Skid set for Tierce, and a new face at the barn

Skid Solo will run the 1,000-meter Tierce handicap in Maisons-Laffitte tomorrow. He hasn’t been able to do much at this level so far, and it will be a tough race tomorrow, but he has no choice but to take a shot. He is too highly rated for easier handicaps and the program for sprinters is limited, so we can’t let this one go by. I’m confident he will win one of these this year, but probably over his best distance of 1,200 meters. We have some things in our favor: he should like the ground, Thulliez will be on board and he seems fit and ready. It will be an interesting race and I’m hoping we can at least get up for a place.

On another note, we have a new filly in the yard who should be quite exciting. She was bought Saturday at the two-year-old breeze-up sale at St. Cloud, has a great paper, breezed well and looks great. She is by Oratorio out of a Hello Gorgeous mare. She is still unnamed, so suggestions are welcome!

And on a lighter note, one of my horses is owned by a man who is an identical twin. If I see him next to his brother I can tell them apart most – but not all – of the time. Like many twins, they often do things together, like go racing, which is where things get complicated. Because when they’re not together, I can’t tell them apart. So I will have a long conversation about the mare and it ends with “My brother will be interested to hear that.” Damn. Wrong twin. So the twin that DOESN’T own the horse is a farmer who, among other things, sells straw. I have started to order straw from him. Or maybe from his brother. I’m not sure because I just had a phone conversation with one of them about a straw delivery for tomorrow, and not five minutes later the other brother called me and had nearly the same conversation. In any case, I think there is a load of straw coming tomorrow morning. Or maybe two.