“I Surmise”
May 13, 2013
Dear Readers,
With a good many of the horses
scheduled to run in the Preakness putting in workouts, of late, there are a few
comments to interpret. Starting with my current favorite Orb, Shug McGaughey
was heard to say:
“I thought it was freaky, it
didn’t look like he got out of a high gallop. It gave me chills, I’ll tell you
that. That’s what good horses do.”
I am sure this statement must
have been followed with a great sigh of relief, albeit probably in the privacy
of his office, after all you never want to let us see you sweat. Being the
winning trainer of the Kentucky Derby winner and with the annual clamor for a
Triple Crown champion building to a crescendo, the pressure, even for a Hall of
Fame trainer has to be daunting at best.
Shug and Orb’s connections needed
a healthy looking workout to reaffirm that all is well in their world. After negotiating
a big field and inhaling all that muddy water in the Derby, coming back in two
weeks to compete in another extremely tough race, you want confirmation your
horse is recovering his vigor with each passing day.
I watched the workout video and Orb
physically looked like he was going around there at a two minute lick, not in―what would be a winning race
time for many lesser horses. Very impressive,
I for one am still on board the Triple Crown Express and the Preakness Station
is looming fast on the horizon. Let’s hope we, the loyal followers of Orb,
surge on past, full steam ahead with a ticket to ride all the way to New York
and the Belmont Stakes.
Check back tomorrow for an “I Surmise” on D. Wayne Lukas and his candid
comments about his three protégé’s as he readies them to run next weekend.
On the memoir front, “Casual Lies – A Triple Crown Adventure,” I
am working on a new cover design. Not willing to wait four months for a graphic
artist, and though the current cover is powerful, the new cover is colorful and
engaging. I will let you know when it goes to press.
In the meantime I was at the
Pleasanton Rose Show signing books in the lobby on Saturday. Since I was going
to be there anyway, I decided to enter one of my favorite roses―Jude the Obscure. Much to my surprise it won first place in its division. I
had a great time answering questions as I signed copies of the memoir, and I
got to take home a blue ribbon as well.
Please remember to keep track of
news and scheduled events on www.shelleyriley.com,
you can also access this blog from there. You can also reach me through the
contact page. If you have an event coming up that you want to schedule an
appearance, again use the contact page and I will get back to you.
Thanks for reading,
Shelley Riley
www.shelleyriley.com
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