Back to Conventional Training and The Good II
For those that follow Tote Board Brad's blog, i noticed the filly "Movement" finished third today in a maiden race at Golden Gate Fields through some pretty fast fractions. Of course, we'd rather celebrate a win for one of our fellow bloggers, but, for RR its just good to be racing, and I consider it quite an accomplishment for Tote Board and his filly to be in the game when so many others--take a look at the size of the fields today--are sitting on the sidelines, including yours truly.
I wanted to finish on what I like in conventional training without making too big a bfd about it. And, I'm thinking in particular about the Lukas model which appears in some of my prior posts.
What I like about Lukas's program is:
1. It is easy. Lukas has to find a jockey for a breeze every 10 days, while RR in our serious midwest rider shortgage is trying to get one out of bed and sober by 8:30 a.m. every three days. My biggest fear with the Burch training is finding a rider to do it. Additionally, think I'd enjoy the concept that all we have to do this week is three easy 1.5 mile gallops and a little trot, and watering our potted plants. I could really go for that sort of training on occasion.
2. Lukas's program over six months looks a whole lot better than over the two week sequence. Over two weeks you can criticize insufficient speed work, but, if you look at the fractions--Lukas breezes in :12.4s and he races in :12.2s--the jump from his training to his racing is fairly small. For sprinters it would be a bigger gap, but, how many sprinters has Lukas trained? While RR would decline Lukas's program as any sort of ultimate program, racing or breezing every ten days to two weeks over a period of six months with all those gallops included, let's admit it, you're liable to make a race horse. Visualize Lukas rolling his eyes and grooving his brow: "You don't say???"
3. Over the years I've observed that most conventional trainers do a pretty decent job of getting young horses prepared to race. It seems to me that it's when they start racing that the trouble begins.
How this fits into "Preserve and Enhance", next post.
Nob report:
1/9/07 5 x 1f riderless breeze and tack work.
1/10/07 Rest and tack work. Nob chickens out in the 30 mph wind.
1/11/07 To my horror Art received a solid kick to his rear fetlock tonight while he was eating when he backed into another horse. A little bute and it seems ok, but, the typical ridiculousness in this business. Rested today, breeze tomorrow, unless he's injured from the kick.
I wanted to finish on what I like in conventional training without making too big a bfd about it. And, I'm thinking in particular about the Lukas model which appears in some of my prior posts.
What I like about Lukas's program is:
1. It is easy. Lukas has to find a jockey for a breeze every 10 days, while RR in our serious midwest rider shortgage is trying to get one out of bed and sober by 8:30 a.m. every three days. My biggest fear with the Burch training is finding a rider to do it. Additionally, think I'd enjoy the concept that all we have to do this week is three easy 1.5 mile gallops and a little trot, and watering our potted plants. I could really go for that sort of training on occasion.
2. Lukas's program over six months looks a whole lot better than over the two week sequence. Over two weeks you can criticize insufficient speed work, but, if you look at the fractions--Lukas breezes in :12.4s and he races in :12.2s--the jump from his training to his racing is fairly small. For sprinters it would be a bigger gap, but, how many sprinters has Lukas trained? While RR would decline Lukas's program as any sort of ultimate program, racing or breezing every ten days to two weeks over a period of six months with all those gallops included, let's admit it, you're liable to make a race horse. Visualize Lukas rolling his eyes and grooving his brow: "You don't say???"
3. Over the years I've observed that most conventional trainers do a pretty decent job of getting young horses prepared to race. It seems to me that it's when they start racing that the trouble begins.
How this fits into "Preserve and Enhance", next post.
Nob report:
1/9/07 5 x 1f riderless breeze and tack work.
1/10/07 Rest and tack work. Nob chickens out in the 30 mph wind.
1/11/07 To my horror Art received a solid kick to his rear fetlock tonight while he was eating when he backed into another horse. A little bute and it seems ok, but, the typical ridiculousness in this business. Rested today, breeze tomorrow, unless he's injured from the kick.
posted by rather rapid at
2:07 AM
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1 Comments:
Another benefit of conventional training could be that it's easier to modify for individuality from a stable process that does just enough fast work, as opposed to unique training programs from the ground up every time. Evaluating setbacks might be easier in the context of having 100's of horses having gone through the same program. I know from talking to some trainers that the workforce problem is a very real issue. When asked once why they don't gallop longer distances, the answer was, "You mean besides the rider revolt?"
I may not have all my sartorial terms right, but comparing it to a tailor making a suit.... If you have a tailor with limit skills, time, attention, or interest (or he has 100's of clients he needs to service), it might be better to buy a suit off the rack and have him tailor it to fit well.(train conventionally and tweak)
Give the same guy a bolt of cloth and some thread and tell him to build you a bespoked suit, and I don't think it would work out so well in your favour. What we all know however, is that to get a really nice suit you need to pay alot of money to a very skilled craftsman, who works on his own schedule, has an established clientele, isn't looking to expand, and will just smile and send you on your way if you become a pain in the ass by asking why your suit hasn't won a MSW yet....
Lukas, the Hugo Boss of racing. Never thought about it that way....Doesn't seem right somehow, with his sweater vests...
KH
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