3-Year-Olds Heading into Euro Season.

As mentioned in Jason Shandler's article on Fans of Barbaro, this site and the discussion boards have now eclipsed 250,000 comments and posts!

Update 1660: An excellent article by Steve Twomey in this month's Smithsonian magazine: Barbaro's Legacy.

Update 1659: Next weekend's racing should be terrific. Stateside we have the Florida Derby and on the international front we have the Dubai World Cup, which also includes a fantastic undercard that appears to include top notch race horses from around the world: Eighty-four entrants for Dubai World Cup card, excerpt:

The World Cup bills itself as an international event - and it's hard to argue with that. Among continents, only Antarctica will be without a representative Saturday. There is a strong Japanese presence here this year, including an excellent horse named Vermilion in the World Cup, and India's first runner in Dubai, Mystical, goes in the $5 million Sheema Classic, an incredibly deep 12-furlong turf race.

Update 1658: It was pretty chilly this morning at Fair Hill. Spring might have taken a day off! The dirt track was open for the first time today, wow it is a nice wide racetrack. The gate moved back to the dirt so there is much less likelihood of having a day like last wednesday now when we had four spills on gate day.

I rode five this morning, two of those were for Tim, Nautical Agent and Real Lace. Nautical Agent went to the dirt track, jogged about 3/4s of a mile and galloped a mile. This is the first time I have ridden her on the dirt and she handled it all very well. Real Lace went to the Tapeta track and jogged a turn and galloped a turn. She also went nicely. Tim breezed Red Aspen this morning, I think she also went nicely, going 5/8ths of a mile. Of the remaining three I rode, one went to the Tapeta track and galloped a turn and a half, the other two went to the dirt, one of which went to the gate to stand. She stood nice and quietly which was good as she had been pretty fractious in the gate on other occasions. The gate crew (who are from Philadelphia Park) commented on Hawty Creek's race yesterday, somewhat positively. They also noted she broke from the gate very well. She had had some gate issues last year but we have had no problems with her this year. I did see her jockey this morning, Jesus and thanked him for the ride. I mentioned that we plan to get her back to the races a little sooner this time. He smiled. After galloping I took Hawty Creek out for a nice pick of grass. She seems in good form after her race, but it will be a day or two before I get the tack back on her.

Keep calling.

Update 1657: Jason Shandler wrote a nice article on the Fans of Barbaro: Fans of Barbaro as a result of our conversation yesterday. The article ends:

On April 29, Delaware Park, the site of Barbaro's first race, will host Barbaro Day. It will be dedicated to the 2006 Kentucky Derby champ and will also feature a race called the Fans of Barbaro. Brown says, Tampa Bay Downs, Hollywood Park and Lone Star Park will also pay tribute to Barbaro on April 29, which happens to be his birthday.

So far, over 500 FOBs have promised to show up at Delaware Park, from as far away as South Africa. It will be the first time that the special group will have met on a large scale.

"People are going to fly in from all over. It is going to be a terrific event," said Brown. "It just shows what a compassionate group of people can do when they want something. The FOBs goals are to keep a persistent focus on horse welfare issues. It's a good thing."

It sure is.

I may have been a little off on the 500 number, but I am hoping it will be close to that number on the day.

Maryland Racing is looking at its claiming rules: Maryland Racing Commission to consider changing claiming rules. Claiming races comprise about 70% of races so the rules are critical to make sure they protect the small operation and the horse.

Posted by Alex at 11:02 AM | Comments (215)

Barbaro Updates: 239

Posted March 24, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1656: A great article on Michael Matz: Barbaro memories run strong, the following is an excerpt:

"About a month ago, we got a letter from a 10-year-old boy from Namibia," Matz said. "He drew a picture of Barbaro jumping. He likes to jump and when he found out I also jumped horses (Matz was a world-class equestrian and an Olympic silver medalist in stadium jumping), he got obsessed with it. He's an orphan and he has AIDS. My wife, Dede, wrote a letter back to him telling him about our six children and that they ride. We heard back that when he got the letter, he was all smiles and he went into another room, under a table, and read it where the other kids couldn't see it.

"The things that this horse has touched in people is just unbelievable."

Update 1655: Hawty Creek was fourth this afternoon at Philadelphia Park. The track was lightening fast and they ran the three quarters in 1:10 and change. Hawty Creek broke well and she was then in the second pack going down the backside. Jesus Bracho did a nice job of settling her and letting her find her stride. She seemed to get shuffled further back a little going around the turn and at that point I was wondering if something was amiss. Anyway when they turned for home, Jesus brought her to the outside and she made a nice little closing move to get up for fourth. The winner and the second looked good all around (the winner was touted a little on the backside and is out of Maplejinsky who was a marvelous mare, the second also had decent pedigree and had done little wrong), the horse that was third seemed to run a great race for third. There were certainly horses behind Hawty Creek who can also run, so altogether not a bad performance, and with this race under her hopefully we can get her back soon and she will benefit from this race. She cooled out well afterwards and is now home in her stall. When we did get home I had to muck her stall etc. so Dave (her owner) gave her a nice pick of grass. Anyway, we were hoping for better than fourth, but on reflection it was not a bad effort and thanks to Jesus for giving her a good ride. Race chart

Earlier in the day I spoke to Peter Brette. Chelokee worked this morning, from the half to the wire and then galloping out an eighth. He was upbeat about the work and all seems go for the Florida Derby next weekend. I also had a long coversation with Jason Shandler who is planning to write a blog (for NTRA) on this site and Fans of Barbaro.

Update 1654: Georgeous George is now back in training after experiencing fertility problems: GEORGE BACK AT BALLYDOYLE. He was brilliant as a three year old on the grass. Lets hope he can move forward!

I just spoke to Dean McKeown in Dubai. He worked Collier Hill yesterday (saturday) a mile and a quarter on the grass. Basically he went a half speed at the beginning, picking it up along the way to finish up very strongly. Dean called it a very good work. Today he cantered Collier Hill once up the grass strip, which is a 5/8ths strip they can use. Collier Hill was also reshod with glue-on shoes, he has brittle feet. At this point in their preparations for next saturday's $5m Sheema Classic they are on track. Dean noted they will do one more sharp work, on wednesday. I will try to call to get a update then.

OK, we are off to Philadelphia Park with Hawty Creek!

Update 1653: Media reports on Hard Spun's victory:
Hard Spun Regains Winning Form in Lane's End
Hard Spun rebounds in Lane's End
Hard Spun wins Lane's End, reaffirms status as Kentucky Derby contender

Update 1652: Dr. Richardson's interview with Jeannine Edwards that aired today on ESPN: ESPN: Dr. Richardson interview.

Update 1651: The Dr. Richardson interview was amazing. You can see feedback below in the comments and here, here and here.

Hard Spun was impressive winning the Lane's End. Not entirely sure what he beat, and his next race will indicate whether he is the real deal, but very impressive nonetheless.

Update 1650: ESPN's broadcast is now underway, which will include Dr. Richardson's interview.

Adore The Gold completed his final work before the Florida Derby, 5/8ths in 57 3/5ths which is fast: Bullet Drill for Florida Derby-Bound Adore the Gold. Peter noted that Chelokee is scheduled for his final work tomorrow morning.

Update 1649: This morning started off damp and dreary, but it does seem to be clearing up a little. I shedrowed Hawty Creek. She basically jogged about a mile. She is ready for tomorrow I think! I rode two for Tim, Nautical Agent and Nonpariel. Nautical Agent galloped about a length and a half in front of Red Aspen (under Tim). They galloped really well together. Nautical Agent seems to be enjoying training and Tim says Red Aspen gallops much better with a horse in front of her. Nonpariel went out across the fields, Tim came with us on Quick Quest. This was the first time this year I have been outback. Once the weather warms up I am sure we will start doing this more often. We galloped slowly, together, up a pretty decent hill. Good to help strengthen them behind I am sure. Also good for the mind, getting them away from the daily routine of the racetrack. The final three I rode all galloped about a mile on the Tapeta track without incident. As I was galloping one of them there was a loose horse flying around close to the gap, fortunately all was well, the horse was caught and the rider reunited pretty quickly. It seems this happens more often on gate day. Anyway I think the dirt track is due to open on monday, and the gate will return to the 3/4s shoot on the dirt track. That should make things much more relaxing.

As I was leaving the barn I tried to handicap Hawty Creek's race. The upshot of my handicapping: the favourite looks legitimate and assuming is ready after a long layoff will be tough to beat. There are a couple of first time starters which I would have no clue about. A good number of the remainder have a form line directly with the horse that finished in front of Hawty Creek in her last start (Swift n Sudden). Basically, if Hawty Creek runs her race she should be close.

Update 1648: Dr. Richardson's interview with Jeannine Edwards will be broadcast later this afternoon on ESPN (show 5 - 6 pm). The Lane's End, the marquee Derby prep today, run at Turfway Park (polytrack) features Hard Spun's efforts to get his triple crown campaign back on track after finishing fourth in the Southwest: Hard Spun tries to bounce back in Lane's End and Lane's End strategy - send or sit back? A couple of other notes of interest, Todd Pletcher has two runners (he is also now considering Sam P. fo the Santa Anita Derby), and there are a couple of runners coming back from turf races. This is likely due to the assertion that turf runners like the synthetic surface as much as dirt runners.

Posted by Alex at 10:47 AM | Comments (506)

Barbaro Updates: 238

Posted March 23, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1647: Shake You Down, third in the Breeders' Cup sprint and a multiple graded stakes winner, has now been retired. See second story here: Shake You Down retired at age 9. An excerpt:

"He looks great," said John Evans, manager of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation branch at the Marion County Correctional Facility in Ocala, and also a vocational teacher there. "We're turning him out in a round pen now, which we'll do for a couple of weeks, and then we'll put him in a one-acre paddock."

Shake You Down's story highlights the plight of a horse who has no post-racing value, despite his successes on the track.

Update 1646: An update on the impact of the slots so far in Pennsylvania: Slots: $17.5M for Purses in Less Than Three Months. I am guessing purses will soon be increased again at Philadelphia Park, they have already been increased 40%!

This must be every horseman's worst nightmare: Seven horses die in Lexington fire. We lost a barn of horses to a fire at Fair Hill a while ago and it was absolutely devastating. A few horses were saved which were in an annex barn thanks to the quick reactions of Mike Rea and Tammy.

Update 1645: Fans of Barbaro have saved another 25 horses with amazing generosity and compassion: URGENT: Feedlot Horses. However each of you contribute time and resources to horse welfare, horses are better off thanks to Fans of Barbaro.

Update 1644: Another pleasant and unrushed morning this morning at Fair Hill. The weather was warm, and the rain has not yet arrived. I only had five to ride this morning so it was a nice and relaxing morning. Hawty Creek had the day off and her little work yesterday. I took her out to graze a couple of times, once at the beginning of the morning and once at the end, while currying her. Her coat is almost like a summer coat now.

The two I rode for Tim were again Nautical Agent and Real Lace. As I was coming back from the track on Nautical Agent I was talking to another trainer (Liz Merriman) who was admiring her. She is a "high stepper" when she walks coming home. Liz reckons that's a sign of her showing off! Nautical Agent galloped a mile and a half, giving Red Aspen (Tim) a lead for the first mile and a quarter. They both went well together. Real Lace jogged a turn and galloped a turn. She also was good. My final three were nice and uneventful, and since wednesday when there were four spills on the track it does not appear we have had any.

I caught up with Dean McKeown (rider of Collier Hill) briefly this morning. He is getting ready for the Sheema Classic next weekend in Dubai. He cantered three times this morning and all was well. One of his challengers, Sir Percy who won the the Epsom Derby, got loose this morning and went two turns around Nad al Sheba. Apparently all is fine. These two take on a tough field which includes the US based Honey Ryder.

As someone noted in the comments, the jockey for Hawty Creek was named on another horse too. In fact she's not even riding at Philadelphia Park on sunday. I am hoping Jesus Bracho is now down for the ride. He has worked her and rode her in her first race.

Update 1643: Bay Meadows is a casuality of California's decision to require synthetic tracks this year (although it does appear it was planning to close sometime in the future for development): After 73 years, Bay Meadows will close.

Hawty Creek did get in for sunday at Philadelphia Park and Tim has Mediman in today at Laurel.

Keep Calling!

Posted by Alex at 10:38 AM | Comments (318)

Barbaro Updates: 237

Posted March 22, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1642: So that was not too tricky a question. Mike Rea rode his first horse since his accident last year today. He was nervous, and this was a big deal, but he did very well and I could tell he was pretty happy about realizing he could still ride. OK, we only walked around, but it was huge. Congratulations to Mike, and to Nancy in CT for getting the answer, and to HORSE of CT, the beneficiary of Nancy's answer. Thanks to Freedom Hills!

Update 1641: Today I went to Freedom Hills. $100 to the horse-related charity of choice of the person to guess who it was I was helping?

Update 1640: Jeannine Edwards just sent this e-mail from Turfway Park:

Well we arrived at Turfway Park for the Lane's End on Saturday and the weather is not too great right now. Overcast, windy, rainy, you name it. But at least it's not freezing cold, which is typical Turfway weather at this time of year. The two live races we're showing have pretty full fields, 11 and 12 horses. We're all interested in seeing how Hard Spun performs.... He's never run on Polytrack, but he did train over the Tapeta surface at Fair Hill for a few weeks. His trainer, Larry Jones is a real character, a really pleasant, funny guy. We'll see him and some of the other trainers in the morning. Todd Pletcher's horses arrived today we got footage of them coming off the van.

The NTRA is starting to promote their Barbaro Memorial Fund and has set the Triple Crown races and Breeders' Cup as national fundraiser days for the charity. This will be discussed on Saturday's show, and we'll also run the Dr. Richardson feature, after which I'll mention the FOB's and all the wonderful work they've done in Barbaro's honor.

Today (Thurs) is usually our arrival day and we do preliminary work.... gather notes, go over the show format to figure out what we need to concentrate on in the morning as far as talking to trainers, line up interviews, do research, gather footage of horses, people and places, etc. Then of course we find someplace to go out for dinner. We have our favorite places in every city we travel to.... Near Santa Anita we like El Cholo (great Mexican), at Aqueduct we always make at least a couple of stops at King Umberto's (where Rosario treats us like royalty), at Keeneland we like Murray's near the track, and at Churchill we have two haunts.... the little Vietnam Kitchen off 3rd Street and Lynne's Paradise Cafe on Barret Ave.... these two places are an absolute MUST when at Churchill! And Randy Moss always scouts out the nearest Starbucks at each of our venues because we can't start our morning rounds without good coffee.

We're also working on Dubai stuff right now. Most of us leave for Dubai on Monday, the 26th. It's a long haul getting there.... Our flight leaves JFK at 11pm Monday and we arrive in Dubai at 8pm, TUESDAY night. (They are 9 hours ahead of us time-wise.) It's about a 10-11 hour flight, but coming back is worse.... it's about 14 hours nonstop. So far we're preparing feature ideas, our producer Jack Graham already has a preliminary show format done, we've already had a conference call, and our focus will be on 4 of the races: The World Cup, Duty Free, Sheema Classic, and UAE Derby. We'll also do the stretch run of the Golden Shaheen. We're planning on doing features about the matchup between Invasor and Discreet Cat, the Godolphin Gallery museum, the origin of the Arabian breed, and then smaller pieces about Dubai itself.... the Dubai World, the Palm Island, the Indoor Ski Center, the International Village at Nad al Sheba, an Emirates Airline Flight Simulator, and a few other nuggets still being worked out. We're cramming alot of cool stuff into the 2-hour show.

But first, the Lane's End and Rushaway on Sat, so back to work!

Update 1639: I just had lunch with Rich Rosenblatt, who writes for the AP and was closely following Barbaro's story. He was at New Bolton and no doubt getting information ready for stories related to the upcoming triple crown. We talked about the persistant efforts of Fans of Barbaro (by conservative efforts you have raised more than $150,000 and rescued in excess of 300 horses) and the April 29 event we are planning. I am hoping the AP will cover both these issues in upcoming stories.

Update 1638: Hard Spun drew another wide post position (10) and is the lukewarm favorite for the feature Derby prep this weekend: Hard Spun Lane's End Choice After Lone Loss. For You Reppo, defeated by Chelokee in his last start at Gulfstream, drew outside of Hard Spun: Helen and 'Troy' Invade Lane's End. ESPN is covering this race this weekend (along with Dr. Richardson's interview with Jeannine Edwards).

Update 1637: A nice relaxing morning this morning at Fair Hill. I only had five to ride (a couple of the horses I usually ride worked yesterday and had off today) so there was no pressure to keep an eye on the time. The weather was also quite bearable, although it could have been better.

Hawty Creek was first on the track. She was to work an easy three eighths, an extra (race) was added to sunday's card at Philadelphia for her, so she needed a little blow out in case she runs on sunday. She did it nicely, although she is a little more lazy when she is working on her own versus when she does it in company. Anyway, the move was exactly what we wanted. She will have tomorrow off. The two I rode for Tim were Nautical Agent, who galloped a mile and a half, and Real Lace who had her first mile gallop today. Both went well. Tim was on Farouche when I had Nautical Agent out, and Who's Happy when I was on Real Lace. The next two I rode were for Lynda Fox. She also had one who may run on sunday (enter today) so she also breezed three eighths. She went nicely, she will be a first time starter when she runs, so lets hope she has a good experience. My final one was a mile and a half gallop. No problems.

After galloping I took Hawty Creek out to graze as I curried her. She seemed quite mellow after her little work this morning. I also called Dean McKeown the jockey of Collier Hill, who is running in Dubai next weekend. He will work Collier Hill on saturday (both are already in Dubai) and we will catch up on sunday to see how his preparation is progressing.

Keep calling!

Update 1636: The Dubai World Cup is just over a week away but the hype begins: Fight Night! It will be terrific to see Discreet Cat take on Invasor in the headliner, the undercard is also outstanding, which includes one of this site's favourite travelers Collier Hill: Eight likely to run in $6-million Dubai World Cup.

Tim and I went to the Dubai World Cup a few years ago with a small group from Fair Hill. We spent a week there and it was a fantastic week. We had a tour of Al Quoz (Fantastic Light was there at the time) and Godolphin Gallery, went to a party hosted in the desert, and tried sand skying among other activities. The night of the races was very different to racing we had attended before (no betting for one thing), but of course was superb. ABC will be covering the Dubai World Cup.

The Queen is to attend the Kentucky Derby for the first time: Queen to Attend Derby, Says Buckingham Palace.

Posted by Alex at 10:39 AM | Comments (672)

Barbaro Updates: 236

Posted March 21, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1635: Todd Pletcher loses one of his many triple crown prospects as Ravel is now sidelined with a possible fracture: Ravel Off Triple Crown Trail with Injury. The article notes that Pletcher may now substitute the filly Rags to Riches in the Santa Anita Derby in place of Ravel.

Coolmore is shuttling one of its Australian sires into Ireland for the remainder of the breeding season: Encosta de Lago to Stand at Coolmore in Ireland, excerpt:

The 13-year-old stallion (Fairy King--Shoal Creek, by Star Way) has departed Coolmore Australia bound for Ireland "where he will cover a strictly limited book of mares."

Update 1634: A quick a positive update on Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet: Real Quiet Completes Test Breeding, excerpt:

"He felt comfortable in covering the mare, and everything went fine," said syndicate manager Mike Jester. "Dr. (Dean) Richardson and his staff have done a great job with him."

Update 1633: It was cold again this morning, too cold for the first day of spring. Lets hope the forecasters are right going forward as things are now supposed to start warming up! I rode six this morning, and fortunately for me it was pretty uneventful. Not for others, there were four spills on the track that I am aware of, perhaps there were more! It was gate day today, and a little cold, so I guess that all contributed. One spill was right in front of me, and perhaps I contributed (a little) ... another, a couple of horses broke from the gate, the outside horse started bronking and the rider went airborn after about a sixteenth of a mile (I witnessed this as I was jogging Real Lace just aproaching the gate as the horses broke). Anyway, all seemed uninjured from their experiences.

Hawty Creek had an easy mile and a quarter gallop today. I decided that after the last 2 - 3 days of some longer and stronger gallops to just ease off her a little. Nautical Agent galloped a mile and a half again today, she also went nicely. Real Lace jogged / hacked a couple of miles. This was interrupted a little by the loose horse, but we managed to keep out of the way as best we could. Of the final three, two went to the gate. One galloped out and then worked three eighths, she worked very well, and also galloped out of the gate very nicely. She seems to be a pretty decent Lion Hearted filly. The other that went to the gate is a little nervous in the gate, and broke a little slowly (in company) but this was her first time breaking from the gate so it was pretty good. All in all, lets celebrate the last cold morning at Fair Hill for this winter!

Update 1632: Steve Haskin breaks down last weekend's Derby preps and also provides some additional Derby news: Kentucky Derby Trail: Finally Making Some Sense of it All.

The US-based contingent for the Dubai World Cup (March 31) is now on its way, two planes flying from California and Florida, stopping over in London for re-fueling: U.S. runners airborne in hunt for Dubai riches
.

Keep calling!

Posted by Alex at 10:44 AM | Comments (300)

Barbaro Updates: 235

Posted March 20, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1631: The fundraiser at the Whip tonight was fun, although I did leave shortly after it was my turn to be auctioned. Now I know what it must be like for a horse being auctioned, and Coolmore (in this case Rachel) and Darley / Godolphin (Lyn) locked in a battle for the prize! In this case the bidding started at $70 thanks to a phone / e-mail bid that was unidentified. The bidding war soon ensued, along with a couple of other bidders (what were they thinking ?) who also got involved ... the bidding went to $190 at which point yells from the crowd were heard for me to take off my shirt. I did, and the silence was deafening! A fun night, thanks for the bids, all for a great cause!

Update 1630: The NTRA is planning a national fundraising campaign in honor of Barbaro: Triple Crown Dates Set as National Fundraising Days for Barbaro Fund. The kick off for the fundraiser is Derby day, but we are working with the NTRA to see if we can preview the fundraiser at Barbaro's Birthday Celebration. Here is the specific web-site: RidingWithBarbaro.

Update 1629: John Hennegan (First Saturday in May) called me this morning to let me know their documentary will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, this is a big deal. He followed up with this e-mail:

It's true. Our film has been accepted to the Tribeca Film Festival. We're very psyched.
So please pass along this info to the loyal fans on your website. Tickets go on sale online APRIL 7TH: http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/tff-bo-ticket-info.html

So if you live in the mid-Atlantic and/or NYC tri-state area, come check out the film that week!!!!
We will give out the website info later in the week. I will pass it along to you and the FOB first so they can check it out before any one else!

Here are the screening times and locations in NYC:
Friday, April 27, 7:30 pm
WORLD PREMIERE
Regal Cinemas Battery Park Cinemas 11
102 North End Avenue (at Vesey Street)
New York, NY 10281

Monday, April 30, 4:30 pm
AMC Village VII
66 Third Avenue (at 11th St.)
New York, NY 10003

Thursday, May 3, 7:30 pm
AMC Kips Bay
570 Second Avenue (at 32nd St.)
New York, NY 10016

Saturday, May 5, 1:30 pm
AMC Kips Bay
570 Second Avenue (at 32nd St.)
New York, NY 10016

Remember April 7th!!!!

Also, look forward to seeing you at Delaware Park and figuring out how we can get the FOB to see the movie that weekend.

Best,

John is planning to be at the Barbaro Celebration at Delaware Park and we are working on figuring out how we can also screen the documentary during that weekend.

Update 1628: Never in my life have I been asked to do this before, so I can assume it is a result of my two minutes of fame running this site ... I am being auctioned off in a bachelor auction, tonight at The Whip. The auction is to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, specifically the Southern Chester County Relay. I was asked to provide a service, and it is the service that will be bid on. So its a riding lesson, or schooling a horse ... or anything tangentially related I guess. If anyone is in the area, tonight might be a good night to try out The Whip for a good cause. If you want anymore information, contact The Whip!

Update 1627: A lovely morning this morning at Fair Hill, it started off a little chilly but soon warmed up to the 50s. Much of the snow that had been on the ground for the last few days seems to have melted, thus not so much glare. It was also a nice and uneventful morning for me this morning, after riding seven. That was not the case for everyone, as I was coming on the track for my last set a rider was trying to catch his horse (successfully in the end).

Hawty Creek was my first to the track, she galloped a mile and a half. She picked it up quite strongly the last half a mile. It was not particularly intentional (she pulled) but I think she galloped well. I then rode three for Tim, Nautical Agent, Real Lace and Farouche. This is the first time I have ridden Real Lace since she returned to training following her winter break. She jogged twice and felt great. Lets hope she improves off this break as much as she did off her last break (mid summer leading to two nice wins in the fall). Nautical Agent and Farouche both galloped a mile and a half nicely. The other three I rode all galloped on the Tapeta track and went very relaxed and well. Tim worked Red Aspen this morning, a 5/8ths maintenance work. All seems to be well with last year's stable star as she prepares for her 2007 campaign. As I was brushing Hawty Creek I noted Drop Kick Murphy was having his teeth done. I am not entirely sure what was going on other than a lot of rasping. All in all a nice morning's work at Fair Hill.

Update 1626: It looks like the state of Indiana is leading the way in terms of more aggressively policing and penalizing those who violate drug policies in horse racing: Hoosier Daddy. As things currently stand, if a trainer is suspended, it is not too difficult for operations to continue relatively uninterrupted.

Jay Privman, who was on hand for the ESPN broadcast on saturday, summarizes the Derby preps last weekend: Derby talent pool filling up, excerpt:

"We got tired, we got empty, but looking at him, it's probably what we needed," Carl Nafzger, the trainer of Street Sense, said Monday. "He was fit going in, but he got the extra depth and fitness he needed. He might have needed a race like that to get ready for the Blue Grass."

Any Given Saturday came out of the race "in good order," trainer Todd Pletcher said.

"You hear different theories whether you want a hard race before the Derby or you don't," Pletcher said. "Every time you prevent them from running too hard or too fast you take less out of them, but the way he cooled out and bounced out of the race, it doesn't seem to have taken anything out of him."

The article also notes Steve Asmussen (Curlin) is shipping his horse to Keeneland and expresses some dissatisfaction with the surface at Oaklawn. Hard Spun was shipped out of Oaklawn before the Rebel due to a dislike of the surface. He is scheduled to run this weekend in the Lane's End at Turfway (Polytrack) which will be broadcast on ESPN: Lane's End looking full up

Keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 11:13 AM | Comments (366)

Barbaro Updates: 234

Posted March 19, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1625: Discreet Cat is still on course to make his 2007 debut in the Dubai World Cup in a couple of weeks (March 31), facing Invasor among others: Discreet Cat in World Cup drill, excerpt:

"This was his main work before the Dubai World Cup, so it was very pleasing to see that," Suroor said. "He has taken everything in his stride and we're firmly on course. He will have one more blowout at around five furlongs and that will be it."

"It was a nice even gallop and he finished really strong," Dettori said. "We're only two weeks away now, so the gloves are off. Bring it on!"

Discreet Cat worked a mile in 1:38. This would be an unusually long work for a north american based horse. It looks like they have one five furlong work left to do, likely next weekend. Lets hope all remains well and we see the best of Discreet Cat and Invasor in a couple of weeks.

Update 1624: Kit Feldman, who is writing an authorized book on Barbaro, wrote this piece recently for the Penn Gazette: Barbaro's Race Ends.

Keep calling.

Update 1623: Another chilly morning this morning, and once the sun got up it was extremely bright requiring the need for tinted goggles. I ended up riding six, starting with Hawty Creek who was first on the track. We had to wait for the tractor to come off the track and there were a few waiting around at just before 7 am. Anyway, we galloped a mile and three quarters and she went very nicely. The two I rode for Tim were Nautical Agent and Drop Kick Murphy. This was the first time I had ridden Drop Kick Murphy on the track. Both galloped a mile and a quarter nicely. After these three I had three more to ride. All together it was an eventful morning. One of my horses (who shall remain nameless) wheeled very sharply coming onto the track and then tried to bolt away down the horse path. It was an unpleasant experience, especially as I had my feet out of the irons. Once we regrouped the horse did exactly the same thing again! Anyway, we both survived. Another of my horses bronked so hard when a couple of horses came galloping by I heard one of the riders laughing. I can say now that I have no clue how I did not fall off that one. Finally I forgot to tighten the girth on one of my horses. As I was galloping down the lane parts of the tack started flying off ...literally! Fortunately the saddle remained close to where it should have been, but we lost all our pads underneath. Needless to say I am glad monday morning is over.

Philadelphia Park cancelled racing saturday, sunday and monday so I guess we should be happy we have a track, and a few horses were breezing at Fair Hill this morning. Tim had Who's Happy in today at Philadelphia Park, so he will now have to look for another race for her.

Update 1622: Fans of Barbaro have been very active in saving horses recently and I apologise for not linking to each successful rescue. I am guessing 7 - 8 horses were saved this weekend thanks to their generosity. Here is an example where four horses were saved, this effort included raising the necessary money and identifying rescue homes for the horses. It started out as an effort to save three horses which soon (and necessarily) turned into four horses: 3 MARES HEADED TO NEW HOLLAND!.

Posted by Alex at 11:05 AM | Comments (228)

Barbaro Updates: 233

Posted March 17, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1621: Premium Tap completes his last major work before the Dubai World Cup: Premium Tap Drills, Gets Go-Ahead for World Cup. This work appears more typical of a non north american work where the specific time of the work is less important to the appearance (trainer) and feel (rider) of the work.

Gary Stevens makes an interesting career move: Nakatani Says Stevens to Become His Agent.

Update 1620: This morning I went over to Lael Farm to pick up a copy of Kentucky Derby 132 Review, which is essentially a photographic essay of Barbaro's Kentucky Derby victory. It is the first time Churchill Downs has produced a photographic review of their Derby, and they plan this to be the first of many. They could not have timed that decision better, the pictures are awesome and the captions work nicely. Reading through it (it is a quick read) you also learn a little Derby history; for example the Kentucky Derby is the longest continuously running sporting event in America. Leonard Lusky, the editor for the book, will be on hand at the Barbaro Birthday Celebration at Delaware Park.
edit: added continuously

Update 1619: A very bright sunny and very chilly morning at Fair Hill. I went in to gallop Hawty Creek since she had not been out of the barn for a couple of days. We went three turns of the Tapeta track, galloping about a mile and a half all together. She went well. I then got on one for Tim, Grandma. Tim was on Quick Quest, and we galloped a mile and a quarter. Tim had a few going out today, but I did not feel like hanging around, its just too cold for this time of year!

Invasor had his final piece of work on friday in the US in preparation for the Dubai World Cup: Invasor right on cue with bullet work in preparation for Dubai World Cup. He worked 5/8ths in just under a minute with the plan to ship out to Dubai on tuesday. He will be part of a 14 horse US team (down from 19 last year): Invasor, Lava Man among 14 American-based horses headed to Dubai.

Update 1618: The following are the racing press reports of the three Derby preps on saturday:

Tampa Bay Derby
Champ survives thrilling duel
Street Sense Noses 'Saturday in Tampa Bay Derby
Street Sense edges Any Given Saturday in thrilling Tampa Bay Derby finish

Rebel Stakes
Curlin romps in Rebel
Curlin Sweeps Into Derby Picture With Rebel Rout
Curlin surges clear in second career start to win the Rebel Stakes

San Felipe
Cobalt Blue comfortable San Felipe winner
Cobalt Blue Gets the Green in San Felipe
Cobalt Blue two-length winner of San Felipe Stakes

Update 1617: Cobalt Blue took the San Felipe in a wire to wire performance. It was a short field, but a good performance for the first time around two turns off a lay-off. Both Cobalt Blue and Curlin (Rebel) now need to proove themselves against seasoned triple crown prospects, but they both performed well today for sure.

Update 1616: Curlin was very impressive in his first start since breaking his maiden, running away with the Rebel. Xchanger set the comfortable pace, but weakened along the rail.

Update 1615: Street Sense and Any Given Saturday, in a head bob for the Tampa Bay Derby, a new track record and a brilliant stretch dual. Smart ride by Calvin Borel.

Update 1614: Rachel, from Kennett Florist, left this comment (timestamp: 10:33pm):

Happy St. Patrick's Day FOB Family! Everyone is Irish today!
What a week it's been. Sorry to hear of the twins, Blackie and Molasses.
I've been determined to post regularly, but it seems that time finds a way of getting away from me. Alie has been away all week on vacation (about time... she really needed a break), so I've been flying solo. We had a couple trips to NBC this week for the donor horses and ICU animals. It was nice to see the staff. We miss our daily routine.
So on Monday, I get a call from someone who works with NBC (the network) telling me they are doing a piece and Barbaro and Mrs Jackson told them she should come visit the shop. With Alie away, they were stuck with me. Before I knew it I had a mic taped to me and was being interviewed. Good grief, I can't even remember what I said... hope it made some sense. I was trying to mention every horse cause I could think of, mostly we talked about all of the wonderful FOBs. It's airing on April 29 at 5:00, which I think was posted earlier this week.
Wednesday and Thursday we had the great opportunity to meet a few of the fans that had come for Dr R's lecture. Thank you all for taking the time to stop in the shop. It was a tiny taste of what is to come on April 29th. We are so looking forward to meeting the faces behind the voices we've been talking to all these months.
I spent most of today shovelling out the sidewalks and driveway at the shop, since Alie's hubby, Steve usually takes care of that, I had to bite the bullet and dig. I am looking forward to warm weather. My son has been pestering me to get him on a horse for months now (his enthusiasim for horses has grown these past few months). Alex, you need to hook us up! :)
By the way has Alex mentioned we're auctioning him off for the Relay for Life this week at The Whip?? I sort of roped him into it, but thanks for going along with it Alex. Should be a fun night... Good food, beverages and men... what more could a gal want?? And it's all for a good cause.
Well, I think we're all caught up. Thanks to all who continue to send cards to us and treats to animals and two legged creatures at NBC. I will try to post a little more regularly. Love to you all!
WE BELIEVE!!

Update 1613: I just spoke to Peter Brette. Chelokee worked a half mile today, a good work in 48. He open galloped some before going into the work. He was upbeat about the work and says the current plan is for the Florida Derby.

Jeannine Edwards provides a little more insight into her forthcoming interview with Dr. Richardson: Dr. Richardson lecture. Jeannine and team will on ESPN 7-8 pm east coast time today covering the San Felipe, with recordings of the Tampa Bay Derby and the Rebel Stakes.

Update 1612: Thank you Richard Zwirn for sharing your grief: Hope Springs.

Update 1611: The track was closed this morning and the horsepaths were not useable either so another day in the shedrow. I ended up riding six, so that means jogging about twelve miles. Hawty Creek was first to shedrow. She is doing well and I really need to get her in a race. We (her owner and I) forgot to enter her for a race today at Philadelphia Park. That actually turned out to be a good thing, they cancelled racing. Lets hope they write the race back next weekend and we enter. The two I shedrowed for Tim were Nonpariel and Grandma. Both were fine as were the three more I rode. One of the other trainer's in the barn, who I ride for, had a horse in at Laurel today. He was running a temperature this morning so had to be scratched. That's the problem with this time of year and the major swings in temperature, its easy for the horses to get sick. Anyway, a quiet morning without incident so a good thing. Hopefully now the weather will warm back up a bit, it is bright sunshine but we do have a snow covering and likely that will be here for a day or two.

Update 1610: The final trivia question, which was worth $100 to the horse rescue of choice of the winner, was won by Glenye Cain Oakford (Daily Racing Form writer and author of The Home Run Horse.) Glenye's response:

If I have my history straight, Renny prevented Bregawn from planting his feet, as he was wont to do, by walking him around at the start.

Incidentally, about Michael Dickinson: he also saddled a world-record 12 winners in a single day on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) of 1982.

Two horse rescues will benefit with a cheque for a $100 each (Glenye offered to also send a $100 contribution), they are Kentucky Equine Humane Center and Old Friends.

The Gold Cup at Cheltenham yesterday was won in emphatic style (despite a slight error at the last) by the heavy favourite and seemingly superstar Kauto Star: KAUTO EARNS A GOLD STAR, excerpt:

"This isn't just good for me, it is good for racing and he is a real superstar.

"All the talk about his jumping has been a load of rubbish, why couldn't people just concentrate on the fact he had won all his five races this season? He has silenced his critics now.

"Ruby knew what he had to do and I just told him to go out there and do what you do best.

"I told him to just have faith in him and that is what he did. It feels brilliant, it's absolutely unbelievable, I cannot tell you how nerve-wracking this last month has been.

Posted by Alex at 10:37 AM | Comments (371)

Barbaro Updates: 232

Posted March 15, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1609: Jeannine Edwards just e-mailed this update, ahead of the San Felipe, which will be broadcast live on ESPN tomorrow:

It was a delightful morning at Santa Anita... what could be better than 65-70 degrees, sun, mountains, a hot cup of coffee, and gorgeous horses to watch train? Only thing better would be actually riding some of those horses... but that was a different career.

Bob Baffert was telling me it's pretty much one and done tomorrow for Air Commander... he wants to see the horse win to move on to the next level (Santa Anita Derby). Air Commander's kind of a goofy sort, doesn't pay attention, tends to lean in on horses, so learning to perform professionally is paramount. Bob said this colt reminds him of his sire, Point Given, more than any of the other Point Given's he's had. He's a nice looking colt, but I personally don't think he's the greatest mover.

Dee Rain will be our Budweiser Longshot. He's a late-developing colt who is just now learning to focus thanks to a new piece of equipment... he'll be wearing ear muffs tomorrow. These help block out the noises that can get a horse riled up. His trainer, Rafael Becerra, said he's been training the colt in them and it's made a big difference in how settled and focused he is. Rafael says we haven't seen his best race yet.

Grapelli adds new equipment tomorrow also... blinkers. Richard Migliore told me he worked the horse with the blinkers, against Todd Pletcher's other good 3-year-old, Ravel, and he held his own. He said Grapelli rated nicely and then finished strongly during the work. Richie said it's a bit hard to gauge Grapelli's talent right now, because like alot of Thunder Gulch's (his sire), he's a bit lazy. Pletcher is hoping the blinkers will keep Grapelli within striking distance of the pacesetters tomorrow.

Merv Griffin and Doug O'Neill are extremely excited about Cobalt Blue... I was talking to Doug as he called Merv on the phone to remind him of our live interview during the show tomorrow. I said "Tell Merv to come to the paddock early, remind him the interview is LIVE," and Doug relayed to me that Merv said "I'll be there 3 races early if I have to!!" Doug said Merv spends alot of time at his farm with his horses, he really loves the animals, and he's excited about them all the time, which then carries over to everyone working for him. Doug said Cobalt Blue is a standout both physically and by pedigree, and he couldn't be training any better. He said he's giving him lots of long, strong gallops (1 3/4 miles) to build the foundation for racing around 2-turns. But he seems to be brimming with confidence about this colt, so keep an eye on him tomorrow. The winner of the San Felipe will most likely move on to the Santa Anita Derby on April 7.

Sorry you guys are enduring nasty weather back East. Hope it doesn't affect my flight home late tomorrow night...

Update 1608: Steve Haskin previews the weekend Derby preps, three of which will be shown on ESPN's broadcast tomorrow evening (Jeannine Edwards update 1604): Steve Haskin's Weekend Analysis: Tampa Tussle Highlights Derby Preps.

The answer to the second quiz question: Combs Ditch (congrats Marg in Maine). He unfortunately suffered from breathing problems and needed oxygen administered shortly after the finish of the race. Now to the final question, a winning answer will generate $100 to the winner's choice of Horse Rescue. Graham Rennison, used to work for Michael Dickinson in the UK and at Fair Hill. He still works at Fair Hill, now mainly on construction-oriented projects. Renny was an integral part of the Dickinson team and had an important role to play in Bregawn's victory. What was Renny's role. (I think my money is safe).

Update 1607: Kauto Star wins the Gold Cup!

Nancy Lewis provides a detailed report on Dr. Richardson's lecture at New Bolton Center earlier this week: Dr. Richardson lecture.

Update 1606: The temperature did drop, and its just a wet, miserable day weather-wise. Reminds me of an english winter's day, but as Tim noted this morning, at least we can shedrow and we do use wheelbarrows over here. If we were back home we would be mucking out with muck sacks (then thrown over our backs to take to the muck heap) and jogging around the lanes.

I shedrowed seven. Pretty quick morning's work, but even with the long johns back on it was cold. I told Tim I had quizzed everyone about Michael Dickinson's Gold Cup feat, the answer of which was too easy for everyone, or at least for Liz and LaserRob (he trained the first five home one year). My follow up question is which horse was supposed to be the spoiler, and what flaw did he have that compromised him significantly in the Gold Cup ? (I did ask Tim this this morning and after a lot of thought he got it). If that question is answered I have one more, for which I will provide a $100 prize to go to the horse rescue of the winner's choice. So keep guessing. BTW, Liz reported Bregawn, the winner of Dickinson's famous five is still alive at the grand age of 33.

Keep calling.

Update 1605: Its the final day of the four day meet at Cheltenham, and today includes the marquee event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Kauto Star looks to be the quality of the race, assuming he jumps round without incident: KAUTO ALL SET TO STAR. Michael Dickinson, who used to train at Fair Hill and is the inventor of the Tapeta surface, pulled off one of his most famous training feats in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, what was it ?

Update 1604: Jeannine Edwards just sent this e-mail that previews ESPNs show on saturday:

For our first show of the season we have the pleasure of seeing last year's Champion 2-Year Old, Street Sense, back in action. He'll be making his '07 debut in the Tampa Bay Derby. On paper, it's a 2-horse race between Street Sense and Any Given Saturday. What Any Given Saturday has in his favor is a prep over the track (the Sam F. Davis) and one race already under his belt this year. He also has more of a stalking style than Street Sense. Post time for the Tampa Bay Derby is 5:45 ET, so this race will be shown on tape delay on our show, which airs from 7-8pm ET (because we are on the West Coast.)

We also have the Rebel Stakes live from Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, post time at 7:06pm ET. This should be an interesting race with Teuflesberg, Flying First Class, Curlin, Xchanger, Officer Rocket, etc. A much more competitive contest than the Tampa race. It'll be fun to see how the two big maiden winners, Flying First Class and Curlin, handle the step up to stakes company. If I had to choose one to make a good accounting of himself I'd pick Curlin. Teuflesberg will have to duplicate his tour de force of the Southwest, but I don't see him going the opening half in :47.4 this time around! It should be a horse race!

Our feature race from Santa Anita is the San Felipe, post time 7:44pm ET. We have a compact field, most likely 5 will start, with Merv Griffin's Cobalt Blue headlining. Cobalt Blue stretches out to 2 turns but has been working tremendously at Hollywood Park for this race. We all know how dangerous Doug O'Neill is these days. We're planning a live interview with Merv before the race, and we'll also talk to Bob Baffert, who trains Air Commander. This son of Baffert's champion Point Given is making his stakes debut off of two impressive wins around two turns here at Santa Anita. This is Baffert's last bullet for the Derby, if he bombs, Bob will have to reload for next year. Todd Pletcher on the other hand, has enough Derby contenders for 5 or 6 trainers. He sends out Grapelli, who will add blinkers for this race. Level Red is another interesting colt who is owned by William Warren, the owner of the late Horse of the Year, Saint Liam.

In the show we'll also have a feature on the Elite Eight Derby Contenders according to Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey, who will be doing the show with Jay Privman and myself. Kenny Mayne joins us on tape with a feature on a charity basketball game between jockeys and eighth-graders. I won't tell you who won the game. :) After our last race wraps up, we'll have a preview of next week's show (the Lane's End at Turfway) and a sneak peak at the Dr. Richardson feature, which will air on that show.... March 24, 5-6pm ET.

We'll try to send some updated notes tomorrow after going out to the barns in the morning and speaking to some trainers on the phone. But right now it's 70 degrees and beautiful out here in Arcadia.... and it's almost time for dinner.

Update 1603: A quick update from Florida. Street Sense looks awesome in preparation for his first start of the year. His coat is bright, he is well mussled and looks very happy. The turf course at Gulfstream is wicked hard, they went the first quarter in a 25k claimer in 20 and change today. Keeneland has taken stall applications for its pending meet, and they have a record number of applications (re: polytrack). My source was bumped into by Invasor last week on the outside rail.

Update 1602: It was a beautiful morning this morning (galloping in sleeveless shirts), turning a little chilly this afternoon (just returned from the barn and putting on Hawty Creek's blanket which was left off last night), and apparently snow tomorrow: Aqueduct cancels live, simulcast racing on Friday.

The Rebel Stakes is one of the Derby preps to run on saturday, televised by ESPN: Trainer Sanders confident in Teuflesberg entering Rebel Stakes. Of course we will be rooting for Fair Hill's Xchanger.

Update 1601: Planning for Barbaro's birthday celebrations at Delaware Park are in full swing, thanks to FOB Sharon Crumb. We are using this page: Barbaro Birthday Celebrations to keep everyone updated as to what is being planned. Currently a little over 200 FOBs have signed up. If you are planning to attend please alert Sharon as soon as possible (contact on the birthday page). We will have capacity of twice as many as the number signed up by March 20 (I hope that makes sense, currently capacity is 400).

While I was not able to attend the lecture yesterday evening at New Bolton I know that a few FOBs did attend (see Lyn Gilbert's comment, timestamp: 2:21 pm). I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of FOBs at Fair Hill late afternoon and we chatted while Hawty Creek grazed (for a while anyway, then something got her very stired up)! That was fun. I was then to meet Sabina Pierce for an early dinner (and btw, here are her Barbaro pictures, some new ones). We had planned to meet at the Whip, but it was packed (wednesday evening is a steeplechase review night) so we then drove over to a restaurant near New Bolton, Sovona's. I was not too thrilled about this as its a BYOB and we had not brought anything along. Wouldn't you know, when we sat down, next to us was another FOB, who gladly shared their wine. Thanks Carole!

Update 1600: A gorgeous morning this morning at Fair Hill, many of us were galloping in sleeveless shirts by the end of the morning, although we hear snow in the forecast for tomorrow! Fluctuations in weather this time of year can be very troublesome for horses who can easily get sick. Lets hope this swing in weather is very short lived.

I rode six this morning, which I think is my ideal number (not too rushed). Hawty Creek was first on the Tapeta track this morning, just before seven o'clock. Close behind me was a set of Paul Rowland's, Tim was next on the track with Red Aspen. It was a nice peaceful start to the morning. Hawty galloped around nicely, very relaxed early, then she took a strong hold towards the end. The two I rode for Tim were my usual two of late, Nautical Agent and Grandma. Both went well (and my foot appears fully recovered from yesterday). I then rode three more which all went as they should.

Before I forget, Tim has brought Real Lace and Something Wild back in training. They have been back in the barn for three or four days now.

Mrs. Jackson called this morning, it has been a little while since we last spoke 'live', rather than trading voice mails. Anyway, she was in good form and is very grateful for everything everyone is doing. It was good catching up. I also called Barclay Tagg to get a quick update on his horses.

NoBiz did a maintenance breeze yesterday, a half in 49 and change. This is typical for Barclay, ten days after a race. Barclay put blinkers on NoBiz for the breeze, I assume the plan is to run him in blinkers for his next start to see if this helps him run straight down the lane. As Barclay noted, its hard to tell if the blinkers will help him. He worked fine in them, and he worked fine without them every other time he worked. Anyway, his next start is still likely the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Showing Up and Funny Cide have now had one or two works under them as they start getting ready for their respective 2007 campaigns. Still very early days for both of them.

Update 1599: Alan King trained his second festival winner in the Queen Mother Champion Chase: VOY HAS KING JUMPING FOR JOY, the feature race yesterday. Richard Johnson, a top jump jockey, previews his chances in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle today: MY MAN HAS A MIGHTY CHANCE.

Another successful rescue for Fans of Barbaro: 2 beautiful horses at slaughter risk !!!

Keep Calling!

Posted by Alex at 10:33 AM | Comments (593)

Barbaro Updates: 231

Posted March 14, 2007

updates are now here.

Update 1598: Nicanor is the name of Barbaro's yearling full brother. I know this has been known to those on the discussion board for at least a week thanks to the Breeders' Cup nomination site (I think), but I wanted to get it confirmed. Tom, the Jackson's farm manager, called me tonight to let me know. Good luck Nicanor!

Update 1597: Another cool article, this one on Old Friends: Old Friends Finding Company Outside Horse Industry. It discusses a variety of topics, including their campaign to fly Wallenda home from Japan. This has also been a topic on our discussion board: Saving Wallenda.

Update 1596: A cool article I had overlooked until Glenye Cain of the Daily Racing Form e-mailed it to me with the relevant excerpt: Stamina-building experts, and here is the relevant excerpt:

Billy Turner Jr., who developed the great Seattle Slew in the 1970's, came directly from the Burley Cocks school of horsemanship. So did other contemporary horsemen, including Barclay Tagg and the low-profile, high-percentage trainer Tim Woolley. Each of these stamina-minded horsemen know that the Fair Hill training facility was important to Cocks and Turner as they developed some of this country's most effective long distance specialists.

Update 1595: So it was warm today at Fair Hill, too warm for the long johns I was wearing! I think it will hit 70 degrees today, this time last week we had horizontal snow!

I rode seven today, the same seven as yesterday, but unlike yesterday (and most days), not without incident. Hawty Creek was first to go, and she jogged about two miles in the shedrow. She is doing well, but is not running on saturday, we (her owner and I) forgot to enter her (and the race went too). Oh well. Second was Nautical Agent, she galloped a nice mile and a quarter on the Tapeta track. She seems to be doing very well at the moment and is nice and settled. Third was Grandma, and I had a problem ... getting on her. She scooted away a little as I jumped on, so I kind of fell off without actually being on her. She then proceeded to tread on my foot, which hurt. Anyway, after I walked her around the shed for a turn she had settled down and the blood returned to my foot. We were then reunited. She went to the gate in company with Tim on Nonpariel. Grandma is turning into quite a good gate horse, she galloped out very alertly, and was nice and relaxed standing in the gate beforehand. Those are the two conditions you want, relaxed, and then sharp when breaking. My final four to ride were without incident. One went to the gate just to stand. The others all also went to the track, two galloped and one just jogged. The morning finished up grazing and currying Hawty Creek, she did not want to come in afterwards when I did!

Update 1594: Racing's focus remains at Cheltenham for the week. Yesterday's marquee event was the Champion Hurdle which went to the Irish trained Sublimity: SUBLIMITY ROARS TO CHAMPION GLORY. A lightly raced gelding faced a very stiff field, but cruised up to the leaders close to home and galloped away. Today's top event is the Queen Mother Champion Chase (STICK WITH THE CHAMP). X Fair Hill exercise rider and now local hunt whip Kevin (Sooty) Whyte won this race aboard Badsworth Boy, many years ago.

Congratulations to FOB Shelley Abrams on Mr. Boxcar's win at Philadelphia Park.

Keep calling!

Posted by Alex at 9:51 AM | Comments (311)

Barbaro Updates: 230

Posted March 13, 2007

updates are here.

Update 1593: Oddly Tim and I were talking about Coolmoore's Green Monkey this morning (in the wake of their decision to retire Holy Roman Emperor) wondering if he will ever race, and here is an update from Bloodhorse: The Green Monkey, Record-Priced Juvenile, Expected to Return to Training Soon.

I guess Todd Pletcher doesn't really need the $16million 3yo as he gears up for the Kentucky Derby: Kentucky Derby Trail: Torrid Todd Takes Two...Or Was it Three?, excerpt:

For one trainer to have saddled seven individual stakes winners and two stakes-placed horses on the Derby trail by March 10 is nothing short of astounding. Just count them -- Circular Quay (gr. II Louisiana Derby), Scat Daddy (gr. II Fountain of Youth), King of the Roxy (gr. II Hutcheson Stakes), Ravel (grade III Sham Stakes), Cowtown Cat (gr. III Gotham Stakes), Twilight Meteor (gr. IIIT Hallandale Beach Handicap), Any Given Saturday (Sam F. Davis Stakes), and Sam P. (second in the gr. II Robert B. Lewis Stakes) and Grapelli (third in the gr. II San Rafael Stakes).

Pletcher is so overloaded he's already been forced to start knocking off his own Derby hopefuls (Meritocracy, Soaring By, Out of Gwedda, and Air Lord) and there will be more, as there are only so many Derby preps to go around. Such is the price of gluttony. Even the ravenous Pletcher can only ingest so much.
<