Vow finished 7th in today’s 6th race at Oaklawn Park, beaten by 11 lengths. She was claimed by trainer Timothy Martin following the race. Breaking a step slow, the daughter of Union Rags traveled comfortably mid-pack. Turning for home, jockey Joel Rosario asked her for an effort but she lost her momentum quickly. She was able to re-rally in the final furlong but was never able to be a factor. Joel reported she felt like she could benefit from going further in distance but that was something we had tried last year at Oaklawn with no success.

We wish the best of luck to her new connections and wanted to thank the Asmussen barn for the care given to our filly over the last 16 months. We will report back once the Vow series has been closed.

Vow came out of her Tuesday breeze in good order and had an easy gallop this morning.

For those interested, there are still tickets available for our Lexington Summer Series event for this Saturday. Click here to view the details and purchase tickets.

We received the vet report for Vow from veterinarian Dr. Kevin Dunlavey and the ultrasound revealed inflammation in her left hind proximal suspensory. While there is inflammation, the good news is that we are fortunate that trainer Al Stall Jr.’s early observation helped diagnose her subtle lameness and we were able to catch this quickly and, as a result, there is no significant damage to the suspensory.

Vow will receive 30 days of rest and hand-walking at Silver Springs Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, followed by another ultrasound by our resident veterinarian, Dr. Jeffery Berk. We will continue to monitor her progress and will report back with updates.

Vow paddock schooled this afternoon during the fourth race at Churchill Downs. She was very well behaved and handled everything like a professional. She was a little nervous at first, but never acted out and quickly relaxed with assistant trainer Melanie Giddings comforting her.

Vow will paddock school one or two more times before her debut, so she can be comfortable with everything come race day.

The Al Stall Jr. barn is working to secure Monnie Goetz and her famous pony, Harley, to pony Vow on race day. Monnie and Harley will accompany Vow on the track for a few mornings this week. This will allow Vow to become familiar with her pony team and, therefore, be more relaxed on race day. Click here to read a fun feature by America’s Best Racing about the magnificent Monnie and Harley.

Please enjoy this video of Vow paddock schooling this afternoon.

Vow is targeting a $150,000 maiden claiming race going 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt at Churchill Downs on November 21st. The MyRacehorse team and trainer Al Stall Jr. believe this is a good spot for our Union Rags filly to debut and to have a positive racing experience.

There are a few factors that went into selecting this race, such as distance, location and class. Vow shows a lot of energy and gate speed in the mornings, suggesting that she would favor and be competitive in a short sprint. Being a quirky filly, the advantage of being able to run out of her stall for her initial race plays an important role in the decision, as opposed to shipping to a track she is unfamiliar with. While Vow is eligible to be claimed, the chances of that are very slim because of the high claiming price and her being a first-time starter. Additionally, since the claiming price is higher than her purchase price of $140,000, any potential buyers would likely want to see her perform before making a claim. One of the most important aspects of racing is giving horses the best opportunity to succeed by placing them in races in which they can be competitive. This maiden claiming race should be an easier spot than a maiden special weight and we believe Vow can be competitive here.

Vow is scheduled to breeze tomorrow morning. The breeze will be her final work before her debut. We will follow up tomorrow with a workout report. Entries will be taken on Thursday, November 18th.