Tim Ritchey Quotes (33 Quotes)

We're not going to put the cart before the horse. We'll nominate him to a lot of things between now and the end of the year, but our focus is getting him back into a routine and then a work schedule.

I feel privileged to be able to speak for this cause and raise money for it. It'll be a great horse race, but there's more to life than just horse racing ... and this is part of it.

Right now, we want to run in the Cigar Mile if he is 100 percent,

As far as I know they'd only sell him for breeding, and even that would not be a 100 sale.

It will be interesting to see what reaction we have and how many fans walk over to the paddock to see him. The fans support our sport. If we can do any little things to help them have interest and have a good time at the races, it's something that everybody has to step up to the plate and do.

It made me feel very good. It was a very nice thing for him to do. I've never met the man, and he was thanking me for being a team supporter.

As soon as we get the results of the X-rays, we can develop a plan for getting him on the track. He has continued to walk three or four times a day and seems to be fine.

He won first time out around two turns at Delaware and then ran fourth in the Champagne. He's the best 3-year-old I have here as far as distance goes. He's got a lot of potential.

It's been exciting. The Steelers got healthy at the right time, and they are playing great.

There are a couple of races that weekend for us to look at, ... If we can get a prep in, I wouldn't want it to be any closer than two weeks before the Breeders' Cup. The 14th or the 15th would be an ideal scenario. It's just a matter of figuring out if he's ready to do it, and, if so, what race we want to go in.

Although perhaps a disappointment for racing, it is only a temporary one. The prognosis remains excellent for a return to Alex's elite level of competition.

I believe he will overcome this bump in the road. I believe we can formulate a plan that will have Alex back racing at his previous level.

When we started jogging him, he was ready to turn around then, so we had to go real easy with him. He didn't want to come off the racetrack a few times. He had been walking for two and half to three hours a day, and then we started to jog him, but I'll know more as to how much fitness he's maintained once he starts galloping on his own, and once we get a breeze underneath him. But he looks really good.

The work was faster than what I was hoping for. But I thought that was a good sign because it means we're more forward than I thought we were.

I spoke to Dr. Hogan and Dr. Bramlage yesterday, and they said the X-rays were really good, ... Dr. Bramlage gave us the OK to start galloping him. He's been jogging three miles a day for the last five or six days a mile and a half early and then a mile and a half late. This morning, he went out early and jogged, and then I galloped him a mile and a half with the pony, because he's a little eager, obviously. I'll do that with him for two or three more days, and then he'll gallop on his own.

As for long-range plans, Ritchey said he will let the horse dictate the timing and which races to plan for. Once he has some long gallops and a couple of breezes, I'll know a lot more, ... It would be an extremely hard task to get to the Breeders' Cup. The only way is if everything goes perfectly and I can find the right prep for him. But I've told the owners, let's just get him back and find a spot. There is always the Cigar Mile (gr. I) at the end of November, then we'll have a lot of races to choose from next year. It should be a fun experience.

I've been a trainer over 30 years, so you put your time in at the small tracks, you finally get an opportunity to find a horse of this ability, believe me it's the horse,

The bottom line is that since barn 14 was no longer a security barn and he would have to be moved on race day anyhow, I thought it would be a better situation in Barn 5. Since there were three stalls available there, it worked out perfectly.

Angel has been bugging me for a year. He has always wanted to get on him. When they asked me to do this, and the X-rays were fine and everything was OK to go on the tack again, I called him up and said I've got something for you on Saturday. He was more than glad to do it. I think that it was something a little extra for the fans.

After about two weeks, we'll take X-rays again, and he should get the OK to start to gallop. It's not totally healed, but Dr. Bramlage was very pleased with the amount of healing that's taken place the last two weeks. I'd say it's probably 99 healed, and with the little bit of added jogging to his regimen of rehab, that will stimulate the remaining amount of healing. It's a fine line you don't want to gallop, because that would retard the healing. But the jogging will stimulate that bone a little more, and that should heal it up the remainder of the way.

I look forward to Alex's return to the races. The book isn't over ... there are still more chapters to be written to this story. As always, the health of the horse is most important.

When I saw him this morning, he said 'hi' to me, and I said 'hi' to him.

I said before, hopefully, Belmont day, I would move for every racetrack to have a lemonade stand on Belmont day throughout the entire United States and give a dollar to the lemonade stand or their local juvenile cancer fund. And, like I said earlier, everybody who was fortunate enough to bet on this horse, makes a little money, just take 1, donate it to Alex's Lemonade Stand or local juvenile cancer fund, and maybe we can make the world a better place.

The horse is doing very well clinically and has progressed remarkably well ... We feel it is in Alex's best interests to miss the Breeders' Cup races,

There are a bunch of different spots that weekend. We're definitely further along than I thought we were, which is good news.

At this point, he's only going out once a morning anyhow because the race is coming up.

I watched him work and he looked fantastic. I mean, he's the real deal. As long as he stays healthy and they get him to relax like they did last time, I see him being a force definitely in the Arkansas Derby and probably through the whole Triple Crown.

(Afleet Alex) likes doing things and he likes people. So, he had to enjoy this. His ears were up for almost the whole time. It was something different for him to do and I'm glad we were able to fit it into our program. Saratoga asked us if we would do it, and we were more than glad to -- anything to help support the sport that is my livelihood.

Hes training tremendous, ... Hes galloping strong every day. As long as the weather cooperates, we could breeze September 30, October 1, or October 2. Hes eager out there, and we keep moving forward.

Ritchey said Dr. Michael Galvin and his assistant took the digital X-rays, which he sent to Bramlage and Dr. Patricia Hogan, who performed to surgery. I spoke to Dr. Bramlage about 430 (Thursday afternoon), and he got back to me, and we worked out the training regimen, ... I just have to monitor his reaction to the jogging and check his joints to make sure he doesn't get any filling. I also spoke to Dr. Hogan and she hadn't received the X-rays I e-mailed last night, but she probably has looked at them by now and will contact Dr. Bramlage.

You can't make that big move when you normally make it, because you won't get to the finish.

I can't see a speed horse getting away on his own.

A natural. Great athlete, great balance.