On Thursday, July 10, a friend and I visited the wonderful training facility of Kenny McPeek.

Caption: Magdalana - Photo: Joey Mai

The horses of McPeek were rather calm and complacent upon visiting them, except for one. He bit my arm, but he caught me off guard and it didn't hurt too bad. Just a slight pink discoloration existed.

I was mainly there to visit Fitzaslew, who I have a neat bond with, and I had pictures taken with him. So did my buddy Joey. Fitz rubbed on my chin (goatee to be exact) for a little while, as did a few other horses. Fitzy needed a good visit, and I could tell he enjoyed the company. I'll be glad to see him back on the track soon.

Fitzy and I first met in the paddock of a Maiden Special Weight race on Stephen Foster Day at Churchill Downs. It was the first start and win for Fitzaslew! So that is why I needed to be sure to say hi, because I knew he would remember me, which he did. Amidala was at the Stephen Foster Day with me and pointed him out specifically for "being really pretty."

I really wanted Joey to see A to the Croft. What a beautiful horse. Tough guy Tom Hall also concurred that this filly is just a good-looking horse. Now, the fact there are stakes races under her belt doesn't hurt either. It was exciting to be with such a star.

Photo: Joey Mai

Along the second barn there was a new horse in McPeek's realm. He was bought at the recent Ocala sale and is a big horse. A beautiful 16 or 17 hand chestnut, to be exact. Just powerful looking and pretty well put together. Unfortunately, I do not remember the pedigree of this horse, but if McPeek trains him well, he should do some great things.

Prospective Love caught my heart though. This horse rubbed my goatee/chin with his gums like it was the next best thing. The gums were fun, and we talked a little and chatted about life. It was great. My friends BB and Joey walked on, as I stayed to chat a little bit more.

Photo: Joey Mai

The last memorable horse was a newly acquired Argentinean-bred horse named Parviso. BB was telling me how he had bucked her off in training once. I laughed at her, but walked over to the horse in the pasture, and he was as calm and sweet as can be. He walked right over and was hanging out. I still don't believe this horse is capable of such shenanigans. I petted and talked with this guy for a while too, congratulating him on giving BB a bumpy ride. I spoke a discussion in spanish to him and he seemed to really enjoy that as well.

Caption: Barn Row - Photo: Joey Mai

Photo: Joey Mai

Photo: Joey Mai

Perfect Soul Update:

I will no longer be updating Perfect Soul's stats or first crop of 2-year-olds. I may write something on his first winner. I apologize for this inconvenience and will leave the current posts up, since some of you have commented on them, and I value your thoughts.


BHNow:

As BHNow consumed my life for about a year, it is sad to see it go. It was such a useful tool for me, and I have linked to many stories from its crisp pages of dynamic data.

BUT, now all that neat data is available on BH.com for anyone and everyone!  All kinds of neat sortable lists are available, just by clicking on the tab.

So go enjoy the new features, they are pretty awesome.

 
Caption: Tree at McPeek's Place
Photo: Joey Mai

The Rock: 

Steve Haskin beat me to talking about the Royal Ascot meet in England, but let me say this: You all are probably sick of me praising turf racing, but after watching this eventful treat, I have learned a great deal. I always enjoy watching horse racing in Europe. Where they are dominated by turf racing of all sorts, including hurdles.

Why was I so amazed by watching the races this past week? Where else can you get 30 horse fields, 2 1/2 mile races, and finish the final stretch uphill! I watched three or four races and they were all impressive. The Ascot Gold Cup (Eng-1) with Yeats and a few other Aidan O'Brien wins, were captivating to watch since he seemed to have the magic touch this past week.

I will not recap the races too much, but you need to go read Steve Haskin's new blog and his post on this breathtaking event.

My last thought on this is: get some of those 2+ milers over here and breed them, because our horses would almost die racing that distance, figuratively speaking. More power to the European turf horses, and now I am starting to wonder how Curlin might do against Europe's top turf horses.

Curlin is mighty, but what are your thoughts on him and the turf?

Now the Roll...

IEAH has stepped up to the plate. The team many hate to love, may have started the ball rolling for the industry, with this profound statement:

"We have decided to withdraw all of our horses from medication, except for Lasix," IEAH co-president Mike Iavarone told Blood-Horse.

IEAH has started a movement that the horse industry will have to make, or most likely the government will take us there. I have read story after story on various groups with various ideas and various ways of implementing those ideas. Yet, only small steps were accomplished. I am very grateful those steps were taken and so many groups and people want change.

But, after the past months of reading about this issue, it seems ego, greed, and laziness have cramped the horse industry's style. Some have tried and unfortunately fell short, but IEAH has the money and backing to follow through. That is one perk of a partnership.

Now some will argue why even allow Lasix (which is now called Salix)? Especially looking at Europe. In Germany, you can not breed horses that have used Lasix. They want bloodlines to remain clean.

Lasix/Salix is there for bleeding, but may have performance enhancing effects as well. I say if they cut it back to that one legal drug, which does have a positive benefit from it, I can live with that. Really, I am impartial. Either one or none is fine with me.

I have gained some additional respect for IEAH. I like that they are leading off and taking one for the team. Sometimes this is what it takes. When things are so set in a particular way for a long time, when people are reluctant to change, sometimes it takes the new kid on the block, the outsider to bring a new vision or to start change because they see things differently or have not had the same exposure.

A light-hearted but prime example would be the movie Footloose. Kevin Bacon enters a town and creates a positive change that the community had a hard time accepting, but ended up being mostly harmless. Then again, there was not a billion dollar industry involved.

The IEAH guys are doing a great job in winning me over, even if there may be things hidden in the shadows. I tend to be an optimist and like to think people can change.

They are trying to get the industry to change and are willing to put money in, to promote and improve the image of horse racing. They are also responsible for the Ruffian Equine Medical Center in Elmont, N.Y. I have to say it: IEAH might have arrived to help save the industry from destroying itself in some aspects, at least from a governing point of view.

Of course, it isn't quite as glorious a picture as I just painted, because the hospital and other means they are pursuing are going to make profits. We do live in a capitalist society though, so I can accept that. If they are going to take risks and help lead to positive change for us, and if they are looking out for the welfare of horses, yet making a little money on the side off of it, I can take that.

Truth be told, IEAH has placed themselves under a microscope. I will be observing their culture closely. I do have my skeptical positions, but I am willing to think about trusting them if their actions are louder than words.

You can read more on this article here.

Side Note:

After all the serious discussion:

Extra Sexy Psychic won the Cozy Lace Stakes at Presque Isle Downs race over the weekend. Why is this name so awesome? Because of her pedigree: Freud—She's Pretty Too, by Housebuster.

Cleverness with class.

 Video: Footloose Music Video

 Recently I glanced at a horse classified section. There was an ad promoting a company that exists to help name horses. I thought to myself, "man, I really enjoy brainstorming and coming up with clever ideas and names. I want to get paid for doing something fun like that." So, the gears started turning in my head.

Some people look to name their horse by using names in the first or second generation of the horse's pedigree or by combining the names of the sire and dam. Yet others come up with clever themes and related names. Sometimes a meaningful name of a family member is used.

Some of the names that have come to pass, the great and outright strange. Some names have a historical or geographic significance, which are fun to research and discover.

Great examples of this are The Green Monkey, Giant's Causeway, Sir Shackelton, and Pollard's Vision. The Green Monkey is a golf course in South America; Giant's Causeway being pillars in Ireland; Sir Shackelton lead the arctic exploration; and Pollard's Vision refers to Seabiscuit's jockey and his vision impairment.

I was challenged to search out the meaning behind these names by an editor and the history behind them was very fun to discover.

My co-worker Marta really likes the name Belly Rub, because he is by Buddah.

For us newbies, there are rules that have to be abided by in these naming conventions. Racehorses must be registered, and the Jockey Club regulates their names. There are rotations (meaning names in use can eventually be reused), copy right issues, and many circumstances that exist.

A good example of a name that probably would not pass in America is Irish-bred Cute Ass. It passed in Europe, but the U.S. Jockey Club probably would not permit it. However, sometimes names get by in America because of clever innuendoes, clever spellings, or pronunciation.

To learn more about registering and naming in America, visit:
https://www.jockeyclub.com and for naming guidelines, read: Naming with the Jockey Club

Or maybe try visiting http://thoroughbrednamingspecialists.com/ 

Some hypothetical names I thought were fun:
Jedi Code - Risen Starlet = Death Star
Z Humor - Tickeled = Something Wonderful
Court Vision - Thumbelina = Short Vision
Kodiak Kowboy - Cosmogirl by Cosmonaut = Space Kowboy

One co-worker CN suggested : Wandering Prowler - Feisty = Andrew the Cat
and another co-worker ER suggested: Brass Hat - Painted Lady = Pain in the Brass

This must come full circle now. There are so many creative and fun names out there. What are some of your favorite names that currently exist?
What are some fun names you might want to create or see?
(Don't make it too vulgar or I can't publish the idea)
Any good stories behind a horse that you named?

Feel free to share!

On a rather cold day this winter, Ashford opened its broad black iron gates for people to come in and visit their stallions first hand. The gates were a tad slow, but it built anticipation as we drove down their stretched driveway, giant beautiful trees lining the sides and draping over us, to their secondary gate that enters the stable area.

Our first stop was the office. Upon entering we were greeted by a sweet, wonderful dog in a stylish sweater and a friendly receptionist who was also in stylish attire.  The ambiance was that of an Irish abode, yet there were cases of trophies on display. A lot of trophies to be exact. There is a strong tradition here, so that is to be expected. The crew and I picked up their brochure, which was quite fancy and very well designed and we scoped out which stallions we definitely wanted to see out of their stalls.

Shuffling along the road we were greeted by several kind Irishmen, and they pointed us to which barn was the main barn. I was told by a few people, that the Irish handlers could be quite assertive and unkind, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. The guy we talked to and who helped us along was very nice and enjoyed sharing his depth of knowledge about the horses and their personalities. He was a great guide, and he had a bright red goatee.

The guys were a little cold, and you could tell they had been standing outside for a while. The main barn held many greats, but the most important horse for me to lay eyes on was none other than Giant's Causeway. I am a HUGE fan of his. The name alone demands respect, which is why I initially became interested in him, but his record also speaks well of him. What a well-behaved horse and put so nicely together. His stride was wonderful.

Side Note:
The real Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland.
Read more here...

The second candidate we elected to have brought out and walked was Giant's Causeway's half brother, but not a half-brother, Van Nistelrooy. Both sires are by Storm Cat, yet since stallions in the Thoroughbred world have so many offspring, having the same dad does not make them related. Relationship is attained through the dam or mother. If they had the same mother they would be half-brothers, but that is not the case here. Anyway, the main fascination with seeing both of these horses, was to compare their structure. Both horses looked great. Van Nistelrooy is built and had success as a sprinter while Giant's Causeway generally preferred turf races.

Sprinters are built more compactly, with power and big butts. There is definitely some junk in their trunk. My favorite sprinter running currently is Piratesonthelake! The name had me hooked, but I have followed him since July and he has done well for himself.  He actually races today at Oaklawn Park, so go encourage him in his race.

Back onto the comparing Giant's Causeway and Van Nistelrooy was impressive. You can see how they are related, but at the same time, they are proportioned differently but correctly for their build. Meaning for their size and shape, their stuff fit together.

Later we ventured with our awesome guide, who I shall deem "red beard," to the next barn. It was a little bit of a walk, but we had some good chatter with the lad. We learned about how Fusaichi Pegasus was doing, since he had just returned from Australia and was in quarintine. According to Leia, it is bad practice to ask about horses if you know they are in quarentine or have been over sees. The guy didn't have a problem saying he was doing fine. There was an EI outbreak in Australia, so it was a big deal that he and several other horses were returning and staying in quarentine. But most animals must stay in quarentine and be evaluated routinely by government regulations even if there isn't a disease outbreak.

Finally we reached the next barn. A calico barn cat decided to join us and fell in love with Marta, and followed us out when we left. Anyway, there were a few horses we saw from that second barn. We had two horses out, Johannesburg and Lion Heart. Marta asked to see something in a bay color. Johannesburg was a beautiful horse, I enjoyed seeing him. A few months later we saw some of Johannesburg's horses breeze at the Keeneland April under tack show.

The Keeneland April 2YOIT  Data Digest results edition held some of Coolmore's pride;  Three juveniles by Tale of the Cat  were offered, and two sold for a gross of $630,000. Read the other great sires of this sale in the Data Digest on BloodHorse.com.

A fun experience has been following the developing 2YOs of newer stallions.  My co-worker Marta encouraged me to pick a Stallion with a first crop of two-year-olds coming up in the world.  So I took up this suggestion and have found the experience fun and educational.

This task has taught me a lot about how to follow horses in the industry, some naming conventions used and how to follow a horse from beginning, to their maiden debut on the track.  Following these horses also allows you to create a bond and develop with the horse, if that is something that interests you.  You will start to see how successful the sire will be through the success of his offspring, meaning if you watch the 2YOs win a lot of races, or vice versa, you will see if you should breed with him in the future and you will see how his stud fee changes.  It is fun to also examine how the horse is bred to produce specific traits or qualities, for example sprinters or turf prone offspring.

To do this, pick a stallion prospect who will have a crop of 2YOs coming up.  Create a document/database (ex. excel, word) to record this information in.  I would recommend a Spreadsheet software.  You look up all the registered two year olds you can find, try http://www.pedigreequery.com/...we have the luxury of having a nice research database here, so that could be challenging for you.  Record all the horses both named and unnamed born in 2006 and type their info into your document.  Make sure you record their Dam, so when the 2YOs are named, you can find their dam and type in the name.

When horses are starting to be named, go to a website that hosts a virtual stable.  DRF, Equibase and Brisknet have such services.  I would keep them separate from any other stables that may have horses you tend to follow regularly.  The reason you input their names is so you can be notified by email when they begin to work out and train.

The Sire I chose was Prefect Soul (IRE).  Again, partially because of the name, but a nice pedigree with some Irish on the side, since I have some Irish blood in me.  Perfect Soul is by Sadler's Wells out of Ball Chairman.

Another reason I chose him was he has had several good races at Keeneland.  The races were the Shadwell Keeneland Turf Mile  Stakes and the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes, both of which he finished first, he raced the Shadwell Keeneland Turf Mile two different years, only winning one year.  His record was 21-7-5-1.  Which means of 21 starts he finished 1st seven times, placed 2nd five times and shown 3rd one time.  A lifetime earnings of $1,527,764. 9 graded stakes.

He has sold 2 colts in 2008 Auctions with an average of $48,150 thus far
- OBS Feb. Out of Turn on the Charm - $95,000
- not sure about the second auction

Two horses have worked out for him so far as well.

March 3, 2008 he had his first 2YO to workout:
Almost Perfect F CH out of Almost Mystical (1993) at Mercury Equine Center
Dirt for 2 Furlongs, Breezing at 0:25.2 with a Fast track condition.

March 27, 2008 he had his second 2YO to workout:
Perfect Shower C DK B out of Showering (1991) at Payson Park
Dirt for 2 Furlongs, Breezing 0:24.8 with a Fast track condition.

UPDATE May 22, 2008: 

I have created a permanent page of information on Perfect Soul for you all to have a single place to go. So whether I post blog updates or not, you can view his information here:

The Perfect Soul Page

Side Note:

Sugar Britches is a half-sister to one of Perfect Soul's 2YOs. 

Sugar Britches just raced in a Maiden race at Gulfstream Park.  Sugar Britches had started 5 times and finished 3rd once.  She has earned $6,460.

Their Dam is Unchecked. 

Perfect Unbridal    F    B    2006    Perfect Soul (IRE) (1998) Unchecked (1998) Unraced 

 A great question was asked by the reader The Old Gray Mare, who wanted some clarification on the triangle method.  I mentioned the triangle method in my previous post "Ouch at Oak Tree."  So here is a brief explanation on a quick way to check out horses.

Confirmation: Equilateral triangle method.

The triangle will follow the hip and shoulder up toward a point over the back. You want the bottom of the triangle to follow along the bottom of the barrel or stomach area. The base should be a straight line for the most part.

Using your fingers with this method means you place your pointer fingers together and your thumbs together to form a triangle...peer through the triangular hole created. It is a quick and easy way to get some ideas on the shape of a horse.

Picture: The picture holds two colors. Red is the correct triangle, and the green is the "actual" horse measurement with the triangle.

Horse 1 (left) has pretty close to an equilateral triangle proportion.

Horse 2 (right) is pretty close, but a bit longer and the base of the triangle is wider.

Thank you to my co-worker Leia for providing the picture and explaining more on horse conformation.

If you have other useful methods, tips or tricks then please do share!