HorseBlogs - Dorothy's in Saratoga

Dorothy's BACK!!!!

Hi Gang! This is Dorothy and I am BACK in Saratoga.

Cathy and Elliott shipped me back up here a week ago and I am living in a barn over at the Saratoga Harness Track. (Seems that there are so many of us Thoroughbreds that they had to borrow a few stalls here).

My trainer, Linda Rica, just got me a fan for those hot nights.

I am so pumped. I have raced twice this season, down at Belmont. The first time I was a bit slow and tired and came in at the back of the pack. A few weeks ago, I was 2nd for almost the entire race and came in 4th. (Made $2,000 for Cathy and Elliott, which pays for some of my training and feeding costs).

Now, I am getting ready for a new race in a few days. Hope to run about 5 1/2 furlongs and will be running on the grass with other New York State born horsies.

Send me a note or picture.

Your horse friend,

Dorothy

Hannah's Moon in the Big City

Hannah's Moon writes:  I'm in New York City!  Barclay shipped us to Belmont right after Saratoga finished, and we're in our new digs.  I keep hinting around that it might be nice to go shopping, since we're here, but everyone has other plans for me.... There's a chance I'll be racing on Sunday afternoon, on the turf, so I'll  post that information as soon as I know for sure.  I feel great, and I'm ready to run on the grass, so hooves crossed for a good race.  More later!  Hannah

Another Lesson Learned....by Hannah's Moon

Hannah's Moon Writes:   I lost.  I didn't just lose, I came in last.  I was saving my energy for the last half of the race, and the race was...over.   I wasn't tired at all, and I could've gone alot further...I really had every intention of passing those other horses.  I think I looked pretty, anyway, which is important to a filly, and I threw an absolute fit when I found out I was running on the dirt again. (I look really good against green, and I DO think I'm at my best surrounded by grass.) 

My jockey was great, but I got the sense that Stephanie and Morris and Wendy were not pleased with me- they all huddled with Barclay after I lost, and Wendy isn't here today with carrots.  Hmmm.  I'm going to discuss this with Funny Cide....I wish Matzoh Toga was around, I think he'd know whether there is a correlation between carrots and winning....  A horse like me doesn't apologize for much, but if you lost money on me yesterday...I'm sorry. H.M.

Hannah's Moon to race on Saturday!

Hannah's Moon Speaks: Big news! Barclay decided to enter me in one more race before we leave Saratoga, so I'm running in the second race on Saturday. I've gotten used to running around the main track, and Wendy has promised not to wear that ridiculous purple hat, so there ought to be alot fewer distractions for me as I come around the turn. I realize now that it was naive of me to expect Matzoh Toga to be watching me last time, so I won't be watching for him, either....I'm just going to watch whoever is in front of me, and try to get around her. I can do it, my last work-out was really fast!

Funny Cide lives a couple of stalls down from me, and he's been explaining alot of the finer points of racing to all of us at this barn; he's the like the brother I never had....well, actually I have a number of brothers, so he's more like the brother I never met...I hear that my half brother Declan's Moon is racing again, so if all goes well maybe I can meet him in October sometime. So look for me in purple and gold on Saturday, and figure I'll be the prettiest horse in the money! Hannah

Tom Durkin Decides the Race!

Note:  Since Dorothy is in Florida getting healed and Matzoh has been claimed, the blog is being written by a collective of horses at the backstretch.  The opinions of these horses does not always reflect the views of Matzoh or Dorothy.. but we sure are interested:

Travers is quite the day for Human Watching.  It is so cool that we get to watch 50,000 plus humans as they eat, bet, talk and gawk for this special day at Saratoga.  But, most humans don't focus on what the day means to us horses:

• Tom Durkin decides the race!  You thought that Tom, the guy who announces the races just reports the race.  NO!  On Travers Day, we all listen to his orders and follow his requests.   When he says: Reverberate moves up, guess what.  Reverberate moves up.  The jockey's don't know this, so please don't tell them.  But, Travers is really Tom's race.  We love to have fun with this!
• Camp is almost over!  Many of us will be leaving Saratoga a day or two after Travers.  Our owners and trainers start to ship us to Belmont, Florida and Kentucky.  So, there are a lot of bittersweet feelings.  Summer romances come to an end, email addresses get exchanged between horses and we have to get ready to substitute Saratoga air for Queens air.  Yukko!
• People coming to Travers are a bit compulsive!  They start arriving at 5:00 am, to get one of those picnic tables.  They bring small wagons with those beer carrying devices to handle their thirst and they all have strong opinions about what we horses might do that day.
• Special Oats for Everyone!  There is a great horse picnic the night of Travers.  We all head back to the track once the last people and staff leave and have an all-night picnic with special BBQ oats.  Warning - the races on Sunday have some tired horses.

There will more blogging ahead from the horses of Elliott and Cathy.  And, Hannah's Moon is getting authoring rights to this blog.  So, stay tuned.  And, remember, listen to Tom's calls of Travers.

Goodbye - Matzoh Claimed & Moving On

Matzoh's Last Entry on This Blog!

Matzoh Toga - Wednesday, 3:00 PM:  Wow, I didn't see this coming.  Today, I came in 2nd in the race at Saratoga which was a thrill.  But, as I was walking back to the finish line to get washed, blanketed and walked back to Linda Rice's barn, someone from NYRA came up and put a small tag on the bottom of my harness.  Linda was there and said the words, "Matzoh, you've been claimed.. Be well.  We will miss you!"

I didn't understand what this meant, but the grooms explained it to me in Spanish.  It seems that some races are called Claiming Races.   This means that any licensed horse owner can come to the office before the race and pay a large amount of money and they own you as soon as the starting gate opens.   It seems that this is a big part of racing and horses like me, who are good but not really going to go to the "top" of the racing world, have to be in a few claiming races.   In Saratoga, I really didn't have many choices.  If we wanted to race, given my level and condition, the only real choices were a Claiming Race.   

My owners, Cathy and Elliott, really didn't want me to get "sold".  But, they understood that this was part of the risk of racing.  So, at the end of the race, as soon as Linda saw the tag go on, she mouthed the words, "He's been claimed" to Elliott.  I could see from Elliott's face that he was shocked and sad.  And, he told Gavin, Darleen and then Cathy, who were all sad.

Change is never easy.  And, I am walking over to a new barn.  Mr. Ramsey, a big owner with many horses, has claimed me.  I will have to get used to a new barn, new trainer and new stall mates.  This will be a challenge for me and I will really miss my trainer, my owners, the grooms and all the folks here on the Blog.

I don't know if Mr. Ramsey has the ability for me to blog.  If he does, I will pop up and have Elliott let you know where I am.  In the meantime, know that I am healthy..I will be racing again soon..and continue to root for me.  Here are some goodbye thoughts and words:

• To Linda:  You are a great trainer.  You never yelled at me, even when I chewed up the barn door and made a lot of noise in my stall.  You understood that I was a frisky guy and you worked with me.  Thanks so much for not cutting off my "manhood".  I wasn't ready to be a Gelding and I hope that I showed that through my running.
• To Grooms:  Gracias! 
• To Cathy:  Thanks for being my supporter and owner.  I know that when I tried to nip you, it freaked you out, but I was just being a frisky teenager.  I really liked that you called me Matzoh or Mr. Matzoh.  I loved how you were proud of me when I ran.  And, last year when I ran in the winner's circle, it was so cool to have you as my Owner.
• To Gavin:  Thanks for being there for me.  You understood how difficult it is to own a horse and you understood that it would take me a while to learn the ropes of racing.  Thanks for betting big on me and I hope I made you smile.  Oh, and you yell better than any owner that I have ever met.
• To Hannah the Horse:  Just because I am going to a different barn, don't think that I am less interested in you.  I dig you and let's try to hookup soon!
• To Blog Readers:  What horse gets notes from around the world????  I feel so priviliged to have met so many of you and to learn the world of blogging.  Keep in touch.
• And, to Elliott:  Thanks for naming me.  You have been the father that I have never met.  I love my name, Matzoh Toga, it makes me feel like the Saratoga Jewish Horse that I am.  I hope that I have brought joy to you.  Each time that I raced, you were rooting for me, either in person or over the tv or internet.  You never lost faith in me and you were right to know that I would be an avid blogger.  Just as Penguins leave their parents and waddle on, I am moving on to the next chapter of Horse Life.   Keep in touch and keep loving horses... 

Your Matzoh!

Blankets... What Humans Will Do!!!

All for a Small Red Blanket + Race Day Ahead!

Matzoh:  These NYRA horse fans are a strange lot.  On Sunday, they gave away over 50,000 small red blankets.  These things are so small and thin..they couldn't even cover my back (or a portion of it).  But, it was fun to see all these humans get so excited about a blanket.  Some of them lined up at 4:30 AM to get a blanket and a picnic table.  And, the line went on for miles.

It gets even funnier.  I went on line to eBAY and these things are being auctioned off for $20 or more.  They probably cost about $1 to make in China.  I wonder if I could get some serious  bucks for the used blankets in our barn.   What about a bucket that has been eaten from by a Grade 1 Stakes winner.  We should start eeeeequinebay.com

On a racing note: I am running on Wednesday in Saratoga in the 4th race.  Lots of do to prep!  I will write later.  Matzoh!

More Hannah News!

Hannah Runs, Matzoh Checks Her Out and her Family Approves!

Matzoh:  e-Dating works fast in this digital age.  My new friend, Hannah, had her first race.  She looked great, came out healthy and learned a lot about Racing, especially racing in Saratoga.  Shh was in her finest.  Great saddle, white cute band below her eyes and frisky like me.  Here is a snapshot of her that I found as she was walking in the Paddock area before the race.

She ran a nice race.  Seemed to be looking around at the crowd as much as the other horses and was smiling afterwards.  What more can you ask for a warm afternoon in Saratoga.

Her owner/family also seems quite nice.  Here is a picture of them that I took as they were nervously waiting for the start of the race.  Quite a crew.

While she was racing, I was hanging out in my stall, thinking about life in general, eating a few oats and being a boy.  My groom snapped a picture of me on this warm Sunday.

Sleepless in Saratoga - On-Line Romance for Horses Begin!

It All Starts with an Email!

Matzoh:  I got this awesome email a few minutes ago from a filly.  My first experience with on-line dating.  But, it has potential.  Here is what Hannah's Moon wrote to me:

Hannah's Moon: Matzoh, what's a big grey horse like you doing eyeing the trotters and pacers?  You NEED a thoroughbred, your breeding DEMANDS it.  Now, I know I've been busy training for my big race today, and I expect to come in the money so that will keep me busy for awhile, but aren't the best mares worth waiting for?  Give it some thought, Matzoh, and look for me in the fourth race today.- Hannah's Moon

Matzoh: WOW!!!  This is cool.  She has great owners and I have heard awesome things about her trainers.  She is in the same barn area as Funny Cide (a cute horse but his maleness has been cut). 

Hannah..  If you are reading this...I am very interested.  I will follow your race today and send a note through Elliott to your owners.  Do well and don't displace!   Mr. Matzoh!

Wheels, Slots & News!

Wheels, Slots and Horses??? 

Matzoh:  Life has been both busy and very warm here at the barn.  And, I've been most confused about another type of horse racing that we can hear and smell.   You see, my barn is just around the corner from a place they also call a race course.  The trainers and grooms call it harness racing.  But, I didn't quite understand.  So, last night, I quietly took a walk for a few blocks from my stall to check it out.   WOW!

There is this whole other racetrack.  The horses seem a bit smaller than us, but the really strange thing was that the jockeys were totally different.   First of all, they were bigger (and even fatter) than our jocks.   And, instead of sitting on top of us and nudging us with their knees, heels and an occasional whip, these jockeys were riding behind us in something that had wheels.  STRANGE.

I watched a few races and talked with a few of the horses and it seems like a whole different world.  Fewer people were betting on the races and the scene was quite different.  But, the horses said that they enjoyed it and that they got to race more often than we did.  One horse went racing almost every week.   And, I can't imagine that it fun to be the jockey when we have to go to the bathroom.  (YUK) But, that was only the beginning of my learning lessons last night.

I heard some strange sounds coming from near the track and there were a lot more cars in the parking lot than there were fans watching the stands, so I had to check out this mystery.  And, again.. WOW.  There were thousands of women and men sitting at these machines with video screens and clinking and buzzing noises.   I thought they might stop me, as a horse, from entering, but no one looked up from the machines.  It seems that every few minutes these machines "win" some money for the person. But, they usually just try to race to give it back to the machines.  Humans are strange!!!

But, the horses racing at this other track said that the good side of these machines was that it has increased the purses for the owners.  So, they get better carrots and hay. 

To be really honest, I met a very cute filly horse over there.  I don't know what my owners or parents would think about me dating a harness horse, so I am going to take it slow.  But, I will be back there from time to time.  And, she said that she could watch me race in the Off Track Betting area of the track.  That was way too much for me to understand.  So, I headed back to my stall.  Smarter, smiling and slightly confused.

Other updates:

• We were in the newspaper.  The Saratogian wrote an article about us.  Here is the link if you want to view it.
• Hanah's Moon, a horse owned by several of Cathy & Elliott's friends (Wendy, Stephanie and Morris) is slated to have a maiden race on Sunday.  Go Hanah! 
• Dorothy is now in Florida.  We are waiting to get the report from the VET about her shins.  Hopefully she just needs shin treatment and can then rest for 2 months before shipping back to New York to join me near Belmont.
• I am hoping to get into a race soon.  My trainer wanted to get me into a race tomorrow, but that didn't appear.  So, we are looking at another one soon.  I'll share the details as soon as they tell me.
• I moved down 3 stalls in my barn, so that it is easier for Cathy and Elliott to visit me.
• It has been very hot and humid at the stalls.  We get water and have fans, but this summer has really been hotter than most.

Keep sending those notes and letters.  Your loyal equine blogger, Matzoh.