Three New Foals on 30 April

The Chincoteague ponies produced three new foals for our delight today -  the middle foal is the only one seen up-close; and the other two were at a great distance.  Baybe, who looked like she would burst during Spring Round-Up, had a pinto foal at her side early this morning.  Baybe is a black pinto, and the foal's sire is Tornado's Prince of Tides, a palomino pinto.  From the distance the two photos I've seen were taken, I'd guess that the baby is a chestnut pinto; when seen at a closer range, the pinto color may need to be changed, but the foal is definitely a pinto.
   Then Doc Amrien was spied with a bay pinto, who was sired by Hoppy (Effie's Papa Bear).  Captain Dan was able to get some very nice photos of that foal.
    Later, when Darcy and Steve Cole were hiking back, another foal was spotted in Prince of Tide's herd, this one with dam Checkers (also known as Giraffe). Foal 18 appears to be a solid chestnut, at the moment...
    The first and last photos were taken by, and are the property of, DSC Photography.  The photos of Doc Amrien's foal belong to Captain Dan's Around the Island Tours...

Foal 16 - out of Baybe, by Tornado's Prince of Tides

Foal 17 - out of Doc Amrien, by Hoppy

Foal 18 (at left) -  out of Checkers, by Prince

Foal 16 (at right) - out of Baybe, by Prince

Kentucky Derby Post Positions & Morning Line Betting Odds

The post positions have been drawn and morning line betting odds appointed for Saturday's 145th running of the Kentucky Derby.  The starting gate will be full, with 20 entries, unless there are scratches.  Bodexpress is the lone colt on the "waiting list," if there happens to be a scratch before 9 a.m. on Friday (his named jockey is Chris Landero and he is trained by Gustavo Delgado).
  All of the starters will race 1 and 1/4 miles (10 furlongs) over the main dirt track at Churchill Downs; each will carry 126 pounds; and there is a guaranteed purse of $3 million.  Below are the post positions, the entry, the morning line betting odds, the name of the jockey, and the name of  the trainer.
   1.   War of Will               20 to 1          Tyler Gaffalione - Mark Casse
   2.   Tax                            20 to 1          Junior Alvarado - Danny Gargan
   3.   By My Standards      20 to 1          Gabriel Saez - Bret Calhoun
   4.   Gray Magician         50 to 1          Drayden Van Dyke - Peter Miller
   5.   Improbable                6 to 1           Irad Ortiz Jr - Bob Baffert
   6.   Vekoma                     20 to 1          Javier Castellano - George Weaver
   7.   Maximum Security  10 to 1           Luis Saez - Jason Servis
   8.   Tacitus                      10 to 1           Jose Ortiz - Bill Mott
   9.   Plus Que Parfait      30 to 1           Ricardo Santana Jr - Brendan Walsh
  10.  Cutting Humor         30 to 1          Corey Lanerie - Todd Pletcher
  11.  Haikal                       30 to 1           Rajiv Maragh - Kiaran McLaughlin
  12.  Omaha Beach            4 to 1           Mike Smith - Richard Mandella
  13.  Code of Honor          15 to 1           John Velasquez - Shug McGaughey
  14.  Win Win Win             15 to 1          Julian Pimentel - Michael Trombetta
  15.  Master Fencer (JPN)   50 to 1       Julian Leparoux - Koichi Tsunoda
  16.  Game Winner             5 to 1           Joel Rosario - Bob Baffert
  17.  Roadster                      6 to 1          Florent Geroux - Bob Baffert
  18.  Long Range Toddy    30 to 1          Jon Court - Steve Asmussen
  19.  Spinoff                       30 to 1          Manny Franco - Todd Pletcher
  20.  Country House          30 to 1          Flavien Prat - Bill Mott     

I wish all of the colts who race the very best racing luck.  I hope there are no injuries before, during, or after the race.  I wish all of the jockeys and the 16 trainers the best of luck.  I wish all of the connections - owners, breeders, barn workers, and families - all of the very best.  Here's to a beautifully run and injury free Kentucky Derby 145!          

Three More Chincoteague Pony Foals - and Winter Moon Pedigree Information

Up until I raised my doubts about the lineage of Winter Moon, one of the donated mares given to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, no had ever tracked down her pedigree.  It has now been proven that Winter Moon is, indeed, the daughter of WH Nightmist, a direct descendant of Misty of Chincoteague.  So I can now feel that I can truly announce that the first Misty descendant born free on Assateague was the son of Winter Moon and the Don Leonard Stud II.  Here's a photo of the bay pinto colt playing with the son of Sonny's Legacy and Riptide.  He was first seen on  April 8th. (He's the foal in action in this shot, if you don't know coat colors.)  These two foals, 4 and 5, were taken, with their dams to the Carnival Grounds, to have a better bonding experience.  They are back on Assateague now.

Two more foals were spotted yesterday, the 28th, and one was seen this morning.  Both foals born yesterday were fillies; the sex of today's foal is as yet unknown.  Yesterday morning, Darcy and Steve Cole saw a new chestnut pinto filly at Tiger Lily's side (she's also known as Waterbaby) ; the sire is Ajax.  The second filly was seen by Captain Dan yesterday after at the side of Tuleta Star; this bay pinto was sired by Wild Thing.  And Captain was, again, the first spotter of Tunie (aka Queenie) and Hoppy's solid bay foal seen this morning...  There's a good reason that his Around the Island Tours is also known as "the Foal Patrol!"

Foal 13 - filly, sired by Ajax, out of Tiger Lily (aka Waterbaby)

Foal 14  -  filly, sired by Wild Thing, out of Tuleta Star

Foal 15 - unknown, sired by Hoppy (Effie's Papa Bear), out of Tunie (aka Queenie)

Kentucky Oaks Post Positions and Morning Line Odds

Well, it was 74 degrees here in Boulder, Colorado yesterday, and I am sitting at my PC, watching snow fall past the window at 10:40 this morning... 
   The Post positions for the Kentucky Oaks were drawn at 11 a.m. EDT today.  Only 14 entries are allowed in the gate for the 1 and 1/8 mile (9 furlong) race at Churchill Downs on Friday, 3 May.  The fillies will carry 121 pounds, and the guaranteed purse is $1,250,000 - with the winner getting $750,000.  This is the current line-up; there are two fillies waiting in the wings in the event of any scratches before the start of the race.
   1.   Out for a Spin           15 to 1
   2.   Chocolate Kisses      20 to 1
   3.   Lady Apple               20 to 1
   4.   Bellafina                    2 to 1
   5.   Flor de La Mar         20 to 1
   6.   Positive Spirit          30 to 1
   7.   Jaywalk                     8 to 1
   8.   Motion Emotion       15 to 1
   9.   Liora                         20 to 1
  10.  Champagne Anyone    6 to 1
  11.  Jeltrin                        15 to 1
  12.  Street Band               15 to 1
  13.  Serengeti Empress     8 to 1 
  14.  Restless Rider            6 to 1

The Kentucky Derby post position draw will occur tomorrow, and I will post that when it is available.

Riptide Incarcerated For a Man's Stupidity; Foal Twelve Is Here

I mentioned in yesterday's blog that Riptide is currently in Pony Jail - not even inside his well-known southern corral - but on the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague.  He is separated from his mares and from his new baby with Sonny's Legacy.  It's breeding season, and some of his mares are in estrus.  He keeps calling for his harem - but only Smooch and Star are there, and they are separated from him by fencing.
   Riptide has always been a large pony; he likes living large, and has pretty much inherited the spotlight that his sire, Surfer Dude, once held, as the most recognized Chincoteague pony on Assateague Island.  He has been going around, over, and/or through wooden and wire fences for several years, and his mares usually follow.  He's been placed in the southern corrals multiple times since last Pony Penning and between the Fall and Spring Round-Ups - his usual place of "lock up."  But during the middle of this past week, Riptide led his mares out of their compound and onto the road that leads to the beach.  This is not unusual.  But several tourists decided they needed some close-up photos of the ponies...  They parked their vehicles and got out of them approaching the ponies on foot.  One of the mares was in season, and Riptide was putting his moves on her.  (The first few days of estrus, the mare might not be receptive and might fight, run, and/or kick at the stallion.)  One of the male tourists laid down with his belly on the ground to "get some good pictures" of what was happening.  The mare objected to Riptide's advances, several ponies ran - and the idiot human on the ground was almost stepped on, by Riptide.  (Imagine that!)
   Several people saw what had happened, but the idiot male went to the Park Office and complained. So the Pony Committee was called, Riptide and his ladies were rounded up, the fence was again repaired, the mares were turned loose.  But Riptide was placed into the CVFC trailer and taken away from his family because of the actions of a very stupid man.  At the moment, no one knows how long his jail time will be.  The Don Leonard Stud II is loose in the southern compartment.  If Riptide isn't returned soon, the mares will go to DLSII, and then the stallions will fight for them.
  This one, single, solitary, male human made an extremely poor decision.  Now a stallion and a herd is paying the price for his stupidity.  Will there be fighting over the mares?  That man will be the cause of bites, kicks, torn skin, bruises and possible broken bones for making the CVFC take a stallion away from his mares.  The pony was acting instinctually.  The human turned his brain off on purpose.

Riptide

Due to bad weather, Captain Dan wasn't able to go out in his boat Friday, and he had to cancel Saturday morning's trip, too.  But in the afternoon, he spotted a new little filly beside Thunderstorm Skies, who is in Puzzle's herd.  Her head, neck, body and legs are red and white - but the tip of her tail is black, so she is technically a bay pinto.  The foal looks like she was born on Friday.  I remember that last spring, Thunderstorm was a close friend of Surfer Princess, who was in Legacy's herd.  So I'm not certain who the sire of this filly is.  I know that Darcy Cole keeps notes about who was in which herd, so I'll wait for her announcement regarding the paternity...

Foal Eleven; Better Photos of Foals 9 & 10; $1.2 million TB colt in Florida

The Coles (Darcy and Steve) spotted Chincoteague pony foal eleven on Thursday afternoon, 25 April.  The baby is a chestnut pinto out of the mare Dreamer's Gift, and was sired by either Ajax or Puzzle.  Sex is not yet known, and the mare is staying away from hiking and boating areas.  We'll have better photos soon....  Of the ten foals whose sexes are known, there are three fillies and seven colts.  Goldie's palomino, Grandma's Dream's bay pinto, and Danny's Girl Splash's bay pinto are all  baby girls.
   In other pony news, only Smooch and Bailey's Star - and Riptide - are at the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague.  Smooch is there for some TLC - she needs to put on weight - and Star is there for her company.  Surfer's Riptide is currently in "Pony Jail" on Chincoteague because he keeps going through fences on Assateague, and taking his ladies with him.  This delights visitors, but causes traffic problems, as well as the possibilities of lawsuits should the ponies hurt anyone.  Of course, visitors are supposed to stay at least 50 feet away from the ponies, but most people believe they have special privileges and don't have to obey the regulations and laws of the Wildlife Refuge.  So Riptide is incarcerated, away from his ladies. He is a very smart pony; but he's wandered for so long that it's hard to know if he will connect the dots in his mind.

   The newest foal (# 11) - by Ajax or Puzzle, out of Dreamer's Gift

Foal 9 - colt by Wild Thing, out of Summer's Gentle Sea Breeze

Foal 10 - filly, by DLSII or Beach Boy, out of Golden Girl

And, down in Ocala, Florida, at the OBS 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale, Robert and Lawana Low purchased the colt pictured below for $1.2 million from Ron and Suzanne Fein.  The colt is sired by Liam's Map, and is out of the Bernardini mare Amazement....

Kentucky Oaks Is One Week Away

A week from today, the "Lillies for the Fillies" race will be run.  The Kentucky Oaks is  always run the day before the Kentucky Derby, and highlights the girls instead of the boys.  The race is now limited to 14 entries, as the Derby is limited to 20.  The Oaks covers a distance of 9 furlongs, or 1 1/8 miles, on the main track; all fillies will carry 121 pounds; and the purse is a guaranteed $1.25 million, with $750,000 going to the winner.  The current fastest time for the Oaks was set in 2003, when Bird Town covered the distance in 1:48.64.
   The Kentucky Oaks has been run at four different distances since it's inception in 1875.  The first winner was Vinaigrette, who covered 1 1/2 miles in 2:39 3/4.  The Oaks was run at 1 and 1/2 miles from 1875 through 1890; from 1891 through 1895, it was 1 1/4 miles; in 1896 through 1919, the distance was 1 1/16 miles; from 1920 through 1941 it covered 1 1/8 miles; it changed again in 1942 through 1981 to 1 and 1/16 miles; and, once again, in 1982 it was switched back to a distance of 1 and 1/8 miles.
   The entries for the Kentucky Oaks race for qualifying points, as do the Kentucky Derby contenders.  There are currently 16 fillies on the list for the 14 entries allowed.  I will list them by highest to lowest amounts of points, as I did the Derby contenders.  Of the 16 fillies, 14 were bred in Kentucky, with Out for a Spin bred in Virginia, and Cookie Dough being a Florida-bred.  There are 2 greys or roans, 2 chestnuts, and 12 bays, dark bays, or brown coat colors.  Two of the fillies are sired by Quality Road, and two are sired by Candy Ride (ARG) - so, 14 stallions for 16 possible contenders.
  Here is the list of the top 16 contenders for the 2019 Kentucky Oaks:
   1.   Bellafina    Quality Road,  out of Akron Moon, by Malibu Moon
   2.   Champagne Anyone   Street Sense,   out of Lucevan, by Ghostzapper
   3.   Street Band   Istan,  out of Street Minstrel, by Street Cry
   4.   Lady Apple   Curlin,  out of Miss Mary Apples, by Clever Trick
   5.   Out for a Spin   Hard Spun,  out of My Mammy, by Came Home
   6.   Liora   Candy Ride (ARG),  out of Giant Mover, by Giant's Causeway
   7.   Restless Rider   Distorted Humor,  out of Silky Serenade, by Unbridled's Song
   8.   Serengeti Empress   Alternation   out of Havisham, by Bernardini
   9.   Motion Emotion   Take Charge Indy,  out of Golden Motion, by Smart Strike
  10.  Jaywalk   Cross Traffic,  out of Lady Pewitt, by Orientate
  11.  Chocolate Kisses   Candy Ride (ARG),  out of Brownie Points, by Forest Wildcat
  12.  Jeltrin   Tapizar,  out of Song to the Moon, by Successful Appeal
  13.  Positive Spirit   Pioneerof the Nile,  out of Above Perfection, by In Excess
  14.  Flor de La Mar   Tiznow,  out of Sacristy, by Pulpit
  15.  Cookie Dough   Brethren,  out of Brooke's Valentine, by Fusaichi Pegasus
  16.  Dunbar Road   Quality Road,  out of Gift List, by Bernardini

     A few photos of some of the fillies, in alphabetical order:

Bellafina

Champagne Anyone

Jaywalk

Out for a Spin

Positive Spirit

Ten Days to the Kentucky Derby

If there are no sudden doubts causing a scratch, or illnesses, or injuries, it looks like the field is set for the running of the Kentucky Derby on 4 May.  The field is limited to the top 20 point qualifiers, and the listing below will be by quantity of points only.  So far, jockeys for 18 of the entries have been named.
   Of the top twenty, 19 are colts (Plus Que Parfait is a ridgling) and one gelding, Tax.  Eighteen were bred in Kentucky, with Win Win Win a Florida-bred, and Master Fencer bred in Japan. Considering coat colors, there are 3 greys or roans, 8 chestnuts and 9 bays, dark bays, or browns. The 20 entries represent 18 different stallions, with 2 sons each sired by Candy Ride (ARG) and War Front.  Besides the two sons of Candy Ride, who was bred in Argentina, there are two stallions from Japan represented, as well as one stallion from Great Britain.  All of the dams, but one, are North American bred; War of Will's dam was bred in Ireland.
  Following is the list of the top 20 entries for the Kentucky Derby: the entry's name, sire's name, dam's name, and dam's sire name.  All horses will race on the dirt track, 10 furlongs (or 1 1/4 miles), carrying 126 pounds, the purse is guaranteed at $3 million.  The post position draw for the 145th Kentucky Derby will take place at 11 a.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, 30 April.
   1.   Tacitus   Tapit,  out of Close Hatches, by First Defense
   2.   Omaha Beach    War Front,  out of Charming, by Seeking the Gold
   3.   Vekoma   Candy Ride (ARG),  out of Mona de Momma, by Speightstown
   4.   Plus Que Parfait   Point of Entry,  out of Belvedera, by Awesome Again
   5.   Roadster   Quality Road,  out of Ghost Dancing, by Silver Ghost
   6.   By My Standards   Goldencents, out of A Jealous Woman, by Muqtarib
   7.   Maximum Security   New Year's Day,  out of Lil Indy, by Anasheed
   8.   Game Winner   Candy Ride (ARG),   out of Indyan Giving, by A P Indy
   9.   Code of Honor   Noble Mission (GB),  out of Reunited, by Dixie Union
  10.  Haikal   Daaher,  out of Sablah, by Distorted Humor
  11.  Improbable   City Zip,  out of Rare Event, by A P Indy
  12.  War of Will   War Front,  out of Visions of Clarity (IRE), by Sadler's Wells
  13.  Long Range Toddy   Take Charge Indy,  out of Pleasant Song, by Unbridled's Song
  14.  Tax   Arch,  out of Toll, by Giant's Causeway
  15.  Cutting Humor   First Samurai,  out of Pun, by Pulpit
  16.  Win Win Win   Hat Trick (JPN),  out of Miss Smarty Pants, by Smarty Jones
  17.  Country House   Lookin At Lucky,  out of Quake Lake, by War Chant
  18.  Gray Magician   Graydar,  out of Burg Berg, by Johannesburg
  19.  Spinoff   Hardspun,  out of Zaftig, by Gone West
  20.  Master Fencer (JPN)   Just a Way (JPN),  out of Sexy Zamurai, by Deputy Minister

Photos of five entries, posted in alphabetical order:

Cutting Humor

Improbable

Master Fencer (JPN)

Omaha Beach

Tacitus

A Few Photos of the Chincoteague Pony Foals Born So Far

The count for the 2019 crop of Chincoteague pony foals born in Virginia on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (which is actually the Virginia end of Assateague Island) is still at ten.  Six colts, two fillies, and two unknown sexes.  One buckskin, two palominos, three chestnut pintos and four bay pintos.

Foal 1 - colt, by Prince, out of Catwalk Chaos

Foal 2 - filly, by Hoppy, out of Danny's Girl Splash

 Foal 3 - colt, by Chief, out of JABATAA

 Foals 4 & 5 - (left) colt, by DLSII, out of Winter Moon

(right) colt, by Riptide, out of Sonny's Legacy

 Foal 6 - colt, by Puzzle, out of Destiny Feathering Spirit

 Foal 7 - colt, by Legacy, out of Miracle's Natural Beauty

 Foal 8 - filly, by Hoppy, out of Grandma's Dream

 Foal 9 - by Wild Thing, out of Sea Breeze

Foal 10 - by Saltwater Renegade, out of Golden Girl

                           

On a sad note, the mare Jigsaw is still missing.  All of us are keeping our fingers crossed that she will reappear and be fine - but this is unusual for her.

A Palomino Is Tenth Foal; Odd Omaha Beach Headline

Photographer Darcy Cole was the first person to spot the tenth foal yesterday morning - a solid palomino baby for dam Two Teagues Golden Girl (aka Goldie), a three-year-old out of Lefty's Checkmark and sired by Prince of Tides.  Goldie has spent almost all of her time with Saltwater Renegade (aka Beach Boy), but she was covered once by the Don Leonard Stud II.  I'm pretty sure it's Beach Boy's baby - but there's no guarantee.  This is Goldie's first foal, and if it is sired by Beach Boy, it's the first foal for the Misty family young stallion, who is four this Spring.  Due to the distance, Darcy and her husband Steve weren't able to get good photos of the foal, but a couple hours later, Captain Dan got some nice shots of it....

I was freaked out on Sunday to read that Omaha Beach (my current favorite for the Kentucky Derby) was being treated for a quarter crack.  I couldn't find the article with that headline, but I was able to find a short aside that stated that Omaha Beach's regular blacksmith had flown in from California to re-shoe the colt.  Turns out he's had a quarter crack for several months, and won his last three races with it....  So I'm not going to worry about it for the Derby.  And jockey Mike Smith has decided to ride Omaha Beach in the Run for the Roses instead of Roadster.  It's 12 days to the Derby and I'm starting to get excited!

Latest Day Trip

I have lived in Boulder since November in 2004 - almost 15 years now.  I have lived in suburban and urban parts of the town - and believe me, I am a country girl at heart and in my soul.  Every once in a while, I need to hit the road and see areas of the state that I haven't seen before, as well as looking at familiar and well-loved landscapes.  Since I had access to a very nice car, I checked everything out (under the hood and tires, etc) and Friday my room-mate and I went on a ten hour drive.  That's not counting photography stops, bathroom breaks, and lunch.  We had drinks and snacks with us, too, so we didn't have to make hunger stops.
    The last time I was in Steamboat Springs was in 1972, so I  made that my objective, even though I knew we wouldn't have time to stop and explore the town.  So we drove a large loop, going up through Berthoud and Loveland to Fort Collins, where we headed west and then drove north along the east side of Horsetooth Reservoir.  Then to Laporte and Bellvue and over to one of my favorite places, Rist Canyon (which was hit heavily by the High Park Fire in 2012), and then Stove Prairie, up to the Cache la Poudre River and then west.... We ran into snow on the ground well before Cameron Pass, and I was out of the car in my shorts, T-shirt and sneakers up at Craig Camp Grounds at the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest stop.  Stopped in Walden for an ice cream sandwich and to stretch our legs, then on across pastures full of snow-melt near the road and snow-covered mountains beyond, to route 40 and Muddy Pass.  There we turned (kinda) north and went over Rabbit Ears Pass and into Steamboat Springs, where we had a late lunch.
  Leaving Steamboat Springs, we were on route 131 and I dearly wish there had been a lot more places where I could have stopped and taken photos.  A lot of views were breath-taking, but on a two-lane road with less than 12 inches of shoulder, I simply couldn't stop and take the photos I wanted.  And then we got caught behind a person driving a car with Nebraska plates who drove at 15 to 20 miles per hour below the speed limit - again, a two lane road, multiple hills and curves and double yellow lines.  Some vehicles behind us passed anyway - a line of six cars - and frequently we all had to break when a vehicle appeared nearby in the on-coming lane.  Finally, the Nebraska car turned off at Oak Creek, and we were once again able to proceed at the speed limit and space out.
   There was a vast open gulf to the left of us between State Bridge and Wolcott - I think it was the Edwards Draw - but the drop and span of the open area was amazing to me.  Photos of that area are what I really wish I had been able to take.  Beautiful vista and gorgeous colors...  Ah, well.   At Wolcott, we got onto I-70 and headed back east, passing by Avon, Vail, Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne and Keystone, on to Idaho Springs, and, finally, Golden, where we turned north to return to Boulder.
    It was a long drive, and by the time we reached Idaho Springs my backside, butt, rear-end (whatever you want to call it), had gone to sleep, so I was very happy to get out of the car and fill it up with gas.  Got home to complaining kitties, who were very upset about having a late supper and absolutely no company all day.  But it was great to get away from the city and the rat race.  Other than the line of cars behind the Nebraska car on 131, and the traffic on I-70, and when we ate in Steamboat Springs, we saw few other people and very little traffic.  It was a great trip.

Horsetooth Mountain

Horsetooth Reservoir

Top of Rist Canyon, headed down to Stove Prairie

Indian Meadows, Cache la Poudre River

 Cameron Pass

Near Walden

Rabbit Ears Pass

Steamboat Springs

Finger Rock, Yampa

Vail Valley near Wolcott