Not the day we were hoping for as none of the three runners hit the board, although Preacher did show a ton of talent in his debut and Starring John Wain put in his usual good effort.
- Preacher was the first up and simply lost all chance when his head was turned at the start and he came out sideways at the break, at least 10 lengths behind the field. The positive was that once he recovered he made an absolutely spectacular move from dead last all the way up to 2nd, gobbling up ground in a few strides. He tired from the effort to finish 5th but clearly demonstrated speed and ability. This kind of thing is normal for first time starters, in fact the winner here had a similar bad break in his debut; broke well today in his second start and won impressively. Preacher only had 1 four furlong work coming into this, Jerry felt he would get more out of a race than another work and with this one under his belt he should be very tough to beat next time with a better start given the level of ability he showed.
- Next up was the real disappointment of the day as More Ice simply failed to fire, finishing a dull 5th. He had trained exceptionally well into this and was perhaps a bit fresh, tugging hard in the early going while being rated on a super slow early pace, but when the real running began he backed up in the stretch. After the race he galloped out very strongly and came back on his toes, so perhaps he just didn’t respond well to rating. It’s a shame as we had high hopes for this race but he’s a very consistent runner and will get other opportunities now at Del Mar, where he has won two times impressively already.
- Finally, Starring John Wain was the victim of an absolutely horrible trip as he got caught between a bunch of horses in the 11 horse field with absolutely nowhere to go while trying repeatedly to make moves from the far turn all the way through the stretch, finally getting free in the final strides finish a closing 4th. It was a brave effort, more than good enough to win with a favorable trip. That’s the problem with huge fields, the trip becomes everything and the best horse frequently doesn’t win. He’s as honest as they come, runs short and long, turf and dirt, and will be right there again next time.
- In other news, Giuliana Vee had an exceptionally good work today at Monmouth. Came out of the gate with two other horses, was on the unfavorable inside and came out a half step slower, yet charged ahead of them and ended up with a very fast work time (see video and work info below). This filly has worked fast and well from day one and it’s undoubtedly a good sign. The program, particularly with many new owners in the group, this that we tread a fine line between reporting obviously good news and giving people unrealistic expectations. There is a HUGE difference between working fast at 3 furlongs with two horses and running fast at 5,6,7,8 furlongs in an actual race. There are many horses who work as well as she has so far who end up being modest claiming horses, probably a majority. Statistically about 2% of all horses win stakes, about 12% win allowance races in their careers. A horse who works like she has so far might have 2 or three times the shot to be at that level, so maybe a 5% chance of being a stake horse and a 25% chance of being an allowance horse. In other words, she’s on a very positive path but it a few good works doth not a star make! That said, her owners have legit. reason for some excitement at this early juncture.
- Finally, a very nice work today at Golden Gate for Annie’s Candy (below), his final tune-up for his race Friday as he looks for his 2nd win in a row for us.
- Others good out of recent works, Magic Musketier back at Santa Anita and training nicely, Blue Eyed Beth and Vibrant Spirit both ready for their races shortly in Fla. All others well.
Horse Workout Notification
June 2, 2019
Giuliana Vee (2-Year-Old Filly)
Your comments for this horse were: KRP Racehorse, purchased OBS March 2019
Date: June 2, 2019
Track: MONMOUTH PARK
Distance: Three Furlongs
Time: 35:80 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 2/47
Horse Workout Notification
June 2, 2019
Annie's Candy (6-Year-Old Gelding)
Your comments for this horse were: KRP Racehorse, claimed 10-28-18 at GGF
Date: June 2, 2019
Track: GOLDEN GATE FIELDS
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 49:00 Handily
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: All Weather Track
Rank: 11/89