Posted by: Lookingseriously, Surprise, AZ on August 09, 2010 at 05:23 PM

It's a good thing LAL Did have a temperature in June... It's the ones that 'spike' over 101 where looking for a problem is a good idea.
You know it's important to have one, afterall. :0

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Posted by: Mimi, San Antonio, TX on August 05, 2010 at 09:28 PM

Poor Lucky! I hope he gets better real soon. He recovered from a fever before the Haskell and now he has one again after it. He's a great horse; I feel sorry for him because he is hardly 'lucky' most of the time. He's talented of course, but not lucky; like his post and trip in the derby, and with these constant fevers.
I wish you well, Lookin At Lucky!

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Posted by: Frank, New Orleans, LA on August 04, 2010 at 06:43 PM

Bob from Wakefiled, Ma and afleetalexforever from Little Rock, Ar. You're both right in a sense. Bob, the reason the European horses keep rolling on, and race much more often than the American horses do. Is that to start with, the European horses are trained much tougher at longer distances from the get go. It's not uncommon at all to see European 2yr.old's racing 1-1/2 early and often. In America. A horse will likely never even run 1-1/2 in it's career unless it's a 3yr.old competing for the Belmont Stakes. Or unless it's an older turf horse. These days, it's hard to get American horses to ever race 10 furlongs. Most trainers don't even want their horses going that far. Whereas, in Great Britain and Ireland, they have the Henry II Stakes at 2 miles. The Curragh Cup at 2 miles. The Goodwood Cup at 2 miles. And the Ascot Gold Cup at 2-1/2 miles. You'd never see an American horse run that far. Addressing afleetalexforever, concerning Rip Van Winkle, he has indeed had foot problems since about the middle to end of his 3yr.old season. But those hoof problems hasn't kept Rip off of the track. The reason biggest reason that Rip isn't winning races, IMO, is that he's running up against better competition than he is. Canford Cliffs, the 3yr.old Irish 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes winner, just ran by Rip Van Winkle in the 2010 Sussex Stakes completely under a hand ride by Richard Hughes. He passed Rip very easily. Ballydoyle and Aidan O'Brien especially, acted as "minister of propaganda" for Rip Van Winkle starting in 2009. O'Brien made this colt out to be the "second coming." When in fact, every big race that Rip has ever been "talked up for", he's completely flopped. The 09' 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and the biggest flop of them all, the 09' Breeders Cup Classic. Where even the Zenyatta herself wouldn't come close to Rip Van Winkle. Then he finished so far back in the pack that the lead pony almost caught him.

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Posted by: afleetalexforever, Little Rock, AR on August 04, 2010 at 01:12 PM

Get the facts straight, Rip Van Winkle has had hoof issues his whole career. But maybe no one knew that.

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Posted by: Bob, WAKEFILED, MA on August 04, 2010 at 09:21 AM

Why is it that all really good American horses are hurt or sick after every big effort..but Europeans suck as Goldikova, Paco Boy, Rip van Winkle, ect..go thru multiple year campaigns without incident?

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