Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Bob from Boston — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:14:31 GMT

They both obviously hate Tim Tebow.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Weekend — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:15:04 GMT

I would like to finish KY Vet's sentence in the form of a question.

What is a biscuit eater?

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

KY VET — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:36:33 GMT

BOSTON............THEY ARE BOTH SONS.............JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD...........BILLY IS A SON OF A..............

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Ranagulzion — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:44:29 GMT

Bob from Boston,

You answered the "VET's" question with a lot of wit but I'm not sure that KY VET can answer your question about Billy's Empire and Jesus Christ ... unless Billy was taking lasix to run his empire. You'd do better directing your question to Tebow and I believe he'd tell you (as a Christian patriot) that JC doesn't care too much about who moves on to the Super Bowl but rather who goes to heaven and who escapes the wrath of hell. No joke this time my friend.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Mary — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:38:33 GMT

Bob from Boston, great comments to KY vet. Thank you. LOL LOL

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Mary — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:36:12 GMT

Ranagulzion, excellent comments. It is about genetics and training, not to mention a little luck. I keep saying that Secretariat is placed perfectly in Union Rags' pedigree, tail-female side of his pedigree. Conformation wise, Union Rags is just about perfect and he is built like Secretariat.

I wish people would do a little reading about genetics. Like I have always said, a sire is only as good as the mare he is bred to.

Thank you for your comments, great.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Mary — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:23:43 GMT

papillon, what in the world are you talking about. Look at the tail-female line of Union Rags' pedigree.

Obviously you don't know a whole lot about a horse's pedigree. Everyone was saying back in 1973 that no son of Bold Ruler could go the distance in the Belmont. Well, his son Secretariat did it in record time. If you look at the tail-female line of Secretariat's pedigree, you will see why he was able to do that.

People put way to much emphasis on a colt's sire, with disregard for the mare. Most of a colt's genetics comes from the mare, the X-chromosone. I suggest that before you start with all the rhetoric, do a little research.

Distance will not be a problem for Union Rags.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Ranagulzion — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:13:08 GMT

Bob from Boston,

You're the best (LOL). Your answer to KY VET was hillarious. Great to see you back on the blog. Give our regards to Ted from La.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Alex'sBigFan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:38:43 GMT

Forbidden Apple,

Interesting, the thoroughbreds do seem to develop various lung infections. Even Afleet Alex's one bad performance in the Rebel was due to guess what, a lung infection. The dust has to be a contributing factor as well as maybe the kickback of dirt on the track in a race, they have got to be breathing in some of it. I wonder if harmful molds are playing a part too in the barns? They have such fragility in bones, colic and gastrointestinal disorders, and lung ailments. As for the bleeding, I am trying to keep an open mind about the Lasix as much as I do not want 2 and 3 yr. old animals on it either, it may be the one med they need that is getting the bad rap because of all the other meds. It may or may not be the one beneficial med that monitors (not cures, there is none - yet) EIPH. Horsemen and trainers seem to be more for it than for banning it. They have to closely monitor side effects and the dehydration though, not to mention if bone calcium is being depeleted. I was recently watching Jack Hanna on tv and he was visiting a top equine hospital in the U.S. and they said they are close to stem cell research whereby they will be able to inject calcium or cartilage into the bone plasma (or something close to that, I'm not going verbatim from the show). But as for the Lasix I still like what the Betfair guy from England said on TVG recently, "sometimes you have to bow to medical science."

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

predict — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:06:23 GMT

I agree with those here that have mentioned a strong muscular horse is better suited on the dirt, while a less strong appearance might indicate turf would be a better choice, but I think this will change with the age of the horse , with those precocious two year olds dominating early on in their careers(-v.i. To move with a swift, free, and headlong motion[ interesting meaning of career], and then things evening out as they grow older, with the late developing three years olds catching up later on in the season. I find this to be the case in one of the three yearolds I am watching, that being Summer Front. His trainer ,Clement, has kept him on the turf, feeling he hasn't developed the strength yet for the dirt. This horse moves with a very smooth evertless motion and has dominated his competion so far on the turf. Clement, being a very conservative trainer will not rush this horse, but I am hoping he gets a chance to try the dirt, as I feel this might be a special horse, that could be a factor in the triple crown races.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

KY VET — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:26:28 GMT

Again.....i really dont care what a horse looks like...i was laughing at the out of control "he is muscular, huge,big strapping,huge stride,blah blah....." It was out of control.....hey, if a horse can run, i dont care.....and this "cant go a mile and quarter" stuff is crazy.....it matters who they are running against right?.....Tapizar is a nice horse, but no one mentioned his biggest flaw.....HE IS RANK! Hard to rate against top speed....this is why he runs bad against top flight horses.....

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Forbidden Apple — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:25:20 GMT

ColdFacts,

The January 14 edition of Bloodhorse had a short article on Out Of bounds. Harty said,"If he doesn't bleed, I'm not going to put him on Lasix". And in the letters section a woman wrote in about breathing problems in horses. She sighted inadequate ventilation, dust, and urine smells as contrbutors to overall lack of lung health. I agree with her, horses deserve better living conditions. At the Greentree training facility(Darley) in Saratoga Springs,NY the barns are new and very clean. The bottom of every stall has drainage so that a groom can easily hose out the stall and keep it clean. For me I hate all of the dust in the air when a bad dried out batch of straw comes in. It's horrible for the horses and the human workers. Good luck at the races this week.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Shutterbug — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:56:25 GMT

Question: Do you think Bill Mott plans to run Royal Delta in the Woodward?? No brainer answer, I know. The Rachel team set the blueprint for any filly to win HOTY. The key race is the Woodward Stakes. As we have seen recently, the Breeders' Cup races count for far less. When Zenyatta was 2 for 2 in BC races, she held zero HOTY titles; Havre de Grace is currently 0 for 2, and is the reigning HOTY. It is within reason that Royal Delta could make it four consecutive fillies to garner the honor, since all she has to do is beat males in the Woodward. BUT, with a trip to Dubai on the agenda for her, she might not be the same filly when she returns. And this goes for many horses who are also being considered for Dubai, for example Baffert has mentioned the possibility of Game on Dude making the trip, which in all likelihood would knock him out for most of the year. Animal Kingdom as well.

Many observers were saying that Havre de Grace was at her peak at Saratoga, and showed a visible decline at Churchill Downs. I disagree with the people that say her connections did the gutsy thing by running her in the Classic. In my opinion, she had little chance of defeating Royal Delta in the Ladies Classic, so the smart strategy was to run in the Classic, a race in which she was not expected to win but would win HOTY year anyway. Once again strategy wins the HOTY title. Personally, I don't care for this new trend. Fillies should be judged on the same level as males, period. Why some people are so excited that we have 3 straight females winning the honor is beyond me. When did that become the goal?

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

papillon — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:51:17 GMT

coldfacts and linda--i feel you pain RE: shack's measly 12 votes =(

i knew he wouldn't win, but 12 votes?! in a sport once dominated by war horses, now dominated by glass ponies, horses like shack need to be acknowledged and respected.

mary--if you think a dixie union is going to win the belmont, you really need to put down that crack pipe your smoking.

rags doesn't look a thing like big red--and he doesn't run like him either--he doesn't have red's stride, his speed, his determination, or his stamina--all he's got are 3 used socks...

have to say that i am very pleasantly surprised about hansen and accalamation--never saw that coming.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Mike Relva — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:34:31 GMT

They got it right regarding Mott winning. He deserved it.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Karen in Texas — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:32:17 GMT

Although I am a big Hansen fan, I was really surprised to see his 194 to 52 margin of victory last night. The 2-year-old male category seemed the most equivocal to me. Now the work begins for those on the TC trail--may they all stay safe and healthy.

It's unfortunate that Caleb's Posse did not win an award. Not only was he consistent, he appeared to become stronger as the year progressed. He should be fun to watch in 2012.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Carlos in Cali — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:27:57 GMT

Thank you MonicaV and Footlick,I appreciate that.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Carlos in Cali — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:26:51 GMT

If Hansen is a sprinter,then I'm a 6-1" dwarf... ridiculous.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

trackjack — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:57:08 GMT

predict:

Thanks for your input. Russian Greek carries the same coat color as Grindstone (through Sand Dollar) and exhibits the same out of the clouds closing style as Grindstone. I had the exacta in the '96 Derby with Grindstone coming from way out of it as was his style. Went back and looked at Russian Greek's previuos races. He has no problem closing into a hole on the rail, going up in between horses or being shifted to the outside. Some youngsters have a fear of being between horses and need a clear path on the outside, not this guy. Let's see how he progresses.

I'm glad the voting is over and we can move on to 2012. Congrats to Havre de Grace winning HOY AND she's coming back to the races. Will the ladies make it four in a row in 2012?

We had 24" of snow over the weekend. It's now in the 40's and raining hard as I look out my window. I'm getting this fever again. What to do? What to do?

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Linda in Texas — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:21:04 GMT

Jason, I did not mention The Ramsey's and i was remiss in not doing so.

It goes without even having to say this in words, but the family to me absolutely represents the epitome of caring 'horse people' and sensitive and genuinely gracious on top of that. As Paula Higgins i believe it was said about something else, they make me smile. And i admire all their kittens, especially 'the one who started the kittens' Mrs. Ramsey.

I am now seeing that Caleb's Posse only lost by 3 votes to tie Animal Kingdom for votes. That is reassuring.

Thanks Jason.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Tiz Herself — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:06 GMT

My mistake, yes On Fire Baby was third. This -40 and -50 degree weather has frozen some much needed brain cells lol.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Slew — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:37:09 GMT

Considering Hansen has bloodlines that include Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Unbridled, Mr. Prospector, and his tail line includes Native Dancer, I'd say he has an excellent heritage for TC races. What I've still yet to see is what happens when he's behind a wall of horses as Jackson Bend was last weekend. Can he stop and restart? If he's anything like great grand pappy Slew, he'll run over or through them. If not, ..

I always noted that Uncle Mo had a sprinter's stride...high knee action, hard-stomping, energy consuming, not efficient. The most efficient stride I saw last year came from To Honor and Serve, just like his daddy, low knee action, gliding over the surface, conserved energy. I agree with coldfacts on that. I'm still going to be watching these colts and fillies before I pick my favorite.

On dirt I like to see a big, muscular horse. Secretariat,(16 hands 2) Seattle Slew (16 hands 1)and Curlin were all big and muscular. Rock Hard Ten was the largest colt to race at 17 hands 3). Point Given was 17 hands. Affirmed was more refined, and had perfect conformation. (Even though I loved Alydar more.) On turf, I prefer to see a more refined horse, a bit smaller. They seem to glide over the surface much better. Goldikova is a perfect example....but her best was a mile. When a horse has to go longer, then I'll consider a more muscular horse...and Acclamation leaps to mind along with So You Think. Of all of the above horses, the one everyone consistently points to for sheer strength and power is Slew at 16-1.

Lasix is a diuretic, and like all diuretcs, it can cause dehydration. When too much potassium is lost, a horse will begin to tie up. Remember Life At Ten? It's a delicate effort to maintain the proper electrolyte balance when Lasix is used. Lasix has also been used to dilute other drugs in the system, masking their presence. That's why they are seeking to ban it. Lasix has also been used to help horses who tend to bleed into their lungs excessively during a race. My question would be...if a horse cannot run without lasix, why do you run the horse at all...or breed it?

I did get to see the Samrty Jones at Oaklawn. According to an announcement on HRTV, they will be carrying all the stakes races from Oaklawn. (But I really wanted to hear Miramati calling the other races because he is a very funny man with an excellent ear and can mimic any West Coast race caller fluently.)

And I really hated to see Caleb's Posse get shut out of the Eclipse awards because I still feel he was the most consistent 3 year old of 2011.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

JerseyBoy — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:44:10 GMT

Nice to see the awards are in. Congratulations to Animal Kingdom. He won the big one.

Maybe now more of us will focus on trying to identify possible winners rather than looking at history and other matters of marginal relevance.

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

Bob from Boston — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:07:51 GMT

KY VET,

In answer to your question, Penny Chenery.

What do Billy's Empire and Jesus Christ have in common?

re: Matz Ready for Another Derby Run

CHIEF PICAWINNA — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:56:28 GMT

KY vet I give more credibility to a trainer than a poster on a web blog.Lasix just like you stated in your post makes you pee.The problem is since it is an artificial substance not found in a race horses body it overstimulates a horse causing him to urinate more liquid than he should which causes dehydration.Just like all those beers you drink at the racetrack.Ken Mcpeek, everyone has heard of him the trainer has publicly been interviewed and talked about the negative aspects of lasix.You tell us it dosent matter well you just exposed another reason horses dont run the same way race after race some of them are dehydrated.Tell me that dosent matter to people who post on this board when the horse they bet on doesnt run a lick.