Abwaab’s trip to Vichy last week was unfortunately unsuccessful. I’m starting to call him Goldilocks, because he needs everything just right for him to run his race. The track in Vichy was unfortunately rock-hard, despite the official going rating of “good to soft.” There had been racing the previous night, and the track was left full of ruts and holes, which was not at all to Abwaab’s liking. We’ll see if he likes the track at Deauville a little better. He is entered to run the 1,200-meter handicap there next Tuesday. It’s a shorter distance for him, but he won at this distance in England, so maybe he can pull something out here.
The new arrivals are coming along. Pixie looks like the real deal, and I hope she can be ready to run in Deauville in late August. She still needs to settle down a bit — she seems to have a philosophical opposition to trotting and thinks the only galloping worth doing is worth doing fast — but she’ll get it. Tyke will need more time; he seems to be in a bit of a growth spurt, which is a good thing, so we’re not asking too much of him yet. Amour is rebuilding her fitness base after her three-month vacation, so she’ll let us know when she’s ready to step up to harder work.
Glad to see your blog is up and running. Sorry that Abwaab’s trip was unsucessful. Good luck with the new horses.