Category: Updates from the yard

We’ve had three places from four runners over the past three days, so things are going along pretty well here. Sotka debuted a great 2nd in Maisons-Laffitte on Saturday and looks set for bigger things. It was not the toughest race in the world, but she was having her first run and will certainly improve. Comment Dit debuted 3rd in a small race in Wissembourg on Sunday, while Panisette was 6th in the same race. I actually found Panisette the more promising of the two. She is a big filly and will really be better next year, but she is so cool and collected that she should do well. Comment Dit is a very fizzy filly, and will probably win as a two-year-old, but I’m not sure how well her head will hold together.

Strictly Rhythm ran a great race today at St. Cloud – once again, coming up against big hopes from the big stables and no pace. But this time we went out front, where she relaxed and held on really well for fourth, beaten just a length. The Aga Khan nosed us out of third-place honors, but we did finish in front of the favorite from Khalid Abdullah, so I take personal pride in that. Strictly has handled herself admirably against very tough company, and she just keeps getting tougher herself. Maybe she knew her owners couldn’t be here today, so she decided to spring the big one when they are here.

Tomorrow we’re off to Angers with Hold That Emperor and Talawa. Emperor debuted down in Toulouse and fell asleep in the gate. That won’t happen again, and I think he should run well tomorrow despite tough company. He has been showing serious speed at home. Talawa is debuting, so we’re hoping she can nose into a check. Then it’s on to Lyon on Wednesday with the debut of Layman’s Terms. Fabien is riding and Lyon is a long way away, so I think I’ll sit this one out in front of the tele!

Golden Age debuted correctly at Longchamp yesterday, finishing 7th in the claimer. Considering she was the only horse who had never run before, I thought she handled it very well. The race was marred by a fatal accident. It hasn’t rained in weeks here, and I’ve seen more broken legs in the past month here than I’ve seen in five years. Longchamp has been watering, but the 1,000-meter course has been somewhat neglected since there are no major races on it for the moment. They’ve got the main track in good shape because of the Guineas meeting and the pending arrival of Goldikova, but the straight course is separate from the main track. Luckily, our filly came back fine.

Hi Shinko, on the other hand, was disappointing. He was drawn wide, so he got stuck bowling along in fourth or fifth place three wide, with no cover. He ran on a bit but just didn’t have more acceleration and finished back in the pack. He’s run three times at Longchamp now, and all the efforts have been disappointing. I’d love to try elsewhere, but I’m stuck for races. It’s the downhill part of the course that does him in. He’s a heavy horse with massive hindquarters, putting him sort of naturally on his forehand when he gallops. All that momentum going downhill burns him out for the stretch. He hasn’t really run well since Cagnes. I think he found the fibersand easy, and just hasn’t fired on the turf since. He’s a very smart horse with a lot of miles on the clock, so he’s not going to overextend himself if he thinks he’s in over his head. I need to find something much easier for him, and I’m not sure if there is anything soon. If not, we’ll save him for the fibersand.

Tomorrow should be interesting. We have a Dutch Art filly debuting in Maisons-Laffitte. She’s the half-sister to Sole Power, winner of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York. On Sunday, Comment Dit and Panisette go to Wissembourg for their debut.

Even the best intentions sometimes just can’t bridge that culture chasm between the Latin-influenced French way of doing things and the Anglo-Saxon way of thinking. I had surgery on my hand on Friday morning. Just a local, so not that big of a deal, but still I was feeling pretty woozy for awhile after the procedure. The French are pretty no-nonsense about it all, and they serve you coffee afterward to wake you up enough to get out the door. They tell you to go straight home and take it easy. Not a bad idea, except for that train strike, another French institution. It took me three hours for what should have been a 20 minute trip. By that time, the anesthesia had well and truly worn off, and of course I hadn’t been able to get to a pharmacy to get the prescribed painkillers (and for which I was told “take them right away – don’t wait for it to hurt.” Right.)

I did finally make it home, but needed to spend what was left of the day studying for the breeze-up sales on Saturday – which turned out to be futile, because the prices were ridiculously high. Horses with unbelievable flaws were selling for stupid money. This was all good news for Con, who had a great sale, including an Exceed and Excel colt that sold for 200,000 euros.  But it was an exhausting day that didn’t end until midnight. Then on Sunday it was on to Longchamp for the Guineas races and celebrating for Con’s successful sale. Having him around has really brought up the difference in thinking between the two cultures. I’ve been here long enough to have learned how to put up with how much time it takes to get something done, how much paper is usually involved and how frustrating the overall lack of any notion of customer service can be. I’m almost used to it. He’s not, though, and in explaining how things work – or don’t – here, I realize how much I’ve been putting up with. But if you want to be involved in racing, there is no better place to be. Whenever we get bogged down in paperwork, we keep repeating the mantra: the prize money, the prize money, the prize money. And yes, the great tracks. And the great wine. Champagne. The food.

The racing bit didn’t start out so auspiciously today. We sent Hold That Emperor down to Toulouse with what I thought was a very good chance. I hadn’t anticipated, however, the inefficiency of the gate crew. There were only seven runners. We were loaded about third, and it took at least five minutes, and that’s being conservative, to load the rest of the field. Our colt fell asleep. Fx Bertras, who was up, tried to keep him awake and interested, but to no avail. He completely missed the break when if finally happened and he was nearly 100 meters behind to start – in a 1,100-meter race. He caught up, showing a great turn of foot, but the race was lost. Looking on the bright side, it won’t happen again (plus I’ll ask to load last next time), and the odds will be great next time out.

Next up for us are Hi Shinko and Golden Age at Longchamp on Thursday. Shinko is in a seven-furlong handicap, and it looks like we’ll have a bit of luck and actually fall into the second division instead of the Tierce. Golden Age is debuting in a claimer. There has still been not a drop of rain, but there has been plenty of watering at Longchamp before the Guineas meeting. It’s still not ideal, but Shinko has to go – there aren’t many races for him and he seems in good form.

Those of you following along at home may have noticed there are quite a few more horses declared in training with me than there were about 10 days ago. We’ve added 15 untried two-year-olds from Con Marnane’s Bansha House Stables to the roster. I worked with Con last year when he wanted to race a few of his two-year-olds that didn’t sell in the breeze-up sales. Con is an astute horseman and businessman, and he quickly realized that French prize money adds up quickly. So this year, he has planned a full-on invasion and asked for my help. It didn’t take me long to say yes. The horses arrived last week and they are a very good-looking group. The plan is to race pretty aggressively over the next three months. Some will be sold through claiming races, some will go to upcoming horses-in-training sales and some with higher ambitions will hang around in the hope of collecting black type. Most of them are eligible for French premiums, and most of them are fillies. We’ve had to rent a second yard to handle the overflow; the colts, somehow, ended up in my home yard. At least King Driver will now have some company. Stay tuned – racing for us is about to get a lot more intense.

It’s Kentucky Derby day in the United States. For the past few years, I’ve been contributing a Franco-American (well, American-Franco, really) perspective to The Rail blog at the New York Times, my former employer. Every year, I have the same nostalgic feeling. I grew up glued to the television on Derby Day, watching Jim McKay on ABC’s Wide World of Sports interview trainers, owners and jockeys leading up to the big event. Today, I’m sure I’d probably find the interviews corny and not very enlightening, but back then I was fascinated. I never imagined that one day I’d be a part of the racing world, a half a world away.

But ignorance is bliss, of course, and back then I had no idea of what went into training American race horses – namely needles. Lots of them. And we’re not talking about acupuncture. Everything I know about training horses I learned in France, with some crash courses in England, Hong Kong and Dubai. The more I learned about American racing, the more I was appalled. I have become a voice for eliminating race-day medication in the United States and an advocate of other reforms that might make things better for the American thoroughbred. When Eight Belles came crashing down on two broken ankles after the Derby in 2008, I thought maybe, finally, change might come. After all, we’d already been subjected to the saga of Barbaro. There was a flurry of talk, but no action. But now, finally, it seems action might come. What used to be a closeted minority against the rampant use of drugs has finally become a vocal call for change, and legislators have introduced a bill that would finally close Pandora’s chemical box. The prospect is stirring predictable outrage among the veterinary community, who will see their incomes slashed, and many trainers who might actually have to learn to train rather than medicate. But owners, who might see their monthly bills cut in half and their horses have longer careers, should be popping Champagne. If this passes, I know I will.

Like many anti-medication lobbyists, I have been accused of concentrating on the negatives in the sport. Yes, it’s true that horses snapping legs in front of a worldwide television audience is certainly negative. I’d love to concentrate on the positive. I would love it if Rosie Napravnik would pilot the wonderfully named Pants on Fire to the winner’s circle. I would love to see Master of Hounds be the first European horse to win (even if he is on Lasix – Aidan O’Brien doesn’t have much choice if he wants to compete against all the other drugged horses). I would love to see horses in America getting an average of more than four starts a year. But most of all, I would love to think that when I finally get a horse capable of running in international Group 1 races, I could put the Breeders’ Cup races or the Kentucky Derby on my wish list of races to win. I’ll be rooting for the legislation to pass, so that the United States can join the rest of the world in racing horses, not crowning the most innovative vet.

As if being rained out in Guernsey wasn’t enough, the Guernsey contingent were in for still more frustration with Strictly Rhythm’s race at Longchamp yesterday. I expected her to easily be in the money, and instead we settled for sixth after a horribly run sort-of horse race. Fabien Lefebvre settled our filly just behind the leader, perfectly placed. Then things went wrong. Stephen Pasquier, out front, started backing up the pace and soon they were going no more than a hack canter. We were stuck. Too late to go around (and I really didn’t want her bowling along in front as she did at St. Cloud) and nothing to do bit sit. As soon as they came out of the turn, Pasquier started a full-out sprint. Strictly Rhythm was not made for that sort of race, and while she tried to keep up, she couldn’t do it. We just missed fifth (still dismal but a check anyway) by a nose.

If it’s any consolation, the hot favorite, the Aga Khan’s filly trained by Royer Dupre, finished behind us. And Strictly Rhythm came back wondering what, exactly, happened out there. She was hardly blowing because she really only ran about 800 meters. So we will go to St. Cloud in just over two weeks, still a maiden, to rectify the situation. She is a good filly and will win…soon!

Hi Shinko, meanwhile, confirmed what I suspected after last time: a mile on the turf is just out of his reach. He lead until about 75 meters from the end, but couldn’t hang on. The problem is there aren’t many choices for him. While he did have an entry in the 1,400-meter claimer yesterday, I was worried he might be eliminated and the company was tough, so I thought we’d try the mile one more time. He’ll now go for the 1,400-meter handicap on the 19th, again at Longchamp. I don’t think that track suits him, either, but we have no choice. Really sick of being stuck in these Tierce handicaps, but until I find a claimer, I’m stuck.

It’s been sunny for weeks in Guernsey, as it has been in France. Until today. It started to spit this morning, and by early afternoon the wind had come up and it was pelting down rain. We loaded up George anyway and headed to the course. It was miserable. Tents were practically being blown away, and – more importantly – so were the bookmakers. The first race was supposed to have six runners; in the end there were three, and one got left at the start. Four horses went out for the second race, but only three came back. One injured himself on the bottom turn, apparently seriously. That was enough for the vet to advise the stewards to call it a day, even though he acknowledged to me that the track condition probably played no part in what had happened to the injured horse. The jockeys were furious – they all wanted to ride and didn’t find the track dangerous. In the end, the cancellation stood, so it turns out that George and us had made a long trip for nothing. The most frustrating part is that an hour after racing was called, the sun came out. With the sandy bottom to the track, we could have more than safely run the rest of the races with just an hour’s delay.

We’re all very disappointed, except, of course, for George, who has had a fine couple of days being turned out in a nice green paddock and not doing much of anything. We’ll head back tomorrow and look for a race for him back home.

George heads off to Guernsey tomorrow morning for the race on Monday. Having done this trip once, I’m a lot less stressed out about it this year, even if I can’t drive myself or ride him out on Sunday. Our friend Pascal has graciously agreed to drive us over and do most of the legwork. We’re in a tougher race than last year, but there are only four runners and George seems in good form. I hope he can follow in DerringBay’s footsteps and bring back another cool copper Guernsey milk jug. More to come when we reach the island.

I’ve managed to liberate my right hand for typing now that it’s been almost a week since Shinko chucked me off and ruined my shoulder. Well, to be fair, it wasn’t the chucking off that did my shoulder in. It was my desperation to not let him loose after the fact. But never mind, I wasn’t the first person nor will I be the last to make the mistake of trying to hang onto the reins in the futile attempt to stop a 550-kilogram thoroughbred from running off. One broken bridle and one ripped shoulder later, run off he did, having a merry canter down the pavement and kicking in a few cars on the way, just for fun. He’s fine. I’m still not sure when I’ll be fine.

There is absolutely wonderful medical care available in France, but one has to go on quite a scavenger hunt to find it. If, by chance, you have to be scraped off the pavement by the SAMU, or rescue squad, chances are you’ll be quite well taken care of. If, on the other hand, you have the misfortune of being ambulatory, your odyssey is just beginning. I avoid doctors, as a rule, but since I couldn’t raise my arm or grasp anything after the fall, I thought I’d better have an X-ray. I went to a reputable emergency room, but being that it was the Saturday of Easter weekend, the A-team evidently was not on duty. The wait wasn’t too long. I was X-rayed and put into a “box” to await a doctor. About 45 minutes later, an orderly came in with a sling. A man who I assumed to be the doctor looked over his shoulder and said “there’s no fracture. Probably a ligament. Put the sling on for 15 days and I’ll sign you off of work.” The doctor, if that’s what he was, did not come within five feet of me and certainly wasn’t interested in looking at my shoulder, much less touching it. They shuffled me out with some forms, including a prescription for some anti-inflammatories.  I mentioned that this was actually a work accident, and not a pleasure ride. No one seemed bothered.

Just by chance, I had an appointment this week with a specialist to check out the carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands. Turns out it’s very bad, and yes, I should have surgery on the right one right away. Oh, yes, and by the way, you may have a torn rotator cuff. You should get a scan. You might need to operate on that, too. Right. So I tried to get an appointment for an MRI. I couldn’t find anyone to take me in less than two weeks’ time. By then, I figured, whatever it was would be well on its way to healing, for better or worse. Which made me think: What kind of problem that needs an MRI scan can wait two weeks? An MRI is used to diagnose soft tissue injuries and tumors, both of which strike me as somewhat urgent. Ah, but it’s who you know. We kept calling around, and my doctor knew someone who knew somebody else, and we found a cancellation to get the scan done this week. I was now on to my third doctor for the same injury. He did the scan. “There’s a rupture in the ligament that attaches your shoulder blade to the collar bone,” he said. “It will heal by itself, or you may need to have a pin put in – depends on what kind of life you lead.” I ride racehorses for a living, I said. “Hmm. You probably should have the pin put in. See your orthopedist.” Right. So I have an appointment in a week. I’m looking for a two-for-one deal. Since the shoulder is screwed up, I want the wrist surgery at the same time. What are the chances?

 

After a great week last week, I knew this one would be tougher, and it was. Rendition ran in Maisons-Laffitte on Monday and despite the perfect condition of the track could never find her action. Now we know why: She has a metacarpal fracture, and has rebucked her shins to boot. We’ve always been very worried about her legs; she is not straight in front and she came back from her winter break having popped a total of five splints on three legs. She trained up well, but would hang when asked to accelerate. Still, her legs were cold and tight, if not the prettiest in the world. She never took a lame step and was always eager to work in the morning. The fracture is recent, but not new – she probably ran both her races with it, which tells you how amazingly stoic she is. She’ll go out to Normandy now for about three months, with the usual protocol: Blister her front legs, about three weeks on box rest, then turnout. We’ll see how she mends and hope to give her another try for the fall. Ah, the great deception: She was bought at the breeze-up sales and might turn into a decent four-year-old.

Things went slightly better for Hi Shinko at Longchamp on Tuesday. He ran another Quinte Plus race, again at a mile, but this time with an outside draw and our jockey Fabien back on board. He again went off with the longest odds on the board at 65-1. They started fast and he had to make an effort early from the outside draw (he was 16 in the gate in a field of 18), and then the pace dropped back sharply in the downhill section of the track, which he didn’t appreciate very much. A horse right next to him on the inside broke a back leg and went down; we were lucky to avoid trouble. He accelerated decently in the home stretch, but Shinko is a lazy, fat horse and once he hit the front with a line of other horses, he put the hand brake on a bit before putting in a bit more effort. It was just good enough to finish 7th – the last place with money in a Quinte Plus.  All told, he ran decently, and much, much better than Compiegne. The field was much tougher this time out, too – Longchamp is our premier track and trainers send their best here. I think the mile distance is the very limit for Shinko, and I’m going to bring him back to 1,400 meters next time out, which will probably be a claimer at Longchamp on May 5. Strictly Rhythm has a race that day, too.

George, meanwhile, is packing his bags for Guernsey. His big day is May 2. He seems excited.