Superfectablog v3.0 » Fleet Indian http://superfectablog.com Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:38:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 On Curlin, Better Talk Now and Other Matters http://superfectablog.com/2008/02/on-curlin-better-talk-now-and-other-matters.html http://superfectablog.com/2008/02/on-curlin-better-talk-now-and-other-matters.html#comments Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:41:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=334 With the news that Curlin is skipping this weekend’s events in Louisiana to head over to Dubai early (more on that later), Grasshopper has stepped up to contest the Mineshaft in his absence; Better Than Bonds will also be making an appearance in that race. Most eyes will be on the three-year-olds, though, in [...]]]> With the news that Curlin is skipping this weekend’s events in Louisiana to head over to Dubai early (more on that later), Grasshopper has stepped up to contest the Mineshaft in his absence; Better Than Bonds will also be making an appearance in that race. Most eyes will be on the three-year-olds, though, in the Risen Star. Steve Asmussen contributes Pyro and Z Fortune to the mix; Blackberry Road and Visionaire could hit the board as well, although I’m not sure they are in the same class at this point. I did contemplate putting both Blackberry Road and Visionaire in my Road the the Roses stable, but finally left them off (for now); usually, that’s a sign they are about to become very competitive. Let’s not forget the distaff side either – Indian Blessing should be back in the Silverbulletday as well.

Of course, there’s becoming very competitive and staying very competitive – in that category, stalwart Better Talk Now (left) is set to make his nine-year-old debut in the Fair Grounds Handicap, with a view to moving on to Dubai for the Sheema Classic. Did I mention we’re friends?

But back to Curlin’s trip to Dubai – I have mixed feelings, and not just about the ‘they’re never the same after the trip’ received wisdom. On the one hand, I know that the Dubai competition will be much tougher than the Breeders’ Cup level, and I can see Asmussen’s point:

“The horse likes to know where he’s at,” Asmussen said. “His second race at Belmont (the Gold Cup) was better than his first (the Belmont), and his second race at Monmouth (the BC Classic) was better than his first (the Haskell).”

On the other, it would have been nice to see him start in the US, just so fans could get a chance to see him – especially since his role as a symbol for fans to rally around is much mentioned by Jess Jackson:

“I deeply care about improving the state of Thoroughbred racing as well as the horse industry in general,“ he said.

“We, as the owners of Curlin, are trying to do our part to help. Fellow owners and I have joined others in the industry in a broad-based (American) effort to elevate the industry in a variety of ways, and this campaign is one of the more visible.”

I would like to know who the ‘others’ mentioned are and what exactly their goals are…but I digress. If he wins and comes back to an exciting campaign later this year, fantastic – but there’s always that concern that he’ll be sold in a handshake deal while he’s abroad.

There’s good news in breeding land; Fleet Indian had a healthy Storm Cat colt, Behaving Badly foaled a Bernardini colt and Teuflesberg has recovered well enough to head to Hurricane Hall to start his new career. Well done to all of them.

]]> http://superfectablog.com/2008/02/on-curlin-better-talk-now-and-other-matters.html/feed 1 Very Efficient Indeed http://superfectablog.com/2007/11/very-efficient-indeed.html http://superfectablog.com/2007/11/very-efficient-indeed.html#comments Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:11:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=306 New Zealand -bred Efficient took home the Melbourne Cup in an upset win; favorites Purple Moon and Mahler rounded out the top three. Efficient is the third Melbourne Cup winner sired by Zabeel. Efficient was a favorite to win last year, but had had such a streak of bad luck [...]]]> New Zealand -bred Efficient took home the Melbourne Cup in an upset win; favorites Purple Moon and Mahler rounded out the top three. Efficient is the third Melbourne Cup winner sired by Zabeel. Efficient was a favorite to win last year, but had had such a streak of bad luck that he was recently making steeplechase appearances, but he’s clearly back now. Winning trainer Graeme Rogerson also sent out the fourth-place Zipping:
“Turning for home I thought Zipping was home to be honest. A Danehill
(sire), he probably didn’t quite get the two miles (3200m),” Rogerson
said.

It’s an interesting comparison to the sort of ‘I don’t know if he’s bred for the distance’ discussions we have in North America, except we tend to mean a rather shorter distance. Ah well.

Back in the US, Fleet Indian failed to meet her reserve at Fasig-Tipton and so owner Paul Saylor bought her back. It seems that it’s officially back on between Darley and Coolmore as their latest bidding war set a new record for a broodmare as Playful Act sold for $10.5 million and there was a bit of a kerfuffle over Octave.

Valerie at Foolish Pleasure highlights some other interesting purchases, including the intriguing news that Lael Stables picked up Pussycat Doll and Valbenny and the fact that poor Tap Day only received a single $15,000 bid. But there are racing plans afoot too — Better Talk Now may be headed to Dubai for a shot at the Dubai Sheema Classic and he should be back in action at Calder in December. Huzzah!

]]> http://superfectablog.com/2007/11/very-efficient-indeed.html/feed 2 Thanksgiving Racing http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/thanksgiving-racing.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/thanksgiving-racing.html#comments Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:17:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=107 It’s a great holiday/racing weekend coming up — Laurel’s Festival of Racing includes the De Francis Dash which features Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Thor’s Echo and the Laurel Futurity, a nice little two-year-old race won in the past by horses named Count Fleet, Citation, Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and most recently by Barbaro. [...]]]> It’s a great holiday/racing weekend coming up — Laurel’s Festival of Racing includes the De Francis Dash which features Breeders’ Cup Sprint
winner Thor’s Echo and the Laurel Futurity, a nice little two-year-old race won in the past by horses named Count Fleet, Citation, Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and most recently by Barbaro. You may have heard of some of them. This year’s edition garnered 42 nominations, among them the interesting Chelokee…we’ll see who makes it to the gate.

In New York, two-year olds will also be making their mark in the Remsen (including the Barclay Tagg-trained Nobiz Like Shobiz, if the track is all right); Day Pass, winner of the Nashua, is skipping the race to head to Florida, and, in all likelihood, Dubai. The day’s local headliner will certainly be Discreet Cat in the Cigar Mile.

California offers the Hollywood Derby (not to mention the Matriarch and the Citation) which sees turf star Showing Up facing off against grass novice Brother Derek. Expect some European horses in the mix as well.

Don’t overlook Kentucky; Churchill Downs plays host to the Clark Handicap and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. The Clark features the frequently-overlooked (often by me, I admit) Premium Tap and Tiz Wonderful will be appearing in the latter race.

Perhaps the most interesting race all weekend takes place in Japan: Ouija Board takes on Deep Impact and Heart’s Cry in the Japan Cup on Sunday. There are not enough supurlatives in English to describe her, so perhaps the Japanese press will be required to supply some.

Bottom line: There’s a lot of racing this weekend. None of it is on television. Can you tell I can’t get TVG?

In other news, Fleet Indian has had her fetlock fused and is said to be doing well. So, for all our US readers, Happy Thanksgiving!

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]]> http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/thanksgiving-racing.html/feed 0 Fleet Indian Update http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/fleet-indian-update.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/fleet-indian-update.html#comments Mon, 06 Nov 2006 02:13:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=97 The good news is that it sounds as though Fleet Indian is doing quite well under the circumstances — but owner Paul Saylor voices what I had been wondering as well, which is why it took so long for an ambulance to arrive for her. Clearly Pine Island’s injury was worse, but it seems [...]]]> The good news is that it sounds as though Fleet Indian is doing quite well under the circumstances — but owner Paul Saylor voices what I had been wondering as well, which is why it took so long for an ambulance to arrive for her. Clearly Pine Island’s injury was worse, but it seems that on such a big day, there would be another horse ambulance on standby. Peculiar.

Monday Update: Fleet Indian continues to improve; there is news now that Churchill Downs regulations did not allow two ambulances on the track at the same time; one wonders what they anticipated doing in the case of a collision or similar accident.

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]]> http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/fleet-indian-update.html/feed 0 Breeders’ Cup Picks http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/breeders-cup-picks.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/breeders-cup-picks.html#comments Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:08:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=94 The European perspective seems a bit glum in some quarters; in others, they are simply surprised that George Washington is not being seen as a conquering hero by the Americans.

Here in the States, there is comparatively little Bernardini-centered coverage compared with a number of European articles focusing on star horses; one of the few is [...]]]> The European perspective seems a bit glum in some quarters; in others, they are simply surprised that George Washington is not being seen as a conquering hero by the Americans.

Here in the States, there is comparatively little Bernardini-centered coverage compared with a number of European articles focusing on star horses; one of the few is here but it does seem his potential talents are being overlooked (or simply assumed) while the spotlight remains on his owners (or, more specifically, their vast wealth). I’d prefer to see what he’s really capable of instead of hearing about Dubai, but it seems that’s the angle everyone is going for.

But I digress…on to my picks:

Juvenile Fillies
I’m not overly-impressed by any in this group so far, but I like Dreaming of Anna‘s workouts and think Octave could do more down the line. Frankly, it’s something of a toss-up.
Dreaming of Anna/Octave exacta box
Longshot: Gatorize

Juvenile
Again, with the 2-year-old colts, I believe we have yet to see the best of the crop at this point; I wasn’t convinced from his last performance that Circular Quay wanted to go any sort of distance, but Great Hunter and Scat Daddy have looked good (and besides, Great Hunter is a local boy). I like Teuflesburg and I am not sure why.
Great Hunter, Scat Daddy exacta
Longshot: Teuflesburg

Filly & Mare Turf
This is one I’m really looking forward to; I love Ouija Board and hope she goes out on a win, but I expect a great performance from many others in the race — Wait a While, Film Maker and Honey Ryder are all possible spoilers. I’ll limit myself to two choices, but I’d love to see Wait a While back next year.
Ouija Board
Wait a While
Longshot: I don’t think I’ll bother on this one

Sprint
The Sprint also showcases a deep field. On paper, it looks like Henny Hughes or Pomeroy; while there are others on the board with shorter prices, I think Lewis Michael has been flying just under the radar and could pull an upset.
Henny Hughes, Pomeroy exacta
Longshot: Lewis Michael

Mile
This is another tricky one, also full of horses I really like. I love Gorella (and I always pick the girl against the boys), so she’s a natural choice. Aragorn and Miesque’s Approval are other favorites of mine, and Aussie Rules at 10-1 is a fantastic price. I don’t want to ignore Librettist either, but I’m still picking Aussie Rules over him. Speaking of Gorella, anyone want to buy her dam?
Gorella
Gorella/Aussie Rules exacta box
Longshot: Ad Valorem

Distaff
It’s Fleet Indian all the way. Balletto and Round Pond will give her a run for her money, but I’m singling her.
Fleet Indian
Longshot: Round Pond

Turf
Hurricane Run is a deserving favorite, but Cacique and English Channel have scores to settle with each other. It’s great to see Better Talk Now back for another shot too — and at 12-1, he’s my longshot without question. Otherwise, I freely admit this is chalkier than chalk could be.
Hurricane Run, Cacique, English Channel trifecta box
Longshot: Better Talk Now

The Classic
Obviously leaving out Bernardini would be foolish; however, I still like the Europeans for a little value, so I’m throwing in George Washington and David Junior as well. I am a big fan of both Lava Man and Perfect Drift and believe they will run well, but that it just won’t be their day. Check out this hagiographic article on George Washington before you make your choice. Speaking of sainthood, contrast this article in USA Today on the Maktoums to the Beyer one from the Washington Post the other day. Interesting.
Bernardini, George Washington, Lava Man trifecta box
David Junior, Bernardini, Perfect Drift trifecta box
Longshot: Flower Alley – hey, you never know.

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]]> http://superfectablog.com/2006/11/breeders-cup-picks.html/feed 0 Early Retirement http://superfectablog.com/2006/10/early-retirement.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/10/early-retirement.html#comments Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:49:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=92 While the build-up to the Breeders’ Cup should be focused on the major contenders, there is instead much focus on the end-of-season retirements and sales of those horses. Fleet Indian will be on the block as a broodmare prospect after her appearance in the Distaff and it seems clear that Bernardini and Discreet Cat [...]]]> While the build-up to the Breeders’ Cup should be focused on the major contenders, there is instead much focus on the end-of-season retirements and sales of those horses. Fleet Indian will be on the block as a broodmare prospect after her appearance in the Distaff and it seems clear that Bernardini and Discreet Cat will most likely head off to stud with all possible speed as well. Beyer has a particularly harsh critique of the influence of Dubai on the racing world although it is interesting that he does not comment specifically on the early retirement trend. While it clearly makes financial sense in the short term for the owners, what do you actually get for those stud fees and how does it affect the breed as a whole? Many horses are apparently ‘too inbred to race‘ nowadays according to The Times. (The statistic that any two Thoroughbreds share about 47% of their genes should really be cause for alarm for someone).

Fortunately, there are some great geldings we can keep following — Better Talk Now may head overseas next year and Perfect Drift is on hand as well. McDynamo already won the Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase (again!) so it is not as though everyone disappears after next weekend. It would be great fun if other horses followed Better Talk Now’s example and 1) stayed in training and 2) acquired a MySpace page (we’re friends now, you see). Lava Man is on track for the big day too.

In Barbaro news, the DRF has an updated article and his elder half-brother, Holy Ground, has been retired. Speaking of half-siblings, Speedy Jones, the 2-year-old half-brother of Smarty Jones, had a nice workout at Hollywood Park. He could turn out to be a nice sprinter or miler. There’s always next year. As for Breeders’ Cup day, check back later this week for my picks.

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]]> http://superfectablog.com/2006/10/early-retirement.html/feed 0 It’s Too Much Happiness http://superfectablog.com/2006/10/its-too-much-happiness.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/10/its-too-much-happiness.html#comments Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:37:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=86 The short version of this weekend’s events, as there are just too many exciting races:

The Goodwood: Lava Man really needs an easy win here to prepare to face non-Californians in the Classic. Is Brother Derek really ready to run against his elders?Oak Tree Mile: Cinch for Aragorn. I should probably work in [...]]]> The short version of this weekend’s events, as there are just too many exciting races:

The Goodwood: Lava Man really needs an easy win here to prepare to face non-Californians in the Classic. Is Brother Derek really ready to run against his elders?

Oak Tree Mile: Cinch for Aragorn. I should probably work in something geeky about how he won’t need Anduril, Flame of the West for this one, but it seemed too much of a stretch. I suppose I also should not say it will be another proud day for the Dúnedain…

The Vosburgh: Henny Hughes and Silver Train face off. I’ll take the chestnut this time.

The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic: English Channel and Icy Atlantic meet some horses from across the pond, including some nice fillies.

The Spinster: Another one for Happy Ticket, but I also have an eye on Spun Sugar and Sharp Lisa

The Flower Bowl: Angara, Honey Ryder, Film Maker. In that order.

The Beldame: Rather than Fleet Indian/Baletto, I’m predicting Fleet Indian/Round Pond. Round Pond needed her last race and I hope to see her back in top form…although whether that top form beats Fleet Indian is debatable. It’s a good field overall – one of the highlights of a busy day.

Oh, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup – Invasor is out sick and no one else wanted to have a go? I’m looking forward to the Bernardini/Dylan Thomas matchup, but (and I mean no disrespect to Andromeda’s Hero or Wanderin Boy) some other supporting artistes would have been nice.


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]]> http://superfectablog.com/2006/10/its-too-much-happiness.html/feed 0 Travers Weekend Preview http://superfectablog.com/2006/08/travers-weekend-preview.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/08/travers-weekend-preview.html#comments Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:16:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=75 While on paper we finally get a showdown between Bernardini and Bluegrass Cat, the Blood-Horse has a wonderfully-titled article pointing out that there’s more to the Travers than the two headliners: Travers Analysis: Pletcher and the Accidental Rabbits. I do like the suggestion of High Cotton as a spoiler, although I really feel that [...]]]> While on paper we finally get a showdown between Bernardini and Bluegrass Cat, the Blood-Horse has a wonderfully-titled article pointing out that there’s more to the Travers than the two headliners: Travers Analysis: Pletcher and the Accidental Rabbits. I do like the suggestion of High Cotton as a spoiler, although I really feel that Bernardini is going to trounce the field.

The Kings Bishop is shaping up to be an interesting one as well — again, athough Henny Hughes and Songster are the featured performers, I am curious to see what Lewis Michael (previously seen as Third Spear Carrier to Barbaro’s leading role in the Tropical Park Derby) does at this distance (if he doesn’t go in the St. Louis Derby, of course — he’s entered in both). Fleet Indian is looking good for the Personal Ensign as well.

Lawyer Ron is back in the previously-mentioned St. Louis Derby; an article on the genesis of said race is here. I am also curious to see if Kid Lemonade turns up; I do think he’s improving and he had a nice workout recently.

In other news, it looks like Declan’s Moon had a legitimate excuse for his poor showing last time out — he’s got a lung infection. Perhaps we’re seeing shades of Afleet Alex.

In Barbaro-related news, there’s some nice new video of him grazing which is worth a look; Lael Stables are sending out 2-year-old filly Enticing against the older boys today at York. (While in York, I always recommend a visit to the Jorvik Viking Centre. But that might just be me).

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]]> http://superfectablog.com/2006/08/travers-weekend-preview.html/feed 0 Del Cap Recap http://superfectablog.com/2006/07/del-cap-recap.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/07/del-cap-recap.html#comments Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:40:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=62 Despite the oppressive heat, Del Cap day was quite enjoyable. We walked past a smiling Michael Matz in the paddock and on the escalator, Kenny Mayne was signing autographs and the Steadicam (right) was at the ready throughout.

Jerry Bailey was taller up close than I had imagined him to be, but I suppose I‘m [...]]]> Despite the oppressive heat, Del Cap day was quite enjoyable. We walked past a smiling Michael Matz in the paddock and on the escalator, Kenny Mayne was signing autographs and the Steadicam (right) was at the ready throughout.

Jerry Bailey was taller up close than I had imagined him to be, but I suppose I‘m starting from a disadvantage in that regard. (He was certainly not shorter than the Divine Neil Hannon, for you music fans on today).

As per my usual luck, my picks tended to come in just one placing shy of where I’d bet them (notably Ah Day) or got scratched at the gate (Grant’s Moon). Fleet Indian certainly looked the part in the big race, although of course it was marred by Gallant Secret’s breakdown, which looked less-than-promising from our vantage point, but it sounds like it was just soft-tissue damage, which is certainly a relief (although I would imagine it will be career-ending; it really looked bad from the stands). We saw a slightly tearful Rosie Napravnik in the paddock after the race; while I’m sure it was upsetting to miss a shot at a million-dollar purse, the horse’s safety has to come first and she clearly has other such opportunities coming her way down the line.

In other injury news, Barbaro seems to be doing as well as can be expected again at this point — apparently he’s much brighter of late. He’s got a cast change and x-rays in store in the near future and there will be reports on ESPN later today.

While it was great to see Declan’s Moon back, it was a bit frustrating to see him just get nosed out at the end and thus lose his ‘undefeated’ tag, but really it’s just nice to have him back.

But it was not all gloom and doom — it was good fun to see the winning entourage for Joey Carson (trained by Tim Ritchey) in the seventh race — he had a bigger posse in the winner’s circle photo than we managed for Foxy! It must have brightened Ritchey’s mood after Kid Lemonade’s super-lackluster performance in the prior race; he doesn’t seem to like the turf either.

And no, we didn’t get there in time for free hats.

Edit: Gallant Secret did not make it, unfortunately.

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]]> http://superfectablog.com/2006/07/del-cap-recap.html/feed 0 Difficulties http://superfectablog.com/2006/07/difficulties.html http://superfectablog.com/2006/07/difficulties.html#comments Wed, 12 Jul 2006 19:28:00 +0000 admin http://superfectablog.lisagrimm.com/?p=58 Superfecta is back from her family emergency and normal updates will now resume.

It has been a busy news week; obviously Barbaro’s condition is the biggest worry right now. The Washington Post details the latest surgery and the problems in the other hind leg; the NY Times covers much the same territory, but with [...]]]> Superfecta is back from her family emergency and normal updates will now resume.

It has been a busy news week; obviously Barbaro’s condition is the biggest worry right now. The Washington Post details the latest surgery and the problems in the other hind leg; the NY Times covers much the same territory, but with some additional details. The local news is also keeping up with events; there is also a slightly cheerier article on his little brothers. But the official word is that his condition is ‘guarded‘ — fingers crossed it’s only a temporary setback. Let’s remember that Barbaro’s great-grandsire, Hail to Reason, fully recovered from shattering both sesamoids in one of his forelegs, largely through his own good temperment as the state of veterinary medicine at the time was not what it is now. One thing is certain, though — the Maryland Racing Commission has determined that Barbaro’s injury was officially ‘bad racing luck.’

In other news, Lava Man’s win in the Hollywood Gold Cup means he is definitely off to the Pacific Classic in August. The exciting finish of the United Nations saw English Channel beat Cacique (this time around); it will be exciting to see them continue their rivalry. Speaking of grass, Showing Up will be skipping the Virginia Derby in favor of resting up for the Secretariat; it should still be a fine race — I’m looking forward to seeing Steppenwolfer on the turf.

This weekend’s racing at Delaware Park should be quite good; Fleet Indian certainly looks the part for the Del Cap. If the weather isn’t awful, I should put in an appearance.

A few other items worth mentioning: Brass Hat’s bad luck continues — he’s out with a cracked sesamoid and it will be unclear for months whether he will make another comeback. War Emblem still doesn’t have an eye for the ladies in Japan although it’s rumored some US farms that specialize in ‘problem stallions’ have expressed an interest in him. It will be interesting to see where that leads.

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