Barbaro Updates: 844
Jpdates are now here
Update 4898: Our knowledge @ wharton interview: Social Media for Social Causes: Alex Brown's Passion for the Welfare of Horses is featured on Fugly Horse of the Day: The Internet and Horse Rescue - friend or foe?.
Update 4897: YouTube: KENTUCKY DERBY 2009 - MINE THAT BIRD.
Update 4896: From John Asher at Churchill Downs:
MINE THAT BIRD TEAM SALUTES BARBARO, GIVES ROSES FROM DERBY GARLAND TO FANS
LOUISVILLE, KY. (May 3, 2009) - Kentucky Derby fans who visited Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum on the day after the 135th "Run for the Roses" got a surprise gift from the team behind Mine That Bird, the 50-1 longshot that won America's greatest race on Saturday.
Trainer Chip Woolley Jr. suggested Sunday morning that the mantle of roses worn by Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby Winner's Circle after his victory be placed on the new sculpture of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro located at Churchill Downs' Gate 1 entrance. After consulting with co-owners Mark Allen with Double Eagle Ranch and Dr. Leonard Blach of Bueno Suerte Equine, the trio behind Saturday's surprise Derby winner decided to give the nearly 400 "Freedom Roses" that make up the garland to Derby fans who were visiting the Barbaro Memorial and the Kentucky Derby Museum on the day after the race.
The garland had been stored in refrigeration overnight in the museum, and at noon (EDT) was briefly placed over the rail of the Barbaro sculpture in tribute to the ill-fated 2006 winner of the Kentucky Derby. The garland was then removed and Woolley and Allen began handing out the roses, one-by-one, to fans who happened by the larger-than-life sculpture as they visited the museum and Churchill Downs.
"This is a tribute to a great horse," Woolley said. "I wanted everyone to have a little piece of the Derby. We wanted to give something back to the game. We just want to show how important horses really are. That's what this is all about. We want people to know just how important these horses really are to us. They're not just animals, they're a part of us."
A line of delighted fans formed in front of the Barbaro sculpture as they awaited their opportunity for a Derby rose won by Mine That Bird, and Woolley and Allen also posed for photos and signed autographs until the each rose had been distributed. The two men greeted fans in front of the Barbaro Memorial for more than an hour and a half until each rose from the garland had been handed out.
Update 4895: Sue McMullen reports from across the pond on today's first fillies Classic, the 1,000 Giuneas:
Another day and another great performance as the fillies took centre stage in their first Classic of the year. Royally bred, as with the victor of the boys equivalent yesterday, but with the most unconventional route to the Guineas, Ghanaati showed them all the way home. Trained by Barry Hills, one of the UK's longstanding characters of the sport and ridden by son Richard, Ghanaati gave an indication she will be a force to reckon with this year.
Daughter of Giants Causeway, the force of nature dubbed the 'Iron Horse' this side of the Pond for his bravery and irrepressible desire to win, the filly added millions to her value in just the few short minutes taken to stamp her authority over a classy field. Already a valuable broodmare prospect due to her regal breeding, Ghanaati has now taken that next step to superstardom in the Paddocks by bagging her first Classic. Not bad for a horse that has run only twice before, both runs last year on the All Weather surfaces, and making her debut for the year and the first time on Turf.
Out of Sarayir from the Height of Fashion line that includes Nashwan, Ghanaati could be a real force over a mile this year and if she has inherited an ounce of her father's courage she could be a very exciting prospect. A doubtful runner in the Oaks as owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum has indicated he believes the trip will be a step too far for her, she will hopefully line-up in some of the most exciting mile races this season.
Longtime favourite Rainbow View didn't fire today but you can't take anything away from the winner and for one thing is for certain, Dad was a much loved horse here and all his fans root for his offspring, especially when they reach the top. It's early days yet but Ghanaati did the old man proud.
Update 4894: My interview with David Cotey: Mine That Bird's Canadian Connection.
Update 4893: An upbeat mood in Barn 30 this morning at Woodbine. We share a barn with David Cotey and he and his crew were thrilled to see Mine That Bird, who they had last year, win yesterday's Kentucky Derby! A couple of people had small wagers too so that helped the mood! I interviewed David after we were finished work. When the interview is written up I will send it in to The Rail!
We had seven sets at Steve's. All mine galloped nicely. A couple of new ones that had shipped in from Kentucky I guess. They enjoyed their first trip to the track. Three runners this afternoon, so a busy day! But fun!
Update 4892: Kentucky Derby media reports:
BOREL RIDES MINE THAT BIRD TO 50-1 KENTUCKY DERBY UPSET
Mine That Bird, a 50-1 Shot, Wins Derby
Borel, Mine That Bird Soar in Derby Shocker
Canadian champion wins American classic
Post-race video from the Kentucky Derby
Mine That Bird shocks Derby at 50-1
Disappointment on Jones's final Derby Day
Update 4891: My post on The Rail (note, David Cotey bought and trained Mine That Bird through his Canadian career): Watching the Derby in Woodbine's Kitchen.
Update 4890: Wow! Canadian Champion 2yo Mine That Bird romped to victory in the Kentucky Derby. He was last, and then he won galloping away! I watched the race in the track kitchen here with a couple of grooms who work for David Cotey. Lots of celebrations!
Update 4889: Oaks notes from John Asher at Churchill Downs:
KENTUCKY OAKS 135 NOTES
Saturday, May 2, 2009
EVERYTHING 'PERFECT' FOR RACHEL ALEXANDRA
LUKAS FILLIES COME OUT OF OAKS WELL
BAFFERT ON RACHEL: 'WE SAW GREATNESS'
RACHEL ALEXANDRA - It was easy to figure out where the winner of Friday's 135th running of the Kentucky Oaks was ... just follow the lilies.
The garland of lilies was draped over the wall in front of Stall 17 at Barn 30 where Rachel Alexandra was taking it easy after her jaw-dropping, 20 1/4-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks.
"She is good this morning," trainer Hal Wiggins said. "She maybe left one or two bits of feed and this morning she was dragging the groom around the barn."
Rachel Alexandra began her five-race win streak with a score in the Golden Rod (Grade II) here last fall. After that, Wiggins mapped out a plan to get to Friday's Oaks.
"You make plans and it is very nice to see things work out perfect," the 66-year-old Wiggins said. "She makes my job very easy. We still don't know how good she is."
For Wiggins, who saddled his first winner in 1977 and who has been a regular at Churchill Downs since 1993, Friday marked the highest of the highs.
"I have been in the game a long time. I had Chorwon (a three-time winner of the Louisville Handicap) and Morris Code (who earned more than $700,000) for Mr. (Dolphus) Morrison, but nothing like this at the top of the game," Wiggins said. "Mr. Morrison bred and owned the dam (Lotta Kim). I have been with him for 30 years and that makes it special."
Wiggins stayed at the barn until 8 last night and was back in his office early Saturday morning.
"We watched the race on the outside rail where I always watch and you miss a lot down there," Wiggins said. "I had no idea how much she won by. We did start celebrating a little early.
"We went to the directors room after the press conference and they were showing the race over and over. Then they showed the aerial shot and that was tremendous."
In all the euphoria of the victory, Wiggins was thinking about one filly that didn't make the race: West Point Thoroughbreds’ Justwhistledixie.
"My heart goes out to the Justwhistledixie people," Wiggins said of the filly who was scratched less than two hours before the race because of an abscess in her left front foot. "I really feel for them. They are a good group of guys. I hate it for anybody. Not to take anything away from the others, but she looked like the main competition. This was their big day."
The $300,000 Acorn (Grade I) at Belmont on June 6 at a mile is the next objective on Wiggins' radar for Rachel Alexandra.
"This gives her five weeks, which is what I like," Wiggins said. "She had only three weeks before the Fantasy, but it looks like she is fine. She was dragging the groom around the barn after she worked in (a minute and):10 five or six days ago. Maybe she is the monster people have been talking about.
"We walked her two days after she worked and Rudy (exercise rider Rudy Gallegos) said 'don't walk her two days again.' She was pulling him out of the saddle."
STONE LEGACY/BE FAIR/TWEETER - Hall of Fame trainer and four-time Kentucky Oaks winner D. Wayne Lukas said all three of his Kentucky Oaks participants were well on the morning after Friday's race. Stone Legacy finished second, Be Fair fourth and Tweeter was last in the field of seven.
"They were all fine," Lukas said. "I don't know where we'll go with any of them, but they were fine."
Earlier in the week Lukas had said the eventual Oaks winner could be the best 3-year-old filly in the United States since Eugene Klein's Winning Colors, the Hall of Fame filly who provided Lukas with his first Kentucky Derby victory when she turned back colts in the 1988 "Run for the Roses."
"That was something else," Lukas said of Rachel Alexandra's record 20 1/4-length win. "The best line was that she ran in the 11th race, we ran in the 12th."
FLYING SPUR - Trainer Bill Mott said Saturday morning that Flying Spur, who finished third in the Kentucky Oaks, was fine.
"She's good," Mott said. "She exited the race in very good order."
Mott said that he does not know when the filly will race next.
According to Mott, Rachel Alexandra's impressive 20 1/4-length victory will have an impact on the 3-year-old female division this season.
"I guess that at this point no fillies are going to run against her in the good races," Mott said. "They're all just going to go somewhere else."
NAN - Wally Dollase, father of trainer Craig Dollase, said that J. Paul Reddam's Nan came out of her fifth-place finish in the Friday's Oaks in good order.
"She's fine, she just got beat," Dollase said. "I'll call Craig tomorrow and see what he wants to do."
GABBY'S GOLDEN GAL - The Sunland Oaks winner Gabby's Golden Gal is fine after her sixth-place finish, trainer Bob Baffert said Saturday morning. Baffert said he did not have a plan for the next start for Gabby's Golden Gal, who led the race for about the first mile.
Baffert was impressed with the way Rachel Alexandra dominated the Oaks.
"We saw greatness," Baffert said. "You hate to get beat, but at least we can say we were the last filly who was in front of Rachel Alexandra turning for home. I wish he (Calvin Borel) could have waited a little bit longer and maybe I could have run second or third."
Update 4888: While we are focusing today on the Kentucky Derby and Rachel's emphatic performance yesterday in the Oaks, across the pond the 2,000 Guineas was run, the first UK Classic race. Remember the Jackson's-bred George Washington won this race hours before Barbaro's 2006 Derby win.
Sue McMullen reports on this year's race:
The first Classic of the UK Flat season and, without wishing to prejudice his chances with too many plaudits so early on, we may have witnessed the birth of a superstar as the aptly named Sea of Stars travelled the Rowley Mile at Newmarket like the wrath of God to bag the 2,000 Guineas. Fighting the finish with longtime antepost favourite Delegator, the John Oxx-trained Sea of Stars, half brother to duel Derby winner Galileo - no pressure there - looked every inch a horse that could be something very special.
An incredibly good looking colt, which doesn't necessarily count for much if you don't have the talent to match, but when they are that good and look the part it's often a sign of great things to come. This strapping, solid bay son of Cape Cross is bred in the purple and has that 'look of Eagles' so common in very good horses.
Bred by the owners of Urban Sea, otherwise known as 'mom' to Sea of Stars, they were so impressed with Cape Cross junior as a foal then as a yearling that they decided to keep him, rather than send him to the sales. This was a clear indicator of the faith they had in him as Cape Cross produced the global favourite and much loved Ouija Board and mom was no slouch as she showed the boys a clean pair of heels in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a huge feat for a mare and when a mare is that good they are awesome.
The biggest surprise to many at Newmarket was the starting price, with Sea of Stars leaving the stalls at 8-1. The quietly-spoken master trainer John Oxx, the embodiment of modesty who was responsible for the mighty Sinndar and a host of fabulous horses owned by the Aga Khan, doesn't send a horse across the Irish Sea for a weekend vacation and change of scene. Sea of Stars had been working well at home, which was widely reported and striding majestically around the parade ring he could have been a show horse but all the money was for the battalion from Ballydoyle, aside from the favourite Delegator was is trained at Manton, UK, by Brian Meehan.
Through Dad Sea of Stars has the speed and from mom he has the stamina and despite the many who thought he should have been 'wrapped up' for the Derby, John Oxx knew he should take his chance in the Guineas as he believes horses are categorised too often in terms of distance. Despite missing two weeks work due to a viral problem, Sea of Stars showed he was ready for the first big question in his career and demonstrated a really good attitude to the job.
One down and we have much to look forward to as we have most certainly witnessed the birth of a new star this side of the Pond. We wish him luck and offer the fervent hope he remains problem free and gets the chance to add this particular star to Flat racing's galaxy.
Update 4887: Here is Rachel Alexandra's win on YouTube, just incredible: Rachel Alexandra - Kentucky Oaks @ Churchill Downs 5/1/09.
Update 4886: Railbird here, with a look at today's races.
The Derby dominates Saturday, but Churchill offers a superb undercard that includes five graded stakes, on dirt and turf.
In the Churchill Downs Stakes (race six), Kodiak Kowboy, who's developed into an accomplished, if inconsistent stakes sprinter, is the 8-5 morning line favorite, coming off his Carter Handicap win. But the 'Kowboy has a weakness, and that's putting two wins together. This is a race to look elsewhere, perhaps to lightly raced Sok Sok, or The Roundhouse, who returned to racing in February with a third-place finish at Gulfstream, followed by a win at the track in March.
Race seven, formerly known as the La Troienne Stakes, renamed this year as the Eight Belles Stakes in honor of the 2008 Kentucky Derby runner-up, drew a field of 10 -- only one a last-out winner. No more than nine will start, though, since Laragh was scratched to run on the Oaks undercard in the Edgewood, which she won going wire-to-wire. Just Jenda, trained by Larry Jones, would be a sentimental winner here. She'd also be quite logical, coming off a third in the Fantasy Stakes (won by Rachel Alexandra) and a win in the Honeybee. But trainer Steve Asmussen sends out two -- Four Gifts and Auspicious -- both of which are serious contenders, and CS Silk, winless since last September, could be a new filly after eight weeks off and a return to the track over which she broke her maiden.
Someday, Visit will win again, and maybe -- if I keep pointing her out -- I'll actually have her when she does. The well-bred Bobby Frankel trainee starts in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (race eight), a race so evenly matched she's the 7-2 morning line favorite. Second favorite is Elusive Lady, second to Ballymore Lady (also entered) by a neck in the Endeavour Stakes at Tampa in February, then to Backseat Rhythm in the Hillsborough in March.
In the Humana Distaff (race nine), Informed Decision goes for her fourth straight win. In her previous start, the 4-year-old filly upset Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Ventura in the Vinery Madison Stakes; she starts here against eight others, the most threatening of which seems to be Game Face, coming off a win in the Inside Information at Gulfstream.
Venerable veteran Einstein, winner of the Santa Anita Handicap in March, will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (race 10), but he'll have to beat several others with decent credentials, including Court Vision, winner of the Hollywood Derby last November, and Cowboy Cal, winner of the Strub. Artiste Royal, third in the Woodford last year, enters this year off a third in the San Luis Rey, and Proudinsky off a nose victory in the Muniz Jr. Handicap. And then there's Zambezi Sun -- despite a couple of poor North American starts (for which he has excuses), his European form stands out, as do his improving works. I like him for the upset -- a surprise for an always surprising day.
Update 4885: Will be guest on the radio show, talking about the Derby, 10:45 am: Cyril Quinn, Sports Talk and Pop Culture.
Update 4884: Montana's horse slaughter bill became law on Friday: Montana horse slaughter bill becomes law.
Update 4883: So this morning's work at Woodbine was interrupted by the news of I Want Revenge's scratch. I was coming off the track at about 8:40 am and Danny, Jimmy Mac's agent, told me he had just received a text from Churchill about the news. Was it a hoax was the question. As soon as I got back to the barn I went to twitter and saw the news being reported. My last set I went to the gate. I tried to offer 6-1 I Want Revenge and nearly made $20!
All my horses galloped nicely. I had six sets. The chatter this morning was more about Rachel Alexandra's performance yesterday, than about the Derby today. And the Derby today is now looking more and more like a Grade 2 field of runners.
My picks, either of the Godolphin horses.
And I will be appearing on this show sometime between 10:30 am and 11:30 am eastern time.
Update 4882: I Want Revenge is scratched from today's Derby!
Update 4881: I still have chills over Rachel Alexandra's performance yesterday. Was it the most dominating performance in a Grade 1 Stakes race since Secretariat ? Who knows, but dominating it was.
This is what I wrote for The Rail: Rachel Alexandra Is Queen of Oaks.
And other coverage: Rachel Alexandra a Breathtaking Oaks Winner and Rachel Alexandra dominates Ky. Oaks - with video. And if you have not watched the race, please watch the video.
So today is the big day!
And here is some early coverage:
Friesan Fire Favored in Early Wagering
I Want Revenge not bucking Derby history
No shortage of story lines in Derby 135
Update 4880: Wow. Rachel Alexandra was unreal, again! She destroyed her field in the Oaks, and was never asked to run.
Discussion: Rachel Alexandra Wins Kentucky Oaks!!
Update 4879: John Asher's Derby report for Friday from Churchill Downs:
KENTUCKY DERBY 135 NOTES
Friday, May 1, 2009
PLETCHER HOPES TO AVOID MUDDY DERBY
JONES SEEKS TO PEN PERFECT SCRIPT FOR DERBY 135
STUTE TO AVOID 'FULL DISCLOSURE' ON WALK OVER
ADVICE/DUNKIRK/JOIN IN THE DANCE - The trio of Todd Pletcher horses was out and done with their leg stretching prior to 7 a.m. (all times EDT) Friday, each galloping approximately a mile and three eighths around the "sloppy" Churchill Downs oval that had been pelted with some fairly serious overnight rains.
Advice, the last of the barn's Derby contenders came off the strip just prior to 7 with Pletcher looking on near the six-furlong gap.
"If it is 'fast' or 'sloppy' tomorrow for the race, I think we'll be fine," Pletcher said. "Dunkirk went over this 'slop' a little earlier and he handled it well. He was good with it. But I don't think we'll want to see a 'good' or 'muddy' track. That won't help my horses. We'll hope we don't have to deal with that."
The third Pletcher runner, Join in the Dance, made his first racing appearance at Churchill Downs on May 14 last year on a "sloppy" racing surface and finished second in a straight maiden race. He also ran on a "sloppy" track at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on Sept. 27 in the NATC Futurity, showing early speed, but finishing fourth.
Advice will be ridden by Rene Douglas on Saturday and break from post four. Dunkirk was assigned post 15 and will be handled by Edgar Prado. And Join in the Dance will have Chris DeCarlo up as they leave from post nine.
ATOMIC RAIN/WEST SIDE BERNIE - Trainer Kelly Breen waited until daylight hit the Downs to get West Side Bernie and Atomic Rain out on the track Friday morning.
"The track was sloppy, and I wanted to wait until there was enough light to see well before I took them out," Breen said.
West Side Bernie went out at 7 a.m., and Atomic Rain was on the track by 7:30. Both colts jogged one mile with Breen aboard. They were ponied to the track by George Hall, who owns the horses with his wife, Lori.
The 6-year-old pony Hall was aboard is a story of his own. He is a Thoroughbred named Fagan's Legacy and won the Grade III Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont as a 3-year-old. He's named in honor of Hall's grandfather, Larry Fagan.
"My grandfather took my brother John and me to the track at Belmont and Aqueduct when we were kids," Hall said. "He's the one that got us interested in racing."
Hall ponied one of his horses to the track for a race Thursday, but says he has no plans to repeat that in the Kentucky Derby.
"I thought about it," he said, "but the Derby is too big a race. I might get too nervous. Plus, I'm looking forward to the walk over there with family and friends.
"It was fun and exciting yesterday, and I'm glad I did it," Hall said. "The pony, being a racehorse, got excited about it, too. He got to the top of the stretch and I think he was expecting to go to the gate."
Breen, who has been smiling most of the week as he approaches his first Kentucky Derby, was coming back to the barn aboard West Side Bernie when he saw Michael Matz on the path.
"Got any pointers for me?" Breen said to Matz.
Barbaro's trainer just smiled and said, "You'll be fine."
CHOCOLATE CANDY - The bay son of Candy Ride was out for some 7 a.m. exercise Friday at Churchill Downs, moving over a racing strip called "sloppy" after some heavy overnight rains.
Exercise rider Lindsey Molina led Chocolate Candy through a drill similar to the one he'd gone through the day before - a short stand in the starting gate and a good gallop of about a mile and five-eighths.
"He's never run on an 'off' track," trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said back at Barn 42, "but he's handled it well the couple of times he's been on one here this week. This morning when he came around the second time on his gallop he was going even better than the first. Once he got a feel for the track he liked it even more. If it comes up 'off' tomorrow, I think we're going to be OK."
Mike Smith will handle Chocolate Candy for the first time Saturday and they'll leave from post 11. This will be the colt's fourth race of 2009 and his fourth Derby. He started the year back on Jan. 17 by winning the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area, then came back at that track on Feb. 14 to capture the El Camino Real Derby (Grade III). His most recent outing was a second-place finish (behind Pioneerof the Nile) in the Santa Anita Derby (Grade I) April 4.
DESERT PARTY/REGAL RANSOM - Trainer Saeed bin Suroor sent his Godolphin runners, Desert Party and Regal Ransom, out Friday morning to gallop a mile and three-eighths.
"They're looking good," bin Suroor said. "Happy. Fresh. Sound. Healthy. No problem at all. Now the job is done and we're looking forward to tomorrow. We're happy with them."
Bin Suroor is optimistic his colts won't be affected adversely by running over what is likely to be a wet track in the Derby.
"I think Desert Party will handle it. He's won on it before," bin Suroor said. "All week, Regal Ransom has handled the ground good, but in the race it could be different. It's hard to say."
Desert Party won the Sanford Stakes (Grade II) at Saratoga Race Course last summer over a track rated as "muddy."
Bin Suroor said he thinks Godolphin has the right horses prepared properly, with three races in Dubai, for the Derby.
"There is no excuse for them," he said. "If they are good enough, they are going to win."
FLYING PRIVATE - Trainer D. Wayne Lukas sent Flying Private to the track for a routine gallop with Taylor Carty up Friday morning at Churchill Downs.
The Hall of Fame trainer, who has saddled four Kentucky Derby winners, has always had an astute eye for the competition during Derby Week.
"Desert Party appeals to me in this race. They have quality horses, and that horse looks excellent to me. I think he's going to be a factor," Lukas said. "I like (Bob) Baffert's horse (Pioneerof the Nile). I think he's adjusted (to the dirt surface). I wasn't an I Want Revenge fan earlier in the week, but he's starting to come around, too."
Lukas views handicapping Derby 135 as a particularly tough endeavor.
"The only thing that's confusing about it are those horses coming from different areas with synthetic surfaces," he said. "It's hard to evaluate how good they are. Some of them could adapt to this beautifully and others bomb, so it makes it a nightmare to handicap. There could be a 50 or 60 dollar payoff pretty easy."
Robby Albarado will ride Flying Private, whom Lukas has compared favorably to two of his Derby winners: Grindstone (1996) and Charismatic (1999).
FRIESAN FIRE - Louisiana Derby (Grade II) winner Friesan Fire visited the paddock and galloped five-eighths of a mile with trainer Larry Jones in the saddle.
"We just wanted to keep his legs fresh," Jones said. "I let him go to the paddock and look around and he was much more relaxed in there than the other day when he went to the gate."
Owned by Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farms, Friesan Fire enters Kentucky Derby 135 on a three-race win streak. Listed at 5-1 on the morning line, Friesan Fire will be ridden by Gabriel Saez and break from post position six.
Jones, who saddled Hard Spun and Eight Belles to runner-up finishes in the past two Derbys, was asked about his confidence level with Friesan Fire.
"There is no way you can get too confident, because it is a horse race," Jones said.
"He is coming into the race as good, if not better, than the last two. We have had no issues with him at all. Some others were battling quarter cracks and some other things, but everything has fallen perfectly in place for him."
Jones, who plans to retire from training after this year's Breeders' Cup, was asked if he could pen the perfect script for Derby 135, how it would read.
"That's easy. We win," Jones said with a laugh. "We win in Baltimore and then Belmont. What a way to go out!"
GENERAL QUARTERS - The eyes of Louisville will be on local owner/trainer Tom McCarthy as he saddles Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I) winner General Quarters in Saturday's Derby 135. But don't look for McCarthy to be hobknobbing in the grandstand.
"I'll be sitting right there in that tack room and be with my horse all day," McCarthy said. "I don't get into all that other stuff. We're here to do a job, and he's the only one I really need to be with on Derby Day. I'm letting my son handle all the tickets and people and such."
General Quarters galloped 1 1/2 miles Friday morning under exercise rider Julie Sheets, and McCarthy loved what he saw on the sloppy track.
"Oh, boy, I think I'm hoping for rain now to be honest," he said. "He just skipped over the mud and loved it."
HOLD ME BACK - WinStar Farm's vice president and racing manager Elliott Walden checked on WinStar's three Derby starters, Hold Me Back, Mr. Hot Stuff and Advice on Friday morning.
Hold Me Back, handled by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, galloped a mile and a half. The Lane's End (Grade II) winner and Toyota Blue Grass (Grade I) runner-up will start from post five, while Lexington winner Advice is in post four and Mr. Hot Stuff, third in the Santa Anita Derby (Grade I), is in post three.
Walden acknowledged that is quite an accomplishment to get three horses into the Derby field.
"All three are coming off very good races, so you feel good about that," Walden said. "Hold Me Back is a horse that has developed very quickly with the last two races and he seems to be doing very well.
"Mr. Hot Stuff is a horse that is a little further behind, as far as his development is concerned. He's only won one race, but we feel that the X factor is that he'll love the mile and a quarter. He's galloped out his races extremely well and he is progressing physically and mentally. He's a little bit slower to come to the party than his full brother Colonel John, who had more of a 2-year-old career. We're excited about how he's coming in and we hope we're right, but we're guessing a little bit on that. Advice ran a big race and he's worked great over the dirt, so we felt like he deserved a chance, too."
Since all three colts have an off-the-pace running style, Walden said that WinStar officials were happy to see the speedy Join in the Dance, trained by Todd Pletcher, get a spot in the field this week.
"We had Advice sitting on the fence to run and a lot of that was because of the fact that he came to it late by winning the Lexington, but we also wanted the speed in the race from Todd's horse.
"When Todd's horse got in by another defection, that's when we decided to run Advice. We probably wouldn't have run Advice if he was 20 (on the earnings list) and Join in the Dance was 21. We would have let him run because of the speed. We do need speed for all three horses. So we would have probably held Advice back."
I WANT REVENGE - The Wood Memorial (Grade I) winner galloped a mile and jogged a mile under excise rider Joe Deegan on Friday morning at Churchill Downs. Trainer Jeff Mullins expressed satisfaction with I Want Revenge's preparation for his start in Kentucky Derby 135.
"The only thing I could ask for is better weather and a fast racetrack," the Southern California-based trainer said.
I Want Revenge will enter the Derby coming off an impressive victory in the Wood Memorial, in which he overcame a very late start and severe traffic in the stretch under jockey Joe Talamo.
Although Talamo will be riding in his first Derby, Mullins said that the 19-year-old jockey will be on his own without any instructions on how to get to the finish line first.
"I haven't given him any yet, so I don't think I'm going to start now," Mullins said. "I could have given him all the instructions in the world for the Wood and look what happened."
MINE THAT BIRD - While Tom McCarthy might be the most hands-on owner in this year's Kentucky Derby with General Quarters, Mine That Bird co-owner Mark Allen isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, either. The rancher and owner of Double Eagle Farm doubled as groom Friday morning, giving his pint-sized Kentucky Derby contender a sponge bath.
Allen and trainer Chip Woolley go back more than two decades and are making their first appearance on Thoroughbred racing's biggest stage. Mine That Bird galloped 1 1/2 miles Friday morning and impressed Allen with how he responded to the conditions.
"He handled the track really, really well," Allen said. "Chip could not have this horse doing any better."
Both Allen and Woolley have worked extensively with Quarter Horses over the years in New Mexico, and Allen said he has big dreams in 2009 for both breeds.
"How amazing would it be to have a horse in the Kentucky Derby and the All American Futurity in the same year?" he asked. "I'd call that a perfect year. That's what we're hoping for. We have four or five really quality 2-year-old Quarter Horses that we're aiming for at Ruidoso."
MR. HOT STUFF - WinStar Farm's Mr. Hot Stuff went trackside at 6:45 Friday morning and galloped a mile over a "sloppy" racetrack.
"A mile was enough," trainer Eoin Harty said. "I didn't want to chance any more."
The transplanted Irishman was asked how he thought his Kentucky-bred son of Tiznow might handle a possible "wet" surface in Kentucky Derby 135 on Saturday.
"Haven't a clue," the conditioner said. "He's never been on one, but I guess there's a fair chance we might find out."
Harty was asked if Mr. Hot Stuff's full brother - Colonel John, whom he trained and saddled to run sixth in last year's Derby - had any history of "off" track performance.
"No help there," he said. "Don't believe he was ever on a wet track."
Wet or fast, Mr. Hot Stuff will break from post three Saturday at 6:24 p.m. with John Velazquez doing the steering.
"We're ready for it now," Harty said. "We're as ready as we can be."
MUSKET MAN - Trainer Derek Ryan had Musket Man out early Friday morning for a one-mile gallop around the sloppy Churchill Downs oval.
After that, the colt by Yonaguska calmly munched grass behind Barn 41, looking the picture of a happy, healthy horse.
"He's doing great," Ryan said as he prepares for his first Kentucky Derby. "I'm doing OK, too. It's like all the other races - if you win, you celebrate; if you lose, you go home. Except this is the big one, so that makes it different."
Ryan has been able to celebrate five times in Musket Man's six-race career. The colt has lost only once, and comes into the Derby off consecutive victories in the Tampa Bay Derby (Grade III) and Illinois Derby (Grade II). Eric Fein and Vic Carlson own Musket Man, a $15,000 yearling purchase who already has earned $572,600.
NOWHERE TO HIDE - My Meadowview Farm's Illinois Derby (Grade II) fourth-place finisher walked the shedrow under tack Friday morning, one day after blowing out a quarter-mile in :25.20 for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito.
"Everything's good and he's ready," Zito said.
The two-time Derby-winning trainer is among a trio of multiple Derby winners in this year's cast, joining four-time winner D. Wayne Lukas and three-time winner Bob Baffert. But recent history indicates those three may not have an edge as six of the past seven Derby winners have been trained by conditioners making their debut in the Run for the Roses.
What does Zito make of the recent trend?
"It's terrific and great for the game, are you kidding me?" he responded. "It shows you how great this race is, and how hard it is to win and also how many people are trying to come here and win it.
"Everybody wants to win this race from the moment they look at a horse in a yearling sale. That wasn't always the case. When I bought Go for Gin for $150,000 in 1992, it wasn't with one race in mind like buyers are aiming for today. Things have changed. Almost everyone today is looking for a Triple Crown or Breeders' Cup winner, and that's about it. As a trainer, you know what they want and that's what you aim for."
PAPA CLEM - With his pre-Derby work completed Thursday after a three-furlong blowout in :34 flat, the Arkansas Derby (Grade II) winner walked the shedrow Friday morning and was feisty as trainer Gary Stute met him afterward in his stall. Papa Clem took a nip at his trainer, eliciting some laughter and the declaration, "I think that means he's ready."
Stute will stick to his plan and walk Papa Clem on Derby morning as well. The trainer reported that Papa Clem's legs were "ice cold" after the final breeze and that "he has not missed an oat this week, according to my barn foreman."
Saturday's famed Kentucky Derby walkover will be an exciting time, Stute said, as he makes the long journey from the stable area to the paddock with Papa Clem. He joked Friday morning that he hopes it goes better than the first time he made the trek in 1980 with his father, Mel.
"When my dad ran Bold n' Rulling, I wanted to walk over with the horse," he recalled. "But as I leaned to duck under the rail to go on the track, my pants split right down the seam! I had to run back to the barn and duct-tape them together. Let's just hope that doesn't happen Saturday on national TV."
PIONEEROF THE NILE - Trainer Bob Baffert said Friday morning he has tried to prepare Pioneerof the Nile mentally and physically for the grind of running three times in five weeks in the Triple Crown series of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
"He's filled out. He's carrying a lot of flesh," Baffert said. "I've worked on his mind pretty well. He's the kind of horse that is going to be able to handle the three races. I sort of brought him in here good enough to do this one but still have him for the next one. I didn't want to do too much here. I wanted to do enough to get him to win this one so he can go to the next one. I'm still trying to win that damn Triple Crown."
Pioneerof the Nile has won all four of his starts since being moved to Baffert's care late last year. The Empire Maker colt, to be ridden by Garrett Gomez, galloped a mile and a half Friday morning.
"He looks good. He had a good day," Baffert said. "Everyday has been a good day for him. You need that."
Pioneerof the Nile pulled Gomez to the lead early in what turned into a victory in the Santa Anita Derby (Grade I). The colt will be making his first start on dirt and Baffert chose post 16 in the starting gate in hopes that it will reduce the amount of dirt Pioneerof the Nile has kicked in his face. The key, he said, is for Gomez to get the colt to relax early.
"He didn't want to settle the last time," Baffert said. "That's why I didn't take a chance of putting him on the inside, especially with the wet. If it's wet and he's down on the inside and that mud starts hitting him, sometimes it can get to them."
SUMMER BIRD - Trainer Tim Ice had Summer Bird out very early Friday morning, and the Birdstone colt jogged two miles over the sloppy track with jockey Chris Rosier aboard.
"It was dark, I didn't even see him out there," Ice said. "But I wanted to get out early and get him back to his stall today. Chris told me he went good out there, which is what I wanted to hear."
Ice, who went out on his own as a trainer less than a year ago, has been the picture of placidity this week as he saddles his first Kentucky Derby starter.
"I'm trying to do everything like I normally do," Ice said. "I'm not approaching this like it's the world's greatest race - which it is, of course - but I'm trying to stay calm and just go through my routine. It'll probably all hit me Saturday.
"Chris and I were talking about that the other day," Ice said. "Chris said that he's ridden with all those jocks, so he has that experience to go with. Of course, when they play 'My Old Kentucky Home' that's when the butterflies will really start. If you don't get butterflies in your stomach at that point, you probably shouldn't be here."
Update 4878: Justwhistledixie has been scratched from the Oaks.
Update 4877: Paulick Report at the Oaks: LIVE BLOGGING KENTUCKY OAKS DAY.
Update 4876: Zenyatta and Ready Set scratched today: Champion Zenyatta scratched from 2009 debut.
Update 4875: Jen's Thoroughblog's entry today covers the Derby and Oaks AND mentions my Knowledge @ Wharton interview. Very cool: GREAT.
Update 4874: Twitter reporting Zenyatta scratched from her race today. More to follow.
Update 4873: Six sets this morning for Steve at Woodbine. Four before the break and two after the break. All mine galloped nicely for a very uneventful morning. A little damp, but no rain.
New York Times on horse slaughter: Ignoble Endings Far From Winner's Circle.
Update 4872: The day before the Kentucky Derby and we have some terrific horses running today at Churchill Downs, although the weather may play a role.
Rachel Alexandra runs in the Oaks: KY Oaks: Everyone Chasing Rachel Alexandra.
And Zenyatta is scheduled to run: Zenyatta May Not Run on Oaks Undercard, excerpt:
"For her first race back we would like to have a decent track, so we will see how it goes," said Shirreffs. "We are going to wait until the last minute to make a decision."
And here is an update on Top Bunk listed horse Lights on Broadway: For Dallas and Donna Keen, the mission is saving thoroughbreds.
And please call the Governor of Montana and request he veto the slaughter bill: 406-444-3111
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Good Morning,
can we help these dogs today?
Bear Cloee Sage
Sage - 1.5 years old - Owner turn in. Spayed and HW negative
Bear - 6 years old - Owner turn in -was moving. Neutered and HW negative
Cloee - not too sure on all of her info - Spayed and HW negative
There is a chance that a rescue may take all 3 of these wonderful furbabies and transportation is available. A transport is on standby for next weekend for 2 of them and can get a transport for the 3rd if we have a place for them to go. Not sure if the rescue would pay their fees since all 3 have already been fixed. Also unsure at this point where they would go for temporary foster until transport. Boarding will be expensive for 3 dogs.
Nothing is for sure on this as of now but we are all trying to work on a plan to save all 3 of them.
If anyone could donate towards their pull fees, health certs, etc. it would be appreciated.
The contact info for the shelter is The Dog Pound Athens, AL 256-771-7889
If you can donate to help give them a chance at a new life please email Renee at r2country@gmail.com.
(On DB, "Dogs and Cats" - Please help Bear, Sage & Cloee - URGENT)
Posted by: FG at May 1, 2009 11:24 AM