Category: Updates from the yard

So last night I’m doing night stable quite late, because I got stuck at the St. Cloud sales longer than I had planned (thanks to my visiting Irishman getting comfy in the bar, but that’s another story…) and I’m still doing my boxes around 8 p.m. It’s light so late in summer these days it’s easy to lose track of time. So I’m picking out George’s box and I hear a mighty clatter in the street – two loose thoroughbreds, saddled, were careening up the pavement at full gallop. Valerie, my exercise rider, goes to help with the roundup. She comes back an hour later with the news: Horses caught, luckily no obvious injuries. So what happened? A trainer’s 12-year-old daughter decided to impress her friend by suggesting they saddle up a couple of horses and go for a nice relaxing trail ride. Dad was away, and since night stable had been done (for those who keep regular hours), no one was around to stop them. There are several problems with this, not the least of which is that the friend didn’t really know how to ride a horse, much necessarily a thoroughbred. The best part is that the kids were begging Valerie not to tell anyone. She informed them that people have eyes, and word would get around even if she didn’t say anything (not to mention that the horses were wearing the distinctive blue bridles for which this trainer is known). She advised them to fess up and tell Dad before Dad heard through other means. I don’t know the end of this story, but I wouldn’t want to be the kids. Or the owner of the horses that got loose…or the trainer who had to tell the owner what happened. Looking after staff, horses and owners is stressful enough in this business. Thank god I don’t have kids!

On another note, Brazil and Rose got through their races fine at Compiegne on Tuesday. Rose ran like a typically green horse that had never seen a track before, but finished respectably and will come on from this. Brazil’s race was strange for a few reasons. It was an apprentice/young jockey race, and one horse got loose and lapped the track before being caught and eventually declared a non-runner, but not before trying to reseat the jockey twice. When the race finally went off, one horse decided to stay in the stalls. This caused everyone else to think there may be a false start, so the race turned into lots of inexperienced jockeys trying desperately to stop horses that didn’t need or want to be stopped. After about 200 meters they realized there would, indeed, be a horse race today, so they rode on, but it was too late for Brazil, who had no idea what was going on. She finished respectably, and it didn’t do her any harm to be stopped from bolting off in front. She, too, will progress from this and is now ready to try something for real.

Next up: Turfani and Versaki at Longchamp on Saturday.

Rose of Egypte will debut in Compiegne tomorrow, and Little Brazilien will be seeing the track for the first time since last fall. Both will be interesting races to learn from, but I don’t think either one will result in money. Rose is a very big filly, and probably needs more time, but she should get a taste of competition and will do that in a 1,400-meter claiming race. She is one of only two debutants in the 12-runner field. Brazil, meanwhile, also needs to get back in the swing after a long layoff. I wanted to get her moving sooner, but she has just kept growing nonstop since the spring. The joke around the yard is that we’d have to order an extra-large starting gate so her huge back end would fit. Turns out she fits fine, and certainly knows what the gate is about. She rocketed out during training last week, and I suspect she’ll do the same tomorrow. I think she will definitely need this race; she’s still growing and probably won’t really hit her stride until a bit later, but it’s time to get on with it. The heat hasn’t broken, which will continue to weigh on the horses – especially Brazil, because like a lot of big girls, she sweats profusely and doesn’t handle high temperatures particularly well. We’ll do our best to keep both of them cool and collected tomorrow. I expect we’ll be spending quite a lot of time in the showers…

It was a frustrating afternoon in the heat at St. Cloud, with only Timelord coming good out of our three runners. He ran very well and I thought he was nearly going to win it, but just couldn’t get that last half-length. He has made amazing progress considering the problems we’ve had with him, and he will win soon. Rapsodie du Desert got a bit outpaced in the lady riders’ race; she broke from the far outside, but there was too much early pace for her to run with the leaders so our rider tried to tuck her in behind. Rapsodie pulled quite a bit and it was difficult to get her settled, so she ended up running with her nose in the wind on the outside of the pack the whole way around. She fought on gamely in the home stretch, but couldn’t get there and ended up finishing 8th of 14 runners, although only about six lengths behind the winner. She has really made progress though and will win a handicap, but her owners are not the patient type and I don’t think they are willing to keep her in training. Hard Way was the biggest frustration of the day. He ran relaxed and in perfect position lying about fourth or fifth throughout, but got trapped behind a wall of horses in the stretch and couldn’t get out. Christophe Lemaire, who rode him, was not a happy jockey when he got back, because he said the horse could certainly win a race like that. It was Hard Way’s worse finish since June of last year, but it really was just bad luck in running.

The upside: All the horses came back fine, despite the heat (those ice caps really help). And in the middle of it all, I did a little spur-of-the-moment freelance work for my friends at the Abu Dhabi National newspaper, who were interested in the Arabian race. Just like old times, right guys?

Next up: Rose of Egypte debuts at Compiegne on Tuesday, where Little Brazilien will make her first start as a three-year-old – and at a monstrously bigger size than when she last saw a racetrack. Always looking forward…

We’re all set for three runners at St. Cloud tomorrow, and they all have a chance. Timelord will go off the favorite in his claimer, the first race at 2,100 meters. I hate being the favorite – it’s like a jinx. I’ve never been able to win from that spot. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow. Rapsodie du Desert runs in the 7th, a lady amateur rider claimer. She is given a chance by most of the tip sheets. For me, it’s a really hard race to situate, like many of these amateur races are. There are horses there that have been entered purely for the pleasure of the rider, some old soldiers, one that hasn’t run in two years, some old black type…who knows what will happen? All I know is that we’re in the gate next to a horse that likes to take the pace and could win, so all we have to do is follow it, and then try to beat it. The rest shouldn’t matter. Then we have Hard Way in the nightcap, the ninth race at 6 p.m. Strangely, none of the tipsters give him much of a chance, and I think he might be our best shot of the day (but then I’m partial – he’s sort of the yard favorite and so far our biggest earner). He would certainly run better if it wasn’t a million degrees outside and the going was softer, but he always tries and I think he has a chance. He’s on the climb as far as his personal physical form is concerned, so I’m looking forward to seeing him run.

So while most of the serious racegoers will be paying attention so the Group 1 Grand Prix de St. Cloud tomorrow, I’m hoping the undercard belongs to us. Stay tuned.

I have lived in France for what is now the majority of my adult life, and I’ve grown accustomed to the way most things work – or don’t – here. I like living here, and the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences. But some days I do find the French reluctance to embrace progress on certain fronts unbelievably frustrating. The French love paper and they love hand-written letters and documents, which means that they have only been dragged kicking and screaming into the Internet age and still insist on certain levels of antiquity. I have just spent most of my afternoon trapped between two of the most antiquated bureaucracies in the country: France Galop and the National Stud.

Every horse in France must have two documents: one is a sort of  passport that has to go wherever the horse goes. It contains identification information, like the horse’s origins, markings and microchip number, plus a vaccination record. The second is called a “carte de matriculation,” or owner’s card, and it is supposed to be on file with the horse’s owner, and signed over to a new owner every time the horse changes hands. Needless to say, horses sometimes change hands a lot, and the owner’s card often does not keep up. So France Galop came up with a new rule that says every horse has to have an owner’s card on file with the National Stud that matches the owner’s name on the race program before the horse can be cleared to run. Fine. Except that the National Stud refuses to send the owner’s card to any owner that doesn’t have a French mailing address. So I have two dilemmas on my hands: One horse was sold and one horse is new in training and needs to run, and both have foreign owners. France Galop says I have to deal with the National Stud, which answers its phone only during the morning on certain days, meaning that even if I did have the time to spend all morning trying to call them, I’m not likely to get through because everyone else in France is trying, too. The other alternative is to fax a hand-written letter explaining all this to the person in charge there. E-mail will not do, apparently. We also need to send a copy of the receipt of sale for the horse along with the letter. Getting on the Internet and seeing that the horse was sold at public auction is not, apparently, good enough. I’m hopeful that I will, eventually, get the paperwork for these two horses sorted out. Meanwhile, I have to go back to my owners and explain to them the French love of paper…

Pretty much everyone in the barn worked this morning in preparation for races in the next week to 10 days, and they all did pretty well. We started with the older distance horses: Turfani, Hard Way and Rapsodie worked upsides. They are all five-year-olds and all run 2,000 meters and up, so it’s a good combination. Rapsodie probably was the star of the bunch. She has been really progressing since her surprise 2nd at St. Cloud, so I hope she can confirm in the lady amateur rider race next Sunday. It’s the same easy claimer and same course and distance as last time. Turfani was a little less motivated, but she knows the game and will be ready for Longchamp on July 3. Hard Way is looking more and more relaxed – so much so that I hope there’s nothing wrong with him. He seems fine, so hopefully he will be ready to win his race next Sunday.

Skid Solo worked alone in front; he would have better off working with George, which he will do on Wednesday on the all-weather track in preparation for Deauville on July 1. George, meanwhile, partnered Rose of Egypt, who is coming along nicely and will probably debut at Compiegne on June 29. Brazil and Timelord paired off, but Brazil was very lazy and disappointing this time around. She is a frustrating horse at the moment, working erratically, but she is coming around. I think it’s harder to have patience with her at the moment because she is finally showing progress but not steadily. She will go to the starting gates with Rose next Friday and work on the grass, which should wake her up a bit – sufficiently, I hope, to finally get her back to a racecourse. I think she will be much like George was in his comeback race – not quite ready but needing to get on with it anyway to get things rolling in the right direction. George has come on really well since Longchamp and should have a good chance at Compiegne on June 29.

Meanwhile, my visiting Irish contingent is happy because one of their two-year-old colts finished third in Maisons-Laffitte yesterday and was claimed for 28,000 euros. Mission accomplished, so now they’re down to two for the sales on June 30. The two will both have runs this week, at Compiegne and Amiens.

I see I am woefully behind in my blogging; I’ve been caught up between our own runners, helping some visiting Irish horses settle in and the French Derby and Oaks.  Skid Solo came back from his race in Maisons-Laffitte very well. I think he really needs to learn to settle this year and run more French style – meaning he has to learn to relax in midfield and finish with a kick. I still believe in him, but he doesn’t have the quality to barge along out front and stay there. We will try him next on the fibersand in Deauville, something I’ve wanted to do for a while now but the timing was never good. He will extend out to 1,500 meters, but on the synthetic track that will feel more like 1,200 for him, especially with a proper turn to encourage him to take a big breather and finish. That race is on July 1.

Versaki, meanwhile, shortens up to 1,200 meters on Wednesday in Chantilly. We have been extremely unlucky with him lately because he is in great form and is ready to win. It’s a good entry for him and he should have a chance this time (although I’ve thought that the last two times out!).

The rest of the yard have a bit of a breather until the end of the month. Hard Way, Rapsodie and Timelord all have entries on June 27 at St. Cloud, and Turfani will probably have to wait until July 3 at Longchamp. I’d rather take her up to Deauville on July 1, but her third place at St. Cloud has disqualified her from that easy handicap. George has a good entry at Compiegne on June 29; he’ll back up to 1,400 meters, which should suit him better than the 1,700 he ran last time out.

Meanwhile, I’ve been working with Con Marnane, and Irish pinhooker who is racing a few horses that didn’t sell at the breeze-ups. They will go back through the horses in training sale at St. Cloud at the end of the month. Two two-year-olds have now debuted, with one of them finishing 2nd in Lyon. They all have a couple of more races before the sales, which should add value for the ring. A lovely horse called Theyllknowmenow will race tomorrow in Compiegne. He is flying on the gallops, but needs better ground than he’s going to get. It’s been raining here, and Compiegne is always on the soft side.

Turfani raced for the first time since late March today, and got up to nab third in the 20-runner field at St. Cloud. She was only a head-bob away from the win, which is extremely frustrating, but she tried hard. I’ve had to put her on Gastroguard for ulcers and gastritis, and she’s starting to come back to form. She is not allowed to run with Gastroguard in her system, so I have to stop the treatment eight days before racing. She is back on it tonight and I’ll continue until she comes up to another race. I’ll have to be patient before we think about what to do next with her. She is a big lovely mare, but has always had a touchy stomach. She is a wind-sucker, which doesn’t help. But she always tries her best and she deserves to stop racing after this year. She’s five years old now and has a nice paper, so next year I’ll try to find someone to take her as a brood mare. The third-place finish today brings her bank account up to nearly 20,000 euros, which is pretty good for a horse that only cost 1,500 euros at the Horses in Training Sale at Tattersalls. I think she could win a race or two this year if we can keep her stomach happy.

Tomorrow, Skid Solo takes his chance in Maisons-Laffitte. It’s a 1,200-meter condition race, and on paper he should be in the top half of the field. But it’s Skid, so you never know what might happen because he’s so inconsistent. He could win or finish nowhere. We just have to go and find out. I’ve decided to trailer him over to the racecourse rather than walk him down; he seems to really lose his mind when he’s running in Maisons-Laffitte, so I’m hoping if he gets to ride around the park a few times before he gets to the track, he might be fooled into thinking he’s actually traveled to a racecourse somewhere. He’ll also wear ear plugs again in the hope he might be calmer. It worked for him last year and it works for Hard Way, so we’ll try them again.

It’s been a very busy couple of days of racing here, with DerringBay and Rapsodie du Desert at St. Cloud yesterday and Timelord and Versaki at Longchamp today. Nothing went as I expected, but we came home with good results nonetheless. DerringBay didn’t fire on the quick track at St. Cloud, and I will now retire him while he is still sound. Anybody looking for a nice-looking riding horse capable of doing anything from trail riding to show jumping, he’s your guy. Rapsodie, on the other hand, ran a huge race and finished 2nd in her field of 18, her best performace since she was two years old (she’s now five). She really surprised me, and she ran with a lot of heart, so we will continue with her.  At Longchamp today, Timelord ran a great race to get up for third, thanks to Christophe Lemaire who did not give up in the stretch. Versaki, on the other hand, got a lazy ride from Theirry Jarnet. Versaki doesn’t get out of the gate well, and with the No. 3 hole at a mile, he needed to move a little quicker earlier. That said, Jarnet barely moved on the horse, and he closed nicely when finally given the chance near the finishing post. He has plenty in the tank, and should be well-placed his next time out. We’ve been frustrated with him twice now and I know he can do better.

Tomorrow is the French Derby, and while we have no runners at Chantilly, we will cheer on our friend Jean-Paul Gallorini’s two in the big race. Both need softer ground to run their best, but we’ll be there to encourage them nonetheless. Next up for us is Turfani on Wednesday at St. Cloud, then Skid Solo Thursday in Maisons-Laffitte.

We have two runners at St. Cloud on Friday and two at Longchamp on Saturday, and our injury scare has turned out – mostly – to be less serious than first appeared. As I mentioned before, Skid’s problem turned out to be a minor stone bruise, and he’s on track and galloping toward his entry next week in Maisons-Laffitte. The new filly’s tendons are fine, thankfully, and her leg bump was indeed just the knock I had hoped it was. She will still head out to Normandy for a break, though, because she needs to finish growing a bit before we can press on. Unfortunately, we’ve had a more serious setback with Blessing Belle, who reared up and turned over in her box while being bridled yesterday morning and came crashing down directly on her withers.  She has always been an extremely difficult horse to handle on the ground, and has had more than her share of close calls, but this time she managed to displace at least three of the caps on her spinal processes, in addition to various cuts and bruises. There’s nothing that can be done but give her time; she’ll need at least six weeks of box rest with limited hand walking (that part ought to be particularly interesting) and then probably a month off in a field before we can think of bringing her back. It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing we can do now but wait. She was certainly feeling pretty sorry for herself for most of yesterday, but today she was moving around her box fine and doesn’t seem to be in much discomfort.

Looking ahead, DerringBay and Rapsodie will run Friday; both are claiming races with better competition than I’d like, but it’s the lowest level I can find around the Paris region so they need to be able to be competitive here or they really can’t stay at the yard. Bay seems in tremendous form at the moment, and has the better entry of the two of them; Rapsodie is particularly unlucky because she is up against considerably better horses.

On Saturday, Versaki and Timelord go to Longchamp. Versaki is in the second half of the Tierce at 1,600 meters, and we’re putting Theirry Jarnet up this time. Timelord will stretch out to 2,000 meters this time, with Christophe Lemaire on board again. It will be his third race in rather quick succession, so after this he will get a bit of a break before racing in Deauville this summer.

The downside for all four horses is that we’re getting another heat snap this weekend; weather changes don’t seem to be happening very gradually this year, and it makes things extra tough on the horses. I’ll have the icecaps ready for all of them and we’ll make the best of it.