Barbaro Updates: 991
Posted February 1, 2010updates are now here.
Update 5933: It's a pleasant Sunday morning and a day off for me. For Tim, it's a quiet morning for tidying up his horses!
Update 5932: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And guess what ? It was blowing and snowing again! But this time we did venture out of the barn to train. My last set went out after the break and we breezed 3/8ths. This is the perfect distance to breeze as it is short enough the horse will have plenty of run! All in all a busy morning while also fighting the elements!
Not much in terms of decent racing this weekend: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.
Update 5931: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And all stayed in the shedrow as we are in the middle of another snow storm. I did pick a bad winter to return to Fair Hill.
I received data from the Daily Racing Form that indicated that 99% of runners in California last year pre-raced on bute. Similar data from horses running at Suffolk Downs indicated that 92% of all runners pre-raced on bute. Bute is a banned substance for slaughter-bound horses, the data seems pretty compelling to me.
And please keep calling.
Update 5930: Four ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. An easy morning's work. We are waiting for more bad weather here, but it has not really arrived yet!
Day 7 of my study, and it remains 100%. The percent of horses that were entered to race at Santa Anita, had previously run in California, and pre-raced on bute in at least one of the previous races. You can see the B, signaling bute, in the PPs of the horse in the Daily Racing Form.
And please keep calling.
Update 5929: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And a lovely day for training horses, some sun no wind and temperatures above freezing. Unfortunately we are supposed to get more snow tonight! All my horses went nicely. One worked a half a mile. Started off slowly and finished up quickly.
A very cool article on the work we do: Alex Brown -- Interview With A Racehorse Rescuer.
Day 6 of my study, and it remains 100%. The percent of horses that were entered to race at Santa Anita, had previously run in California, and pre-raced on bute in at least one of the previous races. Bute is a prohibited substance for horses intended for slaughter in Canada regardless of when the bute is ingested.
And please keep calling.
Update 5928: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update.
We finally had a weekend of real Derby preps! Eskendereya put in the fine performance we expected to see last week - and then some. His runaway win in the Fountain of Youth earned a 106 Beyer - the highest by a 3-year-old so far this season, and his bandwagon seems to have picked up at least a few passengers. Buddy's Saint has no real chance to show off - he was bumped around considerably before the first turn, and essentially taken out of the race. Meanwhile, the ongoing legal tussle between Fifth Third Bank and Eskendereya's owner, Ahmed Zayat, continues apace - but it would seem that Eskendereya's win was good for somebody, somewhere in that tangle.
While not as visually impressive, Bob Baffert's second-stringer, Conveyance, took the Southwest in style; Lookin At Lucky is still a few weeks off from his 3-year-old debut, but Baffert should feel quite confident that, barring injury, he's got at least one Derby horse in the barn. Dublin was a close second in the Southwest, with blog favorite Cardiff Giant in third. Conveyance and Cardiff Giant have finished in the top three in two Derby preps, now, and Dublin seems to be moving forward - the California contingent looks strong (at least from this late February vantage point).
Discreetly Mine also marked himself as one to watch in the Risen Star, while D'Funnybone and A Little Warm went one-two in the Hutcheson. Like Eskendereya, Discreetly Mine is trained by Todd Pletcher, who also had a win over the weekend in the El Camino Real derby with Connemara - that's one way to kick off a ten-day suspension!
But the 3-year-old fillies are at work as well - Christine Daae worked a bullet at Gulfstream today, and Bickersons and Amen Hallelujah are aiming to take her on in the Davona Dale on Saturday. There is much to look forward to in their division.
Things did not go as expected in Older Horse Land - Friesan Fire and Gio Ponti both missed out on the winner's circle. Friesan Fire battled with General Quarters in the stretch of the Mineshaft, but both were outrun by Stonehouse, a little-heralded 6-year-old with 10 wins out of 38 starts (and another 11 finishes in the money). General Quarters managed to hang on for second (which seems to have become his preferred finish), but Friesan Fire ended up fourth behind Giant Oak. Things did not go as expected for Gio Ponti either - he acted up in the gate and ended up second (by a nose) to Karelian at Tampa Bay Downs. However, as it's his first race after a bit of a layoff, the fact that he still managed to pick up a check is encouraging - this race was more of a prep than a 'must win' for him.
Finally, there's some entirely awesome news - yes, there will be Apple Blossom trading cards. I can see some quality eBay time in my future as a result of this announcement. For all Apple Blossom news, continue to check out the official website, but also visit the coolest horse racing tumblr site (well, OK, the only horse racing tumblr site) I've ever seen: RA-Zen hell blog. It's all good.
Update 5927: Four ridden today for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And we had some light rain, so we stayed in the shedrow to train. All mine went nicely for a straightforward morning's work!
Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Tom Durkin, Vic Stauffer, Sharon Greenberg, Barbara Livingston, Lou Raffetto, Lentenor, Todd Pletcher, Bob Baffert, 100%, horse slaughter contest, Animal Matters, New Holland, Ellen Harvey, Bev Strauss, Ericka Caslin, Unwanted Horse Coalition, Kelsi Purcell.
And please keep calling.
Update 5926: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And we left the barn to train on the Tapeta track. It was nice to get out there. One of mine also worked a half mile in company with another horse. I am not sure who got more tired, me or the horse! We had a couple of winners over the weekend, which was very cool. One was a filly I had been riding a little so I was pretty psyched.
Here is my radio interview last night: Animal Matters - Talking Horses With Alex Brown.
And please keep calling.
Update 5925: A day off from Fair Hill today.
Tonight, at 10 pm, I will be a guest on Animal Matters on Blog Talk Radio. I will be discussing horse slaughter, and my Barbaro book among other topics.
Yesterday was Todd Pletchers day regarding the 3yo preps for the Derby. He won the Fountain of Youth (Eskendereya Spurts Away in Fountain of Youth), the Risen Star (Discreetly Mine Gets Every Yard in Risen Star) and the El Camino Real Derby (Connemara Completes Pletcher's Triple Play). The postponed Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park went to a Baffert trainee: Conveyance Uncatchable in Southwest.
Gio Ponti, who collected two Eclipse Awards for his performances last year, was second in his 2010 debut: Karelian Stuns Champion Gio Ponti.
Update 5924: A quick morning for me this morning at Fair Hill. I shedrowed two for Michael Pino. We have four runners today, and a few horses shipped to Philadelphia Park yesterday to work, so it was an easy morning in the barn.
Nice to see Kelsi Purcell will make a complete recovery after her nasty spill at Sunland Park last week: Purcell Recovering From Injuries at Sunland.
Michael Matz discusses Lentenor's race: Lentenor Package Feature.
And here are this weekend's big races, which include 3 - 4 early Derby preps so it should be a fun weekend of racing: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.
Update 5923: I shedrowed about fifteen miles this morning. Jogging around the shed on seven different horses for Michael Pino. It is getting a little warmer and brighter, so hopefully we will escape the barn in the next couple of days. A busier morning, but still pretty straightforward.
Much like yesterday and the day before I looked at the runners in California for tomorrow to see how many had pre-raced on bute in their previous California races. And again, the answer was 100%. Bute is a prohibited substance for slaughter-bound horses regardless of when it is ingested. So three days and 100% of runners in our sample should be prohibited from slaughter in Canada.
Rachel Alexandra put in a little more agressive work yesterday at Fair Grounds: Rachel, Zenyatta Work Toward 2010 Debuts.
And please keep calling.
Update 5922: Another three ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And again we stayed in the shedrow. Another swift morning's work, but it was not quite as cold!
Lentenor was second yesterday in his second start in Florida. He went off as the prohibitive favorite, and there is no doubt second place is a little disappointing for those who had aspirations that he would be a Derby contender. To me he looked like he did not want to pass the horse to his inside when he likely could have done. And then the horse that won the race shot up the rail and Lentenor likely did not see him. I think with a little more maturity we will likely see a more professional horse and performance. As someone who used to work for Michael Matz said to me this morning, we have not seen the best of him yet.
Much like yesterday I looked at the runners on California tomorrow to see how many had pre-raced on bute in their previous California races. And again, the answer was 100%. Bute is a prohibited substance for slaughter-bound horses regardless of when it is ingested. So two days and 100% of runners in our sample should be prohibited from slaughter in Canada.
Update 5921: Three ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And again we stayed in the shedrow as the weather remains cold and the tracks are still not ideal for training. I am guessing if we did not have such a good shedrow we would venture out, and as I was leaving Fair Hill I did see plenty of horses and riders out there galloping.
Lentenor is running today in the 8th race at Gulfstream, post time is 4:43 pm: Shine Time for Lentenor.
I browsed the Daily Racing Form this morning at Prizzios, which is now becoming a daily ritual. I was most interested in looking at tomorrow's Santa Anita card and see how many horses that had previously run in California were pre-raced on bute in one or more of those races. The answer: 100%! California publishes this information in the past performances of the entries, not many other states do this. I wanted to see because we now know that bute is a prohibited substance in slaughter-bound horses heading to Canada. So what gives ? We freely send horses that are not fit for slaughter to slaughter ? I will repeat this "study" when ever I get a Racing Form with California racing.
And please keep calling.
Update 5920: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update - discursive edition.
It's been a difficult Derby prep season so far, thanks to the weather gods; rain postponed racing in California, snow in the Northeast, and finally Arkansas also fell victim to their wrath. The Southwest Stakes, scheduled for Presidents' Day, will now be run next Saturday; whether the same field turns up will be determined later in the week when the race is redrawn. Of particular note were the top three finishers from the San Rafael: Conveyance, Cardiff Giant and Domonation [sic - but he's by Maria's Mon, it all makes sense]. While a chief objective for most will be getting a chance to see how these horses perform on traditional dirt, I am intrigued simply because Cardiff Giant is running.
And no, it's not because I used to live in Wales - the Cardiff in question in this case is in upstate New York - it's because I have an unhealthy interest in the history of scientific hoaxes. Let's rewind to the 1860s: Gorillas had only been 'discovered' (by white European men, that is) in the late 1840s; Darwin's On the Origin of Species had been published in 1859, and the hunt was on for 'missing links.' In the Pacific Northwest, reports of something not unlike Bigfoot appeared in local newspapers during this same period - in short, it was an ideal time for someone to mix these ingredients together into a moneymaking souflee.
Enter George Hull: after arguing with a fundamentalist minister over the literal truth of a particularly obscure Bible passage (Genesis 6:4 - 'There were giants in the earth in those days'), he decided that not only could this notion be amusing to parody, but that it might just be a nice little earner. He set about hiring stonecutters to carve a ten-foot 'giant' and had the resulting sculpture shipped to his cousin's farm, where it was subsequently buried. After letting the giant 'age' for nearly a year, Hull's cousin, William Newell, hired some local men to 'dig a well' - and lo, they uncovered a giant 'petrified man.' Immediately, crowds poured in to see this marvel - first for 25 cents a head, then double that.
While scientists immediately pronounced the Cardiff Giant a fake, a number of the fundamentalist preachers Hull had originally set out to poke fun at defended it as legitimate - and the public did not seem to care either way, and kept coming. Hull sold his share of the Giant for $37,500 - not a bad return on a $2,600 investment, especially in 1869 - to a group of businessmen who moved it to Syracuse. Upon getting wind of the sensation, P.T. Barnum got into the act and offered $60,000 to exhibit the Giant for three months; when he was turned down, he simply made his own and displayed it in Manhattan. Hull was forced to confess his scheme when the owners of 'his' Giant sued Barnum for claiming that their fake was a fake - but public interest continued nonetheless, and the Cardiff Giant spawned several similar offspring before fading into obscurity early in the 20th century.
In any event it's a fantastic name for a racehorse - if he does, indeed, become very successful this year, I hope we can look forward to his offspring with names like Feejee Mermaid, Oak Island and Piltdown Man. If only someone would name a racehorse for Kaspar Hauser, I could continue to be distracted from things like Sidney's Candy's fine win in the San Vincente, or Blind Luck's determination to win despite a terrible ride or the successful return of Munnings...
Update 5919: Three ridden this morning at Fair Hill for Michael Pino. And again we stayed in the shedrow, and it started snowing ... again! I did venture out to the clocker's stand after I was done and saw a few people out on the tracks training.
Michael Gill, who was one of the topics of conversation in the clocker's stand, speaks out about Penn etc: Gill: Racing Needs to Admit What's Wrong.
Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Bill Sanborn, Fair Hill, Summer Bird switch, Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, Dr. Hogan, Bute, Dick Francis, Lentenor, Kelsi Purcell.
And please keep calling.
Update 5918: Five ridden this Monday morning at Fair Hill, all in the shedrow. The Tapeta track seems to be pretty frozen at this point. Fortunately we have a good shedrow to keep our horses ticking over, but it is getting boring riding in the shedrow.
It was sad to report yesterday the passing of Dick Francis. He was not only a great jockey (and most famous for nearly winning the Grand National one year on Devon Loch for the Queen Mother) but a terrific author. In England we grew up reading his books on horse racing and its skulduggery. My favorite book was "For Kicks". I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Francis in Florida during the 1989 Breeders' Cup: Best-Selling Mystery Writer Dick Francis Dies.
Today is the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park: Conveyance, Dryfly, Dublin among talented Southwest cast.
Update 5917: Six ridden this Sunday morning at Fair Hill. And we shedrowed all our horses this morning for a straightforward morning's work. There does not seem to be much of a break in the weather ahead, with possible snow on Monday. This will further complicate training which has been disrupted considerably over the last few weeks.
A couple of interesting very early prep races for the Derby were held yesterday. Rule won one: Rule Buries Rivals in Sam Davis and Caracortado won the other Caracortado Pulls Robert Lewis Upset.
Update 5916: Six ridden today for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was another cold morning, and with this weather the snow we have had is not going anywhere! The track was OK for training, but light training at best. All my horses went nicely for a pretty straightforward morning's work.
Joe Drape, who I met at Oaklawn Park last year, writes about the track and its efforts to get the marquee match-up of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta: One Man Creates Ultimate Duel.
Lentenor has been entered for an allowance race at Gulfstream Park for next wednesday, Johnny Velasquez retains the mount.
And here are this weekend's graded stakes: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.
Update 5915: Phew! Nine ridden today. One of our riders was not here this morning adding a few extra to my schedule. I shedrowed seven, then went out to the Tapeta track with the last two. The shedrow was relatively warm, but the track was cold! Anyway, all the horses went nicely.
And it's back on, with a slight push in the date, but Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are now scheduled to meet in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park on April 9: Rachel Vs. Zenyatta Showdown is Back On. Each horse will have one prep race prior to the Apple Blossom, Rachel's will be at Fair Grounds in the middle of March: 'Rachel' Pointed Toward Fair Grounds Stakes.
And please keep calling.
Update 5914: Today is about survival as far as training racehorses is concerned. The roads around Fair Hill are passable, except for where the snow has drifted on some of the minor roads. And I got stuck in one of those drifts as I went to pick up our assistant trainer. Apparently no matter how good a vehicle you have (landrover is pretty good) if you drive into a snow drift you can get stuck! One of our other riders came with his truck and pulled us out. We then went to try to pick up a couple more of our help, but could not get through. So once we did get to the barn we made do and hand-walked the horses. Just a bit too adventurous for a start to the day!
Rachel Alexandra will not be running in the Apple Blossom, so we do not know now when and if we will see a matchup with Zenyatta: RACHEL ALEXANDRA CONNECTIONS PROPOSE RACING SERIES.
Update 5913: I shedrowed seven horses this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was supposed to be five, but one of our riders was a no-show. All horses shedrowed well. We are, though, in the middle of a major snow storm. Almost blizzard-like conditions outside.
Nice coverage from Triple Dead Heat regarding my book project: Exploring the Greatness and Goodness of Barbaro.
Dr. Hogan, an anti-slaughter advocate who has spoken on the issue in Congress, has asked the NTRA to take a stand on this issue. To date she has received no response: NTRA: IS ANYONE HOME?
And for the most bizarre news of yesterday, trainer Tim Ice has lost Summer Bird to trainer Tim Ritchie: Jayaramans to move Summer Bird, other horses from Ice.
Update 5912: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update, apparently the Bizarro edition.
With Santa Anita's card rained out over the weekend, the 3-year-olds in New York received a bit more of the spotlight than they might have under normal circumstances - and normal circumstances were certainly not the order of the day there, either.
What should have been a reasonably straightforward running of the Whirlaway, featuring speedy Eightyfiveinafifty and not much else, turned into its own mini-saga when things went a bit peculiar with Eightyfiveinafifty. His bit snapped on the first turn, and Jorge Chavez tried in vain to pull him up - minus Chavez, the horse was eventually caught heading for the barn - luckily with only minor injuries. Brooklyn Backstretch features a great rundown of how the story developed, and it seems we'll see the horse back in the near future - although trainer Gary Contessa knows there's some mental work to do now:
"He could (make the Derby) but he really has to play catch-up now, "Contessa said. "I have to make sure he is mentally perfect. We have to get what happened to him Saturday behind him. We expected greatness with him, and, to have it blow up like this, it has taken its toll on me. It's only me that has to work him through this and I will."
But mental quirks can certainly be overcome - Quality Road provided ample evidence of that on Saturday in the Donn Handicap. With his physical problems behind him, the only question remaining was which Quality Road would turn up - the head case, or the professional. But a description of 'emphatically professional' only hints at Quality Road's performance; his 121 Beyer says a bit more. Granted, the competition was not top-flight, and the track record he broke was his own, but it was a tremendous effort nonetheless. I would still like to see him take on some of the world's best milers to see what he is truly capable of, but it certainly suggested that we have an exciting season to look forward to.
While all signs indicate that Summer Bird will be a part of that season, he will not be racing under the care of Tim Ice - owners Drs. Jayaramans have removed their horses from his barn and Summer Bird will be heading to another Tim - Ritchey, of Afleet Alex fame. Ice is left with only six horses in the barn as a result of the move. There is no word yet on whether Ritchey will also be inheriting their Triple Crown nominees, including Indy Squall - a half-brother to Summer Bird. While none of us are privy to what went on behind the scenes, one hopes things turn out well for Ice.
Things apparently did not turn out well for Thorn Song; his name has turned up in the ongoing legal wrangling between Fifth Third Bank and Ahmed Zayat, and in a particularly unpleasant way. You may recall that he was pulled up in the oddly-run Eddie Read Handicap last July - the race was eventually won by Global Hunter, with Awesome Gem a close second (and Richard's Kid, winner of the San Antonio over the weekend, was the last to finish); Thorn Song bolted to the outside (video), but at the time, the only comment on his well-being was the following:
Trainer Mike Mitchell was at a loss to explain Thorn Song's antics. "He just bolted," he said. "He was where I wanted him to be. I opened up the blinkers and maybe he needs them closed more. That's all I can think of."
It seems things took a sinister turn; about two weeks later, it was reported that Thorn Song had abscesses in both front feet, and that the Breeders' Cup Mile was probably not in the cards for the son of Unbridled's Song:
Trainer Mike Mitchell said at the time that Thorn Song, the son of Unbridled's Song, was unlikely to make the Breeders' Cup, where he had been a leading contender for the Mile. "It's a small chance," Mitchell told the Form.It appears that the horse might have already been dead.
It is, indeed, a complicated chain of events; Mitchell's comments were published in the DRF on August 13th, but North American Specialty Insurance's records indicated that Thorn Song died on August 2nd - although the $2.75 million check was not paid out to Zayat Stables until October 19th. As far as the court case goes, Fifth Third wants to know why Zayat hid the payment he received; obviously as racing fans, we'd like to know what happened to Thorn Song, and why it was kept quiet. Presumably the insurance company and the Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic documented what actually took place - but it's an ugly story, regardless of the angle. If nothing else, perhaps the spotlight will keep Thorn Song's stablemates safe - and one hopes the investigations will continue.
It would be easy to end on that down note, but we'll brighten things up before departing for the day - Zarkava had her first foal over the weekend, and reports are that both mare and filly are doing well. Zarkava is to be bred to fellow Arc winner Sea the Stars next time around; that should be something to look forward to a few years down the line.
Update: The Thorn Song story just gets weirder and weirder. Is he still with us?
Update 5911: Six ridden for Michael Pino at Fair Hill this morning. We rode five in the shedrow, and took one set out to the track. The shedrow was the better option I think. The shedrow is not always the easiest option, and one of our riders parted company with his horse. This is the second time it has happened this week, thankfully I have not been involved!
Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Fair Hill, Michael Gill, Ernie Paragallo, bute means no slaughter, Quality Road, Triple Crown nominations, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, ABR YouTube contest, Mike Rea, Nicole Hyden and Cisco.
Yesterday I interviewed John Curran for my book. He is Delaware Park's track announcer and noted at the end of Barbaro's maiden race: "This could be a good one".
And please keep calling.
Update 5910: Five ridden this Monday morning for Michael Pino. It was 16F and we stayed in the shedrow, which was at least 10 degrees warmer! All my horses jogged around nicely.
366 horses, including Lentenor, have been nominated for the Triple Crown. This is down from last year. Horses not yet nominated can be added at a later date for a higher fee: Early Triple Crown Nominations Total 366.
And please keep calling.
Update 5909: The highlight of racing on Saturday was certainly the performance of Quality Road in the Donn Handicap. He won by many lengths in a new track record. He has certainly signaled that this year he will be a leading contender for the older horse division, and perhaps will compete for headlines with Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta: Quality Road Breaks Own Track Record in Donn.
And Rachel Alexandra had her second work yesterday, going another half mile in a little quicker 50 seconds and change.
Update 5908: I have the weekend off from Fair Hill, which is a good thing as it is still snowing. Lots of snow!
Lentenor is set to run in one more turf allowance race, if he runs well he may be considered for the Florida Derby: Early Signs That Barbaro's Brother Is Ready to Run.
Today we have the Donn Handicap and Quality Road will be a prohibitive favorite. I talked to a friend of mine yesterday in Florida who watched Quality Road during his last work out. She said he looked awesome. Gulfstream Park hosts two other graded stakes and Santa Anita also hosts some graded stakes: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC HORSE SUPPLIES.
Update 5907: Three ridden for Michael Pino this morning at Fair Hill. And all three went nicely. One worked an easy half mile, and she finished nice and strong.
I have been doing a lot of research for my book lately (interviewing a variety of people) but less actual writing. But then as I was coming back from the track on one of my horses I started to get a couple of ideas for the most important chapter, the Barbaro chapter. I wanted to use the words "mesmerize" and "audacity". This is what I came up with, which will need additional work:
Barbaro literally had everyone mesmerized at Churchill Downs. Steve Haskin, John Asher, Barbara Livingston, Tom Law. These were all veterans of our industry who are not easily impressed. Not until they saw Barbaro for the first time in the flesh. Barbara Livingston was "thunderstruck", and insisted on telling everyone he was the horse for this Kentucky Derby. John Asher "was in awe" when he first saw Barbaro out training at Churchill Downs. His pre-Kentucky Derby work-out, the Saturday before the Derby, was a work of legends. Steve Haskin noted how strong he was going around the turn after the work in the gallop out. If an ordinary horse had worked as fast as Barbaro did that morning, he would have left the race on the training track. It would simply have been too fast and taken too much out of him (add work times here). But it was becoming very clear Barbaro was no ordinary horse. One clocker, who had clocked every Derby contender for many years, remarked that Barbaro's was the best work he had seen over the last five years. Peter Brette, who was riding Barbaro in the work, simply noted it felt like he took three strides down the lane.
Michael Matz, a "rookie" Kentucky Derby trainer, had the audacity to throw out the rule book written by veteran Derby winning trainers such as Wayne Lukas, Bob Baffert and Nick Zito. A Derby horse needed to be seasoned, battle-tested. He needed to have had a series of prep races to get him ready for the biggest test of his life. (add some examples of recent winners and their pre derby races). Matz was running Barbaro off a five week break from his Florida Derby win. In fact Barbaro had only run once in the previous thirteen weeks dating back to xxx. The Kentucky Derby was to be only his sixth lifetime start, his third start on the dirt. On top of that fellow horsemen were thinking, rather hoping, that Barbaro was really a terrific turf horse who was decent on the dirt. While he had won his last two starts on the dirt, those dirt wins were simply not as impressive as his turf scores. Barbaro was also considered to have an "action" that was better suited to the turf. A high knee action, and how many horses can really run at the very top level on all types of surfaces ? Fellow horsemen were hoping.
When Barbaro entered the paddock for the Kentucky Derby Jill Baffert, wife of trainer Bob Baffert who had Bob and John in the Derby, turned to her husband in awe of Barbaro. He was by far the standout that day. He was head and shoulders above the rest. He was big, muscular, and there was a grandness about his presence. Some horses just have something, he had it. Bob Baffert noted he was a turf horse. Jill's response "you better hope so".
Tom Law noted just before the race, "I was standing underneath the grandstand, inside the tunnel, with Jeff Lowe just before Barbaro's Derby. I turned and said to Jeff, 'let's hurry up and get down to the rail, we're about to see something really awesome.' " Tom was refering to Barbaro.
And please keep calling.
Update 5906: Three ridden for Michael Pino at Fair Hill this morning. And it was not too bad in terms of the weather, just around the freezing mark. All my horses went nicely for a pleasant start to the day.
Yesterday I went with Mike Rea to his riding lesson at Carousel Farms. Here is Mike taking some instruction. While at Carousel I ran into Nicole Hyden, who is an old friend, and she runs the mounted police division for New Castle County. Here is her police horse Cisco, who was a PMU foal.
And please keep calling.
Update 5905: I shedrowed three horses this morning for Michael Pino. We had about 3 inches of snow last night, so while the Tapeta track was open, our shedrow was defintely a good option. A nice straightforward start to the day.
The Paulick Report has renewed its Derby Index, and I am taking part again: PAULICK DERBY INDEX brought to you by VINERY LTD: LET THE POLLS BEGIN. Of course as soon as this was published one of my picks is off the Derby trail: Winslow Homer out with a stress fracture.
Oaklawn Park, where I wintered last year, has everyone buzzing about a possible match-up between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta: Oaklawn set for 'greatest stakes race' announcement.
And please keep calling.
Update 5904: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update.
Perhaps the most exciting race of the previous weekend was the Santa Monica - somehow, Gabby's Golden Gal went off at 11-1 odds. Granted, she did not show much in her final effort as a 3-year-old (and first race since a disappointing effort in July), finishing a distant seventh behind Evita Argentina in the La Brea, but the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro easily turned the tables - this time, Evita Argentina was the far-off seventh, and Gabby's Golden Gal was back in the winner's circle. Runner-up Proviso, who has finished respectably behind the likes of Goldikova and Zarkava, is still looking for her first US win, but she certainly bears watching this year - as does this entire division.
Of course, Medaglia d'Oro had another filly in action this past weekend - just not in a race. On Sunday, Rachel Alexandra had her first workout since winning the Woodward. It was just a gallop, and she's still some way off from entering a race, but it was still very encouraging to see her back on the official worktab.
Neither Rachel Alexandra nor Zenyatta appears in the current list of Dubai World Cup nominations (PDF) - but either one could be added later this month. Gio Ponti looms large as the very early favorite, but other notable names among the nominationsinclude Zenyatta's stablemate, Life Is Sweet, Friesan Fire, Quality Road, Weekend Hussler, Dar Re Mi and second-most-expensive-horse ever, Jalil (to name just a few).
The Sunshine Millions ended with a media-friendly storyline (largely ignored, unsurprisingly, except by the LA Daily News) - hard-knocking older horse and tough older jockey steal win in big-money race. The older horse in question, Bold Chieftain, keeps making money the hard way - finishing in the money often, and managing some nice wins along the way. The same is true of his jockey, Russell Baze; we may not see him in the headlines very frequently, but he holds the world record for career victories. Both achievements would be worth highlighting.
Over to the 3-year-olds for a moment - we're pleased to once again be included in the Paulick Derby Index - although please note that this first installment is based on very little data!
Finally, next weekend, Quality Road headlines the Donn Handicap - check back later in the week for more...
Update 5903: Cold again at Fair Hill. I had five to ride for Michael Pino. One worked 3/8ths, and worked nicely. Working horses is getting to become a habit. I think I have worked more horses for Pino in a month than I did for Steve Asmussen in more than 2 years!
This week's ABR Group e-mail: Fair Hill, Michael Gill, Darrel Delahoussaye, Rachel Alexandra, Dominic Terry, Kelly Carlson, New Canadian Horse Slaughter Rules, Bute, Kip Deville, Barbaro, Steve Haskin.
And please keep calling.
Update 5902: Another frigid morning at Fair Hill. I rode four for Michael Pino, and we were out on the Tapeta track this morning rather than the shedrow as we had been for the last couple of days. All mine went nicely, thankfully!
Yesterday I interviewed Steve Haskin (Bloodhorse) for my Barbaro book. We had a great conversation. Steve maintains that Barbaro's Derby win is certainly one of the top five Derby wins he has witnessed, which goes back to 1968. And while Barbaro's performance is top five, Steve said it certainly could be the best of the five. I asked Steve if he thought Barbaro was a "great horse", which is of course something I am trying to establish for the first part of the book. Steve thought that while it is tough to rate him against some of the truly greats after only six completed starts, he certainly had greatness in him. He had that potential. Overall it was a great conversation. I also asked Steve if he had access to some of the old Bloodhorse archives regarding stories he had written about Barbaro. Here is one that is very interesting: Steve Haskin's Derby Analysis: The Crown Awaits.
And please keep calling.
Posted by Alex at 3:27 PM | Comments (581)