JC / Railbird

Horses Archive

He’s Back

Funny Cide is feeling good again, and so are his connections. “Barclay Tagg is infamous in horse racing for his gloomy, grumpy, pessimistic personality, so his enthusiasm, even giddiness, the other day came as a surprise. It seems that a happy horse can make a happy trainer, even when it comes to Tagg.
“Funny Cide sizzled in a half-mile workout in 464/5 seconds on Tuesday morning at Belmont in his last major move before the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Lone Star Park in this Dallas suburb. Tagg then declared that Funny Cide was ‘doing better than he ever has in his life.'” (New York Times)
More: “Funny Cide still Classic” (New York Daily News)

Posted in Horses on October 29, 2004

Comeback Hopes Dashed

Even after Smarty Jones’ retirement was announced last August, his owners, Ray and Pat Chapman, were hoping there was a chance the colt could return to training in 2005. “Sadly, according to [trainer John] Servis, recent ultrasound tests showed significant cartilage loss in the colt’s left front ankle. That was previously undetected and would have made it impossible for Smarty to have resumed training.” (Philadelphia Daily News)
Related: “The racehorse who nearly took the Triple Crown still captures the public’s adulation in retirement” (The Free Lance-Star)

Posted in Horses on October 23, 2004

Smarty II?

Probably not. Rockport Harbor is “a pretty good colt,” trainer John Servis tells Bill Finley. “But it’s way to early to make that comparison.” (ESPN)

Posted in Horses on October 15, 2004