Thoughts on Chromer
I wasn't a believer initially. Heading into the Derby I was not sure if he was really all that and he proved me wrong. I jumped on the bandwagon after the Derby win, along with many others, and he certainly endorsed my confidence.
I didn't care much about the "slowness" of the Derby - there were 18 others that couldn't run faster. The final time of a race can be influenced by many factors including the condition of the racetrack (the long break between the last dirt race and the Derby could have contributed to the 'dryness' of the track, some have speculated) and the strategy as the race developed. I was afraid of the blistering pace in the Derby and it turned out that no one wanted to go.
Heading into the Preakness I was a bit afraid of the pace development again because if no one went in the Derby, then certainly someone would go in the Preakness. There was some pace but Chrome ended up perfectly placed and was able to charge home.
I've actually avoided reading a lot of Tweets about the Preakness because I can already hear the complaining: ANOTHER perfect trip; he'll never get a mile and half; etc. We'll see. I didn't think he'd get a mile and a quarter and perfect trips come from good rides by good jockeys on good horses - you make your own luck.
Personally, I'm going to unabashedly root for a Triple Crown, I think we could use it.
Ellie Preps
Elusive Edition is getting closer to her first start for us. She's prepping okay. She's had two timed works where she wasn't asked for much. In her last she had a four furlong work and she walked off the track looking like she handled it just fine. I wouldn't go so far as to say she wouldn't have been able to blow out a candle, but it was pretty close. I'm reserving judgments until I see her really lay out.
There are quite a few fine 3-year old Minnesota bred fillies this year, one of the best in her own barn, Sky and Sea. She's nominated to the Minnesota Oaks but we have to get rolling first and the anxiety may kill me!
Canterbury Club
The best way to follow the doings of the Canterbury Racing Club is to sign up to get the blog updates at canterburyracingclub.com but in a nutshell: we claimed filly Maryjean for $8,000 in a race she won impressively. We're hoping to bring her back this weekend, up a notch or two, and see what we have. Club membership closed at a record 202 people and we're still looking for another horse for the club as well.
Bourbonology
Bobo is working on the farm and will head over to the race track in a couple of weeks. She'll need a couple of works in her but she is rounding into shape very well. Hopefully we'll get a start out of her by mid-June and get her summer started quickly and successfully!
Mother and Son
Tabby Lane is doing great. We've had her covered a few times by Doneraile Court but she's come up empty. We gave it one last try the other day and we'll see. If she doesn't take then she'll get the year off and we'll focus on George and getting him through year one. I think his mix of Eastwood Dacat's speed and Tabby's stamina and soundness will get us a nice runner, not just a nice Minnesota bred - but we'll see in a couple of years!
That's all the news that's fit to print now. It should be an interesting three weeks between now and the Belmont - thank goodness.
1 comment:
I want California Chrome to win because horse racing needs another superstar to attract the crowds and generate renewed interest in our sport. I can't think of a horse since Zenyatta or Cigar that has captured the people's attention, as much as a Triple Crown winner would. Plus it's not hard to root for CC's humble connections. Go get'em in the Belmont CC. Bring the Triple Crown home.
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