Derby Contender- One longshot - Went the Day Well

Everyone , I am sure remember's last year's derby when another longshot upset the field, and won the derby. His name was Animal Kingdom and before the derby I had heard nothing about him, except that his name was Animal Kingdom. This year, another horse, Went The Day Well will try to follow in his footsteps. He is owned by the same owners, trained by Graham Motion and ridden by , yes you guessed it, Animal Kingdom's jockey ... John Valasquez. He is a very physically attractive horse, and he reminds me of Animal Kingdom. His pedigree is semi - great, with his mother being Tiz Maies Day out of Tiznow and his father being Proud Citizen out of Gone West and can be immediately traced back to Secretariat. His mother shows the most endurance and speed, with Tiznow being known as a top miler and good miler producing sire.

His last win was in the Grade 3 Vinery Stakes... Watching his win in this race makes me believe he could be the next Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom, also used the Vinery Stakes as a prep race for the derby and won in a similar fashion to how Went The Day Well won. Animal Kingdom was a closer horse though and Went The Day Well demonstrated in his win that he is a pack horse, can be up near the lead and if ridden well and patiently , he can burst into speed and win by 2-3 lengths. In this race, he broke rather slowly, not well and his jockey managed to keep him in the pack and he rode him very patiently. What impressed me was the fact he was able to sneak through a hole, even though he appeared to be boxed in and was able to lengthen his stride to take the race. According to his pedigree, he should be able to get the distance and if his jockey rides him as patiently as he did in the Vinery, I think this horse could be a serious upsetter, and he could be the next AK? I will definitely keep this horse on my upset watch list...

My view on Horse Slaughter..

There has been recent debate about horse slaughter , and whether it is ethical and right. I am 100 percent against horse slaughter, and I wish I could stop it from happening. Horses are special creatures, they have feelings and they get attached to their owners and to those who care for them. They know their name, and there are so many purposes that retired horses can serve. For example , a retired race horse could be retrained to compete as a hunter , dressage or even become a therapy animal for a child that suffers from a disability. I had never thought of a horse becoming someone's food until I read about Ferdinand. Ferdinand was a Ky derby winner in 1986 who was slaughtered in 2002. In his derby win , he came from dead last, like Mine That Bird had. He had been retired in 1989 and was sent to a Japan stud farm sometime in 1994. He is the horse pictured above, when he was a race horse. No one knew what had happened to him until 2002, when it was discovered he had been sent to slaughter by the Japan's breeding farm. He was a derby winner, a BC classic winner, and a beautiful athlete. He wasnt the only major thoroughbred to have been sent to an awful fate- slaughter. Another horse by the name of Exceller, who had beaten Seattle Slew and Affirmed was sent to a Swedish slaughterhouse in 1997 and was slaughtered.

I dont understand why we have the need to slaughter horses, when we slaughter cows, pigs and chickens. I have never tasted horse meat and I hope I never do. These race horses train for 3 years, and win money for their owners and get the best treatment, they work for us! They supply us with entertainment during races, they supply some with company and are companions to young children. I think there are other alternatives to slaughter. I know we have a huge over population problem but we can find careers for those horses. I know one career that is needed desperately is equine therapy horses. Horse slaughter is not a humane process... I dont think many know what goes on in a slaughter house , but I recently watched a video about it and got disgusted. One method they use is electrocution... They stick a electric stick to a horse's head and shock them till they fall down. The transportation to slaughter is twice as bad, with some horses being crammed into a trailer , some being sick and some starving. Just think... Would you want your horse to have to experience that? I think not.. so lets end slaughter!!!

Goodbye Dynaformer.. may his legacy live on

Sad news was reported today, that the great Dynaformer has been pensioned from stallion life. I always loved him, and not only because he was the sire of Barbaro,but because he was special. I have had the honor of meeting this great champion two times in the past 4 years, and my last visit occured during my spring break trip to Ky. I visited him because I knew he was getting old, and I knew he could be pensioned soon and I wanted to have one last chance to see him in his glory. He was not in his stall, but he was outside, hence the picture abover of him in his paddock. I could tell and see that he was not the same horse 2 years before. His coat was thick, his coat was dark and he still had the nasty temperment that he was known to have. While I am sad we not see anymore of his foals being born, I am happy he is able to live out his life at such a beautiful farm such as Three Chimneys. The horse that had the nasty temperment, gets to spend everyday basking in the sunshine, eating green grass and gets to enjoy being a horse. I know we will all miss him as a stallion but he is very fortunate to be surrounded by the people who love and care for him at Three Chimneys. When I visited him in 2010, he was more active and he was full of youth, but like us, he has aged. We can still enjoy his offspring that are on the track and look forward to the 2012 crop that will be born next year . Everyone wanted him to be bred to Zenyatta but that will not occur , but who knows? Maybe one of his foals born next year will be like Barbaro , and maybe claim the elusive triple crown.... Enjoy retirement grand fella, may you get all the treats and attention a champion deserves....

Derby Contender #4- Take Charge Indy

Meet derby contender #4, Take Charge Indy.. I had heard of him prior to the Florida Derby and just looking at his name, I knew he must be a desecendent of the great AP Indy. He is the son of AP Indy and boasts a racing record of 2-2 with a 4th place finish and a 5th place finish. His original jockey was John Graham and more recently he has been taken over by Calvin Borel. Yes, CALVIN BOOOORAAILL.. Under Graham he won 1 race and placed 2nd ,4th and 5th. So far under Borel, he has a 2nd place finish in an allowance race and a 1st place finish in the Florida Derby. This horse has an outstanding pedigree, with his father being AP Indy, and being traced to great names such as Seattle Slew, Secretariate, Bold Ruler. His mother's side is not as outstanding. His mother is Take Charge Lady, out of Dehere.. She placed 2nd in the Apple Blossom, which is run at 1 mile 1/16, placed 2nd in the KY oaks which is run at 1 mile 1/8, placed 2nd in the Gazette which is run at a 1 mile 1/8. She won the Grade 3 Dogwood stakes run at a 1 mile 1/16 and she won the grade 2 Fair Ground Oaks run at 1 mile 1/16. So basically on his mother's side, there were alot of mile 1/16 runners. On his father's side, he boasts 2 Triple Crown winners, who were able to go the 3 distances needed for the crown. AP Indy won at 1 mile in one race, won the Breeders Cup Classic at 1 mile 1/4,won the Belmont Stakes at a mile 1/2, won he Santa Anita derby going a mile 1/8 and other races but these were the big ones. So this horse has a royal pedigree, a pedigree that should allow him to cover all three distances.. But the question is, is he improving? Did the jockey change affect his performance? Was the Florida derby a fluke?. I think this horse has a serious shot at taking the derby, just based on his pedigree and outstanding performance in the Florida derby. In that race, he was able to take the lead and explode in the stretch to win by a length. Given the fact he is improving, and he has Calvin Borel on board, this horse can definitely score top 2 in the derby and possibly , if he has improved and reached the level of maturity needed, he could be our next Triple Crown winner. It will be seen what post position he gets, but I say post 1, or somewhere in the middle should suit him well with Calvin aboard.

Potential Derby champion? Bodemeister

Wasnt yesterday an interesting day of racing? It all began with the two year old champion , Hansen barely losing to Dullhan, then front-running Bodemeister who went off at 2-1 odds, won by an impressive 9 1/2 length win. I had never heard of this horse before yesterday... But obviously Bob Baffert had this little secret weapon of his, under covers for quite some time. I really love these kind of horses, the kind that can lead the whole way and blow up and produce a huge victory with no sign of tiring. Watching the Arkansas derby for the first time, I was telling myself that ok, he has a 2 length lead but there is no way, absolutely no way he can win . But as he rounded the far turn, and headed home, it was as if he found another gear and he seemed to be going faster and faster with each stride, and I even thought I saw his stride increase in length. This horse looks like a decent runner, his conformation is really great. He has a nice head, nice balance and his overall appearance is nice. So who is he? Thats what I was asking myself while watching the race, and I decided to do some research on him and his pedigree. His sire is Empire Maker, and his mother is Untouched Talent. Some notable horses on his father's side include names such as Unbridled and he can be traced back to Northern Dancer and Dr. Fager.. On his mothers's side he can be traced back to Ap Indy,Storm Bird, Storm Cat , Seattle Slew and Secretariat. I am really intrigued by his breeding... mainly because he is not spectacular on his dad's side but strongest on his mother's side. This horse is not a fluke at all. His sire, Empire Maker won the 2003 Florida Derby and went on to win the Wood Memorial which made him a favorite for the 2003 derby. In the derby he placed 2nd behind Smarty Jones, and he later went on to win the 2003 Belmont on a sloppy , yielding track. His mother , Untouched Talent was not as talented as his father, placing second in her only grade 1 race and placing second in her grade 2 and grade 3 races . So do I think he has a chance in the derby? Yes... However, it will be interesting to see what post position he receives. He won the Arkansas derby from post 11, and won impressively but can he repeat that performance in the derby if he is in post 1, or in the middle? I also believe removing his blinkers had an impact on this horse's performance, as this was the case in the San Felipe . In that race, he wore blinkers and was leading for most of the race and only lost to Creative Cause by a quarter of a length. I think without the blinkers, he was and is more focused. I also like his trainer, Bob Baffert who produced 2001 Preakness and Belmont winner, Point Given. He seems to know his horses and always has a trick up his hat. So I will not make a final call on this horse until post position. draw day, but he seems genuine and seems to have the proper pedigree to go the distance.

Derby Contender #3- Alpha

Meet derby contestant #3 , Alpha. Alpha is another stunning athlete and he has been on my top 10 list for quite some time. He is the son of Bernandina which can be traced back to AP Indy, Seattle Slew, Secretariat and Spectacular Bid. His mother's side is not as spectacular, boasting names such as Northern Dancer, and Alydar. His current career earnings are $500,000, and he had a record of 6- 3-2-0. He has proven himself successful at distances of a mile, 7F, 1 mile 1/8, and 1 mile 1/16, with his only loss that was not in the money coming in the 2011 Breeders Cup Juvenile, which was won by Hansen. His sire , Bernandini competed in the 2006 triple crown and won the 2006 Preakness Stakes, which was dampered by the tragic breakdown of Barbaro .
Does he have a chance at claiming the elusive triple crown? Yes and heres why. I really like his breeding, with his sire's side boasting spectacular names and a few triple crown winners and triple crown race winners. What I really like about this horse is his sire, Bernandini. He has proven himself to be a classic sire by producing classic winners such as Stay Thirsty, Algorithms who is injured and off the derby trail and To Honor and Serve. I had Stay Thirsty in my exactas and trifectas in last year's derby and I think Alpha is going to follow in his half brother's footsteps by either winning or coming close to winning the derby, or winning the Belmont as Stay Thirsty did. His pedigree suggests he has the stamina to carry the distance, and in his most recent race he has shown the ability to close and close with speed. In his most recent start, he was boxed in, and he received a very bad trip but I was impressed by his ability to close for a very tough second place finish- he almost looked like a train coming by the other horses. I definitely will have this horse in my top 5 because of his closing ability he demonstrated in his last race, his sire and pedigree and his conformation. He looks and is built to be a classic distance horse. Come May 5, it will be seen whether or not he can handle a 20 horse field and the problems that can come from that, Aka having a ton of dirt kicked into his face.

Hansen- Derby horse number #2

Meet derby horse #2 , Hansen the gray, almost white horse Aint he stunning? I have a soft spot for the greys , I have to admit. Let me tell you a little about him. He is out of the sire, Tapit which can be traced back to AP Indy , and on his mother's side he is out of Stormy Sunday which can be traced back to Storm Cat. In all of his starts , he has placed 1st except one race and that was the Holy Bull Stakes. I first became familiar with him in the 2011 Breeders cup Juvenile, when he upset the favorite , Union Rags. I was impressed by that race because he was able to hold a narrow lead throughout the race and keep it until the end. However, it seemed though, towards the end of that race, he began to tire out. So the question that is brought up is, can he go the distance? Tapit, his sire won the Wood Memorial which is at a mile 1/8, and he won the a few races going a mile , and he won the Laural Futurity at age 2, going a mile 1/16. His mother won most of her races going at 6.2 F which is equivalent to just under a mile. So on his sire's side, he has the distance capability, but that lacks on his mother's side. His sire raced in the 2004 Kentucky Derby but finished 4th behind Smarty Jones, who would later go on to win the Preakness Stakes. Storm Cat, found on his mother's side proved he was a successful miler, and he won The Young American Stakes going at 1/16th. So that could be an indicator that Hansen may not have the capacity to go all three distances. All of Hansen's wins have been at 1 mile 1/16 and 5.2 furlongs, and a mile. I believe he can pull of a Kentucky Derby win but the Preakness and Belmont, according to his pedigree is not looking good.

I am impressed by Hansen though. I began to watch his races and I see that he likes to be in the front or up close to the pace setter, and he is a gutsy horse. He reminds me almost of a horse last year in the derby who showed he had guts, Shackleford. He is well ridden by his jockey, and he breaks well from the gate and his recent works have been wonderful. It is obvious he is loving KY, and he is taking to the track well, but his pedigree concerns me. I believe the only way he can pull off a derby win and perhaps a Preakness win is by staying close to the leader and for his jockey to conserve as much energy as possible. I say this horse is definitely top 3.... regardless. He is a beautiful and stunning horse but I do not see him as a likely Triple Crown winner, just based upon his pedigree , but if it were based upon his works and his recent wins and the amount he has won, I would put him in the probable list.