Quick Derby Seguay and Injuries:

Read Steve Haskin's nice Derby piece in the Blood Horse this morning, nice writing and cogent observations as usual, but one little paragraph especially caught my eye as a precise statement of what I spent post after post writing about on conventional training. Haskin says it all in one short paragraph.

Let me set the stage. I observed Johannesburg as one of the better two year olds. He won all seven races including the Breeder's Cup Juvenile, and while I could never see much in his sire, Hennesey, the broodmare sire Ogygian was another great two year old that stood out for me. The KY hardboots imho gave up on way too soon on the sire, Ogygian.

I've also observed the Johannesburgs in the two year old sales as awesome racing prospects. I've yet to see a bad one. If I could finger at least one sire that I'd suppose stamped himself--and there are many of course--but, Johannesburg just seems a good horse.

So, the question, if he was so good why was he a total bust on the Derby trail? Haskin this morning captures it perfectly--the sort of thing when I look at thoroughbred training that makes my blood boil:

"...Johannesburg never was given a chance to prove himself at 10 furlongs. He was sent into the Derby off one seven-furlong race on the grass in Ireland, had no conditioning at all, and still managed to beat more than half of the 18 horse field. He was injured shortly after and never got a chance to return to the form of this incredible 2-year old campaign".

What sort of mind numbing brain fog causes this sort of thing? That phrase "no conditioning at all" done by some meathead whose been training for Coolmore his entire life, and he enters this great horse in the Kentucky Derby without any work, and the horse is promptly injured. If you've yet to train a horse, know this--when you race a horse, instead of walking on egg shells you're walking on egg membranes. These animals are so incredibly fragile that there is one inevitable immutable rule, race an unconditioned horse and you'll injure it. Nothing in life is more certain. So, what is such a "trainer" thinking as they're "in the process"?

If it sounds as if this sort of horse training bugs me, it does.

By the way, Currin's got a talented enough horse to run away with the Derby. Based on a recent article, he's an interesting guy. Will he figure it out?

Pictured: Johannesburg.

Today's Training:
3/31/07: under water.
4/1/07 Sunday: after 3 days off instigated a few riderless paddock sprints and 7 min circling under tack without horses present. I neglected previously to include what's become relevant--after the fast work the horse had a twisted shoe on his right rear. I was thinking, how could the mud cause a twist this bad (thinking again how poorly Nob's been shoeing lately).
True enough, it had nothing to do with mud. Read on.
4/2/07: Monday: off. To my unbelieving disgust, as I was walking the horses in from the pasture I noticed Art's right hind fetlock significantly swollen, and the shoe thing from yesterday came into complete focus. Of course, the twisted shoe indicated the probable cause of the injury being a "rap" instead of a running injury or bowed tendon. The fetlock was swollen and also the lower suspensory-tendon, but significantly the swelling did not go all the way up the leg, and there was little heat and zero pain or lameness. The horse was galloping and playing on the leg without problem. Probable scenario--he got the shoe caught in wire, pulled away and hit it against something. This looks serious but probably will start reducing swelling by tomorrow, and that will be the test as to severity.