More TC Musings:

I watched and recorded the Derby training in detail. Hoping to learn something, and I'm trying to put it together and form some conclusions. Meanwhile a few more thoughts on the TC. At left a fellow who makes smiling look painful, and hence one of my favorite trainers, Barclay Tagg. Looks pretty good for a seventy year old dude!

And, just this morning Tagg's quoted in the Blood Horse "no wonder I'm always in a bad mood". Tagg and I would get along perfectly.

Tale of Ekati managed a 1:18 and change Monday. Let's give Tagg some credit for trying. Was it bad jock work Monday or the horse? I've seen both. Preston Burch's horse would be ready to go again tomorrow. With Tagg and the like they'd pee in their pants before breezing two days later. But, we'll see how Barclay handles this one. Tale of Ekati is (was) my horse to take on Big Brown.

Then there's this fellow who smiles maybe just a little too easily for my taste. Unknown how much I'd be smiling had I ruined as many horses as Zito. I guess he's happy about that 4f sub :48 breeze for Anak Nakal Monday. Does the distance of the race ever matter with respect to Zito's 4f breezes? It seems otherwise. Too bad for a nice horse.


I hardly mean to pick on Zito, but, it's so easy. Take a look at his horse Stevil pictured below. Focus in on the hoofs. You'll see a set of toes way too long. While I'd have thought that long toe-low heel shoeing has gone the way of the dinosaurs, looks as if I'm wrong again.

And, on the Big Brown front Dutrow continues to inspire my lukewarm confidence, which is more than I can say for most of them. My own feel would have been to do exactly what he's done--off since Friday, and then send the horse out to trot asap even before you get final farrier approval. Needed to do that....and he did. Will be interesting to follow BB from hereon if the QC holds.

And for Bill's comment a couple of posts ago. Great minds think alike! Bill keep us up to date on your work!

Training: 4 straight days of rain, but way far short of the continual monsoons of a year ago. We're back to normal weather wise in KC since February. So, it's other than complaining. Art did 1 mile of trot sloshing through the pasture course with a few steps of gallop trying to buck Nob off the whole way. Nob's report, nice energy, should be galloping by the weekend, weather permitting. Too muddy for Rod, but we were backing off due to shin heat. Maybe a little chance to grow taller during the rest period which has now gone for three days with Rod.