The Horse Tales shows in Ocala were exciting for everyone. The crew had an especially great time … the road can be quite an adventure!
A big thanks for all the help from a fantastic team and incredible bunch of volunteers!!!!!!
TF
Tag: racing
Derby Day!!
Don’t forget to stop for the most exciting two minutes in racing! This year the field is pretty open. Will it be ORB? Verrazano? or Mylute with Rosie on board?
The field and a story below …
You gotta be strong, and calm and tough and FAST!
Watch — Post time: 6:24 p.m. EDT.
Enjoy the Ride!
Field for Saturday’s 139th Kentucky Derby, with post position, horse’s name, jockey’s name and odds:
Note: Black Onyx scratched, the No. 1 post will be vacant.
2. Oxbow Gary Stevens 30-1
3. Revolutionary Calvin Borel 10-1
4. Golden Soul Robby Albarado 50-1
5. Normandy Invasion Javier Castellano 12-1
6. Mylute Rosie Napravnik 15-1
7. Giant Finish Jose Espinoza 50-1
8. Goldencents Kevin Krigger 5-1
9. Overanalyze Rafael Bejarano 15-1
10. Palace Malice Mike Smith 20-1
11. Lines of Battle Ryan Moore 30-1
12. Itsmyluckyday Elvis Trujillo 15-1
13. Falling Sky Luis Saez 50-1
14. Verrazano John Velazquez 4-1
15. Charming Kitten Edgar Prado 20-1
16. Orb Joel Rosario 7-2
17. Will Take Charge Jon Court 20-1
18. Frac Daddy Victor Lebron 50-1
19. Java’s War Julien Leparoux 15-1
20. Vyjack Garrett Gomez 15-1
Trainers (by post position): 2, D. Wayne Lukas. 3, Todd Pletcher. 4, Dallas Stewart. 5, Chad Brown. 6, Tom Amoss. 7, Anthony Dutrow. 8, Doug O’Neill. 9, Todd Pletcher. 10, Todd Pletcher. 11, Aidan O’Brien. 12, Eddie Plesa Jr. 13, John Terranova II. 14, Todd Pletcher. 15, Todd Pletcher. 16, Shug McGaughey. 17, D. Wayne Lukas. 18, Kenny McPeek. 19, Kenny McPeek. 20, Rudy Rodriguez. 21, Mike Maker.
Owners (by post position): 2, Calumet Farm. 3, WinStar Farm LLC. 4, Charles E. Fipke. 5, Fox Hill Farms. 6, GoldMark Farm, LLC. and Whisper Hills Farm. 7. Sunrise Stables, Gary Tolchin, Aubrey Flanagan & Bob Smith 8, W.C. Racing, Dave Kenney & RAP Racing. 9, Repole Stable. 10, Dogwood Stable. 11, Joseph Allen, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith. 12, Trilogy Stable & Laurie Plesa. 13, Newtown Anner Stud, James Covello & Joseph Bulger. 14, Let’s Go Stable. 15, Ken and Sarah Ramsey. 16, Stuart Janney III & Phipps Stable. 17, Willis D. Horton. 18, Magic City Thoroughbred Partners. 19, Charles E. Fipke. 20, Pick Six Racing. 21, Frank Irvin.
Weights: 126 pounds. Distance: 1¼ miles. Purse: $2,199,800 if 20 start. First place: $1,439,800. Second place: $400,000. Third place: $200,000. Fourth place: $100,000. Fifth place: $60,000.
Poised: Derby stage set for Rosie Napravnik’s charge at history
by Nick Rousso | KentuckyDerby.com
Call Rosie Napravnik what you will – a trail blazer, a pioneer, a woman of extraordinary talents – but first there’s this: The reason Napravnik is such a compelling story in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby has little to do with her gender and everything to do with the fact she is one of the world’s best jockeys.
So while Napravnik will try to strike a blow for aspiring female riders everywhere when she pilots Mylute in the Kentucky Derby – no woman has ever ridden a Derby winner – she also will try to do justice to the art and craft of race-riding. In the crucible of the Kentucky Derby, when split-second decisions can separate winners from also-rans, will Napravnik have the wherewithal to succeed? About that, horsemen say, there is little doubt.
It probably goes without saying that Tom Amoss, the trainer of Mylute, is a big Napravnik fan. When it comes time to move the late-running Mylute into contention in the Derby, Amoss is confident Napravnik will be right on schedule.
The reason Napravnik is such a compelling story in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby has little to do with her gender and everything to do with the fact she is one of the world’s best jockeys.
“Her biggest strength is tremendous knowledge of pace,” Amoss said. “For those who don’t understand that, a fifth of a second is a length in horse racing. That means one second is five lengths – it’s not hard to understand that knowing where to place your horse to give it the best chance to finish on the end is extremely important.
“And second, she just has an ability to communicate with horses that I haven’t seen since Pat Day. He had it, Rosie’s got it, and I don’t know how to define it. It’s a God-given gift.”
High praise there; Day is in the National Racing Hall of Fame. Napravnik is 25, and a little more than seven years into her career. But what a career it is shaping up to be. Napravnik was second in the nation in wins through April 30 – only the remarkable Joel Rosario had more – and Napravnik’s mounts had amassed more than $4.3 million in earnings through the first three months of the year.
“She just has an ability to communicate with horses that I haven’t seen since Pat Day. He had it, Rosie’s got it, and I don’t know how to define it. It’s a God-given gift.”
Napravnik has ridden Mylute just once, in an allowance race at Fair Grounds the day after Christmas. The horse won by more than 10 lengths. Napravnik would have been back on for Mylute‘s start in the Louisiana Derby on March 30 but had a commitment to ride 2-year-old champion Shanghai Bobby in the Florida Derby the same day.
When Shanghai Bobby washed out as a Derby contender, Amoss reached back out to Napravnik, and she has been aboard for most of the gray colt’s pre-Derby breezes. But it has been a team effort; Shaun Bridgmohan, who rode Mylute to a second-place finish in Louisiana, was in the saddle for what Amoss said was Mylute‘s most important move, a six-furlong workout at Churchill Downs three weeks before the Derby.
In the course of Mylute‘s transformation from age 2 to 3, Amoss decided that a change in tactics would be beneficial. Instead of laying just a few lengths off the pace, as he did in most of his seven starts last year, Mylute was conditioned to relax behind the leaders and make one concerted run.
“We took his blinkers off for the Louisiana Derby,” Amoss said “The idea was to relax and make one run at the group late in the race, to sit back and make a run. That was our plan and it worked well. That’s going to be our plan in the Kentucky Derby; we have mimicked our training regimen exactly. All that work has been finished. We’re happy where we are. The horse is ready to go.”
Napravnik has ridden Mylute just once, in an allowance race at Fair Grounds the day after Christmas. The horse won by more than 10 lengths.
But rallying from the back of the pack in a 20-horse race can be daunting, even more so if the pace is slow. The tempo could indeed be moderate in this year’s Derby, partly the result, Amoss believes, of the new Road to the Kentucky Derby points format that is heavily weighted toward top performances in the traditional Derby prep races. There are no rabbits in this year’s field.
“The new points system puts a lot of emphasis on the races in March and April and much less on the 2-year-old races,” Amoss said. “It takes a lot of precocious horses out of the equation. Precocious means speed, and that’s what happened this year. So a horse like Mylute who likes to come from the back of the pack … this year, the Kentucky Derby is a race where pace comes into question.”
Napravnik “bring so much to the table,” Amoss said, but she may have to bring the kitchen sink to get past the leading group if they steal away on a soft pace. On the other hand, a fast pace could help vault Mylute and Napravnik into the winner’s circle. And bet on this: The joint will go crazy if Rosie wins the roses.
!8 – is that OLD?
Buchephalus on sale @ the Trading Post!
So, do you want to go out to the barn? Is this work or a way of life? Just because it’s Saturday doesn’t mean you get to lay around in the hammock sipping some beverage of your choice. There’s always more work to do – that’s the critter way.
Here’s the next book chapter … when you get done with your chores put your feet up and enjoy what’s left of summer – ahhhh;
FAN MAIL
“Dear Alec Ramsay,” the letter began, “I’ve wanted to write you a long time but was afraid you’d be too busy even to read my letter. I finally decided I just had to take a chance and write anyway. I know there’s no one else who would understand my love for a horse as much as you and I need your help very much.”
Alec stopped reading and got off his seat on the tack trunk so the old man with him could rummage inside. “What are you looking for, Henry?” he asked.
“The X-ray plates Doc Palmer took,” the trainer said.
“The latest batch?” Alec asked.
“Yeah, those.”
“In the right-hand corner.”
Removing the stack of negatives, the old man held them up to the morning sunlight coming through the doorway of the small room. He stared at the X rays, shook his head, then climbed up on the tack trunk and held the negatives against the bare light bulb.
“You won’t find anything,” Alec said. “You never do.”
“There just might be a speck we missed.”
“There’s nothing,” Alec insisted. “The Black’s hoof healed long ago. We have the doc’s word for it. We have clean pictures and we know he’s acting right.” Mounting impatience with the old man made him add, “I don’t see why you keep looking for trouble, Henry. He was wild to run this morning. I haven’t seen him act so alive and well in months.”
“You let him get away from you,” the old man said defensively. “You were supposed to take him for a sightseeing gallop and you didn’t.”
“I couldn’t. As I say, he was wild. He felt good. He was bucking and playing all the way. You know yourself that he was still so fresh when we got back to the barn that it took the two of us to walk him.”
“I know,” the old man said, still studying the pictures.
Alec Ramsay turned back to the letter in his hand. “You want me to read this letter to you?”
“Why not? Don’t you always read your fan mail to me?”
“But sometimes you don’t listen.”
“I’ll listen. I can work at the same time.” Henry Dailey held the X-ray negatives to the light bulb again and added, “Whoever is writing needs your help. Like maybe ten others a week you hear from. He loves horses as much as you do. Or maybe it’s from a girl this time?”
Alec turned over the letter to read the signature. “No, it’s from a fellow. Someone named Steve Duncan. But you’re right so far … he loves horses as much as I do and he’s asking for help.”
“Want me to go on?” the old man asked without taking his eyes from the negatives. “I can tell you the rest of it, almost word for word.”
“No, let me read it to you. Maybe it’ll be different this time.” But different or not, Alec decided it was good knowing people were interested enough in him and the Black to write. If the day ever came when he and Henry became too busy to read such letters, it would be time to quit racing altogether.
“From the newspapers I know you have the Black at Hialeah Park this winter and may race him before long,” Alec read aloud. “I know exactly how you feel having such a wonderful horse and I wish …”
Henry stepped down from the tack trunk, replacing the X-ray negatives in a large manila envelope. “That fellow knows exactly how you feel having the Black, and he wants one exactly like him someday,” he said. “You’re not going to be able to help him any more than you did the others, Alec. How come people don’t understand that a truly great horse like the Black turns up just once in a lifetime, if at all?”
Alec shrugged his shoulders as he met the old man’s gaze. Henry’s face had the texture of old parchment crisscrossed with a mass of wrinkles, but his eyes and voice still held the fire and gusto of youth.
“I’d pity most of them if they ever did have a horse like the Black,” the old man went on. “They don’t know what it’s like having a great horse on their hands. They don’t know any of the problems.”
“Who’re you kidding? You wouldn’t change it for the world, Henry,” Alec said.
“Of course not. I waited all my life for him to come along. Maybe I worry about him too much like you say,” he went on. “Sometimes I think he’s going to worry me to death. Sometimes I can’t eat or sleep, just knowing I got the big one in my stable. That’s the way it is, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else.”
Turning back to the letter, Alec said, “This fellow seems to have something else in mind.”
“… and I wish,” he continued reading, “that you and I could get together. I live in Miami now. My family moved here from the North last fall. It would be easy for me to get to Hialeah to see you. Would you mind if I came over soon? It’s very important and I’m sure you could help me.”
“That’s great, just great,” the old man said. “All we need around here is a horse-struck kid with a problem. Maybe he won’t get past the barn gate.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, Henry,” Alec said. “It won’t do any harm to see him if he does come. I don’t see what’s wrong with you these days. You’re too cautious about everything.”
Henry straightened his blocklike figure, making a gallant attempt to look unconcerned at Alec’s criticism and regain his position of authority. He didn’t like the way Alec was sizing him up. Alec was too composed while he was squirming inwardly. Maybe it was a sign of old age creeping up on him. Maybe it wasn’t a case of being as old as one felt but as old as one was.
the rest – 18th book chapter
See you soon & enjoy the Ride! tim
#9 is fine!
For Paula Turner, who first read this book as
a young girl, and whose dream came true.
HOPEFUL FARM
1
The following sports column written by Jim Neville appeared in newspapers throughout the United States on November 14.
Farewell, Satan
This is an obituary. There are two reasons why you read it here rather than in the special section which this newspaper devotes to the deceased. Number one, my subject is a horse. Number two, he isn’t dead yet.
But for me and the millions of others whose sole contact with our racing thoroughbreds is at the track he’s as good as dead. For once a racehorse leaves us to spend the rest of his life in retirement at a stock farm he’s gone forever as far as we’re concerned. Certainly we think of him again whenever his sons and daughters appear on the track for the first time. But his colts and fillies are distinct individuals in themselves and we look upon them as such. Never do we say with any degree of honesty, “Here he is again!”
So it was with sincere sympathy and sadness that we watched Satan step onto the Belmont Park track yesterday for his last look around before being shipped home to Hopeful Farm in permanent retirement.
Satan, sired by the Black, had a racing career that was much too short for one who had so much speed yet to give. He was unbeaten at two, three and four years of age, winning some of our greatest classics. Last season he lost only one race, the San Carlos Handicap at Santa Anita Park, California, in December. He ran that race, we learned later, with a stone pounded deep inside his right forefoot. Yet he wouldn’t quit. Although he was running on only three legs it took a photo finish for Night Wind to beat him to the wire in race record time!
X-ray photographs taken after the race disclosed a fractured sesamoid, one of the small bones in the ankle. The injured leg was put in a cast and Satan was shipped home. We were sure that he had reached the end of his racing career. But during the spring encouraging reports reached us. The injured leg had healed and Henry Dailey was putting Satan back in training. By summer the burly black horse was stabled at Belmont Park, and during his works he looked as powerful as we all remembered him. But Henry Dailey wasn’t satisfied. He took Satan along slowly, never asking too much of him, never quite ready to race him. Only last month did Henry step up Satan’s works. And then the great horse went sore again in the injured leg. Last week it was decided that to prevent further injury Satan would be retired permanently.
Yesterday, at the insistence of the track management, Satan took his last look around Belmont Park—the scene of so many of his brilliant wins. And for the thousands who packed the stands, it was a sad but thrilling moment when he came out of the paddock gate between the seventh and eighth races.
The weight of a rider might have aggravated his injury at this time, so he was led out by Henry Dailey, riding Hopeful Farm’s gray stable pony, Napoleon. As Satan pranced there was no evidence of the leg injury that had brought his racing days to an end. He stepped lightly and a little faster at the crowd’s first and most thunderous ovation. He looked very beautiful and very gay with black and white ribbons braided into his mane. He was the picture of health and energy. That he could look as he did and yet be able to race no more accounted for the wealth of feeling which moved so deeply all who watched him.
Find all the books and more @ the Trading Post!
Ride on!!
tim
2nd chapter – Black Stallion contest
Here’s the next chapter. Another book, another question…which book? Where did it come from? Can you find it??
2nd story:
Alec Ramsay sat still and straight in his saddle, seemingly unaware of the thousands of eyes upon him. He wore black racing silks, and beneath his peaked cap the whiteness of his face made a startling contrast to his racing colors and the burly black horse beneath him.
They were third in the parade to the post for the running of the classic Belmont Stakes. Alec wished they had drawn an outside position instead of the number 3 slot. He didn’t like being so near the rail. Henry’s instructions were to hold Satan until the field approached the middle of the backstretch before making his move. It would have been easier to do this from an outside post position.
The parade had passed the clubhouse and was now opposite the grandstand. Alec didn’t have to look to know that it was overflowing with people. The tumultuous roar from the stands took care of that. And he knew their eyes were upon Satan, wondering if the big three-year-old would win the Belmont Stakes, as he had won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, to take his place among the few great horses of the turf who had captured the Triple Crown! They wondered only because of the condition of the track. It was ankle-deep in mud after a heavy morning rain, and the early June sky was still overcast as a fine drizzle fell.
The last remaining doubters of Satan’s greatness asked themselves, “But can he race in the mud? He never has, you know.”
Alec’s hand went to the thick, muscular neck of the colt as Satan sidestepped quickly to the middle of the track. He spoke to him, and the heavy ears swept back at the sound of his voice; then the restlessness left Satan’s giant body and he was back in line as the field continued parading past the stands.
From the pushing, heaving wave of people at the rail, a man shouted, “Hey, Ramsay! You think it’s a horse show?” the rest of 2nd book chapter (pdf)
Send us your answers or questions here on the blog or on the forum.
There are more coming so check back when you can …
You can find all the books and movies at your local library or at; www.theBlackStallion.com.
thanks for reading … and writing!
tim