Farm Side Report

Spitfire, the yearlings, and the return of Major Parker.

Zenyatta's Nerves and a Possible Equipment Breathrough

We need to be careful about what we worry about. As you'll see here, I wonder if Spitfire's head carry might be akin to Zenyatta's pre race fretting. Backyard trainers have the best ability to know their charges and should take care not to fix what is not really broken.

Catching Up

Alex has tons of stuff from me that he promises to work through now that he is back home from a business trip. Gotta take care of the day job first! Here is an update of where we stood at the beginning of the month. Much more to come to cover between then and now...

Update on Irish Eagle and Spitfire Red

Irish heals, Spitifire still having problems.

Wednesday Roundup

Irish Eagle was ridden today. He is not lame or touchy on his shins and so he was ridden "lightly". We will ride him off and on while the shins are tightening and healing.

More on Spitfire Red plus Bathing 101:

July 27th Morning Works at the Farm

Spitfire Red is galloping easy and seems fresh.




Intrestingly he came back dripping with sweat and it started almost immediately. That is a point of reference because it was still fairly cool for Florida in the early morn.

Irish eagle has been off with bucked shins and is doing a trail ride today. That should not hurt him and will help him keep some fitness.








Here is the way his shins look today after the light ride (walk trot two miles).

Here is what they looked like a few weeks back.

They do look better today.

It is cooler early this morn and we are giving Stack Bali a gallop to see how he is doing. (he is the non-sweater).

He trotted and galloped a total of two miles and breathed well and felt good. But...dry as a bone-no sweat breaking out. We hosed him much and put him under the fan. I am trying green papaya chopped up in his feed. At first he wouldn't eat it but now I pour molasses on it!

I showed this injury a while back on Stack. You can now see how the cornet band is growing out.

Here is another angle that shows the severe trauma to hoof wall.

He seems to be going soundly on it anyway...

2 works and 2 Racers at Calder Yesterday

Here we are at Calder race course at7AM getting Spitfire Red ready for his breeze. Because he has had the back issue we are putting a double pad on him.

Both Spitfire and Tiny broke from the gates(video below). I told riders to breeze 3 furlongs as it has been a while since they worked. Tiny did 3 in 36 and out in 51. That was pretty good for first time on track. She came back and "corded" up...as you can see her muscles are tight, she might be a little sore tomorrow but should walk out of it and be ready to work again in a week or ten days.

As usual it is very hot and we cool with lots of water.

Spitfire worked out gates 3 furlongs in 39. Not very fast, but according to rider he still doesn't feel right in the hind end. I must figure out what is bothering him. It seems to be back related.

This video has the gate work and lead up to the race. Alex is still trying to figure out how to post the actual race here...

Both horses in same race make for a busy paddock time for me.

TS Fay is being good.

Waxed Poetic was very nervous in paddock-not unusual in a second life time race.

She was better once she was saddled.

In the walking ring.

Here comes Waxed Poetic.

Up you go!

To the track!

Wax better, listening to rider...

Right after race I like to hear what jock says...before they have time to think of excuses. Fay ran competitively until horses came up on both sides...she seemed to suck back at that time and coasted in last. Jock felt she needs the experience of race...that she was nervous when in tight with other horses. Could be- I expected to see more improve off the last race. She seems to have come back all right. We will see how she looks tomorrow. I will try her at same distance until I see a reason to escalate.


Wax poetic jock said she was lugging in. When we looked at her we saw that she caught her "quarter". That means that she hit her inside "ball of heel"of right front with her other hoof-either her front left or a hind hoof in the break. Since she warmed up good it might have been at the break.

Lots of hosing ...but Wax cooled pretty fast...she was slow to break and jock held her out as he didn't know why she was lugging in. But she seemed to try when he straightened out in the stretch. She passed TS in stretch and since her first race had been two furlongs a month ago and she had been trained lightly, she showed better fitness than I had expected.

When a horse hits itself, it can feel like being hit with a hammer- those metal shoes Hurt! In a day or two we will see how this looks!

It could cause what the jock felt...trying to get off right front she is heavy on the left front!

All things considered, it was a successful trip. The youngsters got some track experience and we are getting a better idea of their talents. If you are training from the farm and hauling in, it really can make sense to use races as works. It does not do anything for your stats, but Backyard racers measure things differently. Besides, at some tracks, they pay down far enough that an also ran can pay for the trip.

Back to Calder, a New Filly, and a Name Correction

Wax Poetic is the new filly on the farm. We had been meeting with her owner at OBS and she is the one that was working with my horses.
She came yesterday and is in the same race as TS Fay on Sunday in Miami.
She has never been in my trailer so I introduced it to her tonight. I don't want problems at five AM when we head out.
She was purchased in the June two year old sale at OBS. She had already started once when sold. My expectation is to just see improvement off her last work. She is one of the most lovely sensible fillies I have ever had. The owner had great luck in getting such a good girl!









Spitfire is going with us this trip. I had the luck to get two extra stalls so I can give him a short breeze over the track. I wanted to take Stack Bali but he looks like he may not be sweating.

I also wanted to take Phontiff but his shin was a little touchy so I wil give him ten days again to build up.

Phontiff is starting to look racy but we have to wait on his shins!

Tiny will go this time as the 4th horse. She seems to be ready to do an easy breeze out of the gates. She will go with Spitfire Red (note that is his name...not Spitfire Grey as previously stated....)I just looked at the papers....awful to grow old and confused.
Realize that TS Fay is racing a week apart. She seems fine...this is like a work until she reaches her level of fitness. I need her to work or race on the track. As previously stated,it is impossible to ship in for works, so we use races. I hope to see an improvement in her personal performance. Maybe she will finish stronger...that is all I can ask!