Thanks very much for the update. Fair Hill sounds like a very comprehensive place.

Once Nicanor goes back "into it", depending, of course, on his mental concentration, will his progress be more geared to his first start?

Depend upon the Matz/Jackson team to take care of the horse.  I wish all trainers/owners were like this.

Take you time Nicanor.  We'll be waiting patiently for you.

how about pictures of the whole

family..mom pop and the boys....

Glad to hear he is still doing good.  Sounds like he is enjoying life and learning.  Thank you for taking such wonderful care of him.  God Bless Barbaro's Family and all the connections.  

I hope all is well with Nicanor. I know Man in Havana has been gelded and is no longer racing. I hope Nicanor does not follow suit. Also watching Lentanor as he is even more like Barbaro then Nicanor. It's like he is still with us when you look at that colt. We can dream!!!!

Nic appears to be progressing well. I wonder if Michael/Peter & the Jackson's will decide to follow the same path as Barbaro. Will they try the Turf first?

Have fun, big boy....

WOW!!! NICANOR LOVES THE TRAILS!!!THIS WILL BUILD ENDURANCE AND HIS MENTAL STATE. WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO TRAIN A RACEHORSE!!!

Blessed be that time is being taken not to start him to soon!!  I just rescued a 2yr. old  TB gelding this Sunday from sustaining an injury (slab fracture to front knee) during a race.  Starting the horse when its ready is so huge!  Wish more would go this route.  A friend & I are hoping "Mac" will recover to have good life beyond racing.  Pray for us that he heals perfectly.

A racehorse just could not do better than to be owned by the Jacksons and live at Fair Hill under the care of Mr. Matz, Mr. Brette and the rest of the crew.

Thanks for the updates on this promising young horse. He has a long way to go, but he certainly looks of having every chance of getting there.

Sheila, Kim and others, above--

Whether you have two legs or four, if heaven isn't as nice (and have at least as many horses) as Fair Hill, well, I hope I don't end up in heaven. The entire reserve, owned by the State of Maryland and managed by its Department of Natural Resources, is on the order of 5500 acres, and is one of the largest undeveloped contiguous parcels of land between Washington and New York.

It's always a treat when you are on the trails and come up on one of the horses in training, although with all the trails and acreage it rarely happens. The training center itself sits on like 350 acres, and the Michael Dickinson Tapeta training surface, as is the entire complex,first rate. Mystery to me why tracks are installing other artficial surfaces, to include that truly awful Polytrack, when the surface at Fair Hill is enjoyed by both the dirt and turfers alike, and has been down since late 2006, as I recall. Too bad the BC isn't being run on Tapeta in October. I guess it takes a former trainer like Dickinson to know  what it takes to create an artifical surface which passes the four-foot test :-)

In sum, GREAT place to train a horse and to let a horse be a horse. The later, I believe, critical and lost on too many trainers. Can't do that kind of "holistic" training at a track. This reality understood by the likes of Michael Matz, H. Graham Motion (there's a "trainer's trainer") and most recently joining the colony with a brand new barn to call his own, Larry Jones. Only regret Eight Belles didn't get to see her new home after her magnificent effort at Churchill. My heart still breaks for Larry and all her connections. RIP, Girlie.

Possible turf horse and he likes hills.  Might be a steeplechase horse in the making!

The obvious affection and care that Michael and Peter and the rest of the crew are giving to Nicanor is comforting and heartwarming and we can rest assured that when he starts, he will be ready.  What a fortunate, beautiful boy he is and Lentenor will be, also, next year. I am so reassured.  God Bless the Jacksons, Michael and Peter and Grae and the rest of you.

Thank you for this great report on beloved Nicanor!  It is wonderful that Michael and Peter know exactly what this baby needs-time, love, and proper exercise!  Nicanor is a very happy colt, secure in the feeling that he's accomplishing his personal goals.

Thanks for the update on Nicanor.  What a great place to train.  It is absolutely gorgeous at Fair Hill.  

We will wait on Nic to grow a little more and hopefully soon he will be in training again.

Keep up the good work Nicanor.  God bless the Jacksons, Mr. Matz and Peter Brette for the wonderful care they give to their horses.

Thanks for the updates--it's always great to hear about Nicanor's progress. This type of exercise reminds me of the way Afleet Alex was trained...I have always thought that is what made Alex so agile to overcome his stumble in the Preakness & gave him the stamina he needed to win Belmont!

Wonderful to hear that such care is being taken to provide Nicanor with what he needs when he needs it!  Thanks to the Jackson/Matz/Brette team for their devotion to all their horses.  And 16 hands already ~ sounds like he is going to be his father's son for sure!

Thanks for another great update!  It seems like things are going along just wonderfully as he gets to be a horse on those beautiful trails in the woods and hills.

Thank you!

good to see our guy is ok

        thx we are ready

Thank you so much for the updates on Nicanor. I look forward to each and every one.It sounds like he is coming along fine. With Michael and Peter by his side he could have no better.

Fair Hill is truly a great place for horses and humans.  I wonder if any other of MM's young trainees are riding the trails with Nicanor.

KLB

THANKS for the marvelous update.We appreciate so much all the care you are taking with Nicanor.I know I will be crucified by someone but HE IS SPECIAL and anyone who doesn't realize that should go be an ostrich and stick their head in the sand for eternity.He will be his own horse BUT the mere fact that he is out of Dynaformer and La Ville Rouge a match that we know can be quite incredible gives rise for promise!!

Fairhill is HEAVEN...I've seen it with my own two eyes!! It's an amazing training facility absolutely first rate of that there is no doubt!And Michael and Peter do have the magic touch when it comes to horses.....

Thanks again to ALL Nicanors connections they are doing an impressive job!!

All true horsepeople know that horses don't reach adulthood until around age 5, and it's great to give the youngsters a wide variety of experiences. Trail riding is a a great training method. I applaud all of this team.

Thanks for the graciousness the Nicanor connections show the fans!

Thank you for the update and once again giving us a vivid picture of what Nicanor is experiencing. Up and down trails sure sounds like a perfect way to build stamina and endurance. If he's around 16 hands now is 17 hands out of the question? Could he grow that much more? Sounds like he will be smaller than Barbaro. No matter, he is greatly admired and loved already. So whether he's a race horse or whatever, he carries great genes and endless possibilities. Have fun little one and learn your lessons well.    

I love the attitude on here that Michael Matz is the only guy in the game who lets his two-year-olds grow up before putting them into serious training.

If every trainer just ran his two-year-olds whenever they came to the barn then every maiden race from Saratoga to Yavapai would be oversubscribed.

Thanks for the update.  Nicanor sounds happy.  Does anyone know if Barbaro ever got to run in the countryside at Fair Hill?

It is good to know that trail riding is part of Nicanor's training, guess they do that with all their horses?  I would love to know that.  Walking & walking uphills is great conditioning.  Endurance horses are prepared that way.  And wasn't it interesting that the connections for Casino Drive implement all the walking before & after their workout, 45 minutes briskly I might ad. I have to say it is simple but makes so much sense especially at their young age.

Like all of us, I greatly appreciate all the updates on this guy Nicanor.

So glad for an update. Glad to know that Nicanor is a happy, growing fella!!I just love that Michael Matz is letting Nicanor grow up and not pushing him. Going on trail rides is a good thing! Thank you for the update

the up and down hills is great esp for building a good body  what a wonderful place fair hill is

thx! :) Hope Nickky wins the derby!

How wonderful to hear that Nicanor loves the trails, and up and down the hills.  Sounds like the most perfect training ground for him.  Not only builds his strength, but certainly his confidence!!  Thank you all for taking such good care of this sweet boy.  

Remember Curlin did not race until he was three years old, and he is a strong successful champion.  Wonderful news that all the connections know their horse so well and are giving Nicanor exactly what what he needs to be the best he can be.

note to Stacy: I don't believe Man in Havana, who is by Quiet American, not Dynaformer, never raced.  He didn't have the desire to be a race horse, I heard.      

After being glued to the Olympiocs Equestrian Events, I have a question (I'm a newbie to all this)  Do the same horses that do dressage do the jumping?  That would be amazing if they are that versatile.  Another question, during the cross country jumping, some of the horses looked as if their legs had been whitewashed with something.  Were they?  Becuse I didn't see that seame phenomenon later when they appeared in other events.  Does someone on this board know these

answers?

Thank you for updates.

great

Thank you, Amanda.  I am very grateful for this information.It just boggles my mind that the same horse can be taught dressage and jumping, too.  Do they ever become confused with the rein action?  What incredible creatures they are! I LOVE HORSES!

Is there any possibility of getting a new pic of Nicanor so we can compare his size to the pre-growth spurt Nicanor?

MJ,

It is my understanding that Barbaro  loved the trails at Fair Hill.  I think there is at least one picture of him coming in from a stroll.

KLB

Wouldn't it be wonderful to see Nicanor exploring the trails around Fair Hill walking behind another horse with a horse-cam, absorbing the amazing aroma and wonders of nature. No, no, that is probably too far out a request, so how about a few photos of Nicanor, please, pretty please.

It is quite obvious that Nicanor is progressing well. I saw the picture of Michael Matz beaming ear to ear when Nicanor was nearby. I believe there is a similar photo at Fair Hill with Barbaro and Michael.

Thank you Amanda and Blood-Horse for this blog. I enjoy reading everyone's comments.

WOW! 16 hands! Nicanor's getting big! Yes, the trails are great places to build up stanima...

I can't wait to hear more about Lentenor, though!

MVH -

There are three Olympic equestrian events:

1) eventing

2) dressage

3) show jumping

Show Jumpers only jump in competition. It is objective. The jumps knock down. Penalty points are given for knock downs, refusals, and run outs. They jump about 4'9" - 5'7" high to about 6' wide (water jumps with no height can be at least 13 1/2 feet wide). They are given medals for a team competition and an individual competition.

Dressage has no jumping. It is performed in a 20x60 arena with a low fence around it with letters at evenly spaced intervals (always in the same spots). The riders must memorize a test. The tests they use in the Olympics are Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special, and the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music (also known as a Kur - German word). At the Grand Prix level, dressage horses do not jump in competition and generally do not jump in training, although some may have jumped as young ones when owners were trying figure out their strengths. The Grand Prix test includes highly difficult skills which take years of strengthening and training on both the rider's and the horse's part. Some of these are piaffe (trot in place), passage (highly collected trot that seems to stop for a moment in air), trot extention (lengthening the trot stride w/o going faster), and the canter pirouette (collected canter in a circle around horse's back legs, nearly in place).

Eventing. The heart of eventing occurs on the second day of the competiton: cross country. They gallop 8-12 miles jumping 30-40 obstacles that don't fall down mostly built of wood. They are also drop fences, water fences (to go through, not over), ditches sometimes with water (to go over, not through). At the highest levels the jumps are generally themed and beautiful built and/or carved. They are becoming safter as technology and safety awareness increases and they can build solid jumps that do give in case of the accident. These are highly spirited, conditioned horses - very much "on the muscle" not unlike a steeplechase or flat racing horse. That makes dressage, controlled test of manners, submission to the rider's aids, obedience all the more difficult. The test is about 4 levels easier than the Grand Prix test, but is very hard to contain these highly tuned athletes and keep them concentrating on staying withing themselves and not having a "blow up" which they sometimes do. Again, the second day, they have cross country where jumping ability and stamina come into play. On the third day, the horses show jump. They do a course of fences in a ring that knock down. It sounds easy but the horses are generally tired and they have gone from very large wooden objects which do not move, to light wooden poles which role out of their holders (at the slightest tough). The trick is getting a horse that is bold and brave enough for cross-country, but careful enough not to knock down the rails in show jumping. Cross country jumps are up to 3'11" but can be quite wide required scope, or tricky and the face of the jump very narrow requiring accuracy. Show jumping fences can go up to 4'3".

In eventing, dressage is subjective and score are converted to penalty points (lower the better), penalty points can be accrued on XC day via refusals/run outs and finishing over the time allowed, and penalty points can be accrued in show jumping for knockdowns/refusals/run outs.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

By the way, off the track thoroughbreds often make great eventers!

A long time ago, I learned that Thoroughbreds were born with all the speed they would ever have, and that the answer to the questions concerning racing and or performance was one of training, and the techniques thereof.  

Trail riding, and cross country jaunts,(up and down hills) builds stamina, strength, wind etc. There is only so much that can be accomplished on a track.  Out in the open, the horse will learn to be bridlewise and accept a light contact with the bit and his riders hands, and listen to his rider.

I would like to know how his respiration and pulse recovery rates are coming along. As it takes  more and more work to increase his respiration and pulse rates, it will also take less and less time for them to return to normal at rest or in a brisk walk.  The increased "education" won't hurt him either, nor the "manners".  Has he learned to stand quietly to be mounted?  Does his training include figure eights, large flat loops, some transition work?  Considering Mr. Matz's background, just how much "handle" does he put on his horses?  

I am delighted that we are being given a glimpse into the development of a Thoroughbred.

To all Nicanor's connections, God bless you.

When and were do you think he will have his first start?

Mrs. Darcy, THANK YOu for the comprehensive information!  I shall print it out and keep it!  I am blown away by the skills required and vividly remember watching one horse balk at the piaffe last week.  These animals are amazing and I kept exhorting each rider to pat his horse and praise him or her for his or her efforts. Thank you again.  

I hope that Nicanor is on the trails where there are no Mt. Bikers. Being one myself and often riding at Fair Hill, I know how disruptive a bike can be to horses. By the way whenever we see horses on the trail we ALWAYS pull off the trail an wait for them to pass and we always get a thank you. I hope this beautiful animal gets a race in at Delaware Park soon.

MVH--  Mrs Darcy could not be more correct: off-the-track t-breds can have very successful second careers eventing. Our own 30-start guy, who has been eventing for years, loves competing at Fair Hill. His Sire, Wheatly Hall, trained by Jack Van Berg, was Gary Stevens' second try at the KY Derby back in 1986, and Bryce Be Quick was his first breeding shed effort in 1989. Check him out at http://www.pedigreequery.com/

Just type in Bryce Be Quick once you get to the site-- also a link to a YouTube tribute there as well.

I do remember Poggio -- beautiful horse.  They all were.  Thank youy Amanda.  This is the BEST site.

Such a shame that Amy Tyron and Poggio were eliminated in the second phase of the three day event. I really felt for her on that fall especially since it was to be they're last try together before Poggio retired. Poggio was bred for racing as I believe then became a pack horse before Amy found him and retrained him.

Thanks for the continued updates on Nicanor Amanda, such a rare chance to be allowed to follow a horse from so early in his career and a huge thanks to all who allow you to do so.  

Thank you Bryce and Amanda and Mrs. Darcy and all of you who contribute and so generously share your knowledge and information.  Those of you who have horses and are close to horses are so fortunate.  How I wish I'd had the opportunity as a girl.  I have a deep, abiding love for all animals and know that horses and I would have been a good match when I was a youngster.  As a military junior, there was never an opportunity.  As an adult, y husband and I moved too often (renovating houses) to be able to have horses.  So, I've loved them from afar and admire their breathtaking beauty and abilities.  

I am concerned at the expections (and pressure) placed upon Nicanor stepping into and filling Barbaro's shoes.  First of all, Barbaro was a unique and gifted horse.  Nicanor may be also, but he may also not repeat his brother's path.  It may take a few races for him to become strong enough to take off and start making his mark.  We should all continue to love him but not expect too much of him immediately.  TOO MUCH PRESSURE on our beloved boy. Let's all cut him some slack.

Thank you so much for the updates.  While like many others I can't wait to see what Nicanor can do when he begins racing I'm also very glad that time is being taken so he can reach his full potential.  While not being able to go to alot of the big tracks I do hope to see him race one day at Arlington Park -what a thrill that would be !!!