Barbaro Updates: 777

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Update 4510: Off to a Superbowl Party!

Update 4509: A beautiful morning this morning at Oaklawn Park. And we were a little busier, with seven sets. Six of mine galloped two miles, and all galloped nicely. And now time for a nap!

Update 4508: In other racing news yesterday Albertus Maximus won the Donn Handicap in a rather labored effort: Albertus Maximus Wins Donn; Dubai Next and my previous boss, Eddie Kenneally won the Holy Bull with Saratoga Sinner: Saratoga Sinner Shines in Holy Bull Win.

Update 4507: Video included: Nicanor Injured Slightly in Debut.

Update 4506: So we were hopeful, but it was not to be today for Nicanor. He seemed to have trouble at the break (I did not see the replay), cruised up to the leaders down the backside and then faded. Here is the assessment from the Paulick Report and quotes: NICANOR FAR BACK IN DEBUT; 'SINNER' UPSETS HOLY BULL, excerpt:

"(Nicanor's) better than that," Prado said afterwards. "I've worked him in the mornings and he showed me a lot . He broke really fast and unfortunately grabbed his left quarter. We'll just have to see how long it takes to heal, but I know he's better than that."

Said trainer Michael Matz: "He grabbed the quarter (heel) of the left front leg leaving the gate. He wasn't comfortable, so Edgar just wrapped up on him."

Update 4505: A pleasant morning's work this morning at Oaklawn Park. And it looks like it will turn in to a beautiful day! We had six sets. A few of mine galloped two miles. All galloped nicely. There were a few loose horses out there this morning so it was a little chaotic!

Nicanor is in the eighth race today at Gulfstream Park. Post time for the race is 4:43 pm eastern! And here is another Nicanor article: Barbaro's brother making debut at Gulfstream Park.

Update 4504: Today is the day of Nicanor's debut, the eighth race at Gulfstream. Nicanor was also on the local news out of Baltimore last night: Nicanor Expected To Boost Md. Horse Racing.

Also on the card today at Gulfstream are the Donn Handicap (Einstein to make 2009 debut in Donn) and the Holy Bull (Three-year-olds look to take next step in Holy Bull) which was won three years ago by Barbaro.

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Update 4503: And let's not forget the other brother: Lentenor Video.

Update 4502: April 26 is the date set for the unveiling of Barbaro's memorial at Churchill Downs: Barbaro Memorial Unveiling Set for April, excerpt:

"Churchill Downs will provide additional details about the public unveiling as they become available, but we wanted to make certain that Barbaro's worldwide legion of fans were made aware of the ceremony's date," said Churchill Downs' general manager Jim Gates. "Churchill Downs is proud to have been chosen as Barbaro's final resting place and this outstanding memorial is certain to become a popular year-round gathering place for horse lovers throughout the world."

Update 4501: A chilly start this morning at Oaklawn Park, but with the sun up it seems to be warming up to a nice day. And the track was open for training today, and on time too! We had six sets. The horses were a bit sharp this morning, having had an unscheduled day off yesterday. One of my horses nearly unshipped me after her gallop. I think she wanted to go around again. Thankfully I landed back in the saddle. All my other were relatively incident free. Not so for everyone though as there were a couple of spills out there!

We have a couple of runners this afternoon. We also had a couple of runners yesterday, one of which won. Donuts in the tackroom!

Update 4500: Here is the piece from CBS Evening News last night: Hope Springs From Barbaro's Brother.

And some more articles on Nicanor:

Barbaro's brother will make debut Saturday
Prado Ready for Nicanor Debut
Barbaro's brother on display at Gulfstream

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 11:44 AM | Comments (67)

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Update 4499: A preview of tonight's CBS Evening News piece: Barbaro's Legacy Lives In His Brother.

Update 4498: Well no training today at Oaklawn Park. We waited, and waited, and waited and then they announced. I stayed behind and hotwalked a couple. Nice to get a little exercise anyway.

The highlight of the morning though was a phone call from Roy Jackson. He wanted me to know, and of course everyone on the site to know, that Mrs. Jackson had written an article for the Thoroughbred Daily News regarding Barbaro's anniversary and FOBs. I have not yet found the article online, but have a faxed copy. Here is an excerpt:

At Christmas time this year a local florist (an FOB) delivered a huge photo album. It was filled with the hundreds, yes hundreds of pictures of rescued horses, rescued from shipment to slaughter houses, rescued in Barbaro's name. Many, in fact more than half of the photos showed horses under tack with a rider in the saddle. Many of these were children. All rescued by FOB's many of whom haven't the wherewithal to spend needed money to save horses. It seems their love has found a way.

And CBS is scheduled to broadcast a piece on Nicanor's pending debut, tonight on it's evening news broadcast: CBS Tonight! (AND SATURDAY).

Update 4497: Clare Novak talks to Edgar Prado about Nicanor wthin the context of Barbaro: Prado Ready for Nicanor Debut.

Update 4496: Today, January 29, 2009, marks the two year anniversary of Barbaro's passing. To mark the occasion there will be a vigil at 10:30 AM eastern time. Whereever you are, whatever you are doing, please spare some thoughts for Barbaro and all that has occured: Vigil in Rememberance of Barbaro.

Dr. Kathy Anderson, Barbaro's Fair Hill vet, e-mailed this note: From Dr. Kathy Anderson.

And please keep calling.

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Update 4495: Nicanor has been entered in the eighth race on Saturday at Gulfdtream Park: Nicanor to Make His Debut Jan. 31.

Update 4494: I woke up this morning fully expecting the track to be closed for training. It was 26 degrees! I was wrong. The track opened an hour late and it was good for training! Bundled up we had seven sets, so a busier morning. All my horses galloped nicely, although the first one did bronk a while before getting going. Having yesterday off made it all too exciting for her I guess!

11 AM HRTV called me for an interview, We discussed Nicanor's pending debut, FOBs, horse slaughter legislation, the Eclipse Awards and Pancho. A fun interview which I hope we can get online.

And apparently media can benefit from an anti-slaughter message: 401 Dixie Nissan's Greg Carrasco and me - The Kings of Advertising.

Update 4493: Bar anything unforeseen, Nicanor will be entered today for a race on Saturday at Gulfstream. And the buzz is building: Barbaro brother ready to run, excerpt:

"He's going to run a mile on dirt on Saturday or wait and run on the turf on Feb. 8," Matz said at his barn at the Palm Meadows training center. "The last four to six weeks, he's really come around. How good is he? He's really been working quite nicely. He's got a nice disposition, too."

I will be interviewed at noon time eastern today on HRTV.

And please keep calling: Anti-Slaughter Strategy.

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Barbaro Updates: 773

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Update 4492: A great article on Nicanor with quotes from Peter Brette (who I spoke with today) and Mrs. Jackson. It is looking more and more like this weekend will mark Nicanor's debut: Rolling out the red carpet for Nicanor.

Update 4491: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update (back on its usual day).

I didn't actually watch the Eclipse Awards myself, since Monday night is sacrosanct - House and How I Met Your Mother both take precedence, even on TiVo. But it sounds like I didn't miss much: Curlin repeated as Horse of the Year, all the expected names won in their respective categories (although I would argue Einstein deserved the Male Turf Horse trophy over Conduit), although it sounds like the IEAH crew were amusingly surprised to lose out to the Stronach crew for outstanding owner. I feel the insertion of a little Nelson Muntz action after that announcement would have added to the effect, but no matter.

The IEAH folks did try to spring their own surprise by announcing the Benny the Bull would be returning to the track instead of heading off to stud (apparently framed as some sort of reward for the award, if you follow that logic), but given the current state of bloodstock economics, I can't imagine many deep-pocketed owners were lining up to pay more in stud fees than the obscurely-bred horse could earn at the track over the next few years - let's recall that his sire stands for $2500 in Oklahoma. Still, I think he's a fine sprinter and it will be nice to see him back, even with his dodgy connections.

There is also the news that we'll get to see more of Leah's Secret following her Sunshine Millions win last weekend. While I was entirely wrong about California winning the day, at least I predicted Leah's Secret and Georgie Boy coming home victors - and I'm rather pleased about having mentioned the entire trifecta for the Sunshine Millions Turf - shame I didn't actually bet anything, since that was a very nice payoff. Georgie Boy may point to turf next - a very interesting prospect indeed.

Check back later in the week for more on the upcoming (early) Derby preps...

Update 4490: A fun evening yesterday evening watching the Eclipse Awards. A few of us from the Asmussen barn at Oaklawn Park got together and we were psyched when Curlin repeated for Horse of the Year. I also thought Steve's speech was the best of the night. There did not appear to be any surprises in the the results and of course Chantal Sutherland looked stunning: Curlin Repeats as Horse of the Year. (Found on Paulick Report.)

The track at Oaklawn Park is closed for training this morning. Icy weather.

Here is a copy of the Tuesday e-mail sent out to the ABR Facebook Group: Eclipse Awards, Nicanor, Easy Grades, Invited Guest, Joe Favorite, Tour of the Cat, Smoke til Dawn, Pancho, Hooh Why, and Magic Flute.

And please keep calling: Anti-Slaughter Strategy.

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Barbaro Updates: 772

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Update 4489: Paulick Report on tonight's Eclipse Awards: FEARLESS ECLIPSE PREDICTIONS.

Update 4488: Another update on Nicanor. This reveals Edgar has already ridden him in a work out: Barbaro's brother close to debut, Prado will ride.

Update 4487: Another chilly morning this morning at Oaklawn Park. But a pleasant morning's work for sure. I had five sets. Four before the break and one after the break. All galloped nicely. I did see a few people get run off with, and a couple of spills, so there was plenty of action out there on the track!

As I was leaving the barn, my phone rang. Easy Grades, on the Top Bunk List, has been retired and is scheduled to go to Old Friends. Of course I had to go and seek him out (he is stabled at Oaklawn and ran his last race here) and wish him luck on his trip to Kentucky. Thanks Marcus for showing me him: Easy Grades...Top Bunk List.

Update 4486: The Eclipse Awards will be presented tonight, beginning 6:30 pm on TVG: Focus on Curlin at Eclipse Awards. I'll be rooting for Curlin!

A racing fan fulfills a wish: Santa Anita Visit Fulfills A Dream.

And please keep calling: Anti-Slaughter Strategy.

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Update 4484: Nicanor worked this morning: Prado to Ride Nicanor in His Upcoming Debut, excerpt:

"There is a dirt race next weekend, and there is a turf race the following weekend," said Matz. "He will go in one of the two races. We have to see how he comes out of his work, and see what we want to do--run him on the dirt or run him on the turf for his first start."

Update 4483: A chilly and damp-feeling morning this morning at Oaklawn Park. It almost feels like it is going to snow! The track did not open until 7:30 am this morning due to the cold weather. All my horses galloped nicely. And the colder weather certainly makes them more alert! We also had donuts in the barn this morning, thanks to the two wins we had yesterday here at Oaklawn. We have three runners this afternoon, lets hope we can get lucky and win another!

Update 4482: And some links to a few of yesterday's Sunshine Millions races:

It's a Bird Soars in Millions Classic (Delighful Kiss was third)
Georgie Boy Spreads Wings in SM Sprint
Beltene Cinches Sunshine Oaks Upset (Hooh Why was second)

Update 4481: A fun afternoon at the races today at Oaklawn Park. We had a couple of winners, Hooh Why also ran a terrific race at Santa Anita and just got beaten at the wire in the Oaks. And then Georgie Boy won impressively in the Sprint.

Update 4480: It was chilly at Oaklawn Park this morning, and the heater in our tackroom decided to not work! Despite that, it was a pleasant morning's work. We had five sets. All mine galloped nicely. A couple galloped 2 miles, and one went to the gate for some schooling. A very straightforward morning for sure.

I did get a chance to look at the entries in the Racing Form for some of the other Sunshine Millions races today and saw Hooh Why is in the Oaks at Santa Anita. She was one of the horses I freelanced when I was up at Woodbine. A cool filly to gallop. And she only just got beaten by Patena in her final start at Woodbine against the boys. I really hope she runs well today!

A nice article on Nicanor in today's Wilington News Journal: Is Barbaro's brother, Nicanor, also his heir?.

Update 4479: Today is Sunshine Millions day. A series of races for Florida and California bred horses at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita. The feature race of the series is the Sunshine Millions Classic which includes Delightful Kiss and Macho Again: Delightful Kiss highlights Sunshine Millions card. I will also be rooting for Georgie Boy in the Sprint. He is galloped by my friend Andy Durnin: Georgie Boy set for Sunshine Millions Sprint.

Interesting to note that Woodbine graduate, and more recently LeComte Stakes runner-up, Patena has been sold to IEAH with an eye towards the Kentucky Derby: LeComte Runner-up Patena Sold to IEAH.

Posted by Alex at 11:42 AM | Comments (67)

Barbaro Updates: 770

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Update 4478: Off to the races at Oaklawn Park.

Update 4477: Another pleasant morning's work this morning at Oaklawn Park. All my horses galloped nicely, although one did get stronger the further we went. We also had one set do some gate schooling, which they did well. A pleasant start to the day. Racing returns today and through the weekend so we will have a few runners, and I will go over and help out today.

Update 4476: A thorough interview with Jess Jackson, owner of Curlin, who also got to see Seabiscuit race: A Q&A with Jess Jackson.

This was to be a draft chapter, on horse slaughter, for my book which does not have a publishing deal. However, I am looking for feedback as it articulates my personal position on the issue: Chapter horse slaughter.

Please make the calls: Horse slaughter Strategy.

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Update 4475: Steve Haskin analyzes the merits of debuting 3yos going long or short, after a 2yo campaign that included a route win: Ky. Derby Trail: Flashback to Greatness.

Update 4474: The track opened at the regular time this morning, despite it being a little chilly early. 27 degrees to start the day! A pleasant morning's work. All my horses galloped nicely, and again I got a chance to ride Pancho the pony for one set. A cool dude. The track was closed for a while as one of the riders got kicked and needed ambulance help. I guess it was not too bad though, he was out riding the next set!

Update 4473: As we wait for the debut of Nicanor, which may well be in a little over a week, we have an update on Lentenor: Lentenor: Looking Good.

Please make your calls: Horse slaughter strategy.

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Update 4472: A gorogeous day for galloping horses. We just started later. 12 pm the track opened! All my horses galloped nicely and really I could get used to galloping this time of day this time of year! Of course there was a lot of waiting around. I saw Lynn Whiting, who trained Clever Allemont many many years ago. He mentioned to me that his wife had mailed a few pictures of him to Old Friends. Very cool. Of course that gave me an excuse to call Michael Blowen to see how the old horse is doing. Fantastic was the quick response.

Update 4471: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update (Wednesday edition).

The Martin Luther King holiday and Inauguration Day mean that here at Superfecta HQ we are only now looking back over last weekend's races, but on the whole I feel pretty pleased about having highlighted The Pamplemousse and Nownownow in advance - shame I didn't bet on either of them.

The Pamplemousse is likely to aim for the Sham as his next step toward the Santa Anita Derby and, of course, the other one in Kentucky. Square Eddie hardly embarrassed himself in defeat and seemed to need a race, but if I'm picking a California-based personal favorite at this point, I'll stick with The Pamplemousse. Whether or not he can run on real dirt is another question and I'm not jumping on any bandwagons yet in that regard, but the upcoming west coast preps should be fun to watch and I'm very much enjoying the coverage at Mary Forney's blog.

I have mixed feelings about Nownownow's return to the winner's circle; while I like the horse, I have no such positive feelings about his return to trainer Patrick 'King Cobra' Biancone's care. While I suspect (hope?) that it's simply a coincidence that he's winning again now that he's back with Hong Kong's least-favorite trainer, it doesn't make the sport look good to have a revolving-door policy for trainers with his sort of history. Here's hoping it was just the blinkers and the capable ride by Joe Talamo.

There's news from our favorite older horse - Einstein is working toward his six-year-old debut in the Donn Handicap at the end of the month. Sharp-eyed readers will note that his trainer, Helen Pitts, is now going by Helen Pitts-Blasi; she married Greg Blasi (brother of Steve Asmussen's right-hand man, Scott Blasi) in September - so belated congratulations!

Check back later in the week for thoughts on the Sunshine Millions...

Update 4470: The track at Oaklawn Park will be opening late this morning, if at all. More cold weather.

We now have a new bill in the House, HR 503, to end horse slaughter at the Federal level, so it is time to get back to work. Please make your calls: Horse slaughter strategy.

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barbaro Updates: 767

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Update 4469: A cool story about the retirement of Top Bunk listed horse Frazee's Folly: Inside Track: Folly Good Fellow.

Update 4468: Perhaps there is hope for Fort Erie: Province's help key to Fort Erie track deal.

Interestingly the town of Fort Erie is the same size as the town of Hot Springs, where I am at Oaklawn Park. Both tracks have a racino. Lots and lots of people attend the races at Oaklawn Park. Not so much at Fort Erie.

Update 4467: A nice quiet morning's work this morning at Oaklawn Park. We had a few runners this weekend, and with the workers we had quite a few horses walking and a couple of riders with the day off. All mine galloped nicely. And it got chillier as the morning progressed!

Update 4466: Another fun afternoon spent at the races yesterday. This time I met up with FOB Tamme and her husband. It was a little chilly (the grandstand does a good job of shading us from the sun), and we did not have any winners to cheer, but fun nonetheless. The feature race was won by Flat Out: Flat Out The Best in Smarty Jones Stakes.

Steve Haskin provides some pedigree insight and assesses the very early Derby news: Ky. Derby Trail: Girl Talk.

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Barbaro Updates: 766

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Update 4465: Off back to the races at Oaklawn Park.

Update 4464: Another very pleasant morning's work this morning at Oaklawn Park. I had a couple to gallop. Went nicely. One to let run on a little down the lane. Very nice. And I rode Pancho for two sets as other horses were working. A fun way to start the day.

Update 4463: Another great day spent at the races yesterday here at Oaklawn Park. Races here are well attended, and it really does seem that people here in Hot Springs love horse racing. This is refreshing when compared to other racing jurisdictions in North America, other than perhaps Keeneland and Saratoga. Today we have plenty of runners, including one of the fancied runners in the Smarty Jones: Professor Z Leads Smarty Jones Field
.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Update 4462: A lovely morning for work at Oaklawn Park. And it looks like it will turn into a nice day for the races. We had five sets this morning. Another very straightforward morning's work. Everyone was pretty upbeat after winning a couple of races yesterday and getting the barn off the mark here: Rated Fiesty Gets Revenge in American Beauty. Let's hope we can have some success this afternoon!

And here is an article on our most famous resident here at Oaklawn: Curlin's Buddy Pancho the Pony.

Update 4461: A good day overall yesterday for Steve. We had two winners at Oaklawn Park, and six at Fair Grounds: Asmussen Wins Six at Fair Grounds.

As expected the Keeneland Sale last week was down overall considerably: Keeneland Final Gross Down 53.4%.

Update 4460: Nicanor breezed a half mile today: Nicanor breezes in preparation for debut.

I went over to the races at Oaklawn Park to watch the last couple. We got luck and won!

Update 4459: A Nicanor update from Gulfstream from yesterday: The Nicanor Report.

Update 4458: A pretty straightforward morning's work this moring at Oaklawn Park. We had five sets. All mine galloped nicely especially since they had an unscheduled day off yesterday due to the cold and the track. It is a little warmer here this morning, the track opened at the normal time. Should be a nice day for the races!

Update 4457: Old Friends will host a new resident, ariving today: Champion Hidden Lake to Old Friends, it concludes:

"We are very grateful to Mr. Evans and everyone involved," said Michael Blowen, president and founder of Old Friends."She was an unbelievable race mare, and we're honored that she'll join Silver Charm's dam, Bonnie's Poker, at Old Friends. We've already received some great notes from her many fans."

Sallee Vans will deliver Hidden Lake to Old Friends Jan. 17. Friends and fans are, as always, invited to visit.

A fun afternoon at the races yesterday at Oaklawn Park. It was cold, but the crowd was large and enthusiastic, which was nice to see.

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Update 4456: The newly retired Peppers Pride will be bred to Tiznow: Peppers Pride Retired; Booked to Tiznow.

Off to opening day at Oaklawn Park!

Update 4455: Track is closed for training this morning. 21 degrees and it's opening day so they will be preparing the track for this afternoon!

Update 4454: Peppers Pride, undefeated and winner of nineteen straight races which is a modern day record, is now retired: Peppers Pride retires unbeaten, excerpt:

"You have to quit sometime, and we'd definitely rather quit while we're ahead," Marr said. "She's sound, and it just seemed like the right thing to do."

Carlos Madeira rode Peppers Pride throughout her career, during which she won 14 stakes and $1,066,085.

California racing is launching a study into it's synthetic surfaces in light of the recent troubles it has experienced: CHRB Launches Synthetic Track Study.

We now have 44 videos added to the ABR YouTube Group. These include the Hennegan Brothers' out-takes of Barbaro.

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Update 4453: Zenyatta's Breeders' Cup win is voted NTRAs "Moment of the Year": Zenyatta BC Win Voted Moment of the Year.

Update 4452: The track opened at 8 AM this morning. I am guessing they must have worked on it all night last night. We had five sets, so a pretty straightforward morning in the chillier weather. It was a little below freezing but not too bad. All my horses galloped nicely. I did see a couple of people getting run off with, or close to it anyway! Finishing up we also cleaned a lot of the racing equipment. We have paddock schoolers today and racing begins tomorrow, weather permitting of course.

Update 4451: The Oaklawn Park meet opens tomorrow and the backside is full: No vacancy on the backstretch. Jeremy Plonk at espn.com looks at what makes the Oaklawn Park meet unique: Build-up makes Oaklawn special. Found at equidaily.com.

Steve Haskin provides his list of ten 3yos who are on the edges for the Triple Crown: Ky. Derby Trail: Let the Lists Begin.

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Update 4450: Well the track at Oaklawn Park did not open for training until 11 am this morning. While it is not too cold here, relative to other parts of the country, I believe they do not put any chemicals in the racetrack which makes it tougher to prepare on the colder mornings. Since we arrived at the barn at about 8:30 am we had some time to kill. Dominic (Terry) and I went off to Wal Mart for a little shopping. I bought two pairs of jeans, some baked beans and some cookies, all for a little over $30. Amazing! When the track did finally open it was beautiful weather and a great racetrack. I had six sets, and all galloped very nicely. A long, but pleasant morning's work.

Update 4449: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update (albeit a day late).

Here at Superfecta HQ we were looking forward to a pleasant recap of last weekend's racing and some thoughts about Eclipse Award peculiarities and auction prices, but work and fate both intervened. (At least the work part was pleasant).

Yesterday's news that both Indyanne and Go-Between had died was rather shocking; while Indyanne was far from out of the woods after her injury, Go-Between's sudden death from an apparent heart attack brought up shades of Swale (although from the details released thus far, it sounds as though Swale got the better end - unfortunately for Go-Between). I remember spending much of the summer of 1984 debating on the playground whether or not Swale had actually been killed by nefarious persons unknown and while the adult Superfecta certainly does not believe that to be the case (or in any way related to Go-Between), the similar circumstances are a reminder. I also found it odd that Go-Between would die of a sudden heart attack like Grant McLennan, founder and singer for The Go-Betweens - sometimes synchronicity can be a little too easy to find if you are looking for it (and that's not even bringing McLennan's solo album, 'Horsebreaker Star' into the picture).

Indyanne's death cannot be said to be as entirely unexpected, given the nature of her injury, but as the San Francisco Chronicle notes, it cannot be easy for trainer Greg Gilchrist, who also trained Lost in the Fog, to lose his two best horses in fairly rapid succession. Here's hoping both his team and Bill Mott's are coping well.

But it's not all gloom and doom - Friesan Fire easily took the Lecomte for Larry Jones et al. in some style. It would seem he's either growing up a bit and/or that the blinkers helped. I still wonder if he's more of a sprinter, but he did mark himself out as one to watch this year.

And you can also look to a brighter future over at Foolish Pleasure, where Val has opened the floodgates for some foal-naming fun. Have at it!

Update 4448: Off to work late this morning. The track at Oaklawn is not opening until 9 am today due to the colder weather we are experiencing. Let's hope the weather cooperates for the opening of the meet on Friday!

Update 4447: Curlin and Epsom Derby winner New Approach were named joint top horses of 2008 in the World Thoroughbred Rankings: Curlin, New Approach Share Top Rankings.

More Nicanor buzz, this time the Daily Racing Form: Barbaro brother 'coming into himself', it concludes:

Nicanor "has just now started coming into himself the last month or so," said Matz. "He's started acting like he really wants to do it. He's become more aggressive, more competitive. He's actually doing quite well, so naturally we're looking forward to getting him to the races one day soon."

And here is the OLEX report from yesterday: OLEX January 13th, 2009

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Update 4446: More bad news: Grade 3 winner Indyanne euthanized, excerpt:

"Her condition deteriorated to the point that she could not enjoy a pain-free life," Sikura said. "A lack of blood supply to the area of the injured limb caused a large wound that did not respond to treatment. [Dr. Larry Bramlage, D.V.M.] could not do surgery to stabilize the joint under these circumstances. We did all we could and feel awful about the result."

Update 4445: It is sad to report that Go Between, winner of the Pacific Classic in 2008 and one of the leading contenders in the Breeders' Cup Classic, died today after a workout this morning: Go Between Dies After Workout.

Update 4444: An update on Lentenor, Barbaro's 2yo brother: Catching Up with Lentenor, excerpt:

"Lentenor's confidence has improved tremendously and rapidly," said Jill Stephens. "Our main rider, Gabriel DeJesus, has done a beautiful job with him. The colt has a lot of internal energy when you're on his back, and Gab has helped him channel that in a really positive way. He actually handles himself like an older horse on the track already...well sort of."

Update 4443: A little chilly and blustery this morning at Oaklawn Park. A couple of our riders were off today as we had another light morning. All mine galloped relatively nicely. The meet beings this friday so we are starting to get ready for the runners. Entries tomorrow. I began the morning by e-mailing our Facebook Group. Here is a copy of the weekly e-mail that was sent out: social networking site: facebook.

Update 4442: Keeneland's January sale at Lexington opened yesterday with dismal numbers. Reflective of the state of the economy and the industry: Keeneland Opening Average Plummets 45.9%. And Horse of the Year Azeri was bought back: Azeri Bought Back for $4.4 Million.

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Update 4441: More media coverage as Nicanor gets closer to a race: Full brother of Barbaro is closing in on his racing debut, it concludes:

"He's got some big shoes to fill," Matz said. "It's a hard thing to do, being the younger brother of Barbaro. It will always be, 'There's Barbaro's brother' and not 'There's Nicanor.' But he's a good enough horse. They'll remember his name."

Found on Paulick Report.

Update 4440: Another chilly, but gorgeous, morning this morning at Oaklawn Park. The sunrise was beautiful. We had a bunch of horses working, which meant a light morning's work for me (since I don't work horses). Apparently they all worked nicely. And the ones I rode also went nicely. A good start to the day.

Update 4439: Keeneland's January horses of all ages sale begins it's six day sale today. Stars in the sale include Azeri, who was horse of the year in 2002, and Island Fashion. Both are in foal to Ghostzapper: Azeri, 'Fashion' at Keeneland to Sell.

Update 4438: Barbaro's 3yo brother Nicanor continues to progress towards his first start. He worked out of the gate today on the dirt: Nicanor Back on Dirt, excerpt:

"He's doing very well, and now (his first start) will depend on which race comes first in the timeframe we're looking at," said Matz in a Gulfstream Park press release. "If a maiden race comes up at seven-eighths or a mile we can go there, or if we want to race around two turns we can go to the turf. It will just depend on what we want to do when he's ready."

Update 4437: A chilly start to the day this morning at Oaklawn Park. Perhaps the colder weather had something to do with the two loose horses I saw galloping around. One of them came pretty close to one of my horses galloping. I only knew this because the outrider was coming at me. I could not look around as my neck is too sore! I had five sets. All galloped nicely. A very pleasant way to start the day. The sun has come through and it looks like it will shape into a lovely day.

Update 4436: Larry Jones won the feature on Saturday at Fair Grounds with Friesan Fire. Woodbine Stakes winner Patena was second: Friesan Fire Burns LeComte Foes.

Cowboy Cal won the San Pasqual at Santa Anita for trainer Todd Pletcher: Cowboy Cal Spurred to San Pasqual Win.

We now have 29 videos posted to the new Alex Brown Racing YouTube Group.

Update 4435: Another pleasant morning's work this morning at Oaklawn Park. I had six sets, four before the break and two after the break. All galloped nicely, including one who galloped two miles under a strong hold. He was certainly my work out for the day!

Paul Moran writes about Nicanor's workout the other day and the possibilities it presents: Nicanor report: Grass debut an option.

Update 4434: We have now opened a YouTube group for Alex Brown Racing. It is our hope by opening up this additional "channel" we can further strengthen our community while reaching out to others. And we hope those who have appropriate content will upload it to the group for all to see. Whether it is video remembering Barbaro, video of OTTBs, other rescue horses, horse slaughter investigations and so forth.

Posted by Alex at 11:45 AM | Comments (154)

Barbaro Updates: 760

updates are now here.

Update 4433: Congratulations to the Hennegan Brothers: "The First Saturday In May" wins Media Eclipse.

Update 4432: Paulick Report on Joe Hirsch: INDUSTRY GIANT JOE HIRSCH DEAD.

Update 4431: Joe Hirsch, a columnist for the Daily Racing Form, died this morning at the age of 80: Joe Hirsch is dead at 80.

Update 4430: A nice and relaxing morning this morning at Oaklawn Park. And an easy morning too. Five sets. All mine galloped nicely. I spied two loose horses running around, both exited the track. And the track keeps getting busier!

Update 4429: Ken McPeek won two allowance races yesterday at Gulfstream Park. Both races were considerered to have horses with the potential for going forward on the Triple Crown trail: McPeek 3-Year-Olds Star at Gulfstream.

Nicanor may run towards the end of January. I spoke with Peter Brette a couple of days ago and he seemed to be quietly quit happy with the way he has been training lately. CBS News may broadcast the event and are looking for FOBs who plan to attend: Nicanor - Who's Going to Gulfstream??

Posted by Alex at 11:41 AM | Comments (37)

Barbaro Updates: 759

updates are now here.

Update 4428: Finalists for Eclipse Awards were announced today: Eclipse Awards Finalists Announced.

Update 4427: A gorgeous morning this morning at Oaklawn Park. A nice change from all the rain we have had recently. We had a pretty light morning. I had six sets. Three of which jogged two miles, so I am at least putting in the miles! All in all a very pleasant start to the day!

Update 4426: Significant problems are occuring with Santa Anita's Pro-Ride track. Problems are also occuring at Turway Park and Golden Gate with their synthetic surfaces: SoCal Trainers Knock Pro-Ride Surface.

Grade 1 winning Toussaud, dam of four grade one winners including Empire Maker, has died: Toussaud, dam of four Grade 1 winners, dies.

Posted by Alex at 11:44 AM | Comments (69)