Workout

Mr Fantasy  worked out at Saratoga going 5F in 1:02:07   3of 15

Workout

Honeysuckle Vine  worked out at Finger Lakes going 4F in 55:00  13 of 13

Updates

Mr. Fantasy workedfour furlongs in 48:65 (6 of 31) on Wednesday morning at Saratoga. Mike said, “Another nice step forward. He finished well, and most importantly came out of the it in good shape. We pushed his work back a few days because there was some bad weather earlier this week, and I want to work him over a fast track. I might get one more solid half into him, but he is about ready to go 5/8ths (the true test of race readiness).”

We are about 3-4 weeks away from seeing Mr. Fantasy back in the starting gate. He’ll miss running at Saratoga, but we’ll target a race early at the Belmont meet, which begin on September 10th

Phosphorescent’s breeder Nancy Waylett, has expressed an interest in retiring him to her farm in Maryland. We are working to finalize this, but are very happy to see this guy go to a good home 


The Defense Rests is resting comfortably at Mill Creek Farm near Saratoga after having knee surgery. Partner Keith McGraw has agreed to provide him with a good home once he is through with his recovery

Workout

Mr Fantasy worked out this morning in Saratoga going 4F in 48:65  6of 31

Updates

Mr. Fantasy worked an easy four furlongs in 52:41 (20 of 21) on Saturday at Saratoga. Mike told his exercise rider to keep a firm hold of our colt and to go nice and easy. Mr. Fantasy finished up with good energy and is scheduled to work back this weekend. Mike said, “In his next work we’ll tighten the screws a little bit and get a very good blow into him. Soundness wise he is doing fine. With one more half mile work and two 5/8ths, he should be ready to run.” A start at Saratoga is not viable considering Mr. Fantasy did not work from July 6th-August 6th due to his foot bruise. Right now he is about a month out from a race. We’ll look to run early at Belmont, which begins on September 10th.

The Defense Rests has been retired from racing. So disappointing after such a big win at Saratoga.

All Partners have been contacted about his injury, but here is quick recap:
-Post race he cooled out soundly, but a few days later Mike noticed he was off up front.
-X-rays revealed a large bone chip in the same knee Dr. Baker operated on last year.
-The chip was in the lower joint of the knee, which is less favorable than the top joint. Prognosis for return to racing is fair, but he would be downgraded in class.
-His quality of life would be effected without removal of the chip because of the onset of arthritis. Accordingly, we sent him for surgery last week at New Jersey Equine Hospital.
-In our experience, horses with chips in the bottom joint of the knee rarely ever come back and perform well.
-It is our strong recommendation that we retire him and find him a good home away from the races. It is just not economical to bring a horse back as a five-year-old after two knee surgeries, especially considering the struggles we’ve had with his feet

Phosphorescent’s breeder Nancy Waylett, has expressed an interest in retiring him to her farm in Maryland. We are working to finalize this, but are very happy to see this guy go to a good home.

Mr Fantasy works easy 4F pictures below

Updates

Mr. Fantasy worked three furlongs in 36:23 (1 of 16) on Saturday at Saratoga. He finished with good energy and came out of the work sound. A half mile work is expected this weekend. Mike continues to monitor his ankles closely, but so far he has done well since shipping up to Saratoga. His weight and attitude are good.  

We’ve recently started using Acuscope therapy on certain members of our stable. At first we were a bit skeptical, but we’ve seen very positive results with other horses. Michelle Dollase, sister of trainer Craig Dollase is a certified Acuscope therapist and is working with several top trainers in the industry. She is going to begin treating Mr. Fantasy next week. She’ll treat him for about an hour for three days straight. His training schedule will not be interrupted during this time. Click here to read more about the therapy.

Workout

Mr Fantasy  worked 3F at Saratoga in 36:23  1 of 16

Updates

Mr. Fantasy had a strong week of galloping and is scheduled to breeze on Sunday morning at Saratoga.

Brave Monarch has been adopted by a friend of Graham’s, Bruce Fenwick. Sue Kenny, Graham’s secretary said, “Bruce will give him all the time off he needs and then see what he can do in terms of a second career. I know he will be very happy there.” We’re so glad he’s going to a good home

The Defense Rests Wins

Date  08/03
Track Saratoga
 Finish  Position 1
Surface  Dirt

Race  50k Maiden Claiming

Earnings  $17,400
Beyer Figure  90


After a long, frustrating first half of the year, The Defense Rests made the wait worthwhile, scoring by 5 ½ lengths to break his maiden in impressive fashion at Saratoga under jockey Julien Leparoux. Click here to read a great article from today’s edition of the Saratoga Special, a popular newspaper published during the meet.

Mike Hushion said, “He’s surely been frustrating, but that was a great effort. I didn’t give Julien too many instructions. All I said was try to be involved early, and see how he feels. He broke a bit slow, but then just kept on going.”

Julien Leparoux said, “All I had to do was hold on.”

Congratulations on the win! We appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing The Defense Rests back in the starting gate later in the Saratoga meet. Mike reports that he cooled fine and looked sound and happy this morning.



The plan is to run back in a starter allowance for horses who have started for $50,000 or less going short on the dirt toward the end of the month. The jump from maidens to winners is a tough one, but if he replicates yesterday’s performance, we’re in with a big shot to have two wins on the meet.

Defense Rests

The Defense Rests worked out at Saratoga yesterday going 4F in 49:40  47 of 87  in preparation of his race on Wednesday   the 5th on the card at Saratoga  6F Maiden Claiming  PP1  with J.Leparoux  up