All Play Fancy-Free Fillies, LLC
Sent Jan. 19, ‘10
All,
Mirthful Flirt (’Flirty’) showed a profile on a shin this morning, indicating that she’s probably bucked shins. They did her up in a poultice which, if the shin is not badly hurt, might allow us to continue. (The shin buck would be a result of her work on Saturday, and it’s why I always like to wait two to three days after a work before deciding what can be done next.)
Bones have sort-of ‘sheath’ around them, called the periosteum. The concussion of hooves hitting the ground sometimes causes the periosteum to ‘separate’ from the bone, causing soreness and filling, so ‘bucked shins’ are a result of concussion. This can happen when a horse has not had enough miles of concuss prior to being asked to go fast. It’s not a serious injury, more of a pain the the rear end. Building bone density is why horses, especially young ones, need several hundred miles of galloping , at least half of it ‘hard’ galloping, before being asked to breeze fast.
It is likely that she has bucked, and tomorrow, if Joe says that’s the case, I’ll arrange to have her sent back to Ben D Farm where we’ll treat this condition, probably by firing the shins. If we do that she will be out for six weeks before we can start back training her. During that forty-two days she’ll lose about twenty-five days worth of conditioning, meaning that we’d be back training in early March and she’d probably be ready to start between May 1 and May 15, most likely at Philadelphia Park or Penn National.
Including Flirty’s January bill ($2,000 est.), six weeks at the farm plus vet work will cost about $1,400, and seventy days of training will cost up to $5,000, for a total of $8,400, or about $765 per-share ($260/month) more than we budgeted back in October.
By the way, the filly that Flirty worked with, named Closing Secret, is entered to make her first start on Thursday. ‘Twill be interesting to see how she fares.
The way I see it there’s a ninety-eight percent chance that she’ll recover from this and be able to train up to a race. Please let me know how you wish to proceed.
Paul
Sent Jan. 20, 2009
Follow the Bouncing Ball!
All,
I spoke with Joe Orseno this morning.
“Paul, I have good news. Flirty has not bucked her shins. She exhibits no sensitivity to touch on the shin, and she’s not sore. I had Keith (his top exercise rider) jog her this morning and he says there’s nothing ‘off’ about her. I think the ‘profile’ we saw yesterday must have been a result of her rapping the front of her shin somehow. She evidences no pain and is acting normally in every way. We’ll gallop her tomorrow and see what develops, but I think she’s OK.”
Ahhh, the joy of Thoroughbreds.
Onward!
Paul
Sent Jan. 22, 2009
All,
Recall back in December when I pointed out a $35-k Florida-breds only Maiden Claiming race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 21 that I was hoping we could make with Flirty.
In horse racing, when a race is won ‘easy’ it’s often referred to as ‘a boat race,’ meaning that the horse that won was so much the best that it seemed as if the outcome had been determined before they ran. Well, they ran that $35-k claimer yesterday – the sixth at Gulfstream. It was a boat race (chart attached).
The winner, Stellar Vision, went 21.3, 44.2, 56.4 and out three-quarters in 1:09 and change. She won by over 12 lengths. The second horse beat the third horse by more than 4. And Closing Secret, the filly that Flirty worked with last Saturday, finished fifth of ten horses, missing third by a length and a half. She finished 18 lengths behind the winner and was never in contention, which given the fractions is understandable.
Trust me when I say, “We wish we had claimed Stellar Vision for $35,000.” She is lightning-fast. No, she’s double-lightning fast. Quickquickquick!
If she had run exactly this race against a field of open maidens at Gulfstream she would have almost assuredly won, because there simply cannot be more than one or two other maiden three year old fillies on the grounds that can go this fast, and maybe none. Assuming that she came out of the race OK, you can be sure that her owner will think twice before running her back for a claiming price of less than $50,000. If she were mine I’d try allowance company a time or two before I dropped her back to claiming company, and I’m a big believer in dropping them down after they win (unless they throw in an aberration like this!). Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that, off of this performance, one of the ‘big’ stables stepped up and offered the owner a ton of $$. Yes, her performance was that good.
While we still don’t know the level of Flirty’s talent, when she does make her first start she’ll have to be awfully darn good to run a race of this quality.
We’re hoping, right?
Best!
Paul
Sent Jan. 23. ‘10
All,
It was a beautiful morning at Ben D Farm. The track was drying out after a hard rain very early Friday morning, but there was plenty of bounce in the surface when Silver Minted went out about 9:45.
She jogged 5/8ths, then galloped three-quarters into a quarter-mile work/gallop out three-eighths. She went in 13.2, 25.3, out in 39, and except for the very last sixteenth part where the rider threw a short cross at her, she did it pretty much on her own, on ‘cruise control’ most of the way. She came off the race track blowing a bit - just what we wanted. For this stage of her training this was a very, very nice move.
Three years ago I had a filly named Jamaican Jade. She made four starts @ two, all in top allowance company at Delaware Park, with two thirds and two seconds. I stopped with her in mid-October, hoping after ten weeks off to bring her back at three for an easy campaign. My long-term goal was to have a nice four year-old, a filly that I believed was capable of winning stakes on the grass as an ‘older’ horse. Unfortunately, in April of her three year-old year she died of a heart attack after a 5/8ths work, so she never had the chance to prove whether I had it right.
Silver Minted looks and acts like a filly that, if she has some talent and if we can keep her going, could turn out to be the filly that Jamaican Jade never had the chance to be.
“Easy there, Paul.” I know, I know, and I’m not trying to get your hopes way up. Mine either, for that matter. But I must be truthful with you, and after watching her today, this is the potential I see, and it’s what I believe we could have with just a little luck. Yes it is early, but her pedigree screams ‘older horse and long on the grass’ and to my eye, her demeanor and her ‘way of going’ says the same.
There are many ‘ifs’ strewn across the road ahead, but if she has some talent and if she’ll try, I believe we’re going to have a lot of fun with this pretty girl.
Please plan to come see your horses.
Photos are Silver at a jog and coming off the track.
Best!
Paul
Sent Jan. 24, ‘10
All,
Joe called a few minutes ago with the following report:
“We worked Flirty this morning. She went in 37.2 by herself which is the same time as last week but she was keeping up with another filly last time, so this is an improvement. She went good and came off the track not blowing very hard, so she’s taking solid steps forward. She’s gaining weight and looking more like a race horse. I’m kinda pleased with her. She’s OK.”
Insert smile here.
Atswhadi’mtawkn’about!
Best.
Paul
