Fare Thee Well, The Green Monkey

Pyro's victory in the Risen Star was impressive to watch; he certainly made his way through traffic well and seemed professional in handling a bit of adversity. However, his time at the distance was a second slower than that of Indian Blessing in the Silverbulletday, and there is no talk of her switching to the Derby rather than the Oaks trail. I think both horses put in good performances on Saturday, but I wonder if either one really wants much more distance. Today's biggest headline concerned the retirement of The Green Monkey (pictured); he's off to stud in Florida. However, Ashford Stud's manager Charlie O'Connor noted that, "[m]ost people have already made their decisions with their mares" for this year; one would imagine that breeding to a horse who failed to make an impression in a maiden special weight at Belmont in his most rigorous start would not be high on their list of choices. He will be standing at the farm of Randy Hartley and Dean De Renzo, who pinhooked him (and who picked up a nice check for their efforts); presumably they felt they owed him a shot at another career, although why it should be breeding is rather beyond me. He'd make a lovely (gelded) show horse if he could stay fit enough for it.