On way back from Belmont visit..
 

Returning upstate from picking up Tina's son at JFK this morning, and a fun afternoon yesterday that featured a visit to Lloydobler and Ausable Chasm..

Will have a couple of photos to post later once we get home, but it was particularly nice to finally get a look at the filly after 18 months. She is doing very well having settled in to racetrack life, and is exceedingly kind to be around. She is very well built for a 2yo filly, and maintains that pretty, feminine head she had from her earliest images. She has yet to be asked for run in the mornings as Gary eases her into a routine, but she has impressed so far.

Lloydobler looks great but is continuing to deal with a problematic stifle that is bothering him enough to limit his work in the mornings. We'll decide in a couple of days whether a 30 day break might be the route to take to ensure that he be ready for Saratoga. In the meantime, in a rather funny incident, he came to the defense of Javier his groom the other day when a rival colt seriously bit Javy on the arm. After the attack, our chestnut responded with swift kicks at the offending party!

Looking forward to see him @ the Spa this summer......got a boatload of co-workers & friends wanting to see him run! :)

Any shares remain for the 2 yr.old filly and will she be ready for the Spa?

Yes, there's still room yet to get in on the filly. She'll debut before Saratoga... almost as soon as PJ Campo starts writing 2yo state-bred events.

Swift get well to LD. Looking forward to seeing Ausable Chasm. I fell deeply in love with her when I saw her in Ocala late March. She's a beauty.

Oh my, nothing a good shrink couldn't take care of I guess.

Hope Javier is ok. It is a shame Lloyd could not get in today's 4th, a rather ordinary group that I suspect he may have crushed. Maybe this is a sign that the MSW will come up softer with Monmouth . . . .

A rest can't hurt . I can recommend http://www.irishhillcenturyfarm.com/ for a refreshing lay-up near Saratoga Lake .

Well, it didn't turn out so soft after all. Safety Check, the Santulli/Goldberg son of BC Sprint winner Safely Kept, only knocked down a 97 Beyer in his open length win.

For Lloyd to have just een second behind the winner yesterday, he would have had to have improved about 4.5 lengths from his career best (74) to an 83 Beyer.

True, that horse ran huge and the race actually came up much tougher than it looked on paper. It is not often you see a 29 point Beyer increase even from start 1 to 2. Hopefully the Monmouth money will create some softer spots for the class and we can get Lloyd in the winners circle. It will be interesting to see how these fields come up in the next few weeks. Hope Lloyd is doing well.

Hope LD is on the mend and his stifle boo boo is feeling lots better.