Tyke has come back from his race in fine shape, and Turfani, Tommy and Hard Way are all ready to go, so now we need the right races. Tyke will be entered in a 1,600-meter (one mile) claimer for gentlemen riders in Chantilly on May 8. It’s longer than I’d like, but there’s nothing for him otherwise before May 20 and I’d like to get him back out sooner than that because he needs the experience. Tommy will have to run the second division of the Tierce handicap at Maisons-Laffitte on May 16. I’d like something easier (and sooner!), but there’s really not much choice for him. I need 2,000 meters on a good grass course, and this fits the bill. Turfani has a couple of nice choices, and she has clearly turned the corner with her liver problem because she’s eating well again and working very well. I’ve altered her diet to get away from the overly sweet Bailey’s racehorse mix. She might run in a claimer at Evreux on May 8, but more likely will wait for St. Cloud on May 12, where she has a nice 2,100-meter claimer.
Hard Way is just about ready to come back, and he’s entered in a handicap on May 8 at Evreux. I’m unlikely to run that race, but I need to see what rating he will be assigned to see whether he qualifies for the race I’d prefer, in Maisons-Laffitte on May 11. He needs to have a rating of 27 or less, and I’ll find out tomorrow what the handicappers at France Galop think of him. When he does run, it will be in new colors, since he’s been leased to Mark Tronco and Steve Collins.