[QUOTE=IveGotRhythm;2670640]
My Forestry baby was only $500.00 (New Vocations).:D[/QUOTE]
I sure as heck didn’t pay $37K for mine either!!!
[QUOTE=findeight;2670390]
Maybe The Green Monkey is just too embarassed to hear his God Awful name called over the PA.
What were they thinking. That’s one stupid name worthy of inclusion on the dumb name thread on H/J…[/QUOTE]
It is a pretty bad name. He was named after a golf course in Barbados.
The name origins and the photo of the course have been posted on this thread several times actually 
I don’t have any issues with the name and in terms of exclusivity just try being able to play a round at that course. 11th most expensive course in the world (at $300 per round) which is actually misleading as you need to stay at the hotel to play.
Cheapest room: $950 per night in the off season (summer) and that becomes $3,000 per night in the peak season.
Maybe he’ll get retired to Barbados to become a caddy 
More likely a pony 
Or perhaps he’ll just race in Barbados.
http://www.barbadosturfclub.com/default.aspx
Alas, since I have not read every post in this thread, I am sure this idea has been bounced around before, but it did tickle my fancy.
Actually been to Barbados and well aware of the origin of that stupid name. 99% of those watching the races are unaware of the obscure rational behind that name and just think it’s an ugly name for a pretty horse.
Rags To Riches and The Green Monkey in one day? I can hardly wait!
http://www.drf.com/news/article/88458.html
The Green Monkey may finally run
In addition to watching Rags to Riches run on Saturday, it is possible that Tabor will also get to see The Green Monkey finally make it to the races. Tabor and his partners shelled out $16 million at the Fasig-Tipton 2-year-olds in training sale at Calder in February 2006 for the son of Forestry-Magical Masquerade, but that horse has had his setbacks and has yet to make it to the races. That could finally come to fruition on Saturday.
Wait Rags to Riches - and - The Green Monkey running on the same day? Todd Pletcher’s two most bubble wrapped runners going to … run?
Isn’t this one of the signs of the apocalypse
I loved this blaise comment from his owner:
Tabor said he hasn’t been preoccupied thinking about when and if The Green Monkey would make it to the races.
“Frankly, I’ve got plenty of other things to keep me occupied,” Tabor said. “It’s something you put on the back burner. It’s not something you drive yourself crackers with, is it?”
So five other horses will take on The Green Monkey (or rather is it him taking them on?) should he indeed run in the 4th race at Belmont Saturday Sep 15th.
I’ll have my DVR recording TVG for this one
What is interesting is the distance is 6 furlongs of which I’ve never seen a workout of that distance for him.
Going off at 3:23 pm Eastern
Distance: 6 Furlongs
Age: 3 Year Olds And Up Maiden Special
Weight: 119 lbs all
Purse: $52,000
No claiming tag for TGM
PP Horse - Jockey - Med*
1 Sixthirteen - Migliore R - L
2 Bujagali - Coa E M 119 L
3 Roi Maudit - Desormeaux K J - L
4 The Green Monkey - Velazquez J R - FTL
5 Holla Bend - Chavez J F
6 Secret Design - Gomez G K - L
Medications: L for Lasix
Interestingly both Roi Maudt and Baujagali were to have raced in the 9th on Wed but were scratched. Roi Maudt was expected to be the favorite as he’s already earned a speed fig in a prior outting of 85.
The blog for ABC News associate producer, Catherine Cole, who did the segment on TGM:
People around the barn take his personality with good humor. Anna Seitz, the barn manager for Todd Pletcher Racing Stables, told correspondent Ryan Owens, “He’s very smart and he likes to have fun. He’s not a mean horse. He just has a lot of personality, and he’s real feisty all the time.”
ABC’s still photos of other horses and their purchase prices
Valezquez
I hope John Valezquez and Javier Castellano are ok after that terrible wreck at Belmont this afternoon. The Monkey may have another jockey Saturday.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll be watching the races from my fallout shelter. :lol:
Although I’d bet money he scratches one of them…
[QUOTE=Calico;2681159]
I hope John Valezquez and Javier Castellano are ok after that terrible wreck at Belmont this afternoon. The Monkey may have another jockey Saturday.[/QUOTE]
Both horses they were riding respectively were euthanized. John and Javier each went to the hospital but it’s being called minor injuries. Although John has been taken off all mounts for Friday and per Angel Cordero Jr. (his agent and also part-time TGM’s exercise rider) JV will still ride TGM on Saturday.
Perhaps a bad omen is that JV’s euthanized mount “Gruffles” (owned by Dogwood Stable) last worked in company with The Green Monkey Sept. 8th.
Todd’s comments on The Green Monkey running from the DRF:
“I think the most important change this year is that the horse is physically very healthy,” Pletcher said Thursday by phone from the Keeneland yearling sales. “Any time you have a horse that’s had minor aches and pains like he had as 2-year-old - it never allowed him to show his true ability. We’ve been able to train him accordingly this year because he’s been healthy. Because of that, he’s gotten better and performed better in the morning.”
Pletcher said he understands it will be hard for The Green Monkey to live up to expectations.
“The Green Monkey has been a horse that’s highly visible and followed closely,” Pletcher said. “It would be difficult for any horse to meet expectations that have been laid on him. At the end of the day, he’s ready to run, so we’ll get started and hope he runs well.”
All of the other 5 horses in the field have run before and have been knocking on the door of their first maiden:
> Sixthirteen, trained by Mike Hushion, has finished third in both of his starts and appears to have the most early speed.
> Secret Design finished right behind Sixthirteen in his last start and has finished second in three of his six starts.
I doubt TGM will finish in the top three - not that I’m wishing that but rather unless there is something amazing we haven’t seen yet (aside from the workout sale effort) it will be hard to get his “sea legs” against such company.
Saturday
So glad John and Javier are ok. Whew.
I’m already excited about tomorrow with such a variety of competitions and venues!
Washington Post 9-15-07 “Time to See If Mean ‘Green’ Is Worth the Money”
Asked if The Green Monkey stands a chance to be remembered for anything other than his staggering cost, Pletcher said, “That’s what we’re getting ready to find out.”
Good luck, Monkey!
As said post race by the DRF - and long known in this thread: … much ado about nothing …
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;2680743]
So five other horses will take on The Green Monkey (or rather is it him taking them on?) should he indeed run in the 4th race at Belmont Saturday Sep 15th.
Interestingly both Roi Maudt and Baujagali were to have raced in the 9th on Wed but were scratched. Roi Maudt was expected to be the favorite as he’s already earned a speed fig in a prior outting of 85.[/QUOTE]
Amazing how foolish the general betting public at Belmont could be on this one!
We’ve all followed this horse for many reasons including the poor-luck befallen him despite the mega price tag. Never - ever - a truly fast horse in any official workouts! I don’t think anyone thought he’d win - I wrote him off from hitting the boards - and as cited (above) Roi Maudt had all the reason in the world comming into this race to win it … as he did and very convincingly!
Yet the public at Belmont bet the Monkey down to 2-5! WTF
For those who followed the past performances they were richly rewarded:
Roi Maudt paid: $22.80 $8.80 $3.10
While The Green Monkey paid the manated minimum that has to be paid out on a $2 wager: $2.10
Indeed this is Ever Shifting Part Deux!
Considering he wasn’t getting his gate certificate of passing for quite some time this comment doesn’t seem that unusual:
“He’s not very quick from the gate,” said jockey John Velazquez. “He did everything good, it’s just that he is not that fast from the gate.”
Per Todd:
“He was outfooted a little bit the first part, then got some decent position and after that they kind of spurted away from him at the top of the stretch. From the eighth pole to the wire, he showed a little interest and galloped out well.”
Don’t hold your breath for his 2nd attempt at the maiden win as Todd Pletcher said " he was not sure when the colt would start next."
It’s got to be tough though-so much pressure on his first race. I’m not even going to pass judgment on this 1st race.
Perhaps the last word for now …
[trainer Todd Pletcher] “I kind of knew where I was with him. If you asked me before the race if they run 1:09.10, can he win? I would probably say he’s not ready for that. For a first-timer to run faster than 1:09.10 would be hard to do.”
At least it sounded like good business for Belmont:
[i]People pressed four and five deep along the fences around the Belmont Park paddock on a sun-soaked Saturday afternoon. They craned their necks for a better look, they pointed their cameras to get a shot at racing’s biggest mystery.
…article “Green Monkey fizzles” continues …[/i]
youtube.com: Special maiden effort 4th race at Belmont Park 9-15-07
What people don’t see in that clip but was on TVG the significant problems the Belmont crew had with loading the first two horses (1 & 2)
If you look at it this way … Billionaire, Stanley Ho just paid almost $9M for just a horse’s head - no, get the Godfather image out of your mind - made of Bronze. By comparison TGM at least looks nice running along and who knows maybe he will sire the next ‘wow’ horse
