Painters Hideaway Training

Rocko's big adventure

2009-09-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

Rocko (Two Gun Cowboy) is on his way to his new home in Delaware. He left last Thursday evening, and as of this morning is due to arrive tomorrow (Saturday). Two days longer than they estimated, so both the buyer and I are going crazy! But the shipper has been in touch and all seems well.

Really Good Day

2008-06-02T20:34:00.001-07:00

Liz called me this morning to let me know that Easy had been ridden by a jockey (Tyler) today, and was finally asked to GO. And go he did! The jockey just tapped him once, very lightly, with the crop, and Easy dropped and head and took off! Liz said mud was flying about twenty feet behind him -- yes, he does have a hip. No more doubts about whether he has speed or not. Apparently his new nickname at the track is "Easy Money". Lots of folks are asking about him and Liz sounds like a proud mama when she talks about him.

It looks like there won't be a suitable race for him on opening weekend, but there is a perfect race the second weekend (June 21 or 22): it is a three-year-old maiden mixed breed (paints and appaloosas) 350 yard race. Now Liz thinks he may even win. They're starting to look for a longer race for him in the coming weeks, because everyone feels so sure he can handle more distance. Needless to say, we were very pleased to hear this great report! Liz even had to call me a second time this evening because she said he was so good today, it deserved a second call.

Koko, Goldie and Kachina

2008-05-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Easy is not the only horse in training! Koko came home from Diamond P Ranch on April 29, after 2 1/2 months training. Rip has ridden her several times now, and she is a sweetheart! She is very well broke, and has offered no problems or resistance. He has even ridden her in two small riding clinics we had here at Painters Hideaway and she was pretty much the star pupil. Dixie, on the other hand, has proven quite contrary in these clinic situations (and on a recent trail ride) so is getting some remedial round pen work. She is still her sweet old self, but after the long lazy winter she just doesn't want to do anything resembling work!

The same day we picked up Koko at Diamond P, we dropped off Goldie. We will see her on June 3 on our way to Reno to pick up Rip's mom, Jeanette. Goldie is doing pretty well, although she doesn't seem to like the snaffle bit at all, so is being started in a side pull. A side pull is a lot like a halter, and the reins are connected to the rings on the side, near where the bit attachments would go if a bit was used. The trainer at Diamond P says Goldie is quite a bit hotter than Koko was, but has a really nice smooth gait. About what we expected all the way around! I can't wait to see her next Tuesday.

Yesterday, Kachina had her teeth floated and wolf teeth pulled. Tomorrow she is getting a full set of shoes on. This is all in preparation for her big day, Friday, when we plan to deliver her to Lazy L Ranch to begin 60 days training. Rather than try to get her ready for Fall racing, though, we are going to have her saddle broke and then bring her home and just keep her lightly ridden until next Spring when she will be 3 years old. I just can't quite bring myself to race a 2-year-old, even a 2-and-a-half-year-old. So if all goes well, we hope to have Kachina start at Grants Pass Downs in 2009.

As if that weren't enough, we finally got Eddie trailer trained (he had his own ideas about what would ever convince him to get into that claustrophobic deathtrap). He is now at Juniper Creek Ranch near us getting re-started under saddle. We had him riding in the roundpen last year, but I never got my nerve up to take him out of the roundpen, and then Rip broke his shoulder. So LeeAnn, who helped me start him originally, now has Eddie for 30-60 days. He just loves LeeAnn, and begs for his turn for a lesson every day!

What's next?

2008-05-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

Finally, an update! We went to see Easy on Memorial Day at Grants Pass Downs. The race track and barns have gone from quiet and mostly empty to full and hectic! I was amazed at the difference, and they say on June 1 it will get significantly more busy yet. Trainers have begun arriving with their horses, families, exercise riders, trainers, RVs, horse trailers, dogs, and everything. The Josephine County Fairgrounds (where Grants Pass Downs race track is located) is charging board for horses on the grounds now, but as of June 1 there will be no charge as it is considered part of the race meet. So lots of folks are not coming in until then. We, on the other hand, with our trainers, have been here since it first opened which allowed us to get the best, most out of the way stalls with space for our own hot-walker. Thanks to Rod Lowe of Lazy L Ranch for getting all this organized, we couldn't have done it without him!

On to Easy. He is getting more fit and gorgeous by the day. He should get ridden by a jockey again today (Wednesday) for only the second time. On Monday, we got to see him ponied on the track. That means he is tacked up, has a rider on board, and then is led by another horse and rider around the track (backtracking) once at a trot, then the other rider lets him go and he is galloped around the track twice more alongside the pony horse. I'll put up a video in the next day or two and post the link here. He went quite well, and stayed nice and straight and listened to Liz (his rider). There was a moment when a jockey was coming up behind Easy at a full gallop when we all kind of held our breaths; Easy has spooked before when another horse rushes up behind him. He has even stopped (just what you DON'T want) a couple of times. This time, he only shied just slightly away, and looked briefly, but kept on his own track and pace. Big improvement!

Opening day is still almost three weeks away. The preliminary Condition Book was published, and there were no races for which Easy is eligible on opening weekend (June 14-15). The Condition Book is the schedule for the first two weekends' races. But we have heard that they are changing the Condition Book, so we will still have to see when he is racing. We are looking for a Maiden race (only for horses who have never won a race) for 3 year old mixed breeds (includes Paints and Appaloosas; sometimes Quarter Horses will also enter). There's no sense in running him his first time against previous race winners or much older, more experienced horses. Over the four week race meet, Easy will probably only race twice, as we don't want to injure him.

More updates coming soon, I promise!

See Easy Run

2008-04-23T09:32:00.001-07:00

It seems I never mentioned the YouTube video of Easy on the track. Go check it out! It was taken on April 10, the second time he set foot on the track at Grants Pass Downs. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnYhBmY-klU

One of our friends asked, after viewing this video, about Easy's size. He commented that either the trainer is a big woman, or Easy seems to be a small horse. Actually, neither is the case. Liz, the trainer, is probably 5'6", a bit shorter than me. She was wearing a lot of clothing that day (it was cold out), so she looks pretty bulky. But Easy stands at least 16 hands high now, which is pretty good sized for a horse, and probably average for a race horse; certainly not short. (A hand is four inches, so 16 hands is 64 inches; that's measured at the withers, which is the top of the shoulder right in front of the saddle.) I think the comparison of Liz to Easy may be a bit misleading, because most people are used to seeing race horses with jockeys on them. These guys usually weigh about 100 lbs, and are more like 5' tall. So yeah, Liz looks big compared to a jockey; but no, Easy is not small.

"Easy is officially a race horse"

2008-04-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Our trainer, Liz, called this morning to tell us "Easy is officially a race horse". Today he is running on the track, in flat saddle, with blinkers on, in the company of other horses, in the right direction! We have also submitted a DNA sample so he can have his parentage verified (required at the track). As soon as we get his registration papers back stamped "Parentage Verified", he'll be getting his lip tattoo (also required). Then we just wait for the race meet to begin on June 14.

Easy on Track

2008-04-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Easy was moved to the track at Grants Pass Downs on Monday, April 7. We went down to see him on Wednesday, April 9. He (and three of Rod's horses) are in the very back barn, away from most of the noise. Liz was backtracking Rod's two year old thoroughbred filly when we arrived. Next, she saddled up Easy and took him out on the track (just the second time he ever set foot on a race track!). She took him around twice in the wrong direction at the outside edge of the track (backtracking) at a lope, not a full-out gallop. He looked great, and behaved himself well. He went pretty straight, and only fussed once. We put a video up on youtube, search for paintershideaway, its the video called "Easy on Track". He's looking very handsome! Liz rode him that day in an Australian saddle (halfway between a fullsized western saddle and an English saddle), although she has worked him in a flat saddle already. A "flat saddle" is that little leather bandaid the jockeys ride on.

Liz called me on Monday, April 14 to let me know that he is ready to go in the right direction. He has been ponied around ("ponying" is where a horse and rider lead another horse, possibly with a rider on board as well; you see race horses being "ponied" to the gates all the time) and is going in the flat saddle. I hope we can get up there again to see him soon! He should have his first timed workout just after the first of May; we'll be there for that, I'm sure.

In the meantime, Koko is ready to come home from the trainer down South. We'll go pick her up next Wednesday, April 23, and drop off Goldie at that time. Koko should be ready to go trailriding when she comes home!

More racing terminology

2008-03-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

We plan to go see Easy on Saturday, March 22, and I will have an update after that. In the meantime, I talked for a bit with the owner of the ranch where he is in training, and got a bunch of other information. Some may sound like odd questions, but these are just things I was wondering about:

1. Are there entry fees to place your horse in a race? Or any other fees associated with racing?
-- No entry fees. You just sign your horse up for the race meet, and the officials assign you a stall at no charge and create a Race Meet Account for your horse.

2. How much do I have to put in the Account to start with?
-- Very silly question. Nothing! The account is there for the track to put money INTO, not take it OUT OF. They deposit your share of the purse there when your horse wins!

3. Where do the purses come from? If we don't pay entry fees, and get stalls for free, where does the money come from?
-- at Grants Pass Downs, it is considered a Fair Meet (in conjunction with a State or County Fair), and in this case, the State of Oregon puts up $2,200 purse money per race. Some races have added money from other sources such as breed associations. At commercial tracks like Portland Meadows and Los Alamitos (CA), the purses come from all the money the tracks make on pari-mutuel betting and entrance fees.

4. If my horse wins, how much of the purse do we get?
-- First place traditionally gets 1/2 of the total purse. Out of that, 10% is paid to the jockey and usually 10% to the trainer of record. The rest goes into the Account mentioned above.

5. What if my horse doesn't win any money? Does the jockey get paid anything?
-- There is a minimum of about $35 per race paid to the jockey. If our horse has no winnings at the end of the race meet, we would have to write a check to pay the jockey(s). But placings through fifth place (and sometimes more) are usually paid at least $100 or so, so it would be unusual to win nothing in the whole race meet.

6. How is the jockey for my horse chosen?
-- When your horse is entered in a race, the trainer lists which jockeys he wants, in order. Then it is actually up to the jockey to choose which horse he wants to ride. Sometimes a jockey has a formal or informal relationship with a trainer, where he agrees to ride his horses if asked. Or the jockey can simply choose the horse he thinks has the best chance. But since the trainers also get to list which jockeys they want, the selection really works boths ways: the trainers want the best jockeys, and the jockeys wants the best horses (and therefore trainers).

7. Do I supply the tack (saddle, bridle, etc)?
-- The jockey supplies his own saddle, and any other tack is usually supplied by the trainer.

8. What about silks? Do I have to get my own colors made up?
-- The silks at Grants Pass are supplied by the track, and what color you get depends on your horse's post position. So, for example, the horse in post position 1 always gets the red silks, #2 always gets purple, etc. This is so the announcer won't get confused about which horse is which! At other tracks, the trainer supplies the silks and our horse would "run under his colors".

Well, that's it for today. I have a lot more to learn, I'm sure. If any of my readers have ideas about other questions I can ask, let me know! It's hard to think up all the stuff I don't know!

Breaking from the gate

2008-03-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

The term "breaking from the gate" refers to the start of a race, when the horses come flying (hopefully) out of the starting gates and the race is on. I asked our trainer, Liz, how do they train a horse to come out of the gate fast? We visited Easy yesterday, Sunday March 2, and he is not getting trained to break from the gate yet, but Liz has walked him through the gate many times. That's the first step in the training process. So what, I wondered, do they do to convey the idea of coming out fast? Liz explained it to us: next, they will ride Easy into the gate, and stop (with the front and back still open), then walk on out. Then, they'll do the same, but with the front (exit) gate closed, then open the gate and walk out. Then they'll do that, with a familiar horse buddy in the next gate over, walk in, open the gate, walk out. Finally, the familiar horse buddy will "break" from the gate, and we hope Easy follows his lead. Of course, all of these steps will be done repeatedly, as many times as needed, until he gets the idea to break fast. Horses' "flight" response cues them to run when another horse runs anyway, so this sounds like such a natural way to teach "the break".

Easy did really well yesterday, and it takes a lot longer, harder workout to tire him out. He is getting much more responsive to Liz; she only tapped him with the crop once in this entire training session. He's still a bit head-tossy when being ridden, and isn't great about taking the bit, so we are having his teeth checked on Wednesday. He has a loose lower from tooth, although that shouldn't cause bit problems. But we recently had Koko's teeth checked, and she needed her wolf teeth extracted (Easy has already had his out), and had a cap (baby tooth) which hadn't fallen out and was cracked and sharp. They also pulled that cap and floated her teeth. It's not unlikely Easy needs just this kind of dental attention.

We are going to see Koko tomorrow, Tuesday. I'll report on her then.

Easy lopes in the arena

2008-02-19T15:17:00.001-08:00

We visited Easy on Saturday, a beautiful sunny day. After warming him up, Liz took him to the arena where we got to see him loping. He is getting much fitter now, and looking very handsome! His round belly is gone and you can see muscles everywhere. He showed a little resistance, but that was mainly when he would pass by the gate where us spectators were standing; can't hardly blame him for that! We still hope and expect that he will be ready for the Grants Pass race meeting starting June 14.

I learned some more about how races are entered. For the Grants Pass meet, they will publish a "Condition Book" about a month before the races. This is a list of all of the scheduled races for the first two weekends. Horses who have everything in order (gate approvals, DNA, tattoos, etc.) can then order races for which they are eligible on the Wednesday before a Saturday race or the Thursday before a Sunday race. The same day they enter, the lineup for each race will be decided. If fewer than 5 horses enter a race, it will be cancelled. If more than 14 horses enter a race, they can either split it into two races, or basically draw straws to see which ones will run. These races that are entered just a few days ahead are called "overnight" races. That's as opposed to Stakes races or Futurities which are entered months or sometimes years in advance. Easy will be eligible for Paint Horse or Mixed Breed (includes Paints, Quarter Horses and Appaloosas) races. Until he wins a race, he will be eligible for Maiden races. Once be "breaks his Maiden" (wins his first race), he will be eligible for other types of races.

Paints and Quarter horses don't race long races like Thoroughbreds. The TBs run races up to a mile or more. Paints and QHs run no more than 870 yards (called a "hook"). The 870s are fairly rare. Most QH races are 350-600 yards.

Koko goes to the trainer

2008-02-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Feb. 9, we took Koko to the trainer in Los Molinos. We had taken her over to the vet's for her very first trailer ride the day before, and she handled it like a pro. But I was still a nervous wreck trailering her the two hours South. We could occasionally feel her moving in the trailer, but for the most part she rode quietly. When we arrived, she unloaded no problem, and hadn't even broken a sweat! Diamond P Ranch is a very busy place, with lots of people and horses doing things all the time. But Koko wasn't bothered by that, and happily followed us over to her appointed stall, next to a Palomino Quarter Pony. It was hard to leave her, but she's off to college now....

Reports on Easy's progress are very encouraging. He has quit the head-tossing resistance and is now doing 35-40 minute workouts every day in the outdoor arena. We hope to go see him next weekend. I've got the name and contact info for a licensed race trainer now, and will be in touch with him soon. I've got the dates for the Grants Pass Downs race meet now: opening day is June 14, closing day is July 6. I'll let everyone know when we have an actual race date for Easy!

General update on Painters Hideaway: it has finally quit snowing, and started to melt. It's turning into the mud bowl around here! Ah well, it won't last. We go through this every year, we just don't usually have 3 ft of snow to melt!

A little bit about DNA

2008-02-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

One thing Easy will need before he can race is a DNA test to prove his parentage. On Paint horses we also sometimes have DNA tests done to determine what other genetic traits they possess. Some DNA tests that can be run rule out negative traits; others rule in positive traits. We recently had a bunch of DNA tests run on Bodhi (Sacred Wardance), since we may keep him for a stallion. We got some great results! He tested negative for the Frame Overo gene (also commonly referred to as the Overo Lethal White Syndrome gene). His sire, Sacred Indian, does carry that gene, so there was a 50/50 chance Bodhi would inherit it. It is not a negative trait in itself, in fact it represents a very popular paint spotting pattern, the Frame Overo pattern. We have two other horses, both mares, who do carry this gene, and it is a very nice spotting pattern. But if a foal receives two copies of this gene, one from each parent, there is a Syndrome called Overo Lethal White which that foal will have, and these foals are not viable. So, long story short, Bodhi doesn't carry that gene and can therefore be bred to ANY mare, and never have to worry about producing a Lethal White foal. Yay!

The other good DNA news on Bodhi is that he carries two copies of the Tobiano gene. This means he is homozygous for that gene. In fact, they can't really test for the gene itself, but there are increasingly sophisticated tests available for "markers" for tobiano. So when UCDavis says he tested positive, they only say it is highly likely that he is homozygous for tobiano. Therefore, since the Tobiano pattern is a dominant gene (always expressed, never hidden), all of Bodhi's foals will have the Tobiano white pattern; none of them will ever be solid colored. Again, yay!

The other tests we had done were a bit more obscure, but for completeness, I'll mention them here. He carries both Red and Black genes, so can throw red, black, and any combinations of those colors. And he is homozygous for the agouti gene, which means any genetically black offspring of his will actually be Bay in color (the agouti gene restricts black coloration to the "points": ears, legs, tail and mane). And he does not carry the Sabino 1 gene (another overo spotting pattern). But since he has blue eyes, he almost certainly carries SOME overo spotting gene, but now we know it is not Sabino 1 or Frame. It may be Sabino 2 or Splash, but there aren't any tests for those yet.

Visit to Easy

2008-02-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Jan. 25, we drove up to Merlin, OR, to visit Easy. It had only been two weeks since we dropped him off, so we can't expect too much. He was resistant to having the bit put in his mouth, but Liz says he has never done that before. Maybe he just thought since we were there, he wouldn't be expected to behave. Just like kids! She got him saddled, and took him out to the round pen, where she lunged him briefly before getting on. It was pretty cold out, probably right around freezing, so we got COLD standing around watching. She only rode him for about 15minutes, mostly at a nice trot, but he was breathing hard and sweaty by then! Just like any couch potato, he hasn't become an athlete overnight. But boy howdy, could we see the difference in him! He is so much fitter looking, and I could feel the muscle when I stroked him along the sides. Next she took him over to the hotwalker for a lesson (Liz has a very clever way of teaching him to use the hotwalker). He was cooled off in 5 minutes or so. She didn't want to hose him off since it was so cold, so we just curried him a bit to fluff up the damp hair. He's looking so handsome!

Then on Wednesday, Jan. 30, Liz called to give us an update. Easy is now loping (cantering) in the round pen, and soon she'll have him out in the arena. He has learned to walk on the hotwalker by himself, although Liz still stays right with him to make sure he doesn't get scared. She says he hasn't offered any trouble again on being bitted up, so I guess he was just misbehaving because his "parents" were there!

No progress on getting Koko down to the trainer in Los Molinos. We have been snowed in most of the time for over a week, and now it's practically a blizzard out there. Come on, Spring!

Easy's progress, and getting Koko ready

2008-01-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

I talked to Easy's trainer, Liz, on Monday morning, and she continues to be very pleased with his progress. He is now going smoothly into an extended trot in the round pen. She loves his trot! He's still not very fit, though, and gets tired after a few minutes of trotting. She hopes by the end of this week to have him in the outdoor arena, possibly loping. We plan to go see him this Saturday.

In the meantime, we've been down south to Los Molinos to meet another trainer (pleasure). We liked Jill immediately, and she has very nice facilities and personnel. We plan to take Koko down to her around the first of February, weather permitting (the weather forecast currently calls for snow almost every day). Koko will probably spend 60 days there. It's a lot warmer in Los Molinos than it is here!

Easy Rider

2008-01-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

I talked to Rod Lowe (owner of Lazy L Ranch) last night, and then Liz (trainer) called me this morning. Easy got his first pair of shoes on yesterday, and was a very good boy until the last hind foot was being done. Then I suppose he just got tired of the whole thing. But Liz said she was able to get him to focus and the farrier got the job done.

Liz has also been ground driving (also known as long-lining) Easy both in the round pen and in their outdoor arena. Today she called and said this morning she rode him in the round pen! She saddled him in his stall, led him to the round pen, and had Rod hold him while she mounted and dismounted a few times. Then she felt confident in him, and told Rod to just unclip him and let him go. She was able to walk him around without any problems. We, of course, are not at all surprised at this. Rip had done these same things with him last summer. But we are pleased to hear he is being such a good boy for Liz! Liz feels like they have really bonded now.

More info I have learned about racing: before Easy can race, he will have to have a lip tattoo and be DNA-ed. Many of our foals are DNA-ed when they are first registered, but because Easy was conceived by natural cover (not artificial insemination), he was not. So we'll have to get that done. Also, to qualify for a race, horses must be Gate Approved. This means they have to show that they will both load into the gates, and will break from the gate. Also, he will have to have at least one official "timed work". That means, at an approved track, he will just have to run while an official timer times him. He doesn't have to meet any particular time standard, he just has to be timed at the track. Easy won't be ready for timed work for months yet. He will get his gate training at Lazy L in the next couple of months.

We did it!

2008-01-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Despite the weather forecast, it didn't snow last night, and was sunny this morning. I checked the webcam on Siskiyou Summit at about 9am, and it was 32F. So we loaded Easy in the trailer, and drove him up to Lazy L Ranch in Merlin, OR.

Backing up a couple of days, on Wednesday we loaded Easy in the trailer and took him the 4 short miles to Paul Miller's (our great Equine vet) for a test ride. He took about five minutes to load, not having been handled at all in the four months since Rip broke his shoulder. Easy traveled just fine, and unloaded with little fanfare (he did take a couple of minutes to think about that BIG JUMP to the ground...). He got his vaccinations up to date, and loaded back up and rode home like a champ.

Today was a bit of a different story, though, because the ride was a little over two hours, not 10 minutes. When we got to the Lazy L, he didn't really want to unload. He was lightly sweaty from nerves, but not too bad. He snorted a bit, pawed the trailer floor, and craned his neck around as much as he could to see this new place. After about 14-20 minutes of this he finally made a BIG LEAP out of the trailer. Then all was fine. But boy howdy, he did have a case of the looky-loos! We let Liz (the trainer) lead him into the barn; they have to get used to each other as soon as possible. He had to pass between rows of stalls on both sides, with lots of curious horses of all ages and genders checking him out. He got to his own comfy straw-bedded stall and went right in like the gentleman he is.

He will have a day or two to just get used to his new surrounding, getting turned out to run in the roundpen by himself for an hour or so while his stall is cleaned each day. Then "work" will begin and we'll find out how he takes to all that. Liz promised to give us a call every few days and give us an update, and said we can call any time to check on him. I think we'll give him a couple of weeks to get into the swing of things before we go visit.

It was really hard leaving him there! This is the first time we've left any of our horses anywhere but a vet's office. He seems to be in very good hands, though.

Racing terms

2008-01-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

I've been having a heck of a time finding out about horse racing! If you know of any good books, magazines, or websites where I can learn more about the process from an owner's perspective, please let me know! In the meantime, I have discovered a few things:

Stakes Race: a stakes race is where you put up a "stake" (payment), usually at least 48 hours in advance of the race, to enter your horse. The purse is comprised of all the payments, and sometimes added money from other sources such as sponsors.

Claiming Race: In a claiming race, the owner is basically offering his entered horse for sale at the stated price. That is, in a $10,000 claiming race each of the horses entered can be bought for $10,000. The bid is placed before the race starts (and there are certain qualifications for being a buyer); as the gates open at the start of the race, ownership transfers to the claimant. However, the owner at the start of the race gets the purse. If no one claims your horse, you keep him. I've seen claiming races in Grants Pass for as little as $1,500; but I've also seen claiming races for a whole lot more.

I've found a couple of decent sites which have glossaries of horse racing terms, but they tend to be mainly from the bettors point of view. Check out http://www.ildado.com/horse_racing_glossary.html

Racing Paints

2008-01-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

As soon as the pass clears, we will be taking Easy (Easy Chick Magnet, APHA) to a trainer in Merlin, OR, to get ready for Race training. Easy will be three years old on March 23, and has had all the ground work and is ready to start under saddle. We are taking him to Lazy L Ranch, owned by Rod Lowe, for his initial training.
Rip and I have been going to the races in Grants Pass (Oregon) for the last couple of years, but we really don't know much about how things work for the owner. We have a lot to learn, and now a great opportunity to learn it. I'll be posting here about Easy's training, progress, and what we learn about the sport of Paint Horse Racing.