Touched base with the Litfin barn earlier and Veronica told me that Belle is doing really well. She wasn’t particularly thrilled with the fireworks display but she has been training well and looks like she’s going to be ready to go when we get back to racing. Time will tell, of course, but she’s doing well and that’s really good.

We dodged a bullet today and a good lesson on why you pay/listen to your trainer. Without naming names, I was looking at a horse on the 4th who looked like he could be a solid cheap horse for us. Just a steady type that will try hard but really is nothing but a cheap claimer.

Clay looked at him pre-race and saw something he didn’t like and advised against the claim, so we did not drop a slip.

The horse ran last and looked bad doing it.

There is a reason you listen to your trainers: you interview them, find one you like and then let them do their job. They’re certainly not infallible, but when you pick the right ones they are worth their weight in gold.

Note on the Jerrys Two Tickets claim: we were able to review the last month’s vet records and there was nothing to indicate that the horse had any issues at all. The horse blew a tendon in the race. It’s too bad it happened to us but Bernell Rhone did everything right and he looked good but he just got hurt in the race.

Have a good break and we’ll see you when we get back. Should anything happen in the meantime, we’ll let you know. Finally, keep the RSVPs coming in!