How Do You Bounce Back?

You just do. How's that for a deep, thoughtful, meaningful answer? You simply do. Horses don't win every race. The strength and determination of a beautiful 1200 pound animal does not always hold together on four thin limbs. And at times things don't go well - and sometimes over the same weekend.

So you get up, dust yourself off and try again. That is how we begin this week.

Fizzy Pop came out of his race well. We were glad to hear that he came back feeling good, but he almost came back feeling too good! He ate up his feed, slept well, walked the next morning with no soreness and showed no indication of any fatigue. As he was cooling down after the race, the starting gate sprung open for race 9 and Fizzy's ears pricked and he tried to bound off on Cindy Rhone as she walked him out. Really, Fiz? NOW you're ready to go?! All good news except for the fact that we have no idea why he ran as poorly as he did. Jockey Dean Butler said he never settled down. He was bobbing all over the place the entire mile and a sixteenth. Maybe it was being back on the turf again? Maybe he was just over matched? Maybe he was intimidated by another horse before the race? Maybe it was too humid? You know, if they could talk it would be SO much easier!

We'll see the next week or so how he's doing. If he still shows all the signs of never really having run this weekend, then he'll get one more start at Tampa before we bring him north to Canterbury. He's a Florida bred, so racing for a couple of grand extra is meaningful for us. I don't know what level we'll have him back in, but after that last race he may really be over his head at $25K. We'll see. He's an older, inconsistent gelding - not exactly tops on everyone's claiming list. However, like you're own kids - he's OUR older inconsistent gelding and we love him.

While the last race disaster still stings and Missy's death still hurts like hell, we're getting up and dusting off and getting right back on the horse.