Welcome to Bourbonology

Bourbonology (Gulch-Ciencia-El Gran Senor)

I kind of feel like Gerald Ford when he said, “…our long national nightmare is over.”  Of course in our case it would be that our long spring nightmare of losing shakes and failed vet checks is over.  The claiming group has a horse – ironically she came via private purchase and not the claiming box.

Bourbonology, one of the last of Gulch’s progeny to the races, came to our stable on Friday and shipped in on Sunday.  For those of you that wonder how these things come about, I got a phone call on Thursday afternoon from our trainer, Bernell Rhone.   

“I need you to look up this horse right now,” he said to me.

Usually he’s not that insistent but there was a time crunch involved.  Bourbonology (Gulch-Ciencia-El Gran Senor) had just raced at Arlington Park but was not stabled there, she shipped in from Kentucky to race and was heading back.  Fortunately I wasn’t on the road at the time – which is highly unusual for me – and also happened to be on my computer at the time.  I dug in and looked her up.

She made her debut as a two year old for Bourbon Lane Stables and trainer Joan Scott at Aqueduct, running 5^th and 6^th in Maiden Special Weights.  She was given a few months off and came back at Saratoga where she finished 4^th three consecutive times in Maiden Specials.  She headed down to Tampa Bay Downs where she ran another 4^th in another Maiden Special before her latest in Arlington, a 3^rd in a $25,000 Maiden Claiming race.  Every race but her secnid was over the turf and she was competitive in every race – except her second.  Needless to say she will head out over the turf when the time comes that she heads out for us.

We went back and forth for a bit and Bernell secured her for us at a fair price.  A vet gave her the once over, I overnighted a check and she came up to Canterbury to join Ellie.

She settled in nicely and ate well from day one.  She was going to be walked a few days to get accustomed to the sights, sounds and routines of a new barn and a new racetrack before heading over to the track to get ready for her GRS debut and so we can see what’s under the hood.

She’s a beautiful looking filly and put together real solidly.  She almost looks male in her stockiness and she has dinner plates for hooves.  Though taller, I believe, she is very Gulch-y.  Let’s hope she has more than just his looks going for her!