cue Monk

Veiled Reference is in on Wednesday of next week down at Laurel Park in Maryland. Entries are here. She drew the rail, which is a bummer, but at least it's a small field of six that will run. The rail is tough because it typically means a bunch of dirt getting kicked back on the inside horses, as the field breaks from the gate and moves over toward the fence. Veiled Reference isn't very quick out of the gate (as we know from her few experiences out of there during training), so the likelihood is that she'll break toward the back of the pack and take things from there. I just hope that the jock is smart enough to get her into the race, as opposed to sitting back and trying to make one run. She seems to be a type with a long, sustained move, versus a big burst, so it wouldn't be a good idea to leave her too much ground to cover later in the race. One way or the other, we'll see what's cooking with her (other than the demons, of course) and get her career started.

Nautical Agent's race up at Finger Lakes has not been carded over these past few days, so we'll have to get a little creative as far as her next spot. The allowance race that fits her at Finger Lakes would be very tough, but it looks like one of our few options up there. They don't seem to card the conditional claimers that would better suit her with much regularity. Might be time to explore options at other tracks and put the show on the road.

Love For Not, that NJ-bred filly I was crying about a month or so ago is in on Saturday in the Maryland Millions 2yo filly race. I'm looking into a deal to potentially acquire her younger sister, so it would really help if she were to allow one of the other fillies in there to take the cake. Obviously, the price would go up on the sister should she win the stakes race. There are three or four others in there that fit, but Love For Not has a real chance.