How are your horses?
That’s the question of the day. Question of the week. Question of the month.
And it’s a great question.
How much time do you have?
With 20 horses in training, there is no single answer. A sore hind hoof on one. A questionable EPM test on another. A lot of jumps to jump before spring debuts for others. A long slow comeback for another and another and another. But it’s February so all are doing well and there is time to audible, time to back off. The pressure low, the miles slow.
As for the rest of the world. Whew, Cheltenham is looming large for the best National Hunt horses in the world. That’s pressure. There is little room for error and what little room there is gets narrower each day. Sir Gino is out. Anzadam is out. Gerri Colombe is out. Others are teetering.
On my Horse Tracker on Racing Post, there are 39 entries for Cheltenham. Some are old standbys with favorite claims, others are novices with plenty to find and others are handicappers looking for miracles. Some I can’t remember why or how they wound up on my Horse Tracker. “How are the horses?” A lot of questions tied up in those 39. Far few answers.
So, yeah, the horses are great. Well, most are great. Some are fine. Some are OK. Some are…
It can change in a moment.
