“I’ll Have Another” 2 Minute Lick, Please
I feel like kissing Doug O’Neill right on the mouth (after downing a six pack of Kentucky Bourbon Ale). It’s roughly one hour post Preakness 2012 and I’ve calmed down enough to put my thoughts on paper, shortly after witnessing I’ll Have Another run down Bodemeister at Pimlico and validate many of my thoughts on preparing a 3yo horse to run the 31+ lengths in 5 weeks required to claim a Triple Crown.
He still may lose, he may turn up injured, but this $11k (and later $35k) purchase was MADE into a champion by the conditioning of O’Neill over the past 90 days. Make no mistake about it, this race was won over the past weeks of early morning workouts (pictured above), Saturday at 6:15pm was simply a formality.
-How many that competed in the 2012 editions of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes ever recorded a work of 7F? One – I’ll Have Another (and he did it twice).
-How many clocked an 8F effort? One – I’ll Have Another.
-How many completed roughly 10 miles of 2 minute licks (or slightly faster) over the past 3 weeks? By now you know the answer to that. Once upon a time this blogger wrote about how a true Triple Crown prospect needed to gallop at a 2min lick, or slightly faster, every day in order to build maximum stamina:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/what-is-stamina-or-the-myth-of-the-2-minute-lick/
Of course like many horses working on the Derby trail over the past few months he also galloped out strong quarter miles past the wire, so I’ll Have Another actually worked 9F+ 3 times over the past 90 days, 3 times more than anyone else in either field. Probably just a coincidence, right?
Over the past several months this blog has detailed how much further the works are for West Coast based horses compared to those out East, and even predicted a California Superfecta for the Derby. Didn’t happen as CA based horses finished 1-2-5-6, but we were blessed with a California Trifecta for the 2nd jewel of the Triple Crown.
So that’s I’ll Have Another, Bodemeister, and Creative Cause filling out slots 1-2-5 and 1-2-3 in the past 14 days of racing, with 3rd place Derby finisher Dullahan skipping today’s race and 4th place Derby finisher Went the Day (not too) Well coming in a never threatening 10th.
How many times did Dullahan or Went the Day Well work 7F or further? Zero combined.
Now a famous trainer once told me that if a horse paints his tail green and wins the Triple Crown, everyone would head to Home Depot for gallons of green paint. Let me warn you right now, if you start 2 minute licking your horse 4x a week you are going to ruin him, unless he is secretly a graded stakes athlete.
It’s all a matter of intensity of effort; when I’ll Have Another gallops a mile in 1:52 or so, his heart rate never gets above 200bpm, yet his max is near 230bpm. Your colt or filly likely has a 230bpm max value as well, but he’ll need every bit of that to do the same mile in 1:52. Put another way, I’ll Have Another 2 min licks mile at only 80% aerobic effort or so, while $25k claimers are maxed out, aerobically speaking. It’s all relative. You don’t need any recovery time for the former, but you sure do for the latter.
Many are more familiar with lactic acid than heart rate, so I’ll put this another way. When blood lacate levels get above 4 mmol/liter, metabolic fatigue is imminent. I’ll Have Another gallops a bit faster than 2:00 to the mile with blood lactate numbers around 3; allowance horses around 7-10, and claimers near 10+. That is what winning a horse race is all about – doing more work (speed+distance) per unit of effort (heartbeat).
Everyone gets so damned worked up about works, no one pays attention to the gallops. A typical racehorse gallops 8 days for every day he breezes, and aerobic stamina is built at sub-maximal exercise intensities.
I also wrote a few years back how we’d never see another Triple Crown champion until modern trainers started to condition their horses like the old timers:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/i-blame-trainers-for-lack-of-triple-crown-winners/
In that piece, picked up by the Bloodhorse, I detailed the conditioning 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault, and O’Neill himself mentioned that in an interview before the Derby. What the hell I’m drunk to want to kiss the guy, so I’ll claim credit for his upgraded conditioning program in this space.
Also of note, I’ll Have Another got to Pimlico within a few days of his Derby triumph, and TVG just announced he has plans to leave for Belmont tomorrow – where I believe we’ll see a recorded work or two, along with several more miles of the invaluable 2 minute licks over a deep, sandy, heretofore unfamiliar surface.
It’s oh so nice to actually root for a horse to win these big races, as last year’s debacle with Comma to the Top and Animal Kingdom was devastating to this blogger.
On to New York and a place in the history books!-
EDIT: Wed, May 23rd-
Dullahan, who is trained by Romans for Donegal Racing, will not have to make up much ground in order to defeat I’ll Have Another as he finished third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths, in the Kentucky Derby.
Romans said he recently received advice on how to prepare Dullahan for the Belmont’s 1 ½-mile distance from an 80-year-old retired groom who used to work for his father, Jerry Romans.
“He told me, ‘Just remember, nature will take a horse a mile and an eighth, but you have teach one to go a mile and a half,’” Romans shared. “We’ve been changing the small things. Like instead of a mile-and-half, we go on two-and-a-half-mile gallops with him and galloping him before we breeze, just little things to try to teach him to go a little further, mentally and physically.”
Well, well – Mr. Romans finally begins to crank it up a notch, will it be too little too late?
EDIT: Tuesday, May 29th:
On Tuesday, reunited with exercise rider Jonny Garcia – who resolved some visa issues that prevented him from getting licensed in New York until Monday – I’ll Have Another completed the final three furlongs of his gallop in 38.26 seconds, according to Daily Racing Form . By comparison, three of the 10 timed workouts going three furlongs on Tuesday were slower than I’ll Have Another’s time.
“If you watch our horse gallop, he’s almost like breezing every day,” O’Neill said. “I don’t think fitness will be an issue.”
Also Mr. O’Neill consulted with Billy Turner, the only living trainer to win a Triple Crown, he did so with the legendary Seattle Slew. Mr. Turner confirmed the importance of getting over the Belmont strip as often as possible in the mornings before the Big Day.
Amen, fellas!
UPDATE: Friday, June 1st: Great take on a typical pre-Belmont gallop for I’ll Have Another (with video) from Steve Haskin at the Bloodhorse:
Suffice it to say, IHA is clocking off 1:52 miles in the mornings at Belmont and will have roughly 12 miles worth under him by post time OVER THE RACE SURFACE, meanwhile Union Rags is still at Fair Hill and will remain there until forced to ship to BEL on next WED.
Read through the comments, it’s amusing to hear all the ‘experts’ talk about how special IHA is and how marvelous these gallops look – yet they looked the same in April and no one said a damn thing about it then.
Derby Champion Trainer: A Tale of Milkshakes and 2 Minute Licks
First of all, every trainer (save Graham Motion) in the 2012 Derby has multiple medication violations on his record – so let’s not condemn Doug O’Neill for his pending milkshake/TCO2 incident.
In a 25 year training career, the recent TCO2 charge in California is only the 4th such violation on O’Neill’s record. The legal threshold of TCO2 in the blood is 37 mmol/liter, O’Neill’s runner Argenta tested at just 39.4 mmol/liter.
This case sounds exactly like the numerous medication positives for other substances that mar every trainer’s record, other than Motion and Jonathan Sheppard. Withdrawal times can vary between individuals, and if you try to play it too close to the razor, sometimes you get cut. Lasix further complicates matters, which will be part of O’Neill’s defense. In fact, there used to be a different threshold of TCO2 allowed under Lasix versus runners running without – no need for that differentiation nowadays of course.
Slightly off topic, but don’t get me started on steroids in horseracing. If testosterone/steroids were so effective, why are Triple Crown winning times, when averaged by decade to cancel out extreme track conditions, less than 2 seconds faster than 70 years ago? Every damn sport that has a performance enhancing drug problem actually sees ENHANCED performance, but not horseracing:
Faster 100m times in track? Check.
More home runs in baseball? Check.
Kentucky Derbies won in 1:58? Nope.
Steroids were outlawed a few years back in the wake of the Big Brown fiasco, yet performances have remained constant, unlike in baseball where no longer are second basemen hitting 50+ home runs.
Think about the horse in nature. If testosterone and other hormones were so important to physical performance, every female would soon perish. As a pride of lions chase a herd of horses, only the slowest ones get eaten – if those are always females, the species would soon be extinct as reproduction would cease.
Horseracing is the only sport in the world where females can outperform males on an equal basis. Everyday a mare or filly beats a group of boys somewhere in the world. Here in the US our last 2 great athletes have been Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. Currently the best turf sprinter in the world is Black Caviar. Geldings also successfully win at the highest levels of the game. Predominantly male hormones like testosterone just can’t be that performance enhancing to animals of prey, only the predators that chase them.
On to more sunny days, as I’ll Have Another continues his march to the Preakness by steadily knocking out mile after mile of 2 minute licks, with a fast 2F coming down the lane. Normally I would hate the absence of recorded works for a horse prior to the Derby or Preakness, but after personally watching O’Neill’s gallops from the backside the week before the Derby, I feel good about I’ll Have Another’s chances.
I wrote about 2 minute licks and thoroughbred stamina many months ago:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/what-is-stamina-or-the-myth-of-the-2-minute-lick/
Perhaps the world’s greatest thoroughbred trainer says it better, as Coolmore’s Aidan O’Brien was recently paraphrased:
-He talked about putting heart rate monitors on his horses in the morning and learning how little effort the really good ones made during gallops at 15sec/furlong paces.
-In particular, what enabled his champions to win big races consistently was their confidence that near all-out exertion wouldn’t hurt them. How do they get this confidence? Training faster in the mornings, just below the level of fatigue.
Put into other words; a true stakes-level 3yo colt travels at a 2:00 min/mile pace just as an allowance horse does at 2:20. Both gallops are of equal intensity of effort to the individual, and therefore require similar recovery time, i.e. not much. He actually calls this practice; ‘letting them put their feet down where they want to’ or not artificially rating the horse in the morning gallops sessions.
O’Neill has figured this out, and I hope he is soon rewarded with a Triple Crown champion.
EDIT: “On Wednesday morning, I’ll Have Another had another strong training session here (Pimlico). He galloped nearly two miles, including a spirited quarter-mile through the stretch the second and final time. He was clocked by Daily Racing Form going from the eighth pole to the seven-eighths pole in 28.11 seconds, faster than a two-minute clip.”
P.S. If you don’t wish to read my commercial about an amino-acid based ‘Super Milkshake’ – stop right here. Otherwise continue on to:
www.thoroedge.wordpress.com/storm
for some recently updated statistics on Thoroedge clients at Woodbine and Monmouth Park.
10 starts, 7 in the money finishes – including 3 at odds between 15-1 and 19-1.
Virtual Training of a Horse at Royal Ascot, from Australia
PAUL Messara has swapped his binoculars and stopwatch for hi-tech computer analysis and video downloads to prepare Ortensia for Royal Ascot next month – all from 17,000km away. Welcome to racehorse training 2012-style.
Please read the rest of this article here: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/superracing/paul-messara-uses-futuristic-analysis-to-prepare-ortensia-for-royal-ascot/story-fn67tkww-1226354256244
Quite often readers of this blog hear me opine about the topic of scientific training of thoroughbred racehorses, but this piece from Down Under gives the appropriate viewpoint of the trainer himself.
Best of luck to Ortensia and Mr. Messara!-
California Dreamin’ at the 2012 Kentucky Derby
After the Arkansas Derby this blog predicted a west coast superfecta at the 2012 Kentucky Derby, as 4 California entrants, each with more aggressive conditioning regimens behind them, faced off against 16 others relying mainly on 4-5F works. Didn’t happen, but all west coasters ran well, finishing 1-2-5-6.
The pic above is courtesy of Brookdale Farm, who raised 2012 Derby champ I’ll Have Another, and the old guy is my dad, who raised this blogger on trips to Fairmount Park in the early 1980’s. Just an hour before this snapshot was taken, one of these two just won the biggest race on the US calendar on the other one’s 69th birthday.
I live 10 miles from Churchill Downs, and it has been 70+ degrees here since early February – so even with 2 instances of 1” of rain in the 24 hours before the big race, the CD strip more closely resembled the Santa Anita track than anytime since the 2001 Monarchos/Point Given showdown. Groupie Doll, Shackleford, and Successful Dan all set track records on Saturday, while Bodemeister nearly pulled off the greatest wire-to-wire effort in history during the headliner.
But it’s not just the track conditions that led to the west coast dominance Saturday evening. I’ve been singing the praises of the numerous 6F+ works practiced regularly in California for a few years now, most recently after Bob Baffert’s recent success at Oaklawn Park:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/on-bodemeister-and-why-baffert-owns-oaklawn-park/
For some astounding data to illustrate the differences in west coast vs. east coast conditioning, see here: https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/why-do-west-coast-horses-breeze-further-than-those-on-the-east-coast/
I was firmly behind Bodemeister as last week wore on, especially when Baffert didn’t sit on his star colt after arriving at Churchill Downs following a scintillating Arkansas Derby performance just 2 weeks earlier. He breezed Bode TWICE in 5 days, a pair of 5F efforts with strong gallop outs, one over a sloppy track on the morning of the 29th.
We all know that Bodemeister did not race at age 2, but did you know he breezed 26 times before his first race? Thanks to Andrew Beyer and the DRF:
http://www.drf.com/news/beyer-bafferts-training-could-help-bodemeister-buck-history
26 breezes at age 2 before ever racing, that sounds very familiar to me as I wrote about the ideal conditioning program for a young horse’s skeletal development years ago:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/the-ideal-2-year-old-training-program/
No one is saying you have to race a psychologically fragile youngster at age 2, but you have to take advantage of this physiological window to build racing bone and strong connective tissues. By the time you get to a chronological age of 3, this window of development is 80% closed.
Mr. Beyer also mentions something here that I have thought of for several months; by and large Baffert’s horses don’t bounce. With such aggressive conditioning Bode was able to back up a huge OP effort with another sterling CD performance 3 weeks later. A necessary skill in a 3yo colt facing 2 more Triple Crown races between now and mid- June. Please read Beyer’s fantastic take on this concept in the link above, noting that Baffert’s Derby winners went on to Preakness glory, while the same cannot be said for the architects of the ‘less is more’ theory: Lukas, Frankel, and Pletcher.
Even better than this year’s Derby backing up my theories on conditioning, was an interview given by winning trainer Doug O’Neill the week leading up to the race where he mentions a few things that lead me to believe he is a valued Thoroedge blog reader-
(Full Bloodhorse interview with 2012 Kentucky Derby winning trainer Doug O’Neill, BEFORE winning the biggest race of his life found here: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/videos/11331/and-theyre-off-ky-derby-edition?section=and-theyre-off)
Or if you prefer, a quick synopsis of the parts pertaining to the conditioning regimen behind the success of O’Neill and his star colt:
4:37: Mr. O’Neill shows up donning a University of Louisville ballcap, and he’s already on my good side.
4:40-4:50: We see soon-to-be Derby champ I’ll Have Another 2 minute licking around the turn at CD, something he did nearly every day of the week, including on Friday. A decade ago Monarchos did the same.
4:50: O’Neill is asked what he is doing different nowadays with respect to conditioning. Answer: In two previous Derby appearances Doug was just happy to be here, and let up on his horses (‘wrapped them up in bubble wrap’) leading to a couple of poor efforts on raceday. “We are taking a more aggressive and consistent approach” this time around. So far, so good.
5:40: Mr. Haskin notes the 8 week gap between the Lewis and the Santa Anita Derby. O’Neill and his team were afraid of a bounce after such a big effort off a 5 month layoff in the Lewis. But, note these works during those 8 weeks of ‘rest’:
2/4/2012: Big Lewis (G2) win at 43-1.
2/23/2012: 4F/:48
3/03/2012: 6F/1:10
3/12/2012: 8F/1:42.6
3/21/2012: 7F/1:26.2
3/30/2012: 7F/1:26
4/7/2012: SA Derby (G1) wins by a nose over Creative Cause
4/19/2012: 6F/1:13.6
4/27/2012: 6F/1:13.8
*Many of these works came over the all-weather surface at Hollywood Park, and few were blazing fast.
6:00: Note the FLAIR nasal strip worn by I’ll Have Another during his SA Derby win.
8:15: Haskin notes many of these works also had another quarter mile gallop out afterwards, and here is where things get interesting…
8:45: Mr. O’Neill mentions the Triple Crown campaign of Assault and how he worked every 5 days, or more, during his remarkable 1946 campaign. To my knowledge there are only 3 places he could have read about this feat:
- My blog entry from 2010: https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/i-blame-trainers-for-lack-of-triple-crown-winners/
- My fellow blogger, who pointed me to this interview, found at: www.ratherrapid.blogspot.com
- Or the actual source of the info, Training Thoroughbred Horses by Preston Burch. This Hall of Fame trainer wrote about Assault back in 1953, and I actually reviewed the book here: https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/training-thoroughbred-horses-by-preston-burch-book-review/
I’d like to think that bringing the attention of Assault’s campaign to the public through the words of Preston Burch, who closely observed trainer Max Hirsch throughout, had something to do with O’Neill’s change of pace with respect to conditioning a 3yo expected to cover 10F in 2:02 or thereabouts on the First Saturday in May. Perhaps not, but a guy can dream right?
As a matter of fact, it was noted in this space previously that West Coast based trainers as a group seem to be working their horses 50% further than the East Coasters these days. Couple that with the weather giving us a CD strip over which several track records were set, and it’s not a surprise that California based horses finished 1-2-5-6 in a field of 20.
Look, this isn’t PETA – the objective isn’t to bring a sound horse to the Derby who runs 16th – it’s to bring an otherworldly fit colt to the gate in an effort to make history, and in the process of doing that some are going to get hurt. We condition our claimers who race a mile in 1:40 with weekly 4-5F works, why do the same with a horse you need to run a mile in 1:36 and still have a quarter left to finish?
The 2012 Breeder’s Cup at Santa Anita could very well be a bloodbath for east coast entries and may very well lead to some trainers forgoing the powderpuff 4-5F works in favor of longer moves for stakes quality stock.
But if this finally happens and dozens of east coast conditioners change their stripes, what the hell will I write about?
On Bodemeister and Why Baffert Owns Oaklawn Park
Baffert’s last 3 years at OP: 17 starts, 13 wins, 2 places. That is not a misprint. Holy cow. Yet, Saturday was his first Arkansas Derby win going 1-2 with Bodemeister and Secret Circle. And other elite level competition was there also as Asmussen, Pletcher, McPeek, Lukas, and Dale Romans all had entries. Is this all purely due to chance, or are other factors at work?
As mentioned before, west coast based trainers condition their horses significantly further than do east coast based conditioners:
And I believe those longer works are the key reason why Baffert outperforms Pletcher, Mott, and others who send their charges distances of 4-5F. Again, both approaches win big races, but Baffert’s earnings per start and Classic performances trump all comers – including those who are also fortunate to train large numbers of regally-bred stock:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/baffert-vs-pletcher-head-to-head/
Secret Circle: Several 6F works and also a 7F effort.
Bodemeister: Breezed 6F THREE TIMES before ever making his first start at just 5.5F. Again breezed 6F in 1:10 at SA just before shipping to Arkansas, then after getting off the plane a few days later blew out a 5F effort.
Plum Pretty: This older filly has worked 7F three times in the last 6 weeks, and 3 three other times at 6F, prior to winning the Apple Blossom in her first start of 2012 on Friday.
The TOTAL number of 6F works by the 14 non-Baffert entries in the Apple Blossom and Arkansas Derby in the past 6 weeks of training: just 3, and only Steve Asmussen from our earlier list of ‘name’ trainers did so.
So, Oaklawn set up as a major meeting point for west coast vs east coast training methodologies, although California is only represented by Mr. Baffert. It’s safe to pronounce the West Coast as the knockout winner on Monday morning.
The next round takes place in Kentucky, where Baffert gets some help in representing California as Creative Cause for Mike Harrington and Doug O’Neill’s I’ll Have Another enter the fray – two more colts that routinely breeze 6-7F while east coasters go 4-5F.
$10k claimers from coast to coast breeze 4F weekly, does it really make sense for a 3yo trying to finish 10F in 2:02 to do so as well at this point?
Aggressive conditioning develops Classic winners, the others (in my opinion) rely on the blessings of pedigree to hand them their stars. On a different subject; years ago as California was forced to move away from dirt, Baffert was the first to realize that change would hamper his Derby chances, so he began the Oaklawn-based preps. Even with a return to lightning fast dirt at SA, he has continued the practice, good for him – that SA dirt has little in common with the CD strip, OP is a nice compromise.
Perhaps if Bodemeister, Secret Circle, Creative Cause, and I’ll Have Another fill out the Superfecta on The First Saturday in May, some east coast conditioners will take note and lengthen their works for elite level prospects?
P.S. So why did Game on Dude get demolished in the Dubai World Cup? Simple, as important as conditioning is to the process, surface trumps all. Dude had a bunch of 6-7F works under him before shipping to the desert, but all took place on the dirt at SA. Repeat after me west coast trainers who will attempt to go to Dubai in the future: Tapeta….Golden Gate Park….Tapeta….Golden Gate Park. I know it is a hassle to stable 4 hours north of your home base for just 6 weeks – but it will buy you a few lengths at Meydan and that is a $10 million dollar purse after all, where even a third place finish earns you a seven figure piece of the pie.
P.P.S. Most probably know that Bob suffered a heart attack recently in Dubai and was unable to make the trip to Hot Springs last week. It’s amazing to me that such a successful guycontinues to push himself so hard, but then again – that’s why guys like him are at the top of their professions. Get well soon Mr. Baffert.
EDIT: 5/2/12 (as the draw for the 2012 KY Derby plays on my TV…)
Finally the world, or in this case, the DRF, catches up to Baffert’s superior conditioning methods:
http://www.drf.com/news/beyer-bafferts-training-could-help-bodemeister-buck-history
I’ve written about this for several months now, and on the eve of the Derby we finally see some mainstream media pick up on how Baffert bucks the cookie-cutter conditioning methods prevalent over much of the US. Of course, I may not be singing the same tune if Bodemeister turns into Comma to the Top in a few short days–
‘STORM’ing Home a Maiden Winner: Color Cam at Parx
One of the most exciting things at ThoroEdge I have come across over the past several years is a nutritional supplement out of the UK called STORM. More info on this blog at http://www.thoroedge.wordpress.com/storm.
Recently, one of my clients was generous enough to allow me to publicize his latest success story at Parx outside of Philadelphia. The video link to the race is above.
Color Cam is a 3yo maiden with 5 races to his name, having previously been trained by Nick Zito. In his debut he ran third to a promising Mark Valeski, and in his next start he was soundly beaten by rising star El Padrino. Since then, despite a few class drops – he had yet to find the winner’s circle, and had never displayed any type of closing kick.
I’ll leave the rest to owner Jeremiah Kane:
“I started my 3 y.o. colt (Color Cam) on STORM after I purchased him in early January 2012. He’s been on the program about seven weeks now and his stamina and physical development have improved markedly.
Our first breeze at Palm Meadows was below average (0.51, 4F) and Ben Perkins (trainer) commented that he looked “short”. I purchased STORM and we started him on the supplement when we shipped north to PARX race course; recently I have tracked him routinely galloping about “2:10-2:20 miles” without exertion. His last breeze at 48.33 (4F) did not tax him a little bit and we went 6.5F on Sunday in a Mdn 25K race (4th race 3/25/12 at Parx). His burst of speed at the sixteenth pole was truly amazing where he overcame 3 lengths and won by 4 “going away”.
STORM will be a foundation of supplementation for my thoroughbreds in training. Thank you for your insights and products for thoroughbreds and keep up the great work.”
Here’s my take on the race featured above:
-After a less than ideal break, Color Cam settles in with the second group of horses – a good dozen lengths off the leader.
-By the time the quarter mile split is posted, he is no longer visible to the camera.
-We next see him coming out of the final turn in 5th place a few paths outside the rail.
-Into the stretch run, as the horses running in the 4 spots in front of him are all slowing down equally, Color Cam is the only one to make a move to improve his position.
-He starts his kick at the sixteenth pole, and proceeds to make up several lengths in just a handful of strides to win going away at the 6.5F distance.
STORM’s primary ingredient is beta-alanine, an amino acid that converts to carnosine in your horse’s muscles. During high intensity work, as lactic acid builds up and fatigue is imminent, carnosine acts as a buffer to the hydrogen ions flooding the bloodstream, delaying the onset of fatigue.
Most of us remember the days of the ‘milkshake’ which promised similar buffering capabilities, but is now illegal and was quite unpleasant for the horse to experience when dosing. STORM is simply added to the feed 2x per day and is highly palatable, not too mention 100% natural and legal. Amino acids such as beta-alanine are merely the building blocks of protein.
In over 3 years of blogging, I’ve only touted a specific product 2 times; the other was Niagara Equissage: http://www.thoroedge.wordpress.com/equissage. However, when the science behind a product is sound, and my personal experiences are so profound – I like to spread the word.
In the interest of full disclosure; I am unaffiliated with the Niagara Equissage team, but I do market and sell the STORM product.
EDIT 4/3/12:
A Bullet at Belmont-
Another of Mr. Kane’s racing stock has been on STORM for several weeks now and just posted his first work of the 2012 season: 3F in 35.86 – the fastest of 15 at the distance this morning by over a half a second!
Look for Farmer Jones to return to racing this Spring – he’s a router and not one to breeze so quickly (before STORM that is.)
http://www1.drf.com/static/workouts/03/wBEL03.html
EDIT 4/11/12:
Another Bullet at Belmont-
Farmer Jones again works fastest; this time at 4F versus 37 others:
http://www1.drf.com/static/workouts/11/wBEL11.html
Again, this is not a historically fast worker, and his trainer/jock is certainly not urging him past the norm, he just seems to be much fitter than he was pre-STORM at this stage of his conditioning.
A Wetsuit for Horses Down Under?
Although fellow sprinter Black Caviar gets most of the attention, here is a pic of Hay List wearing a compression garment that aims to improve recovery after a strenuous gallop: “We have been using them on Hay List for a couple of weeks now and it makes a huge difference.” – trainer John McNair.
I had originally wondered if this technology would make its way into the equine world while watching the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, specifically the swimming events where world records were falling daily due to a new style of swimsuit called the LZR racer:
Eventually the LZR racer was outlawed because of its pronounced effect on race times. Now a human swimming doesn’t compare precisely to a thoroughbred running for a variety of factors, chiefly water provides much more resistance than does air. Hence, the improvement in performance will never be as large in horseracing.
So far, the equine version of the suit, made by Australian company Hidez, is only able to be worn post-exercise as a recovery aid. However, newer models to be worn during training sessions (and including HR monitors), are right around the corner.
What the hell are these things?
Despite the title of this post, these garments are more complex than a garden variety wetsuit. The human version is a one piece, and takes as long as 15 minutes to put on – and requires assistance to do so. The Hidez version for horses in Australia is comprised of several ‘panels’ each with a zippered seam and seems to be fitted within just a few minutes. The level of compression is also gradated, meaning there is more pressure applied to areas further from the heart.
What do they purport to do?
These act as compression garments, keeping the muscles warm and supported during and after exercise. This action also increases circulation and provides more oxygen to muscles, thereby reducing soreness and increasing recovery. The human version also greatly reduces drag on the body due to passing through water, a chief reason behind the vast and immediate improvement on decades old record times.
What’s next?
At only $900 or so, I hope to have my Hidez suit here in the states sometime this summer, although I am waiting on a model that can be worn during gallops and breezes. Then I will undertake an admittedly unscientific ‘study’ on the suit’s effect on performance much like I did a few year’s back with the Niagara Equissage:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/equissage/
As a training aid, I envision galloping and breezing further, faster, and safer than without the suit – resulting in improved oxygen delivery to working muscles, enhanced post exercise recovery, and increased neuromuscular efficiency.
After losing to wonder filly Black Caviar numerous times last season, Hay List will race next in the Group 1 $500,000 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on March 23 before returning to Sydney. He currently sports a nifty Timeform rating of 132.
Hansen’s pre-Gotham Blowout, non-Lasix at GP, and UK goings on…
‘The Great White Hope’ is probably my favorite pre-Derby motto. Congrats to the hometown connections behind Hansen here in Louisville – I only wish he was training at Churchill’s Trackside facility which I drive by everyday as trainer Mike Maker did for many years past. Oh well.
EDIT: As of March 10th, Hansen is headed to Trackside in Louisville to train up to the Spiral Stakes.
From Dr. Hansen’s blog:
“He (Maker) decided to take Hansen to the track the morning of the race to gallop about 3/4 of a mile. Hansen gets upset when he does not get to go to the track. So why not make him happy?”
Now by ‘gallop’ this could mean anywhere from 6F in either 13 or 18 second furlongs, but what actually happened isn’t that important, what is notable is that this excitable colt was taken out of his stall the morning of the biggest race of his life for exercise. I gather that since Dr. Hansen called attention to this as a ‘change’, that it was the first time it happened. Voila – he was much calmer in both the post parade and in the gate.
We have talked about the physiological implications of the ‘blowout’ for years in this space. For such a fractious colt, this exercise will cause contraction of the spleen – dumping 30% more red blood cells into the bloodstream. Now when he returns to his stall for his afternoon nap – the spleen re-fills with fresh blood. Without this session, he goes to the gate with 7 day old blood inside of that spleen, less than ideal for oxygen transport.
The connections viewed this practice as purely a psychological tool, but enjoyed the physiological aspects as well, no doubt. A blowout doesn’t need to be a Carl Nafzger style 4F in :50, it can be much slower for an excitable prospect.
LASIX ACROSS THE BOARD AT GULFSTREAM ON SUNDAY
Race 7 is a MSW for 3yo over 6F on the dirt with 9 first time starters in the field of 10. Kiaran McLaughlin sends 2 forward for Darley without Lasix, as does owner/trainer Fred Seitz with his entry. Seitz wins, and the 2 Darley horses place and show.
I bet this was the first ‘lasix-free trifecta’ in many, many years – decades, perhaps?
TOBA Graded Stakes Chairman Dr. David Richardson took some heat for backing off on the lasix-free 2yo races in 2012, but he also provided some of the best comments on the use of the diuretic in an interview in the Paulick Report:
“We suggest that most who discuss the merits of furosemide have not read the studies on its use. The study on furosemide from South Africa was a well-done study and demonstrated that the drug had a modest effect on reducing EIPH. The study showed 79% had some bleeding without furosemide and 57% of those receiving the drug also had bleeding. Thus, in the study group receiving no medication, 21% had no bleeding, 44% had Grade 1 bleeding (minor and does not affect performance), and 23% had Grade 2 bleeding (which would be borderline for adversely affecting performance). Therefore, the major benefit accrued to 12% of the horses. Is it wise to treat 100% of horses to achieve a 12% benefit? While long-term negative effects of furosemide administration on the breed can be postulated but are certainly unproven, it is clear there are major dissues of public perception about competing on medication. It is curious why we feel 2-year-olds racing in Graded Stakes races require this medication when racing in all jurisdictions around the world are able to function without it.”
FROM ACROSS THE POND, ANOTHER TRAINER USING PHYSIOLOGY TO GAIN AN EDGE
“So if you got that edge it has to help. The likes of Aidan O’Brien and Mike de Kock, some of the most revered trainers in the world, are seeing there is a benefit to using exercise science.”
Blind Luck and Laserman; Behind the Scenes at DelMar
I am lucky enough to be acquainted with a member of the team behind one of my favorite ‘rags to riches’ stories, the recently retired Blind Luck. This champion mare earned over $3 million on the track after starting her career as an $11,000 yearling purchase. See the video clip above featuring Blind Luck on the backside at Del Mar, along with her groom Cesar and Steve Bourmas – The Laserman.
Steve is the foremost expert on photobiostimulation massage in both the thoroughbred and standardbred worlds. This unique therapy uses a Class IV cold laser (retail price – $30k) in order to facilitate healing from the cellular level – as the specific light frequency tells each cell to produce more ATP/energy, thereby increasing cellular metabolism. Steve’s story is unique in that he began working with professional athletes in Chicago, primarily the NFL’s Bears and NBA’s Bulls, before moving onto horses.
Some of his accomplishments, other than those with Blind Luck, include:
- World Record 2-year-old trotter—Manofmanymissions
- 3-year-old pacer with a final quarter in a world record 24 seconds—Iam Bonasera
- 4 individual track records—Standardbred
- Breeders’ Cup Win—Dakota Phone
- Kentucky Derby Prep Stakes Win—Indian Winter
My favorite part of the video clip is from the 2:42-3:05 mark where Steve, after several minutes of therapy to warm up the muscles, stretches out the front legs of this great mare – safely increasing range of motion in an effort to improve stride efficiency/length. I’ve personally witnessed Steve spend well over an hour in a single session with a horse, moving over the entire body while pinpointing and treating problem areas.
There will be much more about Steve and his work in my upcoming book: ‘Internal Horsemanship’. Slated for e-release in March, and paperback in April – here is a sneak preview of the cover which is about 85% ready for printing:
Interval Training and the Iron Horse: the 2008 Claimer of the Year
A magnificent article on the subject from the Thoroughbred Times staff writer Denise Steffanus this week about Antrim County and trainer Jay Wilkinson and their 2008 exploits:
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2012/02/22/training-interval-training.aspx
Many of you may remember me writing about this topic 3 years ago, as I was the one who sold Jay the HR/GPS monitor used in the preparation of this 2-time Claiming Crown champ:
https://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/interval-training-an-iron-horse-with-pps/
The TT article is a professional job, unlike my post, and quotes Jay extensively as he gives a horseman’s view of how/when he utilized interval training to turn this $5k claim into a $50k claim in just a few month’s time. My blog post gives some further details, including the actual PPs from the time frame in question – along with a litany of comments from non-believers.
Strange that the TT piece crops up 3 years after the fact, but nice to see a mainstream publication picking up on Jay’s amazing story. Jay is listed as Clifford Wilkinson if you wish to add him to your virtual stables, please send me a note if you wish to get in touch with him. He’s an old fashioned standardbred guy who interval trained this gelding and increased his earnings per start by 300% in a few short weeks.
Here’s why I think some standardbred training regimens can do wonders with thoroughbred stock:
After all, the winning time in the Hambletonian has improved at a 500% greater rate than that of the Kentucky Derby in the past 70 years, so they must be doing something right!-
ThoroEdge Equine Performance 