Updates

Brave Monarch breezed three furlongs in 39:00 on Saturday at Belmont, but it was not recorded by the clockers. Mike said, “This was a great first work after not breezing for a few weeks. He went very easily and he will continue on a regular breeze schedule. Most importantly, his legs were cold the morning after the breeze.” If all goes well, we remain on schedule to see our son of Maria’s Mon in the starting gate before the end of the year.

Mr. Fantasy is handwalking each day at Dr. Baker’s farm. He will begin PRP therapy next week.

The Defense Rests is set to resume galloping later this week. Kip reports that he is doing very well and is ready to have the intensity of his training increased.

Phos Follow Up

Phosphorescent’s surgery was a success on Monday. Dr. Baker reports that there was grooving on the bottom of both cannon bones as a result of wear and tear. He was able to smooth out the areas and remove the small ankle chips. Phosphorescent was also gelded while under anesthesia (see more in Terry's note from yesterday). He is resting comfortably and his recovery from surgery was uncomplicated.
He will be out of training for three-four months. The prognosis for successful return to races and return to the same level of competition is very favorable. We think he is primed to be even better in 2011 than he was in 2010. Most good turf horses get better with age.
During this time, he will receive IRAP therapy to help reduce inflammation and to strengthen the cartilage in his joints. Click here to learn more about the therapy. He will on stall rest for a few weeks before starting turnout in a small round pen on Dr. Baker’s farm.

Phos

Dr. Baker saying that Phosphorescent is headed into surgery right now. Dr. Baker took another set of radiographs before the surgery and saw a very small chip in the left front ankle. He is likely pop it out while Phos is on the table so it doesn't become an issue down the road.
We conferred with Dr. Baker and Lupe and think that gelding Phosphorescent is the right move. It will help keep him and sounder by making it easier to manage his weight. He has always been eager in his training and this will make him a bit more manageable which in turn keeps pressure of his ankles. We want to do all we can to extend the longevity of his career, and to set him up for more successful campaigns down the future. We have had a lot of success with older geldings in our stable including El Gato Malo, and Breeders' Cup starters Awesome Gem and Tropic Storm.
Accordingly, Dr. Baker is going to geld Phosphorescent while he is under anesthesia for the procedure.
Click here to learn about gelding.

Workout

Sew Your Notes worked out at Finger Lakes going 4F in 51:80 14/16

Racing Schedule for UAE including World Cup Date

Here is racing schedule for UAE as provided by restaurant manager after talking to him at the new Meydan Hotel see pictures in earlier post

Updates

Brave Monarch is scheduled to breeze on either Friday or Saturday morning at Belmont Park. He’s been galloping very strongly for the past week, and his splint remains cold

The Defense Rests continues jogging daily and will resume galloping early next month. Kip tries to mix things up each day by rotating his horses through trots through the woods, on the turf course, and on the dirt track.

Dr. Baker confirmed that there is a small chip in Phosphorescent's right front ankle. Dr. Baker thinks the best course of action is to surgically remove the chip. We would need to rest him for a period of time even if we did not take the chip out, and removal helps prevent further damage down the road.

Accordingly, Phosphorescent will ship to Woodford Equine Hospital in Versailles, Kentucky within the next few days and have the procedure shortly after arrival. He will recover at Dr. Baker's Fairlawn Farm, which is located right near the clinic.

The prognosis is very favorable that our colt will make a full recovery. Dr. Baker estimates that he will be need about 60 days out of training. This could not have happened at a better time, as most turf campaigners take a breather at this time of year anyway. We've always thought this horse would be a stellar four-year-old, so we will give him plenty of time to recharge his batteries before gearing up for late spring and summer turf campaign.

Early in 2011, we will send Phosphorescent to Kip Elser's farm in Camden, South Carolina to begin the legging up process before shipping back to Lupe. We have found that it is beneficial for horses recovering from an injury to go back into training in a milder climate. It is tough for a horse who has been laid up to start an exercise regime back up in the dead of winter up north. Once he gets back galloping, we will send him back to Lupe and get him geared up for a summer turf campaign. We expect to make a lot of noise on the turf circuit next year. Many of the best grass horses flourish as four, five, and six-year-olds.

Terry has known Kip for over 15 years, and he is an excellent horseman who runs a top class facility. We are excited to team with Elser and have him work with our horses before they return to their respective trainers. Click here to read a Thoroughbred Times article about Kirkwood. Click here to visit the farm's homepage

Further Update
Phosphorescent is en route to Kentucky right now on a Brook Ledge van. He will spend the night at a layover facility before completing his journey in the morning. His scheduled arrival time in Kentucky 9am.

Mr. Fantasy continues on stall rest each day at Dr. Baker’s farm. Both front ankles were injected with hylaronic acid this week to stimulate the production of healthy joint fluid. He will begin PRP therapy in 2-3 weeks. After taking a sample of the his blood, in minutes a high-speed centrifuge separates blood plasma rich in platelets from the red blood cells. This PRP with its associated growth factors is then immediately injected into the soft tissue of the ankle creating what some call a "super-clot" that serves to help create a biologic scaffold upon which the body's own cells migrate and produce new collagen fibrils along lines of tension in the structure being treated. PRP is a fast, stall-side treatment that uses the horse's own cells and molecules to stimulate more rapid and stronger healing in a variety of structures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e38OrwvDBs8&feature=player_embedded

Updates

Brave Monarch has been galloping for the past few days and is set to resume speed work next week. We remain on schedule to see him debut before the end of the year.

His sire, Maria’s Mon is currently ranked 4th on the 2010 Leading Sires List. Click here to see the list. His runners have earned over $7.2 million this year.

Mr. Fantasy remains on stall rest at Dr. Baker’s farm. His bandages are changed every other day and his ankles will be injected with hylaronic acid next week.

We had a partner request an estimation of cost for Mr. Fantasy’s return to the races:

Estimated total cost: $25,500
-4 months with Dr. Baker + surgery - $8,500
-2 months at training facility (most likely Florida) - $5,000
-2 months with Mike- $8,000
-8 months of management fee - $4,000

Phosphorescent’s radiographs were sent to Dr. Baker and we should have a full report from him within the next few days. Phosphorescent remains at Philadelphia Park.


The Defense Rests is back jogging at Kirkwood Farm. He will jog for the next couple weeks before resuming gallops. Click here to listen to the Kip Elser conference call that took place last week. The beginning of the call provides some background information. The Defense Rests is specifically referenced at about 12:30.

Meydan Racetrack

Pictures of Meydan Racetrack taken on our vacation . We ate at the Hotels Steakhouse Prime with a table overlooking the track then went to the lobby patio to take the pictures .On return from vacation we will post the racing schedule provided by the staff . Like most other hotels and sights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi including the Aquarium in the Dubai Mall everything is so clean and the staff extremely friendly

Phos Out ( Can`t catch a break )

Phosphorescent had a bit of heat in the ankle he wrenched last week this morning when he went to the track. Lupe had another vet come in and take digital x-rays, and discovered there is a tiny flake in the ankle. Phosphorescent will at minimum need some time off. The consulting vet said that if Phosphorescent were sound in the next five days he might be a candidate for a heavy blister and time off, but a removal is the likely best course of action with a horse like this.
We will send the digital x-rays to Dr. Baker for his opinion. It's disappointing any time a horse gets a setback, but this is very minor, and the timing is as good as you are going to get if you need time off. If everything is as routine as it initially appears, we'd be able to give Phosphorescent some time off now and then have him back in training in time to be ready for the beginning of the turf sprint season next spring. The first major target for most turf sprinters is the race at Arlington in June, so time off now gives us time to get him healthy and also give him a freshening. Then we could get a prep race in after the turf reopens next spring before setting on a course to try and get to Churchill Downs in 2011.
We will keep everyone updated once Dr. Baker gets the x-rays next week.

Mr Fantasy Update

Mr. Fantasy is recovering comfortably at Dr. Baker's farm after surgery on both front ankles yesterday afternoon at Woodford Equine Hospital. Dr. Baker report that there was a good amount of cartilage damage in both ankles, more so in the right. There was also synovitis, or inflammation of the membranes within the joint. Doc was able to clean up the cartilage and remove the bone chips. There was also some bone grooving that he was able to smooth out. Upon completion of the surgery, Polyglycan was injected into both ankles. Polyglycan is a patented formulation designed to replace synovial fluid lost during surgery. Polyglycan contains naturally occurring components of synovia that play a central role in maintaining the homeostatic environment of the joint. Click here to learn more about it.
Dr. Baker gave our colt a 50-50 chance of returning to a high level of competition. The surgery was a success, and we were able to clean up the joints, but only time will tell if enough healing and cartilage regeneration will occur to withstand the rigors of training. Mr. Fantasy will be out of training for 4-5 months.
In two weeks, each ankle will be injected with hylaronic acid as part of post-surgical protocol. Hylaronic acid stimulates production of healthy joint fluid and decreases cartilage damage. Click here to see some very good images of healthy joints and joints with cartilage damage.
Two weeks after injection of hylaronic acid, Mr. Fantasy will begin Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP therapy). After taking a sample of the his blood, in minutes a high-speed centrifuge separates blood plasma rich in platelets from the red blood cells. This PRP with its associated growth factors is then immediately injected into the soft tissue of the ankle creating what some call a "super-clot" that serves to help create a biologic scaffold upon which the body's own cells migrate and produce new collagen fibrils along lines of tension in the structure being treated. PRP is a fast, stall-side treatment that uses the horse's own cells and molecules to stimulate more rapid and stronger healing in a variety of structures.

Updates

Phosphorescent is back to the track after his disappointing effort in the MD Million. Lupe thinks the racing secretary will write an allowance race going short on the grass in mid-month. As me mentioned, Lupe contemplated wheeling back in the Woodford Stakes (G3) on October 9th, but thinks we are better suited to staying home and trying to get a good race into our colt in his own backyard.
We have the ability to run on the turf for the next two months in the Midatlantic, and we will see what transpires before formulating a plan for the winter with this horse.

Brave Monarch’s ankle inflammation has subsided. It looks like a mild bout of growing pains. Dr. Hunt took x-rays of the ankles late last week as a precaution, and there were no abnormalities. Our colt has been jogging the shedrow at Belmont due to the rainy weather in New York. Once the track dries out a little bit (Mike suspects later this week), Brave Monarch will resume galloping. He will gallop for about two weeks before returning to the worktab. Expect a debut before the end of the year.

The Defense Rests continues his handwalking and turnout routine at Kip Elser’s farm. He is scheduled to resume jogging next week.

Mr. Fantasy was operated on by Dr. Baker this afternoon. The procedure went well and his recovery was uncomplicated. We will have a full report tomorrow morning.

Mr Fantasy Update

Dr. Baker evaluated Mr. Fantasy and radiographs showed that he has bone chips in both front fetlock (ankle) joint. Both chips will need to be surgically removed. There were no large fractures in either joint.
As a part of pre-surgical protocol, Dr. Baker tested the joint fluid of both ankles. The joint cavity is filled with a thick, lubricating fluid. This thick, pale yellow fluid is called synovial fluid, and it bathes the joint whenever the horse moves. This synovial fluid is crucial to healthy joints, because it lubricates the joint’s soft tissue and provides nourishment to the cartilage, which does not have a blood supply of its own. Synovial fluid is made of large molecules of hyaluronic acid, tangled together to form a thick barrier that prevents inflammatory cells from gaining entrance to the joint. These molecules are a basic need for healthy joints.When a joint is stressed or traumatized, it often leads to damage of the synovial membrane and joint capsule. The damage to the tissue allows white blood cells to escape nearby blood vessels and invade the joint space.These white blood cells then release destructive substances which start to degrade the joint’s cartilage. Enzymes from the white blood cells also begin to break down the hyaluronic acid molecules. This results in synovial fluid that is thin and watery, and has poor cushioning and nourishing qualities.
Mr. Fantasy's joint fluid was "pretty good" according to Dr. Baker. There were some white blood cells in the fluid, but the levels were not significantly high. Because of this, he is optimistic that he will be able to go into the ankles and clean up the debris and have Mr. Fantasy return to a high level of competition. However, a definitive prognosis can not be made until he operates and assesses the amount of cartilage damage in the ankles. Dr. Baker has performed over 20,000 joint surgeries, so we are confident he will provide us with a clear picture of where we stand with our colt after the surgery.
Mr. Fantasy is scheduled to for surgery tomorrow at Woodford Equine Hospital. We will have a full report from Dr. Baker after the procedure.

End to a Bad Week

Phosphorescent broke fine and was forwardly placed while between horses in the early stages of the Maryland Million Turf Sprint. When called on by jockey Victor Molina around the turn, Phosphorescent came up empty. Molina wrapped up on him and saved him for another day.
Click here for a pdf race chart and running line.

Victor Molina said, "My horse felt great physically, I just don't think he liked the soft turf. He did not have the same turn of foot."

Lupe said, "I really thought we would have run better. Victor said he didn't take to the track. He pullPhosphorescent cooled out fine after the race and shipped back to Philadelphia without incident. He scoped clean and walked soundly the day after. Lupe considered wheeling back in the $100,000 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland on October 9th, but thinks we are best suited to give our colt some more time between races. This was a disappointing effort, but we remain very high on Phosphorescent and think we will be able to draw a line through this race. He is only a four-year-old, and many successful grass campaigners flourish as older horses. We will most likely look to run back in an allowance race at Parx Racing at Philadelphia within the next few weeks. ed a shoe which never helps, but it was just not his day."

Sew Your Notes finished 6th outting in a very flat performance just to add to a very down week how quickly fortunes change

Bad Day

Phosphorescent came out of his disappointing effort no worse for the wear. Victor Molina told Lupe that he didn't think our colt liked the soft turf. He didn't have the same turn of foot that he normally shows. It also didn't help that he threw a shoe during the race. Lupe reports that he was walking soundly and scoped clean after the race. Phos will ship back to Philadelphia tonight.

Tomorrow SewYour Notes runs at Finger Lakes in the 5th Race and looking to break her Maiden