Thank you so very much for this update!  It pleases me that Nicanor is doing well and improving as a young colt.  I can't wait to see him run in his first race and race thereafter.  Are you guys mapping out the same road for Nicanor as you guys did for Barbaro?

I love to hear about Nicanor and the workout of the other young ones by Smarty and Unbridled Song. It is hope that springs eternal again. Barbaro was a symbol of hope that somehow it would all turn out well. It has. Even if Nicanor never wins a race, there is hope that he will and we can all go along for the ride.

Thanks

Thanks for the update, I really hope he will finish what his brother had started...

Does anyone know anything about War Pass? Is he coming back to training?

Thank you for taking the time to blog for us! It seems like it is going to be a very interesting crop of 3 year olds next year! Keep the updates coming!!

AS far as I know his best chance of returning to the track will be as a 4 year old

Thank you Amanda, Peter, et al.  These updates mean everythng to us.

Nicanor does, too. And SQ is right.  Net year is going to be exciting.

The youngsters who are developing and "coming along" all sound promising.    Thank you again.  Keep the information coming!  Please.

Wasn't WAR PASS retired to stud?  

Ice Road's dam Runup the Colors is also a half sister to Prospector's Delite, the dam of Mineshaft and Tomisue's Delight.

Greg B,

I scouted the archives and only see that War Pass is sidelined, not retired as yet.

Thank you for the update on Nicanor. Sounds like he is coming right along. You're doing such a wonderful job covering his training, I know you'll let us know when he heads for his first start!

I am looking forward to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and next spring's races with great interest now!

Can't wait to see Nicanor. Its also nice to hear about Rockland. I am anxious to see Smarty's offspring on the track.

Do thoroughbreds race better or worse if they happen to know another horse in the race or does it matter? And do horses recognize each other after extended absenses of weeks, months or years?

Love the new comments from Peter.  Sounds like things are going very wel for young Nicanor.  

Is Mouse Soup still owned by the Jacksons?

Love to hear about Nicky.  Just let them take their time with him, no big rush at this point in time, let him grow a little bit more.  By the way is Mouse Soup from Lael Stables also, see you mentioned the Jacksons and does Michael have her too.

Hahah, Mouse Soup. What a name.

Woo Hoo !!!  What fun !  Rock on, Nicanor.  Keep up the good work, young man !

As a hopeless animal lover, and especially horses, I cannot imagine the sheer joy it must be to work with these magnificent creatures daily.

The stunnng Youtube video of Nicanor at Fair Hill just takes your breath away when he (an Peter) finally appear on screen.  (Appears to be during a mornng exercise session on or around July 11.)  He is just magnificent an excudes star quality!

Thanks for the update. I'm so please N's going great. But I, for one, would rather he *didn't* race as a two-year-old. I'd rather he have the chance to get strong and firm and really grow up before he starts the pounding intensity.

IMHO of course. :>

I am please to hear Nicanor is doing so well.

Please protect those fragile ankles, cannon bones, etc (thinking back to brother Barbaro's undoing). Remember he is also a Mr. Prospector grandson and has inherited the fragile ankle legacy from Mr. Prospector.   One other thing, don't let Nicanor get bumped by Brother Derek as did his late brother Barbaro, in a race.  Maybe Nicanor can attend Barbaro's innurnment in Churchill Downs next year.

Thank you for the update on Nicanor.  I really enjoy this blog community.  God Bless You All!

The Youtube video of Nicanor with Peter up shows him to be a magnificent, charismatic colt (and he's grown taller it appears!) He could not be more beautiful.

Thank you for this update. I was lucky enough to see Nicanor on Saturday at Fair Hill. What a handsome poised boy he was as he and Peter jogged!!!

Can anyone relay info as to how much these horses put out in these workouts.  Do the trainers want them at or near 100% effort or do they hold back??  Thanks!!

Also.....Any new news on Lentenor.  Also wondering when LaVille Rouge is expected to have the new baby.

Leaving another question is Mouse Soup owned by the Jacksons and is she also with Michael Matz.

Thanks for the updates...it's a joy to read about Nicanor's progress!

how many works has Nicanor had so far does anyone know.thank you

I hope Nicanor has has all the success his brother enjoyed as a racehorse. But duplicating even close to what Barbaro did would be asking for a lot.  In the beginning I wasn't a huge Barbaro fan, because of some close-minded handicapping angles like not betting a horse on five weeks rest before the Kentucky Derby. But thanks to youtube.com, I have seen all of Barbaro's races. I must confess, he easily possessed the best stride of any 3-year old I've seen in the last two decades. He covered ground so easily, it was sheer beauty to watch. I firmly believe had Barbaro not broken down, he would have won the Triple Crown that year.

 Let's make sure that Barbaro's legacy is never to be forgotten. And if Nicanor can stay healthy and do half as good as his brother he'd be doing well.  

SEEMS TO ME THAT ALL WILD HORSES RUN WHEN AND WHERE THEY WISH NO MATTER THEIR AGE OR THE TYPE OF GROUND THAT THEY ARE ON.  NOT TO MENTION A STALLION NIPPING THEM TO GO FASTER-FARTHER. I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND. I DO ENJOY ALL THE NEWS. KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK.

I'm the one always saying let Nicanor be Nicanor...and yet, I have a dream. It is this: On the first Saturday in May, 2009, Barbaro's statue is unveiled at Churchill Downs. Then later, Nicanor wins the Derby with Edgar Prado in the saddle, and all of Barbaro's connections regather in the winners circle. It would be the happiest day in racing since Barbaro crossed the finish line on that glorious May day in 2006.

Thanks for the updates and continuing progress of Nicanor, Rockland, Mouse Soup, Ice Road and other youngsters. This is going to be fun to follow these babies from the ground up. Watching them grow and train and branch out into thier careers. May they all do well and stay safe and healthy.

Barbara--how about this for a "draft" extension of your dream, and it's a wonderful dream, by the way--I've also thought of something like it.....Nicky wins the Derby,  then smokes the Preakness two weeks later.  The excitement is just about unbearable.  The news coverage is nonstop--everybody is caught up in this magical story.....now it's Belmont Day, the 6th of June, 2009--Dave Johnson at the mike:  "It's the last big turn at the Belmont Stakes and this field starts the run for home.....now Edgar Prado pulls the trigger and Nicanor makes his move--and DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!  Nicanor takes command!  He's opened a two length lead, now it's three--he's on his way, he's finishing the job his brother Barbaro started three years ago!  Here comes the wire and it's Nicanor by daylight--it's been 31 years but he's the new...Triple...Crown....Champion!" May it come true!  And Nicky stays safe and sound.

Kathy - I can attest to the fact that horses remember each other after a separation of many years.  I reunited my 17 year old hunter with her stable mate after 15 years.  There  was not a doubt that they didn't know each other and welcome the reunion.

Does anyone know if Michael Matz gallops all his horses in the same gear, and if so what are the colors.  You can't miss a Zito horse, and I am going to Fairhill in a week or so, and was just curious about Matz's stable colors.  Hoping to see Nicanor gallop.  Does anyone know how early he goes out?

How please, does a horse get the name

"Mouse Soup"?

Lisa from Colo, were you the one speaking on the Youtube video?

Kathy,

Yes horses do recognize other horses that they are around often, for instance if two horses are in the rign together that go out together, they most certinley no that, like my two geldings who will act up when the other is in the ring to show off, but on the other note, with racing, the adreniline is so high that I think alot of the time they arnt paying particular attention to what horse is where, tho whos to say? We arnt them and can't see what they see, I heard of a story of Hard Spun and Street Sense as well as Any Given Saterday knowing one another from the track, a friend who works at Darley relayed the information to me and thought it was perculiar that the stallions would all know of one another, but, it would make sense, my horses remember horses from the horse shows and from old boarding barns, I wouldn't doubt if they know each other from racing, even racing just a mile next to each other is a whole lotta time to have some "horse chat" haha!

Amanda,

Could you find out how big Nicanor is now?  He appears to have grow a lot in the last few months.

What a fun site!!  

I am looking forward to seeing if any of them will be at the 25th Breeder's Cup.  I lucked out to get tickets!  I'll be watching.

Kathy - Yes, horses do remember each other.  A close friend had one of her horses recovering at her parents farm for almost a year. When he returned the others greeted him with lots of nickers & sniffs.  He had no problem getting his place back in the herd.

Sugarbear - For a wild horse, funning fast is part of their survival.  I've been able to observe a little & read on them.

Whew!  So GLAD to have the posts back -- have felt so shut out these past everal days.  Amnything new on Niccanor??  Also, how big is he now?

How is Nicanor?

It was pure joy to see Nicanor at Fair Hill and very gracious of MM to bring him out for the FOB to see.  Whatever the future holds for Nicanor and his stablemates, one thing is certain-they are in good hands at fair Hill