Major Disappointment

On the flight home last night, I kept trying to think of the right title for this entry. I thought about something witty, humorous or optimistic. However, one thought kept coming back – yesterday was a MAJOR Disappointment on a number of fronts. A win would have set us up really well for the next few months. Instead, the race raised a number of concerns. While Stumbling Block was falling back through the field on the far turn, I was told that Jamie’s first thought was that he bled. Once back in the barn and after a vet scoped Block, Jamie’s theory was confirmed. Not only did he bleed, his lungs were also full of dirt. The poor boy had a rough trip to say the least.

While the diagnosis answers one question (why did he run so poorly?), it raised a few more. Best-case scenario: the bleeding was an isolated incident (he has not bled since we have owned him) and he will be able to mentally overcome the fear/stress that he undoubtedly experienced during the race. However, if the problem becomes chronic and/or he becomes hesitant to exert himself due to fear of bleeding, he may never return to form.

Even with the outcome known, I still think we made the right call by running in this race – he deserved a shot against this group. The favorite/winner was on his game and probably would have won even if Block ran his race, but a second place finish would have been a reasonable expectation. We’ll never know.

The rest of the day wasn’t much better for the humans involved. A half dozen of us made the trip down via various bumpy flights. The Windy City lived up to its name by offering some interesting weather. During the 10 or so hours we were on the ground, the temperature dropped about 30 degrees and the winds shifted 180 degrees from south to north. Off and on rain throughout made for a pretty miserable day. Sadly, the highlight was the complimentary buffet offered to owners of the stakes horses.

Next up: As I write, there is hope that Tytus will put in a good effort this afternoon and offer some consolation to an otherwise disappointing weekend.