I’m so happy for Michael Matz! I met him once and he was so nice. Woo hoo!!! Impressive. A true horseman wins the Derby.
Totally awesome
Great horse, fantastic trainer and Olympian, Michael is an awesome person! So cool that the kids that he saved from that plane wreck came there to see him. I had tears in my eyes! :yes:
I have tears, now, too. If someone knows how to condition a horse and get in a horses head, certainly Michael does. It was so cool to see him riding. His “pony” horse was pretty nice. First time I’ve seen one with a happy mouth pelham a CC saddle and detachable flash.
Barbaro didn’t look like he had a tongue tie on and he is a damn good mover. One of the only horses that didn’t look so tight behind that he looked lame. Only Michael. He’ll teach 'em a thing or two.
Oh no, did anyone see him walking back to the barn? He was off up front … I think.
I saw it - LF
Hope he just bumped himself
I saw that too, a bit of head bobbing going on. Fingers crossed that it’s nothing. He did stumble at the start.
J. Turner - I saw something a little strange with Barbaro when walking back to the barn too…HOPE we were seeing nothing!!!
Anway, what a total horseman Michael Matz is!!! He is amazing and such a gentleman!!!
I hope Barbaro is ok, I’d LOVE to see Matz and Barbaro go for the TC!1 That would just blow me, and MANY other people away.
My hat goes off to Barbaro and Prado for the fab effort - it was really impressive with perhaps the most perfect trip possible in a 20 horse field. So Barbaro joins Needles with the 5 week layoff between the last prep race and Derby and Matz proves the skeptics wrong.
M/M Roy Jackson must be simply thrilled to bits with the double wins today - the highly impressive George Washington, whom they also bred, won across the pond in the 2,000 Guineas.
For the relative small operation (Lael Stables) they have that is wicked impressive 
An AWESOME RACE!
I have been rooting for Barbaro and Michael for the past several weeks- what a phenomanal horseman!! (and the horse wasen’t so bad either
George Washington’s win was a very impressive win, most impressive in years, major buzz about him in England right now.
Thing is, apparently O’Brien/Coolmore aren’t pointing him at the Derby, they consider him more a 10F horse, so we could see his long term goal be the BC Classic at the end of the year. Now that would a tantalising thing to look forward to, a GW-Barbaro match up. I bet the Jackson’s would be smiling ear to ear.
As to people making a big deal about the lay-off… you train horses at home. Don’t have to race them fit. Matz is a consumate horse man.
Considering there was already strong talk about GW before today’s race that is saying a lot!
And to think GW was originally nominated to the US Triple Crown … which inspired the whole “how can they name him that” question on page 1 of the Derby thread 
WOW!!! I have been routing for Mike & Barbaro for weeks now!! What an AWESOME horse!! I had tears in my eyes when he crossed the line!! Congrats to all his connections!!
I finally picked my first Derby winner after many years of watching!! And it was Micheal Matz’s horse too!! WOW
~Darci~
PS I saw the head-bobbing at the end too! Let’s keep our fingers crossed he is ok…
Jerry Bailey just said the horse is “push button.” Ha - with Michael Matz training him? He couldn’t be anything but!
Hooray for Barbaro! I clinicked once with MM and he was a true gentleman and very polite to everyone there. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, I’m so excited for him!
I noticed the horse looked off too, but he did almost go to knees out of the gate so maybe it’s just a bump. Let’s hope so, otherwise we will be another year without a Triple Crown winner. I think Barbaro could do it!
Here is the story about the crash and the kids
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2006/04/30/z1b_PBP_DERBY_0430.html
And what are Lucas and Baffert, chopped liver??
Ok I have reviewed my Tivo about 4 times in slow mo etc.
I have to say, (knowing what Scrappy was like trying to walk to the test barn after a big race with a big crowd) I don’t believe it was a head bob for lameness.
Many times the grooms hold the left side of the bridle tighter to keep the horses in line. As I watched in slow mo, you could see slight slight tugs as the groom walked to control his exuberance.
This is a common sight after races, especially big ones.
Thats what I see, and I see post race behavior most days of the week.
Just my 2 cents.
~Emily
:eek: As we walked around the XC course early one morning during the Atlanta Olympics, my husband had to “relieve himself” and took off to the woods - came out of the woods talking to this guy who had tags around his neck, obviously a competitor - having whatever chitchat men do when they’re peeing in the woods, Billy had managed to meet, yes, Michael Matz. Needless to say, in his annual bet with his best friend for the TC races, Billy took Barbaro today - won 3 cases of beer and is in the living room telling folks how he “peed in the woods in Conyers with the great guy who trained the Kentucky Derby winner”… woo hooo!!! 
Lucas and Baffert are great race trainers, but, I haven’t seen them riding in any Olympic competitions lately. Or, for that matter, pulling kids out of burning planes.
It’s nice to have heros, and Michael Matz fills the bill.
ROFL Runforit:lol:
Woohoo for the showjumpers turned racers!!!
