Breaking News! Pyro to Retire at Darley

Here's an AP photo by Alexander Bartkoff of Pyro winning the Louisiana Derby this past weekend at the New Orleans Fairgrounds. Today the Daily Racing Form announced that after this racing season, he will retire at Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Darley Stud in Lexington.

Dan Pride, COO of Darley, says, "His turn of foot in the Risen Star was just so visually impressive. Add to that his assertive victory in the Louisiana Derby and we feel extremely excited and privileged to have him coming to Darley. He has all the ingredients to be a superstar on the racetrack and at stud."

Pyro's dad, Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds, says, "To have our homebred Pyro retiring to Darley is extremely exciting. Although we're certainly a bit prejudiced about him, I really do think that the success he has shown on the track will follow him to the stallion barn."

I hope he has a safe wonderful season and then enjoys his new job next year!

Breaking News! Big Saturday at the Races!

Yesterday was a BIG day of racing as part of the Derby and Oaks preps! Here is just a little sample of the tasty races that were run yesterday. The Fairgrounds in New Orleans had major race cards! Pyro wove his way through traffic and proved that he is a steely top contender for the Derby by winning the $600,000 Louisiana Derby.
Proud Spell finally beat Indian Blessing in her third attempt at the task by winning the $400,000 Louisiana Oaks. Indian Blessing led most of the way and fought to go even faster with her jockey, but Proud Spell tucked herself neatly behind IB and then went wide and around to get past her at the end. Indian Blessing's trainer said that they are both fabulous girls, but that the better girl won on that day! Wasn't that a nice thing to say!

Circular Quay just beat Grasshopper in the $500,000 Louisiana Handicap, which is especially nice because last year CQ won the Louisiana Derby as part of his Derby preparations. He has good fortune in New Orleans.

In other places around the states, Visionaire ran through pea soup heavy fog to win the $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct, and Ariege won the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks.

It's looking like Pyro, War Pass, El Gato Malo, Denis of Cork and Colonel John are going to be Derby favorites, though I am putting my heart on Pyro and El Gato Malo. And among the girls, well, it's anyone's guess who will be the lady of the day between Indian Blessing, Proud Spell, and Country Star!

These are AP photos taken by Bill Haber right after Pyro's win in the LA Derby! Doesn't his jockey, Shaun Bridgmohan, look happy!

Derby and Oaks Preparations!

Yesterday was a really nifty day. I went to Ann Arbor for my yearly cardiac checkup, went home and voted in the Ohio primaries, slogged around in the icy snow, had dinner with a friend and watched the Academy Award winning film No Country for Old Men AND I received a slew of HorseWatch emails alerting me to activity by some of my favorite fillies and colts! They were all being registered as formal contenders for the $2 million Kentucky Derby and the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks -- their names were pouring in El Gato Malo, Pyro, War Pass, Cool Coal Man, Proud Spell, Indian Blessing, Golden Dawn, Country Star and others!

So, here is my first official Derby and Oaks 2008 postings for you! In this photo, you see one of the colts, El Gato Malo by El Corredor and One Bad Cat by Mountain Cat (out of Storm Cat). This photo was taken when he was a young boy by his syndication owners West Point Thoroughbreds. The other photo is of my sweet little unbeaten Eclipse two-year-old filly Indian Blessing by Indian Charlie and Shameful by Flying Chevron. The photo was taken by the talented Terence Dulay last year at the Breeders Cup, the site of IB's bigger wins!

This weekend is filled with important trial races, including the Louisiana Derby and Oaks. In the Lousiana Oaks, Proud Spell will try for the third time to beat Indian Blessing -- they have finished 1/2 their past two times together. It's going to be a big day of racing.

Anyway, if you want to start tracking your Derby and Oaks contenders and picking your favorites then please go to the official homepage links below:
http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2008/
and
http://www.kentuckyoaks.com/2008/

Breaking News! Curlin Gets Set in Dubai!

Okay, I'm not happy about Curlin being in Dubai, but what can you do. Maybe he can be a messenger for world peace as well the Eclipse Horse of the Year and 2007 Breeders Cup Classic Winner!

He arrived on February 17th and began training on February 20th. He's getting ready for the March 29th, Dubai World Cup, but his first race as a four year-old will be tomorrow at Nad Al Sheba racecourse in the $175,000 handicap race, the Jaguar Cup.

He is with his assistant trainer, Steve Biasi. In this photo, you see Curlin with his regular exercise rider, Carmen Rosas, and with Mr. Biasi leading on Poncho. He'll be ridden by his regular jockey, Robby Albarado. And he'll be carrying 132 pounts, 15 more pounds than his other 5 competitors. The distance is set at 1 1/4 miles, just like the Dubai World Cup.

So, this marks the first time that an American horse trained in Dubai for a major race, so I am sure they are very happy. Asmussen wants Curlin ready for the particular strains and newnesses of Dubai. Curlin lives in a barn all by himself in a quarantined area and he's close to a mosque, so he hears the morning prayers regularly (which must be nice). The sights, sounds, smells, everything is new to him. Even the breaking gates are much smaller than in the United States, and they expect him to stand in the paddocks an hour well before the race so people can see him, and he's got to walk very very close to the grandstands under big lights. So, that'll be a big experience for him too! He trains pretty much in solitude, unlike his life at the Fair Grounds, where not only is there lots of equine traffic, but there's always an odd chance that a horse will break free and run right at you (like what happened to Pyro at the Fair Grounds last week on February 18th).

His assistant trainer, Mr. Biasi, says, "Everybody thinks it's a big vacation, but it's the same hours. I get to the barn at 3:30am. We get there in the morning, I tie him to the wall just like at Fair Grounds, wash his poultice off, get a cup of coffee, and sit and wait to train him. I've kept him on the same schedule so he knows when things are going to happen. He gets his breakfast at 4am, gets his lunch the same time every day."

And really, whether you are the Eclipse Horse of the Year or you are Violet in Ohio, what more could you really want -- knowing exactly when and where the next meal is coming from!

Breaking News! Good Boy at Fairgrounds!

Pyro is a three year-old colt out of Pulpit and Wild Vision out of Wild Again. He was born February 19, 2005. Last year, he had a mixed record, with 4: 1-2-1. He ended up in second place behind War Pass for Eclipse Award Champion 2 year-old. So, he's been sort of resting since his last race this past October.

Over the winter, he gained weight and became more manly. He's been training at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans and has had 5 published workouts since January 12th, including 2 with the fabulous Eclipse Horse of the Year, Curlin, who leaves for Dubai this coming Friday. He's had great workouts, but he disappointed his trainer this past Tuesday, by burning up way too much energy in his breezing workout. His trainer said he better not do that going into the Derby.

Didn't seem to matter today! He was in the Grade 3 $300,000 1 mile dirt race, the Risen Stakes, with 10 other horses just a few minutes ago! And he raced in back of the pack, dead last, for the entire race, UNTIL he came around the final turn. He waited until the track got good and straight and the horses floated out and then suddenly BOOM, it was like he was in his own personal race. He just sped past the other horses, relaxed, big, moving, gaining. He won! He won gaining speed. He won coming on. He won building, snaking, zooming. He won ready for more. It was truly amazing and inspiring.

And so surprising. I was watching that race, wondering what happened to him? Was he hurt? Was he intimidated? Was his trainer right and he had nothing left to give after a hard workout this week? Had he been hard bumped? What was going on with Pyro especially after his workout lessons with Horse of the Year, Curlin! Well, my heart just danced when I saw that he was ready to use his champion nature to keep on racing. Make a real race right at the end! I am so happy for him. This race happened just within the hour, so hopefully, he's still getting hugs and kisses and pets from his happy family, trainer, jockey, grooms, and fans. What a good boy!

Breaking News! 448 Nominated to Triple Crown 2008!

Triple Crown Productions announced this past Saturday that 448 horses were nominated by the January 19th deadline for the races associated with the Triple Crown! The fee was $600 for the nomination, and horses can still nominate, but the fee jumps to $6,000! Among the 448 are Pyro and War Pass. Only 2 fillies are nominated, Country Star and Mushka. Country Star (photo by Benoit) won the Hollywood Starlet and Alcibiades Stakes in 2007 and Mushka (photo by Vanessa Ng) won the Demoiselle Stakes (shown in these photos). They are both daughters of the 2003 Belmont Stakes winner, Empire Maker.

Distorted Humor is the stud with the most kids nominated with 13, and Tale of a Cat and Mineshaft have the second-most nominated offspring with 11 each! Todd Pletcher leads the trainers with 31 nominees, Zito comes in second with 19!

Only 2 fillies out of 448 nominees! Makes you really see why Rags is a powerful kind of girl!






http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/2/3/1737770/2008_derby_noms.pdf