Author: grarick

Hi Shinko won his mile handicap yesterday down here in Cagnes, giving us our first win of the year. He seemed like he had picked up a bit since his last race, and that seemed to be true. We also learned a little bit more about him, too. He likes to run with the leaders, but once he is passed, he quickly gives up. While he has a very combative nature, he’s also very lazy, so once he decides the game is up, he downs his tools pretty quickly. He got a perfect trip this time, with his old nemesis, All Ways to Rome, setting a very strong pace. But this time, rather than challenge it, Fabien settled him just off the pace and kept him there until the home stretch, when he moved him out to take the lead. He got a little lazy once he got a head in front, but Fabien kept him properly motivated to hang on and win by a head.

We nearly lost it at the head of the stretch, because when Fabien moved to shorten the reins, he got completely tangled up in Shinko’s thick and completely out of control mane. At home, Agata braids all of our runners, but I am useless at it. I tried to pull his mane yesterday morning, but he wouldn’t have it, even with the help of two other people and a twitch. None of us could believe Shinko wasn’t still a colt, because he was certainly acting like one. I’ll have to come up with some solution for next time; if he insists on being difficult I’m not above just hogging it all off with a clipper.

While I’m thrilled to win, I’m less thrilled with the two kilos he has picked up on his already-too-high handicap mark. All being well, he’ll run a condition race for amateur riders next week, and then we’ll have to start looking for claimers because I doubt he can win again off that mark.

I’ve got no more runners until next weekend, when Blessing Belle gives it another crack and Shinko comes back. Belle’s entry was touch-and-go, because she managed to get her leg tangled up in a hay net a few days ago and I wasn’t sure how much damage she had done. Belle specializes in hurting herself, but she also seems to be made of steel, because the leg now seems fine and no structural damage was done. Needless to say, I’ve given up on the idea of hay nets. Turfani and Strictly Rhythm seem to be doing well, too; both of them have entries on Feb. 16. I’m the only one dragging, at the moment. I seem to have picked up whatever cold/flu bug is going around, and I’m planning on spending what’s left of my Sunday in bed!

Strictly Rhythm finished 5th in her maiden race yesterday, just missing fourth by a neck in a race that was really 200 meters too long for her. But she ran very well and will progress from this. She was probably missing a bit of fitness after not having run since Oct. 1 and having to put up with the horrible winter in Maisons-Laffitte. She also was set back about a month when she colicked in December. She seems in great form now, and will run the same kind of race on Feb. 16 if all goes well. I’d prefer a race of 1,800 meters, but there is nothing down here at that distance – it’s either 1,500 or 2,000, so we’ll stick with 2,000. In any case, she was calling for food and cleaning up everything today, and her legs seem in good shape so we’ll move forward.

Turfani, meanwhile, was eliminated from her race Wednesday and I’m absolutely gutted by that, because she has shipped down and seems in very good form. It was not a tough lot and she would have had a chance, but missed the cut. Now there is nothing for her until Feb. 16, and I’m worried she might be over the top by then. I keep wanting to retire her, but damn, she’s got to run a race or two first. I’ve had horrible luck finding races for her – she needs 2,000 meters on the fibersand and there just aren’t many of those around (unless you’re a three-year-old).

Hi Shinko will go back out on Saturday in another handicap. He seems in good form, but he always does. It’s time for him to show us something solid now, but we are still too high in the weights. The handicappers graciously took off 500 grams after his 9th place in the Tierce. Thanks, guys. Couldn’t see your way to come down a whole kilo?

In any case, I’m happier here than I would be in Maisons-Laffitte. It was sunny and 14 degrees here this afternoon, and back home the tracks were frozen and the temperature minus 4. Luckily, Agatha only has three horses to deal with, but it still is miserable in that kind of weather. She has been doing a fabulous job with the horses left behind while I’ve been away, so I’m hoping a little sunshine from down here might find it’s way home soon!

Strictly Rhythm runs in the first tomorrow, post time 12:30. It’s going to be a quick and busy morning; Belle will go out first lot with Turfani, who arrived today. Her accommodations were secured with a bottle of Jack Daniels and the promise that she wouldn’t stay long. Now that she’s here, she’s staying – and the box guy seems to know that, even though he’s been kvetching about it all morning. Second lot will see Shinko work on the main track with Spidello, who runs Wednesday. I wouldn’t work a horse so close to the race, but I’m only looking after him for another trainer, and if she wants him worked, we work. He seems to be doing OK, really, so let’s see what happens. He’ll be in the same race as Turfani, so I do have a vested interest. I’d love to see them both in the money. Our neighbors in the yard, the English trainers Moore and Hollinshead, both have runners tomorrow, too, and we’re all hoping we have reason to celebrate tomorrow night. The Moore string already has some results; Hollinshead and I have come up empty so far. We both hope our luck is about to change.

Prof has become a fixture around our transplanted yard. He’s been coming with me everywhere since the neighbors complained that he was howling when I left him home. Turns out it was only one neighbor, and several other people in the building have since told me he’s causing no trouble at all. He cries for the first five minutes after I leave, then he’s fine. That said, when a basset hound cries, I’m sure most of the building knows about it. Anyway, I’ve decided to take him back home to Maisons-Laffitte tomorrow, when I have to come to Paris to speak at the American Chamber of Commerce. I was going to fly back, but instead bought us both a train ticket – his cost nearly as much as mine. I will miss not having him here, even though the trip from the apartment to the track entrance is frustratingly slow. Prof is 13 and hasn’t spent very much of his life on a leash, so when he gets hooked up, he puts on the brakes. Once he’s loose in the stabling area, though, he can really move. He likes to visit the trotters in their paddocks, and once we get to our area, he waddles around and visits everyone before taking a nap in the hay. He waits patiently in the saddle room while I ride out, and he sits in front of each box as I muck it out in the morning.

George also went back to Maisons-Laffitte, to make room for Strictly Rhythm, who arrives tomorrow morning. He seems happy to be home, I’m told, and actually was asking for food, which is something he surely didn’t do down here. I’m still trying to get a box for Turfani. Every day I go see the guy who is in charge of the boxes. Every day he tells me to go away and come back tomorrow, just like the guard in the Wizard of Oz. Yesterday, he suggested he was thirsty, and today he insisted I have a shot of slivovitz with him. I did, and suggested that perhaps a decent Kentucky bourbon might be better. He agreed. I believe that if I can produce a bottle of Maker’s Mark tomorrow, I just might get that spare box. I am learning to do business the Marseille way.

It’s been a tough week. Shinko ran only 9th in the Tierce, and he was the best performer of my three runners this past week. He did run decently and didn’t get beaten too badly, which proves he is, indeed, to high in the weights and needs to come down to win. He’ll run another handicap in early February, and he still seems to be doing fine. Blessing Belle, on the other hand, was highly disappointing on Saturday. She had a great entry against bad horses, and spit the bit coming into the stretch. We know she’s not a very honest horse, so we’ll just try to find a few more races for her to see if she comes around. There’s nothing really wrong with her except that she is a victim of her hormones, and we have to get her on the right day. A pair of blinkers will help, too. I’ve decided to send George home because I need his box for Strictly Rhythm, who will run next Monday. I really wanted to give her a chance to settle in for a couple of days before we ask her to race, and since George was eliminated for Thursday and is unlikely to find a race in the next few weeks, he was the best candidate to go back. I really would have liked to give him another race or two here, but the box situation made it impossible. I keep asking for more space, and it was suggested that a bottle of something might help free up a box, but I couldn’t wait any longer (and there wasn’t an open liquor store at hand). I will need to find a bottle of Scotch in the next few days, though, because Turfani needs to come down, too.

Strictly Rhythm will be our next horse out, and Belle is entered in a claimer that day, too, and will run if she gets in. Then Turfani on Feb. 2, and Shinko on Feb. 5 if everything goes right. Word is that a trotter was diagnosed with the flu, which has sent a scare through the stables. More than a few horses are coughing around us, and Shinko has coughed a few times, too. It seems that horrible-quality straw is to blame (let’s hope), and I am switching all my horses onto shavings tomorrow. They’re also getting plenty of carrots and echinacea drops to bolster their immune systems. That nice afternoon sun has to help, too.

Things are finally starting to sort themselves out here. Still very much like living out of a suitcase, but that can’t be helped when your saddle room is the size of a broom closet and the hay and straw are stacked outside the boxes.

In addition to the trotters today, Shinko and Belle were faced with a storm that blew threw just as we hit the track. It started with lightening and thunder, then hail, then a downpour. By the time we got off the track, they seemed less bothered about the trotters. George, on the other hand, is completely traumatized by them and by life in general. I still don’t know if he’ll get into the handicap next week; I’ll know more on Saturday. We’ll ride him out tomorrow, if we can get him past the trotter yard (he plants himself every time he sees one).

Shinko runs the Tierce tomorrow; not a single prognosticator has given him a ghost of a chance, which is fine by me. The first question all the reporters asked me was whether I thought he was fairly placed in the handicap. I answered no, he’s not; he’s at least two kilos too high. So they assumed that I was running just to pull him and get the weight down, which is most certainly not the case. He is here to try to make money, and he will be asked to run his best tomorrow. But the reporters didn’t bother to ask that question. “Journalism hippique” in France is pretty dismal, over all.

Belle is in on Saturday, and I have to say her race seems to consist of the most dismal group of bloodstock ever to grace a racecourse, which makes it an absolutely wonderful entry. If she is on form at all, she should be in with a chance.

It’s been a hectic and frustrating day, with Spidello running the Tierce and George in the claimer right after it. Neither horse ran particularly well, although Spidello did better than George, who was very disappointing. George was extremely stressed before the race and our jockey said the horse’s muscles were contracted tight as cement behind the starting gate. He broke well and settled second on the rail, but had no acceleration in the straight. It’s very disappointing because he’s worked very well at home, and he needed to take a check so he could get into back into the handicaps. He is re-entered in a handicap next week, and if by chance he can get in (they’d have to split the race like they did this time and I don’t know if we’ll be so lucky twice), he’ll stay and race. If it looks like he will be eliminated, I’ll send him home and bring down Strictly Rhythm, who is set to race the 31st.

I’m still feeling a bit lost, but I’m finding out how things work little by little, and in a few more days I’ll have it sorted, I think. I rode Belle out this morning with our jockey, Fabien, on Shinko, and that did me a world of good because he gave me the orientation tour of the tracks. Fabien will ride Shinko in the Tierce on Friday, so it’s great that he can ride the work leading up to it as well. Both horses handled the environment OK, all things considered. Shinko is not a great fan of the TGV train that passes just behind the track, and as I suspected, neither horse was keen on the trotters. We were unlucky crossing the tracks leading back to the stable this morning because just at the moment we were leaving, sulkies seem to come at us from all sides. The horses whipped around toward each other and almost knocked heads trying to run away. We got them headed in the right direction eventually and had to settle for leaving the tracks at a collected dressage canter rather than walking, but nobody was hurt, which is the essential. Tomorrow will be calmer with no racing, and Friday we just have Shinko. Belle races Saturday.

I’m really disappointed in my ability to learn and retain good lessons. After riding three lots at home in Maisons-Laffitte yesterday, packing half the yard, myself and Prof and spending nearly nine hours driving south, what I really wanted at midnight last night was a drink. One. Seb, I and Prof headed over to Le Concorde, the bar across from the racetrack backside that is the favorite haunt of trainers, jockeys and hangers-on. At first we were turned away for being too late, but Seb talked us in, and once they realized we were here for the meeting, we were welcomed with open arms. We sat in the back, behind a table populated by a jockey I use from time to time, the bar owner, a trainer who was slumped over in his chair after too much celebrating, a decorative blond and a few other people we didn’t know (and I’ll refrain from saying who the jockey and trainer were). We had a drink. Then we had another one. Midway through the third round, there was a scuffle up front, and the entire table next to us emptied with lightning speed, especially considering how much alcohol was already consumed (except for the trainer, who remained blissfully oblivious to the bar fight and his surroundings in general). It was all over pretty quickly, and by that time I realized it was more than past time to be in bed. So the lesson I never learn is don’t start drinking after an exhaustively long day, no matter how tempting it is. Because this morning was quite a struggle.

Finding our boxes through the fog of a hangover was a surrealistic experience. Cagnes reminds me somewhat of the backside at Santa Anita, except it is more spread out, the boxes are nicer and there are no expensive vet vehicles parked at every barn. And then there are the trotters. At least half the boxes are given over to trotting horses, who share the meeting with us. They have a track dedicated to them, but in the morning, sulkies and galloping horses must cross paths to get to where they’re going. I’m not sure how my horses are going to handle this, but I have a pretty good idea. Not well.

The horses didn’t arrive until just after 11, mercifully, but we had to get the boxes ready for them first, and once they arrived we had to pull everyone’s shipping wraps, make sure there were no transport-related injuries and get them settled in with hay and water. Then we had to unload the truck: 15 sacks of feed, one bran, two trunks full of equipment, water buckets, forks, broom…and yes, thanks to Louise, Florence, Diana, Tim and Chantal for getting it all ON the truck in the first place. All of the horses seemed to travel well. With the exception of Shinko, they are all off their feed slightly, but that’s normal considering they’ve been shipped cross country and are in unfamiliar surroundings. I was off my feed slightly, too, but I seem to be back on track now. Prof is definitely not off his feed, and he’s figuring things out pretty well for an old guy. He likes the backside, but he’s not wild about the fact that the beach is stony rather than sandy.

Tomorrow, George races his claimer at 2,000 meters on the fibersand. I’m hoping for a place so he can get himself back over the earnings threshold and requalify for handicaps. Spidello, the horse we’re looking after for another trainer, is declared in the Tierce, but he came off the truck with some swelling in a leg so we’ll have to see how he is before going ahead. But first, tomorrow morning we’ll have to introduce Belle and Shinko to the trotters.

Two saddles, two bridles – no three. Exercise sheets. Feed. More feed. Vitamins. George’s special plant treatment for his ulcers. Belle’s herbal hormone treatment. Carrots. Pitch fork, broom, water buckets. Racing tack. Hoof grease, bandages, silks, passports. And that’s just for the horses. Then there’s Prof – blanket, food, heart medication, collar, leash (the last two he hasn’t had to deal with in years). And me. Clothes. Work clothes, racing clothes, sweaters, riding boots, work shoes, running shoes (I live in hope). Contact lenses, oh, and my computer. And my horrible, horrible new phone.

If those of you have traveled with small children think it’s a hassle, imagine packing for three 500-kilogram babies (plus Prof who weighs in at 26 k) whose needs can change day by day. Cagnes sur Mer is 1,000 kilometers across the country, so if you forget something, it’s hard to go back and get it. The best way to get there is to fly, of course; the Nice airport is within spitting distance of the racecourse. But if you’ve got cargo, you’ve got to drive. Sebastian and I are heading down in his car (with Prof) tomorrow, hopefully around noon (those of you who know me can laugh now – and bet on the time we actually pull out of Maisons-Laffitte). Before we can go, I have to pack up the horse gear (can’t do it yet, because I have to ride three tomorrow before we leave) and throw the last-minute stuff into my own suitcase. The horses, and as much gear and feed as the STH will let us pack into the transport, will leave tomorrow night.

None of this would be that big of a deal, except that this is the first time I’ve decamped half my yard across country to do the meeting. Trainers who have done it for years have a system, and bigger yards have more staff and money than I do to make sure it all gets done. Getting through the next 48 hours will be the hardest, then we’ll settle in and get to work – and see what we forgot to bring.

It looks like George will get a run on Wednesday, thankfully, because they’re splitting his claimer into two races. I’m also looking after another horse, Spidello, for the meeting, and he also runs Wednesday. Hi Shinko is double-entered for Friday, and I’m most likely to run him in the Tierce at 1,500 meters. But that race is on the turf, and it depends on the ground. I’ve also got him in a 1,600-meter condition race on the fibersand. Then Blessing Belle will run in a 2,400-meter handicap on the fibersand on Saturday. The distance and category will suit her better than her comeback race, so we’ll take this one a little more seriously. All of this depends, of course, on how they handle the trip down and settle in. Shinko will spend a good part of the ride kicking the truck to pieces, which is why I haven’t replaced his hind shoes. Instead, we’ll wrap up his feet and hope he doesn’t do too much damage to himself or others, then get new shoes on him before he races. Watch this space…

Belle’s “rentree” went OK yesterday, but not more than that. She handled herself well, breaking nicely and settling about fifth for most of the trip, but she was hung out four wide after our jockey couldn’t find any place to tuck her in. She accelerated a bit in the stretch but not more, and she practically put the brakes on after she got a smack to go. The jockey stopped riding about 150 meters from home, so she trailed off. I do get annoyed when jockeys don’t ride to the post, even if there is no chance for a check. I’d like to see the horse get a good work, at least, instead of a bad lesson. There’s no need to hit them if there is no response and no chance, but they should at least encourage them with heels and hands to the wire. I wasn’t expecting too much more from this race, and Belle hardly blew after. The distance of 1,900 meters is too short and she needed the race after more than six months off. She seems to have come back fine physically, but as usual the race completely did her head in, and she spent the day wheeling and squealing in her box, kicking the walls and throwing in a rear now and then for good measure. She ate up last night but wasn’t interested in food today, but this is pretty normal for her. We’ll get her out tomorrow and see how she feels. If she gets back on her feed and settles down a bit, she’ll run back rather quickly down in Cagnes sur Mer in a 2,400 meter handicap that will be more to her liking. It’s a short, 10-day turnaround, but we have to kick on with her now and see if she wants to be a racehorse or not.

Belle’s stablemate Rendition came back into training today; the Oratorio filly was turned out for a couple of months after having sore shins, and she seems in good shape now. She will work with another new filly, Rue Debelleyme (I still haven’t decided how that’s pronounced) who arrived today. She is a three-year-old Slickly filly who has come in from pre-training but hasn’t yet raced.

For the moment, the list for Cagnes is Shinko, Belle and George; Turfani will stay behind for the moment to be a schoolmaster for Rendition and Rue, and Strictly Rhythm, who has started her speed work, will also stay behind for now. Both Strictly Rhythm and Turfani will come down if I can find boxes for them once I get there. If not, we’ll have to rotate them in and send other horses home. It’s very frustrating not to be able to take them all, but boxes are at a premium and I’m already lucky to have three. Plenty of other, bigger trainers didn’t get boxes or only got three, as well. Since I haven’t done the meeting before, planning for what to take and exactly when to make the move has been a challenge. I’ll try to post a sort of “Cagnes diary” on the blog as we go along – assuming I can make my computer work down there.