Donegal Racing
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Veterans and Babies

July 13, 2015

Dear Partners and Friends,

I love this time of year! Saratoga and Del Mar are less than a week and a half away and we have two great kinds of racing: Mid-summer classics for our Veterans and the early track works for our two year olds.

All eight of our two year olds worked this weekend. I can't remember a time when that happened. I think you will enjoy the trainer reports below.

   

Team Mott indicates that they breezed these boys a quarter of a mile and let them gallop out another furlong around the turn. They thought Tradfest was very professional and mature...liked him very much. Ballagh Rocks was a big, gangly, green youngster who was eager to look all around during his work. Rocks is going to be a long distance turfer who we knew would come to hand slowly, so nothing to be surprised about here.

   

New Donegal trainer Todd Pletcher also sent his two new Saratoga charges out for an easy three eighths. Both went evenly. I can't wait for you all to see Donegal Moon. Moon looks like a two-toned Cadillac.

  

Frustratingly, Churchill didn't get a report on Paschal. Dale Romans described Paschal's work as "freakishly good" and says he is way ahead of fellow Curlin prodigy, Keen Ice, at this time last year.

As you can see, Paddy O'Prodigy made a nice move forward compared to last week. The longer the better. Though, amazingly, the Paddy offspring are running well short on dirt, too. Prodigy is a big good looking colt...mature...can't wait to see him go two turns.

  

And last but not least, our two boys at the beach. Peter told his riders to let them go nice and easy, and that is what the riders say they did, but managed to post co-bullets in the process. Peter couldn't believe the times given how easy they were running. Nothing wrong with that report!

As for our Veterans:  

Ole is one of the best $30,000 purchases Donegal has ever made. A very talented horse. Unfortunately, he developed severe string halt in Louisville and it has been a long road back for him. Saratoga will give him the toughest possible test in how he is doing with his recovery.  

  

As you can see, Irish came out of his victory on his toes. I want to keep him in the Allowance ranks for one more race before returning him to Stakes company.

  

Partner Rockingham Ranch prefers to run Finn in the Grade I Eddie Read rather than the Arlington Million. Rockingham was kind enough to defer to us on running at Churchill and Belmont, so it is hard to begrudge them wanting him to run on their home track. The Del Mar race is a $400,000 Grade I and Finn will be a short priced post time favorite barring something I don't anticipate. Hard to knock that.

A quick update that "Donegal Hotel" in Saratoga is going to get a work out. We are full much of the meet but if you still have interest, do ask us in case. We also maintain a waiting list. 

Jerry

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