Here & There – May 15

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Only on the TIHR Tour . . . we stopped at Nashville for a weekend of jump racing between the Derby and the Preakness. It took 3 miles to separate Demonstrative and Divine Fortune and Derby starter Mr. Hot Stuff continued his second chapter. Now, it’s on to Pimlico where Orb continues his orbit.

Worth Repeating

“Scary.” – Exercise rider Jenn Patterson, after breezing Orb for the Preakness

“He’s harder to walk than he is to ride.” – Patterson, while hand-walking Orb around the Pimlico shedrow Tuesday morning

“Bathroom break.” – Trainer Shug McGaughey, interrupting a hosing session for Orb, who went back in his stall for two minutes to – ahem – see a man about a horse

“The Guinness Sale happens at Cheltenham each year.” – Bloodstock agent Matt Coleman, when asked by an American about The Guinness Sale at Tattersalls (it’s the Guineas Sale)

“He’s a great client. He just let me go.” – Artist Alexa King, about Arcadius’ owner Ed Swyer

“I think she even got Brian’s ears.” – Swyer about King’s depiction of jockey Brian Crowley’s ears

“Fatterer.” – Joe Clancy Sr., when asked when the last time he was at the Iroquois (that was 1987)

“The hardest part was pulling up.” – Jump jockey Mark Beecher, on riding Rainiero to victory at the Iroquois

“It would be great if you could get on one like that every weekend.” – Jockey Beecher after winning on Rainiero at Nashville

“I think you have been.” – TIHR’s Sean Clancy to Beecher, who guided veterans Professor Maxwell, Grinding Speed and Rainiero to wins on three consecutive Saturdays

“I’m so lucky to have a horse like him.” – Trainer Richard Valentine, after Demonstrative won the Iroquois

“Drank a third of a bucket and now he wants to graze.” – Assistant trainer Laird George, cooling out Demonstrative after the Iroquois

“If the horses don’t start running better, she’s going to want this Best Turned Out money to pay the feed bill.” – Trainer Jack Fisher, about owner Gill Johnston, after Mr. Hot Stuff won another prize for his good looks at the Iroquois; he won the race too.

“He’s a good horse.” – Fisher after Mr. Hot Stuff won the Marcellus Frost

“I showed a little bit of cheap speed, but they’re about to run by me I’m afraid.” – Trainer Jonathan Sheppard, on his quick start to the steeplechase season. After the weekend, the one-time runaway leader is in a three-way tie for second.

“Does she have a guide dog?” – Jump jockey Bernie Dalton, about another jockey’s chance of getting a date at the Iroquois

Jockey Gus Dahl, before he rode Worried Man in the timber stakes at the Iroquois: “What do you want me to do?” Trainer Jack Fisher: “Just don’t do anything stupid.” Worried Man won easily.

“One of our own.” – Spectator as Tennessean Gus Dahl won the timber race at the Iroquois

“You swallowed a what?” – Advertising catchphrase for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in the Iroquois Steeplechase program

Checking Up On

Yes, he’s known for steeplechasers, but trainer Jonathan Sheppard scorched Keeneland’s spring meet with several wins and he opened the season at Presque Isle Downs with two scores Monday night. Two to look for on the horizon:

Nashindy: “She’ll probably run at Presque Isle, non-winners of two going a mile. We’ll see. She’s trained very well on Tapeta at Fair Hill and won on synthetic at Keeneland. I think she’s pretty talented. If I had to pick my most likely winner at Keeneland, she was it. Impressive. She was training really well.

Utley: “Saturday, either the Dixie (at Pimlico) or the Red Bank (at Monmouth Park). If we’re going to try to get a graded stakes start into him, now is the time to do it. He’s in good form.”

Take A Number

1: Speeding ticket for trainer Richard Valentine in a winter of driving to Camden, S.C. and back from Virginia. He got it knocked down to a non-moving violation, so no points, or something like that.

33 and 34: Stall numbers on either side of Stall 40 in the Pimlico stakes barn.

10: Height (in shavings bags) of the stack at the end of the shedrow in the Pimlico stakes barn.

6:05: Time the last flight to BWI left Nashville Saturday night.

6:07: Start time for the Iroquois Steeplechase Saturday night (eight-race cards are good for the hotel industry).

3: Jump wins (from 148 rides) for jockey Sean Flanagan in Ireland during the 2012-13 season.

8: Jump wins (from 28 rides) for Flanagan so far this year in the United States.: