Barbaro Updates: 930

Posted August 31, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5531: Mine That Bird worked this morning. Calvin Borel was back on board for the work and will ride the Kentucky Derby winner in his next two scheduled starts, The Goodwood and Breeders' Cup Classic: Borel to reunite with Mine That Bird.

Update 5530: From NYRA:

Rachel Alexandra is Poised to Make History in Woodward

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- With her scheduled start against older males in the Woodward Stakes on Saturday, September 5, Rachel Alexandra is taking a path seldom traveled by 3-year-old fillies.

According to research done by National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame historian Allan Carter, Summer Guest is the only 3-year-old filly who has competed in the Woodward, which was run for the first time in 1954. Summer Guest, trained by J. Elliott Burch and ridden by Laffit Pincay, Jr. both members of the Hall of Fame, finished second to entrymate Key to the Mint in 1972, but was disqualified and placed third. The Woodward, then contested at Belmont Park, was a mile and half race. The Woodward is now run at a mile and a eighth at Saratoga Race Course.

Summer Guest also ran in the Woodward in 1973, finishing last in a field of five. In 1974, the Rokeby Stable homebred was sixth, just behind another female runner, Magazine. The only other fillies and mares who have competed in the Woodward are: Shuvee, who was fifth as a 4-year-old in 1970 and sixth at the age of 5 in 1971; Relaxing, fourth at the age of five in 1981; and Lady's Secret, second as a 4-year-old during her Horse of the Year season in 1986.

Shuvee, who won two runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup against males, and Lady's Secret, who won the Whitney as a 4-year-old, are members of racing's Hall of Fame.

A victory in the Woodward would make Rachel Alexandra the first 3-year-old filly to win a Grade 1 unrestricted route race on the dirt in New York since the system of grading races began in 1974. Carter has reviewed the results of every major unrestricted G1 dirt route race in New York and could confirm only one victory by a 3-year-old filly, Lady Primrose in the 1887 Manhattan, then a mile and a quarter race on dirt. In addition to the Woodward and Manhattan, the races Carter examined were: the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Whitney, the Suburban, the Metropolitan Handicap and the Brooklyn.

Rachel Alexandra is unbeaten this year, with victories over 3-year-old males in the Preakness and Haskell Invitational. She is a leading contender for the Horse of the Year award, which has not been won by a 3-year-old filly since Hall of Famers Twilight Tear and Busher received the honor in consecutive seasons more than 60 years ago.

During her Horse of the Year season in 1944, Twilight Tear compiled a record of 14-1-1 from 17 starts, with earnings of $167,000. She led all fillies and mares in earnings for the year and was second overall to Pavot. She defeated older males, including Hall of Fame member Devil Diver, in the Pimlico Special in her final start of the season.

In 1945, Busher defeated older males in the Arlington Handicap at Washington Park and the Washington Park Handicap at Washington Park. In the Washington Park Handicap, she defeated 12 others, including Hall of Famer Armed. She had a record of 10-2-1 from 13 starts that year and her purse earnings of $273,735 led the nation.

In his research, Carter found several other 3-year-old fillies with victories in stakes races, including sprints, open to of both sexes, 3-years-old and up:

Miss Woodford (member of Hall of Fame) - October 17, 1883, District of Columbia Stakes, Washington D.C.; Pimlico Stakes (beat Iroquois et al.)

Beldame (member of Hall of Fame) - April 15, 1904, Carter Handicap, Aqueduct; August 20, 1904 Saratoga Handicap. (beat Africander, Caughnawaga, Major Dangerfield et al.) Saratoga Race Course; September 19, 1904, First Special Gravesend (beat Caughnawaga et al.); September 24, 1904, Second Special Gravesend (beat Broomstick, Africander et al.).

Artful (member of Hall of Fame) - August 6, 1905, Brighton Handicap (beat Beldame et al.).

Maskette (member of Hall of Fame) - October 12, 1909, Pierrepont Stakes, Jamaica.

Princess Doreen (member of Hall of Fame) - September 1, 1924, Labor Day Handicap at Hawthorne; September 13, 1924, Covington Handicap, Latonia; October 25, 1924, Falls City Handicap (then open to both sexes), Churchill Downs.

Black Maria - September 14, 1926, Twin City Handicap. Hawthorne; September 25, 1926, Aqueduct Handicap, Aqueduct; October 6, 1926, October Handicap, Jamaica.

Ta Wee (member of Hall of Fame) - August, 25, 1969, Fall Highweight Handicap, Belmont Park; November 1, 1969, Vosburgh Handicap, Aqueduct (beat Gamely, et al.).

Dahlia (member of Hall of Fame) - November 10, 1973, Washington, D.C. International Stakes, Laurel.

April Run - October 24, 1981, Turf Classic, Aqueduct.

Gold Beauty - September 10, 1982, Fall Highweight Handicap, Belmont Park.

Miesque (member of Hall of Fame) - November 21, 1987, Breeders' Cup Mile, Hollywood Park.

Very Subtle - November 21, 1987, Breeders' Cup Sprint, Hollywood Park.

Ridgewood Pearl - October 28, 1995, Breeders' Cup Mile, Belmont Park.

Surfside - November 24, 2000, Clark Handicap, Churchill Downs.

Six Perfections - October 25, 2003, Breeders' Cup Mile, Santa Anita.

Goldikova - October 25, 2008, Breeders' Cup Mile, Santa Anita.

Update 5529: While it was a bit chilly early this morning, it turned into a gorgeous morning this morning at Woodbine for training. I had six to gallop, and each galloped nicely. One also went to the gate for a little gate schooling.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Martha Gonzalez, assistant for Nick Gonzalez. Martha Gonzalez is assistant for husband Nick Gonzalez. Martha manages the Woodbine string for the most part, Nick runs the Fort Erie division. Nick is currently leading the Fort Erie meet while they are also doing very well up here at Woodbine. Obviously a good team!

Lorna Perkins, trainer. Lorna Perkins is a trainer at Woodbine. Lorna also gallops all her own horses. Lorna is one of the newer trainers at Woodbine, her first full season as a trainer was in 2005. Lorna also had a starter in the Queen's Plate this year with Stardust Ziggy, ridden by her partner, Jerry Baird.

Update 5528: The Personal Ensign, one of the races under consideration for Rachel Alexandra's next start, was won in smashing style by Icon Project: Icon Project Runs Smasher in Personal Ensign.

Spring House made it a repeat win in the Del Mar Handicap: Spring House Home Again in Del Mar Handicap.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:51 AM | Comments (58)

Barbaro Updates: 929

Posted August 28, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5527: This is cool. I used to gallop Luna Vega at Oaklawn Park last winter: Luna Vega shines in Molly Pitcher.

Update 5526: A busy morning this morning at Woodbine, under cloudy skies. I had nine to gallop. All galloped nicely. One loose horse came running directly at us once it had cleared it's rider who was trying to hang on. It was one of those moments you just hope horses make the right decisions. The loose horse did duck away from me, phew! Too much drama for a Sunday morning for sure. We have a busy afternoon with five runners, so lets hope for a little luck.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Jerry Baird, jockey. Jerry Baird is one of the senior jockeys at Woodbine. Jerry has ridden close to 500 winners at Woodbine. Probably Jerry's best horse has been Bear Now who he won the Fitz Dixon Cotillion Handicap at Philadelphia Park and also rode in the Monmouth Breeders' Cup. Jerry also rides a lot for his partner, trainer Lorna Perkins.

Update 5525: Media reports of key Saratoga races yesterday:

Travers:
Summer Bird Takes Flight in Travers Victory
Summer Bird soars to emphatic Travers victory

King's Bishop:
Capt. Candyman Can Wins King's Bishop Via DQ
Capt. Candyman Can wins King's
Bishop via disqualification

Ballerina:
Music Note Tops Indian Blessing in Ballerina
Music Note takes Ballerina

Update 5524: NYRA Travers quotes of winning connections:

SHADWELL TRAVERS WINNER QUOTES TAKE 2

Tim Ice, winning trainer, Summer Bird (No. 6): "He proved to us he belonged here. I was asked where he was going to be, and I'm thinking four or five lengths off the pace. I also said I'd let Kent make that decision. He knows the colt and I left it all up to him.

"I have confidence in my horse. I'm glad the owners have enough confidence in me to entrust him to me. Whatever you guys want to call him, 'The Other Bird,' he's won the Belmont and the Travers.

"For him starting his first race in March to be where he's at now could only show what a great horse he is now."

"I feel like I do [have the best three-year-old colt]. He beat Quality Road today. There was a lot of hype of him (Quality Road) going into the Kentucky Derby and nobody seemed to dismiss him coming off that 6 1/2 furlong race. I have a lot of respect for Quality Road and I have a lot of respect for my horse. So maybe he is champion 3-year-old colt right now."

Kent Desormeaux, winning jockey, Summer Bird (No. 6): "I was rating him. You can only rate a horse who actually wants to go faster; otherwise you're knuckling on him to keep up. That is the ultimate feeling for a jockey, having a horse on his fingertips, being on the bridle, not shoving on his neck, trying to make him keep up. That was the exact situation I was in the Belmont; I mean I was restraining him until inside the three-eighths pole, when I turned him loose. It was deja vu today.

On whether the Haskell gave him confidence: "For me, I knew I could certainly put him in position. With all due respect to the race in New Jersey, I think this whole camp knows that I don't believe for a second that Summer Bird enjoyed the going that day. He was completely different. It was sealed and very, very, very fast. Today the track is a different track, there's some depth to the material underneath his feet, it acts like a cushion and he enjoys that. I think the real Summer Bird was able to strut his stuff not in New Jersey but in New York.

On winning his first Shadwell Travers: "This is the oldest racetrack in America and one of the most historical racing events. The whole meet is special, and in my eyes I just won the most special race at the meet. This made my entire summer here at Saratoga and I want to thank the doctors, Tim, and most especially Summer Bird."

Dr. Kalarikkal Jayaraman, winning owner, Summer Bird (No. 6): "We have utmost confidence in Tim (Ice). He has done a very good job. One of these days he will be in the Hall of Fame."

Update 5523: A couple of quick notes today on the 3yos that ran at Saratoga today. Summer Bird ran away with the Travers, which was not what I expected. It makes Rachel Alexandra look even better than she did given her performance in the Haskell over Summer Bird. Perhaps the track impacted the result, but Quality Road did not look comfortable. And Vineyard Haven, who has been out for a while, looked terrific in his comeback race despite being disqualified from first place in the King's Bishop. He is back and adds another interesting element to the 3yo division.

Update 5522: From NYRA:

SHADWELL TRAVERS JOCKEYS WILL DONATE PERCENTAGE OF PURSE EARNINGS TO HELP INJURED RIDER MICHAEL STRAIGHT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockeys riding in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers Stakes have pledged 10 percent of their purse earnings from the race to establish a fund for 23-year-old apprentice jockey Michael Straight, who was critically injured in a fall at Arlington Park on Wednesday.

The fund will be set up through the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Encino, Calif., whose mission is to assist injured and disabled riders.

"This was an easy decision," said John Velazquez, chairman of the Jockeys' Guild and rider of Quality Road, the morning line favorite in the Shadwell Travers. "What happened to Michael is a tragedy and we want to do whatever we can to help support him and his family during this difficult time."

In addition to Velazquez, all six other riders in the Shadwell Travers -- Julien Leparoux, Ramon Dominguez, Calvin Borel, Alan Garcia, Kent Desormeaux and Edgar Prado -- will donate 10 percent of their purse earnings.

"Our family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the industry," said Matthew Straight, Michael's twin brother, also a jockey. "We are so grateful and appreciative. We need to all stay positive and keep praying."

Michael Straight was injured and taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ill. following an incident in the eighth race Wednesday at Arlington Park. Straight fell from his mount and suffered injuries to the spine, including four broken vertebrae. Doctors at Lutheran General Hospital performed spinal surgery on Thursday and inserted a flexible rod to stabilize the spine.

Straight, a native of East Greenbush, N.Y., graduated from Chris McCarron's North American Racing Academy in 2008. He won the first race of his career at Tampa Bay Downs in March 2009 and has ridden a total of 39 winners in 372 races.

The Jockeys' Guild is making plans to put together a national effort to support Michael and his family at next Saturday's races across the country. Details will be released as soon as plans are finalized.

Donations to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockeys Fund, earmarked for Michael Straight should be sent to P.O. Box 18470/Encino, CA 91416. For more information on the MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, please visit: http://www.macbethfund.org/

Update 5521: Photo essay of morning training at Woodbine today: All Eyes On The Leopard.

Update 5520: Cool interview with Peter Brette, 3 years later: Peter Brette - Life After Barbaro.

The Travers will be telecast on ESPN this afternoon: 4:30 to 6:00pm.

Update 5519: No rain here this morning at Woodbine, but cloudy and damp nonetheless from the rain we had last night. I had seven to gallop. And each galloped nicely, although one was a little strong, as usual. There were a few loose horses this morning, the siren went off on one occasion as I was galloping. People were shouting and pointing, but I could not see where the loose horse was at all until it exited the track.

Update 5518: The schedule for this weekend's feature races: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.

And you can listen to Bob Hatfield, Lisa Grimm (superfecta) and I handicap the Travers on this week's ABR radio show.

Update 5517: Travers notes from NYRA:

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With rain in the forecast overnight and into Saturday, an off-track appears likely for tomorrow's 140th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers at Saratoga Race Course.

Of the 139 previous runnings of the Travers, 92 were run over a fast track and 47 on an off-track. Most recently, in 2004, when Birdstone won, 0.6 inches of rain fell, and in 2002, Medaglia d'Oro's year, 1.6 inches of rain fell.

In the 2007 edition, won by Street Sense, most of the 1.03 recorded inches of rain fell after the last race.

In a perfect world, Todd Pletcher would prefer a fast track for favored trainee Quality Road to run over in Saturday's Shadwell Travers, but he's not overly concerned about the effect of the weather on Edward P. Evans' colt.

"It's like always with the weather," Pletcher said. "You wish that it was going to be perfect conditions, but you have absolutely no control over it so you just hope for the best."

With four wins and one second-place finish in five starts, Quality Road has never run over an off race track.

Tim Ice, trainer of Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, said he did not think a wet track would adversely affect the chestnut colt.

"He showed me a sloppy track didn't affect him by the way he ran in the Haskell," said Ice, referring to Summer Bird's second-place finish to Rachel Alexandra over a sloppy track at Monmouth Park. Summer Bird's other outing over an off track took place in the Kentucky Derby, in which he finished sixth after a seven-wide run.

The son of 2004 Travers winner Birdstone took his customary mid-morning nap after a galloping over the main track at 6 a.m. this morning.

"His whole attitude is changing as the race approaches," said Ice. "He knows he's going to run. It's not that there's a change in his routine, he just knows what's going to happen and he gets his game face on."

After Charitable Man galloped 11/2 miles Friday morning, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he would prefer a fast track for the Shadwell Travers.

"He won on a wet track when he won the Futurity [at Belmont Park] last year," said the trainer. "The rain is a concern, but the bigger concern is the competition. It's a tough race."

Scott Blasi, assistant trainer to Steve Asmussen, said he was not at all concerned about the weather and Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Kensei in tomorrow's Shadwell Travers.

"He won in the slop at Hot Springs, and the track couldn't have been any worse that day," said Blasi. "I'm not going to worry about it. After the 2007 Breeders' Cup [at Monmouth Park] I do not worry about the weather at all.

"That day I sat on a five-gallon bucket and stared out the door all day," he said. "All it did was rain for seven days."

Over a sloppy track in New Jersey, Curlin won the Breeders' Cup Classic to notch the first of his two Horse of the Year titles.

Trainer Ian Wilkes had A. Stevens Miles Jr.'s Warrior's Reward gallop about 1 3/3/8 miles over the main track this morning.

"I let him have a strong gallop today," Wilkes said. "I wanted a stronger gallop from him. He's doing good and he's really on his game. He's probably a stronger horse now. He's a big horse. It's not like he has to grow more. He's just filling out to himself now."

Wilkes will be getting some of the Saratoga racing spotlight this weekend with Warrior's Reward running in the Shadwell Travers, Joseph Rauch's Capt. Candyman Can competing in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 NetJets King's Bishop for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs, and Elaine Jones's Miss Isella going in Sunday's Grade 1, $400,000 Personal Ensign for fillies and mares at 11/4 miles.

"I feel good about our horses," said Wilkes, the 44-year-old native of New South Wales, Australia. "I feel very fortunate to be in this situation. I believe things happen for a reason. I never take things for granted. The main thing is that I never get away from the idea of developing a horse. That's the whole key to it. Without the horse, I am no one. If I keep developing horses and keep them consistent, then I've got a real shot."

WinStar Farm's Shadwell Travers-bound Hold Me Back schooled in the gate and galloped 11/4 miles over the Oklahoma training track this morning for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

"He's doing great," Mott said with enthusiasm. "He had a strong gallop. He stood in the gate and backed out beautifully. We just wanted to get him over the anxiety. He can be a little anxious at times. He can get himself revved up sometimes and wants to run. He's focused and going forward. He's ready to roll."

Hold Me Back is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Virginia Derby in his last race. Julien Leparoux will ride Hold Me Back, who won the Grade 2 Lane's End and finished second in the Grade 1 Blue Grass, from post position No. 1.

Update 5516: Received the following message from the Michael Straight Get Well Card Facebook Group:

Subject: Michael Straight Update

From Dave Zenner
Family Spokesperson
Senior Manager of Communications - Arlington Park
FRIDAY MORNING (AUG. 28) STATEMENT FROM MATTHEW STRAIGHT

Jockey Matthew Straight, twin brother of apprentice jockey Michael Straight who was injured in a Wednesday incident at Arlington Park, has issued the following statement regarding the condition of his brother.

"Mike's surgery last night was successful and everything went as planned. The doctors said it could not have gone any better. We know there is still a long way to go and now it's just a waiting game to see how good and how quick he heels up.

"He's off the majority of sedation and we're waiting for him to come out of it on his own. We know it's going to be a long road back and we're not going anywhere.

"Everybody has been so supportive with phone calls, e-mails and even Facebook messages. It hasn't gone unnoticed. Our family appreciates the support and the love. It's times like this that bring everyone together. Please keep Mike in your prayers.

"We appreciate everyone's support but also ask that you respect our family's privacy and when we feel it is the appropriate time to talk more publicly, we will do so."

Update 5515: Eight galloped this morning for Steve at Woodbine. And a very straightforward morning it was too. All mine galloped nicely. Three also went to the gate for some schooling, and schooled nicely.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Paulette Benoit, hot walker for Scott Fairlie. Paulette Benoit ia a hot walker for Scott Fairlie. I have known Paulette for a little while as she also took my internet class, or at least she took the first of the three classes. Once she learned what she needed to learn (how to get her new lap top on the internet) she was good to go!

Haythem Essaied, exercise rider for Mac Benson. Haythem Essaied is an exercise rider for Mac Benson. Haythem is originally from Tunisia and has lived in the UK and France I think. Haythem always has an opinion about things happening in racing, which can make for interesting conversations if you don't always agree!

Update 5514: Is Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird being overlooked for the upcoming Travers Stakes: Summer Bird not bothered by lack of Travers hype.

There are other very good races at the Spa this weekend, including the Personal Ensign: Personal Ensign Looks Like a Good One and Kings Bishop: Seven Furlongs Suits Many in King's Bishop.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:54 AM | Comments (122)

Barbaro Updates: 928

Posted August 27, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5513: Another jockey gets seriously hurt: Apprentice Jockey Straight Injured.

Update 5512: A little chilly first thing this morning at Woodbine, but it soon turned into a gorgeous morning for training. I had nine to gallop for Steve. And all galloped nicely. Three of them also went to the gate for some schooling and schooled well. There was an altercation in one of the barns this morning involving two hot walkers I think. A fight that turned nasty. Police and so forth were needed and I am not sure of the outcome, but not good.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Raymond Perez, groom for Terry Jordan. Raymond Perez is a groom for Terry Jordan. Raymond has worked for Terry for four years, and this is his second year working at Woodbine. He had initially worked for Terry out in Vancouver (Hastings Park.) Very friendly guy and always a hard worker.

Radar Gutzman, hot walker for Josie Carroll. Radar Gutzman is a hot walker for Josie Carroll, and has worked for Josie Carroll for 11 years. In fact Radar has worked at Woodbine for about 40 years (he saw Northern Dancer being paraded at Woodbine before he went to stud in Maryland) and has only worked for five different trainers. Prior to being a hot walker Radar was an exercise rider. And Radar is his real name, I thought it was a nickname because of his likeness to a character in the Mash television show!

Update 5511: This week's contribution to Eclipse Magazine (UK): Alex Brown 25 August 2009.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:48 AM | Comments (30)

Barbaro Updates: 927

Posted August 26, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5510: And here is Saturday's Travers field and morning line odds: Travers: Quality Road Has Something to Prove.

Update 5509: Here is today's radio show: Alex Brown Racing on the radio!
Thanks to Lisa of Superfecta for joining Bob Hatfield and I for a very enjoyable 30 minutes of horse racing!

Update 5508: A damp and dreary morning this morning at Woodbine. I had nine to gallop. All galloped nicely under the wet weather.

Now to focus on getting ready for our 11:30 am radio show with Superfecta. We will be discussing the up coming Travers. The decision to run Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward. The Mine That Bird situation and much more.

Update 5507: From NYRA:

MINE THAT BIRD TO SKIP SHADWELL TRAVERS STAKES

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach and trainer Chip Woolley announced Wednesday that Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird would not enter Saturday's 140th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers, citing continued concerns about an entrapped epiglottis that was repaired on August 18.

"We've decided to err on the side of caution and pass this race up and aim down the road to the Breeders' Cup," Woolley said. "There's one little spot underneath the epiglottis pushing up just a tiny bit and after studying and looking at it, we're going to hold off and make sure the horse is okay and not take any chances with the rest of his career."

Since discovering the entrapped epiglottis on August 17 following a workout, Mine That Bird's connections have said they would not run the gelding if he were anything less than 100 percent healthy. The surgery, performed at the Ruffian Equine Medical Center in Elmont, N.Y., was pronounced a success and the gelding has had three endoscopic examinations in the week following the procedure. Based on a final examination Wednesday after turning in what would have been his final breeze for the Shadwell Travers on Tuesday, his connections decided not to run.

"It was a hard decision," said Dr. Blach. "[The endoscopic examination Wednesday] showed a small spot on the left lateral quarter of the epiglottis. It's healed up, it's not raw, there's no ulcer on there at all it's just kind of an enlargement on the left side. Essentially it's going to be normal and it's probably going to be there for a while. Having surgery just eight days ago, we probably don't want to take a risk."

Added Woolley: "It's probably not a problem, but we don't feel comfortable taking a chance. It probably would have no bearing on the race but we don't want to do anything that might jeopardize his future."

Woolley said another factor in the decision was that Mine That Bird could continue to receive post-operative medication, which would have been halted had he run.

No specific plans were outlined for where Mine That Bird might make his next start, but his connections said they would consider the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita on October 10 with the November 7 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita the gelding's primary objective.

Without the entry of Mine That Bird, a field of seven is expected for the Travers: Charitable Man, Hold Me Back, Kensei, Our Edge, Quality Road, Summer Bird and Warrior's Reward.

Update 5506: It's Wedneday, so at 11:30 am we will host our ABR Radio Show on blogtalkradio. Lisa from Superfecta will join us and help handicap the upcoming Travers Stakes and cover other horse racing news: Alex Brown Racing on the radio!

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:51 AM | Comments (44)

Barbaro Updates: 926

Posted August 25, 2009

Update 5505: Asiatic Boy may duck Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward and head west to take on Einstein and others in the Pacific Classic: Rachel May Send Asiatic Boy to Del Mar.

Update 5504: Mine That Bird worked today, a decision on whether he runs in this weekend's Travers will be made tomorrow: Mine That Bird works for possible Travers start.

Update 5503: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update.

This year's Alabama may not have had a filly in Rachel Alexandra's class, but that didn't stop Careless Jewel from emulating her in a big-margin victory (and running a 106 in the process). One also might view the race as the year's second major Canadian incursion, after Mine That Bird's earlier success up north - trainer Josie Carroll was the first woman to train a Queen's Plate winner in 2006 and is regularly a top trainer at Woodbine. The DRF points out that the Breeders' Cup could be shaping up rather nicely for Careless Jewel, who is already a winner over Polytrack (and apparently quite handy on conventional dirt as well) - not having to face Rachel Alexandra (and/or Zenyatta) this year makes the Distaff a more realistic goal.

Speaking of Woodbine, Hasili family scion Champs Elysees was narrowly beaten there by Marchfield in the Sky Classic; seeing him pop up in a race made me wonder whether any of Hasili's other offspring were currently in training; it seems 4-year-old Raise the Flag made a luckless start in France for Andre Fabre last year, but I did not find any more recent information. Meanwhile, the mare herself has headed back to Europe to see Oasis Dream after spending a few years Stateside and visiting with Storm Cat and Empire Maker. Her Storm Cat filly should be a 2-year-old now, but I would imagine we'll hear from her later rather than sooner.

And so to next weekend; it's unclear whether Mine That Bird will indeed be lining up for the Travers; so far, he seems to be doing well after his minor throat surgery, but a decision will be made tomorrow. Quality Road had a fine workout that should make him the morning-line favorite - for all things Travers, tune in tomorrow to hear my thoughts in my very own dulcet tones.

In other racing news, Einstein is headed to California after working a bullet at Churchill Downs; naturally, we Einstein fans hope to see a great performance from him in the Pacific Classic (ideally one not beset by the bad luck he's run into in his last two starts).

Looking to make a comeback from both bad luck and a much longer layoff is Tiago; he became ill after last year's Breeders' Cup and has been slowly working his way back to the races ever since. He's prepping in the Harry Brubaker (a turf race) at Del Mar tomorrow - hopefully he'll get something out of it and we'll see him feature in bigger races this fall.

Once again, feel free to tune in tomorrow (or listen again later) for more Travers talk!

Update 5502: Off on a HBPA-sponsored boat cruise on Lake Ontario.

Update 5501: A day off today!

And here is the weekly ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Tweet this: Sea The Stars, horsemeat and food safety, Storm in May, ABR Radio, Superfecta, Paragallo, Dave Frizzell, Paragallo, Jockeys, Mine That Bird, Careless Jewell, Milwaukee Appeal, Rob Landry, Chip Woolley, Rachel Alexandra, Quality Road, Tour of the Cat.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 12:07 PM | Comments (40)

Barbaro Updates: 925

Posted August 24, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5500: Travers update from NYRA:

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Edward P. Evans' Quality Road put in his final breeze before Saturday's 140th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers at Saratoga Race Course, covering five furlongs Monday morning over the muddy main track in 59.68, fourth fastest of 24 at the distance.

"It felt good, very good. I wanted to do enough, but not let him do too much," said jockey John Velazquez, on board for the work in company with stablemate Unbridled Belle, a 6-year-old mare also trained by Todd Pletcher. "As soon as I got right to the other horse, he got into the bridle and then I had him slow down a little bit. I didn't want to let him do too much down the lane."

Pletcher, too, seemed pleased with the work.

"I thought he went well," Pletcher said. "We were shooting for a minute to a minute-one and we were pretty close to that. It looked like he galloped out well."

Originally set for a Sunday morning work, the Elusive Quality colt's schedule was influenced by rainy weather this weekend and he was sent out just before 9 a.m. Monday morning, immediately following the renovation break.

"We needed this work to set ourselves up and he handled it well," Pletcher said. "In a perfect world, we'd have worked on a perfectly fast race track. But, the forecast didn't look like it was going to definitely be better tomorrow so we felt like we needed to get in and go. I walked both tracks this morning and I felt like the main track was quite a bit better than the training track, so I decided to go at 8:45 and it worked out fine."

Quality Road enters the Travers off a record-breaking win in the 61/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga on August 3. It was the colt's third graded stakes win and second track record in a row, and marked his first start after a four-month layoff due to foot problems. After winning the Grade 1 Florida Derby in track-record time while under the care of previous trainer James Jerkens, Quality Road was sidelined by a pair of quarter cracks that kept him from running in the May 2 Kentucky Derby. In June, he was transferred to Pletcher's barn with the 11/4-mile Shadwell Travers a primary objective.

"He came back and he's cooling out good so far - doesn't seem to blowing all that hard," Pletcher said as he watched the horse walk following Monday's work. "I think we've got him in as good a position as we could be in with one race under our belt."

Pletcher was noncommittal about Rachel Alexandra's absence from the Travers field after it was announced Monday that she would skip the race in favor of the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward on September 5. Her stablemate Kensei, winner of the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, will enter the Travers.

"We have a lot of respect for her, obviously and she's had a good consistent series of races and we have not," Pletcher said. "In a perfect world, if we were going to catch her it would be at a time when we were coming off of a good series of races as well. I don't know that [Rachel's absence] really changes the pace scenario all that much, I think there's plenty of pace for a mile and a quarter. Warrior's Reward and Kensei both have forward running [styles], as does Charitable Man and Zito's horse (Our Edge) as well. It appears to me there's going to be a good, honest pace in the race."

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird galloped two miles Monday morning at Saratoga and is set to have his final tune-up for Saturday's Shadwell Travers tomorrow morning.

"Right now he's 100 percent," said trainer Chip Woolley of Mine That Bird, who underwent minor surgery last Tuesday to repair an entrapped epiglottis. "The doctor [Dr. James Hunt] scoped him this morning and his words were 'excellent, perfect.' He said if it were going to get some irritation we would have seen it by now."

Jamie Theriot will be aboard the gelding for the breeze over the main track at 8 a.m., right after the renovation break, said Woolley.

The trainer said he was not surprised by the news that Preakness winning-filly Rachel Alexandra was bypassing the 11/4 mile Travers in favor of the nine-furlong Woodward here the following Saturday.

"I had a suspicion all along she wasn't going in there," he said. "And her not being in there is not a bad thing."

Woolley said that even with Rachel Alexandra out of the Travers, he expected an honest pace for his late-closing horse.

"There's no doubt that her being in there was going to set up the pace, but you're picking up Charitable Man to set a solid pace," he said. "The important thing is that my horse runs his race, and not to worry about what everyone else is doing."

Tim Ice, trainer of Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, did not think Rachel Alexandra's absence from the Travers would drastically change the complexion of the race.

"I think it's still going to be a good race," he said. "I'm not disappointed she's not going in it, it definitely opens up the race a little bit."

Summer Bird, second to Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell, walked Monday morning and will return to the track to jog Tuesday. On Wednesday, said Ice, the son of 2004 Travers winner Birdstone will "two-minute clip" the final quarter during his gallop.

"From quarter-pole home, he'll open up," said Ice. "It's slower than a work but faster than a gallop."

Summer Bird will jog Thursday and gallop Friday, said the trainer.

Charitable Man, third as the favorite to Kensei in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, galloped two miles over the muddy main track early this morning for owner William K. Warren, Jr. and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

"There was no concern about him going over the track," McLaughlin said. "It seemed like the track was getting better throughout the morning. Otherwise, he's doing fine."

Charitable Man, who won the Grade 2 Futurity as a 2-year-old and the Grade 2 Peter Pan in May, breezed four furlongs last Friday in 47.45 seconds.

This will be the first Travers for both Warren and McLaughlin.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott postponed WinStar Farm's Hold Me Back's work out until Tuesday morning after seeing this morning's muddy track conditions.

Mott said he will have Hold Me Back either on the Oklahoma training track at 6 a.m. or the main track at 8 a.m., shortly after the break.

"It depends on what these tracks do over the course of the morning," Mott said. "I cannot control the weather."

This will be the fourth and final workout at Saratoga for Hold Me Back, who won the Grade 2 Lane's End at Turfway Park in March followed by a second-place effort in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. After a 12th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, the Giant's Causeway colt tried turf in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on July 18 and finished fifth.

Update 5499: From NYRA:

RACHEL ALEXANDRA TO WOODWARD; PURSE HIKED TO $750,000

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Rachel Alexandra will attempt to make history again as she takes on older males for the first time in the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, September 5, trainer Steve Asmussen announced Monday.

Jess Jackson's 3-year-old filly, a leading contender for Horse of the Year after having twice defeated colts in the Preakness and Haskell Invitational, is attempting to become the first female to win the 1 1/8th mile Woodward, won last year by Jackson's two-time Horse of the Year Curlin.

In light of the historic significance of the race, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has raised the purse for the 1 1/8th mile Woodward from $500,000 to $750,000.

"Raising the Woodward purse will help attract a top field to what will be a historic race," said NYRA Vice President and Director of Racing P.J. Campo. "In addition, we felt that to have a filly like Rachel Alexandra seeking to become the first ever female to win the Woodward warranted an increase in purse."

Asmussen, accompanied by Jackson's wife, Barbara Banke, made the announcement after Rachel Alexandra worked six furlongs in 1:11.84 over a muddy main track at Saratoga, ending speculation she would face 3-year-old colts again in the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers on Saturday or older fillies in the Grade 1, $400,000 Personal Ensign the following day.

Instead, her stablemate, Jackson's Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Kensei, who worked a half-mile in 50.00, will start in the 1¼ mile Shadwell Travers.

"Given how well Kensei was doing, I thought he deserved a chance in the Travers," said Asmussen. "It would be a race that would mark his career and with that decision, Rachel will be pointed towards the Woodward."

With regular exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard, and jockey Calvin Borel watching from the grandstand, NYRA clockers caught the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro in splits of 24.27, 36.23, 47.86 and 59.60, galloping out six furlongs in 1:25.58.

"It was awesome," said Terry. "She's amazing."

Rachel Alexandra, owner of an eight-race winning streak that dates back to November 29, 2008, was purchased by Jackson's Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick following her 201/4 length victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. She then made history by becoming the first filly since 1924 to win the Preakness, defeating Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by a length. In her next start, she won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park by 191/4 lengths, then beat colts again the Haskell, defeating Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird by six lengths.

"Legacy," said Asmussen when asked about chosing the Woodward as Rachel Alexandra's next start. "Jess's sportsmanship about what they can do is quite obvious, instead of just talk ... there's just so much - no filly has won the Woodward, for everything else that she's done I think that it's the showcase or the platform that she's worthy of."

A field of eight appears likely for the 140th running of the Shadwell Travers, including Kensei, Mine That Bird, Summer Bird, record-setting Amsterdam winner Quality Road, Warrior's Reward, Hold Me Back, Our Edge, and Charitable Man.

The Woodward, which will be run for the 56th time, could possibly attract Asiatic Boy, Cool Coal Man, Tizway, Bullsbay, It's a Bird, and Macho Again.

Update 5498: A gorgeous morning at Woodbine this morning. I had eight to ride. And all went nicely. There was one loose horse running at me at one stage. While my vision is not 20-20 I did spot the horse once the siren went off, and moved out of harms way. After getting back to jogging my horse I spotted Brian walking along the outside rail, with some tack in his hand!

Update 5497: New York Times on the retirement of Tour of the Cat: Where Do Racehorses Go? (video) and Around the Final Turn, and Heading for a Home.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:39 AM | Comments (55)

Barbaro Updates: 924

Posted August 21, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5496: A long afternoon at the races. My favorite horse, Salty, was second. He always runs hard! Marchfield won the feature race, the Sky Classic, defeating Champs Elyses and Rahy's Attorney among others.

Update 5495: Chip Woolley shows his class to a young racing fan: Mine That Bird and Who??!!

Update 5494: Seven galloped this morning for Steve at Woodbine. And all galloped nicely for a straightforward morning's work.

Rob Landry was back after his terrific win aboard Careless Jewell yesterday at Saratoga. I asked Rob if this was his biggest win in his career. He has won most of the major prizes here at Woodbine (Queen's Plate, Woodbine Mile etc.) but this was his first Grade 1 success in the US. Last weekend he rode four winners in one day, missing out on a perfect 5 for 5 on Authenicat in the Stake. And this weekend his biggest US win. Lets see if his run can continue! Very cool.

Update 5493: Media reports of the Alabama and Del Mar Oaks:

Alabama:
Careless Jewel Turns Alabama Into a Laugher
Careless Jewel dominant in Alabama Stakes
Careless Jewel romps in Alabama

Del Mar Oaks:
Internallyflawless Looks Perfect in DM Oaks
Internallyflawless scores first stakes win in Del Mar Oaks
Internallyflawless scores in Del Mar Oaks

Update 5492: NYRA quotes on the Alabama:

ALABAMA QUOTES

Josie Carroll, winning trainer, Careless Jewel (No. 5): "She's been a filly that's been on the lead, but she's been starting to relax more and more and we thought that if she had to[sit off the pace], she could, and fortunately we were right. There was a lot of jostling in there and I got really concerned - I thought she was going to get dropped into that first turn and I think Robert [Landry, jockey] did a great job with her. He got her outside and got her settled. I think knowing the horse was a huge advantage today. He got her to settle beautifully. We had looked in this direction if we jumped up and ran well in Delaware. The one thing about this filly, she's made the lead and she's kicked on. I think it's very special when a horse can make pace and kick on. That gave us a lot of confidence in her. It doesn't get much better than this."

On her next start: "Certainly that's up to the Dubinskys. They have a big input on what their horse does, they like to be very involved. We'll sit down with them and we'll see."

Robert Landry, winning jockey, Careless Jewel (No. 5): "She's a great filly and I give a lot of credit Josie (Carroll, Trainer) and I appreciate the owners for giving me the opportunity to ride her in such a big race. I've had a lot of confidence in her and she had a couple pre-race antics but when they can overcome that and win the way she did; she's a special filly."

With regard to "pre-race antics": "You don't want to see horses doing that because they do take something out of themselves but she showed up and did her job when it counted and I'm really proud of her. She acts up a little bit. I think the crowd had something to do with it. She's not used to this many people which is great because I'm sure the Breeders' Cup will have a bunch of people and hopefully she can end up there."

Landry's history at Saratoga: "I haven't ever won a race here. I've had a couple placings in stakes and I finished third on a 3-year-old called Neebon a few years ago in the Jim Dandy. Other than that, I've probably only rode 5 or 6 horses here. I said last time that I wouldn't come back until I thought I had a chance and (smiles) it's nice to win a race in Saratoga."

About the trip: "I had a pretty good start. After the first turn I got squeezed out pretty good into the first turn. I was trying to get her back off that horse and I couldn't really get her back quick enough so I had to check her pretty hard into the first turn. After that the trip was pretty uneventful. When I asked her, she responded. It takes a good horse to overcome what she did today."

Scott Fairlie, trainer of favored runner-up Milwaukee Appeal (No. 8): "She ran huge. She had the perfect trip. She was second-best today. Coming down the stretch, I was hoping she would hold on for second. I was very happy with her. She'll go back home and see what happens from here."

John Velazquez, jockey aboard runner-up Milwaukee Appeal (No. 8): "It was a good race, a perfect trip. She ran a great race, it was just that [Careless Jewel] was better."

Todd Pletcher, trainer of third-place finisher Casanova Move (No. 7) "She ran well. She's been a consistent filly for us."

Jose Lezcano, jockey of third-place finisher, Casanova Move (No. 7): "She broke well. I tried to go inside and when I asked her she gave me a good run. She ran big, but the two best fillies were first and second."

Update 5491: An impressive win by the "quirky", and Woodbine based, Careless Jewell in the Alabama.

Update 5490: A gorgeous morning this morning at Woodbine. The humid weather seems to have cleared out. I only had four to gallop. And all went nicely for a very straightforward morning's work. As I was coming off the track for my last set, I watched Rob, one of the outriders, do an outstanding job of catching a horse at a full gallop. People pay to go to the rodeo, but Rob is the real deal. Back to the races later today as we have three runners.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Jeff Bratt, Woodbine host. Jeff Bratt, is a Woodbine host, which basically means Jeff presents TV coverage of Woodbine racing. Jeff also handicaps the races. Very affable, which I guess is necessary for Jeff's role.

Stumpy the seagull. I was walking out of the HBPA office this morning, and there was Stumpy the seagull. I had heard about Stumpy a couple of weeks ago but had not seen him. He hangs out just outside the HBPA office, and I am told that Corinne feeds him. Stumpy is missing a foot, hence his name. But it does not seem to bother him.

Update 5489: Another relatively quiet weekend this weekend for major races. The two Grade 1 events are for 3yo fillies, the Alabama at Saratoga and the Del Mar Oaks: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.

Update 5488: Travers news from NYRA:

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Chip Woolley sent Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird back to the main track at Saratoga Race Course Friday morning following a clean endoscopic examination performed by Dr. James Hunt.

"In Doc's words, he was perfect," Woolley said. "You couldn't tell [he had anything done] and there's not even any inflammation around the epiglottis, everything looks just smooth, laid out flat, real pretty. So we [sent him to the track], he played all the way around there, looked like he was happy and felt good, came off the track bouncing and playing, so I would say we're on track right now. We don't have any excuses, the horse looks really good. Never coughed, never anything like that, so real happy with where we're at."

Mine That Bird had minor surgery to repair an entrapped epiglottis Tuesday morning at the Ruffian Equine Medical Center in Elmont, N.Y. and was sidelined from training for two days, which Woolley said he did not consider an issue.

"Oh no, he's dead fit and fortunately we found it following a work, not going into a work and we missed a work," Woolley said. "So, we're in pretty good shape and I don't have any worries about missing a day or two. You miss that many days of training to a muddy racetrack or any other thing, so really no big deal. We'll scope him again in a couple of days to make sure we haven't irritated something in there, but right now he looks as good as you could ever ask him."

Woolley said Mine That Bird would breeze again Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. on the main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers on August 29. He said he had not yet spoken to owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach, but would fill them in later in the day.

"I was real happy when we looked in there and [it looked] like the absolute perfect throat and you can't even tell that anything was done in there at all. You breathe a big sigh of relief when you hear the vet pull that scope out and say 'it looks perfect to me.' That's a good thing; it's what we were looking for."

Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird will have his final serious work for the Shadwell Travers at 8:45 a.m. Saturday morning, rain or shine, said trainer Tim Ice. After a day of rain on Friday, the weather forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of thundershowers through Saturday morning.

"He worked twice in the mud at Monmouth Park," said Ice. "And what if it rains for the Travers? I'm not going to scratch him."

Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux will be aboard for the move.

Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren's Charitable Man turned in a bullet four-furlong work Friday morning in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers on August 29.

Charitable Man covered the half mile in 47.45, the fastest of 24 works at the distance over the main oval at Saratoga Race Course.

"He worked very well," said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. "We were happy - probably happier with the work than we will be with the other entries, when we see them, but he's doing very well."

Jockey Ramon Dominguez was in the irons for Friday's work and will ride the colt in the Shadwell Travers, a rider change from Alan Garcia.

"Ramon worked him this morning and really liked him," McLaughlin said. "He's a top rider; I think he fits all horses. So is Alan, but we decided to make a change."

WinStar Farms, winner of last year's thrilling Travers with Colonel John, is back to try for a second straight victory in the 11/4-mile race with Hold Me Back, most recently fifth in the Grade 2 Virginia Derby over a soft course he did not care for.

"We're trying him back on the dirt and we'll see what happens," said his Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott. "It's a big race and we want to give him a chance to show himself. Obviously we think he's a good horse with a lot of quality. There will be a lot of good horses in there, but a lot of times the favorite doesn't win."

The son of Giant's Causeway, a $400,000 purchase at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sales, won the Grade 2 Lane's End at Turfway Park this spring, was second to General Quarters in the Grade 1 Blue Grass and then finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby after an eventful trip.

With a record of 3-1-0 from seven lifetime starts, Hold Me Back will be making his first appearance at Saratoga, having broken his maiden last year at Arlington Park.

"He's worked very well up here," said Mott of the colt, who breezed six furlongs in 1:13.02 on August 16. "We think he can handle the distance - just his style would indicate that."

With regular rider Kent Desormeaux committed to Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird for the Travers, Julien Leparoux will have the mount, said Mott.

Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who saddled Birdstone to victory in the 2004 Travers, will be sending out his 22nd starter in the Mid-Summer Derby with Robert V. LaPenta's Our Edge.

A robust bay son of The Cliff's Edge, who was second to his stablemate in 2004, Our Edge is bringing a three-race winning streak into the Travers, most recently taking the Grade 3 Barbaro at Delaware Park in a seven-length romp.

"It's exciting," said Zito. "He's a beautiful horse, a big, strong horse. He's been working great every week, and last week was a sensational workout [a half-mile in a bullet 46.70 over the training track]."

Unraced at age 2, Our Edge broke his maiden at third asking at Delaware Park on May 18, and then took the 1 1/16th mile Coronado's Quest Stakes at Monmouth on June 20.

"Don't get me wrong, I told Bob LaPenta, we're really taking an enormous shot," said Zito. "But we always take a shot, that's been our deal. We either make it, or we don't. It's a blessing to be in it. His father, being by the Cliff, running second to Birdstone, we'll see what happens."

Our Edge will have his final prep for the Travers either Saturday or Sunday, said Zito. Alan Garcia will ride.

Update 5487: The ABR Facebook Group now has more than 2,000 members. Thanks for supporting this this group.

And tonight the second season of the show Jockeys begins at 10 pm on Animal Planet: Second season of 'Jockeys' to begin on Friday.

Update 5486: There were some wicked storms here last night, not too far north of Woodbine. Thankfully Woodbine and the horses seemed to have escaped the worst of it. I had seven to gallop for Steve. All galloped nicely. Three went to the gate for a little schooling, and schooled well.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Paul Attard, trainer. Paul Attard is one of the up-and-coming young trainers here at Woodbine. Paul is also the son of Sid Attard, who is currently leading the Woodbine meet. Paul is quietly having a successful 2009 meet, his eighth season as a trainer. Prior to training Paul was assistant to his father.

Update 5485: It is good to see the NTRA's Safety and Integrity Alliance is now focusing on the racehorse in its retirement: Retired Horses Focus of Safety Alliance Panel.

The Alabama, a Grade 1 event for 3yo fillies at Saratoga this weekend, features two Woodbine-based fillies: Canadian fillies invade for Alabama.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:48 AM | Comments (143)

Barbaro Updates: 923

Posted August 20, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5484: Cool article on the use of Twitter (in racing) by Down The Stretch. I was interviewed and included: R U on Twitter.

Update 5483: Off to the races at Woodbine.

Update 5482: It is looking increasing likely that Better Talk Now will retire at the end of this year, and may only run one more time: Road's end near for Better Talk Now.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Robin Platts, exercise rider and Hall of Fame jockey. Robin Platts is an exercise rider for Sam-Son Farms. Robin Platts is also a Hall of Fame jockey here at Woodbine and has won the Queen's Plate four times.

Update 5481: A very muggy morning this morning at Woodbine. And the mosquitoes were loving it. So much so that after my first set I had to put on a long-sleeved shirt to avoid being feasted upon. I had ten to gallop, and all galloped nicely in the humid weather. We have four runners this afternoon, so lets hope for a little luck!

Update 5480: Saturday's Alabama Stakes, for 3yo fillies, is the first race to be eliminated for consideration for Rachel Alexandra's next start: Alabama: No 'Rachel,' But Still a Solid Field. A decision regarding that next start, which was anticipated this week, may now not be made until early next week: Decision on Rachel expected next week.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:53 AM | Comments (43)

Barbaro Updates: 922

Posted August 19, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5479: Our weekly radio show archived: Completed Shows.

And Triple Dead Heat discusses radio and mentions our show: Horse Racing on the Radio and How I Miss the Hartford Whalers.

Update 5478: This week's submission for Eclipse Magazine (UK): Alex Brown 18 August 2009.

Update 5477: Eight galloped this morning for Steve at Woodbine, and we had a bit of a break in the hot weather too which made things much more pleasant. One of mine was pretty tough to gallop, but managable. The rest all galloped nicely. I also gate schooled one and he was very good too.

Now to finish up preparing for our 11:30 am radio show!

Update 5476: Today I will host our 30 minute weekly radio show at 11:30 am along with Bob Hatfield and Paul Breedon. We will discuss last weekend's racing action in North America as well as Europe where Goldikova and Sea The Stars continued to demonstrate their brilliance. We will also take a look at the 3yo division here in light of the most recent work outs in the last couple of days of Mine That Bird, Rachel Alexandra and Quality Road etc: Alex Brown Racing on the radio!

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:48 AM | Comments (28)

Barbaro Updates: 921

Posted August 18, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5475: Mine That Bird's surgery a success: MINE THAT BIRD 'SUPER' AFTER SURGERY. Found on Paulick Report.

Update 5474: Superfecta here, with a Horses Americans Should Know edition of your regular weekly update.

While the US racing world waits for news of where Rachel Alexandra will appear next after another effortless bullet work, European racing fans got a chance to see their all-conquering hero again today when Sea the Stars set a track record at York in the Juddmonte International. The 3-year-old colt had scared off most of the competition long before he took to the track - only Ballydoyle was able to muster up three horses to face him. For those on this side of the pond who might not have been paying attention, here's how we arrived at this point.

Sea the Stars is nothing if not regally-bred; he is the latest Group 1 winner out of Kentucky-bred Arc winner Urban Sea, who died earlier this year from foaling complications. Her other star offspring include Black Sam Bellamy, My Typhoon and world-beating racehorse (and now top sire) Galileo. Even on his sire's side, there is a tradition of strong female performances - Sea the Stars is by Cape Cross (also the sire of Ouija Board), whose own dam was a champion.

But a fantastic bloodline doesn't necessarily translate into a great racehorse - indeed, a number of Sea the Stars' siblings are unraced - and his first start at two wasn't hugely inspiring (although certainly not discouraging); he finished a close fourth in a seven-furlong maiden race at the Curragh that also featured recent US immigrant Black Bear Island getting up for second. Moving to Leopardstown a few weeks later, Sea the Stars won and hasn't looked back since.

He finished 2008 with a win in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes and made his 2009 debut in the 2000 Guineas, defeating a field that included Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman, the former 2-year-old champion. His win came despite a loss of training time earlier in the spring due to illness, but trainer John Oxx had no worries. The form of that race has certainly held up - Rip Van Winkle went on to convincingly beat his elders in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last month - but it's clear he doesn't enjoy running against Sea the Stars.

Their next meeting, at Epsom in the Derby, was no more successful for Rip Van Winkle; he finished a well-beaten forth to victor Sea the Stars, who matched his elder half-brother Galileo in winning the race. The two horses met again in the Eclipse, which included talented older horses such as Breeders' Cup Turf winner Conduit and Cima de Triomphe (last seen finishing fourth in the Arlington Million). But even a bit of traffic trouble did not bother Sea the Stars - he ran right past Rip Van Winkle, who hung on for second this time. With the win, Sea the Stars became the first horse to win the 2000 Guineas/Derby/Eclipse treble since 1989.

It seems that the English Triple Crown is not among the goals for Sea the Stars, however - the St. Leger distance is predicted to be a bit longer than he would want to run. His future plans are said to include the Irish Champion Stakes - and perhaps the Arc and the Breeders' Cup Classic; it's unlikely we'll see him race as a 4-year-old, which is rather a shame. At of this writing, he has a 6-race winning streak - it would be interesting to see how long (and how internationally) he could stretch it, given more time. It is not often we get to hold up the American horse as the more seasoned competitor, but it works in our favor in this instance - Rachel Alexandra has 10 wins from 13 starts and is on an 8-race winning streak, while Sea the Stars has won 6 out of 7.

We are lucky enough to be enjoying a year in which the two best 3-year-olds the US and Europe are already being hailed as all-time greats; wouldn't it be exciting to see them face each other (someday, somewhere, on some neutral surface)? Granted, it's a remote wish - but it would be quite a sight to behold. Here's hoping against hope that both are in training next year.

Update 5473: SUPER STARS DOES IT AGAIN .

Update 5472: And Sea The Stars won the Juddmonte Stakes at York!

Update 5471: Only four to gallop this morning for Steve at Woodbine. So a very straightforward morning's work. Still quite muggy here.

Today Sea The Stars runs in the Juddmonte Stakes at York. Sea The Stars is the outstanding 3yo in Europe right now and has already beaten older horses in the Eclipse: IMPOSSIBLE TO SEA DEFEAT FOR STARS.

Update 5470: This week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Tweet this: OLEX, ABR Radio, Bob Hatfield and Paul Breedon, Boule D'Or, Redraw, Eddie Maple, Jimmy McAleney, Rob Landry, Goldikova, Quality Road, Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:52 AM | Comments (57)

Barbaro Updates: 920

Posted August 17, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5469: And more from NYRA:

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Rachel Alexandra breezed five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.37 on a foggy Monday morning on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course, after which trainer Steve Asmussen said discussions would begin "in earnest" on where the Preakness-winning filly would make her next start.

Owned by Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick, Rachel Alexandra is nominated to four Grade 1 races at Saratoga, two against females and two against males: the $600,000 Alabama for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday, the $1 million Shadwell Travers against 3-year-old colts and geldings on August 29, the $400,000 Personal Ensign against fillies and mares on August 30, and the $500,000 Woodward against older males on September 5.

"There are no races eliminated," said Asmussen, who will also nominate the filly, who is 7-for-7 this year, to the Pennsylvania Derby on September 7. "I will text [message] Jess as to how the work went, he'll call me, and we'll discuss what we're going to do. We'll digest where we're at and try to do the best thing for Rachel."

With exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard, Rachel Alexandra went to the track shortly before 6 a.m. for the work, the fastest of 18 at the distance. Watching through the mist, along with dozens of fans and members of the media, was her regular jockey, Calvin Borel, who stood with Asmussen along the rail.

"She looked beautiful coming down the lane," said Asmussen. "I saw her approaching the eighth pole and past the wire down to the turn. And the words [that] came out of Dominic's mouth: 'Never better.'"

If she does not run in Saturday's 11/4-mile Alabama, said Asmussen, Rachel Alexandra will work again next week, also on the training track.

"There are no plans to work her on the main track," said the trainer. "She won at Monmouth Park [Haskell Invitational] training here and for the Mother Goose [at Belmont Park] training here."

Working at 5:30 Monday morning was Jackson's 3-year-old Jim Dandy winner Kensei, who is also under consideration for the 11/4 -mile Travers. The colt went five furlongs in 1:01.85.

"Kensei worked very well," said Terry, who was also aboard the colt. "I didn't think a horse could work better than the first set, then she went out. I don't have to ask her for anything; just hold on and let her do her thing. I couldn't ask for anything more."

After watching Rachel Alexandra, jockey Calvin Borel crossed Union Avenue and climbed aboard A. Stevens Miles' Warrior's Reward, breezing him five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.26 over the main track.

The move was the fastest of a dozen at the distance.

"He's on schedule; he was ready to work," said trainer Ian Wilkes. "I wanted a nice, focused, solid work from him. I was pleased with it. Calvin was pleased with the way the horse worked and galloped out strongly."

Warrior's Reward has finished behind Kensei twice in his past two starts: a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and a third-place finish after stumbling at the start as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Dwyer.

"I want to keep him moving forward off his last race with this work," Wilkes said. "Now, we just have to do some maintenance work, make sure he's OK and comes out of it fine. You always have to worry about that. Any time you have to work them, you always want to make sure they're OK."

Update 5468: From NYRA:

MINE THAT BIRD TO HAVE THROAT SURGERY; TRAVERS STILL ON RADAR

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird will undergo throat surgery to free an entrapped epiglottis discovered after he breezed Monday morning at Saratoga Race Course. The 3-year-old gelding should remain on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers on August 29, trainer Chip Woolley said.

"After Mine That Bird's work this morning, we scoped him, and he's got an entrapment of the epiglottis," said Woolley just three hours after the gelding worked five furlongs in 1:03.83 on the main track with Jamie Theriot aboard. "It's enough that we're going to take him to the city [Elmont, N.Y.] tonight and do surgery on him in the morning.

"The doctors think -- there's no guarantees -- but the doctors think he'll be good for Travers; he'll be here and ready to run in the Travers," he added. "But, it will be somewhat day to day. We will not run him if he's not 100 percent, so we're gonna see how things go with the deal tomorrow."

Woolley said the brief procedure will be performed at about 8 a.m. Tuesday morning by Dr. Patricia Hogan at the Ruffian Equine Medical Center across the street from Belmont Park, after which Mine That Bird will immediately return to Saratoga.

"We could do it here, that's not an issue, it's the fact that the doctor down there has a full-day schedule tomorrow, and there was no way for her to come up here and get back and do her other surgeries," said Woolley. "This horse transports well. It's not that big a deal, we'll just haul him down there, spend the night and do it, haul him back here tomorrow afternoon."

Woolley said that the condition, in which the thin membrane lying below the epiglottis (the fleshy tissue that covers the windpipe when a horse swallows) moves up and covers the epiglottis, was discovered during a routine endoscopic examination by veterinarian Dr. James Hunt.

"Every time, two weeks out, we always scope him just to make sure we don't have any problems," said Woolley. "It's just standard procedure with me, that's how I've done it in every race. At his two week-out work, we scope him. We had no clue there was any problem. He came off the race track bucking and playing this morning. I never gave a second thought to it. He finishes up in eleven and three the last eighth of a mile. I mean, I would have never dreamed there's a problem."

The procedure, similar to the one Alysheba underwent 30 days before he won the 1987 Kentucky Derby, will take a matter of minutes, said Woolley, after which Mine That Bird should be able to resume training with little interruption.

"Basically, they've got a little hook with a kind of a sharp [piece] inside of the hook, and they just reach in and they hook the little piece that's grown up over the top and slice it in two," he explained. "And that thing will kind of draw back away, and, for the most part, it will be gone."

Mine That Bird, who was second to Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, third to Summer Bird in the Belmont Stakes and third in his most recent start, the West Virginia Derby, is scheduled to have his final tuneup for the 11/4-mile Shadwell Travers next week.

"That's our plan," said Woolley. "I can miss a couple days of training without any worry about the work. I mean he can still work on Tuesday if he misses a day or two of training, that's not going to make or break him. But he does need the work and like I said, if he's not ready, he won't run."

Woolley was clearly shaken by the turn of events but expressed optimism that Mine That Bird would be able to keep his engagement in the "Mid-Summer Derby," in which he is expected to face Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, track-record holder Quality Road and perhaps the Preakness-winning filly, Rachel Alexandra.

"It's pretty routine -- I've done a number over the years with great success," he said. "This horse, in particular, it's a big deal no matter what you're doing to him. [The timing] stinks. You'd have loved to have another week, but we don't have that, this is what we've got, and this is what we've got to deal with."

Update 5467: Mine That Bird worked slowly this morning, will have surgery later today: Mine That Bird to Have Surgery.

Update 5466: Update from Sue McMullen regarding top European racing action:

Sea The Stars is due to set his imperious hooves on the Knavesmire turf tomorrow in the first big race of the York Ebor Festival, the Juddmonte International. Now due to face just three rivals following the defection of Sir Michael Stoute's Tarten Bearer, Sea The Star's participation was confirmed only after the rain forecast for the area failed to materialise.

With the three other runners all from Ballydoyle, two of whom are pacemakers in all but name and just one realistic rival in Master Craftsman, tactics will certainly play a big part in the race. Johnny Murtagh is said to be very bullish about Master Craftsman, winner of the St James' Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, but many pundits believe that however good he is, he won't trouble John Oxx's horse of a lifetime. Occuping the same box at Oxx's yard as mighty Sinndar and the hugely talented Alamshaar, Sea The Stars has already demonstrated he is a very worthy occupant of the top box, annihilating all comers in the Guineas, Derby and the Eclipse.

Doubtless Ballydoyle will be working on strategies to try and beat him but aside from the fact that their attempts at pacemaking have often proved disastrous and haven't exactly covered them with glory, Sea The Stars has the assistance of a certain Mick Kinane, a 'big race' jockey with nerves of steel and ice running through his veins. Some have posed the question regarding Sea The Stars in the line-up suggesting he should have been left for the Arc. Their argument is that, in tomorrow's company, the real story would be if he gets beaten, but Oxx is no fool and if the Arc is too wet, Sea The Stars won't be packing his bag for Paris. Assuming nothing is amiss with Sea The Stars it is very hard to see him being seriously troubled by Master Craftsman, regardless of how good the latter is and however keen Murtagh is on turning the tables. The problem for Ballydoyle is that the Oxx flying machine is now Sea The SuperStar.

Let us hope we see a good race with nothing to cast a cloud over it in terms of dubious tactics.

The girls have stamped their authority this season and one lady who will, fingers crossed, be packing her bags for a trip across the 'Pond' to defend her crown in the Breeders' Cup is Goldikova who anihilated her rivals in yesterday's Goup 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville. Her third Group 1 on the bounce, the daughter of Anabaa managed to knock a second off the race record and won by the biggest winning distance in its history. Trainer Freddie Head will now give Goldikova a rest so she will bypass the Prix du Moulin, which she won last year and she will either go straight to Santa Anita or possibly run in the Prix de la Foret on October 3rd. Never seriously bothered during the race, jockey Olivier Peslier's worst moment with the filly was before the start as she was markedly disinclined to enter the gate and took some cajoling. This is her only 'naughtiness' according to Head who regards his fabulous filly as even better than the famous Miesque, whom he rode to consecutive BC Mile victories in '87 and '88.

Update 5465: A hot morning this morning at Woodbine as summer continues in Canada! I had six to gallop, so a pretty straightforward morning's work. I also went up to the track to watch a couple of our horses breeze, and they seemed to breeze nicely.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Karl Lagerborg, manager of stable area operations. Karl Lagerborg is the manager of stable area operations. A long job title for sure. Karl can be seen on the backside in the mornings on a regular basis making sure things are running smoothly. I am not entirely sure of Karl's specific responsibilities, but I assume part of them includes making sure we are using our stalls and making sure the right horses are where they need to be. Very pleasant guy.

Brent Harris, assistant trainer for Michael Doyle. Brent Harris is the assistant trainer for Michael Doyle. Always walking up and down our horse path with Doyle's string, and then standing on the rail watching the horses train. And it was on the rail today where I snapped this picture!

Sandy O'Connor, tattoo guy and gate crew. Sandy O'Connor, tattoo guy and gate crew. Like many people working the backside at Woodbine, Sandy has two jobs. Sandy works on the gate crew, both in the mornings during training and in the afternoons during racing. Sandy is also the guy who puts the lip tattoos on the horses who are getting ready to run. He does this in the mornings before the gate opens, which is now 8:30 am. He takes the registration number on the horse's papers, and applies that number to the inside of the top lip of the horse, replacing the first two numbers (which represent the year the horse is born) with a letter.

Update 5464: Rachel Alexandra and Kensei will be among the leading 3yos working this morning as they prepare for their next starts.

Magical Fantasy won the feature race of the day yesterday, the Grade 1 John C Mabee at Del Mar: Mabee Becomes a Reality For Magical Fantasy.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:48 AM | Comments (33)

Barbaro Updates: 919

Posted August 14, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5463: Updates from NYRA looking ahead to the Travers Stakes:

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Quality Road, expected to be among the favorites for the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers, turned in his first work since his record-setting victory in the Amsterdam Stakes this morning at Saratoga Race Course, covering six furlongs in 1:13.19.

Under jockey John Velazquez, the Elusive Quality colt went to the main track shortly after the morning break and breezed in tandem with stablemate Unbridled Belle, a 6-year-old mare also trained by Todd Pletcher.

"I thought it was super," said Pletcher of the move, Quality Road's first since setting a Saratoga track record of 1:13.74 for 61/2 furlongs in the Amsterdam. "He came out of the race well, and had a good work this morning, a nice, stamina-building breeze. He was into the bridle the whole way and he finished up with something left. Johnny asked him to gallop out, and he responded well. When he came back he was not blowing that hard."

Quality Road, who was among the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby before being sidelined with foot problems, also set a track record at Gulfstream Park when he won the Grade 1 Florida Derby in 1:47.72 in March while under the care of trainer Jimmy Jerkens. Later in the spring, owner Edward P. Evans moved Quality Road, along with several other horses, from Jerkens' barn to Pletcher's, with the 11/4-mile Shadwell Travers on August 29 a primary objective.

"Any time you have a high profile horse like this pointing toward a race like the Travers, you want everything to go exactly right," said Pletcher. "I don't know if there's more pressure but obviously the stakes are higher."

Pletcher elected to bring Quality Road back in the shorter Amsterdam rather than in a more traditional prep for the "Mid-Summer Derby" such as the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at nine furlongs. In the Amsterdam, Quality Road broke the 30-year-old mark for the distance by nearly a second in his first start since March.

"After the Amsterdam, the surprising thing to me was not only that he ran so fast, but he came back and wasn't even blowing that hard," said Pletcher. "His energy level was good, his appetite was good. He took the race really well. He's a very special horse that can do brilliant things and sometimes do it easily."

Asked about the challenges of getting a horse from a 61/2-furlong sprint to a 10-furlong Grade 1 race in the space of 26 days, Pletcher said: "He's got a good foundation from earlier in the year when he ran those races at Gulfstream. In a perfect world, this race would maybe be a mile and an eighth, but it's not and we're going to have to call on his class a little bit.

"We're asking what I think is a special horse to do something you normally wouldn't ask a lot of them to do. But we're doing it because of who he is."

Quality Road, bred in Virginia by Evans, has won four of his five starts, with his only loss a second to Theregoesjojo in a seven-furlong allowance at Gulfstream Park on January 10. He will have his final tuneup for the Shadwell Travers next Sunday, said Pletcher.

Trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed Sunday that both Rachel Alexandra and Kensei would work early Monday morning in preparation for their next starts, which are still undetermined.

Stonestreet Stables and Gulf Coast Farms' Kensei will be sent out to the Oklahoma training track at 5:30 a.m., while Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick's Rachel Alexandra will follow her stablemate at 5:50 a.m.

"We definitely won't make a decision until we see how they're doing on Tuesday," Asmussen said. "It will be at least until Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday."

Rachel Alexandra is unbeaten in seven starts this year and Asmussen has nominated her to four upcoming Grade 1 contests at Saratoga: the $600,000 Alabama on August 22, the Shadwell Travers, the $400,000 Personal Ensign against older fillies and mares on August 30, and the $500,000 Woodward Stakes against older males on September 5. The other race under consideration is the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on September 7 at Philadelphia Park.

Kensei, winner of the Grade 1 Jim Dandy on August 1, is also possible for the Travers.

Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird will walk for two days and resume regular training on Tuesday, trainer Tim Ice said Sunday morning.

On Saturday, Summer Bird breezed five furlongs in 1:01.97, his first timed work since a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational behind Rachel Alexandra.

"He came out of [the workout] good and he looks good," Ice said. "He'll walk today and tomorrow and go back to the track Tuesday."

Update 5462: While things are relatively quiet this side of the Atlantic as far as racing goes this weekend, not so in France. Goldikova, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Mile, won her sixth Group 1 event: GOLDIKOVA DESTROYS DEAUVILLE RIVALS.

And next week Sea The Stars is scheduled to run at York: ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR SEA THE STARS.

Update 5461: Well it's true. Canada does have a summer season, and we are in day 3 of it at this point I think. Another hot morning. I had nine to gallop, and thankfully all galloped nice and easily in the warmer weather. We have a couple of runners this afternoon to cap what is a pretty quiet week for us here at Woodbine. Let's hope we have a little luck!

Update 5460: Media reports of the Sword Dancer:

Telling Pulls 33-1 Shocker in Sword Dancer
Telling spins upset tale in Sword Dancer
Telling upsets in Sword Dancer; $262K carryover

Update 5459: From NYRA:

SWORD DANCER QUOTES

Steve Hobby, winning trainer, Telling (No. 7): "The owner picked it out. We [entered] a small stake in Chicago (at Arlington Park) and we scratched to run in this. I figured it was the time to try now. For me, it's a great thrill. This is my first time in Saratoga (arrived today). He was training so well and he really moves up in the mile and a half. We figured if he can't do it now, he'll never do it."

Alex Lieblong, winning owner, Telling (No. 7): "We knew were in tough. We didn't think we were over our heads. I thought coming up here with the jockey colony you have, it wasn't going to be a problem [getting a rider]. It's fun having a horse like this, but it's hard to find mile and a half races. Steve (Hobby) does such a wonderful job with the horses."

Lieblong is from Conway, Ark., 30 miles outside Little Rock. He owns a farm. "My wife and I rodeoed when we were kids. She was a barrel racer and I was a calf roper and a clown."

Javier Castellano, winning jockey, Telling (No. 7): "I give a lot of credit to my agent (Matt Muzikar), he picked the mount. I didn't know anything about him. The only thing was I saw that the last two races were very interesting. The last race at Arlington (Grade 3 Arlington Handicap, July 11), he finished fifth and he ran huge. He gave a big run to the jockey the last time, Fernando Jara, I learned a lot from that trip.

"Today was perfect. He broke sharp and I covered up, I covered all the way in the race and tried to wait for one kick. I knew the two best horses in the race always come from behind. I just wanted to make the right move to get the job done. I had the perfect trip; I saved all the ground in the race. I squeezed in between the two horses and when I asked him he kicked in, and opened by two. He finished very good - a lot of power, strong. I'm very surprised at the way he ran a mile and a half and didn't get tired. I had to pull him up on the backside with the other horses. He gave me a good run, I'm very happy."

H. Graham Motion, trainer of runner-up Better Talk Now (No. 4): "I thought we had a really good shot to get there. He had to come a little wide, but I thought he ran a huge race. It's tough to get beat by a 33-1 shot. He's still right there. I think [the fast pace] helped us. I think that was good for us. He made a good run. I'm thrilled, but I would have loved to win it. He ran a big race."

Ramon Dominguez, rider of runner-up Better Talk Now (No. 4): "The field was coming back to us. Coming for home, we were going by horses. I thought we were going to get up there, but that other horse kept going. [Better Talk Now] is still a pro. We were just second-best today."

William Bradley, trainer of third-place finisher, Brass Hat (No. 9): "I am very pleased. He ran big. He came a little wide. I am happy for the winner; the trainer is a good friend of mine. He got a little scraped up on his back right hind. This horse is very special to us; he's our family's horse."

Calvin Borel, rider of third-place-finisher Brass Hat (No. 9): "He went a little fast up front, but he finished. He ran well. No excuse."

Bobby Ribaudo, trainer of beaten favorite and fifth-place finisher Grand Couturier (No. 1): "Alan gave him every opportunity. At the top of the stretch I started getting excited. He was beaten a head and a neck for third, so it was hardly a disgrace. It was tremendous being in the position to try for a third straight victory in this race. It was great. Surprisingly, I was kind of relaxed. We'll see how he comes out of this; if he's fine there's no reason we wouldn't look at a race like the [Grade 1 Joe Hirsch] Turf Classic [Belmont Park, 11/2 miles, October 3]."

Alan Garcia, jockey aboard beaten favorite and fifth-place finisher Grand Couturier (No. 1): "He was in good position, the pace was good, everything was good. He just didn't have it at the end."

Update 5458: A hot afternoon at the races today at Woodbine. We had a couple of runners, and one third place finish. The day belonged to jockey Jimmy McAleney, who celebrated his 40th birthday by winning three races. Ginger Brew was also an impressive winner under in-form jockey Todd Kabel. At Saratoga Better Talk Now finished an impressive second in the Sword Dancer to longshot Telling. Both were able to take advantage of the wicked early pace in the mile and a half turf event.

Update 5457: Off to the races at Woodbine,

Update 5456: A straight forward morning's work this morning at Woodbine for Steve. I had six to gallop, and all galloped nicely. When I was on Salty, I was galloping around overtaking a couple of horses on my inside, the rider of one of the horses muttered "Salty Langfuhn!" It is fun riding a horse who is generally popular on the backside!

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Eurico Rosa Da Silva, jockey. Eurico Rosa Da Silva is one of the leading jockeys here at Woodbine. And for this season his highlight has been winning the Queen's Plate! Eurico is one of the more enthusiastic people on the backside at Woodbine and that enthusiasm can be infectious!

Update 5455: Two Grade 1 races this weekend makes it a relatively quiet weekend of racing in North America: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC HORSE SUPPLIES.

And it appears that next year's thoroughbred foal crop will be the lowest in a number of years: Smallest thoroughbred crop in 3 decades predicted.

Update 5454: More on the Hall of Fame induction ceremony: Maple addresses a critical need, excerpt:

"Every racehorse deserves a comfortable home," Maple said simply. "This is as vital to the integrity of our sport as any issue the industry talks about."

Update 5453: Steve Haskin on today's Hall of Fame ceremony: Hall of Fame Ceremony Honors the Greats.

Update 5452: Nine galloped this morning at Woodbine. I was scheduled to get on ten, but one was scratched instead. And a beautiful morning for galloping horses, although it did start to get a little warm later in the morning, and we are heading for a hot afternoon for the races. All mine galloped nicely for a straightforward morning. Not so for everyone else, the track siren went off at least four times signaling loose horses!

And to continue our Wooodbine Characters series:

Jacqueline Cooper, agent for Ray Sabourin. Jacqueline Cooper is agent for jockey Ray Sabourin. Jacqueline is one of two female jockeys' agent at Woodbine. Kerri Beauclaire is the other. Both are cute!

Rob Love, outrider. Rob Love is one of the outriders here at Woodbine. He is on the main track each morning, and you can see him at the races each afternoon. I have seen Rob catch some loose horses while exhibiting outstanding horsemanship. He's one of the best.

Update 5451: The marquee race this weekend appears to be the Sword Dancer at Saratoga. Brass Hat, Better Talk Now and Grand Couturier are among the entries: Sword Dancer: Grand Couturier Eyes 3 in a Row.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:48 AM | Comments (82)

Barbaro Updates: 918

Posted August 13, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5450: On Friday we will have the Hall of Fame ceremony in Saratoga. Ray Paulick looks at potential changes for nominations to the Racing Hall of Fame: A BETTER HALL OF FAME.

Update 5449: A gorgeous morning this morning at Woodbine. Which was great as I had ten to ride. All my horses galloped nicely for an easy morning's work. We have no runners this afternoon, so taking the afternoon off from the races to relax a little!

Update 5448: Paul Moran on the successful two day opening sale at Saratoga: Smoke and mirrors. Found on Paulick Report.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:53 AM | Comments (32)

Barbaro Updates: 917

Posted August 12, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5447: Off to the races at Woodbine.

Update 5446: This week's radio show, feedback would be cool: Alex Brown Racing on the radio!

Update 5445: Nine galloped this morning for Steve at Woodbine. And all galloped nicely under pretty pleasant weather too! I had a couple of gate schoolers who also schooled well for a pretty straightforward morning's work for me. There was one loose horse galloping off the track, and just by me. The outrider tried to catch him, but he did not have a bridle on so not much to do!

And now to prepare for a flawless radio show!

Update 5444: The two day Saratoga Select sale bucks the economic context: Gross Rises 45.6% at Saratoga Sale.

And today, at 11:30 am, is our radio show, with co-host Bob Hatfield: Alex Brown Racing on the radio.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:52 AM | Comments (34)

Barbaro Updates: 916

Posted August 11, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5443: Weekly contribution to Eclipse Magazine (UK): Alex Brown 11 August 2009.

Update 5442: Off to OLEX.

Update 5441: From NYRA:

RACHEL ALEXANDRA BREEZES AT SPA; NEXT START STILL UP IN AIR

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Preakness-winning filly Rachel Alexandra put in her first work at Saratoga Race Course this morning in preparation for her as-yet-to-be-determined next start, covering a half-mile in 50.72 under exercise rider Dominic Terry.

With trainer Steve Asmussen, Barbara Banke (wife of Stonestreet Stable owner Jess Jackson), and a host of onlookers watching, the 3-year-old filly stepped onto the Oklahoma training track at about 6 a.m. for her first serious move since beating the boys again in the Haskell Invitational on August 2. Clockers for The New York Racing Association, Inc. caught Rachel Alexandra in splits of 13.50 and 26.22, galloping out in 1:04.44.

"It was very Rachel-esque," said Asmussen. "She did it very effortlessly, she was very comfortable, and happy when she came home."

Four Grade 1 races at Saratoga Race Course are among the possibilities being considered for Rachel Alexandra's next start. Two are against females -- the $600,000 Alabama for 3-year-old fillies on August 22 and the $400,000 Personal Ensign against fillies and mares on August 30, and two are against males -- the $1 million Shadwell Travers for 3-year-olds on August 29, and the $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up on September 5.

"I do think I am smart enough to watch instead of decide at this stage," said Asmussen, who will also nominate Rachel Alexandra to the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on September 7. "I want to do the right thing; we won't kid ourselves."

Another factor in the decision-making process is that Jackson is also the owner of the rising 3-year-old colt Kensei, impressive winner of the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, the traditional prep for the Shadwell Travers. Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, and Quality Road, who set track records in his last two starts including the Grade 2 Amsterdam, are all at Saratoga training toward the 11/4-mile "Mid-Summer Derby."

"There were a lot of witnesses to Kensei breezing yesterday and Rachel working today," said Asmussen. "I feel like we're still in a great position.

"Jess Jackson, Barbara [Banke], John Moynihan, myself and [assistant] Scott [Blasi] decided to go ahead nominate her to five races and let her train for a couple of weeks," he added. "With Kensei in the barn as well, and how well he's run lately, see how he does as well. We'll try to do what's best for both horses. We'll do what we think is best for Rachel. She is the queen right now and we are very proud of what she's done."

Rachel Alexandra, 7-for-7 this year, has twice beaten 3-year-old colts, holding off Mine That Bird in the Preakness and beating Summer Bird by six lengths in the Haskell. Overall, she has won 10 of her 13 lifetime starts and earned $2,498,354.

Update 5440: An easy morning this morning at Woodbine for Steve with only five horses to gallop. And the weather is much improved over the last couple of days making the morning much more pleasant. All mine galloped nicely.

This flyer was posted outside the track kitchen door today: Martin Rogers.

Update 5439: This week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Tweet this: New EU Horse Slaughter rules, Louisville floods and Barbaro Statue, Radio and Bob Hatfield, Finallymadeit, Ernie Paragallo, Ernie Paragallo, Well Armed, Fairmount Park, Gio Ponti, Einstein, Bullsbay, Commentator, 3 years and 1.2 million posts, Zenyatta, Fabulous Strike, Fatal Bullet, Commentator, ABR Top 5, Emma-Jayne Wilson and Belle Gully.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:43 AM | Comments (38)

Barbaro Updates: 915

Posted August 10, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5438: Work is continuing at the Kentucky Derby museum as it recovers from the flooding of last week. It is and will remain closed for a while: Work Continues at Flood-Damaged Derby Museum.

Update 5437: This afternoon I went with jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson, to see her new horse Belle Gully. And here they are: Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson with Belle Gully aka Gus, her new horse. Gus is Emma's first horse. She bought him a little more than a month ago, from owners at Mountaineer Park where Gus was running. Gus was one of Emma's early winners and over a year ago she determined to try to retire him and provide him a home. Very cool.

Update 5436: It has been a few weeks since I "published" the ABR Top Five list of horses running in North America. There simply had not been any movement among the leading horses running in North America. Well now there is movement, and here is the new top five, in alpha order: Gio Ponti, Kensei, Quality Road, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta.

Dropping from the list are Mine That Bird, who finished third in the West Virginia Derby, Einstein, who was beaten in the Arlington Million making it two losses in a row, and Macho Again, who was second in the Whitney.

Gio Ponti is included after his impressive performance in the Arlington Million. Kensei and Quality Road are also included after their impressive performances last weekend in the Jim Dandy and Amsterdam Stakes respectively.

Update 5435: This morning it was hideously muggy out there at Woodbine. We had plenty of storms last night, but it did not seem to clear the air at all. Thankfully I only had five horses to gallop. And they were happy to gallop very easily.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Ray Sabourin, jockey. Ray "Rocket" Sabourin is one of the senior jockeys at Woodbine. He has ridden over 1,500 winners, more than 1,100 at Woodbine. Ray is also one of the more active jockeys volunteering his time for causes. Here is his Woodbine profile: Ray Sabourin.

Update 5434: Media reports of Zenyatta's win yesterday:

Zenyatta grabs 12th win in Hirsch
Zenyatta Cuts Perfection Close in Hirsch Win
Zenyatta pulls Houdini act in Clement L. Hirsch

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:52 AM | Comments (50)

Barbaro Updates: 914

Posted August 7, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5433: Zenyatta just got up to remain unbeaten. Her performance today did not seem as impressive as usual, and she did not look as comfortable as usual.

Update 5432: Commentator has been retired: Commentator Retired, Zito Announces.

Update 5431: So we did not have the best weekend at Woodbine, but I snapped a few more pictures for the Woodbine Characters series:

David Cross, trainer. David Cross is one of three Canadian-based trainers to win the Kentucky Derby. Of course I have to ask you who the other two are ? David trained Sunny's Halo, who was a Canadian Champion 2yo. For his 3yo campaign he won the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby before winning the Kentucky Derby as the favorite. David is a cousin of trainer Terry Jordan, and we were hanging out in Champions Bar this afternoon at the races.

Klaus Winkelmann, valet. Klaus Winkelmann is a valet at Woodbine. Originally from Germany, Klaus has been a valet at Woodbine for more than 20 years.

Tony Guilmette, paddock blacksmith. Tony Guilmette is the paddock blacksmith at Woodbine. Tony fixes shoes for runners that are about to race. I asked him how many times his services are needed. And he said he had to fix four horses one day, which was exceptional. Tony also shoes horses in the mornings on the backside at Woodbine.

Update 5430: From NYRA:

ALFRED G. VANDERBILT QUOTES

Todd Beattie, winning trainer, Fabulous Strike (No. 6): "I've got to take my hat off to the horse. I'm lucky to be the guy to bring him over here. We thought the No. 1 horse [Go Go Shoot] would use his speed from there. He [Go Go Shoot] ran hard; he's coming off two big victories at Monmouth. [My horse] likes the time between races because he spends himself when he runs."

On winning at The Spa: "A thrill. How can you get a bigger venue than this with these peers I've looked up to all these years?"

Ramon Dominguez, winning jockey, Fabulous Strike (No. 6): "He's so good, we often take it for granted that he will blow everyone away, at least I do, so anytime there is someone to challenge him it is cause for concern. But I was very happy with the way he ran. I know Go Go Shoot has been showing super fast fractions at Monmouth. This is a differing category for him; the purpose was just to outrun the other horses. It was an excellent race."

Bruce Levine, trainer of runner-up Go Go Shoot (No. 1): "At the sixteenth pole I thought I was going to win it. That was the strategy, to get out ahead quickly. I told him to go, and if you're last at the end, don't worry about it. Take him as far as he'll go. I thought I had [Fabulous Strike]. No one was really running, and he cut the corner, and that was that. It was a nice horse that beat me. Looking ahead, I think this track fits me better than Belmont, so I'm not sure if I'll go down there. I might shop around."

John Velazquez, jockey aboard runner-up Go Go Shoot (No. 1): "It was a tough one to lose. As hard as he ran and to get beat like that, it hurts. He [trainer Bruce Levine] gave me one instruction: Go! As long as he was up there, keep him going. That's what I did."

Update 5429: A muggy and buggy morning this morning at Woodbine. I had eight to gallop, and all galloped nicely. We have three or four runners this afternoon, depending on whether one draws in from the "Also Eligible" list. We only know that after morning scratch time.

Key races today include Zenyatta in the Hirsch: Zenyatta's perfect record on the line at Del Mar and the Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga which includes Woodbine-based Fatal Bullet: Fabulous Strike among top sprinters in Vanderbilt.

Update 5428: Media reports of the Whitney and Arlington Million:

Whitney:
Bullsbay Scores Huge Upset in Whitney
Bullsbay spoils Whitney party
Bullsbay spoils Commentator's bid
for third Whitney win

Arlington Million:
Gio Ponti shines in Million win
Gio Ponti rolls to Arlington Million victory
Gio Ponti Much the Best in Arlington Million

Update 5427: From NYRA:

WHITNEY QUOTES

H. Graham Motion, winning trainer, Bullsbay (No. 3): "It's tough to beat a horse like Commentator. This horse (Bullsbay) is underrated. Jeremy (Rose) made the lead too early. He’s that good. He beat Macho Again (in the Grade 3 Alysheba at Churchill Downs) and Macho Again came back to beat him (in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster). It's such a thrill to win this race, especially for a turf trainer."

Jeremy Rose, winning jockey, Bullsbay (No. 3): "I told the pony boy in the post parade, I'm the livest 16-1 shot I've been in a long time. And he was laughing. I said trust me, this horse has beat the favorite before...today's my horse's day, if he fires. And he fired. The only race he ever ran bad was on the PolyTrack. Everything else - he only got beat a length in this pretty much same race, bad trip, wide the whole way, not covered up. Today was beautiful. He fired on all cylinders, Graham had him ready and it was a perfect trip. I made the lead way too early, but I couldn't help it, he was just cutting through traffic way too easy. I didn't want to go that early, but I had to go with the horse."

Dallas Stewart, trainer of runner-up Macho Again (No. 4): "I thought he ran well. It was a good, clean trip. Robby (Albarado) gave him a good ride. When I saw him go wide and coming down the stretch, I was starting to holler. It was just one of those things where he got outrun today. There's really no excuse."

Robby Albarado, jockey aboard runner-up Macho Again (No. 4): "He ran great. The eventual winner (Bullsbay) had trouble in the Stephen Foster, otherwise he might have been more competitive in that race. Macho Again put in his patented run. He ran solid."

Hall of Famer Nick Zito, trainer of beaten favorite and third-place finisher Commentator (No.7): "He gave it everything he had. I wish we had could have done things a little differently leading up to the race. We were playing catch up. He was coming off two months off after a New York-bred race. I'm proud of him. It was not bad, not bad at all. Father Time catches up to everyone. He tried, he gave it everything he had. There were a lot of great trainers and a lot of great horses in this race. Bullsbay always runs a good race. It's up to (owners) Mr. and Mrs. (Tracy) Farmer, but it is my wish to retire him. I don't want him running in those New York-bred races. He's Commentator."

John Velazquez, jockey of beaten favorite and third-place finisher, Commentator (No. 7): "He ran a great race, it was just a little too fast for him. We had those two horses chasing the whole way and it just didn't work out for us. I think there's plenty left in (Commentator). He was sharp enough to get out away from the other horses but the pace was just too fast. I think he ran a great race. My horse is ready to run. You saw how quick he was into that first turn; he was ready, the pace just didn't help us. That's all. I'd say run him more. Maybe because he didn't win, a lot of people will disagree, but I thought he ran a great race."

Update 5426: Gio Ponti ran a fantastic race! I was shooting on the inside of the track facing the crowd and I was blown away by the roar of the crowd when he took the lead! Just blown away! And congrats to fair hill's Bullsbay (Graham Motion trained) win in the Whitney!

A great day of racing!

update 5425: Einstein looks great in the paddock. So does precious passion.

Update 5424: the turf seems fairly dry and firm but they still call it yielding.

Update 5423: lots of hall of fame jockeys here at Arlington today. Chris mccarron included, John henry's jockey.

Update 5422: Wendy here. It is very windy here in the windy city. The turf races are still on the turf and with no rain in sight we should be good for the big races.

Update 5421: Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed is injured: Well Armed out with ankle chip. Found on Paulick Report.

Update 5420: Wendy here again. Just arrived at Arlington for the races. Sun is coming out and it's breezy. I also heard that 2008 Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory scratched. Big crowds and very festive! For all the rain it's not too wet here!!

Update 5419: Wendy here giving you updates from Arlington Park on Arlington Million Day. I went out to the track early this morning to watch the workouts. When I first arrived there was no rain, within about 15 minutes of my arrival the rain began to come down fairly steadily. By around 7:30am it pretty much stopped. Thank goodness! By this afternoon the rain should clear out and the wind will pick up. Hopefully the wind will dry out the turf track for the big races. Speaking of track surfaces, I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice the synthetic surface was handling the water. In fact, I overheard some members of the foreign contingency discuss the track surface. I heard one gentleman say "I can't understand why Americans complain about these artificial surfaces." The synthetic made the morning works quite nice despite the unpleasant conditions.

Arlington is a huge and beautiful place. The backside is ginormous and they have a nice dirt training track which you can see as you drive down the highway. Several of the horses running today jogged around the training track. I also saw several of the foreign horses (Alnanda, Denomination and Gloria De Campeao) stretching their legs out on the main track. There's certainly a foreign feeling in the air as you hear many different languages and accents. I love hearing so much french!

I did explore the backside a bit since I wanted to say hello to the Herringswell Stable staff that is here from Fair Hill. They have two runners today, Spring Party in the Hatoof Stakes and Turf Melody in the Spectacular Bid Stakes. Both horses looked to be in good order this morning and their team was upbeat about their chances.

I will be shooting photos and posting updates all day. If any of you are there please be sure to say hi!

Update 5418: Seven horses galloped this morning for Steve at Woodbine. And very pleasant weather too for riding horses. All mine went nicely. The barn was in good form today after a couple of wins yesterday. David Cotey, one of the other trainers in the barn, also had a winner!

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Amanda Wessell, security. Amanda Wessell is one of a number of people who work for security at Woodbine. Amanda works at the gap a lot during race days. I am assuming she makes sure that the horses that need to go to the test barn go in that direction, and so forth.

Update 5417: Some great racing action today at Saratoga (including the Whitney and Test) and Arlington (including the Arlington Million, Beverly D and Secretariat). Here's how to watch: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC HORSE SUPPLIES.

Update 5416: And a great day at the races at Woodbine, with a couple of wins. Here is Tizzy, after his win.

Update 5415: Off to the races at Woodbine!

Update 5414: Very cool: Horsemen Join Jockey Alex Solis to Golf for Retired Racehorses. Found on Paulick Report.

Update 5413: So we are on a streak of lovely days at Woodbine. An absolutely gorgeous morning again this morning for training. I had six to ride, and all galloped nicely. Two also went to the gate for some schooling, and schooled well.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Denis Scheffer, jack of all trades. Denis Scheffer mixes up his jobs at Woodbine. Sometimes a groom, sometimes a hotwalker. Sometimes running horses in the afternoons and helping out with the blacksmith. Denis has been at Woodbine since 1971, he is originally from Hungary. I got to know Denis a little last year, he took my Internet course. And as one of my best students, Denis now has his own computer!

Cathy Dasilva, track kitchen. Cathy Dasilva ia part of the track kitchen, along with Marge. Cathy always has a smile, as illustrated by this picture.

Update 5412: More charges for Ernie Paragallo: Paragallo, Horse Breeder, Is Indicted on Animal Cruelty Charges.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:55 AM | Comments (142)

Barbaro Updates: 913

Posted August 6, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5411: Rachel Alexandra returned to the track today, all is well: Rachel Back On Training Track at Saratoga.

Update 5410: Reade Baker trained Fatal Bullet, who was impressive in his 2009 return to the races here at Woodbine, faces a very tough field in the Vanderbilt at Saratoga this weekend: Star-Studded Cast Lines Up For Vanderbilt.

Fanci Candi won nicely this afternoon for us at Woodbine, but jockey Emile Ramsammy suffered a fall in the same race. His horse ducked from underneath him. He went to the hospital, but unconfirmed reports are that he will be fine.

Update 5409: A beautiful morning at Woodbine this morning. I had eight to gallop, and all galloped nicely. Three of mine also went to the gate for a little gate schooling, and schooled well. We have two runners this afternoon, and a couple of runners to paddock school, so a busy afternoon. Lets hope for a little luck!

Update 5408: There appears to be no explanation for the poor racing performance of Well Armed last weekend: Harty does some head-scratching.

Quality Road, the impressive winner of the Amsterdam on Monday, is pointing for the Travers for his next start: Travers next up for Quality Road.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:46 AM | Comments (35)

Barbaro Updates: 912

Posted August 5, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5407: Last weekend's key races were for 3yos. This weekend we have major races for older horses, which include the Arlington Million, The Hirsch (Zenyatta) and the Whitney at Saratoga: Commentator Shoots For Third Whitney.

Update 5406: Well today's radio show did not work out as I had hoped. Peter Brette was unable to call (a pattern here now), and I had a crank caller, twice! But Bob Hatfield called in and we had a good chat about the flood issues at Churchill Downs, the 3yo division in light of last weekend's racing, and this week's upcoming racing action. Here it is.

Update 5405: A simply gorgeous morning this morning at Woodbine. Which was great because I had ten to gallop. Three of those also did some gate schooling. All went nicely for the most part. Just a great morning to be on horses.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

John Mattine, trainer. John Mattine is a trainer at Woodbine. He also served for along time as assistant to his father Tony Mattine, who sadly passed away earlier this year. John always seems in good form, and we often run against each other and chat about how our horses are doing.

And now to get ready for our 11:30 am radio show. I will have an additional guest, Bob Hatfield, who will discuss some of the damage caused by the storm that hit Churchill Downs yesterday.

Update 5404: Today at 11:30 am we will host our 30 minute radio show, with guest Peter Brette: Alex Brown Racing on the radio!

We will talk about Barbaro, Nicanor and Lentenor, review last week's racing action and look forward to the Arlington Million and Zenyatta's race in California.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:52 AM | Comments (52)

Barbaro Updates: 911

Posted August 4, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5403: Very cool 11:45 video of Maggi Moss, who owns some of the horses I gallop at Woodbine. It's from January '08: HRTV Inside Information - Maggi Moss.

Steve Haskin reviews the weekend's racing action: Countdown to the Cup: Three, two, one...Phht.

Update 5402: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update.

It's been a busy few days in the racing world.

Rachel Alexandra's triumphant Haskell performance was quickly followed Monday by Quality Road returning to the track in record-breaking form - perhaps she does have some 3-year-old competition after all. We'll focus on those a bit more in a moment, but first, let's do a quick round-up of Everything Else That Happened.

Mine That Bird was troubled by what can only be described as an unfortunate ride in the West Virginia Derby - and jockey Mike Smith accepted full responsibility for his third-place finish behind exhausted speed horse Big Drama and the Steve Asmussen-trained (and otherwise-unheralded) Iowa Derby runner-up, Soul Warrior whose win paid his few backers handsomely. Smith summed his ride up as 'total rider error' and it's hard to disagree with that assessment. It does seem that he'll keep the mount for the Travers - at least that's the word so far.

Steve Asmussen added to his weekend haul with Dwyer winner Kensei winning the Jim Dandy; you may recall the horse also finished second in the Derby Trial and he seems to be coming along at just the right time for the Travers (which, given that he is also owned by Jess Jackson, is presumably one reason Rachel Alexandra may point elsewhere - but more on that below).

Mine That Bird's third-place finish in West Virginia certainly wasn't the worst performance from a top-level horse - that unwanted distinction went to Well Armed, who was making his first start Stateside after his Dubai World Cup win - and finished last in the San Diego Handicap (which he won easily last year, after finishing third in Dubai). Jockey Aaron Gryder dismissed talk of the feared 'Dubai bounce' - but exactly why he was missing his usual spark is still unknown.

Well Armed's trainer, Eoin Harty, at least had Colonel John's win from Friday to look back on; the horse took the Wickerr Stakes in his first start on turf - continuing to prove that Tiznow's offspring can run on whatever surface they please. It's also nice to see the Travers winner still racing a year later (and proving his versatility) - it's something of a rarity these days.

The older fillies and mares did not disappoint in the Diana - Forever Together won the race for the second time, but it was a quality trifecta all around, with Carribean Sunset hanging on for second and Rutherienne getting up for third (although she had traffic trouble and the wet conditions didn't help).

The same high expectations were not met on Sunday at Saratoga with the two-year-old fillies; the 2008 yearling sales-topper, Chimayo, was taking to the track for the first time in a maiden special weight. The $3.1 million dollar filly finished eighth for Darley Stables. Watching the race on the monitor from Monmouth Park, our group was hoping the filly who had only cost four figures at auction would win, to no avail; at least the winner only cost six figures, rather than seven - obviously, it was a win for the little guy.

Later on the Saratoga card, a lot of the usual turf suspects were in action in the Fourstardave - Cowboy Cal, Cosmonaut and Wesley - but none of them seemed in top form (and although the course was listed as 'good' it was, one presumes, still quite wet). Justenuffhumor (a half-brother to Dreaming of Anna and Lewis Michael) swept by the bigger names to take the race.

And then, of course, came the Haskell. You may have already seen yesterday's post recounting our trip to the Jersey Shore, but I would also encourage you to check out The Aspiring Horseplayer and Railbird for their thoughts on the day. Rachel Alexandra's performance was nothing less than dazzling - her 116 Beyer is the highest any horse has earned this year (and certainly compares favorably to Commentator's 120 - the highest overall last year). The number is a useful figure for those who like to grouse about the competition or the surface, but it doesn't convey how effortlessly she was running or what it was like to see her flash by the stands; it's something so rarely seen in our sport that we may no longer possess an adequate vocabulary to describe it. It's easier to sum up in platitudes: long may she reign.

But just as it seemed that there were no new worlds for her to conquer against her own age group, Quality Road threw his hat back into the ring yesterday, taking the Amsterdam in a track-record time. His win over Capt. Candyman Can may not have been as visually impressive, but he worked for it and showed his class. While using a sprint as a prep for the Travers is a bit unorthodox, it's good to know he's back in the picture.

As mentioned above, it's unlikely that Rachel Alexandra will run in the Travers, since Kensei needs a major win to build his stallion resume, but the alternative mentioned is more interesting to me - taking on older horses in the Woodward. The race, as Val notes, is rarely won by 3-year-olds and is long overdue for a filly or mare to win it (it's never been done); a good showing there would sew up Horse of the Year for many voters.

The one older horse the entire racing world would like to see face off against Rachel Alexandra is in action at the weekend - Zenyatta is back to defend her Clement Hirsch title in what is shaping up to be another paid workout. One hopes that the stars can somehow align to get them in a race together - surely someone can step up to the table and simply create one somewhere?

In the meantime, there's the Arlington Million, which is looking like a considerably more competitive race; blog favorite Einstein is taking on Gloria de Campeao, Gio Ponti and Presious Passion (among others) - check back later in the week for more!

Update 5401: An easy morning this morning at Woodbine, with only four to gallop. And all went nicely. It was a little muggy this morning, so it was good to have a quick morning.

Woodbine exercise rider Martin Rogers was killed in a car accident yesterday. I have no other information.

The ABR YouTube Group now includes the key 3yo races from last weekend, the West Virginia Derby, the Haskell and the Amsterdam.

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Adrian Lee, assistant trainer for Stu Simon. Adrian Lee is the assistant trainer here for Stu Simon. Adrian is originally from Wales. He has spent time training in Newmarket and Dubai. He came out to Canada to work out west a few years ago and has been with Stu Simon for about 3 years. Adrian and I know some of the same people, including Peter Brette who I think rode races for Adrian in Dubai.

Update 5400: This week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Tweet this: OLEX, Kill Kare Island, ABR Radio, Chantal Sutherland, Ernie Paragallo, LOPE, Peter Brette, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Lights on Broadway, Montana, Babynor, Blue Horse Charities, Chad Beckon, Southern Hemisphere, Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird, Big Drama, Soul Warrior, Dragooner, Kensei, Mike Smith, Bertrando's Flag, Perfect Shower, Rachel Alexandra, Well Armed, baby raccoon, Rachel Alexandra, Quality Road.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 9:54 AM | Comments (50)

Barbaro Updates: 910

Posted August 3, 2009

updates are now here.

Update 5399: Weekly contribution to Eclipse magazine (UK): Alex Brown 3 August 2009.

Update 5398: Quality Road returned to the races today, for new trainer Todd Pletcher. He won the Amsterdam at Saratoga. Here are quotes from the top connnections, from NYRA:

Todd Pletcher, winning trainer, Quality Road (No. 4): "Any time you have a horse with this type of potential you want him to run well. You want him to run as good as he did for (prior trainer) Jimmy (Jerkens). He looked like he stumbled a little at the start...but he ran as well as we wanted him to today. I thought he finished very well. When he makes the lead he tends to idle a little bit. With a stable our size, wherever (Rachel Alexandra) runs, we're going to probably wind up facing her. We might as well do it with one of our best horses."

John Velazquez, winning jockey, Quality Road (No. 4): "He didn't leave the gate very good. I had to put him into the race a little bit and once I got him going and got him where I was happy with him, I didn't want to move too soon or wait too long. On the other hand, I had to watch for Javier's horse coming from behind. [Quality Road] did real good. I'm sure he got a lot out of the race. We'll have to see how he comes back and what they want to do next time."

Ian Wilkes, trainer of runner-up Capt. Candyman Can (No. 6): "That's three second-place finishes [in graded stakes races] for us. I guess that's better than having three third-place finishes. Congratulations to Quality Road. He's a fantastic horse. I got a little excited at the top of the stretch. I'm proud of my horse. He ran an unbelievable race. He ran a winning race; we just ran into a better horse. We'll come back in the King's Bishop."

Javier Castellano, rider of runner-up Capt. Candyman Can (No. 6): "I had a good trip, I was coming from behind, you could see the pace was pretty fast, pretty quick. They picked it up the second part of the race, [and I just followed] Quality Road. I thought I ran second-best today, unfortunately. I'm so proud of my horse, he gave me everything he had. I give a lot of credit to the winner.

Update 5397: From NYRA:

TRIUMPHANT RACHEL ALEXANDRA RETURNS TO SARATOGA

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Steve Asmussen stood with his family outside his barn at Saratoga Race Course on Monday morning and watched prized filly Rachel Alexandra walk off a van and into the first stall at 8:53 a.m.

One of Asmussen's three sons, Darren, put a kid's ball cap on his father's head, and it perched atop his hair to comic effect.

"He said it isn't that the hat's that small; it's my head's that big," Asmussen said.

Asmussen has been practically unstoppable of late and Stonestreet Stables' Rachel Alexandra is racing's undisputed marquee star. Off her electrifying victory Sunday in the Haskell Invitational, her options at Saratoga are myriad: the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles on August 22; the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers for 3-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles on August 29; the Grade 1, $400,000 Personal Ensign for fillies and mares at the same distance the next day; and the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on September. 5.

Asmussen said he and owner Jess Jackson are looking for the most important events possible for Rachel Alexandra, and all four of the Saratoga races are top shelf. The trainer said a decision likely would not be forthcoming for two weeks.

"We'll see how much (the Haskell) took out of her; she's a very anxious horse," he said. "We'll see how she acts on the track. With Rachel, she is the topic of conversation all the time."

Asmussen has full right to be feeling good about himself these days. Hot Dixie Chick won the Grade 3 Schuylerville on Opening Day. R Clear Victory took the High Rock Spring Stakes on Friday. Kensei followed Saturday with an authoritative win in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and Soul Warrior shocked Kentucky Derby winner Mine that Bird in the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby.

The crowning achievement, however, came Sunday when Rachel Alexandra put away Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird and top sprinter Munnings to win by six lengths.

With her victories in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont and defeat of colts in the Preakness Stakes and Haskell, Rachel Alexandra has become racing's undisputed star. Her homecoming to her current base at Saratoga, however, had the look of the arrival of a favorite relative.

Once in her stall, she happily accepted the petting of a little girl named Amelia, who in her other hand held a Tootsie Pop.

Asmussen returned triumphant to Saratoga from Monmouth at 12:30 a.m. and was out at the barn early. Asked if he felt it was fair that he had to be back to work after such a towering weekend, he said, "It seems more than fair. We had some horses train this morning, and we're at Saratoga. Where else would you want to be?"

Asmussen reached for superlatives when talking about Rachel Alexandra, a bay daughter of 2002 Travers winner Medaglia d'Oro, who won Sunday in the slop in a time of 1:47.21. She has now won 10 races in 13 races, her past eight starts, and four straight Grade 1 events.

"She spoiled us with all her races and yesterday was more of the same," he said. "To say you expect that race... is somewhat presumptuous. I very much want to enjoy what she just did and not think about (what comes) next. We're sitting here talking about a 3-year-old filly. The thinking (with owner Jess Jackson) has been out of the box, that she didn't have to run just against fillies. She's eligible for a vast array of races and we'll nominate her."

Update 5396: Six galloped this morning for Steve at Woodbine. A very straightforward morning with absolutely perfect weather. Three of mine also went to the gate for a little schooling, and schooled nicely.

Some nice comments this morning from fellow horsemen about Rachel Alexandra's win yesterday.

We had a visitor this morning, I think looking for his mum!

And to continue our Woodbine Characters series:

Carl DeFreitas, jockey. Carl DeFreitas, is an occasional jockey here at Woodbine and also works full-time for trainer Lorne Richards. Carl rides his own horses in races, and does very well. I think at one point last year he was the highest percentage rider in the jockey colony. Carl also breezed some horses for us last year, so I also got to know him a little bit.

Bill Tharrenos, trainer. Bill Tharrenos is a trainer here at Woodbine. Bill actually claimed a horse off us last year, so I got to know Bill a little bit. We then claimed the horse back! Bill always calls me "champ". I kind of like that!

Update 5395: Media coverage of Rachel Alexandra's win:

In Haskell, Rachel Alexandra Again Beats the Boys
RACHEL ANNIHILATES 'EM
Rachel blows away colts in the Haskell
Rachel Alexandra Routs Boys in Haskell Slop
Rachel Alexandra simply awesome in Haskell

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 10:47 AM | Comments (38)