Some TC Asides

With the BB quarter crack announcements, Dutrow's slightly defensive manner (see the Dutrow live on Yahoo Sports), and that BB will have two days of trot in two weeks prior to embarking on a week where he will breeze/race three times, I'm packing it in as far as analysing this, at least on the basis of posting the analysis in this blog.

So, for this post a few miscellaneous observations:

1. What sort of trainer is Dutrow: I've posted that it looks as if Dutrow's the best available on the East Coast. There's probably an unknown or two that can train, but one of the things we learn by the comprehensive reporting of Derby training is that all of these East coast trainers are strictly conventional soft core type trainers except Dutrow. So, whatever's left of Dutrow's brain, give him credit as far as that goes. Dutrow sends his horses to the track every day and with BB(up to the Derby) correctly spaced and timed works. That's more then you can say of the rest of them. How Dutrow has handled BB since the Derby would be a different question.

2. Does Dutrow care about missed track work? Dutrow's statement that's he's unconcerned about BB's missed track work due to the latest problem merely reveals the priority or lack of priority that conventional trainers in general give to track work. What we have currently in most of American race horse training is "minimal" track work both in performance and injury prevention. These trainers have learned what they "can get away with" in terms of doing as little actual training as possible, and it seems that none of them choose to rouse themselves to do more. This is an interesting state of affairs for us little guys. As they're currently observing on the baseball blogs: "it sure was easier when the big money teams where dumb." In horse racing they're still dumb, and thus there's hope yet for the small fry.

3. Here's a sequence purely for the curious. On May 3, 2007(Derby post) I posted:

"The Final Turn Gallary photos show an out of shape female exercise rider on Stormello, the same one on TTB Times video, conducting a questionable gallop. I've had girls riding for me with more ability". Elsewhere I noted the DRF clocker's comments about Stormello's "disjointed" gallop."

One year later quite by accident I run across photos of that same gallop, and, who would be in the saddle?
Here's a closer look:

CLOSER:












Notice the contrast in form and strength a year later:


We combine the above to that hillarious 2008 video that captured the moment with Dutrow standing just outside Michelle Nevin's office, Nevin seated at the desk, the two arguing about something and Dutrow turning in disgust to the cameraman and muttering "Broads" under his breath.

I do feel for Dutrow. Here he's in the TC with his exercise rider packing 15 more lbs than before the Derby and fighting with him to boot. I've been there, albeit on a lesser scale.

Training:
Friday 5/23 riderless 2 x 1 mile and minimal tack work due to mud.
Sat. 5/24: continues to rain. Too wet, though RR fails to rouse himself to work in the bad weather. Bill O'Gorman wrote best to go out and work on those bad days because it might be worse the next day.
Sun 5/25: indeed it's worse. Raining buckets. Off.