I have been away so I am now catching up on all things thoroughbreds. This is a most exciting time of year, especially with the Breeders Cup being only one month away and the picture for champs is still pretty cloudy. The end of this month should clear things up a bit. Rags to Riches will return this weekend and we will get to see if this is the same horse that she was in June. Also a matchup between Any Given Saturday and Curlin will show whether Curlin has recovered from his spring campaign.

The filly news is where the interest lies for me right now since most of the males are two races away from being put out to pasture, as if they have done enough to retire. Ginger Punch is really turning into something wonderful. Sadly it is not a definite that she will run in the Distaff, so a match up between her and Rags to Riches may not happen this year, but any time she shows up to run, the others better have their running shoes on.

Rags to Riches runs in the Gazelle, and it is doubtful anyone can stop her from winning this one. Pletcher has taken his time with her, and obviously feels she is back to her old self or he would have held off running her again. Lear’s Princess is another interesting prospect and she may give Rags some competition, but still I don’t see her getting beat.

Dreaming of Anna is back to her old self and added the Pucker Up to her list of accomplishments. She now has an equally impressive stablemate named Dreaming of Liz that just won the Lassie. How sweet they are both named after their owner’s sister and mother. Are they really outstanding though or are they polytrack specialists?

Irish Smoke is smoking! Can anyone beat her? It is so nice to watch her come from way back in the pack and easily pass whoever happens to be in front of her. Will the other fillies eventually mature and catch up to her or is she destined to be a great one? Only time will tell.

Maimonides and Readys Image dueled through ridiculous fractions in the Hopeful and set the race up perfectly for Majestic Warrior. Of course, one has to give him credit and any son of A.P Indy needs to be taken seriously.

Hurray!! The Green Monkey starts Saturday. Are you all as excited as I am? I am rooting for a loss here, and a big one. That is just what I would do; dump an absurd amount of money into one single thoroughbred and then name them The Green Monkey. Well, green certainly comes to mind when you think of him, so I guess that is fitting.

Bloodhorse writer, Tanya Gunther was crying about the death of dirt racing, but I didn’t really see an alternative in her editorial. Are we supposed to continue to watch young horses break down at an alarming rate? And it definitely happens more nowadays than it used to. Sure it has always happened, but just looking at big name races, you see it happen regularly now. Black Hills broke down in the 1959 Belmont Stakes, and the spiral downhill seems to start there. In the sixties Lamb Chop broke down in 1964, and Dark Mirage followed suit five years later. Ruffian’s demise happened on national television admidst a media frenzy in 1975. Timely Writer broke down in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 1982. Go For Wand had a horrific fall in 1990. 1993 was catastrophic as Union City broke down in the Preakness, and then there was one in the Belmont, Prairie Bayou. Holy Bull and Charismatic both survived but broke down in major races as well, and then of course, Barbaro. And they are just off the top of this writer’s head. I guess Ms. Gunther doesn’t mind watching horses break down since she doesn’t want the sport to change. It has regardless of polytrack. Owners don’t want their Classic winners to race as four year olds, and that is more damaging to the sport than any surface change. Horses also are weaker today than they were years ago. That is fact. There is much debate on why that is. It could be softer training practices, or a dependence on three sire lines and excessive inbreeding. It could also be the unlimited and unpunishable drug use that runs rampant in this industry that is like the big white elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. The last four Horse of the Year champs have won just four races a piece for the year. Is that now champion worthy? The last seven years (and this year will be no different with breeding plans already announced) have had only one Classic winner return for a four year old season, and that is because Funny Cide was a gelding. Bernardini and Jazil were both retired for one reason or another as were Afleet Alex, Smarty Jones, Empire Maker, War Emblem (and for that I have to laugh at his failure as a stallion), and Point Given. Like it or not, the game has to either change or die. Change is inevitable in life, and this certainly isn’t a good trend. I would much rather watch races on synthetic surfaces and have horses around longer, than seeing them a few times a year and then they are either off to the breeding shed or they meet their end on one of those wonderfully fast, hard dirt tracks that Gunther is so fond of.