Mr. Fantasy continues to thrive in Florida. Mike reports that he is moving well and is ankles look good. He is starting to fill out and continues shedding his winter coat."

The Defense Rests worked a solid four furlongs in 50:44 on Thursday at Belmont over the training track. The work was 40th of 72 at the distance. The track was not that fast, so this was a nice move forward. He continues to look good as we start to ramp up the pressure with him. Mike reports that the gate has been closed for several days due to the holiday, so he has fallen a bit behind in his gate schooling. He will continue to train daily, and will resume gate schooling when possible. Overall, Mike has been very pleased with his progress thus far."

Workout Updates

Phosphorescent worked a good half-mile 49.60 on Thursday at the Fair Grounds. The work was 6th of 28 at the distance. Dale's assistant Tom Morgan noted that Phosphorescent is still a little chubby, but he'll work that weight off. Phosphorescent took a little longer to bounce back after the work, so he jogged for an extra day after breezing. His hocks can bite him a bit. Accordingly, he will be on a roughly ten day breeze schedule.


The Defense Rests worked a solid four furlongs in 50:44 on Thursday at Belmont over the training track. The work was 40th of 72 at the distance. The track was not that fast, so this was a nice move forward. He continues to look good as we start to ramp up the pressure with him.

"Mr. Fantasy is galloping daily at Palm Meadows. Mike reports that he is shedding the pounds and getting fitter and fitter. His coat is shiny, and he is starting to regain his muscle tone. He is moving soundly and Mike is very happy with his progress thus far."

"Phosphorescent is doing well at the Fair Grounds. Dale's assistant, Tom Morgan reports that he is moving much better behind. The same exercise rider who rode him at Churchill gets on him in the mornings at the Fair Grounds and said that he feels better than ever. He will continue galloping, and will likely start breezing within the next 7-10 days." UPDATE he worked 4F today in 49:60 6 of 48 so i think he is moving pretty well

"The Defense Rests worked an extremely easy four furlongs in 53:81 on Saturday at Belmont over the training track. Mike wanted him to go slow by design as we sought to beat the weather. We are ready to start increasing the intensity of his training. Mike will start asking him for more speed in his works as we move forward. He looks fabulous and is moving well." UPDATE he worked 4F today in 50:44 40 of 72

Update

The Defense Rests worked an extremely easy four furlongs in 53:81 on Saturday at Belmont over the training track. Mike wanted him to go slow by design as we sought to beat the weather. We are ready to start increasing the intensity of his training. Mike will start asking him for more speed in his works as we move forward. He looks fabulous and is moving well.

Mr Fantasy is doing very well in Fla galloping daily and is starting to lose his belly as well as losing his long coat

Thinks are looking good for the start of 2010

Mr. Fantasy is galloping daily for Mike Hushion at Palm Meadows. Mike reports that he looks great and is moving well. We will let Mr. Fantasy tell us when he is ready to move forward with speed work. For now, we just are getting the miles under his belt as he gets fitter.

Phosphorescent shipped in good order to the Fair Grounds in good shape. He jogged for a couple days before beginning to gallop this week. Dale's assistant Tom said he's a little sore behind, but it's nothing to cause us to stop on him. They want him to work through it.

Here is our Readthefootnotes and Sew and Sew filly taken at training centre in SC this morning we did suggest the name Sew your Notes we will se if it gets in .

Sunday Morning at Belmont

9:15 am on a brisk Sunday Morning at the Belmont Training Track before the rain we were at the rail to watch The Defense Rest breeze 3F doing so in 37:85 11 of 21

We had the change to talk to Mike after the work he said he`s pleased with him and the next work will be half slow half speed he said not to look for really fast works as that is not his training style he would not give a timeline for his 1st start concern is the weather which could hold up his training . Talked to him about Mr Fantasy he said he is looking forward

to seeing him in Fla and would be delighted to have him back on the
track in Feb .

Mr. Fantasy shipped to Palm Meadows from Ocala yesterday. He settled into Mike Hushion's barn nicely. He is not very fit yet, but we are happy to get him back into a regular training program. He looks good, and we will slowly increase the intensity of his training

Phosphorescent shipped to the Fair Grounds over the weekend. He will breeze in short order. Dale chose to have him winter at the Fair Grounds because we have the ability to run on the turf, and also because the dirt track closely resembles Churchill. We know Phosphorescent runs well at Churchill, so this was a logical decision.

Why We Changed Title

We changed the title due to further purchases outside of Westpoint and a venture into the breeding side . Along with our friends and partners Scott and Marty ( others with Selena) we have purchased 2 Broodmares one at the NY Sale Affirm Promise which sadly aborted her Hook and Ladder Foal . We also have a Read The Footnotes filly who is being broken and trained in SC we have had good reports on her so far and looks like she should be good enough to run on the NYRA circuit .


The pictures are of our other Broodmare Six Zeroes which we purchased for $37,000 at the Keeneland Mixed Sale she is pregnant
to After Market

This is Selana`s So Mad at a nice sunny day at Saratoga she did not run well that day so was scoped and found to have bled . She has been running at Finger Lakes and is still to break her maiden as a 2yo . she wil be given the winter off and come back next year

The Defense Rests

The Defense Rest put in his first official breeze of 3F today in 37.91 22 of 29

After stopping in at Anna House we dropped in at Mike`s barn to see him he looked relaxed as you can see was eating well .. (like they all do ..lol ) his coat nice and shinny and he was happy for me to stroke his head and neck

Funny Link

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrtQhkibZ8M This is from the UK for Weetabix a well known cereal eaten in our house ...

Mr. Fantasy arrived in Florida on November 20. He has settled in well. We gave him a couple weeks. Mike would like to get him into his system as soon as possible. He will ship to Palm Meadows in the second half of next week

Phosphorescent arrived to Churchill Downs on Monday. He has been galloping. Dale is evaluating him this week to determine where he'll go over the winter, Fair Grounds or Gulfstream. The likelier spot appears to be the Fair Grounds. Dale said Phosphorescent appears to have benefited from the time and is carrying good flesh and looks really well.

The Defense Rests worked an easy unofficial three furlongs this week at Belmont. Mike reports that he went well and cooled out fine after the work. Mike has been schooling him quite a bit at the gate. Everything looks good physcically, and this colt should be on a regular work schedule in short order. Mike wants to get him very comfortable with the gate now, so once he's fit, we can easily get his gate card and then run.

Mr Fantasy and Dad E Dubai

Mr Fantasy on the left and Dad E.Dubai on the right taken on Sunday in Kentucky . Mr Fantasy was at Goodwin Farm , E Dubai at Darleys Stud .

Mr Fantasy in Kentucky

"Mr. Fantasy is scheduled to leave Fairlawn on Thursday to ship to Ocala"

"Phosphorescent will ship to Churchill Downs next week. He will get a few weeks of training in before shipping to the Fair Grounds in New Orleans."

"The Defense Rests looks great and is moving well. Mike reports that he is about a week away from breezing."

Warning

In the next few days the title of our blog will change to bring it up to date with our recent activities ..

The next entry will be about our weekend in Lexington at the sales visits to see Mr Fantasy and the Stallions at Lanes End and Darley with pictures we took ..

Update

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f66yBla4kg here is link missing from last post ... he looks very well wil be flying to Kentucky tomorrow for the sales over the weekend .

"Mr. Fantasy is scheduled to leave Fairlawn next week to go to Ocala. Click here to see video of him at the farm this week."

"Phosphorescent is galloping daily at Dale's training center. He continues shedding the pounds. We plan on sending him to the Fair Grounds for the winter. There we have the ability to run on the turf, and the competition is softer than it is in Florida. We have never tried him on the turf, and Dale thinks it is an interesting possibility. We want to shake some things up with him, and the turf may be something that can move him forward."

"The Defense Rests continues galloping for Mike Hushion. He will gallop for the next few weeks to get a solid foundation under him before returning to the worktab. He looks good and is moving well."

"Mr. Fantasy had an uneventful week and remains on target to ship south later this month."

"Phosphorescent continues galloping and will begin breezing later this month."

The Defense rests arrived to Mike on Monday. He galloped yesterday and today and looks great."

Performance Rates - An objective measurement of racetrack ...

Performance Rates - An objective measurement of racetrack ...

Updates

Mr. Fantasy remains turned out at Dr. Baker's farm. He is still on target to ship to Florida in mid-November.

Phosphorescent continues galloping. We're looking into what the best plans are for him for this winter

The Defense Rests is set to ship to Mike's barn at Belmont by the end of the week. He looks good and has built a good foundation on the farm

Updates

Mr. Fantasy is turned out daily at Fairlawn. He is set to ship to Florida in mid-November. Click here for video taken of him this morning.

Phosphorescent continues to gallop. He's been back galloping for roughly ten days. Dale's assistant noted that he is carrying quite a bit of extra weight. They would like to get him very solid before breezing him, so he will continue galloping for the next 6 weeks as his training intensity increases. We shot some video of him training this morning. The video will be posted in short order.

The Defense Rests continues jogging at Goodwin Farm. He will begin galloping in a week. Once he gets a bit fitter from galloping he will ship to Mike Hushion. Click here to see a video of The Defense Rests taken at Goodwin Farm last week.

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17oIUFx7yds New video of The Defense Rests at Goodwin Farm

Photos

New additions to our collection Mr Fantasy saddle blanket and Withers tray and Pan Am Poster could not resist when saw it .

Updates ( News looking better)

Mr. Fantasy is doing well out at Fairlawn. He will be set to leave in the middle of the November once Dr. Baker looks him over one last time. He will be legged up at David McKathan's farm in Ocala before joining Mike Hushion's string in south Florida.

Phosphorescent is now galloping, and he looks well. He'll gallop for a month before breezing

The Defense Rests will continue jogging for two more weeks before galloping. He will ship to Mike Hushion's barn once he begins galloping

Updates

Mr. Fantasy had all four ankles blistered. The procedure was routine. We plan on sending him to Florida within the next 1-2 weeks. He is about 4 weeks away from going back under saddle. He will resume jogging at David McKathan's farm in Ocala.

Phosphorescent continues jogging. Dale wants to give him a bit more time before galloping so he can shed a couple pounds.

The Defense Rests continues to jog. He will jog through the end of the month before galloping. He looks good and is getting fitter and fitter. We just wanted to let you know that another horse named The Defense Rests on the work tab at Turf Paradise. This is not the same horse. We are in the process of resolving the issue.

Updates

The News is becoming more upbeat to getting back to the track . Anyone else like myself that saw the The Defense Rests breeze at Turf Paradise i can inform you it was not him . we are not sure where Equibase came up with that

Mr. Fantasy had an uneventful week at Fairlawn. Dr. Baker is set to blister his ankles within the next week.

Phosphorescent is jogging at Dale's farm. He'll jog for the remainder of the week then begin getting ramped up. Dale has to get some pounds off him still, so he doesn't want to bring him in until he is a bit fitter.

The Defense Rests continues jogging. He will jog through late October and then begin galloping.

Updates .. looking better

Mr. Fantasy looks fabulous. He is turned out daily in paddock next to Tapit's Brew at Fairlawn. His coat looks good and he has grown up tremendously during his time off. Dr. Baker is set to blister his ankles on or around October 1. Click here to see a video taken of Mr. Fantasy yesterday at Fairlawn.

Phosphorescent has begun jogging at the farm to start to get him going again. Dale will gradually begin to increase the intensity with him beginning next week.

The Defense Rests has gone back under tack. He resumed jogging on Monday. We'll likely jog him until late October before turning him around to begin galloping.

Updates .. Looking Healthier

Mr. Fantasy looks great and is soaking up the sun in Kentucky. He gets turnout out during the day and is brought in at night. Terry saw him today and reports he is carrying his weight well. Buzz Chace also saw him and mentioned how good he looks. He will be blistered in the next couple weeks. We will update everybody once Dr. Baker completes the procedure. Click here for video of Mr. Fantasy at Fairlawn.

Phosphorescent- Dale wants to give Phosphorescent until the end of the month before bringing him back in. He felt two extra weeks now wouldn't be a bad thing since there's no target race we are pointing for.

The Defense Rests was scanned this week and given a clean bill of health. He will resume jogging on Monday.

Mash Unit Updates

Mr. Fantasy looks great. Dr. Baker reports that he is moving well in the paddock. He will be turned out for the next couple weeks. Dr. Baker will blister his ankles in short order.

Phosphorescent- Dale returned from Saratoga last night. He will evaluate Phosphorescent this week and he will go back under tack in short order.

The Defense Rests will be checked again by the end of the month.

Breaking News

We received news on Thursday that Kiaran McLaughlin is going back to being a semi -private trainer for Darley and as Westpoint had 20 horses with him he told Terry that he had become too big of a client with his new plans .

Terry is going to divide the East coast horses between Tom Albertrani and Michael Hushion both Mr Fantasy and The Defense Rests will be going to Michael Hushion . I spoke to Terry at Saratoga yesterday and he was very upbeat about the changes . Hushion has had a great summer at the Spa and look forward to getting the boys racing agin . If your like me and did not know much about Hushion his NTRA bio is linked below

http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=2372

Updates

Mr. Fantasy is enjoying his turnout time at Fairlawn. Dr. Baker will blister all four ankles and reevaluate him in thirty days. The topical blister will promote further healing in the ankle area. His coat is shiny and has held his weight well.


Phosphoresecent will be evaluated one Dale returns to KY from Saratoga on Tuesday. He will likely have the tack put back on in the next couple weeks.


The Defense Rests is enjoying his turnout time at Goodwin. He will be evaluated in 2-3 weeks.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy is being turned out daily after being pinfired. He looks good and is happy.

Phosphorescent is being turned out daily at Dale's farm in Kentucky. He spends the day turned out and is brought into the barn at night. Once Dale returns from Saratoga and takes a look at him he will resume light training.

The Defense Rests will be reevaluated in the second half of September. If the vet is pleased with his progress he will resume light training.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy is doing fine at Fairlawn Farm. He is about to begin turnout after being pinfired. Everything has gone according to plan thus far in his recovery.


Phosphorescent will be evaluated upon Dale's return to Kentucky from Saratoga.


The Defense Rests was scanned at Goodwin Farm by ultrasound veterinarian Dr. Leroux. The swelling in both front tendons has decreased, but she believes an additional 30 days off will benefit him.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy has one more week of stall rest mixed with a brief period of hand walking after being pinfired. He will be turned out beginning next week

Phosphorescent remains turned out. Dale will evaluate him once he returns after Saratoga wraps up.

The Defense Rests is to be scanned on Thursday. If all looks well, then he will come back into Kiaran.

Weekend at Saratoga

A great weekend in Saratoga was had .Started of with the lively Westpoint party Friday night which was full of energy after a maiden win for Encore Saritta and big hopes for Macho in the Whitney . Fantastic to catch up with partners, old friends and make some new friends . Followed by a few drinks at The Parting Glass ......

Saturday morning Tina and I went to the seminar held by Fasig -Tipton and the refurbished sales center .It was alive with keen sellers showing off their horses and many buyers frantically making notes in their sales books . Their were a couple of hips we really liked Hip 145 a Dynaformer/Hard to Copy Colt that went unsold . The second was from an Australian sire Hip200 Encosta De Lago(Aus)/Nicole and Krista (Ire) which sold for $500.000.00 to Bob Bafferts agent . Then across the road to the track to catch up with the WestPointers and make a couple of $$$$ at the windows ... Weekends like this go on the prove this is the greatest sport to be involved in and why Saratoga is a must go to place for any race fan

Updates

Mr. Fantasy was pinfired yesterday. He will be on stall rest for two weeks, but will be hand-walked daily. After two weeks he will begin turnout in a small paddock.

Phosphorescent will remain turned out until the end of the Saratoga meet then be evaluated again to see when the tack can go back on.

The Defense Rests is having shockwave therapy as he walks and we get ready to begin to ramp back up his training later this month.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy had his third IRAP treatment last Friday and is now ready to be pinfired.

Phosphorescent is being turned out at Dale's farm getting the sun on his back and doing well. The tack will go back on in the first half of September.

The Defense Rests continues walking daily and is progressing on schedule.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy had his second IRAP treatment Friday and will have his third and final one this Friday. He will then be pinfired. Terry saw him with Dr. Baker while in Kentucky this week and said he looks excellent.

Phosphorescent is doing well at Dale's farm. Dale has an indoor training center, so he can get some sun then begin getting legged up when we put the tack back on him in the first half of September.

The Defense Rests is hand walking 20 minutes a day. The tendon swelling has almost totally dissipated now. It looks like he might be a candidate for shockwave therapy to further stimulate the area. Everything is looking very good now. They say The Defense Rests has a great mind and could not be progressing better overall.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy will get his second IRAP therapy on Friday. He is scheduled to have his third and final treatment next Friday. After that he will be pinfired.

Phosphorescent settled in nicely at Dale's farm until early September

The Defense Rests has begun walking. This is about a week sooner than was initially expected. He'll likely go back under tack in one to two weeks.

Phosy Update

The scan came back that Dale had done on Phosphorescent, and it showed a hot spot from the ankle up to the cannon bone. The vet said that it looked like Phosphorescent might be trying to develop a stress fracture. He did not see anything that would require surgery, but he recommended sixty days out of training. He felt that should prevent the hot spot from developing into a stress fracture. Thus, Phosphorescent will remain at Dale's farm until about September 1st.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy has been given the go ahead to begin hand walking. They've taken the bandages off of him. Dr. Baker said he has been all class so far. Click here to see video taken last week.


Phosphorescent was scanned on Monday. Dale did not have the results yet. However, Dale can tell something is bugging him. Accordingly, he shipped Phosphorescent to his farm. We'll give him a couple months off to get right and see what the scan shows.


The Defense Rests is scheduled to remain on stall rest for another 2-3 weeks at Goodwin Farm.

Updates

Click here for Mr. Fantasy's vet report dated 6-15. Mr. Fantasy had a routine week. http://www.breederscup.com/points.aspx?divisionname=dirtmile link to Breeders Cup points for Dirt Mile Mr Fantasy 5 points

Phosphorescent is still not moving 100 percent. Dale said that he's better than he was after the race, but he has watched this colt every day and can just tell something is bugging him. As a result, Dale is going to go ahead and send Phosphorescent in for a full scan on Monday. We don't want to guess and press through something only to realize a little time off might have solved everything. Dale thinks we'll likely need to give him a little time off no matter what the scan finds, but we'll see if anything else turns up.


The Defense Rests will be on stall rest for another 3-4 weeks at Goodwin Farm.

Updates

Mr Fantasy will have roughly one more week on stall rest then be injected

Phosphorescent was looked at again by Dr. Allday last week, and he couldn't really find anything. However, Dale was bothered by how bad the last race was. He wants to see Phosphorescent gallop strongly for a little while longer before breezing him. Dale said he'd like to breeze him within the next week if Phosphorescent strings together good gallops early this week. We're going to be hard pressed to make the end of the Churchill meet, but we'll see if he can breeze early next week .

The Defense Rests moved to Goodwin Farm this week. He will be on stall rest there for the next thirty days as we let his pinfired shins cool out.. We took video of him this week at Goodwin. Please click here to see the video.

Updates ( not the best of news)

COURTESY OF NYRA

We thought we could get Tom/Josh and Jacob to round up the moose and get it to run in "WestPoint" colours during the Saratoga meet. Just joking Terry!

Now in all seriousness:

Terry had a chance to talk to Dr. Baker over the weekend while in Kentucky and get a full update.
Dr. Baker xrayed Mr. Fantasy's knees and ankles. His knees while a bit tender, were fine. He did, however, discover small chips in Mr. Fantasy's left front and right hind ankle. They went ahead and put him under anesthesia and removed the chips. While they had him under, they looked at the other two ankles to clean them up of any loose bodies. There were no chips in the other ankles, just bone flakes.
The chip removal went routinely. Dr. Baker did find some grooving on the bottom Mr. Fantasy's cannon bones. In other words, the bone was showing some signs up wearing down. If we had not stopped now, we could have ruined Mr. Fantasy. Fortunately, we took the more cautious approach and were able to discover this early.
Next stepsMr. Fantasy will be on stall rest for two weeks. After stall rest, Baker will inject his ankles with hyaluronic acid to make sure the fluid in the joint runs clean.
Two to three weeks after injection, Dr. Baker will come out and pinfire Mr. Fantasy's shins. He did see the inflammation there, so we will take care of that.
During the down time, Mr. Fantasy will undergo something called IRAP (Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein) treatment. IRAP is used to combat osteoarthritis and joint degeneration. IRAP blocks the Interlukin-1 protein from causing the inflammation that creates bone degradation. Attached, please find a great article on IRAP from the University of Florida veterinary school. It is a fairly new, exciting and effective procedure.
The grooving on the cannon bones essentially adds 30-40 more days off for Mr. Fantasy beyond our original timetable. Dr. Baker said the more time we could give him the better, so he will be out of training until about November 1st.
After November 1st we will most likely send Mr. Fantasy directly to Florida. We could start him on the aquacizer at Vinery in Florida to start getting him legged up without putting stress on his joints. We would then likely send him to Kiaran at Palm Meadows just before the new year.

Prognosis:The prognosis for Mr. Fantasy is good. We would ideally have loved for there to have been no associated grooving on the cannon bone, but we caught things early. Kiaran does not throw around phrases like top horse easily, but he said to me yesterday, "This is a top horse. When we get him back he'll be a top horse in 2010." We believe Kiaran is right. We're not going to sugar coat things. This is a disappointment, but we're doing everything we can to make sure Mr. Fantasy is a top horse in the future.



Phosphorescent is scheduled to be looked at again by Dr. Allday this week as more of a matter of due diligence than anything. He wants to see if anything has changed since he evaluated him roughly ten days ago. Dale has purposely held off on breezing him until he got a second look from the vet. If everything checks out, then he will resume breezing.


This Defense Rests had a little filling in his tendon after breezing through the lane earlier this week. Kiaran had the tendon scanned and it came up clean. He simply has a little tendinitis. Kiaran called it akin to growing pains in a human being. There's nothing you need to do except let the horse get through it. As a result, we've sent The Defense Rests to Goodwin Farm in Saratoga. He will be there for 60 days then should resume training.

Updates

Terry and Kiaran discussed the plan for Mr. Fantasy going forward and her is what they have come up with. He is scheduled to van tomorrow to Fairlawn Farm in Kentucky where he will have 3-4 weeks to settle down and relax. He'll be able to "put his head down" and just walk and graze. This will also allow the hot spots found in the scan to cool out.
Dr. Baker will also take a look at him in person and to go over his scan. We will then most likely pinfire his shins and his ankles after he cools out to help tighten them up. We might also blister his knees. This would be done with the goal of getting him back into the training at the end of the summer.
He's an extremely talented horse, and we want to do the right thing for him to ensure he has the best chance to maximize that talent. We'll wait to see what Dr. Baker says, but this is what Kiaran has suggested to Terry.

Phosphorescent continues to come up clean after several evaluations. He will likely breeze in another week or so. We're going to have to draw a line through the last race. Dale would like to get one more race in before the end of the Churchill meet, and he would prefer the turf ideally. There is an "a other than" turf race going a mile and a sixteenth on July 4th that Dale is going to look at.

The Defense Rests was a standout at Kiaran's barn when we saw him at Belmont over the weekend. He's built like a tank and is extremely muscular throughout. He is scheduled to ship up to Saratoga today (Wednesday), and will continue training on with his workmate, Common Currency.
Click here to see video of him from Belmont Park.

The Defense Rests at Belmont

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0xA6UVovic&feature=channel

Terry Talking about Mr Fantasy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_umwuN8tpdg

Mr Fantasy Update

Mr. Fantasy is back at Belmont after having his nuclear scintigraphy. He had a few "hot spots". An ankle, knee and shin lit up on one leg while an ankle and knee lit up in another leg. Fortunately, nothing too serious was found.
The recommended course of action is to simply give Mr. Fantasy some time. How much time? Good question, but one that we cannot really give an answer to at this point. This test sets a baseline for us so we can see where something might be bugging Mr. Fantasy. To base a timeline on that alone would be pure guesswork and speculation. However, we should have a better idea after about thirty days.
What are the next steps?
We will take about a week before we make any decisions.
There are three most likely potential courses of action.
Keep him with Kiaran but only lightly train him.
Send him to Kentucky so that he can get cardio work in through aqua training.
Send him to the farm in Saratoga and turn him out for a bit.
Wait and let time work its magic.
By having this test we're in a good position to evaluate where things stand moving forward. We're going to treat this colt like the graded stakes winner he is and do what it takes to ensure he has the longest and most successful career possible.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy had his nuclear scintigraphy late Wednesday afternoon to see if we can pinpoint what is bugging him. We will update you with the results as soon as they become available to us.

Dale has asked Dr. Allday to take a look at Phosphorescent's ankle following his last race, as he thought something might be bothering him. Dale has been poking and prodding at Phos, but has not found anything as of yet. Dale said Phos is scheduled to be seen by scanned by Dr. Allday to try to pinpoint exactly what's bothering him.

The Defense Rests has been as impressive as any two-year-old since shipping to the track.

Mr. Fantasy - Status Update - June 1, 2009

From Terry

Just wanted to give you an up to the hour update on our colt.
I just talked to Kiaran from his barn at Belmont. He, along with his main assistant Artie, and the barn vet went over Mr. F. from head to toe this morning.
By way of review, late yesterday Kiaran instructed Artie to have the hind glue oneshoes removed just see what kind of difference that made. Our colt jogged on the road today better, but not perfect. He's a touch off right front and also a touch off left hind.
Bottom line, we, collectively made the right call by not pushing on here. These little issues almost always turn into large, and often career ending, injuries if adequate care and time is not given. I always tell myself this industry would be a whole lot easier if we were dealing with machines - we're not - we are dealing living, breathing creatures made of bone and muscle.
So, where do we go from here? We'll have this colt in to have a full body scintigraphy within the next 48 hours. The procedure should pinpoint exactly what is going on inside his body.
What's the most likely outcome? My guess is he has a strained muscle or bruised bone somewhere and a little time off and TLC will do the trick.
Over the years, we've found the most effective treatment for any horse is giving them time out of training. An old saying on the track "Either you give them time, or they will take it themselves" may very well ring true here with this colt.
I understand this is a disappointing turn of events for everyone involved. Please trust we will do everything in our power to get him back to the races so he can be all that he can be.

Mr Fantasy Update

Mr. Fantasy will not run in the Woody Stephens. Kiaran called this afternoon, and he said that something is still just not quite right with Mr. Fantasy. He thinks that something might be bugging Mr. Fantasy behind, but he just can't quite put his finger on it.
We are going to send Mr. Fantasy in for what's called a nuclear scintigraphy within the next few days. A nuclear scintigraphy is a diagnostic test that will help pinpoint anything underlying that might be bugging him that we just can't see.

Updates

Click here for a pdf race chart and running line of the race. Phosphorescent had to steady entering the turn then never picked up his feet to finish sixth.
Quotes
Dale Romans said, "This is an honest horse. For him to run like that makes me believe there has to be something physical going on. I thought maybe his ankle was bugging him. I had the vet take x-rays Tuesday, and they came back clean. There has to be something more, so I am going to have Dr. Allday come in on Thursday or Friday to do some nerve blocking to see if we can isolate something that's just not showing up. We will get to the bottom of this."


The Defense Rests is scheduled to arrive at Belmont Park tomorrow morning

Mr Fantasy Update

Mr. Fantasy is doing better after spiking a fever on Saturday. Kiaran reports that Mr. Fantasy looked and acted better this morning. They're taking things day by day; we'll have to see how things develop over the next four to six days.
Depending on how Mr. Fantasy reacts, we have two possible targets for his next race. We are still looking at the Grade 2 $250,000 Woody Stephens on June 6th at Belmont or the first leg of the Big Apple Triple, the $100,000 Mike Lee on June 21st at Belmont.
We'll have further clarity by the end of the week.

Mr Fantasy Update

He has been eating all weekend so that's a good sign ;-) hopefully will have more news soon .If there is nothing too serious with him he will be pointed at the Grade II Woody Stephens on June 6th

Scratched

Mr Fantasy has been scratched from the Met Mile. I had the phone call this morning that Mr Fantasy spiked with a fever Friday night and was given antibiotics and will not run ... further details to follow when i get them

Met Mile

Mr. Fantasy is all systems go for Monday's $600,000 G1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. He drew towards the outside which should allow Mike Luzzi the opportunity to work out a good trip for our colt. Kiaran did not want to be on the rail because he felt it would force our hand to go on with it early. While Mr. Fantasy has shown tremendous speed so far in his young career, we do not feel he is a need-the-lead type of horse.
As one would expect, the Met Mile drew some tough customers, but we are not scared of any of them. He was assigned 109 pounds, nine fewer than the top weight (Smooth Air), and we are very excited for Mr. Fantasy's first run in a race of this magnitude.

Updates

Dale entered Phosphorescent in an extra "a other than" allowance going six furlongs this Sunday, May 24th at Churchill Downs. Dale saw that the race was coming up small, and Julien Leparoux was open for the race. Like Dale said, "We got beat three-lengths in the last couple sprints. This race was coming up small. Sometimes you can't pass up good spots." We will run Sunday.

Met Mile ... This Ones for Phil is out due to a cough

Updates

Mr. Fantasy was assigned 109 pounds for this Monday's G1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. We have procured the services of Mike Luzzi to ride him on Monday. Mike is one of the only jockeys that can tack that weight and we did not want to lose the advantage he was given with the handicap conditions

Phosy is still on for May27th for his turf debut unless an extra race comes up at churchill this weekend

The Defense Rests is scheduled to be shipped up to Monmouth Park sometime in the next week

Met Mile Weights

http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=HW-BEL-20090525-483122

Mr Fantasy Update

Today's News
The weights for the Met Mile come out tomorrow. However, it looks like we are going to be assigned somewhere between 108 and 110 pounds. We are still working on a jockey. We don't want to give up much weight, so we're seeing who can tack that light and is available. We have spoken with Rafael Bejarano's agent. He can tack 109, but there are some races in California that day that he is committed to. He is seeing if he can get out of those mounts. Mike Luzzi can do very light in New York, and John Velazquez is listed as doing 112 pounds. However, we have to see if those numbers are still legit. The situation is still very fluid.
The list of probables published by NYRA is not overwhelming. Click here (about two-thirds down the page) to see their latest list. We expect a couple not on this list to show up.

Phosy works

Phosy worked this morning going 5F in 1:02:20 13 of 27

Phosphorescent breezed a good five furlongs. This was a much better work than last week. It looks like that foot that was stinging Phosphorescent last week was nothing. Dale said that we are "ready to run" after today's work.
Dale still has an eye on the "a other than" allowance on the turf on May 27th at Indiana Downs as a likely target, but he would run in an extra race at Churchill Downs this weekend if one came up

Mr Fantasy Works

Mr Fantasy worked Saturday morning going 5F in 1:00:94 4of29

Mr. Fantasy turned in his final breeze in preparation for the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on May 25th at Belmont. He worked in company with Justwhistledixie. The pair went a half-mile in 48.2. The clockers caught the gallop out in 1:00.4. Kiaran called the works "perfect".
Kiaran McLaughlin caught a little case of Preakness-fever on Saturday. As a result, he decided to work his top three-year-old filly Justwhistledixie in company with one of his top three-year-old colts, Mr. Fantasy. The result, according to McLaughlin, was exactly what he was hoping for.
"I was thinking about Rachel Alexandra running against the boys in the Preakness, so I figured why not," said the trainer of the pair when asked about working them together. "They were both scheduled to work and they both have big spots coming up, so I figured why not let two extremely talented horses work in company. I was glad I did because it really went well." The pair breezed a half-mile in :48.2, and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.4. The trainer of the pair said the works were "perfect."
Mr. Fantasy is scheduled to run in next Monday's G1 $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. "He's doing great," said McLaughlin. "We've schooled him in the paddock and he had a great breeze with 'Dixie over the weekend, he's all systems go."
Justwhistledixie, meanwhile, is scheduled to make her next start in the G1 $300,000 Acorn Stakes on Belmont Stakes Day (June 6th). "She's come back from the bruise she suffered so well, it's like she never missed a beat. She's such a classy filly. We're excited about her chances in the Acorn," said McLaughlin.
"It's a great time of year for us," said West Point Thoroughbreds President Terry Finley. "It's exhilarating to have two horses running at the highest level of the sport. We're excited for the horses and for their partners."

Updates

The Met nominees past performances were posted this week, and while it's a very competitive bunch, there is nobody that is going to be even money in the race. We believe Mr. Fantasy fits nicely. The weights for thehandicap will be assigned next week. To see the nominees pp's, clickhere

Dale is looking for a spot to run Phosphorescent back in by the end of the month. There is a turf race on May 27th at Indiana Downs that he thinks he would be able to get Phos into, and he thinks that would be a good spot to see if he likes the turf in because we'll be avoiding the heavy hitters, so that race looks like a strong possibility.


The DefenseRests is scheduled to be shipped up to Belmont by the end of the month. He's galloping daily, and DavidMcKathan is planning on getting a couple quarter-mile breezes in him before hemoves up north.

Updates

Kiaran schooled Mr. Fantasy in the paddock during the third race today at Belmont. He was in with the other horses as they were getting ready for the race.
He got a little bit warm, but overall it went very well. We're working to get him more comfortable with the entire pre race routine.We're still on target for the Met Mile on Memorial Day.

Phosphorescent Date: May 10, 2009Track: CHURCHILL DOWNSDistance: Five FurlongsTime: 1.03:20 BreezingTrack Condition: FastSurface: DirtRank: 27/35

NTRA 3YO POLL

HORSE AGE-SEX RECORD POINTS


1. Rachel Alexandra (17) 3-F 4-4-0-0 186
2.Pioneerof the Nile 3-C 3-3-0-0 161
3.Mine That Bird (2) 3-G 3-1-1-0 138
4.I Want Revenge 3-C 3-2-0-1 128
5.Quality Road 3-C 3-2-1-0 110
6.Musket Man 3-C 5-3-0-2 109
7.Papa Clem (1) 3-C 4-1-2-0 87
8.Chocolate Candy 3-C 4-2-1-0 38
9.Friesan Fire 3-C 4-3-0-0 35
10.Mr. Fantasy 3-C 3-2-0-1 16

Updates

Not much to add this week the weather has hampered training for Mr Fantasy and Phosy . Dale is looking at 1 1/8 th turf allownce for Phos and Mr Fantasy going for Met Mile . The Defense Rests will be shipping up to Belmont in the next few weeks .

Mr Fantasy

We have decided to pass next week's Preakness and instead point for the $600,000 Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap run at a mile on May 25th at Belmont.
The Met Mile has been good for three-year-olds in the past, and it is one of the most prestigious races for Breeders. If the Met Mile comes up too difficult, then our backup race would be the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on Belmont Day.
We decided to pass the Preakness after seeing it would be a full field with what looks like a decent amount of speed in the race. We'd also be facing 125,000 fans and shipping for the first time. In the long run, that was not in the best interest of the horse. Kiaran also felt we could always possibly bounce off the Withers, so the extra ten days reduces that possibility.
We know we have one of the most talented three-year-olds, and the Met Mile will give him the chance to showcase that in one of the most prestigious races in the sport.

Mr Fantasy

Mr Fantasy will NOT run in the Preakness but will be pointed at the G1 Met Mile at Belmont on May 25th with the G2 Woody Stephens at Belmont on June 6th

Updates

Mr. Fantasy came out of his smashing performance in the Withers on Saturday in great shape. Kiaran said it's the best he's ever come back from a race. He earned a 102 Beyer in the race and couldn't be doing any better. There are lots of options for this talented three-year-old going forward and Kiaran and Terry will be discussing all of them in the very near future.


Phosphorescent continues to train very well. He is scheduled to return to the worktab in the next couple of days, weather permitting. Unfortunately, there are no mile races on the turf for him, so Dale was weighing his options as to where Phos would be making his next start. There is a race going a mile and a sixteenth. Dale is deciding how far he's willing to go.


The Closing Argument Colt, now known as The Defense Rests, continues to do well down in Florida. This big, strong colt is scheduled to ship up north next month

Our New Boy

The Closing Argument Colt has been named by Yours Truly ( pat on back )

The name is ( drum roll)

THE DEFENSE RESTS we thought it was a great name to go with Closing Argument

Withers Day

What a great day the weather was beautiful the racing was good . Tina & I did well had some early exatas and a nice $148 pick 3 .

Down in the parade ring Mr Fantasy looked in much better condition was not sweating up so much but he was acting up not wanting to be saddled Artie had to walk him around and try to saddle him on the move when Mig got up he walked around with lead horse and calmed down a lot . he was a little unsettled in the starting gate got away a little awkward but steadied and settled into a nice pace then around the turn into the straight he pulled away and made it look easy . What a wonderful ending to what has been a sad few weeks with the passing of Tin Cup . hoping he comes out in good shape and look forward to moving onto bigger things .

http://www.drf.com/drfPDFChartRacesIndexAction.do?TRK=AQU&CTY=USA&DATE=20090425&RN=9

Withers Article from Bloodhorse

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/50351/preakness-hopefuls-do-battle-in-withers

Updates

Mr. Fantasy drew post five of seven in the $150,000 Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct. Kiaran decided to go with Richard Migliore to ride in the race. Migliore had committed to ride in the Wood Memorial if we ran there when Garcia would not, so we are staying with that call. Migliore is close to Hall of Fame status and a big money rider. We're hoping to see him duplicate Mr. Fantasy's last winning effort.


Phosphorescent came out of his race in good shape. Dale is planning on running him on the turf in his next start and will begin looking for a race for him sometime around the middle of May, ideally in an "a-other-than" at one mile on the grass.



The Closing Argument Colt is still on schedule to ship up to Kiaran's barn in about a month. He's a big guy that's all muscle and he has really impressed David McKathan in Ocala.

Mr Fantasy Breezes

Mr Fantasy breezed this morning at Belmont going 5f in 1.01.11 4of 15 in the group that worked he is all ready to go next week in the Grade III Withers . Looking forward for another big race with the drop back in distance wil be keeping a close look during the week when the draw comes out . hope the weathers stays nice nice and sunny here at the Las Vegas Hilton ...

Phosy keeps impressing me the way he just does not give up in his races .. the longer distance and turf may be what he needs

Phosy

We managed to watch the race on the plane to Vegas . Tina and I are out here to watch the World Championship Showjumping .

Like his last race he was up with the pace at the begining of the race but seems to lose himself in the middle of the race where he lost a lot of ground then down the stretch he runs and runs and makes up a lot of ground he just keeps fighting on .He's by Rock Slide out of a Smarten mare. Dale said he would like to try him at about a mile on the turf. That'll be something we look at over at Churchill Downs."

Updates

Mr. Fantasy is scheduled to breeze back over the weekend as Kiaran prepares him for G3 $150,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on April 25th. He has been extremely pleased with him and believes he will run big in the stakes race next weekend.

Dale is looking forward to running Phosphorescent in a spot that he has had picked out for him for a while. In his last start, Phosphorescent gave a great account of himself losing a stakes race by just over three lengths, and that was without the benefit of really pointing to the race.
Dale has been extremely pleased with how he's been doing in the mornings, and while this is a tough race, he expects Phosphorescent to run big in his second start off the layoff

The Closing Argument colt is built like a tank and appears to have a very bright future. Terry is working with Kiaran to make plans for the spring and summer for the two-year-olds. He'll likely come up in late-May.

Phosy Races

Phosy worked on Sun going 4F in 49.80 19 of 34 ready for allowance at Keeneland on April 17th

The race has just drawn (six on the card) Phosy drew pp7 with Miguel Mena up we are hoping for big race from Phosy

NY Breeders Awards

Awards from last night NY Thoroughbred Breeders dinner

TWICE FORBIDDEN - Broodmare of the Year
Dam of four multiple winners from four runners by four different sires, including NYTB Three-Year-Old Male Champion Tin Cup Chalice and 2004 New York Derby winner Don Corleone. A New York-bred from the first New York-conceived crop sired by the great Spectacular Bid, she won twice in two-turn contests at Finger Lakes as a three-year-old, compiling a one-season record of 2 - 2 - 1 in seven starts. Her first starter, a colt by Incurable Optimist, turned out to be Don Corleone, who captured the New York Derby for owner-breeder Carmine Iorio at odds of 59-to-1. Twice Forbidden was privately purchased by breeder-trainer Michael Lecesse after producing Don Corleone, who became a stakes winner when Tin Cup Chalice was in-utero. Shortly after Tin Cup Chalice's 2008 Japanese jaunt, the mare's fourth runner, two-year-old Mr. Fantasy (foaled at Carl Lizza Jr.'s and Joseph Bartone's Highcliff Farm in Delanson), won his December 28 debut by 10-1/2 lengths at Aqueduct. Mr. Fantasy subsequently has won an Aqueduct allowance by 8-1/2 lengths and placed third in Aqueduct's graded Gotham Stakes. Twice Forbidden is out of a winning mare by Stalwart and might confirm speculation that daughters of Spectacular Bid could be invaluable broodmares. There possibly are several of The Bid's daughters in New York.

Withers Nominations

http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SN-AQU-20090425-481917

Mr Fantasy Update

Mr Fantasy breezed this morning at Belmont going 4F in 47.08 1 of 25 looks like he`s getting back to his old self ;-) . Kiaran has been really pleased with Mr Fantasy over the last couple of weeks he`s put weight back on and today's workout was sharp . We are on target for the $150,000 Withers (G3) on April25th at Aqueduct.

Updates

Mr. Fantasy is doing great. He has regained some weight and is scheduled to work later this week. Kiaran is pointing him towards the G3 $150,000 Withers at Aqueduct on April 25th.


Phosphorescent is doing extremely well. He came out of his work in great shape. He is all systems go for the race on April 17th at Keeneland, and Dale believes he'll run big in that spot.



The Closing Argument Colt really opened some eyes down in Ocala this past weekend. He's built like a Mac truck with a good shoulder and flank. He has a good mind and moves very nicely and really impressed the entire team down in Florida.

Ocala weekend Photos

Our new boy Closing Argument/Autumn Music

Tappit Colt-note the birthmark

our new boy#2

Tappit colt we liked this one but will be on West Coast

Elusive barn cat

When you see Tina next time ask her about the barn cat :)

Notice anything interesting about the birthmark! Kind of cool if you have firgured it out.

We included 2 photo's of the closing arguement colt-he is our next horse and we are so excited to be able to have an ownership in this lovely colt-as the europeans would say.......... LOL

Phosy

Phosy breezed Saturday going 5F in 1.01.60 7/12 in a easy work at Churchill Downs will get one more workout next weekend then be pointes at a allowance race at Keeneland on April 17th

Updates

Mr. Fantasy will continue to gallop for the next few weeks. He will not be asked for a full work right away. Kiaran will then begin to pick up the intensity with him as he prepares him for the G3 $150,000 Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack on April 25th.

Phosphorescent has been doing extremely well since his fourth place finish in the Hansel. He received a 78 Beyer in that race. Dale has been very pleased with him and plans to breeze him sometime in the next few days, depending on the weather. He is pointing him for an "A-other-than" at Keeneland on April 17th.

Sad News

Just received phone call Mr Fantasy has been off his feed for the last couple of days so after talks with Kiaran its decided that he will not run on April 4th or head to The Derby . We feel that pushing him now may not be best for him as he is still young so we will aim for The Withers on April 25th and if that goes well The Preakness

Phosphorescent came out of his game effort in the Hansel on Saturday in good shape. Dale was proud of how he ran in the comeback effort, being that he was only beaten three lengths in the minor stakes race. Dale gave him a few days off and then resumed galloping him again. He did not feel the polytrack was in any way a factor as to why he lost. There is an "A other than" at Keeneland on April 17th that we will look at as a potential target for Phos.

Mr Fantasy

Mr Fantasy worked out on Saturday at Belmont going 4F in 48.05 ( we have him going 48 flat ) 6 out of 80 he went steadily throughout while well within himself . He galloped out 5F in 1.00 flat . Artie said he came back quite full of himself after the work and is on target for The Wood on April 4th

Turfway Park

Phosy looked great in the paddock alert and coat shining in the sun . It was a warm sunny afternoon much different to Friday morning in NY with the snow .

It was a busy day at Turfway big crowd met a lot of new people as WestPoint also had Fitz Just Right running . Tina enjoyed the liquid Lane`s End stil not sure what was in it ... Racing was eventful early on one jockey being thrown from his horse after the race another hitting the rail after horse from #1 pp came out of the gate and swerved badly .

Phosy came out of gate a little slowly but was running well a little too much off the pace in my opinion Kent said he was slipping going around the turn ( Dale said this has been happening all meeting) when he entered the stretch he found a higher gear until tiring to finish 4th a good result after a 5 month lay off he will now move on to Keeneland .

The trip was eventful besides the racing flying into Lexington we waiting an hour for our luggage then leaving Sunday morning the pilot was taken sick so had to wait for another pilot to fly in from Atlanta almost 3 hours later we were on our way and manged to make or changed connection in Atlanta had to be home as artist was coming with painting we had commissioned ( see above ) . Anyone flying into Lexington beware as company that handles the ground duties has changed and are not very good at the moment but we do recommend the Jean Farris winery and bistro http://www.jeanfarris.com/

Update

Mr. Fantasy contunues to work for one of the Kentucky Derby preps. I Want Revenge ran a negative number on the Rag sheets in the Gotham and looks like a potential candidate to bounce to the moon. All the numbers experts think he will, so the $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 4th at Aqueduct looks like our most likely target.

Phosy`s Back

Phosy races Saturday in the Hansel Stakes at Turfway Park PP#2 of 8 with Kent Desormeaux up . We will be attending so hope he does well and will be able to see The Lanes End

ESPN

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/columns/story?columnist=plonk_jeremy&id=3989979

Its a long article but its worth reading through to see where and who the winner of The Derby may come from

Thoughts from Tina

Hi Everyone



Usually Wayne is the one adding to the blog but I wanted to say something today.

First, I would like to thank everyone who has been following our adventures and to my workmates at TD Bank Wealth Management(silent majority or not) for your support. That picture on the back of my desk will change!

Wayne and I will be busy over the next few months figuring which race(s) we will be going to-it would be great if Phosy & Mr. Fantasy raced in the same locations but they do not! So next time you hear from us we will either be on our way to Turfway Park with Phosy or to Chicago with Mr. Fantasy( well he could go to the Wood also). You see what I mean. We don't know if we need to get on a plane or drive-as I have been told " Welcome to the world of Horse Racing!).

46 Days 22hrs 31min till Derby Day :)

Handicappers Edge ( BRISNET )

Mr. Fantasy recorded a respectable third in his first start against open company. The New York-bred crushed overmatched foes in his first two outings, winning a maiden special weight by 10 1/2 lengths and an entry-level allowance by 8 1/2 lengths, but he didn't have everything his own way during the early stages of the Gotham, with I Want Revenge applying pressure from the start. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee spotted plenty of seasoning to his rival and couldn't handle the class check, but he continued on gamely after being passed and earned a triple-digit Speed number (102). Don't be surprised to see Mr. Fantasy improve off his first career setback

At least some of the press are saying good things ;-) Gary West from Fort -Worth Star Telegram still has him in his Top 20 lets see what the bloggers say about Giant Oak and Patena after their poor runs

ESPN

MR. FANTASY, who could not quicken in his first class test while giving away much experience, tired late and was edged for second by IMPERIAL COUNCIL. Keep in mind that MR. FANTASY ran the distance in approximately 1:44 2/5, a time fast enough to win the past two Gothams and four lengths quicker than his allowance win that netted a 93 Beyer. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said they would have won by five if I WANT REVENGE didn't show up. He's probably right. The inexperienced prodigy remains a future star candidate, though he cast a serious cloud about any chance to be a 1 1/4 miles horse with only one more prep race. His light resume also showed when he was hot in the paddock, trickled some kidney sweat in the post parade and looked wet on the neck going into the starting gate. The Illinois Derby, dominated by speed horses historically, would be a positive building block next.

Ad from Bloodhorse

Updates

Mr. Fantasy came out of his effort in the Gotham in good shape. Alan Garcia said Mr. Fantasy got a little skittish in the paddock and then again before he went into the starting gate. We were a little unlucky not to get 2nd, but he ran a good race and we are now graded-stakes placed. He received a 98 Beyer Speed Figure in the Gotham and considering he got a little worked up prior to the actual running of the race, that's a pretty impressive number. The winner ran a 113, the second fastest prep in the last decade. If you take that horse's effort out of the equation, we should not be discouraged.
Terry and Kiaran are discussing where his next start should be and are keeping all their options open. Mr. Fantasy has been nominated to all the major triple crown prep races. Two options they have discussed are the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 4th and the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne the same day.

Phosphorescent breezed in company with another of Dale's horses this morning. He went a half mile in 47.40. The work was 2nd of 26 at the distance. This was his best work since being in Florida. He really responded to working in company. Unfortunately, he has had a string of bad luck in terms of getting into a race. Dale entered him twice in allowance races that didn't go, so he has nominated him in the 6F Hansel Stakes at Turfway Park Saturday, March 21st ( LANES END DAY ). That is the same day as the allowance race at Gulfstream. Dale is not sure that race is going to fill, and Dale says the horse is ready to run. He will continue to talk to the jock's agents over the next couple days about the race at Gulfstream, but he's not going to sit around and wait for a race that may not go. We look like we will run somewhere on the 21st barring any late changes.

DRF

Wood or Illinois Derby for Mr. Fantasy
Mr. Fantasy, third in the Gotham after setting the pace, will run next in either the Wood or the $500,000 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne the same day, said Terry Finley, president of West Point Thoroughbreds, which owns the colt.
Finley said Mr. Fantasy would "have to run one-two in one of those spots to warrant taking the next step."
Both Finley and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin were slightly disappointed Mr. Fantasy didn't fare better. However, he was making just his third start and first outside of New York-bred company. He was beaten a neck for second by Imperial Council.

Gotham Fallout

If you have been reading blogs and racing press i am sure you have seen the not so good things written about Mr Fantasy after his run in the Gotham .. but i have to say i have seen some positive things written particularly by James Scully on the official Kentucky Derby website who puts him in his top 20 at # 18 and says he eligible to improve on his stakes debut .

Others have Beethoven on their lists stating although he washed out badly in the paddock for the FOY he still run a pretty good race. Didn`t Mr Fantasy just put in the same effort ? maybe it was an even bigger effort going fromm NYBred to open company for the first time and earning a 98 beyer .

Will he make it to Kentucky who knows would we like to see him there of course but at the same time have to consider what may be best for him in the long run . I have not heard where he intends to run next be it the Wood or Illinois Derby if he is still on the trail as soon i i know will update .. I just hope that he is in good health and whenever he comes out next runs a huge race and rubs in the face of those saying he should run in claimers .

As for Phosy he is still working well in Fla but having a hard time finding a race for him .

Gotham Day

What can we take from yesterday ? Did we achieve what we set out too?

We were looking for Mr Fantasy to run a good race and have a good showing with running him into the ground . Of course we want him to win but at this stage not win at all costs . We did not want to run our Big race ( did I Want Revenge just run his Big race today?) but something to improve on in his next race and again in the one after that on May 2nd .

It was a good day the Aqueduct the weather was great could not have been much worse than the beginning of the week there was some good racing with some close finishes . There were a lot of partners and friends there to watch Mr Fantasy as well as others involved in the breeding and selling of Mr Fantasy and it was great to meet Scott , Greg and Michael .

Let me give you my break down of the events . Mr Fantasy is still is young horse and is making only his 3rd career start and that is a Grade III Derby prep against horses that have run in stakes races . With his 2 outstanding wins we know he is well bred and has plenty of speed and despite what many may think is the best horse racing in NY .

Tina & I while going down to the saddling enclosure we we lucky enough to just see the horses walking down Mr Fantasy was bringing up the rear that was the first sight we had of him and how he was starting to sweat something we have not seen in him before . He looked alert in the saddling enclosure where there were a lot more people there that have been at his other races did that unsettle him ?

While in the gate he was very restless as in his allowance race he was backed out and re- loaded where Haynesfield next to him started acted up . he was out of the gate well and to the front then the race did not set up as i am sure many of us thought it would where was Haynesfield and Russell Road ? . Alan was forced to take the lead something he really did not want to do Alan said he was charging and was holding him back although the fractions were soft in the end he still run a second faster than his allowance race and being eased up towards the end ( there is no blame here for the way Alan handled him ) . This was the first time he has come eye to eye with another horse into the stretch again something new to him . He seemed to tire in the deep stretch was it due to making all the running or is the distance too much for him will he make a great miler?

In summary he was 2nd best on the day running a second faster over same distance and earning a 98 beyer coping with new experiences and hopefully he will learn from them .He cooled down well after the race and appears in good health will no more in the next few days .

http://www.drf.com/drfPDFChartRacesIndexAction.do?TRK=AQU&CTY=USA&DATE=20090307&RN=9

Gotham

THE GOTHAM
Grade III - $250,000
Purse $250,000 (Up to $37,500 NYSBFOA) One Mile And One Sixteenth (Inner Dirt)
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS.
1 Naos(L) B.c.3 116 Luzzi, M Starlight Partners Pletcher, Todd
2 Russell Road(L) Ch.g.3 116 Dunkelberger, T Russell, M Casey, James
3 Masala(L) B.c.3 116 Coa, E Peachtree Stable Pletcher, Todd
4 Axel Foley(L) Dk B/ Br.c.3 116 Migliore, R Singer, J McLaughlin, Kiaran Blk-Off
5 Mr. Fantasy(L) B.c.3 116 Garcia, A West Point Thoroughbreds McLaughlin, Kiaran
6 Haynesfield(L) Ch.c.3 120 Lopez, C Turtle Bird Stable Asmussen, Steven
7 Imperial Council(L) Dk B/ Br.c.3 116 Maragh, R Sequoia Racing McGaughey III, Claude
8 I Want Revenge(L) Dk B/ Br.c.3 116 Talamo, J Lanzman, D Mullins, Jeff
9 Giant Ryan(L) B.c.3 116 Sanchez, J Parbhoo, S Parboo, Bisnath

Updates

Phosy`s race did not go today nor did it come up as an extra tomorrow . The next allowance is Sat March 7th so will aim for that unless an extra comes up during the week at Gulfstream

Mr. Fantasy worked another sharp half-mile in preparation for the G3 $250,000 Gotham Stakes Saturday March 7th at Aqueduct Racetrack. According to Kiaran's assistant Artie Magnuson, the track had a little bit of moisture in it this morning, but Mr. Fantasy could not have been any more impressive. He went off in :12.1, meaning he covered the final three furlongs in an impressive :35.4. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:00 flat. This will be his final official workout prior to the race next Saturday.

According to Artie, "We're ready."

Updates

Phosy has had 2 good works and Dale is entering him in a 51/2 F allowance on Sat at Gulfstream not sure if going down it would be a good opportunity to see the runners in The Fountain of Youth

Below are the links for The Gotham Mr Fantasy is eating well something he excels in along with sleeping ;-) , he`s been training well and should be ready to show up on March 7th while holding something back for The Wood followed by a big showing in Kentucky

http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SN-AQU-20090307-481923


http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SNPP-AQU-20090307-481923

Mr. Fantasy Works

Mr Fantasy worked this morning at Belmont going 4F in 48:05 3/104 and galloped out in 1min and change went off 1st 1/8th in 12 dusted workmate ALL SYSTEMS GO

Update

Let me bring you up to speed

Phosy worked 5F in 1:03.2 17 of 18 not a very fast worked but but none the less a good workout Dale is looking at the book for a spot


Mr Fantasy is doing well training over at Belmont no upsets apart from a few wet days here and there . On target for Stakes debut March 7th in The Gotham


You are now up to speed

Phosy Works

Phosy worked over a dull track at Palm Meadows going 1.02.45 over 5F 6/28 . Dale was pleased with the work to start looking for a race in the new condition book .

Mr Fantasy is still strong in the press and the racing blogs including a article on Bloodhorse.com . Looking forward to the Gotham could be a big showdown with Haynesfield and i read on one blog that Danger to Society may be entering also

ESPN

Below is taken from Coundown to the Crown week 6 by J.Plonk on ESPN

One horse who already is buzzing up the charts is New York-bred MR. FANTASY (Equibase past performances here), who has the performances to back up his catchy name. We wrote that his maiden win was superstar-hinting in this year's inaugural "Countdown," and I'm convinced that's where he's headed. Kiaran McLaughlin's second-time starter turned in the best allowance race in America this year, hands-down, with Sunday's 1 1/16 miles promenade at Aqueduct. State-breds or not, you had to be impressed to see a horse make the lead from post 10 with ease while being restrained, not gunned. The son of E Dubai is a half-brother to G2 Indiana Derby winner Tin Cup Chalice and appears to have much more brilliance than big bro. MR. FANTASY spurts when asked, like a push-button horse should, and cornered magnificently on the far turn of his two-turn unveiling. And his lineage links back to none other than Silky Sullivan, even if MR. FANTASY's natural speed is the polar opposite of that historic runner.

Allowance Race
1. MR. FANTASY -- Aqueduct 2/1 * NEW *
2. FREE COUNTRY -- Gulfstream 1/8
3. THEREGOESJOJO -- Gulfstream 1/10
4. SHAFTED -- Santa Anita 1/2
5. DANCE CALLER -- Oaklawn 2/1 * NEW *

Jeremy's top 20: Sixth week of the 2009 season
1. Old Fashioned
2. Patena
3. Mr. Fantasy (new)

You Tube

Watch the video of the song that brought the name .......


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_nwbTeIN4Y&feature=related

You Tube Video

Video of Terry Finley talking about Mr Fantasy



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdMz-VoGh04&feature=channel_page

Update

Phosy .... Dale is givng him a couple of extra days between breezes and is scheduled to breeze in the next couple of days. Dale is planning on running him towards the end of the month if condition book has a short dirt race


Mr Fantasy .. After his impressive run around two turns earning a 93 beyer and a 101 Brisnet . According to Artie ( Kairans assistant ) said he came out of the race in great shape he cooled down well and is in good shape . Mr Fantasy will be now geared towards his stakes debut in $250,000 Grade III Gotham on March 7th .

Mr Fantasy Wins

It was a awkward start horses 7&9 were playing up in the stalls . Mr Fantasy seemed to have his head cocked and stumbled a little at the opening of the gate but he was soon into his stride and eased his way to the front and thats where he stayed . Mig just eased him around he said he did not really have to ride him .. so hopefully he will come out of the race in good health and be ready for stakes company in "The Gotham ..."

http://www.drf.com/drfPDFChartRacesIndexAction.do?TRK=AQU&CTY=USA&DATE=20090201&RN=7

More Press from DRF

Two-turn test Mr. Fantasy's best option

The connections of Mr. Fantasy have resorted to Plan C for the promising 3-year-old's second start.
Mr. Fantasy will make his next start in a first-level allowance race for New York-breds going 1 1/16 miles Sunday at Aqueduct. It will be the seventh race on the card.
Mr. Fantasy, a New York-bred son of E Dubai and a half-brother to Tin Cup Chalice, wowed observers with an effortless 10 1/2-length debut victory on Dec. 28, running six furlongs in 1:10.51 and earning a gaudy 97 Beyer Speed Figure. The plan was to keep the colt sprinting for his second start, and a first-level allowance race for New York-breds carded for last Wednesday seemed the ideal spot. But that card was canceled due to inclement weather.
As a back-up, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin entered Mr. Fantasy in Saturday's six-furlong Dancing Count Stakes at Laurel Park. But, McLaughlin really didn't want to ship the horse or run him in a stakes in his second start.
The hope was that Wednesday's canceled race would be brought back. It was, only the distance was changed to 1 1/16 miles, the same distance as the $250,000 Gotham Stakes on March 7, a race McLaughlin hopes Mr. Fantasy proves worthy of entering.
"The thought process is if we're going to look at the Gotham why not go a mile and a sixteenth now against New York-breds instead of six [furlongs] and win by eight, and then you still don't know'' about distance, McLaughlin said Friday from south Florida. "If we go long Sunday, he gets the experience of running long once against a lesser group.''
The draw was unkind to Mr. Fantasy as he will break from post 10. But McLaughlin hopes the colt's speed will enable him to clear the field and gain a favorable position entering the first turn. Richard Migliore will ride Mr. Fantasy.
"He's a very talented horse and I think Richie does a good job with these kind,'' McLaughlin said. "If he does take the lead, he'll settle him down, slow him down, and hopefully coast along.''