Inspiring, Impressive
And above all: Considerably talented. Stricken with a case of the wobbles, Shamardal was labeled a “destruction case.” Then along came an energy healer, a massage therapist, and a benevolent insurance adjuster to save the colt’s life. Now the three-year-old is a possible Kentucky Derby contender. (ESPN)
Shamardal is no Lost in the Fog though: The racing world is ga-ga over the three-year-old from Northern California. Offers to buy the youngster have poured in to owner Harry Aleo, and it seems as though only his trainer, Greg Gilchrist, is leery of all the recent Derby talk. If it was up to him, Gilchrist tells Andrew Beyer, “He’d take the money and let somebody else take the chance that Lost in the Fog will be more than a sprinter.” I had to laugh at this: Trainers are such a perennially pessimistic lot. (Daily Racing Form)
Speaking of the Kentucky Derby, the Courier-Journal launched its “Countdown to the Derby” section last Saturday. Part of the package, which will be regularly updated, is a table showing how the CJ panel rates the prospects. Looking it over, I felt the first stirrings of Derby excitment — what a talented bunch of three-year-olds we have to pick through this year.
