Amanda & Everyone,

   To Add to these incredible pictures, Here are some more incredible pictures of Nicanor at Keeneland, What a Handsome Boy, Enjoy(Amanda, thanks for posting on previous subject, "Nicanor arrives at Keeneland", but figured everyone will come to the newest posting, and I wanted everyone to see how Nicanor LOVES the camera, and how the camers LOVES him back!), THANKS AGAIN!

Enjoy.....

viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm

Thanks so much for the pictures! Any word on how Nicanor likes the synthetic surface?

I must say these pictures are really beautiful of Nicanor!!! Just love the one with the tongue hanging out of his mouth.  Nicanor is so sweet and cool.  

Fantastic pictures. Nicanor certainly brings out the smiles in people who work with him.

I am wondering, and perhaps someone has already mentioned it before, but why does Nicanor have his tongue in the position it is in the first two photos?

Lovely photos of a lovely subject.  Thank you!  Always love more photos of Nicanor.

Lovely colt. Thanks for sharing the photos with us. It's easy to see Nicanor has a very sweet temperament. Also, to me he still looks more like a 2-yr-old than a 3-yr-old in that one head-on shot with rider up. I hope he takes to the Keeneland synthetic surface. It will kinder on him than the "pavement" at Gulfstream Park.

Thanks Amanda, beautiful photos! He is such a good looking horse, and a curious one!

Cool Pics!

Cant wait to see babynor!

Thanks for spendin so much time on this blog!

It really is a HUGE blessing!

= )

--CCG

Just beautiful!!!

I just love that first picture, how precious, nicky. And the lady sponging your nose, wish i could do that. What an uplifting moment!!!! Love you, big fellow! Oh, Nicky, dont't forget April 8, Weds is mommies (La Ville Rouge) birthday.. Happy early Birthday, La Ville Rouge, beautiful lady!! and thankyou for the most handsome sons!

Thanks Amanda, love the first one with his tongue out. Adorable. Who's the exercise rider? One of Mr Matz's regulars? Anyway, just glad he's seemingly enjoying his outing and hope he keeps on progressing. Look forward to hearing about his next outing, maybe aroung the end of this month.

Thinking of the baby and hoping all's well with him and La Ville Rouge.  

Nicky Knocks is such  a handsome guy. I think he looks more and more like his older bro everyday as he matures. Hopefully, he'll get that maiden broken at Keeneland depending on what Michael Matz decides to do. Good luck to Nicanor and all of his connections and thank you for letting us see such a beautiful horse. Run like the wind, Nicky Knocks and stay strong and healthy.

Wow Nicky looks so gorgeous, and can tell he handled the trip well. Keenland may just be Nic's turf. Thanks for sharing the photo's. Go strut your stuff Nicky, show them what you can do and be safe.

Wow Nicky looks so gorgeous, and can tell he handled the trip well. Keenland may just be Nic's turf. Thanks for sharing the photo's. Go strut your stuff Nicky, show them what you can do and be safe.

Can tell from the photo backgrounds that Keeneland is a beautiful place.  Would love for him to beak his maiden there since he was born in Kentucky.

Hope he races on my birthday, the 18th!  What a gift that would be!

Great pictures!!!

Nicanor, you are such a poser!!!

what a beautiful colt and thanks to the jacksons for taking such wonderful care of him cant wait to see pictures of the new foal  Darlene.

What a beauty.  Be safe Nicanor... our hearts depend on it.

Great photos! I hope I can get down to Keeneland to see him this Spring.

Looking at these photos and all those photos of Nicanor in his stall, he seems so curious and interested in what's going on.  He can eat and snoop at the same time.  Perhaps it will take a while for him to figure out when to be curious and when to get to business.

Reminds me of the story of another horse long ago now, who didn't blossom until he was three:

www.time.com/.../0,9171,848072-5,00.html

Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons-

"He remembers the habits and mannerisms of all his past charges (about 50 a year), but the one he likes best to talk about is Gallant Fox, his favorite. He likes to tell how, in his first big race as a two-year-old, the pride of Belair—a $12,000 investment—was left at the post, too fascinated by an airplane overhead (the first he had ever seen) to budge."

He looks like he's settling in well! Can't wait to see his next race!

Horsefirst,

          That was too funny about Gallant Fox and the Airplane...lol, I could see Nicanor doing something like that right now...

Looks skinny, is he on a Jenny Craig diet? Get some wieght on him Matz.

Kathy - he has a tongue tie on...you will see that sideways tongue on lots of racehorses. Sometimes it is a purplish hue...icky but I guess it serves its purpose.

Great photos as usual!

Has a race day been decided yet? I would really like to go see him run.

Thanks for the photos! Always look forward to them!

Wow, he's looking amazing. You can tell traveling don't effect him much.

~Nicole

HorseFirst:

Wonderful story about Gallant Fox and his connections...Thank You

Phantom:

I was amazed when I saw pictures of Nick racing and zoomed him and saw the magnificent muscles bulging out on that boy, he aint skinny man.....

What a handsom boy you are Nicky.  Thankyou Amanda.  

Thank you to everyone for the Nicanor pics.

Amanda and Greg J. - thank you so much for sharing these wonderful new photos of Nicanor!  He is such a beautiful young colt it is always a pleasure to see how he is growing up.  My best wishes for a great time at Keeneland and hopes that he will find the winner's circle there.  Thanks again!

Sure is a good lookin colt!! Can't wait to see him run next regardless of how he does.

Hi All

Was thinking about driving from Louisville to Lexington(Keeneland) to see Nicanor if they would let the public see him. Does anyone know what their policies are in regards to that. I won't be in Louisville until the 14th of June. I don't want to go to the expense of renting a car if there's nothing to see but the race track. Would rather spend my time at Church Hill Downs if I couldn't see Nic.

These pictures are absolutely wonderful. He still looks like a very young horse. Glad MM is taking him slow. Love to you Nic.

Thanks Amanda and you to Greg. Love all the pics of Nicanor.

TO HORSEFIRST: Wow! That 1939 Time article is a great find. Thanks for posting the link here. Sigh. It's a reminder of just how low the sport of Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. has sunk in just 70 years; really in just the past 40 years. :(

Phantom -

Shipping takes a lot out of a horse, especially an 18-20 trip. Although the shippers offer the horses water, often they refuse. They have hay to nibble on, but depending on their temperment, they may or may not eat. Most good horseman will bran mash their horses before a long shipping, along with a good dose of oil in it to lube things up for the journey.

Some horses will even colic after a long journey. It's more traumatic than you think. A horse at my last barn colicked badly and had to have surgery. He had five feet of impacted hay. He started feeling uncomfortable only the day after the journey so it wasn't the care on this end.

When my horse was shipped to Florida from NY it looked like he lost a month's worth of weight.

Michael Matz has shipped horse by truck and plane all over the world, including , Pan Am GamesWorld Cups, World Equestrian Games, and 2 Olympics. If you look at pictures of the horses he rode during those competition I don't think you'd doubt his horsemanship, nor his wonderful barn manager's.

Nicanor does not look skinny. His coat is shiny, his eyes are bright, and he is fit. If racehorses were as fat as show hunters they'd have more injuries carrying the extra weight. Nic is svelte. He looks a bit narrow in breadth, but that could be a growth phase.

Mr. Phantom, I am sure you are seeing the image of Nicanor taking from one of those special girth in reverse type cameras. I am sure Nicanor is just fine.

It is good to know that you care about Nicanor. Nicanor would probably like you too.

I wanted to give credit to "HEATHER" from ABR Blog for letting me post her BEAUTIFUL Pictures of Nicanor she took at Keeneland(I posted the link in the first comment up above), Wonderful Pictures, Shows he is a big kid at heart, love the ears standing at attention, also thanks to you, Amanda, for posting the link !

Thanks again "HEATHER"....

Thank you for the pics of Nic. Be safe Nic.

Heather reports that it was very easy to get in to see him.  She had no special credantials as a college student, was just a fan with a camera and they directed her to where he was.

A Step in the Right Direction :

www.bloodhorse.com/.../task-force-sought-on-humane-treatment

*Better late then Never.......

Hi.  Thanks for continuing all the great information and pictures.  Just wanted to mention that I liked the old format you were using for reading this blog.  Would it be hard to change back?  Thank you.  

Thanks for info, Amanda,on Keeneland, hopefully I'll be going there soon! :)

Ditto on Nicanor's weight- he is just fine.  He's a young horse with growing to do.  You don't want them too heavy, racing or not, it can cause problems down the road.  Sometimes I think they keep a little more weight on race horses nowdays than they used to.

Traveling can cause a horse to get colicky, but I've known people who took a horse around the block in the trailer to get them to, "get going."  Some horses get a little nervous in the trailer. Of course, that did not involve the after effects of a long haul. While it can work, by no means is it a long term solution to the problem!

Thanks so for the pics. Nicanor is beginning to look the part of a race horse, alert and full of himself, as well he should be. About the tongue in the first picture, I have always been told that when a horse is relaxed and comfortable he will chew or let the tongue hang, this shows how comfy our boy is in front of the cameras and that he is well taken care of.

Thanks Amanda for the info about Keeneland. Guess I will rent that car and head to Lexington. My granddaughter will be sooo excited if she gets to see Nicanor. That would be a really big thrill for her. Will check to see what days the barns are open. I know when Church Hill is having live racing the tours do not take place. Thanks again.

Nic is a very beautiful horse.Maybe he would like the turf a little better. Barbaro broke his maiden on the grass.Good luck I know the first win is coming to light.

As always, the pix of Nicanor are great...what a beautiful animal...has a "sleepy" eyed look, which in itself can be deceptive...but can't help but wonder why the "stud" chain under and over......?????....and yes, I am aware of why a "stud" chain is used on other types of horses.....

Mary,

You use a stud chain an a horse when you want to insure you can control him.  There are various ways to fix it.  You can run it through the rings, snap it on itself, then snap the lead line to it.  It won't create a vice-action that way.  The way they have it on Nicanor, I think it can give a vice-like grip a bit, but not in the same area and it probably "lets go" a bit better.  

Notice it's done when he's outside.  You may not really need one but you darn sure want the insurance of one with a valuable horse sometimes.  Keep in mind that horse outweighs his groom by a large amount and if something spooked him, another stallion challenged him a bit, or he took an interest in a filly, you really want to get his attention back on you.  He could pull away from the groom easily without it.

I saw a picture of Curlin at his retirement ceremony, I think, and that's about as extreme a rig on a chain as I think I've seen.

You can also run the chain under the upper lip but I've only used that as a kind of a twitch to get the horses attention away from what the vet was doing.

Better to have the insurance than to see the tail end of a horse skedaddling away from you.

Hello, Heather here (I took the other Nic pics)

Remember to PLEASE ASK before you go up to the barn. There is usually staff of some sort hanging out. I just don't want anyone to get in trouble. They will USUALLY say yes though as long as you don't bother the horses. I left after 5 minutes because Nic was starting to get agitated.

Mary in Honolulu,

Fit young racehorses can be a handful to walk.  They are so explosive, nothing like the calm riding horse they will become in a few years time.

There are lots of ways to put a lead shank on a horse.  I've never seen a Thoroughbred walked at the track on only a halter--they always have a chain at least over their nose.  Grooms have their own style of attaching a shank.  Often, a chain is run through the horse's mouth.  If you have a horse that is really on his toes, you might put the chain over the top gum and under his lip.  When you use a lip chain, it is wrapped in vet wrap.  You've seen pictures of Nicanor with a lip line on being led over to the races.  Ultimately, you absolutely must have control of the horse.  A loose horse is very dangerous to himself and others.  D. Wayne Lucas' son was almost killed and is now disabled because he was run over by a loose horse.

Barb T, Nicanor's tongue is tied forward so it doesn't interfere with his breathing when he is training.

Begging everyone's pardon, but there was interest expressed here a while ago about the Smarty Jones colt, GoSmartyGo. He has been retired and is currently being rehabilitated at Pure Thoughts, Inc.'s Thoroughbred Rehab and Placement division. Here is a story about his arrival there, which includes a link to a website where you can track his progress -

nwhsnews.blogspot.com/.../go-smarty-go-son-of-smarty-jones-2004.html

Why would anyone think that Nicky is not at the right weight.  MM takes wonderful care of his horses and so does everyone else in the Barbaro bunch.  Just nonsense to stir up trouble.  

Nicky you look great!  I just got a bunh of pics of you in my email and you are sooooooooo handsom.  Love you Dearly.  Just stay safe and sound.  We (most of us) just want you be be a happy horse.

Thanks to the Jackson's and Amanda for all of the beautiful pictures of beautiful horses.  You all rock.  

Nicky is so handsome just like his big brothr.  So photogenic.  Good Luck Nicky @ Keeneland.  Godspeed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, La Ville Rouge! Lots of love, carrot cake, and spend time with beautiful Babynor! Sending you hugs, but just wish a could do it in person! love you!

Beautiful pictures!! I love seeing how Nic has grown. HorseFirst, that was a fabulous explanation of a stud chain; good job!! I, too, have used stud chains, and they are not at all inhumane as long as you use them correctly. horsenut23, I hope you have a wonderful time at Keenland!

Concerned Fan,

Thank you for the link to the update on Go Smarty Go.  I had wondered about him and tried looking on the internet at various occasions.  

Thanks Zenyatta! :)

Hope I can get some good pics too!

Concerned fan, that last photo of Go Smarty Go and his new friend Brave & Skillful was so touchingly sweet.  How magical these creatures are!

Stardust,

        Just look at who said he was "Skinny", Enough Said!

FYI, The Jackson's(LAEL) have a Horse going today at Keeneland in Race #4, "Plenty Coups" is his Name...Barclay Tagg/Trainer, Julien R. Leparoux/Jockey...

Wish Them Luck...

Stardust,

Keeping weight on a horse in training is often easier said than done.  If only it were as easy as just throwing more feed in their stalls!  Anabolic steroids were primarily used to keep weight and condition on a horse as well as to shorten recovery times after breezes and races.

Weight is one of the barometers to measure how well your horse is holding up to training.

Good news about Go Smarty Go.  Very uplifting story... thank you Concerned Fan.  

Stud chains can be useful, but they can also backfire if not used correctly.  If snapped on itself, so it won't tighten, the horse is feeling the effect of the chain instead of say, the noseband of the halter, but it is not tightening around the horses face.  You must insure, if the chain can tighten, that it can also release.  Horses are a prey animal and things perceived as keeping them from flight they will fight more, pain or not.  They also seem more able to tune out a constant pull, than quick yanks.  They can sit against a pull, whereas the quick yanks are more prone to keep them slightly off balance against the correction.  That is why, in general, you would use a couple quick pulls or yanks, depending on the severity needed to get the horses attention back on you.  Just pulling on the shank is rarely effective and can make matters worse.

With a riding horse, not a race-fit animal, as JAJ pointed out, I have used the chain around the nose, fastened on itself, and usually, just jingling it is a reminder to the horse it's there.  Ditto with the vet doing something, sometimes you can just stand and jingle the chain and divert the horses attention enough-sometimes!

You have to know what you're doing with the chain and how to make it work, or you can escalate a situation.  As JAJ said, a racetrack is no situation for a loose horse, there is always something there that they may not be used to that can spook them, including the crowd.

Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but people without a lot of horse experience visit this board and I'd hate to think of them viewing the stud chain as a cruel way of horse control.  Used properly, it very much keeps the horse SAFER.  Just like you would keep hold of your child's hand near a busy street, because you never know, even with the best behaved child, just when something might frighten them or get their interest such that nothing else matters but getting to the object of his interest, and they don't have the maturity or decision making capacity yet to realize darting out is not a good idea.  Most horses never acquire the ability to think things through, at least not all the time!

TODAY is the 13th birthday of a very beloved broodmare, LA VILLE ROUGE, who has given us all some very special colts to love and treasure!

La Ville Rouge, I wish you a long, healthy and contented life, and thank you for the precious gifts you have brought into this world!

FYI,

   Congrats to The Jackson's(LAEL), "Plenty Coups", A four year old colt, trained by Barclay Tagg, Ridden by Julien R. Leparoux, WON Race four at Keeneland(1 Mile/Turf) Today...Congrats!!!

fYI,

   Congrats to M.Matz, A filly he trains, "Magical Affair", Just won race #7 at Keeneland(Turf, Mile 1/16) with Julien R. Leparoux on her.

Good Day for The Jackson's and Mr. Matz...

I wish Michael would try Nic on turf.  Seems to have good luck with his other trainees there.  Nic has run on turf and Michael was pleased with it.  Would love for him to win his maiden on turf, as his big brother did.

I have a question.  Since Keeneland is only open the month of April and October, does it mean that Nicanor will be raced there at the end of this month? Would that be too soon since he just arrived on the 2nd. Where else would he probably race if not at Keeneland?

I'm afaird he won't there in June when I'll be in Kentucky.

Thanks for any info you might have to share.

Happy birthday LVR! May you live long and healthy!

HorseFirst:

when I saw the stud chain I thought it was some type of torture instrument for the horse until I read what you said......   made a good example of what was needed to control a horse, it scared me first....

Thank You!!!!

May the horse be with you!!!!!

Just so beautiful! I just think all horses are beautiful and I have to add my anger at that Ernie P. guy. I hope the book is thrown at him.  Great news about GoSmartyGo. Thanks for sharing everybody.

I have watched Nicanor's races and read that he treats his races as workouts and runs just to keep up with the leader. Apparently, his competitors are straining to beat him while Nicanor is basically goofing off. This fact implies that Nicanor is basically showing us a sliver of his speed and talent.

I remember The Black Stallion, who ran as the dark horse against Sun Raider and Cyclone. The most vexing question was whether Sun Raider could beat Cyclone, or vice versa. Similarly, everyone is talking about the immensely talented I want Revenge. However, I think in a two horse race, Nicanor would have that poor colt straining to win, not quite understanding why Nicanor won't pass him.  I bet that Nicanor could make a great stakes horse against the three year olds so touted. Remember that Nicanor is barely trying and winning with 93 beyers. Let's suppose he ran against the top talent. He'd finish second, no matter who the colt or filly was.

I would go so far as to say Nicanor could get a beyer of 120 or better, and again, barely trying. I just hope he figures out he is supposed to win, because when he does, these colts have no chance. Why not put him in the Preakness? Or...run him as the mystery horse in the Derby. Let's see him decimate I Want Revenge.

For Fans of Chelokee:

   He is an Awesome TB that was trained by M.Matz, and had all the potential in the WORLD(He won the Barbaro Stakes the year before, how ironic!, Five wins in 10 starts) before he took a wrong step on May 2, 2008 in the Alysheba Stakes, They thought it was the same type of injury that Barbaro sustained but it was a dislocated right front ankle, Surgery was performed, At first he was only given a 50/50 shot at recovering, BUT, This has a HAPPY Ending....

    Chelokee is now at Vinery's stallion barn, Happy as he can be!, I thought with all the recent bad news in the industry, This gave me inspiration that their is Good News out there!(Besides Nicanor, Of Course!)

Here is Mr. Chelokee, Enjoying Life Now:

www.youtube.com/watch

that 8 strap halter or whatever it is looks very mean spirited for any horse but HorseFirst was really great with her explaination of what it accomplishes.  thanks.

Greg J - thank you so much for the Chelokee video. I love that horse. My heart broke when he got hurt and that 50/50 deal did not help ease my mind. I thought OMG here we go again. Same injury as Barbaro. But all turned out great and he's beautiful and looks so happy. What a great way to start the holiday weekend. Thanks again. AND I almost forgot - Nicanor gets more beautiful with every new picture I see of him. I love that boy. May he be safe, healthy and happy every day he lives.

We just had the privilege of meeting Nicanor at Keeneland today.  The very nice lady who was wrapping his legs in his stall took the time to turn him around so we could take pictures and pet him.  What a sweet boy!

Jon,

If Nicanor is not a special colt, answer this:  How many of this year's 3 year old thoroughbred's could get someone to change their display name on a blog, spend their own time, just to post sarcasm with mild comedic value at best???  It was kind of funny the first time you posted it, but its twice now, 120 beyers-how clever...uh yeah.

Beautiful pictures as always.

Nicky is just gorgeous, and I am

anxiously awaiting his next race.

Greg, thank you for the update on Chelokee, another beautiful talented horse. Michael was so excited when Chelokee raced. My heart dropped to my feet when I heard he was injured. Chelokee did win the Barbaro stakes. How sweet for Michael. I am so glad to hear the current new. Now, Nicky, our darling, may you and all your connections have a blessed Easter, I wish, wish , wish, that one day I could have the luck to see you. Your brother was my inspiration, as well as you, to go back to riding after a terrible accident years ago, where I lost my cousin. I thank the Jackson family deeply for letting us be a part of your life. Love you with my heart. Bless you, Nicky along with mommy, and Lentenor, handsome horsey, and Babynor! and of course Daddy!

Greg J.  

So good news about Chelokee.  I always love to see good things happen to the horses.  I love that horse.  :-)  

Comments on the chain shank, people he's a rather large animal with all the equipment intact. You may think it's cruel but in order to control him and safely work around him that's what is required. He is not a saddle horse and is feed a very high protein diet in order for him to be able to race. And yes IMO he is thin BUT he probably is still growing and has used a lot of energy running his last two starts. A horse can lose an average of 40 pounds just running a race never mind works etc.

Greg and everyone,  Chelokee is a gorgeous boy with beautiful eyes.  Is the pronunciation of his name on the first or the second syllable?

Great wokout today Nicanor!

not to be braggen but Nicanors started training agian wheres the update

See Nicky-Knocks was back on the work pad today so looks like he should be racing again real soon.  Go Nick.

Greg J.  

I want your imput on this.  As much as I adore Larry Jones, I can't help but wonder WHY he had Old Fasion in the AR Derby.  The horse is close to the first Saturday in May and I really feel that he needed a longer break before the Kentucky Derby.  I feel sorry for OF.  :-(  He didn't need to run today and he sure did give it his all.  I am sad.  I hit the exacta but I am still sad.   I feel for the horse.  I don't want anything bad to happen to him cause he is running so often.  Do you have an imput on this?  

Greg J. - on the bloodhorse.com webpage just below where you click on the blog site, is the video link, check it out! There's an 8 minute video on Chelokee, with Michael Matz. This is a must see for everyone, especially those naysayers out there that can't find it in their heart to believe someone in the industry could care so much for an animal. He can't hide his pain talking about the day Chelokee was injured. If you aren't a fan before you see the video, it will certainly make you stop and think and maybe even convert you.

Michael Matz is not only a great horseman, he's also a kind and loving human being. Chelokee is lucky Matz was his trainer. When you hear Matz say they were going to put Chelokee down, you'll know what I mean. It was a very bad injury but thanks to his Owners, Michael Matz and the Vets, Chelokee will have a chance to live out his life and maybe the opportunity to pass along his genes to little Lokees and for that, we can all be grateful.

Chelokee is a champion, and so is Michael Matz.

Haven't seen anything, but Nicanor worked 4 furlongs yesterday, 4/11, at Keenland on the the  main track.  He went 48 and change. Ranked 21 of 81 at the distance and was a much better work than Custom for Carlos as far as time went.

Cass Ole was a horse, a beautiful horse, who after 50 championships and 20 reserve championships felt a need to do more, oh so very much more. So Cass Ole hopped on a train and headed to Hollywood from his native Texas to star in The Black Stallion. Now things weren't easy for the Texican-Arabian once he arrived on the set. Cass Ole had a long flowing mane, but is wasn't enough for the movie execs and so he went through the entire movie with hair extentions. And as he wasn't completely black, Cass Ole required a dye job on his pasterns and his forehead so that he was completely black. And did I mention b-4...let me check, ah yes, Cass Ole was an Arabian horse from Texas who made a movie that someone b-4 brought up a few entries up. Cass Ole was about 9 years old when he made the first Black Stallion movie and about 10 years old when the movie came out.

He was a bona fide stallion with 130 foals to his credit at his home base in Texas.

Cass Ole - Superstar

March 6, 1969 - June 29, 1993

Greg J. Never mind.  I had the bad dream come true when I opened my inbox this morning about Old Fashion.  I pray for his recovery.

www.bloodhorse.com/.../old-fashioned-injured-off-derby-trail

Dona

Thank You.  I wish MM was Old Fashions trainer.  Poor horse.  He ran his heart out yesterday and now he is injured in the hospital.  I don't get it.  Less than 3 weeks to the Derby and running a Derby horse?  I don't get that.  I so admire MM.  He the best.  He really loves the horses and it is clear about that with Chelokee.  :-)

Stardust,

All the Derby horses need a race three or four weeks out from the Derby.  Running them every three to four weeks, if they come back from the race good, is about right.  There was no way that Old Fashioned could go into the Derby off a 7 week layoff.

You would never take a horse into the Derby off a long layoff without a reason.  The reason could be in injury such as Square Eddie's.  Square Eddie is racing in the Lexington Stakes two weeks out from the Derby, although they were thinking of just training him to the Derby.  Square Eddie only has about 5 breezes into him at this point.

The injury could be something like the quarter crack Big Brown had last year (and Quality Road developed after the Florida Derby March 28).

The horse may not be able to take the stress of racing, going off his feed and dropping weight.  Maybe the horse spikes a fever just before the last race before the Derby.

Old Fashioned's last three races were run a month apart.  He is not being over raced.  He needed a tough race three weeks out from the Derby to be at the top of his game.  He was never in a million years going to get the mile and a quarter.  He needed to be able to steal the race and he needed to be at the top of his game to do that.

He did get hurt in the Arkansas Derby and is out for awhile.  Any time I see a horse galloping with his head cranked to the side, I always wonder what is wrong.  Friesan Fire is a big question mark for me as well.

Please people, take a look at your histories before making comments about time between races and injuries.  In the past, it was common for horses to race a lot closer to Derby day then it is now and it didn't apparently hurt them or cause them to lose the Derby.  There are some opinions that today's thoroughbreds are treated too much like hot house flowers in that respect.  Whether it is the current "trend" in racing to race less, or the possibility that the horses really are less sound, racing three weeks before the Derby is not out of line.  Other horses raced this Saturday that are prepping for the Derby and if you read other stories, it seems that those coming off too long a lay off before the Derby are considered to have less chance of a Derby win BECAUSE of the long lay off.

Old Fashioned is an offspring of Unbridled's Song, like Eight Belles and both have another cross of Raise A Native on the dam's side.  Coincidence or not, maybe the industry will take a closer look at horses with that breeding, which is known for unsoundness-with the caveat that off course not ALL of them tend to unsoundness- and there's the catch.  How do you tell those at risk?

I am glad that they were able to catch the problem with Old Fashioned now.  It was a point of contention whether the horse was going to be able to get beyond a mile and an eighth.

But, it is not a factor of racing him three weeks before the derby.  Larry Jones has a lot of respect in the industry and I believe he's one of the better trainers out there.  IMHO, the horse was fit enough for Jones to run him again.  It wasn't the fitness factor that hurt the horse, it was the structure underneath him that let him down.  Jones has no control over that.  Frankly, I'm not sure there is a good answer because x-rays may not show something developing and x-rays even once a month can get prohibitively expensive.  Some day there may be a test that can be given that will help prevent injuries like this but event that could have negative effects because it could keep even more fragile horses running even less races.  I am NOT advocating that break downs are good.  I am saying that sometimes, you come up with one good thing and inadvertently, create three other problems.

There will be no easy answer to this.  But do look up the histories of the campaigners of old.  Going back further, these horses used to run 4-mile heats in the same day.

HorseFirst.  I respectfully dissagree with you sorta. You are right in some of what you say IMO but I myself would not run the horse that much.  I guess I am a chicken but I just feel that way.

I do respect what you and JAJ both have to say, I just don't agree with most of it.  :-)

JAJ  Matz had Barbaro take a 5 week layoff before the Derby.  

You guys are probably right.  I am just a whimp.  I freak out when my dog gets a bump on her and I rush her to surgery.  That is why I am so freaky about race horses.  I am scared to death for their safety.  

Stardust the whimp.  LOL.  :-)

These horses ran more races as two year olds then some ever do in their entire career now days and KEPT running beyond the Derby:

Here are the races run by Citation in his three year old year, BEFORE the Kentucky Derby (5):

three-year-old debut came in a six furlong allowance race for three year olds and up at Hialeah..

Citation won both the Everglades Stakes and the Flamingo Stakes with authority.

Citation ran second to Saggy, who later sired Carry Back, in a very muddy Chesapeake Trial Stakes.

Citation won the Chesapeake Stakes.

After Citation's success in the Derby Trial Stakes, only four stables were brave enough to send out horses against the powerful Calumet entry.

www.spiletta.com/.../citation.html

Spectacular Bid (5) (Also from www.spiletta.com):

began his sophomore campaign by taking the Hutcheson Stakes by three and three-quarter lengths.

Next it was the Fountain of Youth, which Spectacular Bid won by eight and a half lengths

Spectacular Bid overcame being checked four times to win the Florida Derby by four and a half lengths.

Spectacular Bid next won the Flamingo Stakes, coasting home twelve lengths in front even while conceding weight to the runner up.

When he arrived in Kentucky he turned in a similar performance at Keeneland, winning the Blue Grass Stakes by seven lengths.

In the Kentucky Derby, Spectacular Bid took command in the backstretch and was never seriously challenged. He beat General Assembly by two and three-quarter lengths,

Old Fashioned showed he was a very game horse.  You can take nothing away from him there.  

Stardust,

There was a lot of speculation that Barbaro could not run his best race off of that kind of lay off.  That he did was out of the ordinary, not the norm.

I could go with longer layoffs IF that meant the horse ran more over his lifetime and they kept him racing at least through his 4 year old year.  But it would also mean that that horse was suited to that regimen.  It might also be a negative comment on the horses of today that they have to be raced like that to keep them on the track.

I also think there is too much media (general media) emphasis on never losing a race, like that is some sort of indication of greatness.  Even the great ones are victims of racing luck or a bad ride by their jockey and a good one by others.  

I suspect that Matz may have been considering the Triple Crown and trying to error on the conservative side because there are no long lay offs between those races.

Yet, in another post of mine, horses like Citation who won a Triple Crown, and Spectacular Bid, who almost did, did not need the lay offs to win.  Better horses? Better training?

Stardust,

Yes, Barbaro had a 5 week layoff before the Derby.  He didn't make it through the other races, did he?  Is it a surprise that Big Brown was flat for the Belmont?

We need tougher racehorses, not these "hot-house" babies we are currently raising.

Million-dollar yearlings do not grow up in a big field with their brothers or sisters running around getting strong.  They grow up in a paddock and stalls, by themselves for fear that they will get a bump that will drop their value to a tenth.  You cannot get good strong bones in stabled babies.

The Triple Crown series is a tough series.  If you don't have a tough horse, you shouldn't put him through it.  There are a lot of horses that are ruined trying to get their connections into the Derby.  That's just the way it is.  Getting a Derby horse is the goal, not winning the race.  Maybe making the race worth only $500,000 instead of its $2million would bring some of these owners and trainers back to reality.

Racehorses, like all other athletes, get injured.  Baseball players, football players and track and field athletes get injured too.

Old Fashioned's injury is unlikely to be career ending.  The connections, however, may end his career and retire him to stud.  I think this is a mistake.  The horse has only started 6 times.  We need stallions that race successfully at 2, 3 and 4, not stallions retired in the spring of their 3-year old year after a measly 6 starts.

HorseFirst

Old Fashion almost did a wire to wire yesterday.  I just hope that he is going to be OK.  I wonder what happened.  His front leg is fractured and my heart is broken.  I love him and I like Larry Jones.  That is why I am kind of shocked here.  OF didn't need yesterdays race to get into the Derby.  I don't know.  Maybe it is a plan from God.  Maybe he would have got hurt in the Derby and so this was a way to get him out.  One never knows.  :)

Michael Matz said he learned his lesson about having a fresh horse when he was in the Olympics. He trained his horse thinking he wanted to make sure the horse was fit, when it came time to compete the horse had nothing left. He said in training Barbaro, he would never make that mistake again.

All trainers are different, horses are different and just because someone trains their horse a certain way, does not mean everybody else will have the same result. Let the trainers do their job. They answer to the owner, not us. Results are what matters and as long as they work with the horses' welfare in mind, that's the way it should be.

Jumping in and opining without facts is common place here. Lets hope Old Fashioned is going to be okay and has a chance to race again. His injury is not life threatening, according to Larry Jones. I hope that's true. You people act like owners and breeders run around mating horses without giving thought to what's best for their mares and who matches best for them. That's not possible, it's too expensive, time consuming and a horses' gestation period is too long to be out there mating willy nilly. Do they take chances in the process? Of course they do, any business venture is risky. Nobody, I repeat nobody is out there breeding to Raise a Native offspring thinking "it will be a great horse but have weak legs and falter". Hogwash. All you so called pedigree experts should be calling the breeding barns with your opinions. Probably save the breeder a lot of money, not using Analyst in the business. You are wasting time writing in this blog, when you have such valuable knowledge to offer the racing industry. I think Anne Peters said it best "to blame an injury on a pedigree is ludicrous". Gee, it happens around here all the time.

Stardust,

         It is terrible about Old Fashioned, but I believe it had nothing to do for him racing too quick...

Horsefirst and JAJ said everything that I believe in and would have told you the same up above in their comments...

Old Fashioned, The Pamplemousse, Midshipman....all sad that they are injured, BUT at least they are all treatable and they will go on to live Happy Lives, and I believe only Midshipman will race again, It breaks my heart BUT it is racing and injuries occur, and it is the part of this wonderfull sport that I could do with out but that is un-realistic...

Now, I just heard Win-Willy is off the derby trail, not that he is hurt, BUT because the owners believe he needs a break because he is tired....Kudos to them for not pushing him....

Thanks Dona,

    I have seen that video, and you are right, M.Matz is a great/caring human being...

but thank you anyways for the mention of video...

MVH,

   Here is the video Dona is speaking of, You can hear how they pronounce Chelokee's Name, Enjoy...

www.bloodhorse.com/.../6ACC53FD-AA57-46C0-AA77-3D0A85E4319B

Win Willy is off the Derby Trail?  What about Quality Road?  

Yeah I agree with you and JAJ and Horsefirst.  I am not the expert here so that is why I asked.  I am just a mother hen and I myself wouldn't have run him.  I am not a trainer though. :)

JAJ.  If he is hurt, how can he race?  Surly they wouldn't take the chance of a fatatity right?  God I would hope not.  I am heart broken over OF.  He is so pretty.  

Stardust,

Of course they won't race or train him when he is injured!!!!

Once he is healed, he probably could be put back in training.

Many injuries heal quite nicely.  The worry is that there is damage to the joint.

Donna,

There are certain things about certain bloodlines that have been in the horse media for a while and talked about among horsemen.  One of them is about the Raise A Native's.  One person does not a consensus make whether it's Anne Peters or not.  One cross may be OK, but two or more is getting risky.

Personally, I had a grand-get of Mr. Prospector by Raise A Native.  That horse developed front feet problems after only two weeks of being green broke, as a three year old, for riding purposes, not racing.  That was over thirteen years ago and believe me, if I knew then what I know now about that line, I wouldn't have purchased the horse.  Thirteen years after that wake up call, I've read and heard a lot about that line.

But that's my experience and I know that there are some sound horses from that line out there.  

Have you ever experienced problems with the Raise A Native line, personally?

FYI, Star Shoot, sire of Sir Barton, was known to pass on thin walled feet and Sir Barton suffered from those his entire career.  Hard tracks would "sting" those hoofs of his.  So yes, there are hereditary factors and have been since man began breeding horses.  Otherwise, why bother?  You could drag any old horse out of the pasture and train them up to be a champion race horse.

Greg J.

That vid on Chelokee is great!  MM is one of the few trainers that has an A+ in my book.  He so cares about his horses AND horses in general.  I don't think he can be matched.  If there was a contest of number one caring trainers I bet he would get it.  Thanks.  :)

JAJ  

Do you think that he will heal OK?  I love that horse.  Anything happens to that horse, I am jumping off the Golden Gate bridge (JK).  I just wish for a speedy recovery.  Man wire to wire that horse almost did in the race on Saturday.  It looked like he was flying instead of running.  Did anyone else get that vibe?

Yes, Stardust, I think he will heal up just fine.  I haven't read anything about what the vets found except a slab fracture.

I don't know if a slab fracture needs to be a completely sheared off piece of bone, or if just a crack could be considered a slab fracture.  I think all these fractures start as stress fractures, so they start small.

JAJ

He is retired.  I got the email today as I am sure you did too.  I am glad that they aren't going to race him.  I don't want him to get hurt.  He is so beautiful.   I can't get over that tail.