Trainer Quotes from Monday's action

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Nothing I love more than reading quotes from trainers....

I get as much joy and laughter from reading them as most kids get from comic strips.

Of course, I will offer my translation of what they really mean

We will start with Larry Jones, trainer of Hard Spun.

"The outside post really hurt Hard Spun. Losing all that ground was part of it, but worse, he was out there on the deepest part of the racetrack the entire race. I went over the charts of the weekend races, and it was obvious there was a real inside speed bias."

"A horse like True Tails, who always digs her feet into the ground at the eighth-pole, kept going. As did my filly Street Minstrel. She had been stopping in all her races. This time, the racetrack carried her home."

"All I'm asking for is a level playing field, and I didn't get one in the Southwest. Unless I see some changes, I may go elsewhere. I'm not saying we'll definitely go somewhere else, but don't be surprised if we do. We will nominate to the Blue Grass (S. [G1] on April 14 at Keeneland) and the Lane's End (S. [G2] on March 24 at Turfway Park), and Mr. (Rick) Porter (owner of Fox Hill Farm) always has wanted to go the Wood Memorial (S. [G1] on April 7 at Aqueduct) route."

"He'll go back to the track on Friday, and then just have easy morning gallops. He got a lot out of the Southwest. He doesn't need a lot of training now. He did come back from the Southwest a tired horse. He drank a bucket and a half of water. But he's fine now. And you'll see a better Hard Spun next time. He's still the same Hard Spun. He's a good horse."

Translation: My rider and myself weren't smart enough to notice, BEFORE THE RACE, that the inside part of the track seemed to be offering better footing and speed seemed to be carrying.

Perhaps if I complain enough, and threaten to go elsewhere, Oaklawn Park's track superintendant might possibly go out of his way to make the track favor outside/closers in the Rebal Stakes. That way my clueless self, and my clueless rider can outsmart ourselves again. And when our horse draws an inside post and reverts back to his front-running style, we can blame the loss on the dead-rail, anti-speed nature of the track.


And now we move on to the legendary Wayne Lukas and his 107 Beyer maiden winner from Oaklawn Park on Monday.

For whatever it's worth, I put this horse in my stablemail before he ever ran, because his mother won her debut, at 27/1 odds, in last-to-first fashion, with a good figure. I have this crazed belief that foals of dams who run big at 1st asking, often also exceed expectations in that situation.

Anyway, onto Lukas.....

"Anybody who saw my horse run has to know this is a real racehorse. He was running into 30-mile-an-hour head winds down the backstretch, and still got a half in :45. And the scary thing is that he's going to be a much better two-turn horse."

"I know it's a big step from a maiden race to a graded stake, but I believe this horse can do it. Sure, he'll be stepping into the deep end of the pool, but I have confidence in his abilities."

Translation: I am a deranged old man who will rush this horse, and try to get him into the Kentucky Derby at all costs. My vanity means more to me than doing what is in the best interest for my talented, lightly raced horse.

If any horse really deserves to be in our prayers, it's probably that one!