Great Clydesdale Commercials, One Featuring a Race Horse Wannabe!

OK. They aren't Thoroughbreds, but they are iconic horses that the public loves. I love'em. Here are some of my favorite commercials from the Budweiser Clydesdales. 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to All!!

Clydesdale Colts Get Dusted

Under the Mistletoe

THE Christmas Commercial

Training Sessions for Colts & Mistletoe

Clydesdales & the Littlest Clydesdale

Streaker

Clydesdales Generations

It Takes a Family to Raise a Clydesdale

Reference materials for Neurological EHV-1

These are links to guides and protocols when dealing with suspected or confirmed cases of neurological EHV-1 from the USDA, andPenncylvania and NewJersey Departments of Agriculture.


A Guide To Understanding the Neurologic Form of EHV Infection; Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) Myeloencephalopathy http://bit.ly/gYpHHY

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services, Protocol for Regulatory Response to a Suspect Case of the Neurologic Form of EHV-1 http://bit.ly/hzN12k

SIMPLE DISINFECTION PROTOCOL FOR EHV-1: http://bit.ly/fRSCwD

NYRA quarantines barn at Belmont

According to NY state officials, NYRA voluntarily quarantined a barn at Belmont because of a horse exhibiting symptoms associated w EHV-1.

If You Like Horses, Chances Are You Like Dogs & This Is a Great Dog

EHV-1 Status Revised at Finger Lakes

After testing positive for EHV-1 with a saliva test, the second horse thought to have EHV-1 has shown to be negative following a more conclusive blood test. Also, a third horse that has been monitored has not shown signs of progression.

Major Shake up at Northlands Park Race Track in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

With new boss Richard Andersen at the helm, Northlands has parted ways with a reported 11 staffers, including senior managers Mike Burton (major events), Kevin Behm (racing) and VP Finance Mark Bamford.

There’s much speculation that Andersen will bring in his own team.
Says Northlands spokesman Randy Kilburn, “some individuals are no longer working for us,” He also says “they will be replaced.”

from The Derby Newsletter

Second Horse With EHV-1 Confirmed at Finger Lakes Race Track

A second horse infected by EHV-1 has been confirmed in the track barn of trainer Chris Englehart. Barn 4 at Finger Lakes Race Track, where Englehart's horses are stabled, and his home farm remain under quarantine. After complaints from trainers to the state vet, quarantine protocols have been tightened for both horses and staff at Barn 4..

A third horse in Barn 19 is alleged to be running a fever and is being monitored for EHV-1 symptoms. As of this writing, Barn 19 is not under quarantine.

Friends, Zenyatta & Turkey...Oh My!

Where to start when giving thanks? Do I bring it in personal or spin it out to the universe?

I am thankful and proud to have a great family of friends. We chat, laugh, tease, complain and whine together, that's what friends do.

What I am particularly thankful for is that "my guys" have my back when things go bad. Working with horses is a blessing. But when a situation starts spiraling downward, no amount of veterinary intervention, best practices or prayers can remediate a bad outcome -- the horse or foal may die or have to be euthanized.

In the moment, I deal with these nightmares professionally and compassionately. It is the emotional aftermath when my calls at three in the morning are picked up and kind ears listen. Thanks Judy, Norman, Ronnie and Nancy. Some of you have been listening for over thirty years, some of you listened in February.

Even though it's corny, I'm thanking the horses. In 2010, a great race mare, Zenyatta, caught our attention like no other race horse has for decades. Zenyatta's come-from-behind style of running, getting to the wire first nineteen out of twenty times brought her to the fore.

What kept and keeps our attention is her spirit, her aura. Off the track, her dancing and engaging her audience is legendary. In her barn her sweet nature has been shared by her owners Jerry and Ann Moss and her trainer John Sherriffs. Zenyatta poses for pictures, plucks snacks from hands, looks you in the eye. Looking back in Zenyatta's eye, you see a calm, kind sentient being.

I saw Zenyatta (and Goldikova, Work Force, Rough Sailing et al) because I covered the Breeders' Cup in Louisville, Ky. Jim Gluckson of the Breeders' Cup rolled out the welcome mat and I thank him. I have to give a shout out to my two "redheaded mares" Windy and Breezie. Now I can be amused forever that their names were in the same paragraph as Zenyatta's!

I've lived abroad, I've lived in other states, one thing I know is that I am a New Yorker. I am a thankful New Yorker because the governor finally got out of his own way and let the video lottery terminal (VLT) project commence at Aqueduct Race Track. A small share of revenues from the VLT's will shore up the thoroughbred breeding industry in N.Y.. I am not so thankful that the same, now lame duck governor is championing a casino to be run by a Native American tribe that has a tenuous-at-best claim to land in the Catskills. What up?

While on the subject of turkeys, I am thankful that I will be enjoying turkey on Thanksgiving Day, and I am mindful that others won't. Please join me in donating whatever you can, food or cash, to local food banks for the upcoming holiday season.

Cheers... and, thanks!

Finger Lakes EHV-1 Update

Barn 4, housing horses trained by Chris Englehart and John Tebbutt,  at Finger Lakes Race track is under quarantine following a confirmed case of EHV-1 in an Englehart horse . On November 17, a horse from Engleharts's home farm tested positive for EHV-1, a necropsy was performed at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.


The stricken horse was last on Finger Lakes' property for a published work on November 8. After the work, she returned to Englehart's farm, where she showed clinical signs of EHV-1 on November 17 and was shipped to Cornell.


On Saturday, November 20 a state veterinarian was on site at Finger Lakes. Later that day a general meeting was held to notify all trainers of the situation. 


Currently, only Barn 4 at Finger Lakes is under the 21 day quarantine.  Englehart's farm is under a 21 day quarantine also. Trainer John Tebbutt's shares space in Barn 4 with Englehart, so his horses are also under quarantine. None of Tebbutt's horses are implicated in the outbreak.

Neurologic EHV-1 Quarantine at Finger Lakes Race Track

One of the perennial leading trainers at Finger Lakes Race Track, Farmington NY, has had his barn at the track and home farm quarantined due to a confirmed case of neurologic EHV-1 (herpesvirus) in one of his horses. Chris Englehart's barn and farm are under quarantine until further notice.

Short and … Sweet?

The2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs is shaping up to be a far different race from its first two incarnations. This year’s Turf Sprint is to be run over 5 furlongs, the Turf Sprints at Santa Anita were held over 6 ½ furlongs. The configuration of Churchill Downs’ turf course lends itself to 5 furlong sprints, which are run regularly during race meets.

Richard Migliore, who rode Desert Code to win the inaugural BC Turf Sprint at Santa Anita, observes that the Breeders’ Cup the field is larger than regular races and the stakes are higher, “In this year’s race so many horses have the same style of running; the fourteen highly specialized turf sprinters are the best in the world. At Churchill Downs there is a short time to the turn; out of the gate there is not much time to separate the field before the turn.

“With the potential to have so many horses in the same spot, it could be a fairly roughly run race. Horses are going to be going 20 and change or 21 flat, the juices will be flowing on the day, and because of the stakes, the riding will be more aggressive.” Fourteen horses will be charging for the same spot. Since they all can’t be in that spot, a jockey’s skill, tactics and nerve come into play

Before the turf sprint, when the stewards talk to the jockeys, Migliore would like them to stress the 5 furlongs’ distance limitations and impress upon the riders the need to take care of each other, avoiding a melee. No stranger to the stewards’ sting for hard-driving riding, Migliore says, “The five furlong Turf Sprint is the race that day where the riders are going to have to look out for themselves and the other guys.”

Fines and Suspension Mark Stewards' Ruling for Breeders' Cup Fight

From the Breeders' Cup:

Stewards’ rulings regarding running and aftermath
of Breeders’ Cup Marathon on Friday, Nov. 5

After waiving his right to a formal hearing before the Board of Stewards, jockey Calvin Borel was fined $5,000 (the maximum fine allowed) for conduct against the best interest of horse racing on the association grounds (Churchill Downs) for his actions in the winner’s circle following the fifth race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, 2010.

After waiving his right to a formal hearing before the Board of Stewards, jockey Javier Castellano was fined $2,500 for conduct against the best interest of horse racing on the association grounds for his actions in the winner’s circle following the fifth race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, 2010.

After a hearing before the Board of Stewards, jockey Javier Castellano has been suspended six racing days (Nov. 11 through Nov. 14 and Nov. 17 through Nov. 18) for causing interference at the five-sixteenths pole and necessitating a disqualification in the fifth race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, 2010.

Statement from Jerry Moss, co-owner of Zenyatta

Statement from Jerry Moss, co-owner of Zenyatta:

“We’re real proud of our girl. She tried hard and ran a tremendous race only to get beat by the slimmest of margins.  We congratulate Blame and his connections. He beat a superstar.”                                                                          

#####

BC Classic Order of Finishes & Team Blame Interviews

An Interview With:

ALBERT STALL

SETH HANCOCK

GARRETT GOMEZ

           

ERIC WING:  While we are waiting for our next round of guests, I will give you the complete order of finish and margins.  First of all, the margins.  I will give complete margins through the field.  The winner Blame, first by a head.  Zenyatta second by 3 1/2 lengths.  Third, Fly Down by a neck.  Fourth was Lookin At Lucky by 1 3/4 length.  Fifth was Paddy O'Prado by 3 1/2.  Sixth was Etched by 1 length.  Seventh was Musket Man by 1/2 length.  Eighth was First Dude, also by 1/2 length.  Ninth was Pleasant Prince by 3 1/2 lengths.  Tenth was Espoir City by 8 1/4.  Eleventh was Haynesfield by 6 1/2.  And then last, in 12th position, was Quality Road.

Let me give those margins to you one more time.  These are unofficial, of course, pending the completion of the official Equibase chart.  The margins from the top:  a head, 3 1/2, neck, 1 3/4, 3 1/2, 1, 1/2, 1/2, 3 1/2, 8 1/4, 6 1/2, and 1.  And again, those are still unofficial.  It was just relayed to me verbally.

I will now run down the order of finish in the order in which they're listed in your program.  Number 1, Quality Road, was 12th.  Number 2, Paddy O'Prado was fifth.  Number 3, Haynesfield, was 11th.  Number 4, First Dude, was eighth.  Number 5, Blame, was first.  Number 6, Fly Down, was third.  Number 7, Musket Man, was seventh.  Number 8, Zenyatta, was second.  Number 9, Pleasant Prince, was ninth.  Number 10 Etched, was sixth.  Number 11, Espoir City, tenth.  Number 12, Lookin At Lucky, fourth.

Okay.  Joined now in the interview room by two of the connections of Blame, the winning trainer, Al Stall, and co‑owner, co‑breeder Seth Hancock, representing Claiborne Farm.

            Seth, I'll start with you.  As the ‑‑ not just the co‑owner, but the co‑breeder, your pride at winning such a momentous race and really a race that will go down in the history books.

            SETH HANCOCK:  It's just an unbelievable feeling.  We made a game plan a year ago to point for this, and usually when you make plans like that in the horse business, it never works out.  You don't even make the race.

            But then the closer we got to the race, we realized we were going to make it and knew who we were running against but just were filled with anticipation of what might be.  And then to see it come true, it's a feeling that I can't describe.

            ERIC WING:  Al, congratulations.  You had spoken earlier in the week how a lot of things you thought might be lining up better for Blame in this race ‑‑ more pace, previous experience at Churchill Downs in the spring, experience in the fall, experience under the lights.  It looks like it took every last ounce of all of those things to add up to victory for Blame today.

            ALBERT STALL:  That's right.  It's one of those rare things where everything comes together once, but obviously that's what it takes to win a race of this magnitude.

            I agree with Seth that, you know, I'm so proud to be involved with this horse and the Hancock Family and Adele Dilschneider.  It's really something you think about it and we play the race ‑‑ or we talked about the race all the way to the eighth pole, and we couldn't quite get past the eighth pole the past few weeks.  Finally to get here, it's really hard to believe.

            ERIC WING:  Both of you gentlemen obviously know you didn't just win the Breeders' Cup Classic, but in doing so, you defeated one of the greatest horses of all time.  Could you provide a comment on Zenyatta, both gentlemen?

            SETH HANCOCK:  Well, I'm just proud to win the race.  I take no pride in beating Zenyatta.  She is what she is.  She's awesome.  She's been great for racing.  Her human connections are wonderful people, and I feel bad for them.

            But we owe it to ourselves and to the racing public to send our horse out there and try to give him the best chance we can.  I'm sorry that we had to beat her because she is something special.  We had to give it all we had.

            ERIC WING:  Al?

            ALBERT STALL:  Yeah, we didn't ‑‑ in defeat, Zenyatta didn't lose anything.  I don't think you'll find anybody criticizing anything she's ever done, much less today.  It was just two very good horses, and everybody talked about it coming down to these two for a long time.  It played out that way.

            We were fortunate enough to have the right horse on the right day at the right time.

            ERIC WING:  I'm sure we'll be joined soon by Garrett Gomez, but in the meantime, let's throw it open for questions, either here in the room or upstairs in the main box.

            Q.  Either one of you could answer this question.  Mr. Seth, you said the Breeders' Cup Classic was your long‑term plan, and in horse racing, long‑term plans never work out.  You put a five‑race win streak together going into the Jockey Club Gold Cup, you were an odds‑on favorite.  Is there a case of diminishing enthusiasm, and why did the horse pick up so much today?

            SETH HANCOCK:  Well, immediately after the Jockey Club Gold Cup, I was pretty disappointed, and then I thought, well, maybe this is for the best.  We're back up under the radar.  That's where he's always done his best work.  I think he ran 13 times, and he's only been favored 3.  We knew he wouldn't be favored off of that race.

            Why ‑‑ he just had a bad day.  I don't know why.  But he didn't run his race that day for whatever reason, but he certainly did today, obviously.

            ERIC WING:  As you can see, we're joined now by Garrett Gomez.  Garrett, congratulations.  One of those races in which every little move you make, or decision you make during the race may spell the difference between victory and defeat.  If you would, take us through the trip.

            GARRETT GOMEZ:  I had a wonderful trip.  I mean, he broke running today.  I actually had to ease him back a little bit going under the wire the first time.  I found myself in a nice little pocket all by myself.

            I heard some hollering going around the first turn and tried to make it a little difficult.  Or whoever was hollering made it a little more difficult.  You don't give an inch out there.  I just took everything that came to me.

            You know, he traveled beautiful up the backside.  He got to about the half‑mile pole, and I found myself keeping an eye on two horses, the Godolphin horse, and Lookin At Lucky.  And as we got to about the 5/16 pole, we started quickening and started picking them up.  And I kept watching what was going to happen, and I just ‑‑ it got tight just about the quarter pole.

            As I started going around a couple horses.  And I was able to squeeze my way in between Lookin At Lucky and the Godolphin horse and turned for home.  He just ‑‑ he was there for me.  He did everything.  You know, I just tried to stay out of his way and keep trying to point him in the right direction.  I mean, he was just absolutely marvelous today.

            Probably the best race he's ever run for me.

            ERIC WING:  Garrett, I'll just ask you the same question I asked Al and Seth.  Blame, obviously, the only horse ever to beat Zenyatta.  Could you give us a comment on your gallant opponent out there today?

            GARRETT GOMEZ:  You know, it's mixed emotions because, I mean, she's been a wonderful ambassador of the game.  People that didn't know anything about horse racing became fans because of her.  She's an amazing race horse, to plainly put it.  She's awesome.

            I wish she would have went 20 for 20 at the expense of someone else and not us.  I'm very proud to say we beat her.

            Q.  You said this week that once Zenyatta got rolling, she would be hard to stop.  Did you think she was going to catch you?

            ALBERT STALL:  Knowing our horse like we do, I haven't had a chance to talk to Garrett.  I imagine he might have idled a hair when he got a little bit towards the front toward the 16th.  I'm not sure if ‑‑ she had a lot of momentum, and it was going to be awfully close.

            You know, we have a lot of horse too.  I knew it would be a great horse.  When he most probably picked her up, he might have kicked on just a little bit.  I noticed on the gallop out, he went on past her.  So he's that kind of horse, and he was just waiting for another fight.  And thank goodness the wire came up, and he was there.

            Q.  Al, two questions:  First, where does this rank in your career?  And, second of all, the race for horse of the year, I presume this is his last race for the year, four wins and a second in five starts.  I presume you think you got the horse?

            ALBERT STALL:  Right.  Well, yeah, it's quite obvious in my career, nothing's quite anywhere near this.  This is in a different stratosphere.  As far as the magnitude of this race, with or without Zenyatta, the Breeders' Cup Classic is arguably the second most popular race in America to The Derby.

            You know, the ‑‑ he'll be retired.  He has run his last race, so that's ‑‑ we've been planning on that all year.  We won those two great ones, and with his pedigree he'd already made himself.  And this is just a little bit more.

            I'm happy for the horse as much as I can ‑‑ you know, that he doesn't have to go through the rigors of training, and even though he was a willing participant, he's very generous on a daily basis, I'm very happy for him that he gets to go to his birthplace, Claiborne Farm, and go in that world famous barn and live out the rest of his life.  It's very exciting.

            Q.  (Inaudible)?

            ALBERT STALL:  It's one thing I don't think about really.  It's not in my hands.  We've had a great year.  We've run against the best all year long.  We've shipped around and done what's asked of us.  We obviously beat the best.  We didn't beat her by much, but we did beat her.  I'm sure there will be plenty of talk from here on out, whenever they vote.  I don't even know that either.

            I'm not going to worry about that.  We know what we have, and the chips are going to fall.

            ERIC WING:  Seth, I want to follow up on the same question posed to Al.  You have probably as much or more perspective as just about anybody in this thoroughbred racing business.  Could you comment on the Horse of the Year race, if you will, for 2010?

            SETH HANCOCK:  Well, I thought the battle for Horse of the Year was fought about a half hour ago, and Blame won it.  I mean, she's a great horse, Zenyatta is.  But she had her shot to get by, and she didn't do it.  So I don't think you can vote for her.  I don't know who else you could vote for.

            I mean, he's won three great ones.  He's taken his show on the road.  He's done everything that's been asked of him.  I can't believe that he wouldn't be horse of the year.

            Q.  Garrett, could you talk about what the last few days have been like for you.  Obviously, you won it earlier today, but you were also on a horse that threw you and had to be destroyed.  Sort of the emotion that every jockey has to go through in the course of a career, but to go from that to what today was like.

            GARRETT GOMEZ:  Well, that's part of the game, the highs and lows.  You know, I struggled a little bit today to get through the day, but, I mean, that's what we do.

            You know, I mean ‑‑ I mean, the highs are highs and the lows are lows.  You guys see that by Thursday to today.  I feel no pain right now.  I'm on cloud nine.  This horse has made my year.  I mean, he's been there for me all year round.

            It's just Claiborne Farm, unbelievable.  I'm glad he gets to go home to his birthplace.

            Q.  Garrett, can you take us through the final part of the race where you were drawn away from the rest of the field, and you had Zenyatta charging up on the outside of you?

            GARRETT GOMEZ:  Well, I mean, he ‑‑ you know, he was very willing today to do things ‑‑ when I split horses at the top of the stretch, he ran away from Lookin At Lucky when I asked him to, and it felt like I started to lengthen.  I wasn't about to look for her because I knew she was going to be coming.

            You know, I was asking him as much as I could, without asking him for everything.  And I was trying to save just enough so if she did get to me that I had something and some kind of response.

            And he's the kind of horse, he's not going to give you 110 percent until you ask for it.  You know, he's a little laid back, like I was saying.  He will wait on one.  And I thought I'd give him that little bit of opportunity, not to wait on her, but just to have a little left in the tank when she come to him or got close to him that he'd go ahead and give me that little extra that I felt like I'm going to need the last 100 yards.  And he did so.

            He run a tremendous race today, the best race he's ever run for me.  He's a great horse.

            Q.  This question is for jockey Gomez.  Soon after the race, did you get a chance to say a few words to Mike Smith?  Because he had given new meaning to the term "bitter sweet."  If you've not spoken to him as two jockeys in the same profession, what are you likely to tell him?

            GARRETT GOMEZ:  Well, I mean, we were just making sure, trying to figure out exactly who won.  I thought I won, but he was so far away from me, you know, I felt like I had won by about a head.

            You know, she's so big, your usual measure of a horse doesn't count with her.  She's humongous.  You know, he asked me if I won, and I said, I think so, but I'm not completely positive until I see the No. 5 go up.

            Even after the wire, I thought I won it, you know, but that's as far as what was spoken about.

            ERIC WING:  When he asked you if you thought you had won and you told him, I think so, did it hurt a little bit saying that to him?

            GARRETT GOMEZ:  No, not at all.  I mean, this is a race that, you know, that's up on my list that I've been working for, for the last 23 ‑‑ 38 years.  Almost said 32.  Thirty‑eight years to win, and, I mean, this is one of my lifelong goals.  These guys made it possible for me.  I'm just very, very grateful.

            Q.  Again, Mike was here before you came up, and he was extremely emotional.  He started tearing up and was taking the blame ‑‑ no pun intended, taking the blame for losing the race.  Can you sort of empathize with what that must have been like for him?  Do you feel sometimes after, when there's a big loss, do you feel like you have to take responsibility and find it difficult the way he did?

            GARRETT GOMEZ:  Yeah, Blame's last race.  You know what I mean, he was 3 for 5 in his last race.  He's not a 20 for 20, but, I mean, Mike's had a lot of pressure on him for the last two years, you know.  He's rode some tremendous races.  I don't know what his trip looked like today.  I have no idea.  She was behind me, just like I told you guys that I felt like she'd be behind us.

            But I mean, it's a lot of pressure.  I think he's dealt with it over the last two years unbelievable.  You know, you have to have the horse to have the trips and to hit certain holes when you need to.  You know, she's been a wonderful horse.

            I mean, I empathize with him because they've had a long relationship over the last couple of years and a lot of big races, a lot of Grade 1 races, high pressure situations, and they've come through in 19 of them.  And I'm glad to be the one to upset him.

            Q.  Mr. Hancock, this is a Claiborne homebred, all Claiborne pedigree horse going to stud now, winning the biggest race in North America in your 100th anniversary.  Can you put that in perspective, how important, how big a thrill that is for you.

            SETH HANCOCK:  Not really.  It's just something special, you know.  It's ‑‑ the farm's been what it's been for 100 years.  It hasn't changed.  A lot of great clients that have horses there and a lot of great men and women that work there.

            No, I really can't put it into words.  It's something that, you know, I've been running the farm for 38 years and been around some great horses, but we've never owned a Horse of the Year, and that's what I think we own now.

            ERIC WING:  Garrett Gomez, Al Stall, and Seth Hancock, congratulations on a terrific performance by Blame in what was an unforgettable renewal of the Breeders' Cup Classic.  Congratulations to all three of you.

           

           

Interview with Brian Meehan, trainer of Dangerous Midge, the Breeders' Cup Turf winner

An Interview With:

BRIAN MEEHAN

            ERIC WING:  Okay.  Live in the interview room with the winning trainer of Dangerous Midge, the Breeders' Cup Turf winner, Brian Meehan.  Just FYI, Frankie Dettori was here for about 12 seconds and then realized he had a very soon to depart plane to catch for Rome, I understand.  So Frankie has ‑‑ is not going to be here at the winner's podium to take any questions, unfortunately.  But we do have Brian Meehan, and we're happy about that.

            For Brian, this is his second win in the Breeders' Cup Turf.  Of course, he captured it four years ago here with Red Rocks, Frankie Dettori, the rider there, just for everybody's information.

            Dangerous Midge, first by 1 3/4 lengths.  Second was Champ Pegasus, who was 2 lengths in front of the third place finisher Behkabad.  And Behkabad was 1/2 length in front of Winchester, who came in fourth.  Enough of the housekeeping.

            Brian, congratulations.  My first question to you is ‑‑ now, granted, you have a team of horses coming to the United States for the Breeders' Cup, but in selecting Dangerous Midge to come here, you had to know on your side of the pond, as they say, that you might likely run into the Arc winner and then an unlucky fourth place finisher in the Arc.  Why were you confident enough to bring Dangerous Midge over, first of all?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  You know, he's always been an improving type of horse.  We always felt all the way through that he was going to get there.  His last start at Newbury, he was really impressive, and that really made my mind up.

            ERIC WING:  Tell us about the decision to equip your horse in blinkers this time for the race today.

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Well, he generally wears blinkers for his last piece of work at home, just to sharpen him up because he can be a little bit lazy.  And I just felt that the tight turning track, which would be the first time for him, that it might help Frankie.  And that was it.

            ERIC WING:  When you looked at the race, when you studied it, did you see an apparent lack of early pace by at least American standards and then think that maybe a forward position, one perhaps aided by blinkers, might be a good thing?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Yeah, that was always a possibility a few days ago when I spoke about it with Frankie, the fact that there was no pace, or lack of pace.  He's the sort of horse that was always going to settle wherever he was happy or wherever he was comfortable.  It wasn't really a concern for me, no.

            ERIC WING:  Since we don't have Frankie with us, can you share with us what he told you about the ride and the performance?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Well, he told me about five times that he loved me, and we haven't had much out of him other than that really.  So, no, we haven't discussed the race at all yet.

            ERIC WING:  Incidentally, that is Breeders' Cup win No. 10 for Frankie Dettori.  That's second all time behind Mike Smith, who has 13.

            Q.  What's it like to be able to call upon Frankie Dettori as your backup rider?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  You know, it's awesome, really.  We all know he's a world, world class rider, and Breeders' Cup means so much to him.  But he rides a lot for me at home, and we have a good relationship, good understanding.  It means a lot having him for sure.

            Q.  And can you tell us, Brian, a review, especially for the American audience, what happened to Martin Dwyer and why he wasn't able to ride Dangerous Midge as he has in the past.

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Unfortunately, Martin, about four weeks ago fractured an elbow off a maiden runner of mine at Lester.  It was actually about six weeks ago.  He had hoped to be back, but he's had a complication and unfortunately had to have another operation on his elbow last week.  So disappointed he's not here riding Dangerous Midge, but he's been involved all the way through, obviously riding the horse and since his accident.

            ERIC WING:  How does the feeling today compare with Red Rocks in '06?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Don't know.  It's different, I guess, really.  To come back and do it a second time feels amazing.  You know, you just have to ‑‑ I have to thank my team.  A lot of hard work goes into getting a horse like this together and bringing him along through his paces and certainly bringing him out here, shipping him out here.

            And the owner for letting me, you know, get in his wallet and spending the money and bringing him out here.  That was a big deal.  But certainly the teamwork is ‑‑ gives you great pleasure when they go over the line, and you think about the effort that everybody's put in.

            Q.  Brian, by not having Martin on the horse, do you actually give Frankie any instructions how to ride the horse because probably this is the first time of Frankie being on the horse?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Not really.  He rode the horse for us twice at home.  Both times Martin was there, and really the way to ride the horse was discussed between Martin and Frankie.

            Q.  Could you speak a little about the owner, where he is from, and how many horses he has, things like that.

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Yeah, Iraj has got about five, six horses with me.  He's based in Britain and Dubai.  It's unfortunate he couldn't make it today.  He had thought he was going to be able to make it and then plans had changed, and he wasn't able to get here.

            I trained for him for four or five years.  He's a thoroughly enthusiastic racing man, loves his horses.  Family get involved.  It'll be a real pleasure.

            I spoke to him briefly there a second ago, and he's really pleased.  As I say, it takes an enormous amount of effort to get a horse here, but it takes a lot of money as well.  You know, that's a big gamble.  It was never a question.  Once I wanted to do it, he was right with me.

            Q.  Would this be his biggest win, as far as you know?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  I would think so, yeah.

            Q.  Just one other quick question.  You saw the horse warming up.  Was he acting up a little?  I mean, he seemed to be tossing his head quite a bit and looking around at a lot of stuff.  But at the same time, he seemed pretty settled all week.  Was that any concern to you?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Yeah, I was a little upset when he got upset.  When the horses come out of the paddock and they get onto the track at home, they turn and they canter.  He went quite well with his pony all week, and I thought that would negate that with him.  I had a horse man on board, and it wasn't really an issue.

            Q.  The Racing Post had been carrying stories about your excessive optimism about Dangerous Midge's chances, and the (indiscernible) supposedly is not a strong indicator of the horse's ability.  What was that special thing about the horse that gave you so much confidence that you were positive the last two weeks?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Well, first of all, when you train a bunch of horses, you have to be over optimistic about them because, if you aren't, you shouldn't be training them.  The second thing is at Newbury, I think, when he showed his speed from the turn, from the end of the turn to the finishing line.  I mean, Martin Dwyer said that it was like riding a sprinter, and he was electrifying that day, and I think he was pretty much the same today.

            Q.  Have you and the owner talked about whether the horse will run again or go to stud?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Oh, no, I would imagine he'll run again.  We have to discuss whether he would ‑‑ may take in the Japan Cup, but I would think the Shema Classic would be his next target.

            Q.  Were you worried about any other conditions on the ground by shipping him over?  Even though Workforce had won the Arc, were you concerned by that at all?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  I wasn't concerned about the ground.  I mean, I knew what to expect.  It's a damp time of the year.  It could be a little loose on top because it's a firm track.  You know, we came to Louisville.  We didn't go to Newmark or to Newbury.  We came to Louisville.  I was aware of what to expect.  You know, that was fine.

            Incidentally, I thought the track was in very good condition all week.  It got a little bit loose on the turf with the amount of runners, but it looked fantastic.  And I thought the dirt track was really good too.

            ERIC WING:  Are you surprised that Workforce scratched?

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  I don't know really.  They were training him there all week.  He looked fantastic.  I didn't speculate all week really.  I was focused on my four, and I had enough to do with that lot really.

            Q.  Congratulations.

            BRIAN MEEHAN:  Thank you very much.

            ERIC WING:  Brian Meehan, you are a Churchill Downs Breeders' Cup specialist.  Congratulations on winning with Dangerous Midge.

           

Mike Smith Press Conference After Zenyatta's Defeat

MIKE SMITH

            ERIC WING:  All right.  We are live in the press box, and we have jockey Mike Smith, rider of Zenyatta, came up just barely short, in second.

            Mike, take us through the trip, if you would.

            MIKE SMITH:  It wasn't very good at all in the beginning.  Got away just a little slow and got squeezed out of there.  I was just having a rough time of it going underneath the white wire the first time.  She just wasn't leveling out like I wanted to, the combination of the dirt, of course, hitting in her face was a lot of it.  She just wasn't used to that part.  Just left her with too much to do.  I truly believe I was on the best horse today.  If I had to blame anybody, it would be me.

            ERIC WING:  Mike, your face is a window into your emotions.  You're obviously very disappointed.  But is part of you proud of how gamely she raced and how she nearly caught Blame and, in fact, passed her just past the wire?

            MIKE SMITH:  Yeah, I mean ‑‑ without a doubt.  She's my everything.  She's just amazing.  I just wish I would have been in the race a little earlier, because I think the outcome would have certainly been different.

            ERIC WING:  We just have Mike for a short time.  Let's take questions here, either here or in the press box, and we'll start right over here.

            Q.  Mike, talk about the last half of the race, give or take.  She obviously got into the thick of it and showed an amazing amount of fight.  Your thoughts on the way she responded despite the bad start?

            MIKE SMITH:  She responded really, really well.  My hat's off to Blame.  He ran an incredible race.  He didn't fold, and I needed him to fold just a little bit but he didn't.  He hung in tough.

            When I got her out, like I said, it was a gallant effort on her part.  She made up a whole lot of ground.  To only come up a nose short, it's pretty tough to swallow.

            Q.  Mike, at what point did you think you could get back in that race and you started to feel good about it?

            MIKE SMITH:  Down the backside, she picked it up.  It was just a wall of horses.  So I couldn't let her pick it up quite like I wanted to.  I guess I could have swung out and maybe done it, but then I would have to be way out wide and commit myself to staying wide.

            After the sluggish start and the way she handled the first part of the race, I truly felt I needed to cut some corners somewhere.  So that's what I tried to do.

            Q.  Mike, do you attribute tonight's loss to partly the dirt track and the fact the dirt was hitting in her face and she was very uncomfortable for maybe the first half mile?

            MIKE SMITH:  You know, it was just hitting in her face.  She wasn't used to it.  Although she's run on dirt twice, they were really short fields and really never got nothing in her face before.  I was coming back ‑‑ you can tell by my goggles, I went through all six.  I mean, it was certainly coming back.

            It just took her a while to get used to it.  Like I said, maybe I should have done a few things differently.  I wish I ‑‑ if I had to do it all over again, I would have, you know.

            Q.  Mike, will this sting for a while, or is this something you think you can get over and reflect on her entire body of work?

            MIKE SMITH:  It hurts more than you ‑‑ than I can explain, just because it was my fault.  She should have won, and it hurts.

            Q.  She's still amazing, Mike.  Don't worry.

            Q.  Mike, would you talk about the legacy she leaves, in spite of the loss:  19 straight wins and a near miss for 20.

            MIKE SMITH:  You know, again, I believe she ranks up there with the greatest of all time.  If I'd have won this, you could arguably say she was.  To come up a nose short is just ‑‑ it's too hard.  It's hard.

            ERIC WING:  Well, I think the amazing thing with her come from behind style wasn't that she lost today but that she won 19 consecutive times.

            MIKE SMITH:  Thank you.

            ERIC WING:  You deserve a lot of credit for that.  Thank you for coming by.  (Applause)

MIKE SMITH:  Thank you.

           

Proviso: Always on Track

Proviso winning the Diana Handicap G-1 at Saratoga Race Course, 7/31/10

Photo courtesy of the Saratogian, Ed Burke -- photographer

In his recent association with Bill Mott's racing stable, Bill Higgins has worked with many of Mott's string of racing stars. On a tour with Bill through the Mott barns at the Oklahoma Track at Saratoga Race Course in early summer, I was introduced to the horses. Some were laying down, resting. Those we peeked at, whispered about and then tiptoed away. Most were standing, looking out of their stalls, ready to mug a passerby for attention, a scratch or a kiss. Yes, horses in that outfit get loved on big time.

I met Erma Lee, a chestnut two-year-old filly, by Stormy Atlantic, that had yet to run. She's a quick-footed redheaded filly with more than enough attitude to make herself known. Later on, she ran in a couple of maiden special weight races, learning and improving, before she powered home to win her maiden.

Evanderfield was another memorable colt from that tour. A looming, almost black Exchange Rate two-year-old, Evanderfield hadn't raced at that point. He did however give Bill a daily run for his money with his joie de vivre and coltish mischievous behavior. A tip to his nature is his left ear, which appears a bit shaggy. It got this way when he was a foal and was either in a brawl with another foal, or, was corrected harshly by his mother or another broodmare. No one is talking...

On that trip to the backstretch, Juddmonte Farm's great fourth-generation home-bred race mare Proviso wasn't in residence. She was busy skipping round the country, taking on all comers and winning multiple Grade 1 stakes' races.

Proviso came to Saratoga for the race meet. Listening to the chuckle in Bill's voice as he described how he joined the Proviso watch, I could tell he was smitten with this five-year-old daughter of Dansili.

Like many quality race horses, Proviso has a strong sense of self, knows the track routine as well as she knows the bottom of her feed tub, and she likes to change things up a bit. With over thirty years of dealing with race horses, a light hand and an affable way, Bill became Proviso's acolyte.

When cooling down, walking around the shedrow after exercise, Proviso likes to spot another horse cooling down, take it on and get ahead of that horse. This isn't a mare that is just competitive on the track. Wherever she goes, she brings her business. Bill likens taking her on these walks to waterskiing, where to get control and leverage he is constantly leaning back and digging in his heels.

An incident occasioned by Proviso would make any racetracker grin. First, I must state that at Saratoga, trainers keep their shedrows manicured and immaculate. There is great pride in abundant, draping hanging baskets.

The operation of trainer Christophe Clement backed on to Mott's barns, and Clement's hanging baskets were worthy of a prize at the county fair. Bill was walking Proviso by the Clement shedrow, when she set her neck, veered over to the middle of the barn and grabbed herself a mouthful of hanging basket -- about half the basket's flowers and foliage. She did this right in front of Christophe Clement. The flowers were pulled out of Proviso's mouth as Bill hustled her away from her crime scene.

I can't help but wonder if that wasn't a bit of horse-human smack talk, from one turf superstar (Proviso) to another turf superstar (Clement). Clement trains the spectacular, Eclipse winning Gio Ponti, a talented adversary of Proviso in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Mile (turf).

Proviso won a Grade 1 stake at the Saratoga meet. After she left Saratoga this fall she headed south and picked up another Grade 1 at Keeneland in Lexington, KY. She is entered in the Breeders' Cup Mile (turf) at Churchill Downs, on November 6. There she will meet up with Gio Ponti, the legendary two-time BC Mile winner Goldikova and a field of fierce turf competitors.

I'll be down there watching Proviso, and rooting for her to bring her best game and run her race.