Inside the Grooming Bag | Horse Racing Free Tips

Inside The Grooming Bag Presented By Midway University: Preparing Thoroughbreds For ‘Show’ And ‘Go’

Presentation is key in practically any form of equine competition, but how does that routine change when a horse shifts disciplines?

On this episode of The Paulick Report's Inside The Grooming Bag, we speak with Joan Reynolds, who trained her horse Town of Towns for most of his 10 seasons on the racetrack, then took him to the 2021 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover to compete in the Show Hunter division, as part of the 2020 class whose event was delayed due to COVID-19.

Reynolds discusses what made Town of Towns a candidate for a second career after racing, what his daily and pre-show grooming routines entail, and what care methods can keep a horse racing to age 11 and competing in the biggest show of his life at age 13.

Town of Towns, a Speightstown gelding, notched 89 starts from 2010 to 2019, beginning his career in Ontario and ultimately spending most of his time in the Mid-Atlantic region. Reynolds claimed Town of Towns for $12,500 out of an optional claiming race at Charles Town in 2014, and won 10 times with him.

Reynolds said her background in showing and steeplechase racing helped guide her philosophies toward grooming her own horses.

“I'm extremely meticulous about the way they look, and they way they should be presented,” Reynolds said. “I think they should be in good flesh, coats shiny, manes pulled, and presented in good form…I've had good mentors through the years that helped me learn how to present a horse.”

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Inside The Grooming Bag Presented By Midway University: Getting Ready For Sale Time With Lane’s End

There is perhaps no time in a Thoroughbred's life when their appearance matters more than at an auction. With six- or seven-figure bids potentially on the line, every hair must be in place before they are presented to buyers.

On this episode of the Paulick Report's Inside The Grooming Bag, we visit the Lane's End consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, where Jose Ochoa guides us through the process of getting a horse ready for the sale ring, from mane to tail.

Lane's End put 25 horses through the ring over the course of the four-day auction, including six on the day they offered Hip 972, a colt by City of Light. However, the trips to the ring are just the tip of the iceberg compared to the multitude of times each horse needed to be shined up for pre-sale inspections each day over the course of the auction.

With four to five sets of hands working on each horse, Ochoa said the Lane's End team can get a horse from the stall to ring-ready in 10 to 15 minutes.

The auction environment can be a lot for a young horse to handle, between the new surroundings and neighbors, the constant sound of the auctioneer's chant over the public address system, and constantly going in and out of their stall for shows.

Ochoa, who was in his second year with Lane's End during last year's October sale, said that keeping the yearlings calm in the midst of the sensory overload was a key part of helping the horses look their best.

“We just go slow and calm,” he said. “We stay as focused as we can and not rush into them, because they might be sensitive on the body. He was kind of jumpy, but we worked it out together, made the process faster, and stayed calm.”

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Inside The Grooming Bag: Braiding Manes At The Steve Asmussen Barn

The horses that run for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen can often be seen with precisely-braided manes when they come to the paddock prior to a race.

In the inaugural installment of the Paulick Report's Inside the Grooming Bag video series, Asmussen groom Hugo Morales guides us through the process of braiding the 2-year-old colt Munny Bolt.

With 10 to 15 horses to braid per day, each requiring about 20 braids down the neck plus another for the forelock, Morales has the process whittled down to about 12 minutes from the first handful of mane to the final rubber band – a blazing fast time.

The trainer himself then describes the reasons and traditions behind why the barn's runners sport the look.

Though he describes himself as “out of practice,” Asmussen said he learned how to braid horses from his mother, trainer Marilyn Asmussen, and he carries on the practice in his own stable to honor her.

“A lot of it's trial by fire,” he said. “Some of those first braids didn't look so good, but with the volume of horses we run, you get over that in a hurry. My mom braided, she was great at it and taught me how to braid, and we went from there. We've been doing it for a long time, and I'm very proud of it; especially the reason why.”

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