Page 25 - February 2007 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper The Game, February 2007 25
Ghostzapper Foal Born at Adena Springs North
The first Canadian foal by 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper was born on January 12 at 9:58 pm at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs North in Aurora, Ontario. The newborn was 8 days when this photo was taken on January 20, 2007.
Weighing in at 122lbs, the colt, out of the G3- placed winning mare, Dash for Money, by General Meeting, was the
second foal by Ghostzapper in North America; the first was born 2 days earlier in Kentucky. Ghostzapper currently stands at Adena Springs Kentucky for $150,000.
As of January 20, Adena Springs North had had four foals arrive; 2 fillies and 2 colts.
One of the fillies is also by Ghostzapper out of a Devil’s Bag mare, Buy the Sports and the second filly is by Alphabet Soup. A colt by Awesome Again, out of the Stakes winning mare, Moonlight Affair was only hours old upon my visit. Both Alphabet Soup and Awesome Again are also Stronach owned stallions in Kentucky.
The Mystery of Horseracing
A Head at the Wire
As 1974 proceeded, my racing education kept pace with the rhythms of track life. My assortment of mounts covered the spectrum of the young, the nervous and the eccentric. I was thrilled whenever I was offered a clean legged horse, only to discover that most of them were on the nerved list. I was aware that horseracing was one of the most dangerous sports in our culture; the uninformed masses probably assumed that racehorses were sound. What then were my personal odds? I decided that only a thorough under-
standing of my mounts
could possibly tip the scales
in my favour.
Igottoknowallofmy
horses in the morning,
gauging their running styles,
their preferences and their
way of going. A horse with a
calcified ankle doesn’t
move like a smooth-flowing
two year old but they’re
capable of competing and
visiting the winner’s circle.
Their training program is an intricate balance of staying fit and staying sound. Some trainers specialize in keeping these old warriors racing. I soon learned who was good at it and enjoyed working with them. It was often said that this type of trainer had to break down a sound horse before he could train him. I don’t know if that was true but I under- stood their frustration when they had a sound horse that couldn’t (or wouldn’t) run a lick. One of these, a grey gelding named IthoughtIcould, had me stumped after finishing a dismal last. I shrugged my shoulders when the trainer asked what happened. ‘IthoughtIcould’ but ‘IthinkIcan’t’ was all I could offer. This type of horse defies understanding, lacking the will to play the racing game.
In sharp contrast to the reluctant grey, One Man Short was one of the game old veterans. I rarely finished worse than third on him and it wasn’t unusual for the show payoff to be the shortest on the board as his loyal fans knew how reliable he was. One day as I warmed him up for a race, I felt some- thing different in his stride. I jogged him for the track vet who just shook his head and said that was his normal way of going. I couldn’t convince the vet that this wasn’t typical as the difference in his stride was something you couldn’t see; it was something you could feel. The old gelding ran a game race for the first half-mile and then faded. It was his final race.
Meanwhile, The Heckler was training well. His bow was hard and he’d had several 6 furlong sprints to get him racing fit. Several days before the perfect race, 1 1/16 miles, non-winners of the year, he put in
a particularly sharp gallop. He was so sharp that I couldn’t get him to calm down for the trip back along the outside rail. As he snorted, I was afraid he was going to re-injure his bowed leg, so I jumped off and walked him along the asphalt road to the barn. Seeing me leading the horse, the trainer, Bobby Venezia, immediately thought the worst. I couldn’t reassure
The Heckler’s first win
him until we were within earshot but he was relieved to know the problem was over-exuberance and not an injury.
Several days later, we were in the starting gate for the distance race. I knew I was on the best in this 12 horse field, I just had to get this seasoned 8 year old close enough to be within striking distance at the wire. We had a clean, fast break
The tenth in a series of real life stories by Paddy Head majeek05@hotmail.com
but ever the gentleman, Heckler let the rest of the field go ahead. With nothing but air between me and the inside rail, I asked him to drop in and save ground for the clubhouse turn. Heckler stubbornly refused, travelling in the centre of the track. Tears stung my eyes as I realized that I wasn’t going to have any say in how the race would unfold. In total frustration, I surrendered, letting him do whatever he wanted. At the half-mile pole, as was his habit, we’d passed several tiring horses. With two horses on the inside for the final turn, Heckler continued his path in the centre of the track. At the head of the stretch, only three horses remained in front of us.
On cue, I reached back and cracked him once with the whip and then put it away. The Heckler changed his lead and continued on his way. I shortened my reins and felt him take a hold and lengthen his stride. Handriding, I shortened my reins again at the 1/16 pole and we passed two horses. Another inch shorter on the reins and The Heckler picked up his head and flew by the last remaining horse. We passed under the wire a length ahead.
I cried again, only this time, tears of joy. The whole barn crew awaited us back at the winner’s circle. Bobbie Venezia reached up and shook my hand. “You finally decided to do it his way, huh?”
Never would I have believed that by sitting still and taking a hold down the stretch, could I win a race. Once again, I learned to improve the odds by knowing my mount’s preference. Ah, the mystery of horseracing!
Son of Sky Classic off to a Strong Start in England
By Nigel Griffiths
You won’t find many horses by Sky Classic racing over in England or Ireland, but one that has settled in well is, Is It Me.
Bought at Keeneland and resold as a 2 year-old at Doncaster Bloodstock Sales (UK) in 2005, he was bought by trainer Paul Blockley, based at Lambourn in Berkshire.
Although getting in the frame a few times, he didn’t manage to win at two, but showed promise all the same. As a 3 year-old he won over 12 furlongs at Catterick on firm ground. The decision was then made to send him over hurdles, one that paid dividends, as he won his next five races on the bounce, all at around 17 furlongs.
He was tried at G2 level at Cheltenham on good/soft ground where he finished down the field and then given a well deserved break.
“He’s quite small for a hurdler, so we thought carrying large weights may be a problem, but as his form shows he is very tough,” commented Blockley. "He adapted brilliantly to hurdles and loves his jumping. Fast ground really is the key to him and he’s a very enthusiastic, strong willed horse who just gallops from start to finish, you can’t make him go any faster or slower, a lovely horse. He's done all this still as a colt, so we’re very hopeful for his prospects this year when the firm ground returns. We would definitely look at other Sky Classic horses.”
4-year-old (20 Apr 2003) chestnut colt, Is It Me (Sky Classic (CAN) - Thea (GER), by Surumu (GER); Trainer: Paul Blockley; Owner: J T Billson; Breeder: Audley Farm Inc.
Foal Behavioural Study
By Eleanor LeBlanc
A foal behavioural study conducted by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research at the request of the French National Stud Farm has yielded some interesting results. The study has identified 9 tests that can be conducted on young horses to help determine likely adult temperaments which can be beneficial when deciding if a foal is cut-out for the kind of life its owner has planned for it.
The study was conducted on 350 horses over a four year period, utilizing tests that measured different aspects of temperament such as general levels of activity, fear responses, social motivations and reactions to humans. The study found that accurate testing could be done on foals as young as 8 months old. Tests were divided into two
categories, passive and active, and testing parameters were refined and narrowed down by virtue of their ease of performance and reliability. The study suggests a foal’s reactions to the 9 tests can be a good indicator of the adult horse’s temperament. They are:
• Open an umbrella in front of the foal and watch how far it retreats.
• Put a sheet on the ground between the foal and its dinner. Does the animal go around or over it?
• Touch the foal around its withers with a fine filament and see how much the muscles quiver. Some horses will always quiver, while others will not react at all.
• Put two foals together, then remove one for 80 seconds. Analyze the other's reaction.
• Stand still in front of the foal for 90 seconds and observe its behaviour.
• Assess how easy it is to put on a halter. Is it moving around, biting, or sniffing?
• Touch the foal's hind quarters and watch whether its stomach muscles contract.
• Measure the foal's reaction when put in an unknown stable.
• Assess the foal's general activity levels throughout the tests.
Two profiles emerged from assessing the results of testing. Horses that showed less fear of humans, and were less active and easier to handle, were more likely to make good pleasure riding horses. More fearful, active and socially motivated horses who proved more difficult to handle would be better suited to riding sports and would benefit from being handled by more experienced horse people.