More #148 Trouble

Couple posts ago I note major miracle if #148 gets to races without killing himself first.  Time to next #148 disaster was short.

Arrived tonight and horse apparently caught in fence again on same injured front right foot or possibly knocked traveling through woods.  This time entire bulb cut off and deep. After the big fellow's jaw dropping pasture romp couple days back was about to post how good he might be. Instead, for first time in horse racing I am feeling defeated.

BC Classic

Wow!  What a field! Can argument be made--best field ever?  Reason, possibly--better training and so, fewer injuries.  Who'll win it?  I'll handicap post race for myself and look at PPs.  I like to look at best trainers for the top races.  Those would be right now probably Baffert and Plecher.

Fort Larned will try to run them off their feet on the front end. He's shown in past he can do that.  Two things, however:  1.  There are horses in here as fast as he is, and the better chance therefore is that the Fort will spit the bit, and 2.  I dislike Ian Wilkes as a trainer.  Traditional type stuff against innovation will torpedo this horse.

Mucho Macho Man looked like a developing monster in his last race, and Kathy Ritvo earns the distinction on this blog as being the only female trainer I've run into that can train.  Unfortunately for the Mucho man I have to bet  in the end the female trainer knowing little about athletics will have her horse insufficiently prepped. Ritvo will get out competed, although I truly hope it's otherwise and that Mucho smokes 'em.

Two other trainers likely will fall short for similar reasons--D.W. Lukas and Mott.  Likely they'll be training their tried and true, which works when all the rest do the same.  They'll be going against some innovators who I think will win, although Will Take Charge is the type of monster that might well outrun his trainer, and, who knows, Lukas has on occasion roused himself to better training.

And so--the rest likely being outclassed pretenders--I think it will be Palice Malice trying to catch Game on Dude down the stretch.  The older horse should win against a 3 yr. old.  However, unsure about top effort from Game On Dude who last raced in August.  Unsure exactly how smart that is.  This might well be the year Plecher breaks through in the Classic.  and, the more I consider this......

Progress Report

Attempts at video documentation of training continue to challenge. Try as we might. We continue to get superior vids of grass going by, clouds, or my beard.

Training last week:
#17  Sometimes we back up before going forward.  Mostly trot and pasture romps this past week as we dealt with sharp change of seasons and incoming spooky cloud cover.  I've got horse thought process down pat as it scans objects in front:  not lion-not lion-not lion--possibly lion-let's scoot. Rider has had to be careful, and so postponement of serious galloping to about Wed. of next week.

#148
  Looked at him last night and swear that he's shot up even a little more.  Thinking about 17'1" now and will measure again next week. #148 continues healing from his latest serious encounter with our miles of bad fence. Will be major miracle if this precocious giant poodle of an animal survives to racing.  #148 is highly entertaining horse and just into everything all the time. Will spend weekend making area safe as possible for this fellow.  He's been able to pasture romp.  Looking good and getting stronger. Ground flicking stride with major league athleticism is starting to show. Tack work recommences today.

#148 Beats Murphy's Law (Again)

Our adventures with jock cam continue--#17 gallop--all we got was grass going by.  Stay tuned.

#148--arrived 10-16 to see below.  Freeze frame to see injury. Update soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_eYJo9H9cE

Tack Work Resumes

Sort of like this one, even though ran out of memory again and right before getting up in saddle.  New camera position thus still untested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RSEwANeCxQ&feature=em-upload_owner

Measurements

Both horses seemed somehow taller. Was intrigued enough to find the old measuring stick.

#17 just a shade over 16 hands in shoes. Excellent, though he looks a little smaller.

#148 17.05 hands.  Good grief.

Last nights festivities:  this is the second heat. Some how the camera was off for the excellent first heat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q41DkpLVyg

Teaching TP To Walk

This camera position might work when we're up in the stirrups!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YidUn8T9X-8

Training Progress

Into week #4 now since rider/blogger back from injury.  #17 -- good progress and should be in open gallops by the weekend.  #148, Tee Pee Minister, has been a re breaking process.  Two weeks of re intro of tack, bellying, etc. with the big two year old fighting us a bit.  Good walking progress with #148 yesterday with aim to be trotting by the weekend.. Every other day riderless pasture romps precede tack work for the moment.

Getting vids of all this drama -- more difficult than supposed.  Ideally we'd position the jock cam on the taller rider to get straight ahead action.  All we've managed so far are vids of grass going by, or clouds.

Tee Pee Minister

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtCFey00YQo&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Memory runs out again.

#17 10-1-13 tack work--stops at half done when memory card fills up.  Some gallop at end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI0rcs9MtMA&feature=em-upload_owner