This past month has been a testing one for the barn with no winner so far and a series of racing incidents that have dampened the trainers mood!!! Maggie’s lad, a full brother to Saratoga maiden special weight winner Scribbling Sarah has had an unfortunate start to his racing career. Initially he got spooked behind the gate and actually walked up onto the starting gate getting himself suspended off the ground under his stifle, he was scratched at the gate. He came back 12 days later to make his second attempt at racing and broke well to sit a comfortable second before Junior Alvarado said he stumbled, almost certainly putting his foot in a hole and being eased.
The two year old division are battling their own little problem at the moment with almost all of them coughing, this appears to be a virus that is affecting a lot of barns at Belmont at the moment and means I have had to slightly back off their training to give them the best chance to get over it as quickly as possible, they are not getting sick as such but seem to be coughing multiple times a morning.
On a brighter note two of the older horses really pleased me in their work this week as Finns Quest and Ithastobegeorge both put in excellent pieces of work at the weekend. Ithastobegeorge ran a lack luster fourth as the chalk on his last start but returned with a dirty scope, he seems to have put that behind him now and worked a solid half mile in 48.3. Finns Quest, a recent acquisition from Donegal Racing and Dale Romans has gradually learned to relax in his training and has been indicating to me that he is ready to run, he has put on plenty of condition and muscle and looks an absolute picture right now. His breeze of 48.2 was impressive enough at the weekend but his gallop out really excited me and I look forward to giving this son of Giants Causeway a chance to run on the grass before the turf in NY closes for the year.
Over the last month I have been delighted to welcome horses for three new owners to the barn with Robert Kuzmins sending me Barnards Galaxy, Donegal Racing sending Craving Carats and Stonegate stables sending in a lovely looking Read The Footnotes colt called Introduction.
So although September has been lean and mean at times we move on, grow and take quiet times like these in our stride. Maggie and Sarah have been doing their utmost to keep their trainers spirits up and I am sure with the return of the two year olds to health and a slice of luck we are surely due we will be back in the winners circle once again.
Tom Morley
