For those of you who care - an update on the horses. My baby - Afleet Alex - is recovering from a hairline fracture in his leg. It seems he will be back to racing soon, but probably not in time for the World Championships in October. This weekend, we have the running of the Travers Stakes. It's a big one. Three year olds only and man oh man have we got some good ones! First there is Roman Ruler whom I call "The Prince." You can read what I wrote about him as a two year old here. He did not make it to the Triple Crown because he had a quartercrack...which would sort of be like having an ingrown toenail and then running on it - literally on it - like running on your toenails. Usually horses don't run well in those conditions. But he's all better now and back to prove himself. He'll be the favorite come betting time in the Travers. But don't for Bellamy Road! George Steinbrenner's horse teamed up with Nick Zito is always a threat. And Bellamy Road was the next Secretariet on Kentucky Derby day - except he finished seventh with an injury. I don't think he's Secretariet. And I don't think he's going to win, but we'll see. Flower Alley - the horse from nowhere - will be there. I don't know enough about this horse to say. We'll just have to watch and see. Andromeda's Hero - absolutely one of the most talented three year olds will be there. The question will be, with his temperment, does he feel like running today? One never knows. Incindetally, he is a half brother to Roman Ruler. Don't Get Mad - the little horse that could - will be there. Does he just like Churchill Downs, or will he run in New York as well? No one knows. Next, Checkov who is improving, improving, improving everytime...and at the cost of 3.3 million dollars, he better be. Then there is Reverberate - who knows why he's running in the Travers. You want my pick? Hmmm... Of the top of my head - Roman Ruler, Flower Alley, Andromeda's Hero, Bellamy Road, Checkov, Don't Get Mad, Reverberate. On last thing - they've lost the horse Dubai Excellence. He was suppose to be shipped to Australia for breeding, but instead the shipped the wrong horse. Now everyone wants to know - where is Dubai Excellence? Rumor has it that he is in the Ukraine... Hmmm...

Afleet Alex

I want to own this horse...because I think I'd just like him. Afleet Alex is all personality to me. He is the mischievious boy with the twinkle in his eye who's got a serious game face. If I remember correctly, he's won 4 of his 6 races and in the other two, he was 2nd place.

Serious T-R-Y.

Things I like...
1) Fast - Beyer's Speed Figure of 102
2) All heart - he shows up for every race.
3) Smart, smart, smart - personality all over the place.
4) Experience - I think he learns from every race he runs.

Things I don't like...
1) I'm scared he can't go the distance.
2) I'm afraid if he gets beat too often, he may develop a serious case of "broken heart."

Chances of showing up for the Derby: 75/25
Chances of placing: 60/40
Chances of winning: 23/77

Declan's Moon

He's the smart man's Derby horse. At least today he is.

Declan's Moon has won all four of his races, just like Rockport Harbor. And, just like Rocky, he's been challenged and shown that he is one gutsy horse. He went eyeball to eyeball with Roman Ruler down the stretch, and to most people's surprise, Declan's Moon kept Roman Ruler at bay.

I honestly don't know what I think of Declan's Moon. Somewhere in my gut, I feel as though he won't be able to stay on top like he is now. What I'm saying is that he probably does have the heart of a champion, but I'm afraid his body may betray him as the year goes on. So...

What I like...
1) A Beyer Speed Figure of 107 - what's not to like?
2) GUT-SY
3) Intelligent

What I don't like...
1) That feeling in my gut

Chances of showing up at the Derby: 70/30
Chances of placing in the Derby: 50/50
Chances of winning the Derby: 8/92

Sweet Catomine

She's big. She's fast. And she's still growing.

Her name is Sweet Catomine - a three year old filly who by all accounts deserves a shot at the Run-For-The-Roses at Churchill Downs in May. She's won 4 or her 5 races. The only race she lost was her first one. She didn't really know what she was doing and when she finally figured out she was suppose to beat the horses instead of run along side them, she came on up the stretch to grab second place.

From there on out, she's been running past all the other horses, no problem.

She won the Breeder's Cup for 2-year old fillies after getting stopped cold in the final turn when the horse in front of her quit. Corey Nakatoni, her jockey, stood up in the stirrups and pulled the reins so hard, he practically was riding her head. Ok, well, that's an exageration, but he did pull her up really hard and then managed to get her around the tiring horse and the rest of the crowd in front of her. With a little daylight in front of her, she exploded, and as some other person said in an article I read, "She left the other horses behind like she was breathing different air."

What I like about her...
1) She's fast - running the same distances on the same track faster than the colts run.
2) She'll go the distance - she's long and lanky and bred for endurance.
3) She seems pretty unflappable - adversity doesn't stop her.
4) She runs with her tongue sticking out (!)

What might be a problem...
1) She's a filly - and the Derby is set up for colts and what colts do best, not fillies.
2) She's never really had to fight for anything yet - and if she only runs against fillies until the Derby, she won't be expecting a fight.
3) She strikes me as still pretty dumb about the whole thing. I don't think she get's it yet. And maybe she's just not that smart of a horse and never will. (But maybe she's still too young)
4) She gets bored running in front by herself.

Chances of showing up for the Derby: 60/40
Chances of placing in the Derby: 40/60
Chances of winning the Derby: 10/90

Rockport Harbor

I like him. I like him. I like him.

I hear that Vegas has made him the early Kentucky Derby favorite, and man o man, do I hate to agree with Vegas, but ok. He's my favorite too.

I just hope he stays healthy.

His family tree has a lot of really good horses who end up with a lot of race-ending injuries. They're just a little more fragile than other family lines.

But he's fast and looks to go the distances, no problem. He's won every race so far, and won them all by a combined 28+ lengths or something like that. In other words, he wins not be a neck, but 6 or 7 horse lengths in front of the second place horse. The only exception is when he ran against another really good, unbeaten horse named Galloping Grocer. The Grocer pulled along side in the stretch and never gave up, eyeballing Rockport Harbor the whole way. Rocky didn't flinch, he just stared him back and stuck his neck in front. The rumor is that Rocky was only running fast enough to stay in front - or put another way, there was more in the tank that he wasn't using. And the final time was the second fastest time for that race ever.

What I like about him...
1) Physically, he's everything he needs to be to be a Derby winner.
2) He's been challanged and shown that he was gutsy.
3) I like his trainer.
4) He is smart.
5) He's laid back and not easily ruffled.

What might be a problem...
1) He's still a little boy the last time I looked - not yet a serious athlete with a strong athlete's mind.
2) It's possible he'll pull something or get injured in someway before the Derby.
3) He seems to be a front runner - and this year it seems all the good ones are. This means everyone will want to run in the front but not everyone can, so somebody is going to be running a race they're not used to running. Not good news in the Derby.

Chances of showing up for the Derby: 60/40
Chances of placing in the Derby: 50/50
Chances of winning the Derby: 30/70