Thursday Night Notes

- Back from the Garden; leave it to the Rangers to try and ruin the day. Thanks much to all who have posted or emailed about Highland Cat. I particularly love the story of the tout in a suit and tie at the OTB on 38th at Broadway. The regulars will never doubt you again I'm sure; at least not the next time.

Finally got to actually see the race, and it looked pretty much the way it sounded. Highland Cat broke a bit more alertly than usual, but still was far enough behind - six lengths or so - that I would have had my doubts if I was seeing the race for the first time. But he saved some ground, and was still running through the stretch and down to the wire, a helpful strategy when the final eighth is run in 13.73 seconds. Nonetheless, he was striding out well at the finish, and got the job done at a distance shorter than he'd prefer, and on a surface which I feel is not his preference.

But the grass is still around six weeks or so away I'd guess, so he'll try the dirt again. The talk is that he'll stretch out, possibly in an allowance. A win can do wonders for the confidence of horse and people alike.

For our trainer, Bill Turner, it was his second winner on the day, as he won the race prior with Heretic. Whatsmore, he now has three winners with his last three runners, having won the Holly Hughes on Saturday with Introspect for Castle Village.

- Nice little public workout by English Channel at Gulfstream, as he prepped for a trip to Dubai. It was a stroll in the park at 1-5; he won with something left in a course record time of 1:44.51 for a mile and an eighth; just two seconds slower than maiden fillies ran a mile and a sixteenth a few races earlier.