The $38,000 question

The race we have been waiting on at Presque Isle for Stumbling Block has finally filled. I took a quick look at the field and I must say that it would be hard to find a more winnable race for a purse this size ($38,000). That said, Block has some major questions to answer: 1) How will he bounce back after his traumatic race (blood and dirt in lungs) in Chicago, and 2) will he be able to handle the synthetic surface at PID? As we have seen with others, once a horse goes "off form" with an injury or other reason, a return to form is no sure thing.

Along those lines, Spy Story suffered a setback in his training and we have decided to pull the plug on him (sent to a rescue farm to live out his days). This won't have a real big financial impact since I had him valued at zero last quarter, but it is still disappointing.

We will need a little help from Mother Nature if we want to see Dawn Raider run tomorrow night. The cool, damp conditions we have seen this week may result in the race coming off the turf (and subsequent scratch of Raider). Regardless of how brown your lawn is, save the rain dances for Friday.