Each thoroughbred
should be treated as an individual. Some attain fitness more
quickly than others and some are just very slow learners that
require extra time and patience. But, to see a horse that you've
worked so hard with finish first under the wire, and to stand
beside him in the winners circle is incredibly rewarding. The
feeling can be compared to that of a parent who attends a graduation
ceremony and recalls a first runny nose or an "A" on a report
card. It's the journey that makes the end result so sweet.
My name
is Cathy Riccio, I work for John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery,
and I'm going to share the daily routine of one of their two-year-old
colts named Aspen Grove.
My specific
duty is to oversee the young horses, maintain their health and
physical condition, and to get a line on which ones are ready
to train or which ones need more time to mature. Paco Gonzalez,
Toffan and McCaffery's private trainer for ten years and conditioner
of Bien Bien and Free House, assumes training of the two-year-olds
around late April or early May.
Aspen Grove
is by Seattle Sleet (father) and is out of the mare (mother)
Miss Sprinkles, both parents raced for Toffan and McCaffery.
Because they still own the sire and dam, Aspen Grove is called
a "homebred". He was bred in Kentucky at Glenwood Farms, where
he was taught the basics, like how to walk while being led by
a handler. He was also brushed and groomed to get accustomed
to the human touch.
In January
of his two-year-old year, Aspen Grove was sent to Toffan and
McCaffery's farm in Bradbury, CA, minutes from Santa Anita Racetrack.
There he wore a saddle and bridle for the first time.
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Right
off the bat he was a very nice mover who covered ground effortlessly
with a long stride at a trot or jog. In February he was sent
to Hollywood Park to continue his training.
Unfortunately,
for the first several weeks at Hollywood he was plagued by a
chronic cough and some swelling in his knees--very common in
young horses and signs of growing pains. I decided to jog him,
until Paco came to see the two-year-olds in April and advised
that I gallop the youngster. Early on he was well behaved and
a little lazy in his training, but once he got fitter he developed
a bad habit of running off with his rider and sometimes unseating
his passenger, as well. Sounds like fun, huh?
Daniel
Benetez, who learned to ride on one of Trudy's show horses at
the Bradbury farm, was called in to straighten out the large
bay (brown) colt with a mind of his own. Benetez and Gonzalez
simply walked the colt for almost three-quarters of a mile around
the Hollywood Park oval, to build up his confidence that he
was safe. He also galloped in company with another horse to
his outside, to keep his attention forward. So far, the program
is paying off. Aspen Grove has worked one-eighth of a mile twice
in :15 and :13 and is ready to go his first quarter of a mile.
He has also been introduced to the starting gate – at first
just looking at it and then actually standing inside.
Aspen Grove
needs to attend many more classes before graduating as a real
racehorse. He must stay physically sound, maintain a good attitude,
and keep a straight course on the racetrack in order to avoid
leg injuries. Compare this last item to a person running down
a street at full speed and then making a quick turn. So many
things can go wrong.
Check back
in the Horsing Around section of the KTTC website and I'll keep
you posted on Aspen Grove's progress.
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