Who Is Your Best Horse

[Ms Stables]

The Lord of Light she runs best at 8f and 9f. Was strong last season until the finals hoping she can show up this year as she is looking like qualifying in all 3.
I can't get a good running colt at all. I have had a handful with great workout numbers but none that show they can win on the track in the big races.

[Orb Farms]

As I sold a bunch, and really culled down, I have a fresh start, and so I kept a FEW older horses, and I have a FEW 3 year olds, and some GOOD breeders in the shed who retired this season, as well as a good crop of juveniles.

I cant really get into the "Who are my best horses argument yet, as I am in sort of a rebuilding mode.....but I can share some interesting information from the trackside reporters who get up at 4AM and watch the workouts and training aspect "behind the scenes".....


SEASONED VETERANS:

From an age change standpoint, these 2 with HUGE potential got ZERO advantage from the age change.....From a breeding standpoint, I am happy as lark for Orb Queen (Speedy Create) and Eckosanity (Well-bred Classic-Type mare) to turn 4 at season's end....where either a good age change will get them back into Stakes class active racing, or it will put them in the breeding shed with EXTREMELY high hopes.... Something tells me Orb Queen is going to be a Breeding MONSTER, and Eckosanity, (out of HOF horse Ecko and homebred Mare Orbsanity) will carry the Ecko blood, as well as some of the speed from Orblivion back in the pedigree - Orblivion a Grandsire who only has 3 stakes wins, but carries 110 wins and 23% winners from his nearly 500 runs.
NEITHER of these two have run well this season yet, in fact Orb Queen has been a dunderhead in her 3 starts to boot season 39. Eckosanity is in witness protection for the last 2 weeks, after nearly pulling back the 5 length lead from Greeko's IROC 2 back, and then a nice win in a 3-horse race......and of course we should NEVER look at speed ratings in a 3 horse race, as there is nothing there to "set the race up" for true runs.....They are more like "new multi-train" works than anything. BOTH of these will probably sneak in a timed workout, to determine if they will continue running this season, to get things turned around before the 4 year age change.



YOUNG GUNS:

Hourglass and Nemean Lion are 2 of my YOUNG, VERY young racers who have the breeding to BACK UP their first race.

Nemean Lion is Sired from Ecko Ecko Ecko, mother is The Sphynx, who has turned into a Gem. Her first run was on a slower day for the track, and in the stretch, despite the lead, just TORE away from the field in a short 5F Maiden warm-up, and she is ready to go in the Sprint Qualifiers.

Hourglass, Sired by Lina's Hammer and also calls the Sphynx "mom"...... made the Cross-Country slide from Gate ELEVEN in a Stakes Race, but what is impressive is he appeared to stumble at the start - can you think of a WORSE scenario than botching the start from Gate Eleven in a long sprint, and having to do your best with a lightly raced jockey this season in J. Rose AROUND the HUGE 7F turn? He did it, and his hard work in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th furlong (a rarity at 7F around that long turn), leads me to believe This Ungelded Colt also has the ingredients to be something special. In Gate 10, right inside of him was a SPECIAL horse from King G TheKinghasSpoken, rendering the race setup even more difficult!

Ribo Vibe has never ran..... so the question marks are everywhere..... But what I REALLY Like about this Ungelded Colt is the blood. Pleasant Tap, Ribot, Non-Senical, Bond Holder, Ava Maria, Strong Mandate, Legsworkingfaster, U.F.O. ALL within the Grandparent and Great Grand-Parent bloodline, with Troll Prince and Leave no Doubt further back. Workouts are clean and sharp, and looking for a REAL runner here. Yet another one who hopefully will not require gelding is good for the home-grown aspect of the game.....just like the above horse Hourglass......and Orb Farms hopes that these two horses

Best of luck to you who have many more, and many BETTER horses.....but I am delighted where I am at the moment, and in my 10th season, there is NO PANIC here at Orb Farms!

Orb

[EDIT] I am a HUGE Chrisman fan, as he seems to win more Stakes races than Regular races! It's because he has the courage to nominate good horses into HUGE races...... Anyway, I agree with Chrisman that Ecko Nucleus is Championship Caliber, and this colt will also have an opportunity to breed for a long time!

Orb