Nowhere to Run?

The result of last night’s race was not a surprise (see earlier post). However, we now have to decide what to do with No Lip. Previously, the plan was to bring him up to Minnesota. However, as the potential for a government shutdown looms, there is no guarantee Canterbury will race beyond July 1st. The last thing I want to do is ship a horse up here and sit on the sidelines when we can drop him to the bottom of the claiming ladder and race again in a few weeks somewhere in Indiana/Kentucky.

Unfortunately, the prospects for our next race are not much brighter. When I bought Ready to Thrill as a maiden, I knew that each win meant the subsequent competition would be harder as he lost his conditions. Once again, we are taking a shot on the turf when a softer spot would be available on the dirt. For multiple reasons, I want to see what this guy can do on the grass and this happens to be the easiest entry point on the lawn at this stage. Ironically, if the race stays on the grass, it looks like it will be very competitive and Thrill would have to continue improving in order to hit the board. That said, I am curious to see how he fares against this group knowing that for his next race we could drop down a couple notches and go back to the dirt (assuming there is still racing at Canterbury in a few weeks).