tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37534609769164954892024-03-21T09:47:39.204-07:00Deep Through The HeartKirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-5495012787062895362010-02-23T10:23:00.000-08:002010-02-23T11:13:22.590-08:00Unbridled Unsoundness ReduxI meant to blog about this when it happened, but with one thing and another, it got pushed down my list of priorities, so I apologize that this news is a bit out of date.<br /><br />In late January, a grey son of Unbridled's Song by the name of Winslow Homer won the G3 Holy Bull in his stakes debut. I wondered how long he would last before the inevitable. As a son of UBS, surely his chances of actually making it into the gate for the Kentucky Derby were slim. The predictability of such things would almost be funny if it weren't so maddening and tragic, too. Not surprisingly, only ten days later, the Blood-Horse reported that Winslow Homer had been sidelined with a stress fracture in his cannon bone and of course was off the Derby trail.<br /><br />One of the more troubling things to me about WH's story, aside from the obvious, is his owner, Rick Porter. By my count, Winslow Homer is now the fourth major UBS horse that Porter has purchased and campaigned, and every single one of them has had a career cut short by injury. Rockport Harbor, beset by injuries, managed only 8 starts in three years. Eight Belles broke down catastrophically in the 2008 Derby. Old Fashioned retired with a slab fracture in his knee in April of his 3 year-old season. And now WH is shelved until at least April this year with a summer campaign in mind. I'll believe it when I see it.<br /><br />So, Mr. Porter, please, for the love of the breed, STOP supporting unsound sires! Obviously you're not alone in spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in UBS offspring, but even one owner can make a difference.<br /><br />And the saddest part of the WH story is that he was named in honor of the filly Eight Belles, a pun after the painting "<a href="http://arthistory.about.com/od/from_exhibitions/ig/afa_coaa_0708/coaa_05.htm">Eight Bells</a>" by the real Winslow Homer. What a sorry tribute.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-63542785885517341842009-09-24T12:50:00.000-07:002009-09-24T13:31:18.860-07:00Unbridled Unsoundness<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:smarttagtype name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype>The demise of Eight Belles in last year's Derby, the event that launched this blog, was in many ways the perfect storm of little things gone wrong, culminating in a catastrophic breakdown. Many factors contributed to her death---a punishing schedule too rigorous for such a young horse, her unusually large frame, the toe grabs on her shoes, and most importantly, her pedigree. It's a subject I've been meaning to discuss for ages now, and having observed the offspring of Unbridled's Song on the Triple Crown trail this year with interest, I think it's evident that many of his offspring are inherently unsound.<br /><br />The first of the UBS horses in this crop to fall by the wayside was Midshipman, winner of the 2008 Breeders Cup Juvenile and champion 2 year-old colt. He made 4 starts, all of them as a two year-old, before being sidelined with a soft tissue injury in March 2009. He did not return to the track until this past weekend, and while he did win, it remains to be seen how many more starts he’ll make before re-injury and/or retirement.<br /><br />The next to go was Old Fashioned, another of Larry Jones' charges. He made it through six starts, four of them wins, before being retired with a slab fracture in his right knee in April.<br /><br />The last was Dunkirk who surprisingly made it all the way to June, running 11th in the Derby before coming back for a truly gutsy second place finish in the Belmont. He suffered a non-displaced condylar fracture in his left hind cannon bone in that race and is on the sidelines for the time being. (Despite being G1 placed, he has never won anything more than an allowance race, so it is likely he will be brought back to race if it all possible. Got to have that black type before he goes off to stud after all.) And despite actually making it through the Triple Crown, Dunkirk has only 5 starts to his name. Mine That Bird and Rachel Alexandra, by comparison, had each made 11 starts by that time.<br /><br />These three colts are hardly the first of UBS's offspring to become injured on the Triple Crown trail. Over the last 10 years or so, it's become a frequent occurrence (for those UBS offspring who actually make it to the races). Buddha was a Derby favorite but retired just before that race with only 4 starts; Eurosilver managed 12 starts, but his career was plagued by injury; Half Ours fractured an ankle as a 2 year-old and was laid up for 19 months, only to return to the races at 4 where he fractured a cannon bone and was retired with only 7 starts; Rockport Harbor suffered regular setbacks in his career and made only 8 starts over 3 seasons. The list goes on and on.<br /><br />To be fair, not all UBS offspring have shortened careers. Domestic Dispute raced 21 times in three seasons; Thorn Song has made 29 starts to date; and the Australian-bred gelding Grey Song made an astonishing 65 starts over 5 seasons. (Perhaps turf racing made the difference for Thorn Song and Grey Song?) Unfortunately, these horses are still anomalies when it comes to UBS offspring.<br /><br />There is no doubt that horses sired by Unbridled’s Song are frequently fast and precocious. For breeders and owners alike, this often translates to a quick return on the stud fee ($125,000) or the purchase price. Or that is the hope at any rate. Dunkirk sold for $3.7 million as a yearling but has made only $393,200 in purses. Old Fashioned sold for $800,000, also as a yearling, and made $583,280. Given the high rate of attrition on the race track, buying a UBS horse seems like a very risky venture to me. Breeding to UBS with the intention of selling, however, appears to be a far more profitable venture. A quick scan of UBS’s page on the Stallion Register Online shows that his weanlings and yearlings on average bring two to three times the cost of his stud fee.<br /><br />And therein lies the rub. So long as buyers continue to support UBS as a stallion by keeping his offspring in demand, he will continue to produce brilliant but unsound horses. Not only is this a bad idea in terms of investments, it is also extremely damaging to the sport---witness the media storm after Eight Belles broke down. Accidents like that drive fans away, both casual and die-hard, and even the non-fatal injuries that lead to premature retirements turn fans off. It’s hard to follow and get excited about a horse that only starts 4 or 5 times. It’s also not fun to watch a race and find that you’re more worried than excited and just hoping all the horses will come home in one piece.<br /><br />The worst problem, however, with breeding unsound horses is the obvious one, the toll on the animals themselves. Is it not cruel to breed an animal with a greater risk of injury or fatal break down? Is it not a disservice to the American Thoroughbred to perpetuate unsoundness and fragility? What becomes of the UBS sons and daughters who did not accomplish enough on the track to be viable breeding animals and who are too unsound to have secondary careers as riding horses? (A long, cramped truck ride and then a bolt through the head...) The horse market is glutted already with poorly conformed, ill-bred, untrained equines of any breed and of no breed. The last thing we need is to add fragility to that equation, no matter how beautifully pedigreed.<br /><br />So what's the solution? Short of gelding UBS, I'm not really sure. Breeder incentives for proven durable bloodlines? Bigger purses for races for 4 year-olds and up? Importation of new blood from Europe or South America? It's going to be an uphill slog no matter what, and I worry that it may take several more Eight Belles-like accidents before the American TB breeders get the message. Speed and precocity are so deeply entrenched in the mind set of so many breeders, pinhookers, and owners that I fear for the future of the breed.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-58349308686127861632009-09-08T12:03:00.000-07:002009-09-08T12:18:03.845-07:00Why I still like Rachel Alexandra despite Jess JacksonA number of my racing fan friends have expressed an extreme dislike of Rachel Alexandra lately ((largely because of Jess Jackson), but I can't help but love this filly. We so rarely see fillies who race against the boys here, let alone beat them, that I have to embrace her whole-heartedly. It's a weakness of mine. (Along with cute markings and Sadler's Wells blood, making Rachel pretty much the whole enchilada for me.)<br /><br />I dislike Jess Jackson for a number of reasons, but I refuse to let him spoil this filly for me. Since I don't have TVG anymore and I avoid certain racing forums, all I get to see are the races themselves. I don't hear or read any of the bragging and hyperbole. I let the filly's performance speak for itself.<br /><br />So that said, the Woodward was a brilliant performance even if it wasn't as visually impressive as the Haskell for example. How many other horses can burn through a fast first quarter and a pretty quick half and still have gas in the tank to hold off a hard-closing rival? Rachel wouldn't even let Macho Again pass her in the gallop out. That's one determined filly.<br /><br />Her time of 1:48.29 was respectable if average. Interestingly, her time was faster than that of Curlin (1:49.34), Lawyer Ron (1:48.60), and Saint Liam (1:49.07), all notable recent winners (and all older than three when they won).<br /><br />But we know Rachel can cover 9 furlongs 5 to 10 lengths faster that she did in the Woodward when she's allowed to sit off the pace as witnessed by the Haskell (1:47.21) and Mother Goose (1:46.33) respectively. It should be noted that Rachel now owns the record in the Mother Goose and she is the second fastest Haskell winner of all time, only a fifth of a second behind the tied records of Bet Twice and Majestic Light.<br /><br />So, to summarize:<br /><br />* Rachel is the first filly of any age to win the Woodward<br />* the first 3 year-old to win the Woodward in 15 years<br />* one of a handful of 3 YO fillies to beat older males in open company<br />* one of only 2 fillies to win the Haskell<br />* ran the second fastest Haskell in history<br />* owns the stakes record and margin record in the Mother Goose<br />* first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness<br />* only horse to win the Preakness from the outside post<br />* second fastest Kentucky Oaks winner<br />* owns the margin record for the KY Oaks<br /><br />And if she wins HOTY, she will be the first 3 YO filly since 1945 to do so, and one of only a handful of fillies/mares of any age to win HOTY.<br /><br />So I think that makes her pretty damn special.<br /><br />Lest I seem like a hypocrite, I disliked Curlin for much the same reasons that people seem to dislike Rachel---namely, his owner was being an ass and crowing about how Curlin was one of the all-time greats. Excuse me while I gag. When the horse can back up the hyperbole, like Rachel has done as bulleted above, that's great. But Curlin couldn't. If he hadn't broken Cigar's earnings record, he'd be a bit of a "what have you done for me lately? nothing" kind of horse. (And the earnings thing is a farce anyway with the huge purses for the DWC and BC Classic.)<br /><br />The only records Curlin came close to, besides the money, were:<br /><br />* equaled stakes record in the Preakness (as did Street Sense)<br />* third fastest DWC win<br /><br />The rest of his times were average or even slow, so even though he was winning, he was beating up on weak fields (barely) and not even remotely challenging the clock. Nothing he accomplished on the track even remotely approachs those of true all-time greats like Spectacular Bid, Secretariat, Citation, etc. Rachel may have slaughtered some weak horses, too, and I'm not saying she's an all-time great yet, but at least she was running to beat the band.<br /><br />She's earned her bragging rights. Curlin never did.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-60177695746574836762009-05-07T09:47:00.000-07:002009-05-07T11:35:44.136-07:00The Rachel Alexandra sagaThe Kentucky Oaks, run the day before the Derby, is often overshadowed by the glamour of that race and the hopes of a Triple Crown winner in the making. This year, however, despite the enjoyable underdog story of Derby winner Mine That Bird, the filly Rachel Alexandra still came out looking like the better horse:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNkBuJtds58">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNkBuJtds58</a><br /><br />Granted, with the scratch of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Justwhistledixie</span> and the absence of Stardom Bound, the Oaks field was on the light side. The way Rachel won though is what made her look every inch the superstar. Her jockey Calvin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Borel</span> never touched her with the whip or shook the reins at her to ask her to run; she just went on by the field at cruising speed and still came within a fifth of a second of the stakes record while winning by the biggest margin in Oaks history. Had Calvin cranked her up and really asked for speed, one can only imagine what she would have done. Just for starters, I'd think the stakes record would have fallen by a full second.<br /><br />Rachel's undeniable brilliance makes her an easy horse to cheer for, but until yesterday, her connections were also a large part of her story. Her trainer, the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">likable</span> Hal Wiggins, has been in the racing game for 40 years and has waited all his life for a horse like Rachel. The Oaks was his first Grade 1 win.<br /><br />Her jockey Calvin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Borel</span> won many fans with his infectious high spirits after winning the Derby in 2007 with Street Sense, and he did so again with his excitement and praise of Rachel after the Oaks. “She is the best horse I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ve</span> ever been on, and I don’t know how good she is,” <a href="http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/50567/rachel-alexandra-a-breathtaking-oaks-winner">said <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Borel</span></a>, who won the Kentucky Derby on Street Sense. “Street Sense was a good horse; he had a good turn of foot. But until I really have to ask her, I don’t know how good she is. She’s incredible.”<br /><br />Rachel has never been beaten with Calvin in the saddle.<br /><br />Even before the Oaks, many pundits and fans thought the filly would have had the Derby all her own way had she been entered, and naturally after the race, those thoughts were even more prevalent. When asked, Wiggins said, "We're not going to look back. We're going to enjoy this. We're not going to have any regrets."<br /><br />Her owner went one step further and expressed the belief that fillies should run against fillies and leave the boys to themselves (which I feel is rather sexist, but I'm not sure the horses care one way or the other).<br /><br />All that changed Wednesday, only days after the Oaks, when it was announced that Jess Jackson of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Stonestreet</span> Stables had purchased Rachel Alexandra for a rumored $10 million. The filly now resides in Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Asmussen's</span> barn. Hal Wiggins has put on a brave face for the press, but I can only imagine how devastated he must be. To have a filly like that in his barn with such a bright future, and then overnight, nothing. <br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">IEAH</span> receives a fair amount of fan ire for buying champions instead of making them, but at least when they purchased I Want Revenge earlier this spring, they kept him with the trainer who knew him inside out. Why mess with a good thing after all? The same thing applies here. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Asmussen</span> has had and still has good horses in his barn. He had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Curlin</span> for 2 years for pity's sake (another horse yanked away from the original trainer). Does he really need Rachel on his resume more than Hal Wiggins? I think not. Especially given <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Asmussen's</span> history of suspensions for <a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-06-28/news/dark-horse/4">doping his horses</a>...<br /><br />Though it has yet to be confirmed, rumors are flying that Rachel will be entered in the Preakness and possibly the Belmont. While it is exciting to think of her facing the boys, it puts Calvin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Borel</span> in one hell of a predicament. Does he ride Mine That Bird, the horse he won the Derby on, or does he throw away the chance at a Triple Crown and ride the filly, the best horse he said he's ever ridden?Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-82951845434045789612009-02-11T07:54:00.000-08:002009-02-11T07:55:11.039-08:00Common sense trainingPerhaps the best opinion piece I've ever seen on the Blood-Horse:<br /><br /><a href="http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/finalturn/archive/2009/02/10/If-I-Was-a-Horseman.aspx">http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/finalturn/archive/2009/02/10/If-I-Was-a-Horseman.aspx</a>Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-67239206610984104842008-12-02T07:25:00.000-08:002008-12-02T08:05:46.532-08:00Legs of glassI admit I haven't followed the career of Wanderin Boy at all, though I was aware of him. I was sorry to hear that he broke down in the Cigar Mile this past weekend. The Blood-Horse hardly mentioned his demise in their recap of the race, but I was pleased to see a piece by Steve Haskin today entitled <a href="http://racing.bloodhorse.com/article/48251.htm">"Wanderin Boy a Fighter to the End."</a> I expected a story of human and equine hardship, fighting together from the bottom rungs of the sport to G1 competition, etc.<br /><br />Not quite.<br /><br />Wanderin Boy's career was a fight alright. A fight against extreme unsoundness and against people who refused to acknowledge it. As a foal only a month old, he fractured his sesamoids. As a young horse in training, he fractured a cannon bone. Then he bucked his shins. Then he broke his <em>other</em> cannon bone...<br /><br />You'd think maybe by this point his owner, trainer, or vet would have said enough already and let Wanderin Boy retire to an easier life. You'd think fractured sesamoids and TWO broken cannon bones might have been a clue that Wanderin Boy was not cut out to be a race horse.<br /><br />Nope. Hancock, Zito, et al, sent him right back to the track.<br /><br />Wanderin Boy suffered through a bad foot abcess and then a large stomach ulcer before his sesamoids shattered again on the turn at Aqueduct. He was 7 and remarkably had held together for 24 races and $1.2 million in earnings. He undoubtedly would have been sent to stud had he not broken down. And in that respect only, it's a blessing he did not pass on his genes, but no horse deserves a fate like his. He should have been retired after that second fractured cannon bone, if not after the first one. Why his connections to continued to race him absolutely boggles my mind.<br /><br />And people wonder why horse racing is losing its fans...Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-84041833260641062372008-10-25T16:58:00.000-07:002008-10-25T17:29:07.449-07:00Breeders Cup wrap upHooray for the European runners!!! They have put an end to the excessive, ridiculous, over-the-top hyberbole about Curlin at long last. My gods, I thought I was going to puke listening to all the nonsense about Curlin being the greatest horse of all time. Give me a break already! He's a nice horse, but he's not an all time great. I wouldn't even say he was the best of this decade. Give me Point Given, Ghostzapper, Medaglia D'Oro, or Invasor anyday. Oh, and Jess Jackson is so full of it about keeping Curlin in training because he's a sporting kind of guy. BS! No farm will touch Curlin with a 10 foot pole until the lawsuit with his minority owners is over. How dumb do they think we are?<br /><br />So anyway, here's my BC wrap up. In the <strong>Classic</strong>, Raven's Pass was superb, coming home in 1:59.27 which I believe is third only to Ghostzapper's 1:59.02 and Skip Away's 1:59.16. Beautifully done. And I'm really glad to see Frankie Dettori win the Classic. How can you not love him? Henrythenavigator roared home to be second, Tiago closed gamely to nab third, and Curlin regressed a bit in the stretch, only getting fourth, having briefly had the lead. The Duke of Marmalade could only manage 9th and Casino Drive finished dead last in 12th. His lack of conditioning destroyed any chance he had, it would seem. I hope he'll be back as a four year-old so we can see him at his best for once.<br /><br />Conduit was magnificent in the <strong>Turf</strong>, winning in a stakes record time of 2:23.42. What a good looking horse he is. I hope he'll run at four. It was a bit sad to see Better Talk Now strung out sooooo far behind the field. He managed 8th, but I really think the G1s are several years behind him.<br /><br />I didn't have ton of interest in the <strong>Sprint</strong>, but it was interesting to see Midnight Lute make the same move as he did last year, circling the field on the turn and sweeping to the lead. Street Boss managed third, and though it wasn't a win, it still emphasizes how extraordinarily versatile Street Cry's get seem to be---good as juvis, good as older horses, able to handle sprints and routes, dirt and synthetics. Pretty cool.<br /><br />I don't have anything intelligent to say about the <strong>Juvi Turf</strong>, but I'm a nerd for horse color genetics, and I do love Donativum's Tetrarch spots. :-)<br /><br />The <strong>Juvenile</strong> was a good race. My man Square Eddie ran beautifully to be second, and I wonder if he might have squeezed up for the win if Midshipman hadn't drifted in on him in the stretch. I guess his jockey didn't think so because there was no inquiry. And Street Hero, yet another Street Cry horse, was third. That guy's on fire. I suspect Midshipman will suffer an injury sometime next spring and be whisked off to stud. The Unbridled's Songs don't hold together real well (EightBelles, Buddha, even UBS himself). Square Eddie and Street Hero ought to only impove with age however. I expect they'll be quite interesting to follow next year.<br /><br />It was nice to see a filly score in the <strong>Mile</strong> again. The French fillies seem to be predisposed to winning that one. Kip Deville, last year's winner, as a game second, but there was no catching Goldikova today. What a lithe little filly.<br /><br />The <strong>Dirt Mile</strong> wasn't one I was watching closely. Albertus Maximus ran his eyeballs out for the win and Well Armed, the favorite, never fired.<br /><br />I had no picks in the <strong>Turf Sprint</strong> or the <strong>Marathon</strong>, but it sure is fun watching those horses roar down the hill. I bet that's a fun ride!<br /><br />As for yesterday, Ventura was a star in the <strong>F&M Sprint</strong>. Indian Blessing was just no match for her. Maybe next year. No real thoughts on the <strong>Juvi Fillies Turf</strong> other than I suspect the best of them will race in Europe next year.<br /><br />Stardom Bound was of course sensational making her patented last-to-first move on the turn in the <strong>Juvi Fillies</strong>. She is filly to be reckoned with though I do wonder if she's going to want more than 9 furlongs. Most filly races aren't any longer than that though, so I guess she'll probably be fine.<br /><br />I was very pleased to see Sealy Hill close from the clouds to get up for second in the <strong>F&M Turf</strong>. A great way to close out her career, and I'm thrilled that Point Given is having such good success as a sire.<br /><br />As for the <strong>Ladies Classic</strong> (F&M Classic sounds better, I think), what's to be said? Zenyatta is a queen among fillies. With Curlin's loss in the Classic, I really hope she'll be Horse of the Year. She deserves it.<br /><br />And best of all, every horse came home safely today. There wasn't a single incident, and I think that speaks well of the pro-ride synthetic surface and the Santa Anita turf surface. This has been one of the most enjoyable Breeders Cups for me, and I'm pleased it will be back at SA next year. The Euros should come over in droves after all the success they had this year. Should be fantastic!Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-23353068997712747252008-10-05T18:36:00.000-07:002009-06-05T07:31:20.597-07:00Witnessing greatness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDXHn2NsHeoemdvsqtxXkaaefEEI2w0L1wwh0gzVglmSiG95NBy1k_nmnlK8y-R2DN5W7x71oyef08g0vj-mMhW5xzVXQwXQRQ-64mybXsNQq_93y_vFQeyoBVYoCIBjlTLUP69xKAxp-/s1600-h/zarkava_arc_win1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343850543444294642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 307px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDXHn2NsHeoemdvsqtxXkaaefEEI2w0L1wwh0gzVglmSiG95NBy1k_nmnlK8y-R2DN5W7x71oyef08g0vj-mMhW5xzVXQwXQRQ-64mybXsNQq_93y_vFQeyoBVYoCIBjlTLUP69xKAxp-/s320/zarkava_arc_win1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">(Photo by Getty Images) </span></em><br /></div><div align="center"><em><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></em></div><br /><div align="left">There is nothing like a truly brilliant filly to cheer one's spirits. At Longchamp today, the undefeated three year-old filly Zarkava raced into the history books, winning the Arc decisively over a tough field including the likes of Duke Of Marmalade (5 time Group 1 winner who was undefeated this season), Youmzain (a G1 winner and usually G1 placed runner who was second in last year's Arc), Soldier of Fortune (winner of the G1 Irish Derby and Coronation Cup), and Meisho Sampson (hero of Japan and supreme distance horse), to name a few. </div><div align="left"><br /> </div><div align="left">Going into the race today, Zarkava had scored six wins, 4 of them in G1 events, including the prestigious Prix Marcel Boussac Royal Barriere de Deauville for two year-old fillies, the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (the French 1000 Guineas), and the Prix de Diane (the French Oaks). Just three weeks ago, she conquered older mares in the G1 Prix Vermeille. In all of these races, she won as she pleased and no horse finished within 2 lengths of her. </div><div align="left"><br /> </div><div align="left">Having defeated everything her own sex could throw at her, the Aga Khan entered her in the Arc, a race that has not been won by a filly since 1993 (Urban Sea) and that has not been won by a three year-old filly since 1982 (Akiyda, also an Aga Khan filly). Zarkava started as the favorite, and though she broke pretty well, she was still shuffled to the back of the field of 16 for much of the race. As the horses wheeled into the three furlong stretch, Zarkava was trapped on the rail behind a wall of horses and looked doomed. Her jockey pointed her to the narrowest of openings with less than a quarter mile to run, and the filly didn't hesitate to surge through. As soon as she was clear, Zarkava stormed to the lead, much the best and won going away by two lengths. It was breathtaking performance, one for the ages. </div><div align="left"><br /> </div><div align="left">Interestingly, Zarkava descends tail-female from the great grey mare Petite Etoile through her only daughter Zahra. Etoile herself descends in the female line from the Flying Filly, Mumtaz Mahal, and it is only fitting therefore that Zarkava takes up her crown as the modern day Flying Filly, as she was dubbed earlier today. </div><div align="left"><br /> </div><div align="left">For those who haven't seen it, here it is on Youtube. It's in French, so look for the filly trapped on the rail in the 16 cloth with the jockey in green silks with red stripes on the shoulders. </div><div align="left"><br /> </div><div align="left"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys5Al_-A3iQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys5Al_-A3iQ</a></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Exceptional, indeed.</div>Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-84013111133103658152008-10-02T16:04:00.000-07:002008-10-02T16:48:27.051-07:00Long overdue updateAs John Lennon once sang, "life is just what happens…while you’re busy making other plans." That’s the story of my summer, let me tell you, hence the grievous neglect of this journal. I have at last caught up on most of what needed to be done, and I am back to blogging, so look out world, etc etc etc.<br /><br />Over the last few months, the racing industry has implemented or at least planned a number of encouraging changes. It's sad and bordering on unforgivable that it took a death at the Kentucky Derby to finally provoke this action. Certainly Go For Wand, Landseer, Pine Island, and George Washington, among many others, deserved more. But at least the probems with the sport are being addressed at last. Eight Belles did not die in vain.<br /><br /><strong>1. Steroids Ban:</strong> As of September 28th, 16 states have adopted the rule to ban all steroids. The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium hopes it will be adopted in all racing states by January 1, 2009.<br /><br /><strong>2. Drug Testing Continuity:</strong> The RMTC is also working on a plan to regulate drug-testing methods and standards around the country. <a href="http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/47266/rmtc-has-plan-for-drug-testing-standards.htm">http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/47266/rmtc-has-plan-for-drug-testing-standards.htm</a><br /><br /><strong>3. Toe Grab Ban:</strong> The Jockey Club and graded stakes committee have ruled that toe grabs taller than 2 millimeters are forbidden, and any tracks not adhering to this rule will lose their graded status. Other traction devices have similarly been banned. The reaction from trainers has been mixed, but recent studies have shown compelling evidence that toe grabs contribute to catastrophic skeletal injuries. Both Barbaro and Eight Belles wore toe grabs…<br /><br /><strong>4. Creation of Equine Injury Database:</strong> This database implemented by the Jockey Club will track racing injuries, the goal being "identify the frequency, types and outcome of racing injuries using a standardized format that will generate valid statistics; identify markers for horses at increased risk of injury; and serve as a data source for research directed at improving safety and preventing injuries." <a href="http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/46249/jockey-club-launches-injury-database.htm">(BH 7/23/08)</a> Resistance from some trainers and vets is expected, but the Jockey Club hopefully will insist on resposibility and accountability from all involved.<br /><br /><br />I am really thrilled to see that the racing industry has made such progress in only six months. These are steps in the right direction, and here's hoping the Jockey Club will strongly enforce these new regulations. The only problem that has yet to be addressed is the problem of breeding for speed and precosity rather than stamina and soundness. I'm not really sure that is something that can be legislated, but certainly the JC should think about incentives for breeders and owners who work toward breeding and buying horses from resilient lines. Though I keep putting that discussion off, it really is for another day, but hopefully before the Breeders Cup. Maybe the Arc this Sunday will inspire me to wax poetic on the virtues of stamina-laden horses. Go Zarkava!Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-16778979522010527982008-06-09T09:58:00.001-07:002008-06-10T21:28:16.250-07:00No crown for BrownI fully accepted and anticipated the fact that Big Brown might not win the Belmont. I knew it was possible that one of the fresh horses might have more left in the tank in deep stretch and out-finish him. But I fully expected to see the same Big Brown we saw in the Preakness, and that just didn't happen. That was not the Big Brown who kicked away from his rivals at the top of the stretch and made them look like cheap claimers. That was not the Brown who came from post 20 in the Derby, went wide all the way around the track, and still stormed away to an easy win. I don't know why he didn't show up on Saturday, but even the great ones have bad days, and Brown just wasn't himself.<br /><br />After the race, he scoped clean, he hadn't flipped his palate, his legs and cracked hoof were cold---in other words, he was fine physically. I suspect the heat combined with a track that was deeper than he liked just exhausted him, especially having missed some training due to the crack. He simply wasn't as fit and rested as we'd all hoped, and maybe that extra quarter mile was just a bit too much to ask of the son of a sprinter sire. I don't know. I'm sorry Brownie didn't win because from all I've heard, he's a really neat horse just to be around, and I'm sorry for my friends who are involved with him. I am not sorry that Dutrow and IEAH didn't win though. Maybe they'll gain some humility out of this? I won't hold my breath.<br /><br />On the plus side, since BB has been given a clean bill of health, it's reported that he will be pointed to the Jim Dandy and Travers, and I hope we'll see the real Brown again then. I like the horse despite the people around him, and I would love to see him redeem himself to the nay-sayers. As for the winner, if Brown couldn't do it, it's nice to see Tiznow sire a big winner in Da'Tara. It wasn't exactly scintillating and it wasn't fast, but a win is a win. And it keeps that Man O' War sire line chugging along, and that is definitely a good thing.<br /><br />I have to say, though, that I was taken aback by all the vitriol spewed on various forums about BB's loss. Mock Dutrow and IEAH all you want, but don't make fun of a horse who can't help who his connections are and who was running on empty on the turn. It's not his fault.<br /><br />I am also really surprised to see criticism of Kent D's ride. What was he supposed to do, whip home a horse who wasn't going to hit the board anyway? If Kent says the he pushed the gas and the tank was empty, I believe him. He was the only one sitting on Big Brown and the only one who can say how much horse he had. I could see him shaking the reins at Brown on the turn and getting nothing in response. What does it matter if he finished 5 lengths behind the field or 50? If he had whipped the horse home, I can tell you people would be out for blood. He can't win for losing. In the end, Kent did what he thought was best <em>for the horse</em> at that moment---not the owners, not the trainer, not the bettors, not the fans---just the horse, and he will always have my utmost respect for that.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-83176357359085479312008-06-08T19:23:00.000-07:002008-06-08T19:56:19.301-07:00Evening Attire: Gallant Gelding"Tomorrow" has turned into more than a week as real life has a way of intruding on my blogging time, but I promise I will address the issue of breeding for soundness versus speed soon. And the Belmont, too.<br /><br />Before I get to any of that though, I just wanted to give mad props to Evening Attire, that gallant grey gelding, who made his <em>68th</em> start this past Friday. He has been running consistently, year in, year out, since starting his career eight years ago. His most recent start was the Brooklyn Handicap, a race which has been restored to its 12 furlong glory (much to my delight), and you'd never have guessed that Evening Attire is 10 years old. He came from way back as usual, closed nicely in the stretch, and nabbed second only 2 lengths behind the winner. A grand performance from a grand old man. We need to be breeding more tough warriors like him.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-53984109780548168132008-05-29T11:21:00.001-07:002008-05-29T13:04:39.852-07:00Horses do the damnedest thingsWhen I was a kid, I leased a big lunk of a palomino named Dandy. He had a lovely broad white blaze, and one summer day when I brought him in from the pasture, I was horrified to see a bloody scratch all the way across his face. The barn owner gave me some pink goo to treat it, and it worked like a charm, but I'll never forget what she told me that day---that a horse can and will find the only nail in a hundred miles of fence and scratch himself on it. In other words, horses are fragile animals, and freak accidents can and do occur.<br /><br />Yesterday, unfortunately, was one of those days. In California, the high-class turf mare Nashoba's Key, who won 7 straight races last year, had to be euthanized early yesterday morning after kicking the wall of her pen at Hollywood Park and breaking one of her hind legs. On the other side of the country, super-pony Theordore O' Connor, a 14.1 Shetland/Arab/Thoroughbred cross who competed at the highest levels in three day-eventing and who had recently been short-listed for the USET Olympic team, spooked and fell on his owners' farm in Virginia, lacerating a hind leg beyond repair.<br /><br />For me, this just drives home a point that I have made to non-racing people after widely publicized break downs. Yes, there is abuse and negligence and doping in racing, just like in any equine sport, but accidents DO happen. Horses take bad steps, slip, crash into trees, get tangled in fences, spook, etc. It's freakish and it's sad but it's an unavoidable part of being involved with these animals. Some of these accidents may be preventable, but some are just that, accidents.<br /><br />And that leads me back to racing and what is being done to prevent or at least reduce the number of accidents on the track. Both ESPN and NBC broadcast round table discussions with industry experts during their Preakness coverage two weeks ago, and a number of ideas were tossed out---a steroid ban, a re-evaluation of racing surfaces, greater regulation of toe-grabs, etc. The only definitive change in the offing so far is a complete ban on steroids. I don't know all the ins and outs of it, but apparantly even Congress is getting involved... I hope that the racing industry will push through this change and others to make the sport safer and not just revert back to the status quo now that the heat is mostly off. I'll be curious to see what, if any, discussion there is of this subject on the Belmont telecast.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I'll be delving into the issue of breeding for soundness, or rather, the lack there-of. I was quite annoyed to see that idea poo-pooed by the round table pundits and one vet in particular during the Preakness coverage. I think they're dead wrong to assume that 30 years is too short a time to change the durability of the breed.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-4233745559890908442008-05-22T13:58:00.000-07:002008-05-22T14:05:35.345-07:00More musings on that stud dealI was 2 months old when Affirmed out-gamed Alydar in the 1978 Belmont, so technically, there has been a Triple Crown winner in my lifetime. I was a smidge young at the time to remember that though, and therefore I am (once again) quite excited about the Belmont two weeks from now. Could this really be the year?<br /><br />Across horse racing fandom, opinions are mixed, but a surprising number of them are negative regarding Big Brown's chances. I have seen thoughts from people who just think he can’t get a mile and a half but wish him well to those who hope he doesn’t win because he isn’t worthy. Even many turf writers and racing pundits are downplaying his achievements. It only seems to be the horsemen, especially those left in Brown’s wake, who respect him and what he’s done. Poor horse. He has tackled everything thrown at him thus far---quarter cracks, wide trips, distance, far outside posts, traffic, running off the pace, and so on.<br /><br />I personally think that Brown has a great chance at Belmont in two weeks. Provided he gets a good clean start, that high cruising speed of his will hopefully carry him the first mile and a quarter. Then Kent D can “hit the button” at the quarter pole and let Brown accelerate right on down the stretch. Fingers crossed. Thirty years is a long time to wait.<br /><br />As for the naysayers who think Big Brown is unworthy to wear the crown, I have to say that while he may not be Secretariat or Citation, there is no shame in being the next Sir Barton or Omaha. A horse doesn’t have to be an all-time great to win the crown, only the best (and maybe luckiest) horse on three days in his three year-old season, and that is no mean feat. Many greats haven’t been able to do it despite being deemed worthy. Yes, the horses he has beaten have not all been wildly talented or accomplished, but Brown can only beat the ones that turn up. I’m afraid I have accused Curlin of the same thing, and I can only say that he, like Brown, is a very good horse, but not yet a great one.<br /><br />I have heard others hoping that Brown won’t win because he is unlikely to run at four, and a rumor seems to be spreading that he won’t even run after the Belmont. I am very disappointed he won’t run at four, but then again, neither did Secretariat. Brown’s connections have at least said that they’re aiming for the Travers and Breeders Cup after the Belmont, and potentially he will face off against Curlin in the latter, so there is some hope he will finish out the year.<br /><br />Whatever the case, Brown will stand at Three Chimneys when his career is over, and that is an encouraging thought. Three Chimneys is fan-friendly, and best of all, they ride most of their stallions to keep them fit. If he wins the Belmont, I imagine Brown will live out his days there, regardless of his success as a stallion. If not, he may end up in one of the regional markets in a few years’ time. Boundary has produced a number of useful offspring on the track, and Brown is far and away the best of them, but as a sire of sires, Boundary has done little to show for himself. Brown may buck that trend, too, and be a sensational sire, but I’m not holding my breath, much as I like him. I still think it’s a crying shame to retire a horse with so much ability and potential early, especially when his pedigree is less than fashionable, but IEAH makes no bones about the point of their enterprise---making money. We have to take what we can get in the end.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-12657167348238473772008-05-15T07:55:00.000-07:002008-05-15T09:55:29.688-07:00Big Brown: The Preakness and a Stud Deal...<em>"IEAH Stables’ Michael Iavarone said the chances of Big Brown running as a 4-year-old were <a href="http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/45224.htm">'</a><strong><a href="http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/45224.htm">none.' </a>"</strong></em><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />Terrific. Big Brown will be whisked off to stud at the end of the year if we're lucky, possibly sooner if his feet bother him again or he gets a cold or a hangnail or somebody looks at him cross-eyed... And we wonder why this sport is losing its fan base? IEAH, you suck!<br /><br />In other news, Big Brown will run in the Preakness this Saturday. What a novel concept, eh? (Can you tell I'm bitter?) He will break from post position 7 in a field of 13, surprisingly just one shy of the gate limit. The field is mostly comprised of also-rans from the Triple Crown trail, but there are a few horses who should keep it interesting. Macho Again comes into the race off a win in the Derby Trial, and though his pedigree would suggest that he could handle the distance, he has yet to win beyond 7.5 furlongs. Icabad Crane has a cool name (there goes all my street cred) and also has a record similar to Big Brown's---he raced once at 2 and the Preakness will be his fifth start. His last outing was a win in the Federico Tesio. He could be dangerous. Late-blooming Lexington winner Behindatthebar is also a threat, and horses like Stevil, Gayego, and Hey Byrn may have a chance to redeem themselves...unless Big Brown runs like he did two weeks ago, in which case, they're all running for second place money.<br /><br />I don't have a gut feeling about this race, but I think if Brown doesn't bounce, we should see a Funny Cide or Smarty Jones-like romp. If that happens, the Belmont is going to be <em>very</em> interesting. That remarkable mare, Better Than Honor, has produced her third straight Belmont contender in Casino Drive. He won the Peter Pan at Belmont easily this past weekend in a very nice time of 1:47.87. He looked pretty professional doing it, too, considering it was only his second lifetime start, his first having been in Japan. I would love to see a Triple Crown winner this year, despite the looming premature retirement of Big Brown, but I don't deny that I wonder about his ability to go 12 furlongs. If he can't do it, then I will be rooting for Casino Drive to complete a different and altogether rarer triple for his dam---three consecutive Belmont winners.<br /><br />Whatever happens on Saturday, please let them all come home safe.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-51624931677547887092008-05-14T20:44:00.000-07:002008-05-14T20:50:20.515-07:00Eight Belles: What went wrong?The 134th Kentucky Derby epitomized the highs and lows inherent in this sport. I was shedding tears of delight when my pick, Big Brown, roared under the wire in front. He overcame breaking from the far outside post, the 20 hole, a wide trip, quarter crack prone feet, a 24 mile an hour headwind in the stretch, and almost a hundred years of Derby history to win off only three career starts. More importantly, he also made two of my friends very happy, winning “their” first Derby for them. I was thrilled.<br /><br />I was also surprised and pleased to see the filly Eight Belles run a game second, four and three-quarter lengths behind the winner, but still three and a half lengths clear of third place finisher Denis of Cork. I had thought her in over her head in the Derby field, and I was not at all displeased to have been proven wrong. Needless to say, I was absolutely shocked moments later when the commentators announced that she had gone down on the turn as she galloped out. Mercifully, the replay they showed was brief, and the filly was nearly out of the frame because the cameras were tracking Big Brown, but it was still clear to me that she had broken down badly in front. It’s a bizarre thing for a horse to breakdown well past the wire, but stranger still in this accident was the revelation that both of her front ankles had broken. She was euthanized right on the track.<br /><br />Eight Belles’ tragic demise cast a pall over the race and has left everyone wondering just what went wrong. Fingers have been pointed at everyone and everything, ranging from the track, the jockey, the trainer, the horse shoes, drugs, and pedigree.<br /><br />The subject of dirt versus synthetic surfaces is a complicated matter, and one for another day when I have more time for analysis, but I will say that polytrack is not the savior it was thought to be. There was a terrible spill at Hollywood Park just days ago on the cushion track that was eerily similar to Eight Belles’ fall. I am hearing about an increase in soft tissue injuries as well, and respiratory problems from kick-back. That said, the Churchill surface is notorious for being souped up, especially on Derby weekend. This year, torrential rains on Friday helped soften it, but more than a few horses have never been right again after running on it. Monarchos, anyone? But again, a subject for another day.<br /><br />PETA’s attack on Gabriel Saez is laughable. Based on a funny head jerk from Eight Belles in the stretch, they seem to think that she broke down before the wire and that Saez whipped her when he ought to have been pulling her up. The holes in this so-called logic are numerous. The most obvious one is that a horse with a broken leg, or in this case, two broken legs, can not possibly gallop out another 3/8s of a mile. Another problem is a matter of practicality. No one in their right mind is going to encourage an injured animal moving at 35 to 40 miles an hour to keep running when the possibility of falling often results in catastrophic injury to both horse and rider. If nothing else, jockeys don’t want to break bones, puncture their lungs, crack their skulls, or otherwise damage themselves and lose riding time (which equals money) or worse, lose their life and/or the livelihood for their family. And that’s just the cold, hard logic. Most jockeys love horses and have bonds with their mounts and wouldn’t dream of not pulling them up when hurt. Just ask Edgar Prado. His <a href="http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/prado_consoled.jpg">face</a> after Barbaro broke down said it all. You can’t tell me these men and women don’t care deeply about the horses.<br /><br />As for the strange head jerk, Larry Jones, Eight Belle’s trainer, said after the Derby that that was just a funny quirk the filly had developed, especially if she was moving in toward the rail. I reviewed all of her races, and sure enough, I saw her swinging her head on several occasions---as she switched leads at the top of the stretch, as she moved over toward the rail from an outside path, and even in her last start before the Derby, just a few strides from the wire, as if she were looking at the crowd. It was an odd quirk, no doubt, but clearly not indicative of a mid-race injury.<br /><br />And speaking of Larry Jones, I will lay some blame at his feet now. He seems to be genuinely grieved for Eight Belles, but I must ask <em>why</em> he never saw fit to give that enormous filly a break. Most classic bound two year-olds---heck, most two year-olds period---get a break over the winter, usually November through January or February, to grow into their frames and mature mentally and physically. Eight Belles never got a break. She raced 9/16/07, 10/15/07, 10/30/07, 11/30/07, 12/23/07, 1/21/08, 2/17/08, 3/16/08, 4/6/08, and 5/3/08, so only 2 to 4 weeks between races, and no break at all over the course of 9 months and 10 races. Obviously, Eight Belles had the endurance to run well in most of those starts, but her legs couldn’t hold up to that schedule despite her talent. What on earth was Jones thinking?! Especially knowing that she came from unsound stock.<br /><br />After any high profile breakdown, the issue of pain-inhibiting drugs is brought up. As of May 8th, preliminary findings from Eight Belles’ necropsy showed no evidence of a heart attack or aneurysm. Results indicating any foreign substances in her blood will be forthcoming in a few weeks. Stay tuned.<br /><br />And now the matter of shoes… Recent studies indicate that shoes with toe grabs are a significant factor in breakdowns, and the risk factor rises as the size of the grabs increase. When horses gallop on dirt, their feet slide just a bit, thus absorbing some of the concussion as their feet hit the track. Polytrack apparently absorbs and nullifies that slide, resulting in a harder impact for each foot. Grabs do the same thing when horses run on dirt---they give the horses a firmer grip on the surface and more confidence, but they also take away the impact-absorbing slide. Barbaro had grabs on his back feet when he broke down in the 2006 Preakness. Eight Belles had grabs on her front feet when she worked out before the Derby, and while I don’t know if she wore them in the Derby, wearing them in workouts surely didn’t do her any favors.<br /><br />Add the problems listed above to the pedigree issue, and it begins to look like Eight Belles was an accident waiting to happen. Her sire, Unbridled’s Song, had soundness issues himself and was raced only lightly at 3 and 4. His name is practically synonymous with unsoundness, especially as it relates to his offspring, and many of them tend to be big like Eight Belles, which only compounds the problem. His sons and daughters are fast and precocious, but at what cost? A number of the most successful ones, Buddha for example, have retired early in their three year-old season because of problems. Or they have a few starts drawn out over 2 or 3 seasons because of chronic injuries like Eurosilver. And some, like What A Song, a grandson of Unbridled’s Song through Songandaprayer, set a world record for 2 furlongs but self-destructed in a morning workout. (And what, pray tell, is the point of breeding a TB to run 2 furlongs? Isn’t that why they breed Quarter Horses?)<br /><br />So where does this leave us? There are serious issues that need to be addressed if this sport is going to survive. I think that breeding out unsound lines is of the utmost importance. We can make tracks, shoes, and training methods safer, but if the horses are already fragile to begin with, it’s pointless. The American Thoroughbred needs some hybrid vigor---outcrosses to less fashionable but sound lines and imports of new blood could go a long way. A number of good horses have come out of South America in recent years, bred from generations of American and European cast offs. We need to dip back into those lines and others around the world to infuse some stamina and hardiness back into the breed. I do think that the breeding industry needs to take a long, hard look at sires of precocious but fragile horses and try to cull the worst offenders. I would go so far as to suggest gelding a number of them outright.<br /><br />In the wake of the very public Derby tragedy, the Jockey Club, the NTRA, and a group of jockeys are <a href="http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/45103.htm">planning a summit</a> discuss safety in racing. They plan to “review every facet of equine health, including breeding practices, medication, the rules of racing and track surfaces, and to recommend actions to be taken by the industry to improve the health and safety of Thoroughbreds.” It’s an encouraging start, but they had damn well better act on their findings. If this ends up as a lot of lip service in the end, this sport will come under even more fire when the next breakdown happens. I for one don’t plan to shut up about it, and I hope my readers will remain vocal for changes, too.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753460976916495489.post-75366722394692372342008-05-07T14:25:00.001-07:002008-05-07T18:44:16.136-07:00Who am I?I am not much of anybody really, just a longtime racing fan who feels the need to speak out about issues facing the sport. I have no special credentials. I’m not a writer or a photographer or breeder, bloodstock agent, trainer, or jockey. I don’t pretend to be an expert on the sport, on horses, or on training methods, and I can’t promise to be eloquent, but I’ll try.<br /><br />I am, however, a stereotypical horse-mad woman and have been ever since I can remember. I come by it honestly, having a long line of horse-mad women (and a few men) on both sides of my family. I played with toy horses as a kid instead of dolls. I ran around with my friends pretending to be part grand prix rider, part horse, jumping over courses made of sticks and brush and yard tools. When I was old enough, I took riding lessons and participated in a few hunter/jumper shows. I mucked stalls, groomed, fed, watered, cleaned the barns, worked as a pony camp counselor, and wrangled Shetlands at birthday parties to earn riding time. Alas, I have never had a horse of my own, but one of these days I will.<br /><br />My love affair with horse racing began as a little girl, listening to my dad read C. W. Anderson’s stories to me about Man O’ War, Native Dancer, Stymie, and other greats of that bygone era. The name of this blog, Deep Through the Heart, comes from a phrase he commonly used, referring not only to a horse’s physical heart and lung capacity but also to something more intangible, its courage and determination, and yes, heart. To me, it speaks also of the deep emotional connection I and many fans have to the sport of kings and especially to its stars, the horses. They thrill us, run their hearts out for us, and break out hearts, too. I still remember the day my dad came home from work and told me that Swale had died. He was my first love.<br /><br />These mighty Thoroughbreds give us their all, sometimes even their lives, and that’s why I’m writing this blog. Through bad luck, bad steps, and sometimes through avarice and bad judgment, some horses come to bad ends, on the track or in a slaughterhouse or through neglect. I am trying to raise awareness of problems in the racing industry, everything from doping to dangerous surfaces to poor breeding practices, in hopes of improving the sport and the quality of life for the horses that are part of it. This is something I have been toying with for some time, and the sad demise of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby last Saturday finally spurred me to action. Comments are encouraged, and please feel free to share this blog with your friends.Kirsten Wellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698551399489622148noreply@blogger.com1