Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Ode To Grace

What is Havre De Grace to this writer, this fan? I believe at this point this filly is pretty much the center of my racing world, and with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic she will be a landslide winner of Horse of the Year and the most talked about horse in training and possibly reach status that only the Black Caviers, Golidkovas, Rachel Alexandras, and Zenyattas were able to achieve.  Let’s go back just a bit to get an understanding of the importance that Havre De Grace, we’ll call her Gracie, has had on the game of horse racing as a whole in 2011, on the lives of her connections and fans also.
2010 was a very good year for the filly, stepping into a rivalry with Blind Luck the talented little filly from California started a following of this rivalry that we’ve never seen before, why you might ask.  Mostly because we’ve not seen a rivalry of this nature actually takes place on the track here in the United States.  Tackling Blind Luck 4 times in 2010, Gracie lost to Blind Luck twice and beat her once, and both lost the Ladies Classic to Unrivaled Belle at Churchill Downs.  Being totally honest about things, although I followed her races in 2010, it wasn’t until the news that she was being turned over to Larry Jones and headed to my home track Oaklawn that I really took notice of the filly.  After being given ample time to rest and recharge her batteries after her sophomore season, Havre De Grace started her training at Oaklawn in the most bizarre of fashions. You could say very lazily.  Her 4 furlong work over the Oaklawn course was slow, quite slow, how slow you might ask, slow enough that Jones worked her again 4 days later.  This is the type of training that makes Larry Jones stand out as a true horseman; he doesn’t plug in numbers into a database or spreadsheet to get an indication as to when a horse should work.  He looked at how Gracie got nothing at all out of the slow breeze and decided they would not wait another 6  days.  This type of thinking is impressive and not seen nowadays, this trainer was going to make sure that his horse was fit going into her prep, even if that meant asking a bit more than what was normal.  The rest as they say is history.  6 starts later, 5 wins-3 in Grade 1 races and we are looking at the completion of one of the great campaigns by a filly or mare.
The statement that Gracie had a great deal to do with reviving a year of racing that to many was going to fail miserably when compared to the past few years is an understatement.   The outlook was bleak as the defending Horse of the Year and 2009 Horse of the years both fillies or mares were retired in 2010. That left a weak handicap division and still developing 3 year olds with much potential but with very little ability to bring attention to the sport other than the Triple Crown.  With the departure of Uncle Mo from the Triple Crown trail that left two horses that would battle it out for supremacy.  And in the end the best horse, the horse that was giving time to rest in the correct manner, and the horse that was campaigned as a champion in Gracie is still thriving.
For me personally, Gracie has meant everything and the fact that I have been privileged to enter the winner’s Circle for both of her victories at Oaklawn meant the world to me.  It was amazing to be close to her like that, to be in the presence of greatness.  Now don’t get me wrong it would take quite the filly, no quite the horse to tear me away from the love of the Greatest filly I’ve every seen in person in Rachel Alexandra. But Havre De Grace is certainly knocking on the door of that type of greatness.  
As I get ready to embark on my trip to the Breeders Cup in Louisville in a few hours, I think back to the many wonderful memories of 2011 and what a spectacular year this has been, and I look forward to 2012 with anticipation.  First things first though, there is some unfinished business that must be attended to by many of my favorites this weekend, but none more than the Super Star Filly, Havre De Grace.  I want to thank her owner Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm for allowing us to fall in love with this filly and even more so for campaigning her in a way that will allow her to show her greatness and class to the world.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder what excuses the author will be posting on the different sites as to why Havre De Grace didn't win the classic.Wouldn't be suprised if he even says it was a better run than Zenyatta.

Anonymous said...

He already did. Trash talked Zenyatta to make excuses for Havre De Grace, doesn't mention her level of competition in the Obeah, uses Blind Luck as an example of the high caliber Havre De Grace ran against, yet he has trashed talked Blind Luck before and made a comment on the ntra site I believe that a horse with class doesn't come in last, or something like that. Pitiful.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't even finish reading this; the punctuation errors were so distracting that it was unreadable.

Anonymous said...

You must not be able to read very much on the internet then. There are many that are way worse. The idea I think the person is trying to get across comes through enough. Plus, it helps if one is familiar with the postings of the author of the blog on other sites.

Anonymous said...

To the poster from November 10, I am familiar with this author. And none of his posts make sense. He is not much of a writer, nor is he the authority on racing that he likes to pretend that he is.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the person that made the comment November 9, was referring to the article or the comment above it? The comment on the 10th seems to me to reference the previous comment as if it was in response to the comment rather than the article, just my take on it.
I too am familiar with the author of the blog and his claims are questionable and use of information as he sees fit is almost notorious on other sites, which he has at least three screen names to do his postings.

Anonymous said...

No article on Horse of the Year?

Anonymous said...

Interesting that the author has no posting on a Havre De Grace for Horse of the Year, a horse that he supports and favors. Yet, he has articles on why Zenyatta, a horse that he can't stand, should not (at the time) get HOY.

Mike said...

Told you Wes for two months Grace and Goldie wouldn't prevail in November. Why don't you make a half hearted attempt at least and wipe that yellow streak off your back and admit you were WRONG. Zenyatta finished a very narrow second. Do the math fourth doesn't trump second. Referring to me as an idiot, that title belongs to you. You've trashed Zenyatta and BL without hesitation telling us how superior Grace is to either one of the others and she only manages a FOUTH PLACE FINISH. Face facts I was correct, you weren't!

Anonymous said...

I am reasonably sure this guy has not been around racing for very long. Not a criticism exactly as young newbies like AAF are needed in racing, just an observation that explains his limited perspective. Forego, John Henry, Tizna, Native Diver all just historical names to AAF as a writer, thus he has no other parameter other than to be swayed by events of the past decade, and that may be a stretch.

Anonymous said...

Do you Guys write any Better?? Where are your Articles written or published??? Seems to me you guys are just a Bunch of jealous Bashers!! seems to me you should join the "occupiers" and Bang on the Drum slowley!
Oh by the way. I love Zenyatta!
and why does everyone post Anonymous, how bout showing your face:)

Anonymous said...

You are a hypocrite (poster from the 4th) you post under anonymous, yet call out others???? Do you know what this author posts elsewhere???Have you read any other postings from this site???

Anonymous said...

No I do not Know Him from anywhere Else, just seems like evryone was Beating up on him thats all.
I would love to read some of your Blogs, post,comments, whatever. let me know where they are.
Your right I am a Hypocrite for posting Anonymously, but I just happened to stumble upon this site and figured if I comment like I did, the responses may get ugly!
Sorry for being so Mean.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Ps, I happen to like the way the Author writes, it's factual and stylish. does not matter whether you agree with him or not.
Apparently it seems there are a lot of Zenyatta fans here (me too)I am guessing this guy is not a fan of Z? well we all have our favorites. Happy Racing!

Anonymous said...

so here we have anonymous busting on anonymous for posting as anonymous. Hell, i'm anonymous too. Or I could be Mike or Dick or Julie. Love it. Glad I stumbled onto this jewel. Writing style is ok (community college level at least).. I'm guessing that given the complete absence of advertising, this is just a hobby that any of the anonymous posters could handle, given the disposition as this site is not in the realm of published material. Not a criticism just a fact. Good reading however.

Anonymous said...

A perpetual load of crap by a never ending groupie of "trend horses" he/she likes to claim they saw first. Havre De Grace is a very nice filly but nowhere near the level of class and competition that those other mares he mentioned are. Even her nemesis, Blind Luck trumps her in competition currently based on number of starts and wins and finishes in the money. "Gracie" still has a ways to go to equal hor or the other wonderful mares (recently retired) that he has mentioned. Notice as one poster mentioned that there is no comparison to earlier greats such as Lady's Secret, Winning Color, Genuine Risk, Azeri, Personal Ensign.Perhaps that is simply because she has yet to equal those horses, perhaps this shall be her year. I hoep so because it is tiring to see another die hard (blow hard) claim that "Gracie" is the best thing running. She won HOTY by default in a less than banner year of racing. GOOD FOR HER FOR WINNING as I am jazzed about there being another female HOTY for the 3rd year in a row. If she comes back this year and blows them all away we will then be impressed but last year (the Obeah are you kidding?? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk) was anything but a stellar campaign and now her connections are shying away from the Apple Blossom because their superstar might have to carry too much weight. There's a word for that and our author uses it over and over elsewhere:
D-U-C-K-I-N-G.

Andfor the record: while I am not signing up for Google or Yahoo or whatever else you must sign up for to have a screen identity, I am only publishing under anonymous because there is no other option, my name is Katt

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a rant on Fox Hill Farms website by the blogs author.

AfleetAlexForever said...

Let me just start off by saying thank you to those that read or have read my blog from time to time, I enjoy all of the feedback. My writing usually comes in passing and while I am very passionate about the sport of kings, I do not post articles as often as the Paulick report or others at sites like Horseracingnation. Prior to this season, I was a bit more enthralled in racing but work, life, and other issues get in the way. My thoughts to those that have issue with the grammar that I use or my style of writing would be to allow us to view your writings. Allow everyone to view your thoughts that are published in whatever form they may come online or in book form. It would be interesting. For those that are over the top and a bit on the stalker side of things, let me say that you were right that Grace didn’t win the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic, does that make you feel better? Many people were correct in assuming that Zenyatta would never win an open company race on dirt. What does that mean exactly? Let me just say, it would avail your credibility in a much better way to consider what you are saying before comparing certain horses to a Goldikova, an all-time great horse, Internationally speaking, not just one with a good record in California only. The measure of a great horse is the ability to take on and perform admirably at the top level of competition on a “consistent” basis, not just taking on fillies and mares, that is not considered the top level of racing unfortunately, facing males for a filly or mare is where you prove your mettle and as I see it, and as records go. Goldikova has 9 wins, followed by Black Cavier with 6 I believe, Rachel with 3, Zenyatta 1, Havre De Grace 1. Just saying.

I will post another blog entry later tonight, this one addressing the first quarter of racing and other things that have occured in 2012. Hope you all enjoy.

Anonymous said...

I can seem to see a new post. Am I just not able to access it or is it not written yet?

Anonymous said...

Another HYPE like that overrated Rachel. Let's keep whining about the weight assignment. Waaaaaa 2 pounds, let's wait and see what the hype of the year is going to get in the Apple Blossom....wow truely sad...