where to now?

Have to think that Majestic Warrior's best days are behind him. Mott's 3yo colt, owned by George Steinbrenner, looked awful in the Louisiana Derby. He was bad in the Champagne last year, too, so it seems that this guy has just gone the wrong way. Too bad. Based on how he came undone in the stretch at the Fair Grounds, his body might be too much for him to carry around, which you see often enough. The long, one-turn mile would have always been his best game, I think, but we'll see if he gets it together enough to get back to that kind of affair. Tale of Ekati, who also had a bad outing in that race, was pretty much done after getting throttled down into the first turn. He's the type that benefits from getting his head at least a little bit, but Prado had him strangled and the colt clearly resented it. They'll switch tactics next out and he'll be better off for it. I don't see him winning the Derby, mind you, but he'll run much improved in one of these preps coming up.

War Pass has one of his final two preps this Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs (other is the Wood). He faces six others, most notably Big Truck, which says a lot about the quality of the field. Big Truck a really nice NY-Bred, and I know Tagg likes him, but I hate this kind of spot for any serious Derby contender. Instead of toughening him up, these soft races will only serve to leave him vulnerable on the big day. It's the equivalent of playing two NFL pre-season games and jumping right into the playoffs; that first quarter mile of real pace with 19 other horses is going to be like a shot from some 300lb linebacker. Without some good, battle-hardening races beforehand, I don't think he'll be able to take it and carry his speed.

Open House this weekend, so feel free to stop by and take the tour. One recent visitor wanted to know if the furniture came with the house. She was mad that we didn't have walk-in closets, and imagine was looking for something to help make up for the deficiency. I told her we could work something out, no problem, so we might be sleeping on cardboard down in Baltimore. A small price to pay to get the deal done, I say. Kate might get annoyed that I threw in our clothes, too, but, what the heck, it's a good excuse for a little shopping. If you spot a smallish sixty-year-old Indian woman with a Kiss Me I'm Irish t-shirt on down the line, you've ID'ed our happy buyer.