Stable Update 5/27/2016
Hi Team,
I hope this message finds everyone well. The month of June should be very busy as we will see a lot of the stable making runs. So let's get to it:
Finnegans Wake (Peter Miller) - Finnegan is doing well and has been entered in the G2 Charlie Whittingham Stakes which will be run this Sunday. FW should move forward from his first start of the year and he has had a couple of solid works leading up to this race. I think we will see a big effort as the distance of the race should fall into FW's wheelhouse well. Let's hope there is a solid pace for him to run at and it looks as though there should be some pace for him to chase. He drew to the outside which is not ideal with where the gate will be placed on the Santa Anita downhill course. A big effort from FW will strongly indicate that the rest of the year should be a lot of fun for FW and all of us.
Eirigh (Todd Pletcher) - He has been turned out for some R&R in Florida to help him get over what amounts to sore ankles. He has been given the green light to start back training in Ocala next week which means his time off is over. More to come on him after he has been galloping for a few weeks.
The 4 yr. olds:
Keen Ice (Todd Pletcher) - Keen Ice is doing well while he is getting a rest in Kentucky. He is soon approaching a point where he will be reassessed and if everything looks good he will slowly be brought back into training. This will occur by the end of next week pending our veterinarian's schedules.
Rock Shandy (Unassigned) - Rock Shandy is doing well in Kentucky as he gets over his reoccurring shin injury. Like Keen Ice he will need several more weeks of healing and rest before we re-xray his shin to determine when he can start training again.
Brother O'Connell (Tom Morley) - BOC has come out of his latest win in very good shape and has earned $80,000 in two weeks for the stable. He is going to run one more time at the Belmont meet in another allowance race where he should be very competitive even though it will be against open company. Depending on how he does there he will run at Saratoga in another allowance race or be pointed to a stake. Right now the Morley team is very happy with how he has come out of his two wins in two weeks. Based on how he performed as a two and three year old I'm more than pleasantly surprised.
The Big Wind (Bill Mott) - The Big Wind has arrived at Churchill Downs from Florida and joined the Mott team there. They are going to take a couple of weeks to get to know him and settle back into the racetrack routine. The good news is that he has a big base of fitness in him and I don't think he will be very far from his first start this year.
Dunbrody (Dale Romans) - The results of a second opinion revealed that Dunbordy does in fact have a career ending injury. We are in the process of rehoming him for his second career after the racetrack.
Puca (Frank Smith) - Puca remains in Elloree, South Carolina with Frank Smith. She has had her hind end treated a couple of times over the last 30 days and that seems to have done the trick so far. She has been jogging and galloping and if she is still doing that in a couple more weeks then Frank will start working her. If she is able to have three or four workouts and not show any signs of regression then our chances of seeing her return to the races go up significantly. Let's hope the next few weeks go well for her.
The 3 yr. olds:
Patrick's Day (Jordan Blair) - He was slated to run this week in an allowance race but was scratched out of that spot in favor of waiting on a race in ten days' time that is for just 3 yr. olds. With several shortened foal crops now on the track racing secretaries are writing less 3 yr. old only races across the country and there is a massive difference this time of year in having to take on elders.
Tradfest (Bill Mott) - He has been training very well for the Mott team since he arrived in Kentucky last month. Tradfest has been entered to run this Sunday as you see above. This colt has impressed Mott and trained forwardly. We expect he will need a race as this is his first start lifetime and Mott is not known to have them fully cranked first race out.
Oatfield (Jordan Blair) - Oatfield has been doing well since he arrived in Kentucky a few weeks ago. He already has three works under his belt there and will have another this weekend. The jockeys that have worked him say that he feels like a turf horse which is not surprising to Jerry based on his formula. Frank Smith also thought that Oatfield would like the turf. He is not a sprinter and his first race will be a race on the turf going long. It looks like his first start will be June 12th at Churchill Downs going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf. He will be a bit short for this race in terms of fitness as the Blair team would have liked to have had two more works for him before then but this is where our luck fell with the condition book. He should learn a lot from this experience and it will set him up well for a big effort in his 2nd start coming most likely at the Ellis Park meet.
Shut the Box (Chris Richard) - Shut the Box is doing well and arrived at the barn of Chris Richards in Louisville a few days ago. He has been given a few easy days to settle in and he also has a deep foundation of fitness in him so we should see him only need three or four works before running. I think we will see a solid year from Shut the Box after he gets a start or two into him.
Ballagh Rocks (Bill Mott) - He was shipped up to Saratoga a couple of weeks ago and has already had a couple of breezes there over the Oklahoma surface. He will need several more before being ready for a return to the races but just having him back at the track breezing is a big deal. He was/is one the stables most talented runners so having him getting ready for a race is very exciting. Fingers crossed an early July run remains possible.
Paddy O'Prodigy (Frank Smith) - He is in South Carolina getting over a minor foot bruise and hopefully the extra time off will help him. The foot bruise has been a problem for several weeks and if it doesn't improve we will have him checked out soon. We are going to utilize his Hoosier bred status and hopefully take advantage of facing weaker competition during the eight months that they have racing in Indiana.
Donegal Moon (Todd Pletcher) - DM has come out of his Sir Barton Stakes effort in really good shape. I thought his effort in the race was top notch as the top four in the race will go on to do some pretty big things in my opinion. His next start is up in the air as there are a couple of options on the horizon, but it will be a stakes race. If he can replicate his last effort or move forward from it then he could have a very lucrative year while competing against fellow three year olds.
Paschal (Tom Morley)- He arrived at the barn of the Morley team at Belmont in New York a few days ago. This move was done for a couple of reasons. The first, as Jerry stated last week, was to run for bigger purses and the other is to just see how the colt responds in a new environment and likely slightly different style of training. Hopefully he can find his new home to his liking and we see some solid improvement from him next time out. The Morley team should have a good feel for him after his first couple of workouts in New York.
Vulcan's Forge (Todd Pletcher) - He ran well in his most recent outing in an allowance field that was full of good horses. He will likely run back in a similar sort of race and perhaps get lucky with one being a bit further, as it looks like nine furlongs will be his ideal distance based on both of his starts this year.
The 2 yr. olds:
Irish Freedom (Pioneerof the Nile) - He safely arrived in California at the Bob Baffert stable and has already been training on the track there.
Aife (Paddy O'Prado) - She arrived safely with Fahan Mura this week in the Clement barn at Belmont Park.
Fahan Mura (English Channel) - She arrived safely this week in the Clement barn at Belmont Park.
Hy Brasil (Malibu Moon) - He arrived in good shape into the Pletcher barn at Saratoga this week.
Green Moon Rising (Malibu Moon) - He arrived in good shape into the Pletcher barn at Saratoga this week.
The rest of the 2 year olds remain in South Carolina. They are all doing well as they continue to get ready for the racetrack.
Please don't hesitate with any questions.
Warmest regards,
Conor
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