JC / Railbird

Horses Archive

Noted: March 15

– A record number of American horses are heading to the March 25 Dubai World Cup, including the unlikely Wilko and Donn winner Brass Hat, aka Cinderella. You can follow all the World Cup news on the Dubai Racing Carnival blog.
– Rockport Harbor’s career could be over. The four-year-old reinjured the foot that caused so many problems last year in Saturday’s Razorback Stakes, in which he finished fifth. Trainer John Servis said a small split appeared in the old wound’s scar and that the site would be patched, but no decision would be made about Rockport’s future until the extent of the damage was known. Retirement does seem like a strong possibility, however. “I want to be honest with you,” owner Rick Porter wrote on Rockport’s web site, “If he cannot become 100% better, I am going to retire him.”
– Whitney winner Commentator, out with a shin injury since last year’s Woodward, is ready to resume training, said trainer Nick Zito. “He’ll be ready for his first breeze in about two weeks.”
– Kentucky Derby rabbit Spanish Chestnut made his first start since that race on Friday, scoring a two-length win at Golden Gate.
– Paul Daley would like to know why Mom’s Command isn’t on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot. “Mom has been overlooked for 21 years now. Pardon me for my cynicism, but I have to wonder if her exclusion has anything to do with … owner Peter Fuller.”
– Friends of Bay Meadows isn’t ready to give up the fight to save the northern California track from development: “The heart of it is that old track is a beloved part of this community.”
– Sherry Ross explains why the unraced two-year-old Forestry colt newly named The Green Monkey sold for $16 million: “In a word: ego.” It could also be that the global rich are feeling particularly well-to-do lately.

Posted in Horses on March 15, 2006

Noted: February 22

– In his penultimate workout before the March 4 Santa Anita Handicap, Giacomo worked seven furlongs in 1:25 at Hollywood on Monday, the fastest of seven at that distance. “He was feeling very good this morning,” said trainer John Shirreffs. Giacomo finished third in the February 4 Strub Stakes, which was his first start since last June.
– Happy Ticket’s Saturday night return at Evangeline was nothing less than triumphant. In her first start since the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Happy Ticket easily won the Premier Night Distaff by 5 1/2 lengths, paying the minimum of $2.10 on a win ticket. “She didn’t have to run hard at all. She works faster than that in the morning,” said trainer Andrew Leggio, who won three stakes on the card.
– Buzzards Bay ran his best race in nearly a year on Monday, when the four-year-old won the All American Handicap by four lengths at Golden Gate.
– Owner Harry Aleo has nominated Lost in the Fog stablemate Frisco Star to this year’s Triple Crown. “Insurance, really,” Aleo said. “I had to put up $90,000 to run Lost in the Fog in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint [because the horse wasn’t an original nominee], so I did this just in case. It’s a one-in-a-million shot, but you never know what will happen to other horses.”

Posted in Horses on February 22, 2006

Too Late

“She was standing on her three good legs in the ambulance. Her eyes were bright. She didn’t look to me as if she needed to be killed. The rubber floor of the ambulance she stood on was clean except for some clods of dirt that had fallen from her hooves, but there was no blood that I could see. My hopes rose. But then Ben, the trainer, came. He saw his horse and stepped away. He hung back, standing by my husband’s truck. There were tears in his eyes.”

Posted in Horses on February 19, 2006