Miscellaneous Stuff

I keep getting distracted by really important stuff, and so, before getting on with my posts on Warming Up, I'll try to tie up a few loose ends that keep coming to mind.

--Today's KC Star headline "A Break In The Rain Is A Blessing To Some". Amen! We missed the last three days of rain, and the forecast looks good! (and, good grief, just as I'm writing this I look out and it's raining.)

--Are we "backyard trainers" in the Janet Castillo mold? I enjoyed Ms. Castillo's book, and, sure, we identify with her situation, but, there's little other resemblance in what we do. Hopefully as the blog goes, we'll soon be showing gallops at the race track. The plans are to train off the farm this year, purchase Derby prospect 2009 at Kee Sept., and then train primarily at the track next year. As usual when you have little hard cash, circumstances will buffet us about, but, if we could get a horse or two to cooperate, things might get interesting.

--2007 Derby postscript: I followed the training day to day as the info dribbled in . My two picks along the way Stormello and SS performed as expected. When you've been at it as long as me you recognize visually a horse in light training, and so Stormello. What was Currin thinking. I know, but will reserve that discussion for another time and training failures generally.

The rest of the field? It was a tiring track favoring the rail on a heavily humid day with Hard Spun carrying the entire field (except SS) a little faster than their comfort zone in these conditions. All the pacesetters faded, and all the horses at the rear seemed to be flying at the end but were only passing tired, stopped horses. Hey, it was a competitive race if you had subtracted the only two who's training made any sense--SS and Hard Spun.

As to Pletcher, first, his horses breezed 7 days before the Derby and did little from there to Saturday, which is a prescription for disaster when you're going against horses trained like Hard Spun and SS. Unknown the effect of moving from the polytrack, and, I'm suspecting something wrong in the race with Scat Daddy who is too good a horse with a great jock for that performance.

--Preakness: Beware. Pletcher will be back. King of The Roxy will be a real threat. I'll be interesting to see what Larry Jones does with Hard Spun. Another fast work the Monday or Tuesday preceding is definitely required and lot's of galloping. We'll see what he does. (and, just as I type that L. Jones says he will "not" be breezing Hard Spun before the Preakness. Toss Hard Spun in the Preakness.)

--Nafzger cost Unbridled the Triple Crown--something I always knew, but, he finally admitted it this week. Did you catch Nafzger's comment that he trained Unbridled very light before the Belmont and he recognized afterward if he had just kept up the pre-derby training Unbridled would have won the Triple Crown? Carl, your post-Derby trot Sunday with Street Sense shows you still ignore basic exercise physiology, but, we're glad you're coming around with this training. Hopefully some of these guys and gals are smart enough to be listening and watching!

--Teufelsberg: I love Jamie Sanders, but will somebody please send her an email on how to train a horse.

--Charlie Wittingham--I just finished Jay Hovdey's book. I'll report on it tomorrow.

Today's Training:
5/7/07 Day 3: short riderless pasture sprints.
5/8/07 Day 1: Art trotted and loped under the 30 lbs Astride for 7-8 minutes on very soft giving pasture. He was unhappy and trying to buck it off, which explains why we postponed tack work for another day.