Instinct kept Alex up.

[Suff]

http://www.escribe.com/sports/derby/m47925.html

Just a few random thoughts on yesterday's Preakness. Many are mentioning the
similarities to what happened with Bet Twice and Alysheba in 1987. I just
want to mention that even though the horse is a domesticated animal, certain
instincts from the wild still persist. You can even see it in your house
pets such as cats. You know how they clean their faces by licking their lips
after they eat something? Well, in the wild, when they were evolving to
their present state, if the smell of food lingered on their skin, predators
would find them and they would become the food.
So, too, with horses. Their greatest fear is of falling and that
instinct remains firmly ingrained even today. For, in the wild, if they
fell, they would soon become prey.
So, the natural adrenaline was rushing with Afleet Alex at that point,
coupled with the fact that after he righted himself, his next instinct was
to get the hell away from there as fast as he could. Two factors were
working simultaneously.
Still, the heart, if you will, and the athleticism shown by Afleet Alex,
will go down in Triple Crown lore, as well it should. Also, Jeremy Rose, in
his instinctual move from fear, letting go of the reins and grabbing the
mane for all he was worth, freed Afleet Alex' head and allowed him to be all
horse, which was direly needed at that instant. So, two factors conspired to
avert a certain tragedy in the 130th Preakness Stakes.

.

fragile life is.
Sincerely,
Paul Daley
Lowell Sun

In some of the barns I've been through, a horse lying down is an instant call to the VET by the trainer, or trusted groom. On thier side , not in the position Lions sit in. Thats Ok. Many of them do that. However, particularly for older at horse at suffolk, when they lie down on thier side and lay thier head down, it's not a good sign. Its a very unnatural position for them. The amount of time they hold up that weight, on them legs , is mind boggling. I've been around the same Horse's for 30-45 days, and NEVER seen them lie down. It's amazing. You'd think they'd want to lie down...but instinct keeps them up. Thats some instinct.

[High Stakes]

A horse lying down flat with neck stretched out can signify trouble...or it can mean nothing more than that horse is just taking a sound nap.

Foals in the field do this frequently, although newborns can breath easier is a more upright position. Foals crash and stretch out in the sun sometimes a couple times a day.

Over the last 45 years of owning horses I've had a few that loved to stretch out flat and take a nap...very disconcerting. I paid for a couple vet calls until we learned their habits. I had one mare that got flat 2-3 times a week and after every time she shipped. She just loved to lie down. At shows we always had a panic stricken person coming to find us to tell us we had a very sick horse...NOT. She stayed sound and healthy til age 29 - must have been all the "rest" LOL! BTW, she died on her feet, of an aneurism.

OTOH, I've had some horses, including our breeding stallion, that I never caught lying down any time, any way. The morning I went to feed and the old boy was down in his stall I knew he was in serious trouble.

Of course it was instinct that brought Afleet Alex back up onto his feet - but it was athleticism and conditioning that allowed him to recover so quickly, and guts and determination that allowed him to keep his focus and continue his drive.

[Suff]

Good story (stuff). I like it.

I garbled my words because I can't type or spell for shit. I meant to say that the VET calls are done frequently at Suffolk Downs, because the population tends to be older & more beat up.

When a horse does lie down in the extended position Grooms are instructed to place thier ear on the body and listen to the heart rate. Slow and/or fast is not good. Slow is worse. Then take thier tempature. If both of these prove troublesome... The Vet is immediattely called, regardless of where the trainer is. In cheaper barns, they may, sponge the horse with cold water until they can reach the trainer. Frequently he's just clocking horses or at the racing office. But no one spends a penny, without a trainers OK.

What's the Vet do? Antibiotics & anti-inflammatories, commonly BUTE. A horse with some value they may use injectables. But most do not.

[JustRalph]

For five years I had horses basically in my back yard. Their pasture bordered my backyard. I watched them lay down all the time. Never any real problems, but the owner told me several times it always would bother him to see them down. He said the same thing about vet bills that were unneccessary.

[DJofSD]

Over the last 45 years of owning horses I've had a few that loved to stretch out flat and take a nap...very disconcerting. I paid for a couple vet calls until we learned their habits. I had one mare that got flat 2-3 times a week and after every time she shipped. She just loved to lie down. At shows we always had a panic stricken person coming to find us to tell us we had a very sick horse...NOT. She stayed sound and healthy til age 29 - must have been all the "rest"

One mare I had was like that too. She'd love to lay in the sun after eating breakfast.

One time not too long after I purchased her and when I boarded at a public stable, I had one of the stable hands turn her out every day while I was out of town on a business trip. The hand made it easy on herself by turning out my mare after breakfast into a riding arena before she started to muck out. The mare would lay down for the entire time it took to muck all the box stalls along the shed row. That is until one morning she heard a big commotion. A couple of kids had decided my horse was "sick" and needed to get up to her feet. She got up alright -- and decided it was a good time for a romp. She was squealing and buckin' and fartin' just because. The kids didn't know what was going on and then they found themselves the target of the stable hand's ire. 'What in the hell do you think the two of you are doing? Is that your horse? Get the hell out of there!'

It was funny just to hear the story when I got back into town. It must have been even funny to see it unfold.

DJofSD

[sniezer]

I don't agree with the statement that AA rebroke because of instinct or fear. I rode many races on bullrings where horses bolting on the turns was the norm.

The timid (fearful) horses would pull themselves up when they clipped heels. The tough horses would pin their ears, grab the bit and fight their way back into the race.


It takes alot to bring tears to my eyes, but when I saw AA pick himself up and take off........

[Lasix1]

So, the natural adrenaline was rushing with Afleet Alex at that point, coupled with the fact that after he righted himself, his next instinct was to get the hell away from there as fast as he could. Two factors were
working simultaneously.Still, the heart, if you will, and the athleticism shown by Afleet Alex, will go down in Triple Crown lore, as well it should.

Also, Jeremy Rose, in his instinctual move from fear, letting go of the reins and grabbing the mane for all he was worth, freed Afleet Alex' head and allowed him to be all horse, which was direly needed at that instant. So, two factors conspired to avert a certain tragedy in the 130th Preakness Stakes.

Thanks for posting that beautiful tribute to AA & Rose.

My wife, who in a past life both raised and rode horses, pointed this out within minutes of seeing the Preakness on television.

Someone just posted that even with all that trouble, AA still turned in a 112 Beyer. And the fortuitious change back to Rose when Valasquez jumped ship after the Rebel.

A case study for those moderns who no longer believe in fate, luck, and chance.

[Rferguson]

I'm not sure but it looked to me that after her recovered he did a change of stride akin to the ali shuffle.

[Suff]

. I rode many races on bullrings where horses bolting on the turns was the norm.


Your working The backside at Mnr Now? Just a stab in the dark, cuz your nick is sniezer.

Your not Larry Snider who rode at Pitt park, The meadows , Hazel Park, Commodore downs and the like, are you?

Good rider. You know him?

[CryingForTheHorses]

Good story (stuff). I like it.

I garbled my words because I can't type or spell for shit. I meant to say that the VET calls are done frequently at Suffolk Downs, because the population tends to be older & more beat up.

When a horse does lie down in the extended position Grooms are instructed to place thier ear on the body and listen to the heart rate. Slow and/or fast is not good. Slow is worse. Then take thier tempature. If both of these prove troublesome... The Vet is immediattely called, regardless of where the trainer is. In cheaper barns, they may, sponge the horse with cold water until they can reach the trainer. Frequently he's just clocking horses or at the racing office. But no one spends a penny, without a trainers OK.

What's the Vet do? Antibiotics & anti-inflammatories, commonly BUTE. A horse with some value they may use injectables. But most do not.

LMAO Suff...The horses at Suffolk Downs lie down because they cant walk!!...Too sore to stand!..I love to see my horses lie down,If you go back to your "old time" training,You want your horse to lie down,Shows they are relaxed and happy..Also can be a sign of colic,You just have to know the difference in seeing them stretched out.My filly when I give her fresh bedding, She rolls in it and stays down and has a snooze.

[sniezer]

Your working The backside at Mnr Now? Just a stab in the dark, cuz your nick is sniezer.

Your not Larry Snider who rode at Pitt park, The meadows , Hazel Park, Commodore downs and the like, are you?

Good rider. You know him?



No , I'm not Larry. His name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure from where. I've ridden at 20+ racetracks. I rode at Hazel Park with the bug the last year they ran TB's. So maybe that's where I've heard of him. I'd have to go dig out some old programs to know for sure. Commodore was reopened as Erie Downs in 86', maybe rode with him there.


I was going to post a link to some win pics I have on webshots, but I just read on another bb that it dumps spyware on viewers computers.

I did an album of when I was at DRC in the 80's. I labeled the pics by win pay to post on here. I've never seen anyone on here link to webshots, so I'm not sure if it's OK. Is it Ok? Anyone? PA?

[sniezer]

LMAO Suff...The horses at Suffolk Downs lie down because they cant walk!!...Too sore to stand!..



Very true. Alot of bodysore horses there from the deep track. It's hard on their legs too.

[KingChas]

A little instinct and a little helper?

Alex's Lemonade sales net $18K at Preakness

May 26, 2005
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The largest Preakness crowd in history helped Alex's Lemonade Stand raise $18,000 in charitable donations last Saturday, and a client of winning trainer Tim Ritchey donated another $10,000 to the cause.

The Pennsylvania-based charity had two stands at Pimlico Race Course during the Preakness, after collecting almost $11,000 earlier this month at the Kentucky Derby.

Alexandra ``Alex'' Scott was the 8-year-old founder of Alex's Lemonade Stand For Pediatric Cancer Research. Two days before her first birthday she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer.



She opened her first lemonade stand in July 2000 with the idea of donating the proceeds to finding a cure. She died on August 1, 2004, but before her death set a donations goal of $5 million for this year.

The charity moved closer to that number at the Preakness.

``It really is amazing,'' said Liz Scott, Alex's mom. ``We owe a tremendous amount of credit to the great people at Pimlico who helped put this together for us.''

Afleet Alex won the race, and the handlers of the 3-year-old colt donate a percentage of the horse's winnings to the charity.

This week, Huckleberry Farm, a client of Ritchey, donated $10,000.

Pimlico has also committed to having a stand on June 11, the date the Belmont Stakes will be run in New York. :( :)

Not advertising or changing course of thread but very touching-KC

[TOOZ]

What's not touching is that all that Pimlico did was allow the two stands. You think they could of threw in a few bucks on top of it. Even if they gave a dime for every paid admission, that would have been another 10 grand. I hope Maryland never gets slots, so the plug can finally be pulled on that dump.

[Suff]

No , I'm not Larry. His name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure from where. I've ridden at 20+ racetracks. I rode at Hazel Park with the bug the last year they ran TB's. So maybe that's where I've heard of him. I'd have to go dig out some old programs to know for sure. Commodore was reopened as Erie Downs in 86', maybe rode with him there.



I know who you are, I had just forgotten this was your users name on Paceadvantage. Were'nt you hanging with a Black Smith that knows me, or knew me? He's a character.
I talked to Pete today. He said hi. He tells me your first husband handled his book many moons ago.

[sniezer]

I know who you are, I had just forgotten this was your users name on Paceadvantage. Were'nt you hanging with a Black Smith that knows me, or knew me? He's a character.
I talked to Pete today. He said hi. He tells me your first husband handled his book many moons ago.


I forgot that my ex had Pete B's book. That was before I met him. I think it was Finger Lakes. He was my first and only husband. No more official papers for me!:faint:

Actually, my ex is a good guy. He's a good handicapper,too. Most successful agents I knew were good at it.

ok,way off topic

Back to Alex. I hope his connections want to run him more than one year. What a nice horse to follow.

[Achilles]

If you go to the Derby Digest archives and look at May 23's posts, there are a couple of posts from Carol Sinclair and Susan Ladmer. They are both involved (or perhaps were involved at another time) with TB racing. They have some very interesting comments on Tim Ritchey's background in 3-Day Eventing and how he applies it to TB racing, and on horse behavior that relates to fitness and racing.

[sniezer]

I read that he trains twice in the mornings and walks in the afternoon. Most trainers don't take them back out of their stalls once morning work is done.

I never trained a horse twice in the morning, but I would do alot of 3+4 mile jogs so the horses would be out of their stalls longer. The trainers stabled around me would complain when I put them on the walking machine in the afternoons. They said I was disturbing their horses. Oh well, my horses were happy.

The stress level goes way up on a horse when they're locked up 23hrs a day.

[Observer]

I find trainers with a show-horse background very interesting .. also including Michael Matz & Rodney Jenkins.

And I totally agree with keeping horses' minds active. They can get bored so easily.