Barbaro Updates: 102
updates are now here.
Update 828: The Barbaro update may be delayed this morning to after training hours (10:30 am) unless I can find a few minutes to get to the clocker's stand at Fair Hill (where there is a computer). I think I have a full morning of horses to ride, and a couple of visitors coming. So if it is delayed, that is the reason. It also seems like it will be chilly again this morning!
Another nice Barbaro article: Barbaro still year's top feel-good story, which includes the following excerpt:
What we can enjoy, however, is the slow, meticulous recovery of Barbaro. No, we never saw Bernardini and Barbaro charge down the stretch in tandem, and that's a shame. But we can appreciate that the same courage that made Barbaro a champion on the race track is still prevalent as the son of Dynaformer battles for his life every single day.
Update 827: Just spoke to Peter Brette (6:10 pm) who had spoken to Michael who had visited Barbaro today. Barbaro remains comfortable, another good day.
Update 826: Rachel from Kennett Florist just left this message in the comments (timestamp: 9:24 pm):
Just back from NBC. They are definitely in Friday mode. Everyone's spirits seem very good, and when I asked about the big guy, they said he was in a really good mood today. We had some carrots to bring him today along with something for Dr Dean. I also had printed out a very nice letter from the forum that was addressed to him and left that. He was not there when I stopped up today, but I know he will get them later. It is the most perfect fall day here. We had a really nice visit from a few FOB's at the shop today. We love getting a chance to meet some of the folks we've gotten to know through this site! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
WE BELIEVE!!
The letter to which Rachel refers is here: Open letter to Dr. Richardson.
Update 825: This morning I discovered it was Kathy Anderson's birthday today. A party to celebrate was scheduled for noon. It was a very nice party which included the following attendees, Michael Matz, Michelle Matz, Peter, Kim and Nicholas Brette, Tim and Penny Woolley, Tim (Barclay Tagg's Fair Hill assistant), Steve and Lil Klesaris, among many others. What did I learn from the party ?
Sweet Talker (Graham Motion's very cool mare) is scratched from tomorrow's stake at Keeneland, she has a temperature (bummer).
Steve Klesaris is sitting on 96 wins for the year, their goal for this year is 100 wins and one grade one win. The former looks very achievable (they have a 31 or 32% strike rate, and about 50% strike rate with their Fair Hill runners). The latter might be very tough, but they have one more shot tomorrow in the Frizette at Belmont: Ticket to Seattle.
Anyway, it was a nice gathering, which ruined my plans to run this afternoon (they served some champagne).
Update 824: Sue McMullen just e-mailed this in anticipation of Newmarket's racing on saturday as well as a further update on Breeders' Cup news:
Fondly referred to as 'HQ' by the British racing community, Newmarket is the heart of racing in the UK, a unique concentration of the sport and entirely synonymous with racing. Located near Cambridge, the small town of Newmarket is the home of the National Stud and has the most extensive training grounds, with the world's largest expanse of maintained grassland. Some 70 licensed trainers operate in this area, with more than 2,500 horses in training at any time and over 60 stud farms. Originally the home of the Jockey Club (racing's original ruling body in the UK), Newmarket is also the home of several national and international racing organisations. There are two racecourses, the 'Rowley Mile' and the 'July Course', both of which host some of the UK's premier racing, including the first Classics of the season, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas. This is the largest of the concentrated pockets of racehorses in the UK, the others being Lambourn in Berkshire and Middleham in Yorkshire.
The first race under written rules was run at Newmarket more than three hundred years ago, when King Charles II, who spent much of his time there, rode his own horse to victory (who was going to pass him?). Since then some of the finest horses in the history of horseracing have graced the Newmarket turf and tomorrow the Rowley Mile hosts one of its premier days with 'Champions' Day', so named as it includes the all-aged Group 1 Emirates Airline Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs and the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes for two-year-olds, one of the main pointers to the following season's Classics.
This year's renewal of these two races are exciting huge interest here as the Champion Stakes sees the long-awaited reappearance of the Epsom Derby hero, Sir Percy, who faces older horses for the first time, including Hurricane Run, Pride and Maraahel. Sadly, the field will be without two intended runners, the fabulous, globe-trotting mare Ouija Board who bypasses this race to head straight for Churchill Downs where she will attempt to regain her crown in the Fillies and Mares Turf, which was always her main target for this part of the season. Her absence means that British fans have seen her race here for the last time. The other absentee is Araafa, winner of the St James's Palace Stakes and the Irish 2,000 Guineas, and second to George Washington in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, who heads straight for the Breeders' Cup Mile.
Trainer Andre Fabre will be hoping Hurricane Run can regain winning form tomorrow after his defeat in the Arc trial and lacklustre showing in the Arc itself when he finished fourth. While the muddling pace of the Arc can provide one plausible explanation, Hurricane has a reputation to defend tomorrow and he will be ridden by Mick Kinane, who replaces Christophe Soumillion, the darling of French racing (he's actually Belgian) as he has lost the ride on Hurricane, allegedly as a result of Fabre himself after tension between the two surfaced recently. The precise reason has not been disclosed but it is known that Fabre disapproves of Soumillion's 'showman' antics.
Pride's gallant second to Rail Link in the Arc was her second defeat of Hurricane Run and it is difficult to see the form reversed over this trip as Hurricane has not run below 11 furlongs since his juvenile days but you could never discount such a talented individual. Sir Percy suffered with various problems prior to the Derby and Marcus Tregonning and his team worked a minor miracle to get him there, never mind win it and it says a great deal for the horse that he won, and in good style. A mere 16,000 gns as a yearling, the modestly-purchased Sir Percy was an impressive winner of the Derby, a real test for any young horse due to its camber and unique undulations. A horse must demonstrate great balance and co-ordination in addition to speed and stamina, to win the 12 furlong event. Sir Percy also had to show a real turn of foot to make up ground in the home stretch and was asked to go through a very narrow gap by jockey Martin Dwyer, an invitation that many horses would have declined. In the words of the lad who looks after him, 'he's tough and never gives up'. His problems resurfaced after the Derby and he was given a good break, with the intention to bring him back for the Arc, but he wasn't quite ready. In a race usually trawled by some of the wealthiest owners in the sport with seven-figure colts, Sir Percy is a fairystory and enjoys a big following here. Many will be rooting for him tomorrow and he certainly has the pace for this trip.
The Darley Dewhurst Stakes will probably determine the season's champion two-year-old and the highly impressive and unbeaten Teofilo will attempt to frank the form of his last meeting with Holy Roman Emperor, when he beat Aiden O'Brien's colt at the Curragh. Holy Roman Emperor will have the services of a pacemaker, Naigani, to ensure a decent pace and the line-up also includes the useful Hamoody, but Teofilo is likely to go off favourite. The eagerly anticipated rematch between these two looked uncertain as O'Brien was considering withdrawing Holy Roman Emperor but thankfully the rain bypassed Newmarket. Two mouth-watering races in prospect.
On the Breeders' Cup front -- Sheikh Mohammed's unbeaten Discreet Cat is unlikely to run, unless Bernadini suffers a setback. The rationale for this decision is that Bernadini retires at the end of this season and Discreet Cat remains in training next year so Sheikh Mohammed would have little reason to run both colts in the Classic.
George Washington was due to work (gallop) at Southwell today to give him a prep for his possible run in the Classic. Southwell's Fibresand surface is the closest available in the UK and Ireland to an American dirt track. Aiden O'Brien also took Giant's Causeway there for a spin before his attempt on the Classic but the 'iron horse' was bred for the job and there is continued debate here about the wisdom of running George on dirt. Aside from the different feel of the track underfoot, George has never faced kickback. But Coolmore likes to market stallions in the US for which they must have dirt credentials on their resume, hence George's agenda is motivated by a commercial decision that some here regret. George was due to fly from Ireland with a handful of other horses from Ballydoyle but fog at the airport appears to have foiled the plan, at least for today.
News from Japan is that wonder horse Deep Impact, son of Sunday Silence, will retire at the end of this season. Despite never having run at a track anything like Longchamp, without the benefit of a prep race and being used to finishing off a fast pace, Deep Impact nevertheless managed to claw his way into the frame finishing third, a mere length or so off the winner. It was a case of what might have been and many here believe that with a run in one of the Arc trials, he would have taken the Arc in his stride.
Update 823: I just spoke to Barclay Tagg about his two horses running tomorrow in the graded stakes at Belmont: Showing Up and Nobiz Like Shobiz. He said they were both in good order coming into the race (would not be running them otherwise were his actual words).
I asked Barclay about running Nobiz Like Shobiz in a grade one, coming directly out of his only start, an impressive maiden win. Barclay said that it is very unusual for a 2yo to win first time in a mile race, and on top of that win as impressively as Nobiz Like Shobiz won. He said while they got a late start with him, it is now three weeks since his win. This race (winning it) will determine whether they move forward to the Breeders' Cup. (Barclay actually asked me what I would do with him under the circumstances, my response ... you're the trainer, i can only gallop them, and sometimes can't get that right).
Update 822: A must read from today's Philadelphia Daily News (Barbaro and Dr. Richardson are the front cover of the paper): DOC STEADY. The following is an excerpt:
"I was in tears by the end of that day, at home," said Richardson, whose eyes were getting moist during the telling. "I almost get emotional just thinking about how upset I was about that day, because I thought we were going to lose him.
"Then, I was exhausted, physically and mentally. I don't even like to think about that day.
"Getting him up was so stressful. Getting him up out of the pool and not having him stand and then fight us.
"It's one thing for everybody else who was there, because there were tons of other people involved in this. They were all stressed. But I'm sure that on that one day, as stressed as everybody else was, that's the one day I would say I'm sure I was more stressed than anybody else, because I knew that every decision that was made basically was mine - good decisions, bad decisions were my responsibility.
"That was an awful day. That's when he was foundering. At that point, I knew we were in trouble. You second-guess every single thing you did from the day after the Preakness."
Update 821: Another comfortable night last night for Barbaro (thursday night). I saw Michael Matz as I was on the track for my second set ... jogging Chappy, after her breeze the other day. Michael had heard from Dr. Richardson. It is positively chilly here this morning (my hands are still a little cold as I try to type) although it is also a cloudless sky, so hopefully a nice day ahead.
update 7:38 am, friday, october 13
Great rreport Barbaro. Now I can go off to work happy. We love you ALEX FOR PRESIDENT
Posted by: jane at October 13, 2006 12:53 PM