Showing posts with label Horse Trainers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horse Trainers. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Breaking Down Data & Drugs....a Holistic View
The recent article in the NY Times was a long overdue wake-up call to ALL thoroughbred horse industry participants. Thank you Joe Drape et al.
Breakdowns, catastrophic, and career ending injuries, have long gone unreported to the general public unless captured on camera during a major broadcast.
Thankfully, the NYSRWB has responded to this new found public awareness by making previously veiled industry reports readily available.
The Equine Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database, and the Racing and Wagering Board Ruling Database are new resources for owners to investigate trainers and make informed decisions. Had this information been available in the past, I for one, would have selected different trainers to handle my beloved horses.
Over the past month, I have interviewed several trainers. I am abhorred by the number of prominent names who openly flaunt the rules by engaging in the debilitating practice of daily training on bronchodilators, pain-killers, muscle relaxers, and steroid-effect like drugs.
Abetted by profiteering veterinarians, trainers erroneously believe these drugs give them an edge. Sadly, day-to-day training on drugs creates a dependence on DRUGS, the ones that are illegal on race-day!
The problem with the use of training on controlled substances is that they mask the very subtle signs, symptoms, and pain that tell the educated eye it’s time for a change. They wreak havoc with horse’s own cellular intelligence which is designed to strengthen itself. Unnoticed, horses’ train onward only to collapse on race-day when their system hasn’t the integrity to withstand the demands of racing clean. While researching within the NYSRWB database I was surprised by the number of cardiovascular collapses reported; the workload on heart and lungs must be enormous on an animal suffering withdrawal on race-day.
Veterinarians addicted to profit, coupled with trainers addicted to finding an edge, are co-creating a generation of drug-riddled addicted animals. I see this first-hand as retired runners come to my farm for re-homing. Often, they go through weeks of withdrawal and depression while enduring the side-effects of long term drug abuse -- in the name of "therapy".
Shockingly, trainers I have spoken with justify the use of illegal-to-race-on-drugs siting, “that is what the other trainers do”. Unfortunately, I too see veterinarians, who are entrusted to ethically prescribe, instead simply filling orders for trainers. To which I ask, what authority licenses trainers to diagnose and prescribe controlled substances? And yet, the veterinarians who supposedly control the controlled substances, by supposedly writing prescriptions and determining dosages are held to the same malpractice laws as human doctors.
Furthermore, the misuse of drugs like Clenbuterol, is on the rise. Traditionally, a medication prescribed to clear up an inflammatory irritation, it is now being administered en masse for its anabolic steroid like effect. A finding noted and acted upon in California at Los Alamitos.
As trainers and veterinarians fill horses with a continual stream of inappropriately classified “therapeutic” drugs such as clenbuterol, bute, banamine, magnesium sulfate, and naquasone...to name a few, they are setting up horses, and jockeys, for disaster.
It is my belief, that the excessive amounts of controlled substances in use on a daily basis are causal to the rise in breakdowns -- this was alluded to in Dr. Susan Stover’s in-depth report to Congress in 2008.
On race-day, most entrants are given lasix, a diuretic that further insults the equine athlete through dehydration. Now, with comprised bodies suffering drug withdrawal the horse is asked to deliver its biggest most strenuous effort. It is my fear for the safety of all involved, that unless measures are taken to eradicate drugs all together, the lack of them on race-day will lead to even more casualties.
If a horse is not allowed to race on certain substances, why then are they allowed to train on the same? This methodology implodes; each horse an innocent victim.
The problem with racing is not race-day medications, the surface, or the purse...it is rather the willingness of certain people to exploit horses at any price.
I have spent nearly everyday of my life in the company of thoroughbreds. I see no harm in racing strong, sound, healthy horses -- there is however, something seriously inhumane about drugging animals to “run through pain” as one trainer put it, and, “because they need to race” as a one veterinarian noted.
It is my hope that NYSRWB will see fit to place a ban on all drugs, all the time, and regularly conduct drug testing on the backstretch in between races. Between now and then, perhaps the Board will revisit the 2009 plan to disclose drug records, a truly effective way to regain the public’s trust. A proposal criticized only by veterinarians, none of which seem to have any difficulty with the same record-keeping when it comes to billing unsuspecting owners.
By Susan Kayne. Horse Lover, Animal Activist, Racehorse Owner.
Related Links:
Drugs banned by NYSRWB, see 4043.2 Restricted use of drugs, medication and other substances.
The Chemical Horse: Drugs in Racing
WinStar Lasix Study
Business of Racing on Lasix
Kentucky Derby Vet Records
Hong Kong & Horse Care
What do you think is an ethical and morally responsible behavior as the use of drugs to train racehorses?
Breakdowns, catastrophic, and career ending injuries, have long gone unreported to the general public unless captured on camera during a major broadcast.
Thankfully, the NYSRWB has responded to this new found public awareness by making previously veiled industry reports readily available.
The Equine Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database, and the Racing and Wagering Board Ruling Database are new resources for owners to investigate trainers and make informed decisions. Had this information been available in the past, I for one, would have selected different trainers to handle my beloved horses.
Over the past month, I have interviewed several trainers. I am abhorred by the number of prominent names who openly flaunt the rules by engaging in the debilitating practice of daily training on bronchodilators, pain-killers, muscle relaxers, and steroid-effect like drugs.
Abetted by profiteering veterinarians, trainers erroneously believe these drugs give them an edge. Sadly, day-to-day training on drugs creates a dependence on DRUGS, the ones that are illegal on race-day!
The problem with the use of training on controlled substances is that they mask the very subtle signs, symptoms, and pain that tell the educated eye it’s time for a change. They wreak havoc with horse’s own cellular intelligence which is designed to strengthen itself. Unnoticed, horses’ train onward only to collapse on race-day when their system hasn’t the integrity to withstand the demands of racing clean. While researching within the NYSRWB database I was surprised by the number of cardiovascular collapses reported; the workload on heart and lungs must be enormous on an animal suffering withdrawal on race-day.
Veterinarians addicted to profit, coupled with trainers addicted to finding an edge, are co-creating a generation of drug-riddled addicted animals. I see this first-hand as retired runners come to my farm for re-homing. Often, they go through weeks of withdrawal and depression while enduring the side-effects of long term drug abuse -- in the name of "therapy".
Shockingly, trainers I have spoken with justify the use of illegal-to-race-on-drugs siting, “that is what the other trainers do”. Unfortunately, I too see veterinarians, who are entrusted to ethically prescribe, instead simply filling orders for trainers. To which I ask, what authority licenses trainers to diagnose and prescribe controlled substances? And yet, the veterinarians who supposedly control the controlled substances, by supposedly writing prescriptions and determining dosages are held to the same malpractice laws as human doctors.
Furthermore, the misuse of drugs like Clenbuterol, is on the rise. Traditionally, a medication prescribed to clear up an inflammatory irritation, it is now being administered en masse for its anabolic steroid like effect. A finding noted and acted upon in California at Los Alamitos.
As trainers and veterinarians fill horses with a continual stream of inappropriately classified “therapeutic” drugs such as clenbuterol, bute, banamine, magnesium sulfate, and naquasone...to name a few, they are setting up horses, and jockeys, for disaster.
It is my belief, that the excessive amounts of controlled substances in use on a daily basis are causal to the rise in breakdowns -- this was alluded to in Dr. Susan Stover’s in-depth report to Congress in 2008.
On race-day, most entrants are given lasix, a diuretic that further insults the equine athlete through dehydration. Now, with comprised bodies suffering drug withdrawal the horse is asked to deliver its biggest most strenuous effort. It is my fear for the safety of all involved, that unless measures are taken to eradicate drugs all together, the lack of them on race-day will lead to even more casualties.
If a horse is not allowed to race on certain substances, why then are they allowed to train on the same? This methodology implodes; each horse an innocent victim.
The problem with racing is not race-day medications, the surface, or the purse...it is rather the willingness of certain people to exploit horses at any price.
I have spent nearly everyday of my life in the company of thoroughbreds. I see no harm in racing strong, sound, healthy horses -- there is however, something seriously inhumane about drugging animals to “run through pain” as one trainer put it, and, “because they need to race” as a one veterinarian noted.
It is my hope that NYSRWB will see fit to place a ban on all drugs, all the time, and regularly conduct drug testing on the backstretch in between races. Between now and then, perhaps the Board will revisit the 2009 plan to disclose drug records, a truly effective way to regain the public’s trust. A proposal criticized only by veterinarians, none of which seem to have any difficulty with the same record-keeping when it comes to billing unsuspecting owners.
By Susan Kayne. Horse Lover, Animal Activist, Racehorse Owner.
Related Links:
Drugs banned by NYSRWB, see 4043.2 Restricted use of drugs, medication and other substances.
The Chemical Horse: Drugs in Racing
WinStar Lasix Study
Business of Racing on Lasix
Kentucky Derby Vet Records
Hong Kong & Horse Care
What do you think is an ethical and morally responsible behavior as the use of drugs to train racehorses?
Friday, July 22, 2011
Industry Insights: Let's be Frank (about drugs) - Thoroughbred Times
Industry Insights: Let's be Frank - Thoroughbred Times
I just read the above linked article written by John P. Sparkman, a quote from it:
“The struggling global economy, decline in public interest in horses in general, the attenuated attention span of the Internet age, public perceptions of widespread drug abuse, all these and other factors have combined to earthquake Thoroughbred racing, collapsing the house that generations of racing men built. We cannot control most of the factors that have negatively affected our industry. We can control our medication rules”.
My question to ALL interested parties:
Do industry participants really care enough about their horses to actually go drug-free?
The gross reality of thoroughbred racing is that horses are commoditized; to most they are not viewed as living, feeling, sentient beings. They are instruments to make money; when one horse breaks down, another waits to fill its stall. A horse no longer able to race becomes, at best, someone else’s responsibility.
The genesis of the problems that now plague racing began years ago in breeding sheds across the country. As with genetically engineered factory farming, we are now realizing the error of manufacturing animals for obsolescence. Thoroughbreds that were once bred for stamina, strength, and durability have fallen prey to human's shortsighted need for speed. When breeding began focusing on creating “sale” horses, those that could run early as two-year-olds and turn in a 20-second quarter at a breeze show, equine pharmaceutical companies jumped at the chance to market products to trainers struggling to keep up an unnatural pace.
Veterinarians, as the distributors of drugs, have everything to gain from advocating their use--the vet bills for pre-race, post-race, and everything in between, average approximately $2,000 a month, even for a sound horse. If a horse falls apart under the stress of racing, either on drugs or against horses who are using them, even more money goes to the veterinarian.
So how does one get new owners and fans into a sport that is perceived as drug-riddled, cruel, funded by gambling, embroiled in political hold-ups, only for the super-rich, and generally doesn’t allow for hands-on interaction with the horse?
The drugging and substance abuse America’s thoroughbreds are subjected to has landed the industry in a quagmire. I am ashamed of the actions of the HBPA. What’s benevolent and protective about permissive, unsafe medication rules? Is the HBPA proud of enabling horses to race that otherwise would not be on the track? Why are people breeding or racing any horses that need drugs to perform? If a horse bleeds it shouldn't be running; breed them stronger, condition them better. Steve Zorn has a super informative blog, here is the link to Lasix as it relates to bleeding: http://businessofracing.blogspot.com/2011/06/lasix-what-is-to-be-done.html
I am a lifelong horse owner and breeder; I have brought many new owners into NY racing. I truly love horses and have spent every day of my life with them.
I grew up winning with horses across multiple disciplines as a result of excellent horsemanship, superior care, and conscientious training. Horses have given too much to me personally to ever consider practices that would detract from the quality and length of their lives--they would NEVER do the same to us.
Racing needs to consider its principles first, and let public relations follow.
What's your opinion? I'd value your insights and love to hear from you. Together, lets find ways to make life better for horses. Susan
I just read the above linked article written by John P. Sparkman, a quote from it:
“The struggling global economy, decline in public interest in horses in general, the attenuated attention span of the Internet age, public perceptions of widespread drug abuse, all these and other factors have combined to earthquake Thoroughbred racing, collapsing the house that generations of racing men built. We cannot control most of the factors that have negatively affected our industry. We can control our medication rules”.
My question to ALL interested parties:
Do industry participants really care enough about their horses to actually go drug-free?
The gross reality of thoroughbred racing is that horses are commoditized; to most they are not viewed as living, feeling, sentient beings. They are instruments to make money; when one horse breaks down, another waits to fill its stall. A horse no longer able to race becomes, at best, someone else’s responsibility.
The genesis of the problems that now plague racing began years ago in breeding sheds across the country. As with genetically engineered factory farming, we are now realizing the error of manufacturing animals for obsolescence. Thoroughbreds that were once bred for stamina, strength, and durability have fallen prey to human's shortsighted need for speed. When breeding began focusing on creating “sale” horses, those that could run early as two-year-olds and turn in a 20-second quarter at a breeze show, equine pharmaceutical companies jumped at the chance to market products to trainers struggling to keep up an unnatural pace.
Veterinarians, as the distributors of drugs, have everything to gain from advocating their use--the vet bills for pre-race, post-race, and everything in between, average approximately $2,000 a month, even for a sound horse. If a horse falls apart under the stress of racing, either on drugs or against horses who are using them, even more money goes to the veterinarian.
So how does one get new owners and fans into a sport that is perceived as drug-riddled, cruel, funded by gambling, embroiled in political hold-ups, only for the super-rich, and generally doesn’t allow for hands-on interaction with the horse?
The drugging and substance abuse America’s thoroughbreds are subjected to has landed the industry in a quagmire. I am ashamed of the actions of the HBPA. What’s benevolent and protective about permissive, unsafe medication rules? Is the HBPA proud of enabling horses to race that otherwise would not be on the track? Why are people breeding or racing any horses that need drugs to perform? If a horse bleeds it shouldn't be running; breed them stronger, condition them better. Steve Zorn has a super informative blog, here is the link to Lasix as it relates to bleeding: http://businessofracing.blogspot.com/2011/06/lasix-what-is-to-be-done.html
I am a lifelong horse owner and breeder; I have brought many new owners into NY racing. I truly love horses and have spent every day of my life with them.
I grew up winning with horses across multiple disciplines as a result of excellent horsemanship, superior care, and conscientious training. Horses have given too much to me personally to ever consider practices that would detract from the quality and length of their lives--they would NEVER do the same to us.
Racing needs to consider its principles first, and let public relations follow.
What's your opinion? I'd value your insights and love to hear from you. Together, lets find ways to make life better for horses. Susan
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Belmont puts Mott back on top in June -- That's Life in the world of thoroughbred racing
Bill Mott revealed the long and arduous process of winning his first Triple Crown race in a recent NYRA Live Chat, "The preparation that goes into a win starts six months or a year before the horse actually runs and wins. The preparation is a gradual. It takes a long time to get them up to the level of winning a race like the Belmont Stakes." Click here to read the full transcript on NYRA site. While filming the first few seasons of Unbridled I galloped horses at Saratoga for Bill Mott. Of all the horsemen I have worked for he was by far the most particular about how his horse's were ridden -- the stride, the rhythm, the timing, the cadence. His perception from the ground as to what a rider feels atop a horse is exquisitely accurate. I learned more from Bill in the handful of tutorials he gave me on galloping than in many previous years going round-and-round the historic oval on Union Avenue. 
In my unbridledTV interview with Bill Mott he shared his goal to win Triple Crown races. For a deeper look inside the Mott Racing Stable and the guiding philosophy to this trainer's success -- click here to watch Bill Mott on YouTube.
Monday, December 7, 2009
UR Horses Enjoy Holiday Snow!
The first weekend in December covered the fields with a sparkling array of perfectly white snow. UR young horses played as if the universe delivered a new toy just to brighten their day…
Above: 2008 Midas Eyes - Austin Runner Filly
"The Wild Girls" UR 2009 Fillies by millionaire Wild Desert
Get a piece of a wild Girl for the Holidays
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A CALL TO ACTION -- Support the disclosure of horses' medical records.
Dear Friends,
I was outraged when I learned in Joe Drape's NY Times article that members of our industry who are making their living looking after the welfare of horses have risen in opposition of the most positive proactive step racing officials have taken to ensure the future of racing......
I have therefore created an online petition to support the New York State Racing and Wagering Board’s proposed rule requiring disclosure of racehorses' medical records for 45 days prior to their race-day. As a lifelong thoroughbred owner and breeder, I fully endorse this rule. It is a safety measure for horses and jockeys, and an assurance of integrity for the betting public, prospective owners, and other new arrivals to the sport.
If you are involved in horseracing in any capacity, this rule change is designed to improve the quality of racing, by separating unhealthy horses from those ready to race. Full disclosure is the only way to move horseracing forward.Ultimately, it is the abusive practice of drugs that results in unfit horses running on the track, and making poor contributions to the thoroughbred bloodline. Drugs compensate for crooked legs, poor shoeing jobs, lack of conditioning, and an inability to breathe, among a host of other problems. Concealing these realities has created numerous problems for both people and horses; overpopulation with few humane plans for equine retirement and rising veterinary costs for overtaxed, unhealthy horses are serious issues.
Honesty, transparency, and a genuine love and respect of the horse is the only way racing will thrive. This new rule is the first step in answering the question, "What's wrong with racing, how do we fix it, and how do we market it?". The more available information becomes on horses and their health, the better decisions we can make about what will benefit everyone-- humans and horses. The only people who will not benefit are those that would manipulate, deceive, and actively practice animal cruelty through the secret use of drugs to push horses on the track who do not belong there--all in the name of profit.
Veterinarians who oppose this suggested rule should examine their own motives. Stephen Selway‘s claim in the NY Times that time and paperwork would be wasted on the measure, as well as the AAEPs statement that what medications are administered to racehorses is privileged information are both highly absurd!
Personally, I am disappointed that those who supposedly have dedicated their lives to the care of animals are more concerned about protecting private revenue streams than improving conditions for the horses that make their jobs possible. How many drugs are being administered, and in what possible combination and frequency, that it will take "hundreds of thousands of hours" to record by veterinarians? Just because the state isn’t testing for a drug yet, doesn’t mean that its use is ethical, in the best interest of the horses, their caretakers, or the public, let alone that it isn't in their right to know. Personally, I have 30 years of detailed medical bills that veterinarians were never too short on time to send.
The implementation of this new rule will make life better for racehorses and the people who work with them. If you really care about the future of racing and the welfare of horses I encourage you to sign this petition. Click here to read and sign.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Saratoga 2009 remembered....
The reality of making my way in the sport of kings (on a tight budget!) is that I've just now had time to sit down and share a few rememberances on the grand dame of race meets -- THE GREATEST SARATOGA I HAVE ATTENDED IN THREE DECADES -- I would imagine it was even greater for Rachel Alexandra's Jockey Calvin Borel pictured above en route to winner's circle after the Woodward, what a day! Enjoy -- Susan.
It's hard to believe we are over a month past the close of Saratoga’s glorious race meet, and the Breeder’s Cup is just 3 weeks away! Even more unbelievable is the approach of 2010, a new year of possibilities. As a child these time frames seem an eternity, now they are simply too short. Not long ago, I remember James Taylor at SPAC saying, “the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time". I find it more precious with every passing day, with every passing meet at the Spa another year has come and gone forever. PICTURED: SUSAN KAYNE, TURF WRITER EXTRAORDINAIRE MIKE WELSCH, MEGA OWNER ARON YAGODA 2009 has been a challenging year on the farm; I have added 10 new horses to the Unbridled herd and personally facilitated four rescues from Paragallo, all in a very slow economy--though you’d never suspect any economic woes if you visited Saratoga this year! I spent many mornings at the rail watching a fantastic spectrum of horses, from first-timers setting an auspicious foot on the track, to seeing the magnificence of Rachel Alexandra cut through the thick fog like a
goddess of old. Ever my favorite time at the track, the magic of early morning and its bustling activity never fades: with the dawn of each new day, our hopes and dreams are renewed. We are not returning from a race we didn’t win, spending hours in the spit box after rising at 4AM, or carrying any other disappointment from expectations gone unmet. We are fresh and we are hopeful. This season I had the pleasure of meeting new owners for the first time, catching up with old friends and gathering with seasoned partners; together we cajoled, star gazed, improved our “eyes”, expanded our knowledge, and confirmed that we were on the right track with UR Stable. PICTURED: UR GIRLS & LEGENDARY JOCKEY ANGEL CORDERO JR.
Something about the Spa brings out the best in every horse and every person -- the water, the air, the camaraderie – and yet is the most competitive race meet on the planet. Year after year, horses, trainers, and jockeys grind it out in the
afternoon, alchemizing even the most ordinary race into a spectacular run; on Rachel’s day, an allowance race went faster than the Grade One Forego ---the fractions were blistering start to finish – it just wasn’t fair for the horses who really fit the condition.PICTURED LEFT: MICHELLE NIHEI IN PADDOCK WITH INKADO
PICTURED RIGHT: PYRO BACK AT THE BARN AFTER WINNING THE FOREGO - CLICK PICTURE TO WATCH RACE
Rachel’s
Woodward Day ... was a joyous celebration about all things good in horseracing. Finally, a breather from the dogged press, “racing is dead”. I can assure you it was not only alive and well on the day she beat the boys, but it sparked the electric anticipation of future owners and and track goers for years to come. PICTURED: RACHEL ALEXANDRA VICTORIOUS IN THE WOODWARD STAKES SEPTEMBER 5, 2009 AT SARATOGA - CLICK PICTURE TO SEE RACE LINDA's dream meet...
The huge achievement of Linda Rice's training title (with 20 wins!) was so sweet, not to mention deserved. Linda is a friend, and I have worked for her and witnessed personally the dedication she delivers to every aspect of her horses' care and well-being. To those of us in t
he know – it was no surprise that this day would soon be a reality.
To commemorate Linda’s amazing accomplishment, I am producing a special limited edition DVD featuring the best of Linda Unbridled. In addition to in-depth interviews with Linda, the compilation includes interviews with her uber-horseman father, Clyde Rice, a conformation segment on exactly what Linda looks for when selecting racing prospects, and talks with runner-up trainers, Todd Pletcher and Bill Mott. Click here to order.
PICTURED ABOVE: LINDA RICE IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE AGAIN!
PICTURED RIGHT: BILL MOTT WON 18 RACES AT THE SPA IN 2009 TO FINISH THIRD IN THE TRAINER STANDINGS -- CLICK ON BILL TO WATCH MY INTERVIEW WITH HIM
With another year to come before the Spa opens its gates again to the roar of thoroughbreds coming down the stretch, now is an excellent time to learn from its most recently successful trainers.
MARK UR 2010 CALENDARS
SARATOGA RACE MEET
JULY 23 - SEPTEMBER 6
To get even more involved with all aspects thoroughbred, check out my free series of Hands On Tip articles at Squidoo, which offer some perspective on breeding, training, and the basics of HOOFCARE.
Equine education is an excellent first step to get your racing dream up and running!
Did you go to Saratoga this season? What was your best/worst day and why? If you have a moment please share your horseracing experiences at the Spa in the comments box below.
he know – it was no surprise that this day would soon be a reality. To commemorate Linda’s amazing accomplishment, I am producing a special limited edition DVD featuring the best of Linda Unbridled. In addition to in-depth interviews with Linda, the compilation includes interviews with her uber-horseman father, Clyde Rice, a conformation segment on exactly what Linda looks for when selecting racing prospects, and talks with runner-up trainers, Todd Pletcher and Bill Mott. Click here to order.
PICTURED ABOVE: LINDA RICE IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE AGAIN!PICTURED RIGHT: BILL MOTT WON 18 RACES AT THE SPA IN 2009 TO FINISH THIRD IN THE TRAINER STANDINGS -- CLICK ON BILL TO WATCH MY INTERVIEW WITH HIM
With another year to come before the Spa opens its gates again to the roar of thoroughbreds coming down the stretch, now is an excellent time to learn from its most recently successful trainers.
MARK UR 2010 CALENDARS
SARATOGA RACE MEET
JULY 23 - SEPTEMBER 6
To get even more involved with all aspects thoroughbred, check out my free series of Hands On Tip articles at Squidoo, which offer some perspective on breeding, training, and the basics of HOOFCARE.
Equine education is an excellent first step to get your racing dream up and running!
Did you go to Saratoga this season? What was your best/worst day and why? If you have a moment please share your horseracing experiences at the Spa in the comments box below.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
A bittersweet tale of Chocolate + Roses
OK, I am officially declaring my Derby choice ~ the delectably delicious CHOCOLATE CANDY. The reasoning ... the Derby is presented by Yum! Brands and we all know Chocolate Candy is yummy! He is out of a mare by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, and his 2nd dam sired by Alydar is a half-sister to Triple Crown winner Affirmed. He is owned by a really cool lady, business guru Jenny Craig and and most importantly he is the baby of a real modern day love story ...
Bred by Sid & Jenny Craig, Chocolate Candy's current success is particularly poignant as the colt is by one of the Craigs' top runners, Candy Ride (Arg), who captured the 2003 Pacific Classic (G1) and retired undefeated. Sid Craig loved horse racing ---- he died last summer during the racing season at the Del Mar racetrack, his favorite time of year ---- and the one thing he wanted to do most in the game was win the first leg of the sport's Triple Crown races.
"We saw the movie 'The Bucket List' together," Jenny Craig said, "and afterwards I asked him if there was anything he hadn't done that he really would like to do, and he said, 'Yes. Win the Kentucky Derby.'
This isn't the Craigs' first foray into the Kentucky Derby; they have owned three previous Derby entries. The couple enjoyed a unique Derby experience in 1992 when Jenny purchased English Group 1 star Dr Devious (Ire) for $2.5 million for her husband's 60th birthday, with a view toward winning the Kentucky Derby (G1). Unfortunately, he finished seventh in the Run for the Roses, but he returned to England to capture the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1).
In her 2004 autobiography, “The Jenny Craig Story: How One Woman Changes Millions of Lives,” Jenny offered the following portrait of her husband: “Sid … has the charisma of a Jack Kennedy, the intelligence of an Alan Greenspan, the creative mind of a Steven Spielberg, and the humor of a Jackie Mason, along with the good looks of a Clark Gable.”
To date, CHOCOLATE CANDY is Craig's best contender to capture the roses, "I have a lot of people that are pulling for Chocolate Candy to win. If that means anything, then we have a good shot. This has been a very emotional ride. It's bittersweet because I'm thrilled we're getting the opportunity to run in the Derby, but I truly wish Sid was here... It was his dream."
Source: North Country Times & KentuckyDerby.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UR ne
w crop of foals carries our own rosey dreams for a Derby win too. This year's colts are rich with the blood of many Derby winners; Unbridled 1990, SEATTLE SLEW 1977, WHIRLAWAY 1941, Fusaichi Pegasus 2000, Dust Commander 1970, Nothern Dancer 1964 and War Admiral 1937.
Unbridled's grandson (pictured) is beginning a tale of his own ...
Monday, April 6, 2009
Unbridled Excitement
You can't swing a cat without hitting a relative of Unbridled in this year's Derby picture, but I am not advocating you try either swinging a cat or avoiding this group of three-year-olds. There will be at least a handful of Unbridled descendants that will have a great chance to follow in his footsteps and win Kentucky Derby 135. Click here to read the full story on BloodHorse.com
This is a wonderful account of Unbridled's racing career complete with video's of Unbridled's important stakes wins and the most precious moment in racing which inspires me every day -- Carl Nafzger's call of the Derby stretch run to Mrs. Genter.
This is a wonderful account of Unbridled's racing career complete with video's of Unbridled's important stakes wins and the most precious moment in racing which inspires me every day -- Carl Nafzger's call of the Derby stretch run to Mrs. Genter.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
An Eye for the Future ...
O! to be in Saratoga … This season I had the great pleasure of bringing my horse-crazy neighbor Danielle to the backstretch of Saratoga. It was her first visit. As Danielle snapped pictures of the morning activities my own fond memories of the same brought a smile to my face and tear to my eye; nearly 30 years ago there stood I mesmerized by Seattle Slew. I still marvel at the old Kodak photos recalling the moment as yesterday. Though the Slew is long gone from the green barns, his greatness lives on in his four-legged descendents and in the hearts of those whose eyes he graced. As Danielle and I turned from the track we karmically walked right into the Slew’s trainer Billy Turner.
Danielle is an aspiring equestrian with dreams of becoming a jockey, she is a smart and fearless rider so I have no doubt she will excel with thoroughbreds. As we watched the dance of thoroughbreds in their daily work, Danielle quizzed me on every aspect of galloping racehorses. In doing so, she inspired this blog entry.
I have galloped racehorses since the age of 14 and have had the enormous privilege of sitting atop major stakes winners and working for leading trainers Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher. Riding for Bill and Todd reaffirmed my own conviction that every step and every breathe a racehorse takes in each training session must be designed to specifically serve that individual horse when he or she races. Anything less is wasted time, energy, effort and money.
For a trainer to effectively train a horse, the rider must be skilled enough to feel what that horse is doing and make adjustments while in the irons to ensure balanced strides and keep the horse straight and moving from hind to front. He or she then must be able to articulate the details of the ride back to the trainer. Ideally, the “exercise rider” is an extension of the trainer aboard the horse. Riding racehorses is a finely crafted skill. It comes by some naturally, for others it is honed from years of experience around horses; watching, riding, showing, grooming, training, hot-walking, etc. It is the consistent application of adjustments that emanate from what the trainer sees and the rider feels that are the magical ingredients to everyday progress with a horse.
Horses are intelligent, living, feeling creatures with unique individual personalities. They are curious animals and like to be out and about grazing, playing and watching other horses; this is hard to do 23 hours in a stall and on a track with blinkers! Great trainers, who are real horsemen & women know this, and they make adjusts with each horse to gain optimal performance.
These adjustments may include changing surfaces, distance and direction of a morning outing, adding long walks or jogs under tack, working on hills or practicing dressage movements, afternoon grazing, equipment changes, and/or a rider change. Horses really try to communicate with us and if you really watch them and listen they will tell you what they need.
Everything you see in a horse at the track is symptomatic of his or her training regimen. From a lifetime of experience, I can look at a horse and tell you if he or she is being ridden properly, correctly shod and rightly fed. It shows in the horse‘s expression, body language, step, stride, weight, coat and musculature.
In a nutshell, a properly ridden racehorse will have a strong well-muscled back and hip, with definition through the hindquarters and a well-curved large gaskin. These simple indicators demonstrate that the horse is galloping by pushing from his hind end. Inexperienced riders can be seen hauling on a horse’s mouth and letting the horse pull around the track with his or her front legs, as a result, these horses usually have ankle problems and weak hind ends.
A horse that is correctly shod is a blessed animal at the racetrack! Most racetrack shoeing jobs are too fast and too poor, they do not serve in the best interest of the bio-mechanical function of the horse. Those adding toe grabs, trainer or farrier, should simply be ruled off the track. I have strong fact-based opinions on shoeing and I am in full support of a complete ban on toe grabs. Click here to read more on Toe Grabs.
Everything we do with a horse in the morning is all that horse has to draw on at post time. Every step, every breathe critical to crossing the finish line first. Great trainers know this. It is evidenced in their results. In the morning, look at horses walking from the stables of Bill Mott, Nick Zito, Jim Bond, Kenny McPeek and Todd Pletcher; there you will see happy, well-muscled horses, quiet riders, rhythmical strides and glistening coats. There you will develop UR eye for the future …
Email: Susan@UnbridledRacing.com
Danielle is an aspiring equestrian with dreams of becoming a jockey, she is a smart and fearless rider so I have no doubt she will excel with thoroughbreds. As we watched the dance of thoroughbreds in their daily work, Danielle quizzed me on every aspect of galloping racehorses. In doing so, she inspired this blog entry.
I have galloped racehorses since the age of 14 and have had the enormous privilege of sitting atop major stakes winners and working for leading trainers Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher. Riding for Bill and Todd reaffirmed my own conviction that every step and every breathe a racehorse takes in each training session must be designed to specifically serve that individual horse when he or she races. Anything less is wasted time, energy, effort and money.
For a trainer to effectively train a horse, the rider must be skilled enough to feel what that horse is doing and make adjustments while in the irons to ensure balanced strides and keep the horse straight and moving from hind to front. He or she then must be able to articulate the details of the ride back to the trainer. Ideally, the “exercise rider” is an extension of the trainer aboard the horse. Riding racehorses is a finely crafted skill. It comes by some naturally, for others it is honed from years of experience around horses; watching, riding, showing, grooming, training, hot-walking, etc. It is the consistent application of adjustments that emanate from what the trainer sees and the rider feels that are the magical ingredients to everyday progress with a horse.
Horses are intelligent, living, feeling creatures with unique individual personalities. They are curious animals and like to be out and about grazing, playing and watching other horses; this is hard to do 23 hours in a stall and on a track with blinkers! Great trainers, who are real horsemen & women know this, and they make adjusts with each horse to gain optimal performance.
These adjustments may include changing surfaces, distance and direction of a morning outing, adding long walks or jogs under tack, working on hills or practicing dressage movements, afternoon grazing, equipment changes, and/or a rider change. Horses really try to communicate with us and if you really watch them and listen they will tell you what they need.Everything you see in a horse at the track is symptomatic of his or her training regimen. From a lifetime of experience, I can look at a horse and tell you if he or she is being ridden properly, correctly shod and rightly fed. It shows in the horse‘s expression, body language, step, stride, weight, coat and musculature.
In a nutshell, a properly ridden racehorse will have a strong well-muscled back and hip, with definition through the hindquarters and a well-curved large gaskin. These simple indicators demonstrate that the horse is galloping by pushing from his hind end. Inexperienced riders can be seen hauling on a horse’s mouth and letting the horse pull around the track with his or her front legs, as a result, these horses usually have ankle problems and weak hind ends.
A horse that is correctly shod is a blessed animal at the racetrack! Most racetrack shoeing jobs are too fast and too poor, they do not serve in the best interest of the bio-mechanical function of the horse. Those adding toe grabs, trainer or farrier, should simply be ruled off the track. I have strong fact-based opinions on shoeing and I am in full support of a complete ban on toe grabs. Click here to read more on Toe Grabs.
Everything we do with a horse in the morning is all that horse has to draw on at post time. Every step, every breathe critical to crossing the finish line first. Great trainers know this. It is evidenced in their results. In the morning, look at horses walking from the stables of Bill Mott, Nick Zito, Jim Bond, Kenny McPeek and Todd Pletcher; there you will see happy, well-muscled horses, quiet riders, rhythmical strides and glistening coats. There you will develop UR eye for the future …
Email: Susan@UnbridledRacing.com
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