A Different View of Horsemanship, Lasix and a Beholding Opportunity

EL Titan with his trainer

I was chatting on the twitter box with Brad Thomas last week about the secrecy shrouded in horse racing. To find out if a horse has a cough is hard enough, let alone a physical issue; "none of your business" is a  mantra.  I noted to Brad that harness racing is a little different and we see yet another example of it.

In today's HRU, George Teague, trainer of three year old star Wiggle it Jiggle It, who banged off an impressive 48 score in the Battle of Bandywine last evening:

 "He's got a muscle issue on the back. You can't do much with him. He's raced, not trained."

We've often noted his little hitch, so maybe that was an ongoing issue. Regardless, you know what you're getting with Teague.

EL Titan, trained by Riina Rekila won the big invite, defeating JL Cruze last evening, also at Pocono. She had something interesting to say, about her star horse's early season schedule:

"He's had allergies too so he's not at his best in the summer."

Notice what's missing from EL Titan's program page last night?

Yes, there is no "L". Rekila, with a different kind of horsemanship decided to get the horse right, even though he was having lung issues. In a world where horses are given lasix whether they need it or not, this is pretty refreshing, and shows you can have a superstar that will make millions if you take care of the ailments.

This openness helps fans understand horses and that's not a bad thing. That horse who just raced flat in July? It probably wasn't the jockey's or driver's fault. The horse didn't get dirt kicked in his face nor did it "bounce". He or she is not a "rat". It probably had allergies, or a hundred other things. 

Further in HRU, "Things I'd like to See in Harness Racing" a column you might like.

Beholder won the Pacific Classic, beating a decent field last night and did so coming home in under 25, impressively. Hyperbole was at a fever pitch, however, and this could present an opportunity. The figure is sure to come back big, and will be an outlier, suggesting that it is not performance-level accurate. Bayern and Midnight Storm stopped like they were shot (a bad last and second last), adding to the visually impressive steam from the move on the far turn. We've probably got a perfect storm where if Beholder does race in the Classic, and we like a horse (especially if the race is Pharoah-less), we can take a shot for a score. Now I just have to find a horse.

Last night's Gold Cup and Saucer was cancelled, and it will be raced today, at 3PM. A quick storm went through the venue, causing a mudbath on the racetrack.

Have a nice Sunday everyone.