Because of the continued interest, I thought it might be nice to update everyone on the status of La Ville Rouge and Lentenor, who are both currently at Mill Ridge Farm near Lexington.

Headley Bell, the managing partner of the farm, was kind enough to introduce me to these two members of one of racing’s favorite families. A video is posted on bloodhorse.com and photos are posted below.

(Note: I am sorry to have to do this, but copies of the photos in this blog are showing up on various websites without their copyright mark. So, I have shrunk the pictures. I tried to leave them larger for your enjoyment, and didn't want to make the copyright mark intrusive, but I guess I should have known someone would ruin it for the group.)

Here is the link for the video: http://www.bloodhorse.com/Videos/SectionVideo/903D5829-039A-40BE-9C77-0618433978DE.htm

First, Headley took us to the yearling barn where Lentenor is kept. On an incredibly lovely day for mid-August, the well-behaved colt stood for photos and then was walked. He was kind, curious, and very mellow.

“He is a fairly independent colt, as they all are,” said Bell. “They all enjoy playing, romping, and being boys. He hasn’t had any issues, and everything has been good with him so far.”

Lentenor is enjoying his life as a yearling. If all goes according to plan, he is to remain at Mill Ridge until mid-October, which is when he will leave to begin training for his racing career.

“He comes in about 10 a.m. after we have done all the sales prep with our other yearlings,” said Bell of Lentenor’s routine. “He stays in until about 2:30, and then he goes back out. They are groomed every day and checked on every day, but they are treated like horses and enjoy nature.”

Next, we drove over to another area of the farm. La Ville Rouge had been brought in from the fields and cleaned up for us. She also posed for pictures and then was walked. Her buddy was in a barn nearby, and she kept up a steady conversation with her. La Ville Rouge, who has a strikingly pretty face, was also curious about some cattle nearby, as she does not often see them.

“La Ville Rouge is back with the rest of the mares that are in foal in a similar stage of pregnancy,” said Bell. “They are out all day long and all night long. They get checked on twice a day, fed hay, and treated like mares. They are enjoying nature’s way.”

La Ville Rouge is in foal to Dynaformer and is due in late February. She is carrying a full brother to Barbaro, Nicanor, and Lentenor.

At Mill Ridge Farm in the days following Keeneland's 2007 November sale, a pilgrimage began. The weanlings - whisk-broom tails half-grown, foal bellies still round and full - were removed from the cohabitation of paddocks near the broodmare barns to begin their tenure under the care of Mill Ridge stallion and yearling manager Donnie Snellings. The grooms, 10 or 12 of them, were equipped with soft lead ropes and infinite patience. It was a farm-wide project.

Snellings supervised the move and the sorting, as colts and fillies were separated into same-sex age groups; January colts in one paddock, January fillies in another. The weanlings would be under his care through the late spring or early summer of the following year, until they shipped off to begin preliminary training.   

It took just a few weeks for the youngsters to adjust to the new routine, to develop personalities and pecking orders within their respective herds. Wrestling, biting, chewing, kicking, they honed their competitive spirits. They grew into gangly legs, strengthened their joints, and began to build muscle.    

Nicanor grew right along. He was a steady colt, at ease with his surroundings and confident in his position in the herd. Others challenged his position at feeding time, but he defended it with poise. His pasture mates granted him respect.

In the spring, when La Ville Rouge foaled a third colt by Dynaformer, visitors flocked to the farm. Michael Matz, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, Headley Bell, and others came for viewings. Photographers snapped shots, posed and candid. Fans wrote letters, left comments on the Mill Ridge website. The family's celebrity status became stronger.

Nicanor knew he was something special. With so much attention around him - cameras, people wanting to watch him get turned out - he quickly developed his own personality. By the time he was ready to ship off to Stephens Thoroughbreds in Ocala, Fla., Snellings could see that he possessed the qualities of a racehorse.

Mindset. Presence. Correct conformation.

Snellings was confident they'd raised the colt the right way.

Now it was time to see what he could do with a rider on his back.

Thanks to Donnie Snellings of Mill Ridge Farm for contributing thoughts.