Sundays Work

Sumwonlovesyou worked well today going 4 furlongs in 48, galloping out 5 furlongs in 100.4. Working in company with a Carson City maiden named Burning Woman, Sumwon was well within herself while on the inside during the work. She waited while about a half a length behind the other filly through the turn and into the stretch. When Cherie asked her to switch leads, she did on cue and pulled a length or so clear and finished well through the wire and during her gallop out. The clockers got the team going the 1st quarter in 25 seconds and the second in 23. With her gallop out to the 7/8ths pole she went her last 3 furlongs in 35.4 which is pretty quick. She recovered quickly after coming back to the barn and cooled out well. Cherie felt that this was her best work since we have had her and I have to agree.

We will enter her on Thursday morning for Sundays race at Churchill. A new jockey is in the works since Jimmy Graham is returning to Chicago after Keeneland ends on Friday. As soon as I have a commitment I will pass on the news on who will ride.

Back to the track

Sumwonlovesyou returned to the racetrack today after having an extra day off due to poor weather. She seems to have bounced back fine from her race and looks no worse for wear. We will jog her for a couple days before going back to galloping. Right now we are looking at a race on the 29th at Churchill Downs going a mile out of the chute on the dirt for a $50000 claiming price. Before anyone makes travel plans lets give the filly a few days to train before we commit. She was a bit tired for a couple days which is not unusual for a horse coming off a brief layoff but looks like she is back to normal. More in the coming days.

Happy Easter/Passover

Happy Easter/Passover to all. Sumwonlovesyou galloped 2 miles today over a very spotty surface at Churchill. She is feeling great, giving the hotwalkers hell. The race may be tough on Wednesday but she is doing really well so let's see what she has got. Looking forward to seeing everybody at Keeneland!

Race time

Well there have been a couple of unseen curve balls thrown at us this week but the news of the week is that Sumwonlovesyou is in the entries. We drew post #7 in the fourth race on Wednesday the 11th. The jockey is James Graham and though I don't know who we are in against yet, I am really happy with our situation. This morning we were not able to give Sumwon her final work due to the fact the track was frozen and therefore not open. I am not overly concerned as I had been thinking of not working her again before she ran anyway. My physical therapist went over her from head to toe this morning and could not find a thing out of order which is a far cry from 6 weeks ago. We will ship to Keeneland on Wednesday morning at 7am and will be stabled with Pat Byrne's barn (28). Though I want everyone to get a chance to see her and take pictures and such, I would ask if we did not bother her too much before the race. She is a little high strung and with shipping into a foreign stall I want to put as little extra stress on her as possible.

Sumwons CD Work

Yesterday Sumwonloves you worked 5 furlongs in company with a 4 year old gelding named Mixteca. She started off about 2 lengths behind Mixteca going to the 5/8ths pole beginning the work. She sat behind him until they hit the far turn where she angled out and moved up beside him. They worked head to head to the wire and she was clocked in 102.2. Her gallop out was good, around 115 for 6 furlongs, and she did not seem especially tired after the work. Jockey Pat Johnson was aboard for the work and he said she changed leads perfectly and was very willing to do more if he asked her to. Partners Benny Ledger and his son were there to see the work and take pictures. They both seem like great guys and were hopeful to meet other partners at Keeneland on the 11th. We are all set for the race and I have received the call from James Graham for the race. He is a good turf rider and he will not be afraid of the price on the tote board. We will probably work her one more time next Saturday which is the same day as the entries are taken for the 11th. Assuming nothing changes between now and then we should know if we are in the race and our post position by around 2 pm next Saturday. She has come a long way in a short period of time and it is time to see where she is at. I certainly think that she will improve but she will have to in order to be competitive in an allowance race at a track like Keeneland. In the case of rain we almost certainly would run on the polytrack if the race were to come off of the turf. So you can be pretty secure in making your travel plans if we are lucky enough to draw into the race.

Back in KY

Sumwonlovesyou arrived back in Kentucky Tuesday morning after the 12 hour drive from the Fair Grounds. She shipped well and went out for a two mile jog this morning. I am going to try to work her this weekend as long as the track conditions are good. We are supposed to get some rain but who knows? As of now we are still on track for the 11th at Keeneland. I know that there are many people who want to get over to see her and please dont hesitate to contact me or just show up if you like. She generally trains later in the morning so if you want to see her on the track take that into consideration. Afternoon visits are ok too though I like to leave the barn quiet for a couple hours between 11 and 2 if possible. We generally take care of the horses (feed, walk, graze,etc.) between 3 and 5 in the afternoon so that may be a good time for those not inclined to wake up early. I am still working on getting us a jockey for the 11th. The agents for the top jockeys are understandably a bit leery of riding a horse that broke it maiden for a claiming tag in a Keeneland allowance. But I feel pretty confident that I will be able to get us someone who will fit her style and try hard.

Sumwonlovesyou works

Sumwonlovesyou worked today at the Fair Grounds going 5 furlongs in 104. She went in company with a maiden filly named Romantic Journey, who was going her first 5/8 ths. Sumwonlovesyou broke off about a length and a half behind the other filly going down the backside. She rated there until the eighth pole where her rider nudged on her a little and she took off. She was about 3 lengths clear of the other filly at the wire and galloped out well going 6 furlongs in 116.4. Willie Dunn worked her because Cherie is at a wedding this weekend (not her own) and he was impressed by Sumwons' acceleration when he asked her. She cooled out fine and seemed to be in good shape after the work. What we were wanting to do today was to get her to sit off of another horses lead and be patient enough to wait until the rider asked her before she moved. She did very well despite the slow pace set by Romantic Journey. We are set to ship on Monday afternoon and she should be bedded down at Churchill by early Tuesday morning. I am planning on getting two more works into her before the race on the 11th. I am working on a jockey for that spot and will let you guys know who as soon as we figure it out ourselves.

Wednesday Update

All is well in Sumwonlovesyous' world right now. She has been traveling great, minding her manners, and simply getting better everyday. There has been very little new information and I have been unbelievably busy which is the reason why it has been so long since my last post. The plan as of now is to work 1/2 mile on Saturday and ship to Churchill Downs on Monday. She should have at least two more works before we race her. Right now we are shooting for an April 11th start at Keeneland in an allowance race on the turf. There aren't a whole lot of options on the turf right now and as such have to take what is given to us when it comes to available races.

We were lucky enough to get a visit on Monday morning from Deb (Danzig188) and her husband Tony who drove down from Arkansas to see the filly. Part of the fun of this partnership from my standpoint is to see nice people like them who ordinarily would not have a chance to be involved with a horse like this, have so much fun with it. They were also smart enough to realize that feeding the trainer would put them in good graces forever. Looking forward to seeing everyone back in Kentucky.

Training Update

As per Riot's request, here is a training update on Sumwonlovesyou. She came out of her work in good order and has been training well since. We are still doing a lot of jogging and standing out on the track with her and it seems to be making a difference. Cherie is spending a lot of time on her back, walking around the backstretch. Unfortunately there are very few options to do anything off the track at the Fair Grounds (no grassy areas, horse paths, etc). Physically she seems to be keeping her weight fine and is eating everything we give her. We are shipping out on the 26th, to Churchill Downs where she will be stabled this spring.

Todays Work

Sumwonlovesyou had her first official work today at the Fair Grounds. She worked four furlongs after the break around 9:00 am. She backed up (jogged the wrong way on the track) for 1 1/2 miles before hooking up with my pony. They galloped to the 5/8ths pole where the ponyboy set her free. Sumwon broke off nicely from the 1/2 mile pole and settled into a steady pace around the turn. She did not switch leads on time going into or coming out of the turn, which we are attributing to poor habits she had developed. She responded well at the 3/16th pole and finished up strong while galloping out on her wrong lead. She was a bit winded pulling up but quickly recovered. The clockers did not post a time for her probably because they (like alot of us) misspelled her name. I did not clock her but believe she went around 51 for the 1/2 mile. The time was not important as I was pleased that she was willing to listen to the rider and not just take off. I think that as she gains confidence and trust she will do better with her lead changes and anxiety around other horses. She has gotten significantly better in that regard and hopefully will continue to improve. As for a race, it is increasingly looking like Keeneland will be our best bet. It is not that she could not run now (if there was a race) but I want to get her where I'm satisfied that we have got her 100%.