…and run so bad? Little Brazilien just didn’t cut it at Evreux yesterday, and I’m starting to lose faith in her. So far, I’ve been able to make excuses – she did so much growing at the beginning of the year and seems to be just coming into herself. She is working fabulously at home – we have to be careful which tracks we choose to work now, because we can hardly hold her. And she looks Marvelous – Absolutely Marvelous (can’t you hear Billy Crystal saying it?). She is dappled and fit and has tremendous muscle – and for the moment, she is as slow as molasses in January when she gets to the racetrack. I don’t know why. I think she needs racing – and lots of it – to kick her into gear. The problem is, she is disqualified from running almost everything because she has no earnings in France at the grand old age of three. Her performance in England (yes, she actually did run faster at one point, when she was two) and her pedigree suggest she should be a sprinter. But at this point, I’m going to enter her in anything that will take her just to get her out a few more times to see what might happen. If she doesn’t fire soon, we’ll have to call time, which would make her the first horse I’ve ever purchased at Newmarket that didn’t earn money. Of all the things that have come off the truck from England, I would never have thought she would be the one NOT to make money. Here’s hoping she still might come through…
The official site of Gina RARICK, Racehorse Trainer
Many times there is nothing like a race to get a horse fit. However, you say she is ready to run off in the morning. Maybe you should let her train from the gate, get yourself a real aggressive rider and let her go in the morning. If you are strangling her in training perhaps she thinks this is how she should run in the afternoon. And if you have not used blinkers you may want to consider them. Blinkers will usually give a horse more focus and may also cause the horse to show more early speed. Another thought is what type of surface have you been running her on? Firm turf? Soft/yielding turf? Perhaps she needs firmer/softer ground? Who knows? Good luck with her. I am sure she will eventually tip her hand and you will figure her out.
I didn’t see the Evreux race but the winner – Ty Green – isn’t a bad horse at all, judged on its debut race and its “Prix de Diane entry”.
Anyways, re. “Brazilien”, an outsider reading of her UK form seems to indicate that she does have speed but she lacks a bit the final acceleration which is so important in slowly-run French races.
A couple of thoughts on top of what Outsider has mentioned. Purely based on Starters Orders experience 🙂
1. although her pedigree says speed, I’m wondering whether she could run on further (1600-1800m) in some slowly-run affairs. If the jockey can get her to relax at the back, her natural speed may allow her to compete.
2. If she doesn’t mind slower ground conditions, maybe try a very specific race-track such as Nantes (France’s Chester) where going is generally softer and where you need to kick for home in the final bend and the final run-in is very short.
3. If you visit non-Parisian tracks with her, try to see if you can manage to get a “local” jockey on board. Parisian jockeys rarely perform well on those tracks, since they’re used to the wide comfortable ones.
Best of luck whatever you choose with her.
Regards