He’s still slow. He was asked to work 3f last week but his time was so slow that it didn’t get recorded as an official “work.” Last week he went 41 flat. In order to be race ready at any significant level, a horse should be able to do 12 second furlongs. The 38+ is an OK starting point but it’s not what would be expected from the world’s most expensive racehorse.
Yes, I call him “The Green Money.” I know it’s MonKey but Money sounds better.
I think the article I cited (which the BH themselves obtained from another source) used this rather operative word:
… the Todd Pletcher trainee strolled three furlongs …
With all respect he must have a fair amount of rust on him from having been effectively on RR for so long.
Another article on the saga … as an aside I suspect Tristan Berry for having spoken a bit too openly may get a stern call from Todd.
Ireland’s Independent June 16, 2007 “Money can’t buy success in Monkey business”
excerpts …
Details of his status remain sketchy.
The owners have said little publicly about the horse some thought might be the odds-on favourite for last month’s Kentucky Derby. Neither has Todd Pletcher, America’s top trainer in each of the past three years. But Tristan Berry, an assistant trainer with Pletcher, said The Green Monkey’s problems go beyond an aggravated glutteal muscle cited as the horse’s most recent setback or any other physical ailments.
“For $16m, you’d expect a wow every time he’d breeze, and he never did it for me,” Berry said recently. “And I don’t know why that would be.”
[Pletcher’s] first work with The Green Monkey started in Kentucky, also site of the first glitch. During a morning gallop at Churchill Downs, the horse got spooked while workers set up tents for the 2006 Kentucky Derby and the exercise rider fell off as the horse bolted.
De Renzo said he talked to witnesses who said the horse fell on its neck. Not true, said Michael McCarthy, an assistant trainer with Pletcher who said the only thing that hit the ground was the rider.
But the horse failed to produce any remarkable work-outs and, after about a month of training in Kentucky, was shipped to New York. There, he ended up under the watch of Pletcher’s assistant, Berry. He greeted the horse with enthusiasm tempered by scepticism.
“No horse is worth $16m,” he said recently. Berry sounds even more convinced of that after watching The Green Monkey train in New York for almost three months before being sent to Ashford Stud, a farm in Kentucky owned by Coolmore. That’s where the horse remains.
“The horse really didn’t have any problems,” Berry said. “He just didn’t show to be fast enough to run in a maiden race where he was going to win. And if you were going to run him, that would have been the only result that would have been good enough.”
[b]Sanan, who bred the horse, said he regretted selling the horse when he heard about the $16m purchase price. But since then, his perspective has changed. Turns out The Green Monkey had a full brother bred by Sanan, who says he has no idea where that horse is now.
“Gave it to a lady who looks after a farm for retired horses,” he said, adding of that horse and The Green Monkey, “Both turned out to be duds.”[/b]
Retirement could be where The Green Monkey is headed before his once-promising career even begins.
“Even if he comes back and wins some races, he ain’t going to be worth much,” Sanan said. “He’ll be lucky if he’s worth $1m.”
Bolted
I guess if he bolted because there was a human somewhere around the racetrack he is not a good lead pony prospect either.
In 10 years this horse is going to find his way into a COTH member’s backyard. Some of our friends on the message board have ex-racers that were very expensive at the sales, but the Green Monkey of course would take the cake!
I seem to remember that he was bought at a two year olds in training sale, and that he had posted a really, really fast time for 2 furlongs. Is that right?
So if he is so slow now, what happened? Did an injury damage him? Is he sour? Burned out? Just out of shape?
Anyone know or care to speculate?
[QUOTE=Maythehorsebewithme;2515031]
I seem to remember that he was bought at a two year olds in training sale, and that he had posted a really, really fast time for 2 furlongs. Is that right?
So if he is so slow now, what happened? Did an injury damage him? Is he sour? Burned out? Just out of shape?
Anyone know or care to speculate?[/QUOTE]
I’m pretty sure every one of your questions is answered in the Irish Independent article (and link) posted above.
I’m going to commit a racing sin… but I’m going to say what I think they should do…
Why don’t they put him with another trainer? Obviously he’s not working out in the Pletcher barn, and hasn’t he been there his whole “career”?? While I’m sure his connections don’t want to ruin their relationship with Pletcher, I doubt anyone in the barn would mind getting that monkey off their backs.
Maybe someone with a different training style will be able to get through to him. Cause obviously it’s not clicking…
At least the folks (Darley) who owned a slightly cheaper dud, Ever Shifting have taken him to post twice. Not that he’s ever come close to hitting the boards but hey why not let the $5.2 million purchase try and win one 
If they are lucky his debut will be burried in the sports coverage like Ever Shifting’s effort was in December 2006
SIXTH RACE: Kiaran McLaughlin entry of Dr. Rhythm, Shaun Bridgmohan up, and Casey’s Joy, under Fernando Jara, favored at 8-5, dueled for early lead, pressed outside by 11-1 The Red Prince, Eddie Martin Jr. up, who swept to front turning for home, looked on way to victory. But 11-1 Mass Charles rallied outside under Robert Messina, collared The Red Prince mid-stretch, outkicked him in final sixteenth. Ever Shifting, $5.2M Tale of the Cat colt making belated debut as 3-year-old for Tom Albertrani/Darley Stable, broke slowly under Eibar Coa, rushed up rail to chase leaders into turn, faded to finish far back. True Perception backed up badly to trail field mid-stretch when he tripped and fell; neither horse nor rider, C.C. Lopez, was injured.
Yes, he finished 2nd to last - beating True Perception who fell.
Although technically he’s been w/Todd through his career, he’s spent more time at Ashford in KY than in training since being purchased. He did work fast at the sales and maybe that hurt him. Maybe he just “freaked” that day. He’s never shown any inclination to train quickly and as far as the starting gate…well…:eek: he really hates that.
Tabor does use other trainers, like Pat Biancone so I suppose that a change “could” be made but at this point, with his reputation, I’m not sure if ay trainer woulod want him.
[QUOTE=Linny;2515479]
Although technically he’s been w/Todd through his career, he’s spent more time at Ashford in KY than in training since being purchased. He did work fast at the sales and maybe that hurt him. Maybe he just “freaked” that day. He’s never shown any inclination to train quickly and as far as the starting gate…well…:eek: he really hates that.
Tabor does use other trainers, like Pat Biancone so I suppose that a change “could” be made but at this point, with his reputation, I’m not sure if ay trainer woulod want him.[/QUOTE]
I don’t know the horse, but it just seems like he might do better with a trainer’s stables where expectations are, er, “lower”… :lol:
I do not think it is the expectations, but some horses need to develop a personality and get a bit more one on one attention - I certainly do not think it would be a bad choice to point him towards a trainer who can provide that!
[QUOTE=Maythehorsebewithme;2515031]
I seem to remember that he was bought at a two year olds in training sale, and that he had posted a really, really fast time for 2 furlongs. Is that right?
So if he is so slow now, what happened? Did an injury damage him? Is he sour? Burned out? Just out of shape?
Anyone know or care to speculate?[/QUOTE]
A wild guess? A wild off-the-wall guess?
If it was true that (when he ran the 9.4 second furlong for the sale) he ran with a rotary style gallop (LH, RH, RF, LF) as opposed to the normal way horses gallop, and then maybe IF he was taught/made to run “the normal way”, perhaps it didn’t suit him physically or mentally to run fast that way.
Though Todd’s operation is HUGE, his staff matches the # of horses and each horse gets no less time with their immediate handlers than they would at another barn, possibly more. I do think that maybe a different program could help him though I’m not sure what’s wrong.
His antics at the gate last summer at Saratoga were the talk of the town, I’m not sure he ever got his gate card.
On a somber but related note …
BloodHorse July 12 2007 “Seattle Dancer, Record-Priced Yearling, Dead”
excerpt
Seattle Dancer, who set the racing world abuzz when he commanded a world-record $13.1 as a yearling, died of a heart attack in June. The 23-year-old son of Nijinsky II stood at Gestut Auenquelle in Germany.
The price bettered the $10.2 million paid at the 1983 Keeneland July sale for Snaafi Dancer, a son of Northern Dancer who was unraced. Ironically, Sangster was the underbidder.
Campaigned in Niarchos’ colors, Seattle Dancer failed to start at 2, but developed into group II winner at 3. He captured the Windfields Farm Gallinule (Ire-II) and Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (Ire-II) and ran second in the Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-I). He retired with two wins from five starts and earnings of $152,423.
Not an utter flop, he did sire 37 stakes winners including 1996’s Kentucky Oaks and California Derby winner, Pike Place Dancer.
23 years old!
seems like it was yesterday.
Personally, I think they should change his name. If somebody named me that, I’d give them minimal effort too. Was he named that when he worked fast?
Just out of curiousity, could his name be changed since he hasn’t even run yet?
Are we ready yet?
Better change the headline … looks like The Green Monkey WILL start in 2007 at Saratoga … or so they say … I wouldn’t bet on it. Far too public of a forum with a horse having that much in expectations placed on him
Courier-Journal July 14, 2007 “The Green Monkey nearing debut”
The immediate goal for the owners of The Green Monkey is a maiden special weight race this summer at Saratoga, where a victory would mean $37,200.
That would still leave them $15,962,800 in the hole – but you have to start somewhere.
The world’s most expensive racehorse might not be a lost cause after all. The Green Monkey, purchased by Coolmore Stud for a record $16 million in February 2006 at a 2-year-old sale, is finally nearing his debut. Unable to run for the past year because of problems with a gluteal muscle, the colt has had four workouts since mid-June, and trainer Todd Pletcher said Thursday that the colt should be ready to race in about a month.
“The next two or three works will really tell me where I am with his fitness and ability level,” Pletcher said. “The horse looks fantastic. I think the time off did him well, not just to allow the injury to heal up, but overall.”
With no horse having earned more than $9.99 million on the track, the only way The Green Monkey can pay for himself is at stud, where he could earn hundreds of millions of dollars if he can establish himself as one of the world’s top sires. But most good sires were good racehorses first, so The Green Monkey needs to perform well on the racetrack.
“Given one industry yardstick, that an entering stallion’s value is 300 times his initial stud fee, The Green Monkey would have to be able to stand for $50,000 to recoup his purchase price,” breeding expert Bill Oppenheim said. “In order to justify that stud fee, and considering that his pedigree is OK but not mouth-watering, I’d say he’d need to be a good Grade I stakes winner to be able to stand for that price.”
Pletcher understands that The Green Monkey’s first race will be watched throughout the sport and that it is important that he win. His only promise is that The Green Monkey will be primed for his best the day he makes it to the starting gate.
“When you step out and pay a record price for a horse or you’re training a horse someone paid a record price for, the expectations are extremely high,” Pletcher said. “I will do everything I can to have him as ready as I can first time out, and sometimes you can only do so much.”
With no horse having earned more than $9.99 million on the track…
So much for accurate reporting. At least four, maybe more, have gone over the $10m mark, in the case of T.M Opera O, $7m over.
interesting…we shall see if he will start or not.
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