Breeders Cup & Thoroughbred News

It was forecast that we would have between 1/2  and 2 inches of snow last night and/or this morning.  It's 32 degrees outside, but there is no sign of the white stuff.  All I need to do today is walk Lucy Lu around noon...  Slow days can be fun.  Especially when I've worked my buns off to get my apartment clean for the threatened "sanitary" inspection.  There is a little bit of kitty fur on the drapes, but everything else is spotless - with many thanks to Nancy J and Beatrice B.    -    I have my annual check-up next Wednesday, and the only thing I have left to do this month (besides my scheduled jobs) is to get an appointment with my psychiatrist and therapist, so I can get my medications renewed.
   Other than Secret Compass, all of the horses who ran in the Breeders Cup Championship races are fine. The jockeys are all A-OK, with the exception of John Velasquez, who is still recovering in the hospital from the removal of his spleen on Saturday.  After winning three races in the two-day meet, jockey Mike Smith won the coveted Bill Shoemaker Award for the second year in a row.  Three cheers for Mike!
    Of the colts who won this year's Triple Crown races, only Palace Malice, who won the Belmont, is still in training.  He raced Saturday in the Breeders Cup Classic, and finished just out of the money in sixth place. Kentucky Derby winner Orb will be standing at stud at Claiborne Farms  beginning next year, and Preakness Stakes winner Oxbow will be covering mares at Taylor Made Farms.
   The November Fasig-Tipton sale was amazing yesterday.  Mizdirection, who won the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint on Saturday, was sold as either a racing or broodmare prospect for the price of $2,700,000.  Love and Pride, a broodmare in foal to Distorted Humor, was sold for $4,900,000.  And Betterbetterbetter, a broodmare in foal to War Front, was sold for $5,200,000.  Wow.  The upper end of the thoroughbred sales doesn't seem to be feeling our troubled economy.
   Also, as a last note, fourteen-year-old stallion Harlan's Holiday, a very good juvenile sire was euthanized last week in Argentina.  The stallion had a normal day, and, in the afternoon, had covered a mare with no problems.  The stallion's hindquarters collapsed as he returned to his stall, and his intestines prolapsed. Even though there were veterinarians present within 2 minutes of his collapse, the horse was put down, as they could not get him back on his feet, nor could they reverse the prolapse.  So very, very sad....