Updates

Brave Monarch worked four furlongs in 51:90 (17 of 20) on Friday at Palm Meadows. This was a nice, easy move since it was his first work back since running. Graham entered him in an extra maiden claiming race today at Pimlico, but the race was not used. We now plan to take dead aim on the 25k maiden claiming race going 1 1/16 miles on the turf on Friday, April 15th at Pimlico. Graham recognizes that its a slightly smaller purse at Pimlico versus Keeneland, but thinks the competition will be significantly softer in this spot. We want to give this horse every opportunity to excel. Our colt will ship up to Graham’s base, Fair Hill Training Center, in short order.

The Defense Rests worked three furlongs in 37:34 (3 of 5) on Monday at Belmont. His foot looks good and has responded well to the fiberglass patches used for support. He continues on a weekly breeze schedule and will probably work a half mile (four furlongs) next week.

Phosphorescent continues galloping each morning on the farm and is scheduled to resume speedwork in about 2-3 weeks.

Mr. Fantasy is set to start jogging over the weekend on the farm. He’ll jog for a few weeks before galloping.

Workout

The Defense Rests worked out at Belmont this morning going 3F in 37:34   2 of 7

Workout

Brave Monarch  worked out at Palm Meadows going 4F ( dirt) in 51:90 17 of 17

Updates

Brave Monarch is galloping daily at Palm Meadows and his energy level is high.

Graham’s thoughts: -ankles showed some slight inflammation after his last race, but nothing I’m really concerned about.

Next steps:


Graham is gradually moving his string back up north. As Brave Monarch, will campaign in the Midatlantic region this spring and summer, Graham is leaning toward getting him back up there sooner rather than later. Two race options are under consideration:

25k maiden claiming race going 1 1/16 miles on the turf on Friday, April 15th at Pimlico ($18,000 purse)

-We understand its a decreased claiming price, but don’t see him as a strong candidate to be claimed.

-Graham thinks he’ll be very tough at this level at this venue, and sees it as a great way to get a win under his belt.

-Our colt would ship back to Graham’s homebase at Fair Hill Training Center after the race.

30k maiden claiming race going 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack on Wednesday, April 20th at Keeneland ($19,000 purse)

-We’d make a stop in the Bluegrass to run on his way back to Graham’s base at Fair Hill.

-Most horses that run well on the turf transfer their form to the Polytrack.

-The competition will likely be tougher at Keeneland versus Pimlico.

-He’d ship from Kentucky back to Fair Hill after the race.

Brave Monarch is on target to return to the worktab soon. Once we get a breeze under his belt, we’ll confer with Graham and make a decision as to which race to shoot for.




The Defense Rests returned to the worktab with an easy three furlong breeze in 38:00 on Saturday at Belmont. The work was not picked up by the clockers. Mike reports that his foot problems appear under control, and that he has responded well to the fiberglass parch. His coat is bright and shiny.

Both WPT and Mike understand that this has been a frustrating horse for his Partners. He’s been nagged by foot issues throughout his career, and rest assured we’re doing everything we can to treat and better yet, prevent these issues from reoccurring. Mike is going to do his best to keep him on a regular breeze schedule moving forward in anticipation of a return to the races this spring.



Phosphorescent is galloping each morning on the farm in Ocala. The plan remains to ship him back to Lupe in May once he has a solid foundation underneath him on the farm. If he comes back to Lupe and is training well, we’ll likely try to find an allowance race on the turf in June for his return to the races.


Mr. Fantasy remains on target to resume training toward the end of next week. He’s on target to ship back to Mike’s barn in May after rebuilding a foundation on the farm

Six Zeroes gave birth to a Freud filly last week  Affirmed Promise has been moved and is due to give birth to a Bluegrass Cat foal next month

Updates

Brave Monarch is back galloping each morning at Palm Meadows after his solid debut effort. Graham maintains that we’ll get another race in at a similar spot (32k maiden claiming) in April at Tampa Bay Downs or Gulfstream before shipping back to his homebase in Fair Hill, Maryland and gearing up for a spring/summer turf campaign

The Defense Rests had a good week of galloping after having his foot patched by the blacksmith last week. It looks like we’re good to go here. He’s scheduled to work over the weekend at Belmont. More to follow after the breeze.

Phosphorescent is mixing jogging and light galloping each morning on the farm in Ocala. He looks great and is ankles are in very good condition. He hasn’t taken a bad step since going back into training. A return to Lupe’s barn in May to gear up for a summer turf campaign remains in our plans.

Mr. Fantasy continues nightly turnout in the roundpen on the farm and remains on schedule to resume training in about two weeks.

Updates

The Defense Rests returned to the track and galloped soundly for a few days, but then became foot sore again. Mike said, “It was deep bruise, but my blacksmith was able to cut most of it. He put a fiberglass patch on the sore area of the hoof yesterday, and it made a huge difference. The colt galloped this morning, and moved soundly, which is a very good sign. I’ll know for sure within the next few days, but I think we’re able to move forward now without this bugging him and becoming aggravated.” A fiberglass patch is used to help strengthen the hoof wall. It is stronger than the hoof itself and creates a seal over the irritated part of the hoof once the bruise was cut out. The Defense Rests will continue galloping for at least another week before resuming breezes.

Phosphorescent arrived to David McKathan’s farm in Ocala, Florida. He’ll jog for the next couple weeks before mixing in gallops and remains on target to ship back to Lupe’s barn in early May. By this time he’ll have a few breezes underneath him. If all goes well, we look forward to seeing him back in action this summer.


Mr. Fantasy arrived to David McKathan’s farm in Ocala, Florida. He is turned out in a roundpen at night and brought into the barn during the day. Our horse remains on target to resume training in about three weeks.

Brave Monarch Runs 3rd

QUOTES

Luis Garcia said, "My horse broke well, settled very nicely down the backside, and then came running late. He's still a little green, running in spurts a bit. I think he's going to improve with this experience."

Graham Motion said, "I am extremely pleased with this first out effort. Like the jockey said, he was a bit green during the race, but was very professional. I think he can win at this level. If we find a race going a bit longer, that's great. I was so pleased to see him come running late like he did."

WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

Brave Monarch earned a 47 Beyer Speed Figure. He cooled out very well and shipped back to Palm Meadows yesterday after the race. We'll likely get one more race in south Florida either at Tampa Bay or Gulfstream before he ships back to Graham's base in Fair Hill, Maryland to gear up for a spring and summer East Coast turf campaign.

Race Entry

Graham called an audible this morning and entered Brave Monarch in the extra 32k maiden claiming race going 1 1/16 miles on the turf on Sunday, March 6th at Tampa Bay Downs. While we would have preferred to run in a maiden special weight first asking, this colt is ready to run, and we see no reason wait for another race. Both Graham and WPT see him as an unlikely candidate to be claimed. His workout times are modest, and most people are not apt to claim first time starters. There is a John Terranova first time starter in the race who was an 85k yearling purchase.

Before entering a horse into a claiming race, we secure a vote from the Partners. However, since this was an extra race, and since we were excluded from our original race target, we gave Graham the go ahead to enter. This looks like a good spot to get a confidence building experience into him.

Updates

The maiden special weight going 1 mile on the turf on Friday at Tampa Bay Downs oversubscribed, and Brave Monarch is 4th on the also eligible list. The chances are very slim that we draw in. Accordingly, we'll target one of two races:
50k maiden claimer going one mile on the turf on Sunday, March 13th at Tampa Bay Downs.
Maiden special weight going 1 1/16 miles on the turf on Wednesday, March 23rd at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 50k maiden claimer could be a very good option for us. We don't see him as a strong candidate to be claimed. He's worked well over the turf, but most of his workout times are modest, which will not entice potential claimers. This could end up being a move that helps this colt put in a better performance against slightly softer competition. We'll discuss the situation with Graham over the next few days, and extend a vote to the Partners to run for a tag if we decide to pursue that avenue.

Since we are on the also eligible list in this race, the chances of us drawing in next time are very strong.

The Defense Rests’ foot bruise has improved over the past week. The blacksmith was able to shape his feet to take pressure off the bruised area. Mike anticipates that he’ll resume galloping within the next few days.

Phosphorescent is en route today, March 2nd to David McKathan’s farm in Florida aboard a Brook Ledge van. The horses are regularly watered throughout the journey and have plenty of hay to keep them occupied. The trip is about 14 hours.Upon arrival, he’ll walk the shedrow for a few days to acclimate to his new surroundings before heading to the training track and jogging.

Mr. Fantasy is en route today, March 2nd to David McKathan’s farm in Florida aboard a Brook Ledge van. The horses are regularly watered throughout the journey and have plenty of hay to keep them occupied. The trip is about 14 hours.Upon arrival, he’ll handwalk daily and spend a few hours each day in the roundpen before heading to the track and jogging around April 1st.