Barbaro Updates: 1000
updates are now here.
Update 6060: A day off today, so going kayaking!
Update 6059: Sue McMullen provides a final day wrap-up from Royal Ascot:
Starspangledbanner helped put Ballydoyle back on the Royal Ascot map, annihilating the field in the six furlong Group 1 Jubilee Stakes, the third leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, on the final day of a thrilling Royal Ascot 2010.
Son of the awesome Choisir who bagged a remarkable double at Royal Ascot in 2003 when he won both the Group 1 Kings Stand Stakes and the Golden Jubilee, Starspangledbanner is a Ballydoyle import from Australia and though he isn't quite the same strapping specimen as 'Dad', junior is also chestnut and showed the same kind of electrifying speed.
The very game filly Fleeting Spirit finished fourth, having led the group on the far side and probably thought she had won the race but Starspangledbanner was followed home by Society Rock and in third, Kinsale King, the US raider who ran very well and with his colourful racing gear and accompanied by a pony to the start, gave the race a great international flavour. Carl O'Callaghan is considering keeping his charge this side of the Atlantic for an attempt on the July Cup at Newmarket next month, the fourth leg in the Global Sprint Challenge series.
Clive Brittain is considering a tilt at the Kentucky Derby for the Listed Chesham Stakes victor Zaidan, a colt he's always thought highly of but until today didn't know just how good he might turn out to be. Ridden by Seb Sanders, the son of Street Cry was very unsettled before and after the race and hopefully the experience might have taught him something positive about the racing game. Although still a baby, he'll need to learn to relax if he's to start clocking up air miles next year but Clive Brittain was one of the first European trainers to head across the Pond and knows just what it takes to keep horses happy when shuttling around the globe.
Harbinger bagged the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, giving Sir Michael Stoute his second victory of the week following the success of the gorgeous grey filly Strawberrydaiquiri, and earning himself a quote of 7-2 second favourite for the King George behind his stablemate Workforce. However, no definite plans have been made and the Stoute team will discuss all the options with the owners, Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.
Approximately 60,000 bottles of champagne will have been consumed during the most fabulous week of top class international racing, some of it consumed by the 1,000 accredited international media. The US raiders are becoming a regular feature, albeit a very small number and hopefully more will come. Kenny McPeek, whose Caspar's Touch finished third behind Zaidan in the Chesham Stakes and Tiz My Time ran third in yesterday's Albany Stakes for fillies, said the meeting had been a test-drive for him to figure out what kind of colt or filly to bring over here in future.
"It's a learning experience, but a happy one, he said. "We really enjoy the higher-end meets. I'd like to bring horses here every year. This is an easy trip for us, all the horses came over fine, they eat well and ship well. The Australians have come a lot farther than we have. It think it's a bit of a misconception about the travel because the Europeans come our way all the time and you don't hear complaints from them. We should come back this way more. It's not all about the money - it's about the sport."
Kenny has some regrets about the way they decided to ride Noble's Promise in the St James's Palace Stakes.
"After the race Kieren (Fallon) and I wished we'd just let him go at his own pace, because he broke well. He was on the inside, so when he was eased out for a run the colt thought he was going left-handed, which he's done all his career. Kieren had to rearrange him and get him to curl back right. You can't unring a bell and fifth wasn't bad, but now what we were looking for."
As he says, it's all a learning experience just as it has been for the Europeans when they race in the US and Kenny also had his Royal Ascot baptism in the fashion stakes, hiring a morning suit for the occasion, complete with top hat. "The first suit didn't fit too good, but I changed it." An experience shared all too often on this side of the Atlantic. Roll on 2011.
Update 6058: Eight ridden for Michael Pino at Fair Hill this morning. We had a few horses breezing, and a few went to the gate for some schooling, so a busy morning. All went well, so it was a good morning's work. Warm weather again too.
It's the last day of Royal Ascot, Sue McMullen will provide an update later today.
It's a light schedule of Graded Stakes this weekend in the US: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.
Update 6057: Another seven ridden this morning at Fair Hill for Michael Pino. And a lovely morning for riding horses. All went nicely as we are now getting ready to watch some World Cup football!
Last night I caught up with Jeannine Edwards, to discuss my book. Jeannine is writing the forward and also gave me feedback on the first part of the book. I met Jeannine at the farm where she keeps her horse, Ashkal Way.
And please keep calling.
Update 6056: Day 3 update from Royal Ascot from Sue McMullen:
A perfect summer's day, not a cloud in the sky, pleasantly warm without being too hot and humid, provided the perfect backdrop to Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot.
Feature race on the third day of the meeting is the Ascot Gold Cup, founded in 1807, run over two miles and a half miles. The ultimate test of a horse's stamina and ability to settle during the race, this year's Gold Cup threatened to lack quite the interest of the last few years due to the absence of one individual, the incomparable Yeats who made this race his own with four consecutive victories, a feat that is unlikely to be repeated.
But today's race provided its own fairy story with the former hurdler Rite of Passage fighting out a thrilling finish with the Ballydoyle representative Age of Aquarius trying to emulate his former stablemate and retain the crown for O'Brien. Jumpers of this calibre are certainly not slow, proved today by Rite of Passage who looks likely to head to Australia for the Melbourne Cup with trainer Dermot Weld bidding for more success down under. Age of Aquarius was unsettled in the paddock with O'Brien himself walking the horse out to the track but he appeared to settle well in the race for Johnny Murtagh and at one stage appeared to be the winner but the stamina of the six year-old Rite of Passage just proved too much for the four year-old who battled very gamely all the way to the line. Murtagh was delighted with his performance and it might indicate a change of fortune for the Ballydoyle runners who have lacked sparkle so far this week.
Kieron Fallon is back on the winning board at the meeting following his photofinish victory aboard Afsare in the Listed Hampton Court Stakes over one and a quarter miles, providing Luca Cumani with his first Royal Ascot victory since 1997. A big favourite with Fallon, Afsare fought all the way to the line upsides the Queen's runner Quadrille but just got his nose in front and in doing so denied Her Majesty a popular royal victory, always a crowd pleaser. But many were equally delighted to see Fallon back on form at this hugely prestigious meeting and even before the race, his enthusiasm for the horse was evident in the way he patted and stroked his neck as they walked around the parade ring.
Hibaayeb gave Frankie Dettori and Godolphin their second victory at the meeting when she proved too strong for her rivals in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, over a mile and a half. Disappointing in the Guineas the filly returned to form in the Prix Saint-Alary and the decision was then made to bypass the Oaks and aim for Royal Ascot. Showing an impressive turn of foot to dismiss her rivals, the filly's victory put the wattage back in Dettori's beaming smile and an opportunity for the inevitable flying dismount after a Group victory.
Approve won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes for the 'babies', run over five furlongs, by putting his greater experience and his devestating turn of foot to good use. The Britannia Stakes, a Heritage Handicap over a mile, gave Micheal Hills his second win at this year's Royal Ascot, with the brave Ransom Note holding on to the lead. Described by Hills as a 'steering job' the horse is a big favourite at home as he is so easy to ride.
Update 6055: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a gorgeous morning for riding horses. A couple of mine were a little "fractious" leaving the barn, but once they got out there were very good. All in all a great start to the day.
The highlight of yesterday was the win for Barbaro's brother Nicanor: Will Nicanor's Victory Serve as Confidence Booster?
And please keep calling.
Update 6054: Day 2 update from Royal Ascot from Sue McMullen:
Warmer weather with a cooling breeze resulted in faster going on the second day at Royal Ascot with the course record broken in two races.
First of these was Mark Johnston's Rainfall, another one for girl power as she became the first filly for many years to claim the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, run over 7 furlongs, and she did it in style battling her way to the line and beating the favourite, Red Jazz.
Arguably the most thrilling race of the day was the titanic battle between the girls in the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes with Strawberrydaiquiri under champion jockey Ryan Moore and last year's heroine Spacious, under Johnny Murtagh, attempting to retain her crown in this race.
Two brave fillies fighting all the way to the line with neither showing any sign of giving up. Nip and tuck to the wire, it was the type of race where it is a pity one has to lose but it was the elegant grey filly Strawberrydaiquiri who got her head in front.
The big battalions were out in force for the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes, first run in 1862 with a list of equine luminaries gracing the honour's roll, including in recent years the flying filly Ouija Board and the ill-fated Dubai Millenium.
Andre Fabre's Byword, favourite for the race, won in impressive fashion and paid a huge compliment to Europe's star mare, Goldikova, as he finished behind her at Longchamp. Henry Cecil's Twice Over followed him home by half a length after a troubled run but you can't take anything away from the victor, ridden in only his first race in the UK by talented young jockey Maxime Guyon. What a baptism on the international stage and huge credit to Fabre for giving young talent opportunities to ride in the big races. He said after the race that he had every confidence the horse could win and was more concerned about his inexperienced pilot, so all the more impressive for giving him the chance. Both the winner and the runner up are owned by Prince Khaled Abdullah, one of Europe's most prominent supporters of the game and a popular figure over here.
Frankie Dettori and Godolphin enjoyed their first win of the meeting with Invisible Man claiming the Royal Hunt Cup at 28/1 and smashing another course record. Godolphin has been a bit invisibile itself of late so this might mark a change in fortune.
Favourite for the race, Maqaasid looked very impressive in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes for fillies. Trained by John Gosden, Maqaasid showed an electric turn of foot going 59 and one to beat a brave Meow under Johnny Murtagh, so if they can keep her relaxed and enjoying the job, she is one to watch.
One time favourite for the Oaks, Timepiece, dropped down in class to win the Listed Sandringham Handicap over a mile and notch up another victory for Prince Khaled Abdullah. With a losing run of three races behind her, hopefully this will have boosted her confidence and she put Henry Cecil, beaten on the line with Twice Over, in the winners' enclosure, always a great place to be at Royal Ascot.
Update 6053: Another busy morning at the Pino barn at Fair Hill this morning. I had eight sets. We had a couple of sets do a bit of gate schooling, one 2yo to get a gate card, the other was at the gate for the first time. All went well and all galloped nicely.
It is day 2 of Royal Ascot, and we should be getting a report later from Sue McMullen.
And please keep calling.
Update 6052: Day 1 update from Royal Ascot from Sue McMullen:
Day one at Royal Ascot and the feast we had anticipated certainly lived up to expectations with stellar performances in the Group 1 races.
Superstar racemare Goldikova gained her ninth Group 1, denying Paco Boy a consecutive victory in the Queen Anne Stakes. The very game Paco Boy has his own style of racing and has to be produced very late. Held up in traffic, he eventually saw daylight and unleashed his electric turn of foot with a very brave attempt to reach the mare but she just found a bit more and held on to the line. Richard Hannon, trainer of Paco Boy, said they were very proud of their own star boy and it was no disgrace to go down fighting to such a fabulous mare.
Olivier Peslier, Goldikova's jockey, deployed the best tactics to beat Paco Boy by going early and forcing the Richard Hannon colt to make up too much ground with his late run.
Aiden O'Brien's Rip Van Winkle appeared to need the race but the yard is out of form with non of the Ballydoyle runners showing real sparkle on the track.
Equiano was a dazzling winner of the Kings Stand Stakes, the Group 1 sprint over a very stiff five furlongs Despite stumbling out of the stalls and almost going down on his knees he nevertheless made up ground very fast and once he hit the front nothing could catch him. Winner of this race two years ago when he was trained in Spain, Equiano is now trained at Newmarket by the popular Barry Hills and ridden by his son Michael.
Aussie sprinters have dominated the Group 1 Kings Stand Stakes for some years, with no British-trained runner winning since 2004 but the tradition ended today and neither of the Aussie raiders looked threatening. Perhaps Nicconi is not quite in the same league as the illustrious Takeover Target, Miss Andretti or Choisir or maybe he had an off day but he also looked as if he could get further.
Canford Cliffs confirmed his Irish Guineas form against Makfi, winner of the English equivalent, by storming home in the Group 1 St James Palace stakes, beating his very tough stablemate Dick Turpin. Winner of last year's Coventry Stakes in emphatic style, Canford Cliffs has a tremendous burst of speed and jockey Richard Hughes had every confidence the Hannon-trained colt would win today, with a little luck in running. Poor Dick Turpin keeps finding one too good and seems destined to be the bridesmaid but he is a very classy, attractive individual and will have his day.
Kenny McPeek's Noble's Promise finished a creditable fifth but never looked threatening at any stage during the race. There is much admiration here for Kenny to have brought the Kentucky Derby fifth to Royal Ascot to take on Europe's finest and hopefully it will encourage more trainers from the US to follow in his footsteps.
The in-form Hannon yard unleashed another star in the making with their two year-old Strong Suit winning an action-packed Group 1 Coventry Stakes by a nod in a photo finish In only his second run, Strong Suit was barged about and had to weave his way through the field, an impressive performance for a mere rookie, and once he saw daylight he flew home to catch Barry Hills' Elzaam on the line. The latter ran a bit green and will certainly learn from today's experience but Strong Suit looks to be a very impressive horse and earned himself a 10-1 quote for next year's Guineas.
Update 6051: Eight ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill, so a little longer morning's work. All eight of mine went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.
Royal Ascot is now underway, and Goldikova got things going with another Group 1 win against the boys: Goldikova reigns in Royal Ascot opener.
Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Kip Deville, ABR radio, Bob Hatfield, Andy Durnin, Lisa Grimm, The Jacksons.
And please keep calling.
Update 6050: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. Ant it was another warm morning for training horses. All mine went nicely. One also breezed 3/8ths in company, and they both went well.
The highlight from yesterday was the thrilling win of Zenyatta, who remains perfect at 17 races. It was not an easy win, and it did look like she was going to struggle a little to overhaul the leader, but inside the 1/16th pole she seemed to find one extra gear to win almost comfortably: Zenyatta shows heart of a champion in Vanity.
And please keep calling.
Update 6049: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. While it was a short and straightforward morning's work, it was ridiculously hot.
The highlight yesterday was the return to form of Rachel Alexandra, who made light work of her first win for the year: Rachel Alexandra runs off with Fleur de Lis.
Today Zenyatta will look to make history: Zenyatta shoots for record third Vanity win.
Update 6048: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And all mine went nicely for a straightforward start to the day. Lots of World Cup chatter this morning at the track. A few of us were wearing our England shirts, oddly no one seemed to be sporting a USA shirt ? It should be a fun game this afternoon!
And also this afternoon Rachel Alexandra is running on a busy day at Churchill Downs which includes the Grade 1 Stephen Foster: Blame, Rachel Alexandra top Stephen Foster card.
Update 6047: Eight ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And a lovely morning for training horses. All mine went nicely for a longer but straightforward morning's work.
Good news regarding racing at Royal Ascot next week, from Sue McMullen:
Good news for racing fans across the 'Pond' who have heard so much about the Royal meeting but had few opportunities to get a real taste of its unique character. For the first time TVG and HRTV will cover the meeting. TVG is setting up a studio at Ascot and HRTV is sending a crew to the course and will broadcast coverage from its Santa Anita studio.
With the addition of live coverage in Australia it means that Royal Ascot will now be broadcast from the west coast of America to the eastern seaboard of Australia.
For sheer spectacle Royal Ascot is hard to beat and it will be interesting to see quite what our media colleagues from TVG and HRTV make of it all, but if you cast aside the unrivalled opulence, glitz, glamour, posturing celebs and wannabees who go merely to see and be seen, this is the week's best Flat racing in Europe, a week of championship, Group racing at the highest level with an international line-up.
We have a feast of racing to look forward to and away from the track those vital last minute preparations are underway. The finery is being dusted down, hired or puchased as everybody wants to look their absolute best. Humans are as much on parade as the horses but despite their dazzling array of colour, designer bling and haute couture, it is the magnificent, sleek, unadorned Thoroughbreds that always steal the show. The human pageantry is a mere sideshow to the clash of equine titans on the track.
Not long to wait and ladies are already practising that special technique required to avoid the clash of large hats as they encounter one another in the confined doorways of bathrooms. Without due vigilence this can resemble two fighting stags locking antlers. All part of life at Royal Ascot.
And please keep calling.
Update 6046: Five ridden so far this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. I have two more to go, but since I am on break I thought I would use the time to do today's update. One of the one's I have ridden so far was a little fractious, but we survived. The remaining two I have to ride are babies, it will be there second day to the track.
2 pm today we have our final ABR radio show for this Triple Crown series. We will review the Belmont and the entire Triple Crown this year, as well as discuss the upcoming races for Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. Should be another fun show: Alex Brown Racing on the radio.
This weekend Zenyatta runs in the Vanity and is looking for a threepeat in the race, as well as surpassing the modern day record for consecutive wins: Zenyatta Breezes Six Furlongs in Vanity Prep. Rachel Alexandra returns in the Fleur de Lis: Rachel to Start in Fleur de Lis, Not Foster.
And please keep calling.
Update 6045: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. One of mine breezed an easy half mile, and went nicely. Four of the horses I rode were "babies", 2yos. Two went to the track for the first time, as we received a new shipment of horses in the last few days. All went nicely.
Last night I had dinner with the Jacksons to discuss the progress of my Barbaro book. They seemed pretty happy with the direction of the book, I also gave them a draft chapter to read. Hope they like it!
And please keep calling.
Update 6044: Six ridden today for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A gorgeous morning for riding horses at Fair Hill. Two of mine went to the gate for a little schooling. One also breezed a half a mile. Quite a busy morning, but just a great morning to be out there.
Here is this week's Facebook Group e-mail: Drosselmeyer, Mike Smith, Fly Down, First Dude, Bill Mott, Joe Drape, Travers Stakes, Epsom Derby, Workforce, ABR radio, Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Tim Woolley, Kansas City, 4,000.
And please keep calling.
Update 6043: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update - Triple Crown wrap-up/World Cup kickoff edition.
It may have been a pokey Belmont, but it was nice to see Bill Mott add a Triple Crown win to his resume, and we've got summer and fall racing to look forward to. WinStar farm will have to decide how to manage their two classic winners, Super Saver and Drosselmeyer, over the next few months, but it's certainly a good problem to have - even if the idea of either one competing with Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic seems rather beyond the realm of possibility. One does hope that Uptowncharlybrown, who finished fifth, gets another chance to prove his talent (as well as earn some money for his connections), after his odd disqualification to last in the race after losing a weight pad. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin explained how it happened, and blames himself - it's definitely not a fun way to lose $30,000.
And Zenyatta does not seem too concerned about possible rivals - she had an easy workout this week for her shot at a threepeat in the Vanity, which would give her win number 17. The big mare's presence in the race has limited the field - St Trinians is the only horse in the field likely to give Zenyatta much of a workout, although she's coming into the race off a poor effort last time out, in the Big Cap - still, someone has to be second.
And while we know that Rachel Alexandra will be racing somewhere on Saturday, which race her connections plan to go for is still up in the air. The Stephen Foster is coming up a tough race - Blame is on fire, and General Quarters seems to be getting into a good rhythm. Arson Squad, Macho Again and Giant Oak are also good horses, and while I believe we will see Rachel return to her best, that may still be a little bit down the road. However, she would get an attractive weight break in the race, so that's no doubt a consideration.
Of course, as we have previously mentioned, just about everything else happening on Saturday is eclipsed by the US taking on England in the World Cup; regardless of what the British press might suggest, we're actually reasonably evenly-matched - the two teams have similar difficulties in defense (although at least we have Tim Howard in goal), and a tendency to rely one one or two key players up front. I'd say the odds of both teams finishing the game with ten men are higher than a runaway score either way, but I'd love to see us pull out a win - and continue in that spirit well beyond the group stage.
With the World Cup, a new job and a variety of other side projects taking over, posting will be lighter than usual for a while - but follow along on Twitter for the latest commentary.
Update 6042: Six ridden this Monday morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And a gorgeous morning for riding horses. The humid weather we have experienced the last few days has at last cleared out. All six of mine went nicely.
While the Triple Crown is now behind us, we will have some interesting racing this upcoming weekend. Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are scheduled to race. Rachel worked this morning at Churchill Downs an easy half mile. Rachel's race is still to be determined, Zenyatta is pointing to the Vanity: Zenyatta Assigned 129 Pounds for Vanity.
And please keep calling.
Joe At TB Friends
Posted by: Debbie L.A. at June 7, 2010 3:31 PM