Declans Moon

[stonegossard]

Originally Posted by Scav

I don't think DM is Ellis's fault, horse has lost 'it'. You can't teach 'it'. They have to have it.

I really don't see where you are going with busting Ellis. His %'s are amazing, and his horses are always well taken care of. You know, horses that get a taste of the farm sometimes lost 'it' and it looks like that has happened with DM. Could easily be a breathing problem also. who knows...

I think he was way too aggressive with DM ...running him back 2 weeks after a miseable defeat vs Dixiemeister and those other worldbeaters was really insane/stupid.....its not like he had an easy race...was used hard and ran dead last....then to come back at GG 14 days later...come on....Ellis looks desperate....

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by stonegossard

I think he was way too aggressive with DM ...running him back 2 weeks after a miseable defeat vs Dixiemeister and those other worldbeaters was really insane/stupid.....its not like he had an easy race...was used hard and ran dead last....then to come back at GG 14 days later...come on....Ellis looks desperate....

They totally spoil that horse. In the morning, they bring him on the track and let him stand and stare for 15 minutes if he wants to. That's what McAnally used to do with John Henry. The difference was that John Henry would go out in the afternoon and win.

Anyway, they treat the horse like royalty. And they give him plenty of time between races but that hasn't been working. They've gone over with him a fine-tooth comb and can't find anything wrong. So it appears that the horse is simply not trying. His last race did not appear to take much out of him so they figured they would wheel him right back in an easy spot. It obviously didn't work, but as bad as he ran I don't think even four weeks would have made a difference.

Sometimes it is obvious what is wrong with a horse physically but other times it is not. Since horses can't speak, sometimes trainers have to to try to be psychologists and figure out what is going on in their head. What they had been doing with DM did not appear to be working so they figured they would try something different. I can't fault them for that. I don't like bringing horses back in two or even three weeks. But in this case, I can understand why they did it. And as I said before, as bad as he ran today I don't think it made much difference.

I still think there may be something wrong with the horse that they have not been able to diagnose.

[stonegossard]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

They totally spoil that horse. In the morning, they bring him on the track and let him stand and stare for 15 minutes if he wants to. That's what McAnally used to do with John Henry. The difference was that John Henry would go out in the afternoon and win.

Anyway, they treat the horse like royalty. And they give him plenty of time between races but that hasn't been working. They've gone over with him a fine-tooth comb and can't find anything wrong. So it appears that the horse is simply not trying. His last race did not appear to take much out of him so they figured they would wheel him right back in an easy spot. It obviously didn't work, but as bad as he ran I don't think even four weeks would have made a difference.

Sometimes it is obvious what is wrong with a horse physically but other times it is not. Since horses can't speak, sometimes trainers have to to try to be psychologists and figure out what is going on in their head. What they had been doing with DM did not appear to be working so they figured they would try something different. I can't fault them for that. I don't like bringing horses back in two or even three weeks. But in this case, I can understand why they did it. And as I said before, as bad as he ran today I don't think it made much difference.

I still think there may be something wrong with the horse that they have not been able to diagnose.

His last race (vs Dixiemeister) didnt take a lot out of him?

Go back and watch the replay..was used hard the WHOLE race....even at the end he was being pushed....that race took a ton out of him....todays result pretty much solidifies that fact....

The horse should now be retired.....end of story

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by stonegossard

His last race (vs Dixiemeister) didnt take a lot out of him?

Go back and watch the replay..was used hard the WHOLE race....even at the end he was being pushed....that race took a ton out of him....todays result pretty much solidifies that fact....

The horse should now be retired.....end of story

I think you are probably right that the race took much more out of him than they thought.

Ellis is normally very good at being able to tell how much a race took out of a horse. But he is not perfect. He makes mistakes sometimes. That race may have taken much more out of DM than he thought.

But overall Ellis is very good at being able to tell how a horse is doing and spacing their races properly. That is why his win percentage is so high.

[KirisClown]

The Siegels could make one last desperate move with this horse and send him to Dutrow...

It would be interesting....