Posted by Avram Freedberg
One of the names was disallowed and there has been positive and negative feedback. So, here’s the current name game:
Yes it’s True – Vision Quest: It's Truly Ahvee.
Midas Eyes – Uno Dos: Cricky's GoldenEyes
We have to decide by week’s end if we’re going to nominate either or both to the Ocala April sale and have until the 15th to decide on the May Baltimore sale that takes place a few days after the Preakness. Linda is going to Florida mid-week and will give her opinion on both horses, so we can make a decision… at least about the first sale.
Pat says Ahvee’s Destiny is doing well but the growth of new hoof was impeded by the very cold weather. She probably won’t go back into training for at least another 30 days and, initially, they’ll try letting her run barefoot for a while, so as not to interrupt her progress. Being with Rachel Alexandra made me pine away for Ahvee’s Destiny, even more than I had been.
BTW, some people have asked if Rachel was our horse. All I can say that I fantasize about having a horse like Rachel. She is owned by Jess Jackson and his friend Harold McCormick. They purchased her for a reported $10 Million after she won the Kentucky Oaks by over 20 lengths.
Best,
A.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Dead Last
Posted by Avram Freedberg
Arielle’s song got a good start but had a very rough trip. First, Larry Colmus, the race caller said she was in tight quarters. Then, he said she was tough to handle. Finally, coming around the stretch turn, she was totally interfered with by a horse cutting in front of her and she had to be taken. Of course, she was already in the back of the pack. So “taking her up” meant she ended up last.
Linda Rice felt the jockey, Cornelio Velasquez, took too tight a hold of her and she was fighting him all the way. I guess he was trying to make sure she did not burn herself out, as she did in her last race when she ran a very fast opening quarter mile. This time she tired out fighting him and the other horses, who were all over the place. I hope Linda brings her back to race soon.
Holy Blitzer works out tomorrow. Hear the Footsteps and Conseated Lady will work again shortly. Hopefully, they will get to race next month. Katy is doing well in Florida and should progress soon to a race too.
Pat Hoppel’s recommendation is to race the 2-yr old colts because the sales market is so bad right now. Nonetheless, I want to get them race ready (or at least a fast 1/8th ready) by April. Linda is not known for bringing 2-yr.olds along quickly. She had a brilliant 2-yr. old multiple stakes winner, City Zip. So, I asked her how she got that horse along so early. The unfortunate answer is she got City Zip after his first race. So, others prepared the horse early. I’m hoping Pat will do that with these two colts who will be named Ehmet (for the Yes It’s True colt) and Midas for the Midas Eyes. True Vision (for the Yes It’s True) was the leading selection with 4 picks by the group but the name was already registered with the Jockey Club. These names don’t show as registered but we still need to get confirmation from the Jockey Club. By the way, Ehmet means truth in Hebrew.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts on the names. I hope you found it a fun exercise.
More to come!
Best,
A.
Visit the Official Avram Freedberg website!
Arielle’s song got a good start but had a very rough trip. First, Larry Colmus, the race caller said she was in tight quarters. Then, he said she was tough to handle. Finally, coming around the stretch turn, she was totally interfered with by a horse cutting in front of her and she had to be taken. Of course, she was already in the back of the pack. So “taking her up” meant she ended up last.
Linda Rice felt the jockey, Cornelio Velasquez, took too tight a hold of her and she was fighting him all the way. I guess he was trying to make sure she did not burn herself out, as she did in her last race when she ran a very fast opening quarter mile. This time she tired out fighting him and the other horses, who were all over the place. I hope Linda brings her back to race soon.
Holy Blitzer works out tomorrow. Hear the Footsteps and Conseated Lady will work again shortly. Hopefully, they will get to race next month. Katy is doing well in Florida and should progress soon to a race too.
Pat Hoppel’s recommendation is to race the 2-yr old colts because the sales market is so bad right now. Nonetheless, I want to get them race ready (or at least a fast 1/8th ready) by April. Linda is not known for bringing 2-yr.olds along quickly. She had a brilliant 2-yr. old multiple stakes winner, City Zip. So, I asked her how she got that horse along so early. The unfortunate answer is she got City Zip after his first race. So, others prepared the horse early. I’m hoping Pat will do that with these two colts who will be named Ehmet (for the Yes It’s True colt) and Midas for the Midas Eyes. True Vision (for the Yes It’s True) was the leading selection with 4 picks by the group but the name was already registered with the Jockey Club. These names don’t show as registered but we still need to get confirmation from the Jockey Club. By the way, Ehmet means truth in Hebrew.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts on the names. I hope you found it a fun exercise.
More to come!
Best,
A.
Visit the Official Avram Freedberg website!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
In 2010, we took a little trip, to visit Rachel Alexandra and the mighty Mississipp(i)...
Posted by Avram Freedberg
I put on my sunglasses as we neared the airport to go home. I had to say that I used them at least once! Nonetheless, we were pretty lucky. Though it was very cold when we arrived on Friday, the rain held off until evening, so we got to take a buggy ride through the French Quarter, eat our Beignets, walk around a bit and visit Rachel in her stall at the Fairgrounds Race Course before the rains came. We even found an Iranian named Naghi, who had several storefronts in the French Quarter, one of which had an Israeli woman named Etti behind the counter. She tried to set us up with the New Orleans Chabad for Sabbath services and a meal. We would have gone but for the rain.
They must love to cook in the South because our trips to Charleston and now New Orleans have been filled with great food. The food was always good (except at Fairground Race Course, though they did cook some great smelling oats for the horses)! GW Fin, Antoine’s and Commander’s Palace all had at least one outstanding selection.
The impetus for this trip was the opportunity to spend time with 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra (the Eclipse Awards were presented last night. We thought Zenyatta would win because many media polls showed her to be the favorite, but Rachel pulled it out). We got to see her on Friday and snuggle her in her barn and stall. Then, we froze out extremities (and other body parts) when we saw her jog and gallop at 6:30 AM on a frigid, windy Sunday morning. Finally, we got some more snuggling on Monday at the barn before our departure (and after we watched and lost on four races at Fairgrounds). Amy Kearns was our “handler.” She did a great job shepherding us around, including picking us up at 5:40 AM on Sunday and taking us to the track and the airport yesterday.
Arielle’s Song is entered to race in Florida on Friday. I wanted to go because there are many friends and family I have re-connected with after30+ years that I’d like to see. However, Linda doesn’t think she will finish on top of this one and is using it as a further conditioning race. Nonetheless, despite the wonderful name she carries, if Arielle’s Song doesn’t start to perform soon, she will go the way of Ofcr. Sheila T Rex. Conseated Lady is also most likely to follow that path, since she had an awful workout recently. She was “coming out” as she ran. This indicates a recurrence of a physical ailment. As for visiting Florida, we decided to pass, since we have been doing so much traveling and are going to Israel in a few weeks. Hopefully, we’ll get another chance in March or April. I miss Ahvee’s Destiny.
Thank you all for all the name suggestions for both the Yes It’s True and Midaeyes colts. (BTW, we bet on an unraced Yes It’s True colt at Fairgrounds who was never in the race.) No name got more than three votes. I intend to make a decision this week and will let everyone know. Please don’t feel badly if your selection is not used.
Hear the Footsteps had a nice workout last week. Hopefully, he will get to the races soon. Katy’s Office Girl had an average workout last week in Florida.
All the best,
A.
To see more photos
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Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Care to help?
Posted by Avram Freedberg
Wish luck to Lois and Dave, friends who are having serious surgery this week. We look forward to seeing them well and strong very soon. Rob’s shoulder surgery went well (if you call being in a lot of pain “well.”) Barb is going to Boston to consult physicians there. Dom has his by-pass consultation on Friday. Jay had relapse of his serious blood disorder. Oy! There’s too much of this sort of thing going around.
We are lucky enough to be going to New Orleans for the first time to visit the 3-yr. old filly champion and our pick for horse of the year, Rachel Alexandra, on Friday. In the meantime, Linda says we should name the yearlings turned 2-yr olds now, even if we send them to the sales ring in April. Below you will find two lists of possible names. Please choose your favorite or suggest a new one. If we get an overwhelming response to a particular name, it will be the one for each horse.
We also need to choose a summer rental for Saratoga. The three choice are the 5-bedroom with pool place we’ve rented for the last two years for two weeks and if we have to come back if one of our horses is racing, they’ll let us stay over (If they have room) versus a smaller place (2-BR plus finished basement) which is done up for horse racing, including a little replica of the track in the front yard. This would be for the whole season (allowing us access whenever needed) and is a short walk to the track, the backstretch (where morning workouts are held) and to Linda’s stable. It’s actuall a smidge less than option number one. The last one is 3 bedrms. on the same street as the first choice but a half-mile further away. It is being renovated (though not the master bedrm and bath), has a pool and backs up to the Oklahoma training track, so we can see other horses training (our would only come here to breeze on the grass). This would be about 40% more expensive than the other options. What would you choose?
Here are the two horsie name lists:
#1: YES IT’S TRUE - Vision Quest
True Quest
Yes, It’s Ahvee
Stuck With You
True Ahvee
It’s True, Ahvee
Ahvee’s True Quest
One Hundred Grand
Truly Ahvee
My True Heaven
True Vision
Ahvee’s Truth
True Question
True You
True Friend
True Blue
See the Truth
True Request
Ahvee’sYesIt’sTrue
#2 MIDASEYES – Uno Dos
Uno Midas
Dos(e) or Doze Midas Eyes
Dose Eyes
Gold Dos
Golden Dos
Midas King
Dos Midas King
Dos Blue Eyes
King Uno
Midas Size
Ahvee’s Midas Eyes
Tbhis has been a very interactive message! Look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
A.
Visit the Official Avram Freedberg website!
Wish luck to Lois and Dave, friends who are having serious surgery this week. We look forward to seeing them well and strong very soon. Rob’s shoulder surgery went well (if you call being in a lot of pain “well.”) Barb is going to Boston to consult physicians there. Dom has his by-pass consultation on Friday. Jay had relapse of his serious blood disorder. Oy! There’s too much of this sort of thing going around.
We are lucky enough to be going to New Orleans for the first time to visit the 3-yr. old filly champion and our pick for horse of the year, Rachel Alexandra, on Friday. In the meantime, Linda says we should name the yearlings turned 2-yr olds now, even if we send them to the sales ring in April. Below you will find two lists of possible names. Please choose your favorite or suggest a new one. If we get an overwhelming response to a particular name, it will be the one for each horse.
We also need to choose a summer rental for Saratoga. The three choice are the 5-bedroom with pool place we’ve rented for the last two years for two weeks and if we have to come back if one of our horses is racing, they’ll let us stay over (If they have room) versus a smaller place (2-BR plus finished basement) which is done up for horse racing, including a little replica of the track in the front yard. This would be for the whole season (allowing us access whenever needed) and is a short walk to the track, the backstretch (where morning workouts are held) and to Linda’s stable. It’s actuall a smidge less than option number one. The last one is 3 bedrms. on the same street as the first choice but a half-mile further away. It is being renovated (though not the master bedrm and bath), has a pool and backs up to the Oklahoma training track, so we can see other horses training (our would only come here to breeze on the grass). This would be about 40% more expensive than the other options. What would you choose?
Here are the two horsie name lists:
#1: YES IT’S TRUE - Vision Quest
True Quest
Yes, It’s Ahvee
Stuck With You
True Ahvee
It’s True, Ahvee
Ahvee’s True Quest
One Hundred Grand
Truly Ahvee
My True Heaven
True Vision
Ahvee’s Truth
True Question
True You
True Friend
True Blue
See the Truth
True Request
Ahvee’sYesIt’sTrue
#2 MIDASEYES – Uno Dos
Uno Midas
Dos(e) or Doze Midas Eyes
Dose Eyes
Gold Dos
Golden Dos
Midas King
Dos Midas King
Dos Blue Eyes
King Uno
Midas Size
Ahvee’s Midas Eyes
Tbhis has been a very interactive message! Look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
A.
Visit the Official Avram Freedberg website!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Happy new year!
Posted by Avram Freedberg
Hope your holidays were swell. We spent over a week in Cancun. Though several of the group got sick, it was a nice trip with nice weather. Weird to be on the beach in the morning on the day we came back and then to arrive to snow falling in CT that night. Heard that the Eliot Spitzer family was in Cancun that week. Oh, drat. He wasn’t at my hotel!
Ahvee’s Destiny continues to bask, barefooted, in the Florida sun. She’ll be turned out on the farm for another 30 – 60 days, probably will go back into training by end of February. She’s doing well and we’re looking forward to getting her back to the races.
Hear the Footsteps has recovered from his injury and is galloping at Belmont now. His training schedule will continue to progress. We look forward to getting this 3 year old to the races.
Conseated Lady had her first timed workout (breeze) today, since her injury. She ran 3 furlongs on the Belmont training track in 36.8 secs., a good time for her first breeze.
On the other hand, Holy Blitzer, who had been progressing nicely, had a poor breeze yesterday. Linda will give a her a little extra time before her next breeze. We’ll reevaluate then.
Arielle’s Song is training at Palm Meadows in Florida. She’s still a handful. She was scheduled for a 4 furlong workout but ran away from her rider for another 1/8 mile. Linda may be pointing her to a race at Gulfstream on January 22nd… 5 furlongs on the grass. We’ll see.
Katy’s Office Girl is also in Florida. Linda will try to breeze her on the turf next week. If she continues going well, she may get to race soon.
Our yearlings are now 2-yr olds. I’ll have to name them soon. First, I hope to hear from Pat Hoppel about their potential. He hopes to have an opinion by end of month or so. That’s the deadline for naming with no fee.
Wish a successful recovery to Rob on his shoulder surgery. His colt, Jess Not Jesse, ran 4th yesterday. It was his first race after surgery and a long layoff. He’s a beautiful specimen.
We’re off to Saratoga Springs tomorrow. Thought we had a deal for summer rental but not yet. So, we’re checking out the alternatives.
All the best,
A.
Visit the Official Avram Freedberg website!
Hope your holidays were swell. We spent over a week in Cancun. Though several of the group got sick, it was a nice trip with nice weather. Weird to be on the beach in the morning on the day we came back and then to arrive to snow falling in CT that night. Heard that the Eliot Spitzer family was in Cancun that week. Oh, drat. He wasn’t at my hotel!
Ahvee’s Destiny continues to bask, barefooted, in the Florida sun. She’ll be turned out on the farm for another 30 – 60 days, probably will go back into training by end of February. She’s doing well and we’re looking forward to getting her back to the races.
Hear the Footsteps has recovered from his injury and is galloping at Belmont now. His training schedule will continue to progress. We look forward to getting this 3 year old to the races.
Conseated Lady had her first timed workout (breeze) today, since her injury. She ran 3 furlongs on the Belmont training track in 36.8 secs., a good time for her first breeze.
On the other hand, Holy Blitzer, who had been progressing nicely, had a poor breeze yesterday. Linda will give a her a little extra time before her next breeze. We’ll reevaluate then.
Arielle’s Song is training at Palm Meadows in Florida. She’s still a handful. She was scheduled for a 4 furlong workout but ran away from her rider for another 1/8 mile. Linda may be pointing her to a race at Gulfstream on January 22nd… 5 furlongs on the grass. We’ll see.
Katy’s Office Girl is also in Florida. Linda will try to breeze her on the turf next week. If she continues going well, she may get to race soon.
Our yearlings are now 2-yr olds. I’ll have to name them soon. First, I hope to hear from Pat Hoppel about their potential. He hopes to have an opinion by end of month or so. That’s the deadline for naming with no fee.
Wish a successful recovery to Rob on his shoulder surgery. His colt, Jess Not Jesse, ran 4th yesterday. It was his first race after surgery and a long layoff. He’s a beautiful specimen.
We’re off to Saratoga Springs tomorrow. Thought we had a deal for summer rental but not yet. So, we’re checking out the alternatives.
All the best,
A.
Visit the Official Avram Freedberg website!
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