Stable Update 7/2/2016

Hi Team,

I hope this message finds everyone well. The stable will be in full swing throughout the month of July and several stable members will be running in stake races if things continue to go well.

Finnegans Wake (Peter Miller) - Finnegan looked really good in his allowance win and has come out of that effort in good shape and that race has gotten him to where he was last year from a fitness standpoint. His next start will be likely be a return to stakes company in the G2 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar on July 17th going a mile and an eighth on the turf. FW has already won over the Del Mar turf course in his career and a top effort from him there should make him one of the horses to beat in a race like that. 

Eirigh (Todd Pletcher) - He has resumed serious training in Ocala, Florida and will likely do that there for another five or six weeks before heading back to the track. So far so good with his training and he has shown us to be an above average horse so it is very exciting that his vacation has ended and he has returned to training. Eirigh is also now without some of his previous equipment :) 

The 4 yr. olds

Keen Ice (Todd Pletcher) -  Keen Ice is doing well in Kentucky. His vacation is over and he has returned to training. He will spend another two weeks in Kentucky which will consist of jogging and galloping but he won't breeze before he leaves. He will ship to Saratoga sometime during the middle of this month.

Rock Shandy (Unassigned) - Rock Shandy is doing well in Kentucky as he gets over his reoccurring shin injury. His shin was recently re-x-rayed and it has healed the way we want it to which is very good news. He will be rechecked again in about a month and if that looks good he should be able to go back into training not too long after that.

Brother O'Connell (Tom Morley) - He lost a bit of weight out of his last performance but has recovered well since then. He is going to breeze at some point over the next few days depending on weather and track condition. If the Morley team is happy with his work then he will likely run one more time at Belmont before it closes in the exact same type of race he just ran in. This will set him up well for Saratoga because there he will rejoin NY bred company in the stake division.

The Big Wind (Bill Mott) - The Big Wind has arrived at Churchill Downs from Florida and joined the Mott team. He has begun working and had another solid work there this week. He will continue on a weekly breeze schedule at Churchill Downs. His first start this year will likely be at Ellis Park on the grass. 

Puca (Frank Smith) - Puca remains in Elloree, South Carolina with Frank Smith. She continues to do well and Frank is very happy with how she has come along from when she first arrived. Another few weeks of doing well and she will likely force us to send her back to the racetrack. Puca is undeniably very talented and although her setbacks have been frustrating, at least we are to the point where she is doing extremely well again. 

The 3 yr. olds

Patrick's Day (Jordan Blair) - Patrick's Day has come out of his recent start in good order. His effort was fairly impressive off just a ten day rest from his win and he didn't have the smoothest of trips. The winner of the race has always been highly thought of and it makes you wonder how Patrick would have performed had the tables, in terms of rest, been turned between PD and a horse like the winner. The entire goal of the race was to pick up a decent check while just facing 3 year olds and that was accomplished. His next start will be an allowance race with hopefully a bit more distance at Ellis Park in a couple of weeks. He has been training very well since his most recent run. 

Tradfest (Bill Mott) - He has been very disappointing in both of his two starts, especially when the Mott Team thought he was training above average. We will regroup with him and figure out what the best thing to do for him is in his next start, which will likely be a return to dirt. 

Oatfield (Jordan Blair) - Oatfield has been unlucky with races not filling or rain cancelling races. He is entered to run this Saturday at Ellis Park in a maiden special weight going a mile on the turf. The distance is likely going to be too short for him, but this race is being used to help bring him forward from a fitness standpoint. It will also give him experience as to what this is all about. I'll be very happy to see him finishing at the end. This race should help set him up for a winning effort in his second start.  

Shut the Box (Chris Richard) - Shut the Box really looked the part in his win last weekend. That was a very impressive performance. He has come out of that win in good shape and he is going to be entered on July 10th in a starter allowance race. The race is a bit quick coming back but he will likely be the favorite. Even an effort that is a bit below his last should win that race. The chance for two wins in 17 days would be a tremendous way to start off his year. I think he might be the type of horse that is able to rack up a lot of earnings over the next few months. 

Ballagh Rocks (Bill Mott) - He is at Saratoga and has been working every week and working well. This is a very talented horse that I can't wait to see make a return to the races. His last few works have been very good and we should see him run soon at either the end of the Belmont meet or the beginning of the Saratoga meet. 

Paddy O'Prodigy (Frank Smith) - He is in South Carolina and we have determined that his talent level is not up to the typical standard for the stable. He is going to be retired this week from racing and donated to become a riding horse. 

Donegal Moon (Todd Pletcher) - Moon looked spectacular in his win last weekend in the G3 Pegasus Stakes. It was an impressive performance on several fronts. Lucky for us, some horses just continue to improve as they get older and this is likely the case with Donegal Moon. His next start is up in the air as there are several options previously mentioned such as the West Virginia Derby, Jim Dandy or Haskell Stakes. He has come out of his most recent win in good shape and his next start will be determined by how he is training along with where some of his division's top talent decides to run in their next starts. 

Paschal (Tom Morley) - He was entered this week in a turf race hoping it would come off the turf and it didn't. He will be entered again as soon as some form of a maiden race comes up going at least a mile or longer. He continues to improve each week since his arrival in New York and hopefully a race for him becomes available within the next ten days as he is ready to run. 

Vulcan's Forge (Todd Pletcher) - His last start was very puzzling as he dropped back in his typical running style. He really dropped far back off the pace and while he came with a tiny run it wasn't what we had seen in his two previous starts. Vulcan's Forge is above average and you have to be very good to beat the types of horses that he was facing that day but I think it just wasn't his day. Horses can't talk so his effort was the kind that you just chalk up to having an off day. He will run back in the same kind of race, however the distance might be a bit shorter as the distance of his last race is a rarity. The race will most likely be at Monmouth Park where there is a bit of a drop off in competition compared to what he has been facing this year. 

The 2 yr. olds

Irish Freedom (Pioneerof the Nile, Baffert) - He is doing very well in California for the Baffert team and they are very happy with him. If he continues on his current path of development then he will likely make his career debut during the first few weeks of the Del Mar meet.  

Aife (Paddy O'Prado, Clement) - She is at Saratoga with the Clement team and hasn't made the impression that Fahan Mura has but things can change quickly with 2 year olds. She will continue to be on a weekly breeze schedule.  

Fahan Mura (English Channel, Clement) - She is at Saratoga with the Clement team and is doing very well and will continue on her weekly breeze schedule.

Hy Brasil (Malibu Moon, Pletcher) - He has done very well since arriving in Saratoga and has done everything asked of him thus far very well. If he continues to do well he will likely run during the first half of the Saratoga meet.  

Green Moon Rising (Malibu Moon, Pletcher) - He has not done as well as Hy Brasil since their arrival in Saratoga, but that is OK because Hy Brasil is likely very good. We will continue to be patient with Green Moon Rising as he gets ready for his first start.  

Stefan O'Eishen (Morley) - He has safely arrived at Saratoga in the barn of Tom Morley. He has had a solid week of galloping since his arrival and will have his first breeze at some point next week over the Oklahoma track. 

Blarney, Dirty Day and Gorse (Pletcher) - They are galloping daily for the Pletcher team and will breeze next week at Saratoga.

The rest of the 2 year olds remain in South Carolina, and the next group to leave will likely go in the next two to three weeks. They are all doing well as they continue to get ready for the racetrack. 
 
Please don't hesitate with any questions.

Warmest regards,
Conor