Barbaro Updates: 1005

Posted August 23, 2010

Update 6134: Six ridden this morning at Fair Hill, and another hot morning for riding horses. Fortunately all mine went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

As the Saratoga meet begins to wind down, one of its stars is running today, the undefeated Lisa's Booby Trap: REES: MOST UNLIKELY STAR OF SARTOGA IS A HALF-BLIND, CLUB-FOOTED FILLY WITH A RACY NAME.

And please keep calling.

Update 6133: Seven ridden this morning at Fair Hill. Seems I am getting on more horses just as the weather has turned warmer again! The key is to drink plenty of water between each ride. All my horses went nicely, including one who galloped out of the gate.

Yesterday I interviewed equine artist Christine Picavet, who not only galloped Exceller for a period of time, but also got to paint Ferdinand. The interview was to discuss the horse slaughter issue for my book.

And please keep calling.

Update 6132: Six ridden this morning at Fair Hill, and it was another hot morning. I had one to breeze 3/8ths, and I was on the losing end of that breeze. Another horse of mine nearly dropped me coming home, so the morning was more eventful than I would have liked!

Here is this week's ABR Facebook message: Rachel Alexandra, Calvin Borel, Super Saver, Richard`s Kid, Jockey Club Roundtable, Bute, Wake at Noon, Bruno Schickedanz, River Hills Foxhounds, Excess Baggage, bute.

And please keep calling.

Update 6131: I had eight to ride this morning at Fair Hill. I was not expecting that, and it has been a long time since I have ridden so many! Combine that with the heat we are getting, and I am now pretty knackered. Fortunately all my horses went nicely, so a long but straightforward start to the day.

Rachel Alexandra finished second yesterday in her first Grade 1 event of the year, and her first try at a mile and a quarter: Persistently denies Rachel in Personal Ensign. Personally I think Calvin Borel gave her a terrible ride, and I said so here: Very disappointed with the ride Rachel Alexandra got today, from the beginning (looping reins, no attempt to rate) to the end ... whack, thwack, whack, and whack some more..

And please keep calling.

Update 6130: A day off today from Fair Hill. A nice relaxing day.

The marquee race at Saratoga, The Travers Stakes, turned out to be a thrilling race with a very tight finish. Afleet Express just got the better of Fly Down. Afleet Express did not race in any of the Triple Crown races, and actually had a bit of an unorthodox path to the Travers Stakes having already competed against older horses. Derby winner Super Saver was a disappointment: Afleet Express nips Fly Down in Travers.

The marquee race at Del Mar, the Pacific Classic, went to Richard's Kid for the second year: Richard's Kid scores repeat win in Pacific Classic.

Today's racing will be highlighted by Rachel Alexandra, as she takes on a short field but a formidable foe in Life at Ten, and tries the classic distance of a mile and a quarter for the first time: Rachel Alexandra faces distance test at Saratoga.

Update 6129: Another four ridden this morning at Fair Hill. And another gorgeous morning although it was a little chilly at the start! All my horses went nicely.

Yesterday evening I went foxhunting, for the first time in many, many years. Here I am, posing for a picture! It was simply a gorgeous evening for riding horses around the countryside, and listening to the hounds speak. I even had a go at blowing the horn, but failed miserably!

Some decent racing this weekend which includes the Travers Stakes today at Saratoga (which is sadly missing Lookin at Lucky), the Pacific Classic at Del Mar, and the Personal Ensign tomorrow at Saratoga, which will provide a stern test for Rachel Alexandra: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Update 6128: Four ridden again this morning at Fair Hill. Another gorgeous morning for riding horses. All my horses went nicely.

The Jockey Club recently hosted a roundtable at Saratoga. The following transcript, regarding medications, is very interesting: Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.

Wake at Noon's owner is still barred from Woodbine, for the time being: No relief for horse owner Bruno Schickedanz.

And please keep calling.

Update 6127: Four ridden this morning at Fair Hill. It was a gorgeous morning for riding horses. All my horses went nicely for a very pleasant start to the day.

Saturday's Travers Stakes at Saratoga is usually the race that all the leading 3yos target, before they then take on older horses towards the end of the year. Sadly this year's event misses Lookin at Lucky, who is the current leader of the 3yo division. Kentucky Derby winner, Super Saver, is scheduled to run, and we shall see if this race can get him back on track as leader of the division: A Little Warm Lukewarm Travers Favorite.

And please keep calling.

Update 6126: Four ridden again this morning at Fair Hill. A very quiet and straightforward start to the day. All my horses went nicely.

Yesterday Lentenor returned to the races at Delaware Park. It was his first race since finishing fourth in the Florida Derby. He was kept close to the pace, which was a strong pace, and just did not seem to have the final kick needed to move away and win the race. He finished a close-up third after some traffic issues in the stretch: Lentenor Third in Return at Delaware.

Today it is Nicanor's turn to race, running in the 8th race at Delaware Park.

And please keep calling.

Update 6125: Four ridden this morning at Fair Hill. One of mine was to breeze 5/8ths of a mile, which is a long way for me. She went nicely, I got tired! All my others went well for a short and straightforward start to the day. Is it fall already ? Fall weather this morning!

This week's ABR Facebook Group message: Debussy, Gio Ponti, Devil May Care, Blind Luck, Ernie Paragallo, Chad Moore, Bruno Schickendanz, Hounds Speaking, Laminitis, Dr. James Orsini.

And please keep calling.

Update 6124: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. There were a few loose horses out there on the track, so it was a typical Monday morning at work. Thankfully for me, all my horses went nicely for a straightforward start to the day. Once we were done, our stable pony, Freckles, gave a quick riding lesson.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 2:38 PM | Comments (296)

Barbaro Updates: 1004

Posted August 2, 2010

updates are now here.

Update 6123: Four ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. The main track was closed so everything went to the Tapeta track. Fortunately it was pretty quiet out there. All my horses went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

European invader Debussy ran up the rail to upset Gio Ponti, who looked home free in the Arlington Million: Debussy upsets Gio Ponti to win Arlington Million.

Blind Luck won the Alabama to go to the top of the 3yo filly division. Devil May Care ran a very disappointing race to finish fourth: Blind Luck seizes control of division in Alabama.

Update 6122: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A very straightforward morning's work with very pleasant weather for training, for August! All mine went nicely, including one who breezed a little bit down the lane.

Yesterday I went over to New Bolton Center in order to interview Dr. James Orsini who heads up the Laminitis Institute at Penn Vet. It was a very interesting meeting, which actually gave me hope that there is now momentum in place to really find a cure for laminitis. We shall see. Here is a rough explanation of the different stages of laminitis. I also met with Dr. Liberty Getman, who was part of the initial surgery team for Barbaro.

Arlington Park hosts it's biggest day of racing for the year with three Grade 1 stakes including the Arlington Million where Gio Ponti will look to repeat. Devil May Care will have Blind Luck to contend with in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Update 6121: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a gorgeous morning for riding horses too! All mine went nicely, including one who breezed 3/8ths on the Tapeta track.

Fox Hunting is starting up around the area. They do not kill the foxes here, and I am starting to learn more about hunting, a sport I pursued when I was very young. Here is a short clip from one of the local hunts this morning, hear the hounds "speak".

And please keep calling.

Update 6120: Another five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a gorgeous morning for riding horses. All five of mine went nicely.

And please keep calling.

Update 6119: Five ridden again this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All five went nicely for a very strightforward start to the day.

Wake at Noon's owner is appealing the decision to ban him from Woodbine after the fatal breakdown of the Canadian champion while in training: Schickedanz defends horse's return to track.

Theron, one of our exercise riders at Pinos, read all but the final chapter of part 1 of my Barbaro book. He was pretty enthusiastic in his feedback, and said he also learned some things he was not aware of ... for example, that Michael Matz asked Peter Brette if he wanted to ride Barbaro in his first race. Cool feedback. I have added the Facebook fan page to the navigation of this site. If you are on Facebook, it would be great if you joined the page as I complete the writing process.

And please keep calling.

Update 6118: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was another warm morning for riding horses. All mine went nice and quietly, mostly!

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group message: Telling, Steve Hobby, Goldikova, Makfi, Overdose, Miami Deco, Brian Lynch, Richard Dos Ramos, Russell Baze, Lost in the Fog, Doug O'Neill, Book, pulling manes.

And please keep calling.

Update 6117: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a muggy and warm morning. For a Monday my horses went nicely, although it is always a little trickier after many horses have Sunday off.

Performance of the weekend may go to Overdose, the Budapest Bullet: Overdose delights home crowd with easy win.

And please keep calling.

Update 6116: A day off today at Fair Hill.

Telling won the only Grade 1 event in North America this weekend, the Sword Dancer. Like last year he was a longshot, but managed to repeat that performance: Telling powers to repeat Sword Dancer victory.

Russell Baze eclipsed another amazing milestone this weekend: Baze adds to all-time wins record with 11,000th victory.

Goldikova found one better than her today in her attempt to win her 11th Group 1 race: MAKFI BOUNCES BACK AT DEAUVILLE.

Update 6115: Another five ridden this Saturday morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was a gorgeous morning for riding horses. All mine went nicely for a very pleasant start to the day. I am now off to a horse show!

Marquee racing this weekend in the US is a little lighter, the main event being the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Tomorrow, in Europe, we have two superstars running, Goldikova and Overdose.

Update 6114: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino. It was a little cooler, thanks to all the rain we got yesterday. It also made the main track sloppy so most of our horses went to the Tapeta track. All five of mine went nicely. One filly breezed a half mile, and she did it very well. A very good start to the day. Sharon Gunther, the tattoo lady and x Delaware Park jockey, was in our barn this morning putting a couple of lip tattoos on a couple of our 2yos!

Today are the Hall of Fame ceremonies in Saratoga.

Yesterday I was going through my gmail account looking for Barbaro pictures from 2006. I found them, I now have about 120 pictures for the book! I also received another cool review for Part 1 of the book yesterday.

And please keep calling.

Update 6113: Five ridden again this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It started off warm again, but clouds were ominous, the rain came and along with the change in weather some thunder! We got wet. All my horses went nicely although one of them was a little fractious coming home. I survived!

I am asking a big favor, I need to get votes for a presentation I want to give at SXSW next year. Details are here.

And please keep calling.

Update 6112: Another five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was another humid and hot morning for riding horses. Thankfully all mine went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

Yesterday we learned the sad news of the death of Odysseus, to complications of laminitis: Odysseus, 2010 TC Contender, Dies. Odysseus won this year's Tampa Bay Derby defeating Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. We have struggled to understand laminitis since the times of Aristotle, when it was known as Barley's disease.

And please keep calling.

Update 6111: Five ridden again this morning for Michael Pino. It was a warm and muggy morning here at Fair Hill too. All my horses went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group message: Zenyatta, Quality Road, Blame, Velazquez, Judge Beautiful, laminitis, Aristotle, Secretariat, Sunday Silence, Bayakoa, Singspeil and Sunline.

And please keep calling.

Update 6110: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A very straightforward start to the day.

For whatever reasons I have been having problems with my person Facebook page. I have now started a new one. Add me!

And please keep calling.

Update 6109: A day off today, a nice quiet morning to just relax.

Yesterday afternoon I went over to Delaware Park to enjoy a little racing. I stayed to watch the Whitney from Saratoga. Of course I had assumed, like many others, that Quality Road would win. I think his jockey thought the same and looked like he was getting dizzy looking around all the time. Anyway, he was headed on the wire by Blame who now looks like the leader of the male older horse division: Blame collars Quality Road to win Whitney.

The highlight of racing was last night though, with Zenyatta putting her unbeaten streak on the line at Del Mar. And she did not disappoint with her patented powerful and wide move around the turn to win yet another race by the slimmest of margins: Zenyatta remains unbeaten with Hirsch victory.

Update 6108: Five ridden again this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And the weather was much more pleasant this morning for riding. All my horses went nicely. Here is a photo of me working a horse, a week or two ago, with x jockey Ronnie Franklyn.

The top two older horses are scheduled to race today. Zenyatta will be looking to make it an undefeated 18 wins in a race she has won the last two years, and Quality Road will make his case for Horse of the Year at Saratoga: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Update 6107: Another five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All went nice and quietly for a very straightforward start to the day. I thought this was a very nice story: Saving Global Hunter.

And please keep calling.

Update 6106: Five ridden again this morning at Fair Hill for Michael Pino. But this morning was not a straightforward morning. I was coming off the track on my second horse, and across the PA system came the word: "loose horse on the Tapeta." That was soon followed by: "two loose horses on the Tapeta." Needless to say something happened. As I was coming out of the barn on my third horse, who was scheduled to breeze on the Tapeta track, the Tapeta track was being closed. One of the riders involved in the accident was still down, and hurt. After a while I returned to the barn, and got on a different horse to go to the dirt track instead. An ambulance arrived, and then left with the rider. I am told he has a broken arm, and was essentially run over by one of the loose horses. A tough morning, and a reminder that things can sometimes get a little dangerous out there! I then got back on my horse that was scheduled to breeze on the Tapeta, once the Tapeta track reopened. She breezed well.

And please keep calling.

Update 6105: Five ridden again this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All went nicely. It was a muggy start to the day, and it's likely to only get hotter!

For a chapter on laminitis for my book, I am looking to compile a list of "famous" horses who suffered from laminitis, here is the current list. Please add to this list if you know of any more.

And please keep calling.

Update 6104: Another five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group message: A Little Warm, Lookin At Lucky, Super Saver, Goldikova, David Carroll, Book, Riding Camp.

And please keep calling.

Update 6103: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A little cooler and a little damp, but a pleasant morning for riding horses. All mine went nicely.

More feedback for Part 1 of Greatness and Goodness: Barbaro and his Legacy.

Yesterday was memorable for two performances, one this side of the Atlantic (Lookin At Lucky stakes claim as best of division) and one the other side of the Atlantic (GOLDIKOVA STRIKES AGAIN).

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 2:15 PM | Comments (201)

Barbaro Updates: 1003

Posted July 19, 2010

updates are now here.

Update 6102: Only three to ride this Sunday morning at Fair Hill. A very easy start to the day. All horses went nicely. We were accompanied by some deer first set, and fox cubs second set. While they spooked the horses a little, it was fun to watch.

Today is the Haskell at Monmouth, which is the marquee race for Monmouth Park and has attracted the leading three-year-olds in the nation. It should be a great race: Classic winners clash again in Haskell. The Haskell typically serves as a prep race for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. The other major prep race for the Travers was yesterday's Jim Dandy Stakes: A Little Warm delivers scorcher
in Jim Dandy.

Update 6101: Four ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. Another gorgeous morning out there for riding horses. All mine went nicely, including one who did a bit of gate schooling and galloped out of the gate nicely.

The second half of the racing season truly gets underway this weekend with key 3yo races at Monmouth (Haskell on Sunday) and Saratoga (Jim Dandy today): Three-year-old division heats up this weekend. The Derby and Preakness winners will face-off in the Haskell (Derby, Preakness Winners Clash in Haskell) while the Jim Dandy includes Belmont runner-up Fly Down (Fly Down, Winslow Homer to meet in Jim Dandy.)

With Saratoga and Del Mar in full swing there is plenty of other great racing too this weekend: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Update 6100: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was a gorgeous morning for riding horses. Perhaps it was a little too crisp first set, we had two loose horses and another person also got run-off with. Fortunately all was well after the incidents, and my horses went nicely.

Fall-out continues at Penn National: More horse doping arrests are possible at Penn National Race Course, authorities say and GRAND JURY CASE AGAINST DARREL DELAHOUSSAYE.

And please keep calling.

Update 6099: Six ridden again this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a really muggy morning for riding horses, so not as much fun! All my horses went nicely, including a filly who galloped well out of the gate.

Here is another example illutrastration for the book: Barbaro grazing at Fair Hill, after Derby win. As part of my marketing for the book, yesterday I asked those on the book's Facebook fan page to help me by suggesting the page to their Facebook friends. It seemed to work as we now have nearly 200 more people on the page! Thanks for your help.

And please keep calling.

Update 6098: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was a straightforward morning's work. All my horses went nicely under cloudy skies.

Here is an example of an illustration I plan to use for my Barbaro book. All together I plan to have two - three illustrations per chapter, which will be displayed at the beginning of each chapter and will illustrate the content of the chapter. Putting this book together is quite a project!

And please keep calling.

Update 6097: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a gorgeous morning for riding and training horses. Two of mine went to the gate for a little schooling. Both galloped out of the gate nicely, and the rest also trained well. All in all a very pleasant morning's work.

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group message: Rachel Alexandra, Barbaro book, Craig Gibbs, Rob Love, Westmoreland, Clovis Crane, Rory Meeks.

And please keep calling.

Update 6096: Wow, it was a gorgeous morning this morning for riding horses at Fair Hill. Probably the first time in a week the weather was pleasant! I had six to ride for Michael Pino, and it was a very uneventful morning's work.

And please keep calling.

Update 6095: A day off for me today at Fair Hill. And with this heat I am very happy about it!

The highlight of yesterday was seeing Rachel Alexandra at Monmouth Park. Some will debate how good her race was, but she won and won by about three lengths in the end: Rachel Has to Work in Lady's Secret Victory.

Update 6094: I only had four to ride this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And with this ridiculously hot weather four was enough! One two-year-old breezed a quarter after doing a little gate schooling, she went nicely. All went well for a thankfully short morning's work.

Some good racing this weekend with Del Mar and Saratoga now in full swing. But the highlight is the appearance of Rachel Alexandra at Monmouth Park (Star Filly Rachel Alexandra Joins the Party at Monmouth) later this afternoon: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Update 6093: Another hot morning this morning at Fair Hill. I rode five again for Michael Pino. All five went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

Saratoga's 40 day meet opens today.

And please keep calling.

Update 6092: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was another warm morning. All mine went nicely, one of which breezed 3/8ths of a mile. He went well, although I was pretty knackered once we pulled up! A good and short morning's work to begin the day.

Rachel Alexandra returns to the races on Saturday at Monmouth Park. She looks like she overmatches her rivals: Rachel Towers Over Lady's Secret Field.

And please keep calling.

Update 6091: Six ridden again this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. Another warm morning, but I guess that is what we should expect this time of year. All mine went nicely, including one 2yo who had an easy quarter of a mile breeze.

Southern California racing moves to Del Mar today to start its boutique meet. Later in the week New York moves to Saratoga for it's meet. We shall see a flurry of top class races over the next month or so from these two venues.

And please keep calling.

Update 6090: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All mine went nicely. It was a pleasant start to the morning weather-wise, but it seems to be getting hot. There were also a variety of critters out there too!

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group message: Delaware Handicap, John Curran, Life at Ten, Ashkal Way, Jeannine Edwards, Hound walking, Bill Nack, Paulick Report.

And please keep calling.

Update 6089: Five ridden this Monday morning for Michael Pino. It was a muggy and humid morning, and then just as I was coming in off my last horse a storm hit. Perfect timing for me, not so perfect for those going on the track as we were coming off the track! One of my horses was a bit fractious going up to the track, but other than that they all went nicely for an easy start to the day.

More great feedback on my book. I have a lot of work to do, but the feedback gives me hope it might actually get done!

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 1:26 PM | Comments (257)

Barbaro Updates: 1002

Posted July 5, 2010

updates are now here.

Update 6088: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A nice quiet morning for training horses at Fair Hill. I was first on the training track with my first set, and it was gorgeous. My last horse breezed a half mile, and she went nicely. All in all a great way to start the day.

Yesterday afternoon I headed over to Delaware Park for Delaware Handicap day. It was a fun afternoon of racing and hanging out with friends. I also met John Curran, who is the Delaware Park track announcer, and as such announced Barbaro's first race.

I also got some great feedback from Bill Nack, yesterday, regarding Part 1 of my Barbaro book. Bill did suggest I go into more detail on each of Barbaro's races, how they unfolded etc. That gave me the idea to ask the track announcers for each of his races if they would provide me descriptions of each of the races they called. Lets see how that works out!

Update 6087: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All six went nicely, but it does look like it will be another hot day. Let's hope not too hot, as it is Delaware Park's marquee day with the $750,000 Delaware Handicap. I plan to head on over later to watch. Here are the top races from around the country this weekend: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Paulick Report is also hosting a poll for me, to help determine how people best remember Barbaro. You will find the poll lower down on the left-hand column.

I received another great review for Part 1 of my Barbaro book. This one from a literary agent!

Update 6086: Five ridden again this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a foggy, humid and hot morning, so a good morning to have a light schedule. All my horses went nicely, so a straightforward morning too.

I received another review of Part 1 of my Barbaro book. Very cool. Lately I have been focusing on pictures for the book. I have not determined how much it costs to include pictures, but at this point I have about 60 to include. Some of those pictures will be unique to the book, including pictures of Barbaro's Jockey Club papers. Well I thought that was cool!

And please keep calling.

Update 6085: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All the training occurred on the Tapeta track again, as the main dirt track was still not in great shape after all the rain. One of mine did a half mile breeze in preparation for a forthcoming race. She went nicely. All in all a straightforward start to the day, which looks like is going to get hot again!

And please keep calling.

Update 6084: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A bit of a damp and muggy morning here and the main track was sealed. Most training occured on the Tapeta track which made it quite busy. All my horses went nicely, including a 2yo filly who breezed 3/8ths. All in all a decent start to the day.

And please keep calling.

Update 6083: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a bit of a damp morning here, but we do need the rain, so no complaints. All my horses went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

Here is this week's ABR Group Facebook e-mail. Unfortunately I could not send it out because there is a 5k limit on the usage of messaging from Facebook Groups. I did not know this, so will have to rethink how best to do this going forward: Gio Ponti, Nicanor, Bullsbay, Blind Luck, Twisted Wit, Date With Destiny, George Washington, Rai Phelan, the Jacksons, Paul Rowland.

And please keep calling.

Update 6082: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill, and a very pleasant morning for riding horses. All six of mine went nicely for an easy start to the day. Here is my first filly, 30 minutes after training.

And please keep calling.

Update 6081: A day off today, very nice and relaxing!

Yesterday I went over to Delaware Park to watch the Stakes races. It was a fun afternoon out, where I caught up with a few FOBs. It was the Barbaro Stakes and of course Nicanor was running in the "off the Turf" Sussex Stakes. Nicanor adopted his usual running style of going straight to the lead, he looked great turning for home but got caught down the lane to finish third: Nicanor Third to Pickapocket in Sussex . The most thrilling race of the day was the Delaware Oaks in which Blind Luck, the heavy favorite, got up in the final stride to record another victory: Blind Luck By a Nose in Delaware Oaks.

In other racing news yesterday Gio Ponti got back to his winning ways with a repeat win in the Man o' War Stakes at Belmont Park: Gio Ponti Up Late to Repeat in Man o' War.

Update 6080: We have some rain! While not ideal for training, I think we can all appreciate that we need some rain right around now. So we got wet. I rode five for Michael Pino, and while I was a little damp by the end of the morning it was a straightforward morning's work.

This afternoon Delaware Park hosts a three Stakes races, The Delaware Oaks, The Barbaro Stakes and the Sussex Stakes. Nicanor runs in the Sussex, and I think I will venture over: Blind Luck Ships in For Delaware Oaks.

Gio Ponti is also racing today in New York: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by WEST POINT THOROUGHBREDS.

Update 6079: Another five ridden this morning at Fair Hill for Michael Pino. But it was not quite so hot as it has been the last few days so it was almost pleasant out there riding. All my horses went nicely for a straightforward morning's work.

Here is a picture of me gate schooling a young horse from a few days ago. Just encouraging a young horse to come out, and keep straight!

And please keep calling.

Update 6078: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was the third straight morning of oppressive heat. For the first set we got to the track before the tractors were finished preparing the track. As we waited a horse of another trainer got loose. My horse, who can be a little quirky, then got very silly. Fortunately we survived. The rest of my horses went nicely for a short start to the day.

After work yesterday I went over to the Jacksons to get some pictures for my book. While I had a photographer friend take real pictures for me, I took a couple of my own. Here is baby Barbaro. It is a photograph of a photograph the Jacksons have. And here is the lithograph that was used to name Barbaro and his brothers. Barbaro is the hound on the right of the picture.

And please keep calling.

Update 6077: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And that was enough in this ridiculously hot weather! Now off to Lael Farm to meet with the Jacksons and get some additional photos for my book.

And please keep calling.

Update 6076: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was another hot day. Goal, get done early before the heat gets unbearable for training! We managed to do that, and all my horses went nicely. This included taking a couple to the gate for a little schooling.

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Wake At Noon, Queens Plate, Queen, Big Red Mike, Mine That Bird, I want Revenge, Ashkal Way, Tice, Black Tie Affair, Argent Affair.

And please keep calling.

Update 6075: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. Another hot morning too at Fair Hill. All six of mine went nicely for a straightforward morning's work.

Yesterday Woodbine was the place to be. The Queen visited and it was Queen's Plate Day. For the second year in a row, Eurico Rosa da Silva rode the winner: Big Red Mike Leads Queen's Plate Procession.

Mine That Bird's 2010 debut was a flop. He finished eighth after being last early and for a long time: Tizdejavu Notches Explosive Firecracker Win.

Second feedback received for my book: Greatness and Goodness: Barbaro and his Legacy.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 2:31 PM | Comments (259)

Barbaro Updates: 1001

Posted June 21, 2010

updates are now here.

Update 6074: A day off for me today! Happy July 4th.

I want Revenge made his four-year-old debut yesterday. He looked good coming around the turn but tired coming down the lane to finish third to Haynesfield: Haynesfield Dominating in Suburban Victory.

2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird is scheduled to make his 2010 debut this afternoon for new trainer Wayne Lukas on a new surface, turf: Mine That Bird all set for Firecracker.

Today it is Queen's Plate day at Woodbine. Here is all the Queen's Plate news. Jen was first to break the story about Wake at Noon earlier this week. Woodbine has acted swiftly and now his owner, Bruno Schickedanz, is not longer allowed to run horses at Woodbine for the time being: Schickedanz barred from Woodbine.

Update 6073: Only five to ride this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A nice easy morning's work, and the weather was also pleasant.

Some decent racing this weekend. The highlight for today will be the return to the races of I Want Revenge. He has not run since he was scratched, as favorite, the morning of last year's Kentucky Derby: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by West Point Thoroughbreds.

Nice to see Woodbine take action regarding the death of Horse of the Year Wake at Noon: Schickedanz Barred From Racing at Woodbine.

Update 6072: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All my horses went nicely, and it was a beautiful morning for riding horses!

My first horse, Argent Affair, is by Black Tie Affair, who was recently euthanized: BLACK TIE AFFAIR RIP.

And please keep calling.

Update 6071: A light morning this morning with only six to ride fo Michael Pino at Fair Hill. All six went nicely, and the weather was gorgeous for training.

Congratulations to Barbi Moline for winning this year's Dominion Award: Barbi Moline Wins 2010 Dogwood Dominion Award.

And please keep calling.

Update 6070: Eight ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a gorgeous morning too for riding horses. All my horses went nicely.

Woodbine is gearing up for the Queen's Plate this weekend. Sadly the week began with a tragic accident during training hours in the morning: Wake at Noon, 13, dies on Woodbine track. This is being discussed here.

And please keep calling.

Update 6069: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A busier morning, but thankfully the weather was not quite as hot as it was the last couple of days. All my horses went nicely for a straightforward morning's work.

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Devil Mare Care, Delta Storm, TOBA track surface study, Barbaro Book.

And please keep calling.

Update 6068: Six ridden this monday morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And it was a hot morning to ride horses. Thankfully we survived the morning without too much incident, but this weather is ridiculous for June!

Here is a short review of Part 1 of my Barbaro book. Very excited to complete this phase of the "project."

And please keep calling.

Update 6067: Five ridden this Sunday morning at Fair Hill. It was very quiet out there on the training track and it was also very foggy for the first few sets. Of course once the sun broke through, the heat came! All my horses went nicely for an easy start to the day. The day's outcome will now hinge on how England do against Germany in the World Cup!

Devil May Care, in her first start since the Kentucky Derby, won yesterday's Mother Goose: Devil May Care Takes Mother Goose.

Update 6066: Eight ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a busy morning, with a few of my horses working too. It was also a hot morning, making the last couple of sets a little less pleasant. Thankfully all my horses went nicely.

We had a nice winner last night at Presque Isle. Hosannah's Song has now won two in a row!

The Mother Goose (G1) is the feature race this weekend, but it has only attracted five entrants: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.

Update 6065: Another seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And a much more pleasant morning for riding horses after the air was cleared by storms last night. All mine went nicely for a straightforward morning's work.

And please keep calling.

Update 6064: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And yet another hot morning for riding horses. My last horse was a bit of a rodeo coming out of the barn ... but aside from that all my horses went nicely. I survived!

Here is some Barbaro trivia, that I learned today from Dr. Kathy Anderson.

Workforce, winner of the Epsom Derby in only his third start, is considered the leading horse in the world: WORKFORCE OVERTAKES QUALITY ROAD.

And please keep calling.

Update 6063: Six ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A very hot morning for work too here at Fair Hill. A couple of mine went to the gate for some schooling, and schooled well. All galloped nicely. It's good to have a short morning's work this morning, so now we can focus on the World Cup!

The following story highlights the problems that can occur with the claiming system: A DELTA STORM.

And please keep calling.

Update 6062: Another seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. I had a couple to breeze, and both went nicely. It was a hot morning for riding horses, more like August weather than June weather. Here is a picture of me and Ronnie Franklin galloping a couple of 2yos yesterday at Fair Hill.

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Royal Ascot, Sue McMullen, Ken McPeak, Goldikova, Nicanor, Ernie Paragallo, Jeannine Edwards, Ashkal Way.

And please keep calling.

Update 6061: Seven ridden for Michael Pino this morning at Fair Hill. A very straightforward morning's work, although it is starting to get hot here already! We had a great weekend of winners so the barn was in good form this morning.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 3:47 PM | Comments (341)

Barbaro Updates: 1000

Posted June 7, 2010

updates are now here.

Update 6060: A day off today, so going kayaking!

Update 6059: Sue McMullen provides a final day wrap-up from Royal Ascot:

Starspangledbanner helped put Ballydoyle back on the Royal Ascot map, annihilating the field in the six furlong Group 1 Jubilee Stakes, the third leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, on the final day of a thrilling Royal Ascot 2010.

Son of the awesome Choisir who bagged a remarkable double at Royal Ascot in 2003 when he won both the Group 1 Kings Stand Stakes and the Golden Jubilee, Starspangledbanner is a Ballydoyle import from Australia and though he isn't quite the same strapping specimen as 'Dad', junior is also chestnut and showed the same kind of electrifying speed.

The very game filly Fleeting Spirit finished fourth, having led the group on the far side and probably thought she had won the race but Starspangledbanner was followed home by Society Rock and in third, Kinsale King, the US raider who ran very well and with his colourful racing gear and accompanied by a pony to the start, gave the race a great international flavour. Carl O'Callaghan is considering keeping his charge this side of the Atlantic for an attempt on the July Cup at Newmarket next month, the fourth leg in the Global Sprint Challenge series.

Clive Brittain is considering a tilt at the Kentucky Derby for the Listed Chesham Stakes victor Zaidan, a colt he's always thought highly of but until today didn't know just how good he might turn out to be. Ridden by Seb Sanders, the son of Street Cry was very unsettled before and after the race and hopefully the experience might have taught him something positive about the racing game. Although still a baby, he'll need to learn to relax if he's to start clocking up air miles next year but Clive Brittain was one of the first European trainers to head across the Pond and knows just what it takes to keep horses happy when shuttling around the globe.

Harbinger bagged the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, giving Sir Michael Stoute his second victory of the week following the success of the gorgeous grey filly Strawberrydaiquiri, and earning himself a quote of 7-2 second favourite for the King George behind his stablemate Workforce. However, no definite plans have been made and the Stoute team will discuss all the options with the owners, Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.

Approximately 60,000 bottles of champagne will have been consumed during the most fabulous week of top class international racing, some of it consumed by the 1,000 accredited international media. The US raiders are becoming a regular feature, albeit a very small number and hopefully more will come. Kenny McPeek, whose Caspar's Touch finished third behind Zaidan in the Chesham Stakes and Tiz My Time ran third in yesterday's Albany Stakes for fillies, said the meeting had been a test-drive for him to figure out what kind of colt or filly to bring over here in future.

"It's a learning experience, but a happy one, he said. "We really enjoy the higher-end meets. I'd like to bring horses here every year. This is an easy trip for us, all the horses came over fine, they eat well and ship well. The Australians have come a lot farther than we have. It think it's a bit of a misconception about the travel because the Europeans come our way all the time and you don't hear complaints from them. We should come back this way more. It's not all about the money - it's about the sport."

Kenny has some regrets about the way they decided to ride Noble's Promise in the St James's Palace Stakes.

"After the race Kieren (Fallon) and I wished we'd just let him go at his own pace, because he broke well. He was on the inside, so when he was eased out for a run the colt thought he was going left-handed, which he's done all his career. Kieren had to rearrange him and get him to curl back right. You can't unring a bell and fifth wasn't bad, but now what we were looking for."

As he says, it's all a learning experience just as it has been for the Europeans when they race in the US and Kenny also had his Royal Ascot baptism in the fashion stakes, hiring a morning suit for the occasion, complete with top hat. "The first suit didn't fit too good, but I changed it." An experience shared all too often on this side of the Atlantic. Roll on 2011.

Update 6058: Eight ridden for Michael Pino at Fair Hill this morning. We had a few horses breezing, and a few went to the gate for some schooling, so a busy morning. All went well, so it was a good morning's work. Warm weather again too.

It's the last day of Royal Ascot, Sue McMullen will provide an update later today.

It's a light schedule of Graded Stakes this weekend in the US: WEEKEND STAKES: WHERE TO WATCH brought to you by KBC Horse Supplies.

Update 6057: Another seven ridden this morning at Fair Hill for Michael Pino. And a lovely morning for riding horses. All went nicely as we are now getting ready to watch some World Cup football!

Last night I caught up with Jeannine Edwards, to discuss my book. Jeannine is writing the forward and also gave me feedback on the first part of the book. I met Jeannine at the farm where she keeps her horse, Ashkal Way.

And please keep calling.

Update 6056: Day 3 update from Royal Ascot from Sue McMullen:

A perfect summer's day, not a cloud in the sky, pleasantly warm without being too hot and humid, provided the perfect backdrop to Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot.

Feature race on the third day of the meeting is the Ascot Gold Cup, founded in 1807, run over two miles and a half miles. The ultimate test of a horse's stamina and ability to settle during the race, this year's Gold Cup threatened to lack quite the interest of the last few years due to the absence of one individual, the incomparable Yeats who made this race his own with four consecutive victories, a feat that is unlikely to be repeated.

But today's race provided its own fairy story with the former hurdler Rite of Passage fighting out a thrilling finish with the Ballydoyle representative Age of Aquarius trying to emulate his former stablemate and retain the crown for O'Brien. Jumpers of this calibre are certainly not slow, proved today by Rite of Passage who looks likely to head to Australia for the Melbourne Cup with trainer Dermot Weld bidding for more success down under. Age of Aquarius was unsettled in the paddock with O'Brien himself walking the horse out to the track but he appeared to settle well in the race for Johnny Murtagh and at one stage appeared to be the winner but the stamina of the six year-old Rite of Passage just proved too much for the four year-old who battled very gamely all the way to the line. Murtagh was delighted with his performance and it might indicate a change of fortune for the Ballydoyle runners who have lacked sparkle so far this week.

Kieron Fallon is back on the winning board at the meeting following his photofinish victory aboard Afsare in the Listed Hampton Court Stakes over one and a quarter miles, providing Luca Cumani with his first Royal Ascot victory since 1997. A big favourite with Fallon, Afsare fought all the way to the line upsides the Queen's runner Quadrille but just got his nose in front and in doing so denied Her Majesty a popular royal victory, always a crowd pleaser. But many were equally delighted to see Fallon back on form at this hugely prestigious meeting and even before the race, his enthusiasm for the horse was evident in the way he patted and stroked his neck as they walked around the parade ring.

Hibaayeb gave Frankie Dettori and Godolphin their second victory at the meeting when she proved too strong for her rivals in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, over a mile and a half. Disappointing in the Guineas the filly returned to form in the Prix Saint-Alary and the decision was then made to bypass the Oaks and aim for Royal Ascot. Showing an impressive turn of foot to dismiss her rivals, the filly's victory put the wattage back in Dettori's beaming smile and an opportunity for the inevitable flying dismount after a Group victory.

Approve won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes for the 'babies', run over five furlongs, by putting his greater experience and his devestating turn of foot to good use. The Britannia Stakes, a Heritage Handicap over a mile, gave Micheal Hills his second win at this year's Royal Ascot, with the brave Ransom Note holding on to the lead. Described by Hills as a 'steering job' the horse is a big favourite at home as he is so easy to ride.

Update 6055: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. It was a gorgeous morning for riding horses. A couple of mine were a little "fractious" leaving the barn, but once they got out there were very good. All in all a great start to the day.

The highlight of yesterday was the win for Barbaro's brother Nicanor: Will Nicanor's Victory Serve as Confidence Booster?

And please keep calling.

Update 6054: Day 2 update from Royal Ascot from Sue McMullen:

Warmer weather with a cooling breeze resulted in faster going on the second day at Royal Ascot with the course record broken in two races.

First of these was Mark Johnston's Rainfall, another one for girl power as she became the first filly for many years to claim the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, run over 7 furlongs, and she did it in style battling her way to the line and beating the favourite, Red Jazz.

Arguably the most thrilling race of the day was the titanic battle between the girls in the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes with Strawberrydaiquiri under champion jockey Ryan Moore and last year's heroine Spacious, under Johnny Murtagh, attempting to retain her crown in this race.

Two brave fillies fighting all the way to the line with neither showing any sign of giving up. Nip and tuck to the wire, it was the type of race where it is a pity one has to lose but it was the elegant grey filly Strawberrydaiquiri who got her head in front.

The big battalions were out in force for the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes, first run in 1862 with a list of equine luminaries gracing the honour's roll, including in recent years the flying filly Ouija Board and the ill-fated Dubai Millenium.

Andre Fabre's Byword, favourite for the race, won in impressive fashion and paid a huge compliment to Europe's star mare, Goldikova, as he finished behind her at Longchamp. Henry Cecil's Twice Over followed him home by half a length after a troubled run but you can't take anything away from the victor, ridden in only his first race in the UK by talented young jockey Maxime Guyon. What a baptism on the international stage and huge credit to Fabre for giving young talent opportunities to ride in the big races. He said after the race that he had every confidence the horse could win and was more concerned about his inexperienced pilot, so all the more impressive for giving him the chance. Both the winner and the runner up are owned by Prince Khaled Abdullah, one of Europe's most prominent supporters of the game and a popular figure over here.

Frankie Dettori and Godolphin enjoyed their first win of the meeting with Invisible Man claiming the Royal Hunt Cup at 28/1 and smashing another course record. Godolphin has been a bit invisibile itself of late so this might mark a change in fortune.

Favourite for the race, Maqaasid looked very impressive in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes for fillies. Trained by John Gosden, Maqaasid showed an electric turn of foot going 59 and one to beat a brave Meow under Johnny Murtagh, so if they can keep her relaxed and enjoying the job, she is one to watch.

One time favourite for the Oaks, Timepiece, dropped down in class to win the Listed Sandringham Handicap over a mile and notch up another victory for Prince Khaled Abdullah. With a losing run of three races behind her, hopefully this will have boosted her confidence and she put Henry Cecil, beaten on the line with Twice Over, in the winners' enclosure, always a great place to be at Royal Ascot.

Update 6053: Another busy morning at the Pino barn at Fair Hill this morning. I had eight sets. We had a couple of sets do a bit of gate schooling, one 2yo to get a gate card, the other was at the gate for the first time. All went well and all galloped nicely.

It is day 2 of Royal Ascot, and we should be getting a report later from Sue McMullen.

And please keep calling.

Update 6052: Day 1 update from Royal Ascot from Sue McMullen:

Day one at Royal Ascot and the feast we had anticipated certainly lived up to expectations with stellar performances in the Group 1 races.

Superstar racemare Goldikova gained her ninth Group 1, denying Paco Boy a consecutive victory in the Queen Anne Stakes. The very game Paco Boy has his own style of racing and has to be produced very late. Held up in traffic, he eventually saw daylight and unleashed his electric turn of foot with a very brave attempt to reach the mare but she just found a bit more and held on to the line. Richard Hannon, trainer of Paco Boy, said they were very proud of their own star boy and it was no disgrace to go down fighting to such a fabulous mare.

Olivier Peslier, Goldikova's jockey, deployed the best tactics to beat Paco Boy by going early and forcing the Richard Hannon colt to make up too much ground with his late run.

Aiden O'Brien's Rip Van Winkle appeared to need the race but the yard is out of form with non of the Ballydoyle runners showing real sparkle on the track.

Equiano was a dazzling winner of the Kings Stand Stakes, the Group 1 sprint over a very stiff five furlongs Despite stumbling out of the stalls and almost going down on his knees he nevertheless made up ground very fast and once he hit the front nothing could catch him. Winner of this race two years ago when he was trained in Spain, Equiano is now trained at Newmarket by the popular Barry Hills and ridden by his son Michael.

Aussie sprinters have dominated the Group 1 Kings Stand Stakes for some years, with no British-trained runner winning since 2004 but the tradition ended today and neither of the Aussie raiders looked threatening. Perhaps Nicconi is not quite in the same league as the illustrious Takeover Target, Miss Andretti or Choisir or maybe he had an off day but he also looked as if he could get further.

Canford Cliffs confirmed his Irish Guineas form against Makfi, winner of the English equivalent, by storming home in the Group 1 St James Palace stakes, beating his very tough stablemate Dick Turpin. Winner of last year's Coventry Stakes in emphatic style, Canford Cliffs has a tremendous burst of speed and jockey Richard Hughes had every confidence the Hannon-trained colt would win today, with a little luck in running. Poor Dick Turpin keeps finding one too good and seems destined to be the bridesmaid but he is a very classy, attractive individual and will have his day.

Kenny McPeek's Noble's Promise finished a creditable fifth but never looked threatening at any stage during the race. There is much admiration here for Kenny to have brought the Kentucky Derby fifth to Royal Ascot to take on Europe's finest and hopefully it will encourage more trainers from the US to follow in his footsteps.

The in-form Hannon yard unleashed another star in the making with their two year-old Strong Suit winning an action-packed Group 1 Coventry Stakes by a nod in a photo finish In only his second run, Strong Suit was barged about and had to weave his way through the field, an impressive performance for a mere rookie, and once he saw daylight he flew home to catch Barry Hills' Elzaam on the line. The latter ran a bit green and will certainly learn from today's experience but Strong Suit looks to be a very impressive horse and earned himself a 10-1 quote for next year's Guineas.

Update 6051: Eight ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill, so a little longer morning's work. All eight of mine went nicely for a straightforward start to the day.

Royal Ascot is now underway, and Goldikova got things going with another Group 1 win against the boys: Goldikova reigns in Royal Ascot opener.

Here is this week's ABR Facebook Group e-mail: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Kip Deville, ABR radio, Bob Hatfield, Andy Durnin, Lisa Grimm, The Jacksons.

And please keep calling.

Update 6050: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. Ant it was another warm morning for training horses. All mine went nicely. One also breezed 3/8ths in company, and they both went well.

The highlight from yesterday was the thrilling win of Zenyatta, who remains perfect at 17 races. It was not an easy win, and it did look like she was going to struggle a little to overhaul the leader, but inside the 1/16th pole she seemed to find one extra gear to win almost comfortably: Zenyatta shows heart of a champion in Vanity.

And please keep calling.

Update 6049: Five ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. While it was a short and straightforward morning's work, it was ridiculously hot.

The highlight yesterday was the return to form of Rachel Alexandra, who made light work of her first win for the year: Rachel Alexandra runs off with Fleur de Lis.

Today Zenyatta will look to make history: Zenyatta shoots for record third Vanity win.

Update 6048: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And all mine went nicely for a straightforward start to the day. Lots of World Cup chatter this morning at the track. A few of us were wearing our England shirts, oddly no one seemed to be sporting a USA shirt ? It should be a fun game this afternoon!

And also this afternoon Rachel Alexandra is running on a busy day at Churchill Downs which includes the Grade 1 Stephen Foster: Blame, Rachel Alexandra top Stephen Foster card.

Update 6047: Eight ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And a lovely morning for training horses. All mine went nicely for a longer but straightforward morning's work.

Good news regarding racing at Royal Ascot next week, from Sue McMullen:

Good news for racing fans across the 'Pond' who have heard so much about the Royal meeting but had few opportunities to get a real taste of its unique character. For the first time TVG and HRTV will cover the meeting. TVG is setting up a studio at Ascot and HRTV is sending a crew to the course and will broadcast coverage from its Santa Anita studio.

With the addition of live coverage in Australia it means that Royal Ascot will now be broadcast from the west coast of America to the eastern seaboard of Australia.

For sheer spectacle Royal Ascot is hard to beat and it will be interesting to see quite what our media colleagues from TVG and HRTV make of it all, but if you cast aside the unrivalled opulence, glitz, glamour, posturing celebs and wannabees who go merely to see and be seen, this is the week's best Flat racing in Europe, a week of championship, Group racing at the highest level with an international line-up.

We have a feast of racing to look forward to and away from the track those vital last minute preparations are underway. The finery is being dusted down, hired or puchased as everybody wants to look their absolute best. Humans are as much on parade as the horses but despite their dazzling array of colour, designer bling and haute couture, it is the magnificent, sleek, unadorned Thoroughbreds that always steal the show. The human pageantry is a mere sideshow to the clash of equine titans on the track.

Not long to wait and ladies are already practising that special technique required to avoid the clash of large hats as they encounter one another in the confined doorways of bathrooms. Without due vigilence this can resemble two fighting stags locking antlers. All part of life at Royal Ascot.

And please keep calling.

Update 6046: Five ridden so far this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. I have two more to go, but since I am on break I thought I would use the time to do today's update. One of the one's I have ridden so far was a little fractious, but we survived. The remaining two I have to ride are babies, it will be there second day to the track.

2 pm today we have our final ABR radio show for this Triple Crown series. We will review the Belmont and the entire Triple Crown this year, as well as discuss the upcoming races for Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. Should be another fun show: Alex Brown Racing on the radio.

This weekend Zenyatta runs in the Vanity and is looking for a threepeat in the race, as well as surpassing the modern day record for consecutive wins: Zenyatta Breezes Six Furlongs in Vanity Prep. Rachel Alexandra returns in the Fleur de Lis: Rachel to Start in Fleur de Lis, Not Foster.

And please keep calling.

Update 6045: Seven ridden this morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. One of mine breezed an easy half mile, and went nicely. Four of the horses I rode were "babies", 2yos. Two went to the track for the first time, as we received a new shipment of horses in the last few days. All went nicely.

Last night I had dinner with the Jacksons to discuss the progress of my Barbaro book. They seemed pretty happy with the direction of the book, I also gave them a draft chapter to read. Hope they like it!

And please keep calling.

Update 6044: Six ridden today for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. A gorgeous morning for riding horses at Fair Hill. Two of mine went to the gate for a little schooling. One also breezed a half a mile. Quite a busy morning, but just a great morning to be out there.

Here is this week's Facebook Group e-mail: Drosselmeyer, Mike Smith, Fly Down, First Dude, Bill Mott, Joe Drape, Travers Stakes, Epsom Derby, Workforce, ABR radio, Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Tim Woolley, Kansas City, 4,000.

And please keep calling.

Update 6043: Superfecta here, with your regular weekly update - Triple Crown wrap-up/World Cup kickoff edition.

It may have been a pokey Belmont, but it was nice to see Bill Mott add a Triple Crown win to his resume, and we've got summer and fall racing to look forward to. WinStar farm will have to decide how to manage their two classic winners, Super Saver and Drosselmeyer, over the next few months, but it's certainly a good problem to have - even if the idea of either one competing with Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic seems rather beyond the realm of possibility. One does hope that Uptowncharlybrown, who finished fifth, gets another chance to prove his talent (as well as earn some money for his connections), after his odd disqualification to last in the race after losing a weight pad. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin explained how it happened, and blames himself - it's definitely not a fun way to lose $30,000.

And Zenyatta does not seem too concerned about possible rivals - she had an easy workout this week for her shot at a threepeat in the Vanity, which would give her win number 17. The big mare's presence in the race has limited the field - St Trinians is the only horse in the field likely to give Zenyatta much of a workout, although she's coming into the race off a poor effort last time out, in the Big Cap - still, someone has to be second.

And while we know that Rachel Alexandra will be racing somewhere on Saturday, which race her connections plan to go for is still up in the air. The Stephen Foster is coming up a tough race - Blame is on fire, and General Quarters seems to be getting into a good rhythm. Arson Squad, Macho Again and Giant Oak are also good horses, and while I believe we will see Rachel return to her best, that may still be a little bit down the road. However, she would get an attractive weight break in the race, so that's no doubt a consideration.

Of course, as we have previously mentioned, just about everything else happening on Saturday is eclipsed by the US taking on England in the World Cup; regardless of what the British press might suggest, we're actually reasonably evenly-matched - the two teams have similar difficulties in defense (although at least we have Tim Howard in goal), and a tendency to rely one one or two key players up front. I'd say the odds of both teams finishing the game with ten men are higher than a runaway score either way, but I'd love to see us pull out a win - and continue in that spirit well beyond the group stage.

With the World Cup, a new job and a variety of other side projects taking over, posting will be lighter than usual for a while - but follow along on Twitter for the latest commentary.

Update 6042: Six ridden this Monday morning for Michael Pino at Fair Hill. And a gorgeous morning for riding horses. The humid weather we have experienced the last few days has at last cleared out. All six of mine went nicely.

While the Triple Crown is now behind us, we will have some interesting racing this upcoming weekend. Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are scheduled to race. Rachel worked this morning at Churchill Downs an easy half mile. Rachel's race is still to be determined, Zenyatta is pointing to the Vanity: Zenyatta Assigned 129 Pounds for Vanity.

And please keep calling.

Posted by Alex at 2:51 PM | Comments (267)