That's What Makes Horse Races

Well, the room was more than stunned as we watched Big Brown patiently run in the number three position for much of the Belmont and, as we cajoled the TV that it was time to make the move to the front, he just faded.

Of the women present, one was a classical riding trainer and three others ride regularly, so we all know that there are days when a horse is just not interested. My trainer Gayle says "that's why we call them horses, not motorcycles or bicycles."

It does raise bigger questions about what effect steroids do have on a race horse--and, in particular, what effect they had on this horse. It will be a better racing world when steroids are banned from racing and all the horses are on a level playing field.

I was sorry that Casino Drive needed to be scratched, but better a scratch then a damaged animal.

Sally Jenkins wrote a terrific article in the Washington Post, praising Kent Desormeaux for doing what was best for Big Brown when it was clear that something wasn't right with him. She is straight-forward about the unsavory people who own and train the horse, but recognizes that the jockey isn't one of them. Mr. Desormeaux left a press conference saying he will never doubt what he did was right, which is a good place to be for a man who seemed tortured by the press for his loss of the Triple Crown in 1998 on Real Quiet.

Prepping for a Day at the Races by Proxie

Things are in full swing to prep for the Belmont Tea at my house tomorrow, where I've got about 15 women showing up to watch the final leg of the Triple Crown. I'm looking for an exciting race without tragedy.

2007 winner Rags to Riches' younger half-brother, Casino Drive, is out to be the spoiler at Belmont and he would be Better Than Honour's third off-spring in three years to win the race if he prevails. Older half-brother Jazil won two years ago. That's one hell of a brood mare. She passes on genes from both Seattle Slew (her grandsire) and Secretariat (her great-grandsire) from her own sire, 1992 Belmont winner A.P. Indy. Talk about a royal family of racing as well as the convoluted inbreeding of Thoroughbreds. Casino Drive's sire is Mineshaft, son of A.P. Indy. Rags to Riches (retired after a hairline fracture that was reinjured) is two months in-foal to Giant's Causeway, sire of Better than Honour's 2007 foal.

Big Brown's runaway performance at the Preakness gives him the favored status tomorrow, despite that quarter crack. The news coverage about steroids does still put a cast over his performance, though. Not the horse's fault. It will be interesting to see if he races against Curlin, 2007's horse of the year despite his loss to Rags to Riches, as the article I read today suggests is in the works. A modern Seabiscuit versus War Admiral match up, perhaps?

I managed to find a bakery that makes pullman loaves, perfect for making tea sandwiches. They would even make them in color, but I decided to pass on that. I'm getting white, wheat, and rye, and I'll get two of the loaves sliced on the horizontal. I've got a wide variety of sandwich fillings to choose from, so I'll probably do an egg salad, a smoked salmon, a ham, and possibly the blue cheese with roast beef (even if I won't eat it.) I've found about 10 different recipes for making Maids of Honour, though none quite like the ones Marilyn Niven brought to the last Belmont Tea. My scone recipe is from the no longer existent Ticky-boo Tea Room in Carlsbad, a wonderful Victorian place that disappeared overnight, much to our chagrin. Fortunately, my friends had bought the self-published "Cookin' in the Kilt" the owners had written and the scones and a savory Stilton cheesecake are always a big hit.

My challenge tonight is to get the dining room table cleared to set up the tea trays, cups, saucers, and the good silver. I've also got to pull out all of the horse swag I've collected to decorate, including balloons with silks on them, the string of plastic horse lights, the teapots with horses, and my growing collection of Triple Crown glasses (for anyone choosing to drink iced tea or a Belmont Breeze.)

My friend Kay is doing a whirlwind trip to the east coast to watch the race in person. I suggested she call and give us a live report. I suspect we won't be able to hear a word if Big Brown wins.

Keeping up with Big Brown

I've been thinking about finding the origin of the e-mail I got announcing Big Brown's signature deal with Nike for several days. A careful Google search turned it up so you can now enjoy it by clicking the link. It's a scream. And here's the one about his continuing three-year media silence. Of course, we know that horses can talk if we're just quiet enough to listen.

Here's an update on Big Brown's cracked hoof. This one is not a joke.

And here's the latest edition of Carnival of the Horses with a wide selection of blogs from all over about our favorite equines.

Big Brown's Investors

There's an interesting article in today's New York Times about the (IMHO, sleazy) guy behind the "investment group" that owns Big Brown. The more I read, the more it smells. As I said, I'm rooting for the horse, not the questionable ownership scheme.

The Return of the Belmont Tea

I've decided not to hold my contempt for Big Brown's investment owners against the horse himself and throw my OMG! There Might Be a Triple Crown Winner Belmont Stakes Tea. Thanks to TiVO, I was able to watch the Preakness after I was sure there were no new mishaps, and I've got to say I was impressed as all get out to watch Big Brown go loping past his competitors without breaking any apparent sweat.

I did the first Belmont Tea back when War Emblem looked like he might make history, then there was Funny Cide, and finally Smarty Jones. All fizzled when faced with the 1.5 miles of the Belmont. Afleet Alex had a great story, but only got two of the three races. Last year, I was knocked out by Rags to Riches and wished I'd had the party just to watch that filly take on the boys. But it is supposed to be a Triple Crown driven tea party, and I've only got so much energy to do the cooking and throw the bash.

I do it as a ladies only event (although Len will sometimes drop in to watch the race itself) and look at it as another of the "never too late to have a happy childhood" things. Wearing hats is encouraged. Dressing for an outing is fine, and a number of people have emulated the look of the Derby dress up in the past.

I encourage people to bring along tea dishes they like and to bring unusual teas to brew, but I'm usually in the kitchen for days in advance making things like lemon curd and faux Devon cream and shaped sandwich breads. I also make scones from a recipe I got from a cookbook published by a wonderful tea shop in Carlsbad, California which disappeared overnight, according to the locals. They are the best ever.

I've got a nice collection of books about taking tea and recipes from tea rooms all over the country and in Great Britain. Every year when we go to San Diego, a group of my women friends slips away from Comicon to try one of the local tea shoppes (current favorite: Tea on Chatsworth.) Locally, The Gilded Rose in Granada Hills is a nice place to go for tea, but I hear the Peninsula Hotel has a great tea room (though very pricey.)

Preparing a tea can be a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it. And I do so enjoy showing off my skills in the kitchen.

Progress

Sometimes it feels like I'm stuck in a rut with my riding and sometimes I feel like I'm making great progress. The spill last summer really put a damper on my riding for months, but I seem to be getting past it now. It helps to have a trainer who is sympathetic to this older rider and isn't forcing a time-table on me.

We had a great ride with our trainer on Saturday. It didn't hurt that we had managed a lesson for six days in a row--no rain, no wind, no holidays, nothing to interrupt the work while we were making up lessons for all of those occurrences. Ace was relaxed and ready to go, and even the "Day of the Horse" events taking place across the street didn't bother him--much. The static feedback from the microphone and loud speakers sounded like firecrackers and his ears perked right up. He got over it and I got on.

I had him ready in time to spend around half an hour warming him up before Gayle got to the barn, so we were able to get a lot more done in the alloted time. I took only the first hour of my 7:45 yoga class, but thats when most of the stretching gets done, so it worked out well for me.

The extra work outs Ace is getting from Gayle and Ashley are really paying off. He's moving off my leg and I can get him to trot without holding a motivational tool in my hand. He really feels far more forward than he has in a long time. He's keeping his back up and his head down and when he starts reaching under himself, he's got a very powerful trot. I'm still having a little problem falling forward, but I'm working a lot harder at leaning back and engaging my abdominals to stay in the saddle. One of these days I know I will have to go back to the Schleese and won't have the false sense of security of the western saddle.

We've learned we cannot say "Good Boy." Ace has decided those words mean he can stop. He's done a good job and the job is over. Not exactly, pal. He can be quite adamant about not moving forward after hearing those words. When he is moving, he'll take any direction in the general vicinity of his hoop to mean "oh, I can go inside the hula hoop and be safe and get treats." I've gotten much better at keeping him from going into the hoop when I don't want him to. He is very funny. You cannot convince me that horses don't have a sense of logic and can't plan their actions.

When we were finished working, and Ace had a chance to romp in the arena on his own, I got his weekly bran mash ready. I added a lot of water, so it was a very soupy gruel. He went diving in to find carrots and I swear he had slop all the way to his eyes. I have no idea how he keeps the stuff out of his nose. He nickered at me between forays to the bottom of the bucket and I just kept telling him "keep that dirty nose away from me." He stained his sock when he wiped his mouth on his left front leg.

We went to a birthday party on Saturday evening where I had a long talk with a friend about the Kentucky Derby. She knows a lot more about Thoroughbred breeding than I do and said that Eight Belles' sire is producing big, fast babies that break down at an alarming rate. She can't understand why anyone would breed to him. That information makes me even more upset by what happened, as has the more explicit reports of what happened to the filly's legs. One can't help but think that money means more than anything to people who engage in this sport. Kay also thinks that it will be a freak if Big Brown wins the Triple Crown. She and I are both waiting to see what the reports on his feet are coming out of the Derby. I haven't seen or heard anything yet.

Heartbreaking

I couldn't bring myself to watch the Kentucky Derby last year. I was still feeling grief for the loss of Barbaro. After today, I may never watch it again.

We set the DVR as we ran out for lunch and when we came back home, it was just as the TV showed Big Brown as the unofficial winner. I wish I had waited a few more minutes before running back 90 minutes to the build up for the race.

My heart was with Eight Belles, a magnificent 17 hand filly. And what a race she had. And then disaster as she collapsed after coming in second. The camera showed her down on the track and then she was surrounded by the vet trucks. She was put down right on the track, both her front ankles broken.

Big Brown threw his rider when the filly collapsed near him. He ran a great race, despite whatever problems he may have with sore feet. But his race is overshadowed by the death on the track, one of many this year.

Is it that the Thoroughbreds are so in-bred that they are breaking down? If so, isn't it time for them to breed back in some Arabian blood to strengthen them? Or is it that the horses are raced too young in the U.S. and it is time to ban such early trauma on these animals.

Whatever the reason, the Triple Crown has dulled for me and I don't know if I can hold a Belmont Tea if Big Brown takes the Preakness.