The Green Monkey!

[Aldaniti]

Has he def been registered with this name? its just I can't find it on the RP database :huh:

[Irish Stamp]

You won't find it until he runs in a Stakes Aldaniti but he's definitely The Green Monkey and I've been getting VS workout notices for him since May, not worked since the end of that month though alot of the Belmont horses have been struck by minor illness.

[Irish Stamp]

http://www.pedigreequery.com/the+green+monkey for a link to details on him.

[Aldaniti]

Thanks (call me Helen )

Is he due to race this year?

[Irish Stamp]

Yeah he is Helen, think Saratoga has been banded about for his debut with him going maiden race and then straight to the Juvenile.

[Aldaniti]

Slightly OT but when they say "Dirt" over in the US do they actually mean the surface is actually dirt or is it like a poly track? I remember watching a race from over there on tv & it was like a mud bath!

[Irish Stamp]

It can be either, there are different types of "dirt", "dirt" itself is a generic term for anything brown really - for example Turfway are using polytrack as Woodbine are planning on doing and a few other tracks, whilst California racing board are requiring Santa Anita, Golden Gate, Bay Meadows, Del Mar, Hollywood Park etc to all use an artificial "polytrack like" surface by the end of 2007.

Like turf when it rains the ground is effected, it becomes more sloppy and muddy and thus there are a number of going descriptions - fast, good, sloppy and muddy amongst others. An "off track" is anything that's not fast and you'll see some horses being described as "off track specialists" pretty much like those who prefer heavy ground to good or faster. This is as a result of most US races as far as I know being run on a fast dirt track, if it rains too much the turf races on a card may well be switched to the dirt track - including some stakes events.

[Jeff Wilson]

Aldaniti, it's more like a natural sand composition than an artificial surface like Polytrack.

As Irish Stamp describes, when it rains it retains the moisture and becomes very sloppy, unlike the Polytrack surface which is designed to allow the water through into its drainage system. How a track drains can alter the form of the race, especially if the fall of the drainage is directed towards the rail and away.

Turf races are very often moved to the dirt track in the event of rain, although not so often a Stakes race of any calibre.

[Aldaniti]

Thankyou to you both I assume when it becomes sloppy its still easy to race on it?

[Irish Stamp]

Yeah it is, it's like cantering in the school when it's been raining. Still easy to do what you normally do but some horses adapt to it better than others.

[jinnyj]

When I was based in California, when it rained they sealed (heavy rolled) the dirt track and the water would sit on top thereby making the track ride very fast although it still looked like they were galloping through puddles.

[Powerscourt]

The Green Monkey Dealt Setback; Will Not Start at Saratoga

From the Blood-Horse

The Green Monkey, this year's record-setting $16 million 2-year-old purchase, will not make his long-awaited debut at Saratoga Race Course, according to trainer Todd Pletcher.
"The Green Monkey pulled a gluteal muscle in his last work [August 2] and will be off for a couple of weeks, just jogging," Pletcher said Monday. "Unfortunately, he won't run at Saratoga."

The Green Monkey last breezed five furlongs in 1:03 2/5 over Saratoga's main track with retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero in the irons. He was pointing toward an undetermined race near the end of Saratoga's July 26-September 4 meet.

Michael Tabor, John Magnier, and Derrick Smith bought The Green Monkey, named for a golf course in Barbados, at the Fasig-Tipton Calder 2-year-old in training sale February 28.

I get the feeling it may be a while before we see The Green Monkey on the track. Vibes have not been good.

[krizon]

He pulled a muscle in his bum, just jogging? Yup, I can relate to that. I can pretty much pull a muscle anywhere nowadays, just breathing too hard.

[Aldaniti]

Know the feeling!

[trudij]

Thats excercise for you - bad for your health....

[krizon]

... in which case, I'm super-fit, Troodles!

[Shadow Leader]

Well - I've done 20l in the pool today & I feel grand for it!! :P

[BrianH]

I've done a lot more than 20 at pool over the years...

[Harbinger]

I predicted in a thread here before the season started that we'd see The Green Monkey and the other super-expensive Godolphin horse a max of three times combined - at this rate that's looking sadly optimistic.

[betsmate]

According to the Times today (hardly my most respected source of Racing info) the Green Monkey is no longer in training. Is this true?

I was looking forward to a showdown with Jalil next season.