Tim's Updates 3
Update 98: We had a lot of workers on Saturday. Sailing Home (Molly) did what we call a two minute lick. Breezing speed is faster than fifteen seconds a furlong. A two minute lick is fifteen seconds a furlong. Seven furlongs can be quite a workout doing a two minute lick but Molly handled it just fine. Paris now being recovered from her abcess worked three furlongs and handled the Tapeta quite well. Both Sand and Song and Winaway breezed together for three eighths of a mile. These two horses have run and are just beginning to gear up for their 2008 season. The two new girls Powdered Donut and Rose Campbell went their first eighths and both were very impressed with themselves. None the less all of these wonders seemed just fine this morning (Monday) after the Saturday works. With all of the warm weather we are having the two colts in our barn Rocky and Lucky are strutting their stuff. The fillies think it is springtime and they are in love. At least Rocky is a gorgeous creature. Lucky is a lot like Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber. He is cute in his own way and we love him all the same.
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Update 97: At least this morning (Friday) was not windy yet it was still a bit cold. As I left the barn earlier Luke was standing in the porta pad sleeping in the sunlight. Tomorrow will be a big breeze day. Paris, Rocky, Sand and Song, and a few others will all work on the Tapeta track. Binkly the new barn cat is doing his part in keeping the rodent population at bay. He has learned quickly and sure enjoys being a barn cat. Real Lace will be running tomorrow and looks to be in a good spot. Hopefully she will run well and be safe. Powdered Donut is quite the Hudini. Strict attention must be paid to leaving her cross tie up without the webbing to hold her in. She nips right under the cross tie. What possesses a horse to crouch down and go under a cross tie I will never know. We all had a good laugh as she meandered to the hay pile like this behavior was normal. Anyway, we will update tomorrow after the works to keep you all up to speed.
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Update 96: It is cold this Thursday morning and the wind chill ins -5 degrees. The people seem to be bothered by this weather more than the horses. The Tapeta track is riding great and we are so lucky to have this to train on in the winter. The main dirt track would be like training on a beach. This is also the time of year when we take stock in the past year and look forward to the coming year at the same time. We have had several brushes with reality this past year. A few of our horses have gone on to be riding horses. Real Lace and Mass Romantic were claimed and Red Aspen went to Florida and ran two really great races. All in all we have been very lucky and had no life threatening injuries. We take great care to pay attention to what might cause harm to these animals but accidents can happen. We realize that we are fortunate to have made it through the year without major harm. Sometimes losing one of our horses can be like giving up a family pet. I miss them when they are gone and their personalities are never forgotten. Looking forward to the coming year we have a lot of youngsters with promise. Kitty and Molly are very close to racing and both are very interesting individuals. Paris and Rocky are really progressing well, and of course the new babies like Lucky and Bubble Gum are really learning and enjoying things so far. Veiled Reference has showed a lot of promise and Not A Fling ran a great race and finished third last week. Two of Wands showed promise in her first start and I can't wait to see her figure it all out! She is a tough cookie. Powdered Donut and a Lion Hearted filly have just come in and seem eager to train and learn. Luke is still with us and talks to me every night for his dinner. What more could I want? Red Aspen will be coming back from Florida to start the next phase of her life (being a mom). I can't wait to see her and give her a mint or two for her efforts. Who's Happy will be back after her winter break and she should be tough to beat. We look forward to this year with hopeful anticipation and encourage all of you to enjoy it with us.
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Update 95: Happy New Year to all of our fans out there and a happy birthday to all of our horses. What a cold and windy Wednesday morning but Tim is holding up well. On Saturday morning Kitty and Molly breezed a strong half mile breaking from the starting gate. Both are doing great and should be to the races shortly. At dinner time last night both ladies seemed just fine and ready to eat. Paris Night also breezed on Saturday. This was her first breeze back after having a few problems with an abcess in her foot. She is fine now and enjoyed going an easy quarter mile. Veiled Reference is fine and she is bobbing her head for her food. She has really grown up in the last few months. Yesterday after a little hike with my running dog Zeke, we had to bring Luke in after he was jumping and speeding around the porta pad. He is sure enjoying this cooler weather. Rockin Fun breezed by himself on Saturday and is making slow but steady progress. He was ready to eat his dinner last night as always. We also have another new horse in the barn and her name is Powdered Donut. She is a grey filly who is obviously very sweet. I would like to thank her owner Marty for the beautiful flowers he brought me. He obviously knows who's good side to be on. Not a lot exciting to write about this morning. Lucky is now at Fair Hill and doing just fine. Robbie fell off him yesterday but he stood still and let Robbie jump back on. He must have seen something that he thought was very scary. Both horse and rider survived to live another day.
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Update 94: Tim and I thought that we would take just a few minutes to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas this morning. What a beautiful morning to be at the barn with the horses. It was so quiet as the sun came up. The horses seemed a bit confused to start. Horses were turned out and others were walked and we were finished by 11 am. Mike came to help out and we couldn't have had a more relaxing morning. Veiled Reference has come out of her stakes race in good form. Tim has censored me in saying anything about the ride she got from the jockey. She finished a hard fought second. Rockin Fun got a new neon green ball to play with. As I was walking Paris this morning she suddenly began jumping around. I realised that Rocky was throwing his ball about. I got a few good pictures of him playing. He is such a character. Finally the absess has come out of Paris's foot and she is back on a regular training schedule. While I was walking her we had a good chat. She is a tall beautiful bay filly. Luke enjoyed a good hour in the porta pad this morning and seemed to love the nice sun hitting his back. Molly was staring at me as I came into the barn so I stopped to give her a Christmas hug and kiss. She is so quiet we hardly hear a peep from her. As we left this morning all of the horses were quiet and eating their lunch. I gave Kitty a scratch on her bum . This morning I find myself missing Real Lace, Red Aspen and Mass Romantic. Although horses have filled their stalls they are still in my thoughts and heart. I hope they are all well and enjoying their Christmas day. Thank You all for the most beautiful Christmas basket. We will be enjoying it for days to come.
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Update 93: Today was not a bad Wednesday. We had a couple horses work this morning. Molly and Kitty went an easy five eights of a mile together and both did it just fine. Rocky went to the gate and galloped out. So far he is doing everything we ask of him. Luke accompanied Veiled Reference to the gate. She can be a bit nervous but is fine when she has a little company. Tim reports that Luke enjoyed his outing and is moving fine. We have two new horses for the winter to get ready for racing in NY. The gelding is a nice boy who is grey and seems to love to eat. He doesn't miss too many meals. I'm not sure what his pedigree is. The other is a chesnut filly and I believe her name is Sand and Song (don't quote me on that). She seems nice but a little uneasy about things. She will soon learn to relax and enjoy her surroundings at Fair Hill. Tim will be shipping my little boy Lucky from the farm tomorrow to continue his training at Fair Hill. He has been on the farm to let his stifles strengthen and hopefully can now continue with training. We also may need to geld him. His is such a nice boy by the very popular stallion Kafwain. His real name is Yourtheluckyone. It should be quite interesting seeing him get to the races. Anyway, things continue at Fair Hill with business as usual.
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Update 92: What a blustery and cold Monday. Good thing Tim was equipped with his new gear he received in the mail from one of the owners. He stayed toasty most of the morning. Real Lace ran a very game second on Saturday at Philadelphia Park. Unfortunately, she was claimed but this is the nature of the business. We needed to run her where she would be competitive and this was the spot. It is quite different coming into the barn and she is not there looking at us for attention. Tim spoke to the lady who claimed her and she seems quite nice. We will do our best to keep track of her. Red Aspen won a huge race for her current trainer in Florida and it was very exciting for her owners and we were equally as thrilled for Red Aspen to get the big win she has deserved. Moving on with our current horses, Molly and Kitty continue to go through their paces and both continue to do their gate training in fine style. Rockin Fun who continues to be the adolescent boy of the barn that is still more interested in playing than being serious of late. He has now been equipped with blinkers and hopefully will soon wake up. Gator Nation is training well and is Robbie's favorite ride of the day and hopefully should be back at the races in a month. Bubble Gum unfortunately is on stall rest due to a muscle injury shich she must have gotten with too much exuberance in the round pen. She is coping well with a little time off. Several new faces in the barn and we will bring you up to date in the next few days!
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Update 91: Another day without the sun. Today was a pretty easy Tuesday. A couple of horses breezed yesterday and it left Tim with some extra time. Luke went to the track for two sets. Yesterday Luke was said to have had his tail over his back and everyone was laughing at him. It is quite a sight to see a rolly polly paint with it's tail over it's back. Tim had to let him have a little canter just to get his back down. I was so happy to hear that Luke was moving fine and enjoying his work. Real Lace got a clip this morning. She was very brave and looked great when she was finished. She will be racing on Saturday at Philadelphia Park. Robbie is now back from his cruise and I tacked up Gator for him first set. Gator has gotten fresh since his little breeze on Saturday. Veiled Reference went to the track with Luke. She is also quite fresh but with Luke for company she was happy. Everyone survived and Tim said she had a good gallop. Molly was enjoying a day off after a breeze yesterday. With all of the extra time today, Tim got a chance to pull a few manes and clip a few ears. He also clipped some heals out so that they could be dried easier. This keeps the horses from getting cracked heels. This is a lot like a human who gets cracks on their hands and feet in the cold weather. Once a horse gets a cracked heel, it can be a pain to get rid of. Better to prevent it from happening to begin with.
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Update 90: What a busy Saturday. Tim called in for the backup (Juanita/aka Penny) about 8am. Lots of horses breezing and Tim had to leave early to go racing with Two of Wands. Joe breezed Gator Nation and easy three eighths of a mile and said that he loved him. His feet were on the dash so to speak the first eight and then he breezed nicely the last quarter. As I was trying to put poultice on his legs it was like trying to plaster a moving target. He kept moving and I ended up with more poultice on me than on Gator. We got the job done and moved to the next horse. Diva was nice and calm and easy to groom off this morning. She was being her usual lovey self. Next I groomed off Not A Fling. This filly is another of Joe's favorites that he would love to ride everyday. She breezed this morning and went well. I went to the back stalls to brush one of the new fillies and Kitty was looking at me. I took a few minutes to give her some love which she took willingly. She has a lot of potential and also has a hot Tale of the Cat attitude. She really does what she wants when she wants and only if she wants to. That's ok as long as we can get her to the races. She is one of my many favorites. Veiled Reference was the last one I knocked off . She also had a breeze this morning and needed poultice to cool out her legs. She was not at all tired and seemed quite bright. Tim said that she was well in herself and very fresh going to the track. I managed to get the poultice where it belonged and left her stall with all of my limbs. Jorge needed some help to get Real Lace ready for her piece of work so I held her head and gave her a little talk and lots of love. She breezed fine and both she and Tim were happy upon their return to the barn. As I walked down the shed row Rocky was busy crushing his ball up against his screen. Sometimes you wonder just what is going on in his mind. Molly had a breeze this morning. What a sweatheart. She is progressing nicely and seems happy. Wanda ran a good race today at Laurel. She broke well and ran very well to the top of the lane. We have suspected for some time that she has a breathing issue that we need to look at more closely. Tim reported in that she behaved well and saddled nicely and went with the pony without a problem. She did everything right and hopefully we can build on this experience. I believe we have a couple of Fans of Barbaro (Lyn and Donna) coming tomorrow. It is such a joy to see these ladies. The horses love the extra attention. We really look forward to their visits.
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Update 89: This Thursday morning started out chilly but now it is bright and sunny. All of the horses were able to go to the track today and seemed quite happy to do so. The blacksmith was here and put the final touches on Two of Wands before she races on Saturday. She seems fine and Saturday should be a good test to see what type of race horse she wants to be. She has the right attitude here at home. Molly continues to train well. She has a lot of personality and loves attention. Veiled Reference is anxious these days to get her food and this is a good sign. Real Lace and her sister Diva both continue to do well. Diva is improving quickly and shows us a lot of promise. Kitty has also showed us that she wants to run and it will be great to get her to the races and see what she can do. She is very sleek and shiny after her clip a few weeks ago. Rocky continues to throw his ball next door into Gator Nation's stall. He is becoming quite the man and at least at this point is pleasant and managable. We have been bestowed a new homeless kitten named Binkley. It turns out that the person who most seemed to ignore this new kitty (Tim) has now become a great fan. He follows Tim everywhere and loves his new life as a barn cat. It is so great to be back from Timonium. I stopped last night to give a huge hug to Luke who I always miss when I'm away. He of course was unaffected by my absence and only seemed to want his grain. Hopefully the weather this weekend will be good and he will get to work.
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Update 88: What a cold and windy Tuesday. Just a couple of sets braved the elements and went to the Tapeta track which was in perfect shape even after the little rain and the cold we have had lately. Most of the horses were restricted to the shed row in this weather. There is nothing of great interest to report this morning. The horses are all quite stirred up with the wind outside. Tim had a little excitement when he went to the Vets office and Mike Rea was visiting. They had a good chat. Yesterday Tim spent another cold day at Timonium trying to bid on a few babies. He got out bid and came home empty handed. All was not lost as he was able to see a few clients and beat the bushes so to speak. Two of Wands is scheduled to run at Laurel Park on Saturday. This will be here first start and hopefully it will be very exciting. Sunday will be the Stallion show at Northview Stallion Station. I love to go see the big boys and have a look at the new stallions they have. Of course I will miss Waquoit who we lost this year. What an amazing old boy he was. Of course Two Punch is very fresh when the crowd is near and seems to love the attention. Not For Love is always a gorgeous one to look at and Domestic Dispute is turning out to be quite popular. He stamps his babies and they always have lots of chrome. Anyway, the horses are all fine. No sickness in the barn and everyone is eating up as expected.
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Update 87: I must apoligize for my tardiness of late in updating the website. Traveling to Timonium for the December sale has been driving me mad. Not that I wasn't already mad before it started. Anyway, Tim has called in some new excitement for all of you. Yesterday (Friday) we had a few workers. Kitty (Tail Tales) and Molly (Sailing Home) went a strong half mile on the Tapeta track. Both are fine this morning,happy, and ate everything for dinner. Tim is starting to fine tune them a bit now. We also had a few Fans of Barbaro stop by. It is so nice that out of this tragedy has come a new love and a better understanding of these wonderful animals we take care of everyday. This morning Wanda (Two of Wands) had her last breeze from the gate before she runs next week. Not A Fling also worked from the gate and both fillies went nicely. Rocky (Rock N Fun) had his first easy three eights work for us. His usual training partner Bubble Gum is not breezing yet so he had to go it alone. He was fine. Paris Night has been training in the shed row for a couple of days. She had an abscess pop out of her foot. Tim reports that she is sound this morning. Real Lace is doing fine and is very strong in the mornings. We had a race picked for her on Monday but it did not go. Luke is bored without a pilot these days but is well in himself playing around the porta pad. The only sad bit of information to report is that Tim's rider Robbie has now gone on a weeks vacation to the Caribbean and left Tim here in the freezing temperatures to gallop. Tim starts dreading this cold in about August and isn't truely content until about May. I know it is cold but I like to just pretend that it is warm outside. I like to pretent that my hands and feet are fine. There is not pretending with Tim around. He reminds all of us quite regularly just how cold winter can be.
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Update 86: According to Tim it was a frigid Saturday morning at Fair Hill. The horses seem to prefer this weather more than the humans. The Tapeta track is perfect in the cold. Sailing Home (Molly) and Tale Tails (Kitty) breezed together for a half mile and both seemed to do it well. Paris Night stepped up to her first easy half mile work. She handled it like a professional. Robbie took Rocky (Rock N Fun) to the Tapeta for what is called a two minute lick. This basically means that if the horse was going a whole mile than it would do so in two minutes. It works out to be fifteen seconds a furlong. When you have a rider with a good clock in their head they can hit fifteen seconds a furlong quite easily. Rocky went a two minute lick for three eigths of a mile. He came back to the barn happy as a clam and calm as anything. Both rider and horse were great. After a great effort in her last race Veiled Reference went back to the track this morning and has come out of her race eating well and happy with herself. Tim is very happy with her progress. Bubble Gum went to the Tapeta and goes around there like she has been doing it all her life. It is so exciting watching her go on with her training. She has a great attitude.
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Update 85: I'm sitting at work on Monday morning going over in my mind the happenings at Double Trouble this weekend and my thought was to share with all of you. We had a very busy weekend. Saturday was a big breeze day. Molly and Wanda worked and they had a nice half mile work. Diva and Kitty went together and worked another easy three eigths of a mile. Diva is turning into a monster in that her body is becoming a machine. She is a big girl to begin with but now she is getting very muscular and doesn't look at all like a baby. Her mental state is a tough one. Luke was lucky and got to go to the gate on Saturday with Veiled Reference. I quickly reminded him not to do too much. He was a happy camper. Veiled Reference ran yesterday at Charles Town against the boys and Kicked butt. She won easily and came back happy with herself. That was a nice win. Along with the high of winning at Charles Town there is a bit of sad news. Mass Romantic was claimed on Saturday. I gave her a talk on Saturday morning and told her to take care of herself. Several times she got kisses as I passed by, she is such a love. Mike took her to the races and she was giving him back rubs in the receiving barn. I will really miss her. Meghan and I were feeding dinner on Saturday night and it was so quiet without her there pawing for attention and her dinner. There is always in this business the reminder that we only have these animals for a short while. My goal is to give them as much love as they can get while the're here. I'll leave the training up to Tim.
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Update 84: Quite a windy Friday morning here at Fair Hill. Even Luke was snorting and bucking his way around the porta pad. We better get him to the track a few sets tomorrow. Real Lace is fine after her effort yesterday. She had no interest in running on the messy track at Laurel. I don't really blame her. She has come back fine and I am happy with that. We have quite a busy weekend planned. Mass Romantic will be running at Laurel tomorrow in the tenth race and Veiled Reference will be running at Charles Town on Sunday. We have tried to get Veiled Reference in with the girls but she only got in with the boys. She needs a race over the track to set her up for a Stakes race later in the month. Almost everyone else in the barn will be breezing tomorrow before Tim goes to the races. We should have a lot of action to report.
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Update 83: All is well on a very foggy Wednesday morning. Real Lace seems ready to race tomorrow. Veiled Reference may scratch for Friday but I hear from carrot man George that Mass Romantic may be racing at Laurel on Saturday. This has not yet been confirmed with the trainer. I went in this morning to give little Bubble Gum a new hair cut. Tim gave her some tranquilizer and off I went. Giving a horse a clip can be a lot like a youngster going to the barber for the first time. They are unsure of what is going on and are convinced that it is painful. Clipping a horse is not painful. The sound of the clippers is the worst of it. Most of her hair is a lot shorter but clipping her back legs got a little hairy so to speak. She was very ticklish and kept shaking her skin everytime I put the clippers against her. She may look a little rough but as Paget always says, "What's the differance between a good clip and a bad one?" Five Days!
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Update 82: This Tuesday morning started out with a little rain but now it has turned bright and sunny. Tim is on his way to New Jersey to look at a few weanlings for his owners and stopped to give me a short update. Veiled Reference went to the track first set and galloped around very relaxed.. She may be running later in the week. Real Lace is feeling her oats and is a happy camper as usual. Emily stopped by to say that Molly(Sailing Home) went to the track and galloped nicely on her own. She goes around with her head down just behaving like a lady. Bubble Gum and Rocky continue their training as the babies in the barn. I was surprised to see that last night when I fed Bubble Gum is getting very aggressive in her stall at feed time. I reminded her who took care of her for the last year of her life and she agreed to let me give her a huge hug around the neck. I left her stall intact and without a bite mark. Wanda (Two of Wands) continues to progress and Tim is starting to look for a race for her. She has done everything right and it will be nice to see her get to the races. Gator Nation arrived back here yesterday. When I was watering off last night I took some extra time to go in and love on him a little. He is such a gem. The barn seems a bit quiet with Michael Matz's horses shipping to Florida. I wonder who will be moving in. Paris Night and Kitty (Tale Tails) went to the track together today. They are both very serious about their training. Both behaved and everyone came back to the barn safely. There is a great article on Alex Brown's website about Michael Dickinson retiring from training. Check in out if you have time.www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=racing/07/11/13/RACING_Dickinson.html.
Update 81: Today is a cold,wet Monday. All of the horses seem fine after this weekends events. Saturday was quite a big breeze day. Veiled Reference and Not A Fling worked great together on the Tapeta track. Veiled Reference was in front at the end but Not A Fling hung in there. She did great. Two of Wands breezed with one of Edwin Merryman's nice fillies. They stayed together and worked very fast on the Tapeta. It seemed as though the Tapeta surface was riding fast on Saturday. Wanda went to the track with Luke and she behaved just fine. She must have been ponied a lot when she was at the sales. Luke loved his trip to the track but could only jog. His feet were a bit ouchy. He stepped out going back to the barn and Wanda had a hard time keeping up. Who's Happy ran a great race on Saturday. Tim said that Victor was able to rate her a bit better down the backside. She finished second and shipped home to the farm for a break. We hope that Gator Nation will be joining us back at Fair Hill in the next few days. Rocky and Bubble Gum went to the track together and both did well. Molly's owners were here to love on her on Saturday. She is easy to love on and enjoys the attention. We also had a few Fans of Barbaro visit on Sunday. It is so nice to have visitors to love on the horses. They all really do love it when they have visitors. Anyway, I will write later if Tim calls in an update. I know that Real Lace will be running this week and maybe also Veiled Reference.
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Update 80: We had a quiet Friday today. The weather is holding out but we are expecting to get some rain tonight. Who's Happy had an easy training day and will be running tomorrow. After the race she will ship home for a well deserved break. This also will give Tim some time to workout and get stronger for her next year. Emily called me with an update that Molly was a brilliant ride again today. She seems quite at home with Molly. They are a good pair. Not A Fling went with Molly and enjoys having a friend to train with. Yesterday's breezers seemed fine this morning. Everyone ate their dinners and seemed happy. Luke doesn't know it yet but I have been asked to school Two of Wands tomorrow with him. He absolutely loves his job and it will be nice to get out on him again. She is a little fiesty but I'm sure no match for the rock solid pony we have. Luke used to pony two year old colts at the sales so he is not afraid of much. As long as he isn't going to get kicked he is happy to go with anything. Anyway, tomorrow should be a lot of fun. Robbie Walsh is fine and will be race riding again this Saturday. He is such a happy person and smiles the mornings away. He seems to love the horses and they love him. Gator Nation especially like Robbie and the two are quite a pair. Robbie is always patting and loving on him. Gator should be back in the next few days. It will be great to have him back.
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Update 79: Not too bad for a chilly Thursday. Real Lace worked a little bit this morning. She is doing great and will be racing next week. Paris Night and Diva had another steady three eigths work today. Tim reports that both went well. Those were the only workers today. Veiled Reference and Two of Wands both had maintanence gallops today. Two of Wands is growing so much hair she will soon need a hair cut. For racehorses it is healthier to get some of the hair off so that they cool out faster after they workout. Two of Wands can be quite fiesty so she should be quite a challenge to clip. Sometimes you have to say yes to drugs! This might be the only way we get her done! Emily came in this morning to ride Molly. She will be riding in a flat race soon and needed some extra time in the saddle. She just loved Molly and told me what a great ride she was. It made me miss galloping a little (maybe not so much in the cold). We also had a visit from carrot man George. All of the horses act like children starved for attention when he comes. They get so excited it is hard to quiet them down. It seems so funny to me how well they know George . I hope that he gets as much joy out of visiting as the horses do. What a great thing.
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Update 78: Quite a cool and breezy Monday today. Lots of sets to the gate and all at various stages. Molly's (Sailing Home) owners George and Susan were here to see her go to the gate. She did just fine. Real Lace galloped this morning and is very strong and happy. She is ready to run again. Two of Wands is very sharp. She had an acupucturist visit her a few days ago and she is doing great. Who's Happy will be running on Saturday at Philadelphia Park and unfortunately it is on the dirt. We were really hoping to get her on the grass before she has off for the winter. She likes the dirt so it is ok. The grass race for Friday did not fill. Happy is doing great and still giving Tim loads of trouble to gallop. She eats every bit of her dinner and as far as we can tell is ready for Saturday. The only other news is that Tim is not looking forward to the cold weather. Several months ago he started worrying about the cold and now it is here. He looks like a little dough boy dressed up in all of his equipment to stay warm. At least until now the weather has been good. Hopefully it won't be a bad winter.
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Update 77: Just had a report from Tim. Lots of gate training today. Veiled Reference and Not A Fling went up to just stand and back out. Both of these fillies are nervous so it was just a quiet day for them at the gate. The younger girls went up to gallop out. Paris Night has a new partner in Kitty (Tale Tails) and Diva now goes out with Molly (Sailing Home). Both of these sets galloped out the front . All riders stayed with their partners and everyone was happy. Bubble Gum went up for a visit to the gate with her new partner Rocky (Rock Slide colt). This was only her second visit so she just walked through and generally just got used to the big, green monster. Bubble Gum and Rocky handled it just fine. We also had a visit from the dentist this morning. The babies start to shed caps this time of year for their three year old teeth to come through so a visit from the dentist was in order. That pretty much covered it for the morning.
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Update 76: What a beautiful Monday morning. This weekend was pretty busy. Saturday Paris Night and Diva had a little three eigths work. Tim was on Diva and Kelly was on Paris. Some riders have a very good clock in their head but Saturday was very windy and this can cause a little confusion in the time. Fortunately it was only to be an easy work and that's what they did. Both handled it well and Paris was all business. Diva is learning but isn't quite as intense as Paris. They are a good match. Who's Happy had a great work and Tim said that she feels like she is getting even stronger in herself. Tim was happy with her work. Happy came back and cooled out just fine. Real Lace is absolutely enjoying this cool weather. She had to be tied yesterday for a little while because she was rearing up and bucking around her stall. Molly is now reaching over her webbing as far as she can to get attention. She is a nice filly. I will write later with anything more Tim has to add that may have happened today.
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Update 75: We had a busy and cool Friday morning. Several sets breezed today as Robbie will be going to another jump race tomorrow. The first set was Real Lace and Who's Happy. Neither of these fillies mind the dark and that's a good thing. We are so ready for the clocks to change this weekend. It will be nicer when it is a bit lighter in the mornings. Tim jogged Who's Happy and tomorrow she will be breezing. Veiled Reference and Not A Fling had a maintanance breeze together. They went a half mile on the Tapeta surface. Kitty (Tale Tails) and Molly (Sailing Home) breezed their first quarter together after they both have had some time off. They are a great pair. Everyone handled their breezes well and hopefully will eat up tonight at dinner time. Luke was the escort for Bubble Gum again today. He loves to go up and see all of the action. Mike (Bubble Gum's owner) was filming her like Steven Spielberg. Tim reports that she was great and the best ride of the day.
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Update 74: What a nice Thursday morning to be in the barn and with the horses. The weather this morning was cool and sunny. Veiled Reference galloped today with Not A Fling (Not for love filly). They are a good pair and seem to get along well. The second set to go to the track was Paris Night and Our Diva. Our Diva looks so much like her older sister and is beginning to act like her as well. She is beginning to look around less and concentrate on her training. It is all very serious for Paris so she probably is happy that Diva is paying more attention. Luke had a good morning. He escorted little Bubble Gum to the track. She is such a star and so far has not put a foot wrong. Real Lace went to the Tapeta and continues to train well. Molly, who travels very well along the Tapeta track, trained with Kitty (Tale Tails). Kitty is so funny because her mane is wild and bushes out everywhere. She is just adorable. Today these ladies went cross country up the hills a few times. We are lucky to be able to give our horses the option to go out accross the fields. What a great way to keep these animals happy. Most of the horses truely enjoy going out into the fields. It also helps to build up their hind ends going up the hills. Down on the farm Tim got up on his new baby (Rosa). She is not affraid and walked up and down the shed row. Her mouth is not quite developed just yet but that will come with time. Timmy M'Boy jogged and cantered around the ring with little Whippie. Whippie had a lot more energy that Timmy. Uncle Tim also took Meghan up to the jumping ring and let them go over a few cross rails. Everyone survived to ride another day.
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Update 73: Quite a chilly Monday morning but all is well at Double Trouble. The horses don't seem to mind a cool weather as much as we do. Who's Happy continues to train well as we will be pointing her to one more race before she has off for the winter. Real Lace is enjoying a few easy days and has come out of her most recent race in fine shape. She is tossing her head and demanding attention like usual. With several days of rain last week that impaired training for a few days, Tim decided to take several horses out yesterday. The track was for the most part quiet and it was an enjoyable morning. We had a visit from a couple of Fans of Barbaro who continue to stop by to pamper the horses. Hopefully the people enjoyed their visit as much as the horses did. I continue to be a little stunned after the loss of George Washington this weekend. All of those in this business can feel the sadness and loss knowing that on any given day this tragedy could happen to us. We are so unbelievably lucky to have these animals in our lives for even a short time. It is our hope that we can reach the greatest potential of every horse in our barn while keeping them safe at the same time. Sometimes the unexpected can happen and when it does it is life changing.
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Update 72: What a rainy Friday. It looks as though we will be getting quite a bit more rain. We are lucky to have the Tapeta surface to train on. The Monmouth Park track looks to be a wash out but the Tapeta track was riding great this morning. Hopefully the rain will give way and we can enjoy taking a few horses to the track tomorrow. Just maybe Luke will have to go out with some of the young horses. Tim had scheduled a work on Two of Wands this morning with another trainer from Fair Hill. This trainer had told Tim that an ex jockey would be breezing his horse. Imagine Tim's surprise when he found out he would be working beside Jean Cruguet (former rider of Seattle Slew). What a unique experience to get to ride with such a great rider. Everything went well and Wanda worked comfortably with the other horse. Needless to say that Jean Cruguet was not on another Seattle Slew this morning.
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Update 71: Everyone managed to dodge the rain drops this morning. At least it was not a cold rain. Tim took a couple of sets to the gate and everyone is progressing nicely. I went into the barn this morning and Real Lace was looking at me so I gave her a huge hug and kiss. She is such a lovey girl. She has come out of her race just fine. Who's Happy went accross the fields again in an attempt to keep her under control until her next race. She does enjoy going cross country. Mass Romantic is training nicely and dug right into her dinner last night. Molly is now residing in Red Aspen's stall. She has some big shoes to fill. Luke was diving at me to get to his grain last night. I think he is feeling his oats just lately. It might be time to go in for a few days and give him some excercise. His feet are feeling fine just now and he is anxious to go out. He was in the porta pad yesterday when a horse got loose and came running back from the track. He knows his job and would have been glad to help out if he was only out of the porta pad. We always know when something is loose because Luke starts to act up even before we can see it. What a champ he is and we are so lucky to have him. Last night I managed to dodge snapping jaws as I hooked up the water hose. Between Two of Wands and Diva it can be quite a feat to win this game. They both think they are hot stuff. Our Diva looks a lot like Real Lace but is a little bigger in every way. She seems to be smart and willing, not quite as sweet as Real Lace, maybe just a bit sassier (is that a word)? None the less she is built well and plays the part of a tough cookie. Two of Wands (Wanda) continues to improve. She loves to give the guys a hard time but is my sister's favorite. She is really a lovey girl but sometimes she just doesn't want to be messed with. Just like a woman sometimes she just wants to be left alone!
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Update 70: Just had an exciting report from Tim. Bubble Gum went to the main track today for the very first time. He reported that she was very brave by herself. The only thing she spooked at was the tower and the tower causes a lot of trouble for young horses. It's so great that she is such a great ride. Tim says that she's the best ride of the day. Real Lace is just fine after her race yesterday. She will have a few days of rest now. Companions Paris Night and Kitty galloped well again today. They both continue to improve with their learning. Diva had a new friend today. We have a new Not For Love filly in the barn and she went with Diva. They get along just fine and seem to tolerate each other well. Molly trained with Two of Wands (Wanda) today. It is great to be able to have these horses go out in sets. Horses are herd animals and like to have friends to train with. I know that it is always easier for me to run with a friend than to run by myself. I think lots of times it must be the same for the horses.
Down on the farm: Paget and I rode this morning. The three year old she bought (Wilmer) is going nicely. He is really taking to his new like off the track. He is now jumping over small jumps and looks the part of a show horse. Tim's new baby (Rosa) has had the tack on for several days and will quickly progress to having a rider on her back. She has a little spunk and a great personality. I really look forward to Tim getting up on her. Meghan continues to love on Whip. She seems to enjoy ring work and now trots over poles very easily. Meg is having loads of fun. By the way, she looks great in purple!
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Update 69: Real Lace just ran second. She ran a great race and justed got nipped at the end. She didn't get claimed and as long as she comes back fine we will be very happy.
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Update 68: What a foggy Monday morning. For the first few hours of training it was hard to see even a sixteenth of a mile in front of you. Once the fog burned off it turned into a great morning. Not too hot nor too chilly. Our excercise rider Robbie Walsh rode two winners at the weekend. One being the Virginia Gold Cup on a horse for Jack Fisher. What a great weekend for him. Bubble Gum went out with her new partner Our Diva. Both enjoyed a gallop up the hills out the back. Kitty and Paris Night went to the main track to gallop together. Both were happy. Veiled Reference made it back to the track today after her race. She has come out of it well and seems to be happy. We heard from the farm in Chesapeake City today. Gator Nation is doing well and will be returning to us the beginning of November. It will be awesome to have him back. No reports on Luke today. I'm sure he is fine or Tim would have told me. Tim,Mike and Real Lace and probably Carrot Man George are at Philadelphia Park waiting for the 7th race. It should go off around 3pm if you are near a TV or computer. Philadelphia Park does have a live feed for the races if you need to watch it on a computer. www.philapark.com.
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Update 67: Quite an easy Sunday morning. Real Lace and Who's Happy were the only horses to train this morning. Real Lace is in tomorrow at Philadelphia Park. Hopefully with Victor Molina aboard she will run a great race. Tim galloped Who's Happy today the right direction and he says that he didn't make out very well. She is very strong and he is quite worried that she will not rate in her races if he doesn't get it under control. I'm sure he will figure something out. Yesterday Two of Wands worked a good half mile by herself and last night at feed time she was shaking her head for her dinner. So far she is doing well. Paris Night and Diva also worked yesterday. They went a quarter mile. Kelly rode Paris and she was all business. Tim was aboard Diva and she was looking around being easily distracted. It is early yet in her training and I'm sure she will get more focused as time goes on. She is still growing and has filled out even more since she has come here. I had to give Mass Romantic a giant hug as I was leaving the barn after feeding last night. Everyone was eating but as I walked by she stuck her head out and demanded some attention. I was happy to give her some love and she seemed happy with that. We also said goodbye to Red Aspen yesterday. Since she came back from her eye injury she has not been sound. Tim has tried all means to keep her happy but in the end the owners decided they would try to keep her sound on the farm. Perhaps if they can't keep her sound they will start to look for a stallion to breed her to. It is so hard to say goodbye to all of our horses but especially this filly. She was a wonderful horse to train and always gave us a thrill everytime she ran. I held onto her neck and gave her huge hugs and kisses several times yesterday morning. You never know what will happen when they leave you. We only wish all of the best of life for her. But as I said to Tim "You never know, the next Red Aspen may be standing in the corner stall".
Next Time
Update 66: It was warm this morning. The track isn't opening until 6:30 and it is still quite dark when the first set goes to the track. Tim went out first set on Mass Romantic. She does not seem to mind the dark, I'm sure she can see better that Tim can. Real Lace was second set and by then it was plenty light enough. Both fillies trained fine and Real Lace is still on schedule to run on Monday. Kitty (Tail Tales) galloped with Paris Night this morning and both seemed to go just fine. Sailing Home (Molly) went to the Tapeta track for the first time this morning. She did have the company of Two of Wands. Molly seemed to handle the track great. Bubble Gum and Diva went accross the fields together and Tim reports that Robbie is starting to really like Bubble Gum.. When I stopped by the barn this morning Bubble Gum was bucking and kicking around the porta pad. She seems to have settled in nicely. Tim took Who's Happy to the track this morning at 10:30. He galloped her the wrong way (clockwise) in an attempt to get her to relax and go easy. Here in America everyone gallops counter clockwise. When jogging back before you gallop it is customary to jog clockwise and on the outside fence. When you gallop you turn around and gallop counter clockwise (hopefully not on the inside rail unless you are breezing). Often horses are more managable if you gallop the wrong way and for safety sake Fair Hill does allow this after 10:30. Everything went fine and she returned to the barn happy as a clam. (I'm not sure where that saying came from but she was happy)! Should be a few breezers tomorrow. I'll fill you in on all the action after the mornings work.
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Updte 65: In case you haven't already heard, Extreme Makeover show is here in Port Deposit building a new barn and house for the Freedom Hill Therapeutic Riding Center. This is the group who helps many people in our area with disabilities ride horses. Mike Rea who trained here at Fair Hill and was badly hurt goes here to get his horse fix. They work wonders for people who have little else to look forward to. Volunteers are streaming in and they are working around the clock. They are also building a new indoor riding arena which will be great. The show will air sometime in January. What a great project. Check out the Freedom Hills website
www.freedomhills.org.
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Update 64: What a foggy Thursday morning. Luke went accross the fields today with Bubble Gum to give her some company. He loves to go cross country and Tim reports that he was moving well. He has been known to whip around occasionally at the deer. He and Tim managed not to part ways and Bubble Gum was a star. Who's Happy went to the track today. She may have one more race (hopefully on the turf) before she is put away for the winter. Tim said that she is moving well and very happy with herself. Real Lace trained today and then later in the morning had a beauty treatment. She got her mane pulled. Most horses get used to this and it doesn't bother them. Her hair comes out very easily and she looks a little less like a wild woman now. She may be running on Monday at Philadelphia Park in a race for Pennsylvania breds. Hopefully she will get a better ride this trip. She is bouncing around the barn like her usual self and is moving just fine. We also had a visit from Shaun and Dennis Massey today. They own Mass Romantic and Veiled Reference. Veiled Reference has come out of her race unscathed and although a little tired seems just fine. We look forward to some great racing from her. Down on the farm Uncle Tim has been helping Meghan with little Whippie. The other day she threw in a huge buck and we thought Meghan was off. Her long legs rapped around Whip and after a few seconds up on Whips neck Meghan recovered her seat and continued her lesson. Apparently she used to do this on the track occasionally. What a pair these two are. Yesterday she behaved like a lady around the ring and Meg even had her going over a little crossrail. Much to Uncle Tim's dismay Meghan as already accumulated quite a collection on purple supplies. Purple Polos, Purple Hay Net, Purple Comb, Purble Brush and a few other miscellaneous items. Oh to be a young girl with your very first horse again. They ended the lesson with a few hugs and carrots and everyone was happy. They are quite the pair. Tim's recent yearling purchase known as (Rosa) has had a saddle on for the second time today. She doesn't seem to mind it yet and hopefully she will be easy to break. Timmy M'Boy hasn't quite made friends with her yet. I think he misses Bubble Gum, they were together a long time.
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Update 63: What a beautiful Wednesday. Tim has just called in with an update. Veiled Reference finished second this afternoon. She behaved perfectly with Oliver Castillo in the irons. She should come on a lot for this race although Tim says that at the moment she seems a bit bewildered. All of the schooling with Luke payed off as she was perfect with the pony. Two of Wands(Wanda) had an exciting morning. She broke with all of the power for the first time from the gate. Everything went great and she handled it like a pro. Our Diva and Paris Night also went to the gate. They stood behind the gate for a long time to take in all of the normal commotion. Both ladies handled everything fine before galloping out the front. Mass Romantic continues to train well. She has come out of her race just fine and seems very happy. Bubble Gum bravely jogged in the fields by herself today with Kelly aboard. All went well as expected. So far not much seems to bother her. Red Aspen continues to train well and torture everyone who tries to catch her in the stall. She loves this game.
More Later
Update 62: Just had an update from Tim. Bubble Gum, Sailing Home, and Tale Tails galloped together today in the fields. Everyone enjoyed themselves and everyone survived without incident. Sometimes taking green horses out where there are lots of deer can be scary. It all worked out fine. Something Wild went to the Tapeta track to gallop today and seems to enjoy the new surface. Robbie Walsh was in the irons. Robbie had a fall on the weekend and is sore but fine. We had a visit from the Massage Therapist Rosemary today. She came to do Real Lace. Both horse and person enjoyed the visit and all is well. Real Lace has had a lot of massages and really does enjoy them. She can get quite sore in the shoulders and this really helps her relax those muscles. Two of Wands galloped in behind Mass Romantic today. She doesn't seem to mind and seems to like having a target to run at. Veiled Reference does indeed run tomorrow at Laurel Park in the first race. Hopefully she has been schooled well enough and will enjoy her day at the races.
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Update 61: Lots of action this weekend. Paris's owners were here to see her breeze a little on Saturday. She went great and seems to be happy. Two of Wands (Wanda) breezed a really handy half mile with one of Michael Matz's. They went well together and seemed to be a great match. Who's Happy ran a respectable race on Friday night. Tim said that she grabbed the bit down the backside and toted Victor to the front. She did hold out for second. This is not her racing style but she has been getting very strong with Tim in the morning as well. Victor took a lot of abuse from the crowd according to Tim but he did everything he could to slow her down and keep her calm. Tim is very strong and in the mornings he has been barely able to hold her so I know that she is tough. Last night she dove into her food so we gave her an extra scoop. She has recovered nicely. I believe she will be getting a break for the winter now. Tim has planned to take Luke to the track today with Veiled Reference. She will be making her first start on Wednesday. We will practice putting the racing girths on her and try to get her used to these before she goes to the races so that it doesn't seem strange to her when it happens.These girths are different than the ones we use every morning and they take some getting used to. I'm sure she will be fine but it is always better to try them before you get there. Red Aspen continues to train well and her eye seems to not cause her any trouble. More later if I get a report from the trainer.
Later
Update 60: A bit of a breezy Friday today. The horses sure are feeling the cool air. Tim and Who's Happy are on their way to the races today. She will be running for the first time on the grass (as long as there is no more rain). One way or the other she will run on the turf or on the dirt. There are two tough horses in the race but we will see how Happy measures up. Hopefully she will have a good trip with Victor Molina on board. The race goes off tonight at about 10:20. I'm not sure I'll be up at that hour. Bubble Gum has been such a trooper at Fair Hill. Nothing seems to bother her and hopefully we can get her up to the track this weekend with Luke. I can't wait to get her up to the track. Reports are that Luke is feeling much better on his feet and jumping and kicking around the porta pad scaring Michael Matz's horses. All of his riders hope that we can soon take Luke to the track so that he will stop causing so much mayhem. I truely believe that he is quite sure of the trouble he is causing. Diva and Paris continue to train well together and are progressing nicely. Mass Romantic has recovered from her efforts at Delaware Park a few days ago. All in all things are going smoothly and hopefully we can have a great weekend. We will be off to the Maryland Million races tomorrow. Lots of exciting racing to watch.
Later
Update 59 : Heavy rains in the night gave way to less humidity this morning. It was quite enjoyable in the barn. Coming back into the barn today was Kitty (Tail Tales- two year old Tale of the cat filly). She is a wild looking thing. I quite like her. She jogged on the track this morning and seems happy to be back. Paris and Our Diva went to the gate to continue their gate schooling. Both are progressing nicely. Real Lace went up to the track first set at 6:30.
She doesn't particularly like it that early because it is still dark. She sees lots of shadows to spook at. Both horse and rider survived. All in all things went well and we continue to look for Who's Happy to run at the Meadowlands on Friday Night. We don't know yet the entries haven't been posted just yet. Meghan came to the barn to take care of little Whippie. She grazed her for a half hour and is anxious to get riding. Hopefully we can get to this in the next couple of days. Timmy M'Boy is not quite sure about his new girlfriend (Tim's purchase at Timonium "Pumpkin") . I think he is missing Bubble Gum. He and Bubble Gum have been together for nearly a year and these horses really do get used to their buddies. I'm sure he will grow to love his new friend.
later
Penny
Who's Happy is listed to run Friday night at The Meadowlands in NJ (8th race)at 10:17 PM! Thanks, Penny, for the "heads-up", will be watching TVG Friday night and rooting for her! :)
Posted by: Ruth Ann - NJ at October 10, 2007 9:38 PM