Reaching Frequency Conclusions I

This very intelligent fellow likes to give 3 weeks off from speed work after a race. He likes to race every two months. He has a very consistent one size fits all cookie cutter training schematic. He comes from a family of horse people. He apprenticed under D.W. Lukas. How many times has Todd Plecher led in graded stakes wins? On the surface, do we need to respect the training methods of Todd Plecher?

Noting that we're about to see another Plecher trainee Quality Road as the the primary challenger to Zenyatta in the BC classic, this training seems worth another look in terms of what Plecher does with frequency of speed work

Plecher likes to race a good horse every two months. After the race he likes to give 3 weeks off from speed work. Exactly what else Plecher does in those 3 weeks post race is unknown to me. When Plecher recommences speed work after the race he consistently with almost every horse breezes 5f once every 7 days in the 1:01 to 1:02 range.

First focus on Plecher's 3 weeks off of speed work post race. On the surface, this makes eminent good sense. Why?

Minor bone damage can occur whenever we take the horse out. Mini stress fractures develop from damage to a single fibril where fluid develops on site, and the next following work will exacerbate and cause separation in the damaged area. Soon actual fracture line begins, and the horse is on the way to possible catastrophe unless we intervene.

Until some magic advanced imaging technique reports to us such damage there is this risk of developing and numerous stress fractures every training day!

The Plecher training method, needless to say, gives such unseen damage time to heal. As such, you'd have to say, this is what we ought to do with every horse, just as Plecher does.

When, however, I closely looked at Plecher's injury rates on this blog, Plecher, this smart, highly articulate trainer, proved to have one of the higher injury rates of any trainer I looked at. The Plecher analysis was shorter and less exhaustive than many other trainers I looked at, but I think it is accurate. This was done here:

http://ratherrapid.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

I have yet to take a close look at Plecher since November 2008. What little I have seen all remains the same training wise in his stable. We take note, of course, that Plecher horses continue to fall like flies, and although Plecher continues to win major races here and there, casual viewing also shows that Plecher is still playing the numbers game.

And then we have the training of Quality Road for the BC Classic. QR, received by Plecher from the barn of Jimmie Jerkens, has been turned by Plecher into one of Plecher's typical stall bunnies. The outstanding musculature QR had exhibited while in Jerken's barn is/was gone.

However, we had Plecher stating about a months ago that they were focused with QR on achieving distance fitness for the BC Classic. This was being done by longer gallop outs after the 5f breezes. With BC in a week, and the questions presented here, it will be a good time to look at all this next week! Will be interesting if the QR musculature has changed any with the longer gallops!

Training:

New energy yesterday. Dry weather shows into the foreseeable future. Wtf! So, one of those "new resolve" moments of getting things done to get to racing. I have pronounced it. There will be no January. This all begins this morning with yours truly oversleeping almost two hours. Passed on the plan training this morning and will begin this evening. Horses had lengthy fast riderless speed work Thurs.

Reviewing the Reviews

Oct. 2010 reviews the bone posts. At this point I am believing it is possible to make some plausible conclusions as to minimums in terms of frequency of speed work that will achieve fracture resistance and keep our horses healthy. I'll be putting this together over the next few posts.

From one of the reviews here is a succinct statement of what occurs: Thinking that in any given speed work these changes are minor instead of extensive. It is the accumulation of speed work that causes the changes, and, as bone matures in terms of FR there will be less and less positive change with each speed work!

Assuming a bone fit race horse going into the race, the changes in the bones from the race will be minor instead of extensive. As we keep breezing and keep racing we gain a little positive bone strength from each work. We analyze this in terms of frequency minimums as follows:

"We do educated guess work considering the nature of the materials. What is the situation with the individual bone fibril post race on day #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 and so on."

The blog has speculated what does occur on each of those days post race in bone tissue, and this is what I'll put together in the coming posts. Possibly the most interesting points in terms of minimums lies in the differences in two approaches:

1. Todd Plecher--breezes ever 7 days but gives three weeks off of speed work post race.

2. Preston Burch--launches into the next speed work 3 days post race.

What may we conclude from such a contrast in training styles in terms of FR, next post.

Training:

Tues. 10/26: 4.5 miles riderless slow. Continuous

Wed. 10/27: about 6 p.m. New hind shoes applied, and just as we start the riderless work the old horse jumps the fence. Highest I've seen a horse jump. Breaks the rope holding the fence and they both launch into the pasture towards the trees. To close to dark to round 'em up.

We're going in the morning. Off

Thurs. 10/28: Morning. Best intentions go awry. It's 36 hrs. after the 4.5 mile riderless slow work. Lazy Rod is back. Has been back for a while. He refuses now to run with the older horse and holds himself back at every opportunity. Mr. Nob must sprint back and forth across the paddock hurling clods to keep him going. Getting to the stage where, when a clod makes contact, the horse looks back like "that hardly hurt at all". Thus, our attempt at riderless speed work this morning is very uneven. I kept 'em going way too long. Probably 3.5 miles in 4f -5f intervals where Rod (as opposed to our kamikaze older specimen) is dragging behind in :15s and :14s and goes to near full speed only for short spurts when closely threatened with a clod. This results in a way too long workout, and we decline tack work fearing the possibility of a pulled muscle. Will detail were we are training wise shortly.

Review Concludes

A few days of distractions. Back to bones. Nose to grindstone and finish this.

July 2010 for purpose of reaching final conclusions forwarded idea of "slinging" a single bone fibril against a hard concussive surface 240 times in simulation of a horse race. What may occur to the fibril during and after was broken down in detail. A few helpful ideas resulted.
Thereafter in August the subject became distracted by another thought that--the idea that calcium receptors within bone tissue would draw calcium salts to weak or areas and calcify (strengthen) them in response to exercise.

The conclusion was a little faulty as I reconsider: if all exercise stimulates the calcium receptor process then this is merely a "constant" in the overall equation. This, however, fails to specfically address the question of "minimum" quantity of exercise. I'll address that after summarizing my summary, as I am largely back to the present.

Training:

For October the weather has reverted back to what "normal was 6 or 7 years ago--mostly very dry with 1/2 inch rain every two weeks. And, looking as if this may continue! This has resulted i the horse condition wise getting almost back to where he was at the end of the dry month of August and before the Sept. deluge.

Fri. 10/22: After the warm up, about 2.5 miles riderless continuous very snappy. Probably :16s with some :15s. Horse was then trotted under tack for 1 mile.

Sat: 10/24 Off. Rain.

Sun. 10/25: riderless 4 x 4f fast as the "would" go, which was less than full speed for lazy Rodney. Sat. rain dissolved all my dirt clods. Need the clods to hurl at the horse's rear for full speed. Rod loses both about to be replaced hind shoes in mud.lost both hind shoes in the mud. + 10 min. trot under tack near dark.

Mon. 10/26: Off

Tues. 10/27: still needs the hind shoes. so, riderless slow. They did this so easily after all the speed work that riderless 4+ miles of this seemed little problem. Visualized the horse losing weight due to the volume. Starting to look race horse again.

July 2010

Some processes, minimums over time (12 months) would be every 8 days speed work. I.e. if over a 12 month period the horse is taken fast once every 8 days it will eventually get to fracture resistance. Since waiting to the 8th day for the next speed work is the absolute minimum, and, because there is much less FR reinforcement by working on the 8th day instead of e.g. the 4th day, there would be danger points early in the 12 month period. Thinking you get full FR after about 12 months, going once every 8 days. Processes referred to in this regard:

lattice compaction that results in greater density, and

increase in buttressing volume of bone glue proteins and their sacrificial bonds which hold everything together.

However, have concluded the largest FR effects from speed work are realignment and rearrangement of materials. How often for this effect to be reinforced-- is the Q presented in July.

Why does your arthritis disappear when you exercise consistently? My theory is realignment of the bone fibrils at the nano level in the correct directions (instead of randomly, which makes them much weaker), and also adherence of many fibrils to each other (they are pressed together by the exercise), also increasing strength.

Degree or amount of adherence and alignment will vary widely over the whole of the bone. Depends where the pressure points are from the concussive effort! Some areas of the bone--shins, condylar aspects, very affected. Other parts, much less so!

Thinking that in any given speed work these changes are minor instead of extensive. It is the accumulation of speed work that causes the changes, and, as bone matures in terms of FR there will be less and less positive change with each speed work!

We do educated guess work considering the nature of the materials. What is the situation with the individual bone fibril post race on day #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 and so on.

Considering this:

Days #1 and #2--i.e. 48 hrs. post race, there'll be little bounce back due to post race heat that keeps everything congealed together.

Day #3: Bounce back has begun and bone tissue is believed in full bounce back mode. Bounce back, though is slow and steady, instead of immediate and fast. Breezing on Day #3 will certainly recongeal everything and give max benefit IF excess damage and bone cell destruction over time could be avoided. I've previously opined that every 3 days is too frequent due to accumulating damage over time.

Day #4: 50% of bounce back has completed.

Day #5: the fibrils most resistant to bounce back are beginning to stir!

Days #6-8: somewhere in there bounce back will be nearing 100%.

Taking the horse back to the track will reverse bounce back. July ends with speculation whether in the above the calcification process should be taken into account.

Training: Like every other month of 2010 July was completely waterlogged. This contrasts with October were we're now in our 3rd straight week of dry. Got them almost back to their conditioning state at the end of the dry months of August. It's after the 3 week period that we start to make progress? Will the dry continue? Looking like it, right now!

Thurs. 10/21: Off.

Fri. 10/22: After the warm up, about 2.5 miles riderless continuous very snappy. Probably :16s with some :15s. Horse was then trotted under tack for 1 mile.

June 2010 Summary

Heavy rain throughout the month continues to suppress enthusiasm. By June 20 Missouri River up to edge of its banks.

On with April image of slinging a group of fibrils 240 times to reach conclusions as to what happens.

fibril adherence

tendency post race of everything to return back to normal.

Summary of positive effects of speed work:

contraction/compaction (increase density) of the mineral lattice

increase in bone glue proteins that hold everything together

adherence between some fibrils creating a stronger structure

realignment of fibrils/osteons and rearrangement of materials in optimum directions.

speed up of calcification/ossification/cell repair due to heat and dilation of circulatory structures,

Post race--a bounce back effect to pre-race conditions. We want to retard this bounce back with timely subsequent speed work.

And, June ends with a bang as Mr. Nob takes a serious fall.

Training:

Wed. 6/20 riderless speed work 2 x 1 mile.

Thurs.: 6/21: yet to go. Plan light w/o.

May 2010

Was apparently so waterlogged and overwhelmed with weather there is but one post on bones. A discouraging year for training.

Training:

Wed. 10/20: Dry today, however, and going into 3rd straight week of what normally is a wet period.

Monday night's work was fast, and so we wait 36 hrs. to Wed. morning to go again. Too much in a hurry for tack work, the horses did a riderless 2 x 1 mile with several full speed lengthy bursts in each heat. Next speed work will be Saturday.

The House of Orange

Recalling the chap at left and take a guess from his dress at the time in history. Interesting transformation in style from late middle ages to early modern in England. A little character shows, possibly?

I ran across this fellow because of his ignominious demise in February 1702. While out hunting he was thrown from his horse, broke his collar bone and a resulting infection killed him a few days later. William of Orange, King of England. Under this King and his popular Queen, Mary England experienced the "Glorious Revolution" converting its government from divine right Kingship to constitutional monarchy. First democracy since ancient Greece and one of the prime architects falls off his horse and dies, serving up a bit of gallows humor for every day when we mount up our good steeds.

At any rate--let us make sure we keep them healthy. April 2010 review: nothing of note in April on frequency, although this one was interesting since indeed we've hardly seen this horse again:

http://ratherrapid.blogspot.com/2010/04/sun-misc.html

Training:

Mon. 10/18: 3 x 4f riderless at speed. The last one was 5f. After tacking on a shoe, too dark to do much under tack--trotted here and there to see how the horse would react. He's been much much calmer last two weeks.

March 2010 Review

Reviewing everything leads to some solid conclusions and fairly obvious answers to basic questions. The final quandary in the fracture resistance (FR) equation was the role of calcification. This crucial Q from the 3/24/10 post:

Production and construction. Does speed work trigger calcium production or affect how HA mineral platelets are laid down inside and outside bone collagen fibrils?

Reviewing and putting all together, believe there's an answer, based on the following:

1. Yes. Speed work does trigger calcium production. Hansma proved that in 2009 with his mouse treadmill experiments and bone indentation instrument.

2. Ha (calcium salt) crystals in bone are laid down in specific patterns developed over the eons. While bone itself, according to Planck, is but 30-50% calcium, the Type 1 bone collagen fibril portion--i.e. the cortical (hard) bone part is about 70% Ha crystals.

These crystals form and self arrange within the fibril and on the skin of the fibril in various shapes that will be influenced by exercise HOWEVER these crystals are stuck within a lattice and are about 40 nm apart from each other!!! New salts thus are unable to form in this already established lattice!

Thus, when the stimulus of exercise causes osteocytes and the collagen fibril itself to secrete additional calcium salts, where do these salts go?????

Easy answer: Equine speed work, due to its compacting materials, creates additional spacing. After speed work there might be room within the younger fibrils for one additional crystal. One additional crystal per young fibril (maybe 10% of all the fibrils, is going to increase FR significantly. We remember Nunamaker, Maryland Shin study, that even a small increase in mineralization creates a large increase in strength.

Additionally, as has been noted, additional secretion of salts stimulated by exercise will over time fill in nano spacing between fibrils, and calcium receptors at various vacant nano areas will draw in these new salts and produce additional crystals in those previously empty areas.

Probably this can be quantified! Next post.

Training:

Sat. 10/16: Off

Sun: 10/17: Rod was trot-walked up and down the hill three times and thereafter 2 x 1 mile riderless slow. First tack work in a few days. Review of March 2010 posts reveals that month as possibly the worst weather wise since blog inception. I am fearing a repeat this year, although we've suddenly completed the 2nd week of dry.

Sun. Review

Expensive horses do win an occasional race--see yesterday's Canadian International. After what they did to George Washington, I decline congratulating those connections on anything. And, John Shirref's horse Harmonious wins in KY. What a surprise! I forgot to put down a couple of bucks at Twin Spires in my late "sure thing only" betting mode.

On to Feb. 2010 review where early in the month there appear some nice bone posts, if I may say so. Possibly the most significant research for our purposes--on 6/09 Hansma Lab is exercising mice on a treadmill from 21 days to 4 months and measuring bone strength between various groups, including sedentary control groups, with their new bone indentation instrument. This instrument measures bone strength. Their discovery? Within 21 days of the onset of exercise there are significant increases in bone strength in the younger mice, i.e. mineralization changes!

After Hansma above in a general sense then, we understand exercise will affect mineralization in youngsters within 21 days of inception. We await further studies for particular measurements of the various and differing indices of bone strength--i.e. specifics yet to come.

At any rate, the February posts are zeroing in on orientation, spacing, rearrangement at the nano level as the primary qualities that strengthen exercised bone. Note also that increases in mineralization of mature bone might mostly involve increases in the number of HA crystals within single fibrils, as opposed to any increase in the number of fibrils, fibril arrays, or osteons.

Training: rereading our terrible last winter. Thought processes for coming training being readjusted. Trip to St. Louis soon!

Sat. 10/16: Off.

Reviewing on Sat.

Probably some races I should be paying attention to. Maybe this one, lol. Where the $8000.00 KEE fall yearling wins the $100,000 race, at Keenland. And the place goes to a $10,000.00 stud fee. A lesson, perhaps?

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/59374/mimis-bling-posts-upset-in-buffalo-trace

I am to the Jan. 2010 posts. Rereading the training. Good grief. In nice weather--the determination to train through anything. Then, bad weather does arrive, as we knew it would, and airborne ranger stuff drains away/ when training becomes impossible. On 1/15/10 we'd had 2 dry days at the farm since 11/1/09.

Jan. 2010 concerned the Max Planck articles. Having trouble right now recalling difference between a collagen molecule and collagen fibril. Supposedly the molecules make up the fibrils. Am failing to see that in the illustrations. Probably a minor worry.

#1 Planck indicates the important tie between mineralization, the quality of internal and external fibril mineralization and strength of bone tissue. Crucial! Involved in this is the "orientation" and arrangement of the materials.

Does exercise increase the density of the mineral platelets? Yes, but only to a certain point. Why? The mineral platelets both inside and outside the collagen fibril maintain a 40mm spacing between themselves. Thus, increases in mineralization goes only so far. Essentially, after all the interfibrillar spaces are filled, that's it in terms of density.

By Planck we calculate the "stiffness tensor" of a bundle of mineralized collagen fibrils.

What stimulates mineralization, by Planck, is yet unknown. Nice summary of Planck here:

http://ratherrapid.blogspot.com/2010/01/planck-wrap-up-iii-results.html

Training:

Thurs: 1/14: off

Fri: 1/15: Brisk weather. Off yesterday. And, sure enough, they see me coming to get 'em in, and they take off. 20 min. to finally corral them leaves too little light for tack work. We do get in a very fast/too fast and hard riderless work--4 x 4f at 90-95% speed. This is too much for the state off training. Mistake by the trainer. Never exceed....(!)

Review continued.

Now through Dec. 2009--these posts had very little to do with "times" or "frequency" and instead dealt with the Q whether the ossification/mineralization process could be influenced by exercise or mechanical strain.

One study: unable to find an osteocyte (calcium building) response to strain.

However, there is, in response to strain:

Cell deformation--substrate stretching. i.e. what I've termed temporary contraction of the actual mineral matrix of individual bone cells (molecules,fibrils).

In these posts we start to bull dog what I'm increasingly considering the most important factor in equine FR--arrangement. How does all the material fit together, and the effect of exercise on this.

Such terms from Max Planck as:

self arrangement (of collagen molecules, collagen fibrils, collagen arrays, HA mineral platelets both within and on the outer surface of, collagen fibrils.)

What affects FR? A summary:

constituents

orientation

shape

distribution

(size and arrangement pattern of HA crystals)

or, another way:

FR= Bone Quality + Bone Strength + Bone Mineral Density + Bone Fracture Toughness - Micro Damage.

And, my favorite post on this blog:

http://ratherrapid.blogspot.com/2009/12/please-avoid-meeting-above-alone-in.html

Training:

Thus far we have had a much drier fall. This is throwing out 3 weeks of the wettest Sept. in memory. Other than that, things since August 1 have been better than last year.

Review Continued

Very little in Sept-Oct. 2009 post except weather complaints--underwater today, rained all week, 2 more inches coming. Stuff like that. By Nov. 2009 we'd decided. To train race horses, we have to move. Working on that. Review will continue.

Training:

3 days off Sun-Tues. 1st day was regular off. 2nd day was 1 inch of rain. 3rd day trainer awol. extra busy office few days distracts. motivation right now is low. problematic horse and figuring out the coming move. Thinking--race in March at Fairmount. Will see.

Wed. 10/13: 4 x 3f riderless in mud. On a brisk day without urging they do mostly :14s + twice up and down the hill, walk-trot. Horse that last two weeks has been very calm under tack. Progress!

Summary Continued

I am through August 2009 of the blog trying to ferret out all estimates of frequency numbers.

During the speed event bone glue proteins are squeezed creating some micro spacing that will be subsequently filled by new additional bone glue.

the micro spaces begin filling 12-24 hrs. post race, and the process completes in 48 hrs. in that by 48 hrs. the bone glue has returned to prerace consistency, but we have 5% more of it in volume!

During the event we also have mineral lattice contraction involving millions of bone cells. The individual mineralized cell contracts! The amount of contraction of each cell is estimated at 5%.

Training:

Fri. 10/9: Riderless 1.5 miles snappy gallop + 4 times up and down the hill. Gallop up, trot down.

Sat 10/9: 1.5 miles riderless medium gallop + 4 times up and down the hill-trot/gallop. Doing about 300 yds. one way now, and the gallops were a little faster. As much as this horse is a horror to trot, he is a pleasure to gallop. Big, strong, big catapulting stride.

Sun. 10/10: off

Frequency Summaries Continued

At left Wiseman's Ferry latest below $5000 stallion to sire major stakes winner at Keenland. (Wise Dan).

The below summarizes April 2009 bone posts:

Post Race/Breeze:

temporary increase in bone tissue strength due to various "effects" from the concussion of the race.

Horse merely stands in its stall for 3 weeks.

Horse goes back out and recommences work at some point.

How soon again must we go to reinforce the bone effects of the speed work and go on to achieve and maintain race appropriate fracture resistance?

Consider the next speed event as within 3,4,5,6,7,8 days

The optimal time is 4 days. (see 4/23/09)

We get some effect up to 8 days, i.e. we can breeze on the 8th day post race and still reinforce the post speed effect of bone strengthening. Waiting longer than 8 days produces zero effect!

(the reasoning behind the 8 day window is in the 4/23/09 post.)

a 3f in :39 3-4 days post breeze will reinforce the strengthening effects. i.e. unnecessary to do a whole lot to build on what the race has started in terms of increased bone strength. (ahhh--do we start to get a formula here. (:15s or slower will have insufficient effect in keeping the bone material tamped down!)(I also concluded, on 4/23/09, that 4 days post race a longer faster breeze with greater reinforcing effect could be done.--thinking maybe I'd favor the slower :39 3f!)

Training:

Two weeks now of dry. Good grief! I am without any allusions this will continue. The conclusion has been made a year ago now, unable to race train in KC due to weather.

To this regard, last week I took the first steps of St. Louis move. Found rentable reasonably cheap office. And economics (were) looking good. Sitting back last week thinking, we're making $$$ again. Then, very next day to this thought: Bank of America announced they are ceasing foreclosures. 75% of my business is stopping foreclosures. Back to poverty again, I am fearing! The St. Louis move, however, is gaining momentum.

Wed. 10/6: Riderless 1.5 miles snappy with a little speed(very hard jaggy ground conditions) + 4 times up and down the hill--gallop up/trot down.

Thurs. 10/7: Off.

Fri. 10/9: Riderless 1.5 miles snappy gallop + 4 times up and down the hill. Gallop up, trot down.

Times Summarized Continued

Still reviewing.

3/4/09--ludicrously--"I already know (breezing) every 3 or 4 days will get the job (FR) done."

So, why bother with 2 years of posts? Reading that post, I know much much more now about the bone remodeling process in horses. And, of course, I want to know the "minimums". What is the largest amount of time the horse can go between speed work and still maintain FR.

Also--refers to the "grave dangers of moving a horse from synthetics to dirt". I am thinking again, Blame. Lookin at Lucky, etc. No disasters, yet.

Nunamaker's "need for speed" research. "galloping horses was not appropriate exercise to strengthen and prepare bones properly for the stress of racing."

Ahhh--and this from N: "fibers are laid down along the lines of stress". That's my "realignment rearrangement" of fibrils".

N: "it takes only a little larger bone mass for it to become very much stronger".

N: "the is a fine line between too much speed work and too little." "a critical time frame between too much and too little.

N: Trainer Fisher using N protocol decides the correct time is speed work every 5 days!

Training:

10/4: Off.

10/5: Off. Our trainer is awol.

Times (Summarized)

Am rereading now. Begin this post, call it a sticky, summarizing some of the "time" conclusions reached in the blog. Here are the first two from a 2/9/09 post:

2 months for a single "under stress" new born collagen fibril to initially mineralize.

30 days for a slightly damaged collagen fibril/bone cell to repair.

a single breeze in :12s will destroy 1% of the bone cells.

at any one time 4% of bone cells are undergoing repair

the exact state of repair at any given point in time--highly relevant to FR (fracture resistance)

We engage the "remodeling process" after a certain number of hoof strikes--engages at about 2.5f. Better go 4f to be sure.

And, maybe my favorite quote, 2/9/09:

"Everybody wants to be a body builder, but nobody wants to lift no dam ass weights..."

--Ronnie Coleman, 8 time Mr. Olympia

Training:

Mon. 10/4: Normal off day. Oct. is turning into a good weather month!

Frequency Reviewed

Back to reviewing prior blog conclusions on frequency. And, boom, very first post 1/31/09 is interesting review of frequency of speed work by various trainers:

http://ratherrapid.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

Noticed Big Rod galloping a couple of miles on that post. Jeez. Seems long ago and look at what we're doing now 1.5 years later. Easy to forget that possibly 1/4 of the days thereafter have been gallopable due to weather. And, our good rider has taken to falling off the spookball, including a a couple of times with serious injuries. This has slowed us down, and we're being careful till we can get the horse to a track to gallop in company.

Training:

Sunday 10/3 Everything delays us this night including 20 min. of lost daylight trying to round 'em up in brisk weather. Then Nob loses his whip in the middle of the pasture and another 10 min. lost trying to locate it. We manage to get 4 x 1f up the hill and then back down. That's about a mile. Tried to get gallop tonight and Big Rod finally picked it up on the last one. Also did 1 mile riderless with some fast spurts.

Sun. Misc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz2kvJf22gs

By the time I get back to the keyboard the JCGC is over. And, too bad. I'd have ferreted out Haynesfield and his 4 wins in a row prior to breaking through the gate before the Whitney and finishing 4th. Another RR handicapping might have been.

As for Blame--decent horse, predictably flat performance from your typically clueless conventional training. We have an interest in Arch colts around here. The Blood Horse Blame pre-race video unloading from the plane shows a fairly lethargic, none too bright colt with a bit of a belly. Definite similarities in construction though ours is much more the wide body. The heads are very similar.

Training:

Fri. 10/2: riderless 3 x 4f intermittent included intermittent near full speed bursts in horrible ground conditions. Tacked 4 x up the hill at the trot and walked back down.

Sat. 10/3: 1 mile slow riderless + 5 times trot up the hill walk-trot down. A week of dry weather, good grief. Hope to be galloping tonight.

Handicapping JC Gold Cup

Might do it in the morning. Play a ticket or two.

Based on won-loss record, class, breeding, owner, etc. should Blame be the 1-5 favorite? I like to consider the trainer factor, and the training. How fair is it to this horse to have one 4f work in the 13 days before a 1.25 mile race. Can the horse possibly compete based on the training nonsense on paper?

He did August 7 in the Whitney. Yet watching that race, won by a head over Quality Road, looks to me as if the horse is running on fumes and guts down the stretch instead of strength and conditioning. Big strong fast horse that can breathe trained by an .....

Do you put your money own on anything trained by Albert Stall? Dutrow and Baffert have horses in the race. I'd have to look at them seriously.

Training:

Wed. 9/18: 3 x 4f at about 85% riderless + 10 min. walk under tack in near dark in the pasture.

Thurs. Off. Trainer has tooth pulled. Feeling poorly.