Thursday, November 30, 2006

Be It Coming Be It Going...

Though this is an old photo, this roughly was the scene at the farm today. The snowstorm blew in from south of Witchita providing a third hit of weather in the last three days. Tuesday it was an inch of rain, last night an ice storm, and this afternoon the beginning of at least 6 inches of snow.

Lest any reader would think RR a softie for cancelling training over a bit of weather, rest assured, dear reader, ... RR has trained through everything in full career over the years. When its damm the torpedos time for training we are out there.

Having noted the above I'm upset about cancelling today. They're training today at Golden Gate Fields and Calder, and we're falling behind. It provides zero comfort that today's 17 degrees with pasture ice and 15mph NW winds will be 5 degrees colder in Des Moines, and heaven only knows what it was like on the plains of Nebraska this morning. At Eureka Downs they shut down over three rain drops. Midwest stables in our area today are all resting.

But, this blog is KY or Bust, with emphasis on the 'bust', and even though i've rationalized resting today and letting those little immature ephiseal(growth) plates above the knees of our little Y an additional rest day after 30 hard training days, truth is truth: but for a difficult work schedule, interrupted sleep last night, and a little weather that I might consider a heat wave 30 days from now, I would have trained.

But, today we're off, and we'll be hoping for an end to such interruptions starting early tomorrow.

11/30/06: Rest

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Here They Are......


What do the connections of a horse who just won a $500,000.00 race look like? Here are the owners of Showing Up just as he crossed the line winning last Saturday's Hollywood Derby. The trainer was the infamous Barclay Tag (Funnycide). These people are, by the way, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who also own a horse named Barbaro.

Training: Wed. 11/29/06, a rest day for our Y, except I took him out and placed a saddle on his back and did some bellying. This means I lay on the saddle on my stomach placing full weight on the horse but do not put my right leg over his back. I am laying on the back instead of sitting on it. The horse is calm and cooperative. I let him move around a bit, not walking, but stepping here and there--without a problem. The actual mounting will be delayed a while till i can locate a bit that will fit the bridle of the little guy. The north wind is rolling in. We'll see what can be done in the weather tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Weather


Last night it rained an unforcasted inch at the farm. Weather problems, more than anything, have devastated my stable over the past two years. It always seems as if just when the horses are about ready to hit the track some sort of two to three week weather event comes along to sabotage the whole process. Of course track trainers go right on through bad weather, but, these are the same guys and gals that injure every horse that comes into their barn generally within a few months. For owners as myself racing our own horses, when weather interferes we back off since we are unable to afford injuring our horses.

One is supposed to have a positive attitude, avoid negative thoughts, but, in truth, at this age i'm way beyond that sort of tripe. Really, i can live with what i dislike, and there is nothing about horses that I dislike more than mud. Any rainfall more than a quarter of an inch turns everything into a complete mess. In the mud it will take me three hours to do with the horses what normally will take one with every minute an excruciating pain--shall we list the ways---trudging through the mud in wet shoes and socks, getting a horse to saddle, trudging with the horse from the mud of the paddock to the grass, getting the mud out of the hoofs prior to riding, changing into riding shoes while your holding a saddled horse, at the end of the ride changing back into the mud shoes and trudging through the mud to get the next horse--and so on. sticky, gooey, heavy, horrible mud.

so, today i was going to pass on training till i saw the forcast. our November 70s tomorrow will turn into 20s and 30s with more rain to boot. the only thing worse than warm mud is cold mud.

thus i took the unusual step of going back to the farm in mid afternoon to train today. figured I might bear the 70 degree temps with the mud, as follows:

yesterday: Mon. 11/27/06: after two days rest about 10 m of 2f riderless bursts, alternating direction. the horses were hepped so the pace was snappy. 1 m rest between heats.

Tues. 11/28/06 in deep paddock mud: 10 m 2f riderless heats at moderate pace--our Y is a good mudder, he was flying through the goo. Once thing i'm able to relate--this little fellow has some pizazz. he's showing this even in these simple riderless workouts. We'll see what the rest of this week and the weather brings.

Monday, November 27, 2006

DISCREET CAT--Part II

Horsepersons reading this post--i might say "horsemen", we are all horsemen, aren't we--except unknown how our better halves would react, but i digress--horsepersons understand that a mere genetic nick such as we have in Y with the similiarity to Discreet Cat with the prominence of Storm Cat andPrivate Account in both pedigrees is hardly that much to get excited about. It is nice that the basic genetic stuff is there. And yet, you can bet without knowing that Discreet Cat's momma (dam) most likely was a major winner. For reasons unknown to me the best transfer of talent in thoroughbred matings seems to be the racing success of the dam. Successful stallions stamp their foals, sometimes. But, successful dams seems to produce a far greater percentage of successful race horses. Guessing its the principle of mating two successful athletes as opposed to mating (merely) successful genes. The odds of producing a dud simply are much less mating physical qualities than mating just the genetic.

Unfortunately for $2,600.00 we were unable to purchase at Fasig Tipton a horse with superior dam race pedigree. Those sorts sell for six figures plus (an amount that the stable hopes to afford soon!). And so, for a dam of Y we are stuck with Nipsit (god love the name) by Deposit Ticket. Good that Nipsit raced. Good that she won $24,000 over just a few months. Good that Desposit Ticket is by Northern Baby (the sire of my "Aylward") And good that the first foal of Nipsit (a filly named "Is that You Miss Bue") went right out and won $15,000.00 over just a few races. These things are good portends and espectially indicate Nipsit could breathe.

Yet Nipsit as an athlete in all likelyhood falls far short of Pretty Discreet, the dam of Discreet Cat. Suspect her as little tiny thing. Deposit Ticket stood but 15'3" and the Broodmare Sire Track Barron was at best below average in size. For those reasons we will probably at full maturity have a horse with a smaller frame than Discreet Cat.

Additionally, the sire, Vision and Verse, was a bit of a plodder. While the true operative word is "hope", we do hope that genetics might stamp Y with some speed. (just noticed "The Pedigree Guru" at his blog lists Storm Cat-Private Account nick as the pedigree of the week. sounds like something that might go over big at a two year old sale. hmmmm! Additionally, the guru verifies that Pretty Discree was a major Grade I stakes winner.)


Training: Sun, 11/26/06: second rest day in a row. Like to give 2 in a row every 30 days. The young fellow has been "in training" approx. 30 days.l

Saturday, November 25, 2006

DISCREET CAT! WOW!!!!!!!!!

There is a direct tie to our "Y" here. Please read on. Occasionally you see a horse that causes you to sit up and take notice. With the internet this is now instananeous, and all the races of the weekend will soon be posted on the video archive section of the NTRA website.

The horse this weekend was DISCREET CAT, which I'm placing in caps because it has been since Easy Goer, Sunday Silence and Alysheba that I have seen such a talented animal. Never mind that Discreet Cat is owned by Sheik Mohammed Rashid Bin Al Maktoum and was purchased by the Sheik for seven figures plus from Americans Joyce Robsham and midling trainer Stanley Hough last year as a two year old. This weekend's performance in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct with Discreet Cat tying Easygoer's mile track record under a hand ride was impressive enough. To watch the horse run is something special again.

Now, please tell me how sorry I am that Discreet Cat, the new wonder horse, is out of a mare named Pretty Discreet by PRIVATE ACCOUNT. Please put together the capital letters to see the tie to our $2,600.00 yearling: Discreet Cat Pedigree: Forestry by STORM CAT and out off Pretty Discreet by PRIVATE ACCOUNT. Y Pedigree: Vision and Verse by STORM CAT who is out of the mare Bunting by PRIVATE ACCOUNT.

Can we say the Storm Cat-Private Account nick is alive and well in the form of Discreet Cat, the best horse to come down the pike in the last few years, and also in our yearling Y. LOL. Now, if i can just get the young fellow to run like Discreet Cat...

Discreet Cat's Cigar Mile victory will be archived in the NTRA Video Archives sometime next week.

Sat. 11/26: a rest day for Y and well deserved.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Is Y a Prospect--Part II

Call this the day after Thanksgiving. While a certain percentage of the female population is out shopping--and, one of these days soon i will figure out the attraction in the computer age of spending the afternoon spending money on trinkets--RR is out soaking up our greenhouse effect November Sun. Absolutely beautiful today in the peacefulness of knowing all my legal clients are otherwise occupied, and, if we can overlook that there is little to zero money to be made on these Thursday holidays, it is the sort of day i look forward to. Now, for the matter at hand, in one of the past blogs i noted the small odds on a macro level of any one horse winning the Kentucky Derby, much less being in it.

But, let us presume by now the Derby field has been winnowed down to about 14,000, where does our Y, that little 2/3 of a horse, fit into this notable group. It's already been established that Y is a grandson of Storm Cat, the most noted sire in Kentucky presently who stands for $500,000 single stud fee at Overbrook farm and whose babies sell in the millions to Arab Sheiks and Irish Stud Farms. The Sire, Vision and Verse, finished second in the Belmont Stakes, and the broodmare sire, Deposit Ticket was the second best two year old of his year. There are no weaknesses at all in any of the male ancestors in Y's pedigree--Vision and Verse, Storm Cat, Storm Bird, Secretariat, Private Account by Damascus, Hoist the Flag out of Ribot Line, Deposit Ticket, Track Barron, Nijinsky II, and Sir Gaylord, everyone either a millionaire or close, or a noted sire. Conclude: there are definitely some genes, and no mediocre genes at all which is remarkable even in the expensive pedigress where there is at least some weakness. None here unless you want to call the non-sire millionaire+ Track Barron (a horse I loved), a weakness.

In fact Y looks at this point like a carbon copy of his pop. He has some growing to do, but, it's established already that he has the basic appearance of a real decent racehorse. You can look at the Breeder's Cup photos on the website Turf Angels and see that good looking horses, horses that look like race horses are a dime a dozen, and when the running starts good looks means crap. BUT, it good that this little fellow at least has the basic form. The little horse has balance, perfect proportion except for slighly too long pasterns, and muscles where it counts. Photos soon.

I measured the jaw width yesterday. From the running I already know the little fellow is one of the better breathers, and I have long maintained that it is really the breathing that separates race horses. You particularly understand this when you ride them. Y has at this stage an unbelievable 5 finger jaw. I do not have and never have had any horses that have a 5 jaw. some 4.5s and most 4s, but, never a 5, and this guy is only 2/3 grown at this point. Jaw width is only an indicator of breathing ability. So many other things go wrong with horse breathing mechanism. But, it has been clearly shown that everything else in the throat being equal, the jaw width can play a significant factor. Some doubt this premise, but, this is consistent with my experience.

So, pedigree, appearance and build, breathing. Anything else matter? Oh, yes, there is the little mater of "speed". Let's put it this way (see today's workout), with his still open knees (knees close early in the two year old year), this little fellow easily keeps up with my big boys, and, really he runs on their butts and nudges them along. Riderless speed is different from speed with rider up, BUT, i alreay know that Y is other than slow.

So, here really nothing bad except the pasterns. All in all the conclusion is that the horse is trainable and he has some desireable characteristics, and we have at least a "PROSPECT". Now, a little Preston Burch training, and we'll continue the evaluation in a few months.

Today's training: For grown ups i like to give speed work every three days. For youngsters with still open knees and in the weakened condition that Y had 30 days ago, i'm giving only a very short spurt of speed about every 4 days, but, today was time for a speed day, and we could call today's w/o the first real speed w/o for Y. It was riderless and consisted of 3x1f riderless bursts around the paddock with about 1 m rest between. This was after appropriate warm up and with an older horse in the lead. I estimate the track speed to have been a little faster than 15 sec. per furlong. This is what i believe the little fellow can survive at this point. He looked very good doing it. A deer like athlete. Count Fleet had that description.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Thanksgiving Day

November 23, 2006. Thanksgiving Day. I give thanks these days for the simple things. As everything around seems in chaos and under attack. But, the weather has been great. Everybody including Ronald Reagan's ghost is going to get serious about global warming. But right for the present 70 degrees is pretty good training weather for Nov. 23, even if it's a little warm on the horses with their light winter coats.

While this blog is hardly ready for prime time, eventually if Y does anything at the track it may get some attention. I intend the blog to be a discussion of thoroughbred race training, for there seem no others on the net as is. There are so many things involved. For example, this evening i'm searching the internet for a feed supplement, if there is one, that has something other than iron as its main ingredient. Check your favorite horse multivitamin--dime to a dollar the main ingredient is iron. Since horses already get more than enough iron in their feed--that feed stores also add ferrous sulfate, wth do we need all this iron in the supplements?--but that is a wth for another day.

I'll continue the Is Y a Prospect theme tomorrow. Today's training involved merely 10 min of trot-lope in the warm part of the day. They never took off and i am at this point quite content to have such a light day between the hard ones at this stage of development. Also did some saddle work--more bellying. Yet to get a protest out of my horse, knock on wood.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The Death of Bradley Rollins

I'll postpone part II of 'is y a derby prospect' to comment this day on the tragic death of Bradley Rollins. The Blood Horse article reported the accident with the simple statment that Bradley Rollins was killed this date resulting from a training accident at his farm just 18 miles north of Phoenix, AZ involving a young horse. Rollins was 65 years old, a trainer and former jockey, and present president of the Arizona Thoroughbred Assn. He is also the son of Lyman Rollins, a noted trainer, still going strong at age 85. The article deigned to state how the accident occurred.

I never new Bradley Rollins, though I saw Lyman Rollins in the saddling paddock on many an occasion at Ak-Sar-Ben in the early 1980s. Lyman was a noted trainer who yearly had a string in Nebraska, and made an impression with his dressing classical cowboy formal-- cowboy boots and hat with white shirt and western tie.

So, some familiarity here, but mainly this sort of thing strikes a little to uncomfortably close to home. Young horse, farm accident--I visualized Rollins, a former jockey getting thrown and kicked, or maybe dragged or fallen on or any of the variety of nightmare scenarios that may occur around horses--the article ommitted the details. Let's be straight--anybody involved in training race horses is engaging in an extreme sport. We all know this. We keep our sanity by placing the potential danger in its appropriate place in our consciousness, which is out of sight, out of mind, and straight ahead with whatever you have to do. I'll state plainly that the business takes a little guts from everyone involved, and when i found out on The Final Turn Forum site that the accident happened much less exotically than I had supposed, it merely reinforced this simple premise. Rollins had a horse in cross ties and was kicked by that horse and killed instantly according to someone that knows. He was neither on the horse or doing anything actively with the animal. Probably got careless and walked behind it, maybe the youngster had yet to be sufficiently trained to cross ties. I'm supposing the former jockey's head (as all jockeys) is perfect height kicking distance for an agitated horse, and so, as in all accidents undoubtedly carelessness of some sort from the human handler. Were Rollins alive that is what he would say--in the words of Goethe: "the luckless creature, he would hold it fast." I have sympathy for Rollins, whom I never met, and his family, and yet this day is a good reminder to me to stay "on guard". My own philosophy in handling horses is never to take any chance--though hardly possible in a 100% sense, but, extreme care can really reduce the odds of something untoward occurring, as it did this date...

11/22/06 Y Training: 15 min riderless work in the paddock--increased the number of furlongs for each heat from 3 to 6--3f one direction then 3 the other at a very slow gallop--lope with about 30 sec rest between heats for 15 min total. also through in a couple of half furlong spurts for fast twitch work. Today was different for today was the first day I have seen some signficant speed from this youngster.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Is Y Really A Derby Prospect

There is a small difference in terms of odds between running in the Kentucky Derby and winning it. We are reminded that there are 30,000+ thoroughbred foals born in any given year. There is one Derby Winner and less than 20 starters. Eskimo terrorists are more likely to kidnap your foal than it run in the Derby.

It is November 2006. Does Y still have the 1/30,000 chance he had at conception to win the Derby? I neglected to mention that one half the 2005 crop are fillies, so, except for the most die hard feminist there goes half the competition (and, yes we are aware that the filly Winning Collors won the thing in 1988. The last prior female before that was 1905). And, we presume by now a few others have weaned themselves out of the picture, most of these by injury, death, and circumstance. But, really, I expect most of the male crop of 2005 is still actively in the picture, though the sorting out has begun.

Allow me to fill you in on a few facts: imo it is far more likely the derby winner was born before April 15, 2005 and probably before April 1. Those extra months of maturity do make a difference, check the stats. And, there are many other things. E.g. Preston Birch, my all time favorite trainer and role model (order his book at Amazon.com) commenced to break his yearling in June of the yearling year which might horrify our present variety of hard boots. And, Preston had 'em breezing 3F under tack by early December. Preston and his ilk would be so far ahead of Y by now with their training that it would be less than a fair fight come the first Saturday in May.

Luckily, now days, most yearlings commence breaking in September, and thus, Y is only a couple months behind. Moreover he is catching up fast--on his training, that is. That's about all the time I have for right now. Though we might look at the macro picture first. We'll get the the micro side of things eventually.

Coming Out Party

That was my reaction watching Y in his riderless gallop this morning. The little horse has passed his weakened stage, has evolved into a sort of 2/3 full grown horse, and is now doing legitimate galloping with the big boys so that you could say the last couple of days have been the coming out party for the new trainee. So, without adieu:
Thurs. 11/17 Rest
Frid. 11/18 4 x 2f riderless spurts at what passes for now for speed (about a 2m clip). working on fast twitch muscles has begun as i percieve the soft tissues--tendons, ligaments--and the splint bone have caught up with the work in their structural sense.
Sat: Rest. That was a nice work friday.
Sun. 11/19: Sometimes when ur around animals you sense to back off a bit. unknown how to this feeling-sensation comes about exactly, but this date seemed a perfect "go with the flow" day, and i knew in advance for some odd reason the flow would be slow. And thus, it was deliberately planned to increase volume this date to 15 min slow riderless gallop in 3f bursts with 1 min rest between heats in alternating instructions. the horses cooperated perfectly with a slow pace and we got in the whole 15m with Y now completely initiated into running around in circles in an appropriate position vis a vis his elders, which also explains all the bite marks on his rump.
Mon: 11/20/06--a few fast spurts planned, but, once again the best laid plans go completely awry since the herding to the paddock evolved into a 10 minute pasture romp. By the time I finally got them in the paddock we did (after warm up) 4x3f moderately paced with one single burst of speed for about 50 yards. there had been several fast bursts in the pasture also, and this is what will pass this day for a fast twitch muscle work.
Note: no saddle work since Wed. the rider has gotten too fat. dieting news coming, i feel sure.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Time Is Flying By

Yesterday i mistakenly wrote that Y has been on the farm a month. As i look at the calendar its actually been three weeks. Maybe its a sign of impatience that I thought it was a month, or, perhaps an indication that Y has come faster and farther in a fairly short time than i might have believed three weeks ago. I ommitted taking early photos so there is nothing to compare him too. but, we'll get photos up one of these days and then have a benchmark for development. today, thurs, 11/16/06 was a rest day after the strong work of the day before. I tend to take Tom Iver's advice in his early book The Fit Race Horse, which is that when a horse exceeds what he have done before, when the owner/trainer is all excited by what they have just seen their horse peform and the temptation is to load on even more in the very next session, that is really the time to back off.
over the top performances require rest to allow the body parts to catch up with the training, and so, today we rest and will commence in the morning when we hope its a bit warmer than today.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Kentucky Derby Training

well, hardly quite yet. After unceremoniously my Breeder's Cup blog disappeared from this site, i'm now blogging on Internet explorer exclusively instead of the sometimes unreliable Firefox. No more brilliant blogs lost to cyberspace, we hope. That blog noted the similarities of pastern length between the ill-fated Pine Island, the filly that lost her life in the Breeder's Cup Distaff, and our present Y, and a few other cogent observations, which I knew but have forgotten. The thermometer plummetted today to the low 40s, a temparture I'll probably welcome a month from now, but, for today, it was cold and very windy for humans, and perfect weather for running horses.
Wed. 11/15/06: more 2 furlong bursts around the paddock today but picked up the tempo due the weather. Maybe my imagination, but, for the first time I looked at Y and he looked like a yearling, albeit a small one, instead of an overgrown weanling. he may have lengthened out a bit. Definitely his galloping is getting more real. The legs weakly flying all over the place is gone now replaced by the beginning of a bit of steady pinwheel action, which appears much stronger lately. It's now been 30 days since Y arrived, 30 days of daily exercise progressively increased in intensity, and the horse is shaping slowly into a racehorse. Y has a lot of catching up to do given his prior care, but, progress is being made and signs thus far are encouraging.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The Keenland Sale

I have been watching the Keenland November Breeding Stock sale on the computer. This is a horse auction at which they sell primarily weanlings and in foal broodmares. The sale began 11/5 and still goes on a few more days, 5000 horses in all go through the ring. My head has been spinning at the money being spent at this sale this year. It seems that regardless of what they put in the ring somebody is going to bid 10,15,20,30 thousand and up on a lot of horses worth at the most $.50/lbs. Admittedly the quality of the sale is very high. It appears that sellers, blood stock agents, breeding farms are cashing in at this sale and putting a lot of their quality horses into the auction. I would say they timed well as the number of buyers with significant money seems endless, so far. I'm still trying to put together what i see at these sales with e.g. $200,000 being bid on a weanling of an unraced or light raced broodmare seemingly at the drop of a hat. It crosses my mind to question whether money is actually being spent, or whether certain consignors and breeding farms are simply exchanging stock to puff up the value of certain stallions and in hope of catching an occasional shill who actually does spend real money. Unknown. I've been watching and analyzing the sales "results". The question i pose is interesting and may remain speculation rather than an answerable question. Now, on to the important stuff:

Monday, 11/13/06 Rest day for all horses including Y
Tues., 11/14/06 (last day of warm weather for a while) Y again galloped riderless in the paddock in approximately 2 furlong bursts. I am protecting him less and less as he strengthens, and so i let the big boys drag him along. The difference between what he is doing as opposed to just playing in the pasture and taking off on his own basically is intensity and distance. The gallops are faster and longer than what he would do on his own. They are also repeated to the point where we now have enough volume (today about 10 min of fairly fast stuff), that there begins to be a training effect instead of only a strenghing effect. He's handling it all well, and the really good news is I'm not only detecting no breathing problems, but, this horse seems to have a very nice breathing mechanism. Given the problems thoroughbreds have in getting sufficient air, i've long maintained that the most important factor separating racing performance is breathing ability. Y seems to have that, which makes him trainable from a competitive standpoint.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Fish to Water

a brief synopsis of this training day, Sun. 11/12/96, my dear young mother's birthday, more riderless galloping in the paddock, Y seems really to enjoy galloping with the big boys. Today as they speeded up he enjoyed putting his nose near the ground and floating along. about 5-6 min of actual gallop probably short of 2m gallop speed-- a couple of furlongs at a time with a minute of rest between. Then some saddle work--complete weight on horse at the belly. preston burch writes in his book that many times his crew would break a yearling in one morning. unfortunatley I lack a "crew" so we take little baby steps. My main motto in riding at my young age is to avoid all chances. But, Y did accept my full weight, and also placed on his back my new astride riderless saddle that i just got in the mail. More on the astride at a later date.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Real Galloping

Y has been on the grounds 2.5 weeks now. Judging from what i'm seeing going through the ring at Keenland this week (Keenland November Breeding Stock Sale--11 days-5000 horses-Lexington, KY) Y resembles more an overgrown weanling that a yearling about to turn 2. This is a bit strange as he was born fairly early on 3/28. And, so, Y has some catching up to do. This may be good and bad. For the uniformed those big weanlings selling this week at Keenland in the millions have been specifically fed for fast growth--they look good, but, the veterniarians tells that speeding up growth through diet creates weak spots in the bones, a condition called ostiochondritis dessicans (did i spell it right?), which might lead to injury or catostrophic injury during the racing carreer. A horse such as Y on the other hand, who was probably kept on pasture grass without grain for a good part of his life, should have solid dense normal bone growth--that would be the hope. Actually the little guy has shot up to 15' 2" from slightly over 15 hands on arrival, and so, Y is close to the 15'3" which i consider miminal racing size. Yet he is pot bellied--worm bellied and gives an aura of immaturity. With that intro, today's work:

Sat. 11/11/06: with Y out in the pasture confusing everybody, herding them in to the paddock is just like herding cats, but, we finally got all in and commenced with riderless gallop. To my surprise Y today stuck stricktly to the outside of the paddock as he gallped around, and when the older horses took off, so did Y. I would say this was the first day that the riderless paddock work exceeded mere strenghtening and transitioned to real gallop work. The pace was crisp and fast, Y exhibited a lenghty stride at this point still somewhat awkward and weak. But, as I've seen in the two pasture dashes, this little fellow is hardly slow. To give a measure of comparison, the big guys will do 12 consecutive gallops around the paddock then rest (changing directions every 4 times around). With Y in the mix i let them gallop around twice and then rest. We did this about 8 times at pretty decent speed, and then Y was removed. Still worried about popping a splint by doing too much work, but this worry will last for the next months. The whole exercise was less in volume, BUT faster.

For anyone interested, the yearling auctions are now televised onto the computer. This little mind is still trying to fathom the money being thrown around the Keenland sales this week. Two thousand horses sold at $50,000 average per horse. Where does this $$$ come from?

Friday, November 10, 2006

The Last Two Days

In a hurry as always, here's what Y has done:

Thurs. 11/9/06: riderless around the paddock for 10 min with the big boys. he's getting stronger but still more resembles the overgrown weanling than yearling. There are definitely bigger stronger looking weanlings being sold at the Keenland November Breeding Stock Sale as I write. Y lacks that natural look of the strenght, which is a bit worrisome since we're only hoping and assuming we might train this in.
Frid. 11/10/06--this is a rest day primarily due to my schedule, but, we'll resume tomorrow. Y has now had the full weight of a rider at the belly. still completely without resistance, this horse may be easy to break, knock on wood.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Y Resumes Training

Coming soon, an evaluation--is it really a Derby prospect? But today I'll catch up on Y's training, the stated point of this blog:

Monday 11/6/06: a deserved rest day for all the RR horses.

Tues: 11/7: foggy today in early morn and breezy. the horses are glued to the far fence as I exit my house, too far away for them to come to the paddock voluntarilty, so, as happens too often, RR trudges the 1/3 mile and commences to herd to the paddock in hopes they'll go quietly. This date everyone walks toward the paddock in single file, four horses abrest and they're almost home when Y commences to play with the horse in front. The best layed plans again go arry as the entire herd errupts in a 10 minute pasture gallop much of it very quick. Y's forging to the lead lasts all of 5 seconds before the youngster is pounded backwards by the bigger guys. and thus, we inadvertently achieve another fast gallop (the prior was about a week ago). The speed is important as in his prior life the fast twitch muscles were not developed. Enough exercise for Y this date--and we'll plan on another fast one in about 5 days. Please note I'm always leery about fast work during a growth spurt which is currently in progress.

Wed: 11/8: legs appear fine after yest. a 10 min riderless run in the paddock a little harder than before. Y is getting the idea of running in the circle, and, he's defintely stronger than a week ago. a little more saddle work--the girth is now on and tight--zero protest so far--and bellied today for the first time, again without incident. the youngster is completely laid back so far.

Friday, November 03, 2006

On the Muscle

Richard Mandella is a noted California trainer. I just watched the DVD "On the Muscle" featuring Mandella and his stable time framed in the early 2000s when the Mandlla stable was loaded. These people are having fun, and this spectacularly produced DVD really conveys their story, and in particular the path of Pleasantly Perfect to his win in the Breeder's Cup Classic. Mandella said he's been at it 29 years, and stays in because he enjoys watching young horses develop. Ditto. Unlike Mandella, I also ride mine which adds further to the "watching them develop" angle. Interesting all the problems horses have even in a first class operation like this. Think topping Mandella as a conventional trainer would be difficult, or would it? You see everything he does right on this DVD. They make their attention to detail a point. And yet--
there is Mandella griping about a "too fast breeze", fretting that the horse left his race on the track, explaining that you are unable to work a horse too hard or he'll having nothing for race day. Wondering why his horses are always finishing second (Pzzzzz...hey Richard--if u'd give 'em a little speed work...) Can we say "Preston Burch". Preston was an old timey trainer. Order his book sometime from Amazon and read it. Preston Burch's book will put people like Richard Mandella and their training abilities in perspective. Just a hint: Burch would never worry about training his horses too fast. Burch would be fretting about their going too slow in training and worrying about their condition for the upcoming race due to too slow a breeze. Who is right? Burch or Mandella. That is i believe the great training debate of the moment. Every person in the business of racing thoroughbreds order "On the Muscle", now!

Y's training Nov. 3, 2006: Was going to be a rest day, but, as i was trying to get them in from the pasture as today was "worming day", the "self-starter" heretofore in a previous blog described as having an abscess, got them all going and commenced to run with Y at full speed for a couple of furlongs--good and bad--this was the speediest Y run to date--he was going all out- and is beneficial to development of fast twitch muscles, much needed at this point--bad because as soft as the little fellow is right now such speed even in the pasture risks popping a splint bone or even a fractured splint. When i got them back in the barn i was pleased to observe that Y is beginning to develop some muscle and the legs were clean. The Epsom Salt Paste in the boot worked on the abcess this time. The horse is back in training. Dodged a training bullet here. The wormer--the new Equimax Paste by Pfizer advertises guaranteed elimination of tapeworms through the ingredient praziquantel. Presuming praziquantel is something new. Previously only a double dose of Pyrantel Pamoate typically found in Strongid Paste (also by Pfizer) was advertised to eliminate the tape worms. Since a double dose of Strongid is a lot of wormer i'm thinking this praziquantel must be powerful stuff. I'm going to google, and then a full report.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Saddle Up

Y is unafraid of humans which probably indicates decent treatment in his past life, but, he hardly is enthralled by our species and tends to run whenever he sees me coming. a little monty roberts horse whisperer training may be in order here somewhere down the road--its either that or beating the tar out of them at least one time. neither is particularly fun so i'm hoping Y will by simple observation eventually get with the program. I dislike driving horses ala monty roberts that they finally figure out its easier to stand still then run away. this training method is harder on the horse than roberts advertises. Anyway--back to the matter at hand.

this was the first day of saddling and due to Y's shy behavior I had some concern. but, all went well and the saddle was on the back. girth tightning within two days. the measuring stick showed almost 15'2 today as opposed to slightly over 15' a week ago on arrival. horse looks almost big enough to ride.

Today's exercise consisted of riderless slow gallop-trot arount the paddock. none of the four had any energy today. the trainer goes with the flow and let them all loaf. thereafter Y was done while i rode the others.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

The Plaguey Question

Can your new horse breathe? After 20 years in the business I'm convinced that breathing ability is the main factor separating thoroughbred racehorses. They can all run. Even the slowest consistently gallop 24 second furlongs. Racehorses, imo, separate themselves in the ability to take in air. You particularly notice the breathing when you are on the horse and galloping. A few of my horses have almost daily problems taking in air at the trot but the air intake problem disappears when they commence to gallop with their collapsing diaphrams forcing air in and out of whatever was blocking the thing at the trot. Then there are those horses with displaced palates, excess cartilage attached to their larynx and various other types of blockage which makes for what those in the business call a "windy horse". They make breathing noises when they gallop due to partial blockage of the air intake process. For what it's worth, these horses even if they can run, are uncompetitive because they are smart enough to avoid pushing themselves into oxygen debt from which they are unable to recover.

A seller who places a horse in an auction that he or she knows has a wind problem is perpetrating imo a fraud, and so is the auction company that permits such offerings. For myself, having spent $22,000 at Keenland and Fasig Tipton over the years on three horses with wind problems, the next time it happens there'll be a lawsuit and I'll enjoy watching them conduct cartwheels arse over face to keep the thing out of the papers. Two of my wind problems were sold by Allen Paulsen and Kenneth McPeek. Fair warning for inexperienced auction buyers--immediatley after the your purchase put 'em in a paddock and gallop them to determine any breathing problems.

Today would be navy day in determining whether my new yearling can breathe, for today he ran in a controlled environment at close range so that any breathing difficulty could be heard. At my farm I have a 75 x 75 yards paddock where I exercise my horses riderless in a circle. In this paddock I can drive them to near racing speed. Y today was driven around the paddock for the first time with the other three at moderate pace. First trotting and when the other's commenced to gallop Y forged to the lead, which lead lasted until a severe bite in the ass by a trailing oldster, at which time Y deadheaded to the barn in a straight line. Bless his heart, he then rejoined the exercise without urging from me.

Y trotted-galloped in this manner for about 10 minutes. He surprised me with increasing strenght today, and, voila, I heard not a single sound emanating from the windpipe-nose area. The final word on Y's breathing will come when he is driven at speed and distance, but, today's first test was promising. He seems to have been sold for $2,600 for some reason other than inability to breathe.