News From The Northwest

November 6, 1997

Hi Al:

It's been a long year and a lot of horsemen are going home after Playfair closes November 17th. We have had a tough Fall meet. There was some type of influenza that zapped a lot of barns - in a lot of cases the horses showed no symptoms till they ran up the track and scoping revealed a bunch of mucous. The last week there has been severel short fields but the handle has still been high due to the simucasting.

Those who still have a few live runners are getting ready for the Yakama Winter meet. Yakima hasn't run in a couple years - caught up in red tape like Playfair was. They have a mile oval so some of the longer striding runners can get a bit more of a chance to run. Some of the Arabian people are headed to Turf Paradise to run in the sun.

My young horses are getting ready to start so I will be headed to Yakima with the two two-year-olds, a three year old filly and the last active runner in my barn, a horse I am running for some friends. (at least I bred him) I might even have a couple of pay horses! My big colt, Kutter K , bowed in a work so he gets to retire with a third in three starts and a lucrative career as an unproven stud in the northwest. (He didn't even start until he was four due to injuries he gave himself in the stall and paddock, then first bowed this winter after getting his leg over the walker tie. He was off all year after that and had one race this fall before the tenden went again.) My Believe It mare was training super but just isn't firing so I think she is just tired and will get turned out for the winter. I decided to run my long strided grey gelding in the 1 5/8 mile marathon and my bug girl (Missy Vens - she rode a few races at Prarie Meadows this year) and I drilled him just for that race. (He is only a lowly maiden but he comes from a line of distance runners and you never know with a bunch of $4000 claimers running and odd distance) With all the extra work and lots of extra feed he looked wonderful - and was in good shape for about 7 furlongs till the ...(Webmaster note: remainder of message was truncated)

Gina Asbridge