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joanied
11-19-2009, 11:12 AM
I think Vietch did the right thing, scratching this mare. Nine years away from the track, 3 works and entered in a low claimer...IMO, this mare should not ever race again, and she wasn't supposed to.

http://drf.com/news/article/109010.html

rrbauer
11-19-2009, 11:22 AM
Three "published" works. You don't know what kind of racing condition the mare was in. Somebody thought she could run a little. She was 12-1 when they announced the scratch.

Show Me the Wire
11-19-2009, 11:24 AM
Three "published" works. You don't know what kind of racing condition the mare was in. Somebody thought she could run a little. She was 12-1 when they announced the scratch.


According to one interview, the trainer wagered a significant amount on her horse, hoping to make a score.

Post #24 at http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63853&page=2&pp=15

PaceAdvantage
11-19-2009, 06:42 PM
This begs the question...with such a diligent bunch of stewards working under the Twin Spires, how do all the other "name" trainers manage to get away with running their half-cripples whilst utilizing their myriad bag of tricks, joint injections, etc. etc. etc....

But they're all over this one-horse woman trainer?....funny stuff....:rolleyes:

I find this a bit abhorrent. If she has met all the requirements, why was the mare not allowed to run? Because the breeder who gave her the horse didn't think it was right? Because the mare hadn't run in years? Because she was "too old?"

None of these excuses fly...not with me anyway....and that's partly why this game is so messed up at times...they come down like a ton of bricks on this woman with her one horse, but they let the big names with the big stables get away with murder...

Robert Goren
11-19-2009, 06:49 PM
This begs the question...with such a diligent bunch of stewards working under the Twin Spires, how do all the other "name" trainers manage to get away with running their half-cripples whilst utilizing their myriad bag of tricks, joint injections, etc. etc. etc....

But they're all over this one-horse woman trainer?....funny stuff....:rolleyes:

I find this a bit abhorrent. If she has met all the requirements, why was the mare not allowed to run? Because the breeder who gave her the horse didn't think it was right? Because the mare hadn't run in years? Because she was "too old?"

None of these excuses fly...not with me anyway....and that's partly why this game is so messed up at times...they come down like a ton of bricks on this woman with her one horse, but they let the big names with the big stables get away with murder...:ThmbUp:

Show Me the Wire
11-19-2009, 06:57 PM
Trontz said Costello later contacted him to get the Jockey Club registry papers for the mare, assuring him it was for the purposes of entering her in a dressage event, so he gave her the papers.

Never intended to sell the old mare to be racing stock. He should not have released the papers, but he seems to suggest there was some duplicity on the part of our female trainer.

The seller should have put in the bill of sale restrictive language about racing elgibility and this fiasco would have been avoided.

illinoisbred
11-19-2009, 07:01 PM
Why did the stewards wait to take this action minutes from post-time? If they intended on ruling this way,couldn't they have called her and saved her the time, energy, embarassment,and money involved in vanning in to CD? They had to be aware of the circumstances involved earlier than race day. Its been a topic of discussion here since what, monday.

Show Me the Wire
11-19-2009, 07:05 PM
e-mail them your question. I think every one would be interested in the response.

More than likely they were not aware of the seller's original intention for the sale.

CryingForTheHorses
11-19-2009, 07:35 PM
This begs the question...with such a diligent bunch of stewards working under the Twin Spires, how do all the other "name" trainers manage to get away with running their half-cripples whilst utilizing their myriad bag of tricks, joint injections, etc. etc. etc....

But they're all over this one-horse woman trainer?....funny stuff....:rolleyes:

I find this a bit abhorrent. If she has met all the requirements, why was the mare not allowed to run? Because the breeder who gave her the horse didn't think it was right? Because the mare hadn't run in years? Because she was "too old?"

None of these excuses fly...not with me anyway....and that's partly why this game is so messed up at times...they come down like a ton of bricks on this woman with her one horse, but they let the big names with the big stables get away with murder...


I have to agree with you PA..This guy who owned the mare can say what he wants,Nothing was down on black and white..The mare had published works,The mare passed the vet prerace exam and the trainer is in good standing...Who are these people to say she cant run..The old owner sold her the mare,Its her's to do with what she wanted.The time and money spent not to mention the countless hours getting her ready..Age means nothing to a horse that is fit and well cared for.I havent heard anything to the contrary.I feel the lady was robbed of something that she would remember for the rest of her life..

JustRalph
11-19-2009, 07:37 PM
Why did the stewards wait to take this action minutes from post-time? If they intended on ruling this way,couldn't they have called her and saved her the time, energy, embarassment,and money involved in vanning in to CD? They had to be aware of the circumstances involved earlier than race day. Its been a topic of discussion here since what, monday.


They didn't read PaceAdvantage until the day before.............

Show Me the Wire
11-19-2009, 07:41 PM
They didn't read PaceAdvantage until the day before.............
:ThmbUp:

castaway01
11-19-2009, 07:43 PM
This begs the question...with such a diligent bunch of stewards working under the Twin Spires, how do all the other "name" trainers manage to get away with running their half-cripples whilst utilizing their myriad bag of tricks, joint injections, etc. etc. etc....

But they're all over this one-horse woman trainer?....funny stuff....:rolleyes:

I find this a bit abhorrent. If she has met all the requirements, why was the mare not allowed to run? Because the breeder who gave her the horse didn't think it was right? Because the mare hadn't run in years? Because she was "too old?"

None of these excuses fly...not with me anyway....and that's partly why this game is so messed up at times...they come down like a ton of bricks on this woman with her one horse, but they let the big names with the big stables get away with murder...

It's the PC thing to do---if this horse breaks down, PETA and people like Joanie on this site are all over it, protesting the inhumanity and cruelty of horse racing. After all, a horse running after a 9-year layoff does stand out a bit. It's a no-win situation for the track to let the horse run.

Show Me the Wire
11-19-2009, 07:45 PM
I have to agree with you PA..This guy who owned the mare can say what he wants,Nothing was down on black and white..The mare had published works,The mare passed the vet prerace exam and the trainer is in good standing...Who are these people to say she cant run..The old owner sold her the mare,Its her's to do with what she wanted.The time and money spent not to mention the countless hours getting her ready..Age means nothing to a horse that is fit and well cared for.I havent heard anything to the contrary.I feel the lady was robbed of something that she would remember for the rest of her life..

Maybe the seller knew the mare had screws in her knee/leg and the newly licensed trainer was not aware of that fact, or some similar scenario. The stewards made the correct decision erring on the side of safety of horses and jockeys.

tucker6
11-19-2009, 08:00 PM
It's the PC thing to do---if this horse breaks down, PETA and people like Joanie on this site are all over it, protesting the inhumanity and cruelty of horse racing. After all, a horse running after a 9-year layoff does stand out a bit. It's a no-win situation for the track to let the horse run.There are quite a few Joanies on the board, and you mis-state the point she and others make. Horse racing is not inhumane and cruel, just some of the people involved in it. There is an important distinction there.

Ian Meyers
11-19-2009, 08:15 PM
On May 8, 1997 Michael "The Mad Genius" Dickinson entered an 8YO named Business Is Boomin in a claiming race at Garden State. Once a promising 3YO that had run a close up 2nd to major SW Kiri's Clown, he was taking a dramatic drop in class facing 15K platers. That, in and of itself might not have been noteworthy except for the fact that Boomer as Dickinson called him, had last run five years previously.

Bet down to 6/5, he broke last of twelve, and after a half mile was eleven lengths from the lead in tenth place. A quarter of a mile later he was fifth, just two and a half lengths behind. By the time the field reached the quarter pole, he had surged to the front and began drawing far away going under the wire seven lengths clear. For an encore he won his next two, and finished 2nd, beaten a nose in the start after that. In his 5th start off the five year hiatus he re-injured himself and finished off-the-board.

Just to prove it was no fluke, he came back a year later to win one at Delaware at 9/5. :)

maxwell
11-19-2009, 08:39 PM
I don't think older horses should be allowed to race any longer unless they have won during the year. Starting with 10-year-olds strikes me as a good starting point. I believe 12 years of age is the end of the line for T-Breds?

I read about this story in the DRF. Yet another black eye for racing ... thank you very much. :blush:

OTM Al
11-19-2009, 10:20 PM
On May 8, 1997 Michael "The Mad Genius" Dickinson entered an 8YO named Business Is Boomin in a claiming race at Garden State. Once a promising 3YO that had run a close up 2nd to major SW Kiri's Clown, he was taking a dramatic drop in class facing 15K platers. That, in and of itself might not have been noteworthy except for the fact that Boomer as Dickinson called him, had last run five years previously.

Bet down to 6/5, he broke last of twelve, and after a half mile was eleven lengths from the lead in tenth place. A quarter of a mile later he was fifth, just two and a half lengths behind. By the time the field reached the quarter pole, he had surged to the front and began drawing far away going under the wire seven lengths clear. For an encore he won his next two, and finished 2nd, beaten a nose in the start after that. In his 5th start off the five year hiatus he re-injured himself and finished off-the-board.

Just to prove it was no fluke, he came back a year later to win one at Delaware at 9/5. :)

Genius in his own mind, not mine. Belived his own press a bit too much I think. Did a great job with A Huevo didn't he?

WinterTriangle
11-19-2009, 11:27 PM
This begs the question...with such a diligent bunch of stewards working under the Twin Spires, how do all the other "name" trainers manage to get away with running their half-cripples whilst utilizing their myriad bag of tricks, joint injections, etc. etc. etc....

...they come down like a ton of bricks on this woman with her one horse, but they let the big names with the big stables get away with murder...

Pretty much what I said in the original topic that was started earlier in the week in the handicapping forum:

Assuming she is in condition, she is likely safer now than she was at 2. Actually, 12 is not at all old for a horse. Usually breeding of these horses takes precedence over racing. Assuming the trainer is an ethical one, I can't wait to see how she does.

I'd like to see more 12 year olds racing than 2 year olds. You'd probably see less breakdowns.

I called a few of my friends, who are horsewomen. One of them used to race those 100 mile marathons. She told me that she'd also rather see a mature horse race than a 2 year old with barely developed musculoskelatal system, etc.

That said, I still think Ms. Costello may be dreaming a bit, was gonna place a huge wager on her horse (50-1) so she could get money together to start a stable. :) She also "galloped" on the horse and probably thought "wow, I have a racehorse".

And yes, the mare stood out because of it's age, and non-racing status. And I do not think Ms. Costello broke any rules.

However, nobody comes out smelling quite right here (to me). Not the stewards, not the (new) trainer who has never trained a horse, and not the ex breeder, who may have been looking to get rid of a pasture-bunny who won't breed.

But, we have *young* cripples being tapped and shot up daily, and nobody
protests.

I think if we're going to be fair, we need to be consistent. Either we have very thorough veterinary checks (like at Breeders Cup), and get the drugs out of racing---- or we cannot "pick and choose" which horses are okay to run, right? Otherswise, we are all hypocrites.


MAXWELL--actually 12 is not old for a horse IF it was well cared for, doesn't have stress and wear on joints, etc. Horses that are very sound, race in long distance races up into their 20's. Not here, of course, because all the years of being "shot up" with drugs ruins them.

But in the natural world, yes.

WinterTriangle
11-19-2009, 11:34 PM
Trontz said Costello later contacted him to get the Jockey Club registry papers for the mare, assuring him it was for the purposes of entering her in a dressage event, so he gave her the papers.

Never intended to sell the old mare to be racing stock. He should not have released the papers, but he seems to suggest there was some duplicity on the part of our female trainer.

The seller should have put in the bill of sale restrictive language about racing elgibility and this fiasco would have been avoided.

except, you don't need papers for dressage. :)

and which is why, all OTTB are not given or sold with papers. Because they are not to be raced.

Understand though, that is, as I said, because most have been shot up so much they aren't sound anymore, and have raced with performance enhancing drugs.

A horse who hasn't had a long life on the track is very likely to be sound, and if worked correctly, in condition.

I think we are all very conditioned by how racing is done in the US today. In reality, healthy thoroughbred horses don't need to go off to breeding sheds at 3 years old, nor are they broken down by the age of 3-5. We have created that.

Jackal
11-20-2009, 04:47 AM
CD stewards dropped the ball when she put the horses papers in her folder. Kathleen Costello should have been told the mare is 12 - no racing. Virtually every state requires horses to retire at 11.

I realize that some people use broodmare papers to get their first trainers license. I did the same to get my first license. But it was made clear to me by the stewards not to enter these horses - none were 10.

Show Me the Wire
11-20-2009, 10:45 AM
except, you don't need papers for dressage. :)



Didn't know that fact, maybe the seller didn't know either.

You think the seller wanted plausable deniability if the 12 year old mare broke down? I don't think so, rather it sounds like he didn't know the rules for entering dressage events.

I agree with Jackal the stewards dropped the ball.

joanied
11-20-2009, 07:44 PM
When I started this thread, I had no idea it would get so many replies...since I've been too busy lately to follow this story...seems it's bigger than I thought it was...

as far as those long distance races...they have them all the time out here in the West...my mother in law used to ride her Morgans in those 'races'...but the thing with those 'races' is, there are vet checks all along the routes...every 10 miles or so, horses must stop, get rested, drink water, and have a complete vet exam...we really cannot compare that to a real horse race...

true, older horses have less chance of breaking down because their bones ect are mature...I have no argument with that...but a 12 year old, IMO, is just a little too old to begin racing again...especially a horse that has been a broodmare for 9 years...I don't care wether or not she ever got in foal...she was a pasture horse for 9 years...now, being one of the very first women to work on the backside...I will always support women in racing, regardless of what capacity it is...but this woman, IMO, was taking a 'gift' she recieved from a man who obvioulsy took her at her word, that this mare would not become a race horse again...and is being quite 'greedy' to get her dream of being a trainer off the ground with an aged mare that hasn't seen a race track for 9 years...the stewards obviously saw something they didn't like...or found out something that set off the red flags...and 3 published works, after 9 years of just hanging out on a pasture, doesn't make this mare fit to race.
IMO...they did the right thing to scratch the mare...they maybe didn't use any 'tact' in doing so, but still, did the right thing.

And to those that put me in the same sentence as PETA...I may be a 'warm & fuzzy' type, I am always going to champion the welfare of the horse...but, please...PETA folks are wacko, radical sorts, IMO...please, do not even think that I am the same sort of person that the PETA folks are...dp not compare me to PETA!!!

tucker6
11-20-2009, 08:10 PM
PETA folks are wacko, radical sorts
amen bruddah!! :ThmbUp:

joanied
11-20-2009, 08:21 PM
Originally Posted by joanied
PETA folks are wacko, radical sorts



amen bruddah!! :ThmbUp:

:lol: thanks, tucker6...notice I used 'IMO' :)

Show Me the Wire
11-20-2009, 08:23 PM
You don't have to say "imo', they, PETA, are self admitted radicals and committ radical acts.

tucker6
11-20-2009, 08:23 PM
Originally Posted by joanied
PETA folks are wacko, radical sorts





:lol: thanks, tucker6...notice I used 'IMO' :)
IMO, you get a :ThmbUp:

toetoe
11-21-2009, 01:11 AM
PETA and people like Joanie on this site are all over it,


Madam,

You are a rat. As often as I disagree with joanie d., I respect her right to her views, which views you will never be able to accurately predict. It's also very poor form to group her with the PETAphiles. :ThmbDown: :ThmbDown:
So, please take it back.

toetoe
11-21-2009, 01:14 AM
A Huevo



Thanks for straightening me out, Al. This is the horse I always think of when I see Ah Day. :ThmbUp: .

toussaud
11-21-2009, 01:17 AM
According to one interview, the trainer wagered a significant amount on her horse, hoping to make a score.

Post #24 at http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63853&page=2&pp=15 a cool 200 bucks.

WinterTriangle
11-21-2009, 02:07 AM
now, being one of the very first women to work on the backside...

Why I always treasure your opinions, Joanied. ;)

And to those that put me in the same sentence as PETA...I may be a 'warm & fuzzy' type, I am always going to champion the welfare of the horse.

Glad you brought this up. "Caring about the welfare of animals" shouldn't, and doesn't, put anyone in a group with ARs and radicals.

As for "Forky's race", it all turned out for the best. It was all way too convoluted and not above-board enough for anyone to give a green light. BTW, I hear costello is keeping Forky in training.

Show Me the Wire
11-21-2009, 02:31 AM
a cool 200 bucks.

I guess we have to fact check WinterTriangle's postings. ;)

kenwoodallpromos
11-21-2009, 06:10 AM
Veitch said nothing about age of the horse, basically said stewards' discretion, (afraid the horse would get injured?), and would try to get Costello "reinbursed for her expenses". I did not know trainers get reinbursed for discretionary decisions, but I know it happens in business lots.
My question is, if a brand new trainer gets 3 published works for her 12 year old horse, doesn't the track know who is coming in? My guess is, they purposely waited until minutes before the race so it will be too late for Costello to protest, like if the horse was not allowed on the grounds at all or not allowed to work.
Of course, the cynical viewpoint is they are favoring men and big shot trainers.

wisconsin
11-21-2009, 10:22 AM
People can say all they want, armchair this thing into the ground. Why don't we ever here any grousing about those 7 year old first time starters, or even more dramatic, running a mare while she is in foal?

Robert Fischer
11-21-2009, 11:34 AM
i don't know what the hell happened , i'm just reading articles.

the fact that the breeder opposed this situation was powerful.

the person tried to do something unorthodox which is often made difficult

toussaud
11-21-2009, 11:47 AM
the most amazing thing to me is the idiocy of the betters.

she went from a 50 to 1 morning line to being 14 to 1 at the time of being scratched.

god I love churchill.

JustRalph
11-21-2009, 12:56 PM
the most amazing thing to me is the idiocy of the betters.

she went from a 50 to 1 morning line to being 14 to 1 at the time of being scratched.

god I love churchill.


Reminds me of the cartoon where the guy notices a cow entered in a horse race.............. he says

"this must be some cow, somebody thought enough of her to enter her, I gotta put a few bucks on her"

I am doing that from memory..........but you know somebody thought she could run............. :bang: :bang:

joanied
11-21-2009, 01:28 PM
You don't have to say "imo', they, PETA, are self admitted radicals and committ radical acts.

:eek: Are you kidding...after our front line battle...I will always cover my butt...IMO...it's the thing to do;)

I never hold a grudge:jump:

joanied
11-21-2009, 01:30 PM
Madam,

You are a rat. As often as I disagree with joanie d., I respect her right to her views, which views you will never be able to accurately predict. It's also very poor form to group her with the PETAphiles. :ThmbDown: :ThmbDown:
So, please take it back.

Thank you:)

Track Collector
11-21-2009, 01:32 PM
I don't think older horses should be allowed to race any longer unless they have won during the year. Starting with 10-year-olds strikes me as a good starting point. I believe 12 years of age is the end of the line for T-Breds?

I read about this story in the DRF. Yet another black eye for racing ... thank you very much. :blush:

Arizona I believe allows advanced-age race horses to run the next year provided that they show at least one win in the current year. If my memory serves me correctly, the article I read cited a thoroughbred who had won as a 15-year old, and was returning to race at 16.

joanied
11-21-2009, 01:35 PM
Why I always treasure your opinions, Joanied. ;)



Glad you brought this up. "Caring about the welfare of animals" shouldn't, and doesn't, put anyone in a group with ARs and radicals.

As for "Forky's race", it all turned out for the best. It was all way too convoluted and not above-board enough for anyone to give a green light. BTW, I hear costello is keeping Forky in training.

Thanks, Winter T...
Can you post the complete name of this mare...if you know it...please. I can't seem to find an article about this story with the mares name.
Or maybe someone else knows her name?

CryingForTheHorses
11-21-2009, 03:11 PM
Thanks, Winter T...
Can you post the complete name of this mare...if you know it...please. I can't seem to find an article about this story with the mares name.
Or maybe someone else knows her name?



Grand Forks is her name Joanied and the story is on a link in the first post...

toussaud
11-21-2009, 05:01 PM
she breezed a cool 5F in 1:06 and change today.

joanied
11-21-2009, 05:40 PM
Thanks for posting her latest 'work'...1:06...my God.

This mare doesn't even have a full pedigree:
http://www.pedigreequery.com/grand+banks I'm sorry, but I find this entire 'story' rather disturbing.

johnhannibalsmith
11-21-2009, 05:57 PM
Arizona I believe allows advanced-age race horses to run the next year provided that they show at least one win in the current year. If my memory serves me correctly, the article I read cited a thoroughbred who had won as a 15-year old, and was returning to race at 16.

You probably are thinking of Hermosillo - a gelding that had campaigned primarily between age nine and twelve in AZ but reached lore for his elderly campaign primarily in Wyoming.

nearco
11-21-2009, 05:59 PM
Thanks for posting her latest 'work'...1:06...my God.



Not sure why people are intent on posting misinformation.
The info is readily available on the DRF (http://drf.com/static/workouts/21/wCD21.html) .
4f Grand Forks :50.80 B 34

toussaud
11-21-2009, 06:09 PM
Not sure why people are intent on posting misinformation.
The info is readily available on the DRF (http://drf.com/static/workouts/21/wCD21.html) .
4f Grand Forks :50.80 B 34

lol, like that's GOOD.

she probably was clocked galloping out at 5F in 1:06 and change

tholl
11-21-2009, 06:27 PM
Thanks for posting her latest 'work'...1:06...my God.

This mare doesn't even have a full pedigree:
http://www.pedigreequery.com/grand+banks I'm sorry, but I find this entire 'story' rather disturbing.

Thats not her pedigree. Her name is Grand Forks not Grand Banks.

kenwoodallpromos
11-21-2009, 07:09 PM
Thats not her pedigree. Her name is Grand Forks not Grand Banks.
Daddy is same one as Real Quiet's. good dosage.
If the trainer just wanted to train, couldn't she just lease a horse? What was GF's selling price to her? Was she gate training decent?

PaceAdvantage
11-22-2009, 02:30 AM
Thanks for posting her latest 'work'...1:06...my God.

This mare doesn't even have a full pedigree:
http://www.pedigreequery.com/grand+banks I'm sorry, but I find this entire 'story' rather disturbing.

http://www.pedigreequery.com/grand+forks

WinterTriangle
11-22-2009, 02:44 AM
I guess we have to fact check WinterTriangle's postings. ;)

Huh? What did I miss? ;)


as you mentioned, trainer said in the interview she was going to put a decent wager on Forky so she could "build a stable". (I guess she wasn't expecting it to be bet down to 17-1 or whatever it ended up at before the scratch.)

Would $200 to win on a 50-1 horse make enough $ to build a stable? If Forky stayed 50-1 that would have paid $102 to win. I come out with $10,200. :)

I wonder who else was betting that horse down? I didn't have a wager on him. :)

I might wager him next out though. If the horse has half the tenacity (and guile) of his trainer, he just might get up to the wire before the others.


BTW, for those of you who love the oldsters, I've been watching this 10 year old, King of Speed. He's racing at Fairgrounds tomorrow, race 8. He came in 3rd last out!

joanied
11-22-2009, 12:59 PM
Thats not her pedigree. Her name is Grand Forks not Grand Banks.

Oppppsss:blush: :blush: my bad:faint:

She does have a pretty good pedigree...but...I stand by my opinion...after 9 years in a pasture, and the fact the original owner said he'd sell the mare as a dressage prospect, not a race horse...this mare has no business racing...and Costello is so hell bent on training, she is willing to do this...IMO, it just ain't right:ThmbDown:

Show Me the Wire
11-22-2009, 03:04 PM
Huh? What did I miss? ;)
.................................................. .................................................
BTW, for those of you who love the oldsters, I've been watching this 10 year old, King of Speed. He's racing at Fairgrounds tomorrow, race 8. He came in 3rd last out!

Nothing really. The poster questioned my posting which referred to your post containing the iformation gleemed from an interview with the trainer.

It was humor about fact checking the source of the information.

WinterTriangle
11-22-2009, 05:07 PM
BTW, for those of you who love the oldsters, I've been watching this 10 year old, King of Speed. He's racing at Fairgrounds tomorrow, race 8. He came in 3rd last out!

Following up: went off at 8/5 in field of 6 (lots of scratches).

and won. :) Paid $5.40.

So, I don't have a problem with oldsters racing, if they are in condition and hitting the board consistently, which he does. It's not about *age*.


(I do have a problem with a young promising horse who runs with the best, in big stakes races----never hits the board except once----then continues to drop down----from a triple crown nominee----- to the lowest claiming levels-----in which they also continue to lose---- then dies on the track. I'm going to post about it later, because I want to get ya'll opinion about when the time is to take a horse off the track and give it another career.)

andymays
11-22-2009, 06:15 PM
Grand Forks works but faces another hurdle to running


http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/trackside/2009/11/grand-forks-works-but-faces-another.html

Excerpt:

Grand Forks, the 12-year-old mare who was scratched in the paddock last Wednesday before what would have been her first race in nine years, worked Saturday morning at Churchill Downs to the satisfaction of chief state veterinarian Bryce Peckham.

However, the Churchill stewards afterward said Grand Forks cannot be entered for a race until tests on blood taken from the mare after the workout are completed. That is expected to be no earlier than Friday. The meet ends Saturday with an all-2-year-old card.

Costello was hoping to run Grand Forks in a $5,000 claiming race Friday. But entries for that card are taken Tuesday, the day the University of Florida is expected to receive the blood for testing.

"As far as the horse, I feel great," Costello said shortly after the workout, in which Grand Forks went a half mile in 50 4/5 seconds under jockey Bonnie Castaneda. "With the situation I'm in, I'm extremely upset. I feel I'm basically being railroaded out of Churchill."

kenwoodallpromos
11-22-2009, 06:21 PM
Mandatory speed requirement for a work? They must think she has to illegally drugged up just to work halfway decent! This sounds more and more like GF has to run a steeplechase in the racing office prior to running on the flat!LOL!!

Grand Forks works but faces another hurdle to running


http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/trackside/2009/11/grand-forks-works-but-faces-another.html

Excerpt:

Grand Forks, the 12-year-old mare who was scratched in the paddock last Wednesday before what would have been her first race in nine years, worked Saturday morning at Churchill Downs to the satisfaction of chief state veterinarian Bryce Peckham.

However, the Churchill stewards afterward said Grand Forks cannot be entered for a race until tests on blood taken from the mare after the workout are completed. That is expected to be no earlier than Friday. The meet ends Saturday with an all-2-year-old card.

Costello was hoping to run Grand Forks in a $5,000 claiming race Friday. But entries for that card are taken Tuesday, the day the University of Florida is expected to receive the blood for testing.

"As far as the horse, I feel great," Costello said shortly after the workout, in which Grand Forks went a half mile in 50 4/5 seconds under jockey Bonnie Castaneda. "With the situation I'm in, I'm extremely upset. I feel I'm basically being railroaded out of Churchill."

kenwoodallpromos
11-22-2009, 06:34 PM
I see the winner of GF's race paid $33.50! WOW! A 17-1 horse could not possibly compete in a race won by a horse at 15-1 odds!!LOL!! :lol:

CBedo
11-22-2009, 06:40 PM
It sure seems that all the news stories make her out to the be the innocent mistreated one in this story. I'd sure like to know more about the seemingly underhanded way she obtained the horse and the papers to be able to get her license and to get to the track.

Robert Fischer
11-22-2009, 07:04 PM
a 9yo kicked my A today
worst thing was I saw his back form and wrote his 2009 season off to "declining due to age"

:(

WinterTriangle
11-22-2009, 07:11 PM
It sure seems that all the news stories make her out to the be the innocent mistreated one in this story.

She is being held to a rather high standard, given that there are any number of cripples running and breaking down on tracks weekly, and other trainer hi-jinks stories we all know about---whose horses aren't required to run under a veterinarian's watch, etc.

I think this is just CDX using this horse as an example of how "thorough" they are, so that everyone will think racing must really be on the up-and-up, and all the track officials are warm-fuzzy horsie lovers, looking out for the welfare of horses, jockeys, and the betting public. Forky is just a vehicle for them now.

The whole thing smacks of hypocrisy to me, regardless of any wrongs committed by this trainer (and which I'm not supporting her in, either).

At any rate, there's enough mistreatment here to go around.... nobody will be left out. :lol:

joanied
11-24-2009, 06:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WinterTriangle
except, you don't need papers for dressage.


Just caught this, Winter T...actually you do need papers to enter any horse in any sanctioned event...from dressage to calf roping to Pleasure events.

:)

nearco
11-25-2009, 01:29 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WinterTriangle
except, you don't need papers for dressage.


Just caught this, Winter T...actually you do need papers to enter any horse in any sanctioned event...from dressage to calf roping to Pleasure events.

:)

No you don't. You could win an Olympic gold medal in dressage with a horse without any known pedigree or papers. Plenty have in the past. The only thing required would be a passport from your NGB.

WinterTriangle
12-10-2009, 04:46 PM
BTW, for those of you who love the oldsters, I've been watching this 10 year old, King of Speed. He's racing at Fairgrounds tomorrow, race 8. He came in 3rd last out!

{11/23/09}Following up: went off at 8/5 in field of 6

and won. :) Paid $5.40.

So, I don't have a problem with oldsters racing, if they are in condition and hitting the board consistently, which he does. It's not about *age*.

My old man favorite won again! King of Speed, Fairgrounds R6, paid $7.60 today. :jump:

joanied
12-10-2009, 06:12 PM
My old man favorite won again! King of Speed, Fairgrounds R6, paid $7.60 today. :jump:

Hey Winter T...way to go:ThmbUp: :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

you also mentioned..."It's not about *age*."...that is right...it's about conditioning...and getting back to the original thread topic...about a horse being away from the track for 9 years...so, if this Costello gal wants to run Grand Forks, that mare would need a few months, IMO, to really get into race condition...which leads me to asking...have you seen anything on Costello and Grand Forks recently? I can't seem to find anything.

PS...I'm sure you know the 'other' old man is running Sat. @ Hollywood:jump:

WinterTriangle
12-10-2009, 06:49 PM
I'm taking King of Speed out of my stable for a little while, having won on him twice in a row now, I figure I better not push my luck. :)



Grand Forks is working at TB Training Center: a bit faster than he than his workouts before that race where they scratched him at Churchill:

The Thoroughbred Center12/08/09http://www.equibase.com/images/spc.gifDirt5F1:03.00BreezingRank 1/6 (http://www.equibase.com/static/workout/TTC120809USA-EQB.html)

Keeneland12/01/09http://www.equibase.com/images/spc.gifAll Weather Track5F1:03.40BreezingRank 11/11 (http://www.equibase.com/static/workout/KEE120109USA-EQB.html)

joanied
12-10-2009, 08:50 PM
I'm taking King of Speed out of my stable for a little while, having won on him twice in a row now, I figure I better not push my luck. :)



Grand Forks is working at TB Training Center: a bit faster than he than his workouts before that race where they scratched him at Churchill:

The Thoroughbred Center12/08/09http://www.equibase.com/images/spc.gifDirt5F1:03.00BreezingRank 1/6 (http://www.equibase.com/static/workout/TTC120809USA-EQB.html)

Keeneland12/01/09http://www.equibase.com/images/spc.gifAll Weather Track5F1:03.40BreezingRank 11/11 (http://www.equibase.com/static/workout/KEE120109USA-EQB.html)

Thanks Winter T...appreciate that:) ...looks like she has shaved about 3 seconds off her last works... obviously,I am very interested in following this mare. Thanks again!