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[Cavallo]

Senior Citizen Status.
The Eighth Pole Sits with Nick Landing about Senior String.

The Eighth Pole was pleased to have, Reese White, sit down with owner and trainer, Nicholas Landing and Jaime McGrady of Intrepid Racing after their first full month back in force on the tracks.

Reese White (RW): Thank you so much for giving us this chance to speak with you both. We definitely know how busy you guys are, but we definitely have a curious public. IRS took a two month break from the tracks and so needless to say, we're all a bit curious as to the reason?

Nick Landing (NL): (smiles gradually as Jaime elbows him in the side) Yes, I guess some might think it odd that we had that mild disappearance there for the months of July and the beginning half of August. We had some internal restructuring going on. (gestures to Jaime) With the hiring of my associate trainer here, Jaime, we knew with the upcoming numbers in foal crops that segmentation was needed. So for those two months, IRS horses were getting placed on new training schedules and routines. Jaime will be stepping up to be the lead trainer for IRS juveniles and three year olds and then handed off to me for their four year old and on years.

RW: So you guys haven't been slacking then these past two months?

NL: God, no. If anything, the horses are actually more fit and tuned for the tracks. Sharing the load in the training is allowing us to focus more individually on horses, helping them to grow quicker and stronger in a shorter amount of time. (laughs) I mean we have an active thirty horse string. That's a lot for one trainer to oversee and still individualize training sessions. Now our horses can get tailored training and grow in a way that is acceptable to them...and it lets me get more than three hours of sleep! (chuckles)

RW: (laughs with) Well that's good to hear and it looks like this new style is already paying off based off of last weeks performances. Do you think you'll have enough time Mr. McGrady to get these juveniles and three year olds back as major contenders with you at the helm?

Jaime McGrady (JM): (snorts) I have no disillusionment here. We have some quality juveniles and three year olds. Some might see the two month break as a hindrance, but I know my trainees are more than ready. I can't tell you that they will be the best over all, but I can guarantee that they are toned, prepped and worthy competition no matter who they will be facing down. Each horse is different and each horse progresses differently. Right now, we're acclimating to each other, but like you said, we're already seeing positive results.

RW: Indeed and I'm so sorry to have gotten off topic! (chuckles) We're here to celebrate and to probe because IRS' senior string is literally one of the strongest on the tracks and the public is curious to say the least about their success and future plans for these guys. Crimson Fatalis just won his grade one victory, making your entire four year old plus string Grade Ones. That is quite an accomplishment. Tell us Nick, how did that win feel?

NL: We were ecstatic when Angelina Voldaire and Sith brought home that thirteenth win. Sith is a great colt and is genuinely one of the most manageable and nicest racers in the barn. He came to us in the middle of his two year old season from Akita Rose Stables. I liked the speed of him when he get rolling and it was one of the reasons I decided to take him on. He's not the typical hot head that IRS usually has, but he's proven himself with amazing consistency that he doesn't need the bold temper to be a bold racer. He doesn't have tons of HOTY race experience, but he's never finished out of the money and he's only looking sharper and stronger as the season progresses. I can't say how thrilled I am for Sith to join the ranks of his stable mates as a grade one winner.

RW: Speaking of which, I'm glad you brought up the topic of your senior string because we have a ton of questions! Crimson Fatalis has been on the undercards, but a large chunk of your string has been a dominant force on both dirt and turf tracks. Would you mind sharing a little bit about your older string?

NL: Sure, I mean, where do you want me to start? (looks a little overwhelmed)

RW: (snorts) Calm down there Landing, how about we start at the top of your roster. Abastor. He seems to of had a rather stellar season so far...

NL: Abba is a good boy. He was solid since his juvenile year, though a bit overshadowed by Nightshade who had a stunning debut, but he has always held his own, enough to land Y12 Juvenile Colt of the year here on The Wire tracks. In his five years of running, he's never placed out of the money despite facing heavy competition. Granted, we know consistency isn't everything, but to never place out of the money in five years, well, that is something and this year he has really begun to come into his own. It was hard having to compete with big names like Infinite Warcy, Sillenia, Bella Luna and Alluring Assault over the turf for his career and it was even harder when we campaigned Infini last year in the IRS silks, but Aba has proven patient and resilient and it is paying off now.

RW: I'll say. He's taken six HOTY wins for you all so far this season, one of those being the Twilight Stakes. How did it feel to finally notch that win?

NL: Oh my god, you have no idea. I have been after that damn race since it's inception and it was literally a win fifteen years in the making. I had thought that Infini would have done it for me last year, but that just goes to show you that you never really know which has has the magic touch to bring home that magical win. I couldn't have been more proud of Jeff and Abastor when they came flying home for that defining win.

RW: Well, congrats to you guys on that one. Tell me, where has Acantha been and what are your plans for her and is it true she's now had a permanent jockey change?

NL: (LAUGHS) Acantha?! She's alive and kicking and I mean that quite literally. Even with all the training we were doing on the grounds, she was still a handful. Adele Floyd has officially become her riders. My cousin, Kyle Landing, definitely had his hands full with the more sprinter/miler types and Floyd has shown that magical touch with tempered distance type horses. Since the switch, we haven't been disappointed. They're a good pair and react to one another well. She's got six wins to her name so far this year, but we expect her to add a few more before the Breeder's Cup arrives. If she continues with the momentum she has you should definitely expect to see her in the BC F&M.

RW: Well, that's ambitious and we wish you all the luck in the world with her! Now, I think the public is a little more than curious about last year's CTC Winner, Anodyne. He's had three starts since your return and they have all been second place finishes. Some people are saying that he's past his peak. What do you say about him?

NL: Dye is only getting stronger and it show with every training and every race. He's a damn machine and he's definitely got a nasty bee in his bonnet with his recent outings. I am intimately familiar with Dye and his family line. They are known for being hot heads, but also having the endurance to press on well into their twilight years. Dye got a wake up call with these races, but I promise they've only awakened a sleeping monster. He'll be hitting the senior horse races and definitely going to the BC Dirt and he will be more than ready to take on the competition. Peaked? Hell no, he's just getting started.

RW: AHAHA! Well that answers that! I know I will be more than eager to get a front row seat to his next race. He's always thrilling to watch. Now it's no secret, IRS is quite at home no matter the surface in the distance races. The majority of your senior string is made up of such horses like this, but what about the sprints? Who is holding it down for you all in the sprinter division?

NL: We were running both Mighty News and Mainspring both, but once Mighty News hit grade one after coming to us from Star Thoroughbreds we thought it best to retire him on the new accomplishment. That has left us with just Mainspring as a sprinter contender, but he seems to be holding up just fine. He's fought out some hard wins and pulled a few upsets. He's a serious contender and that's all that we can ask of him. We're really proud of Mainspring, he's definitely not the typical IRS horse and we love that about him.

RW: Maybe he can finally upset Ventura at her own game! (both chuckle) Tell me about the others? The rest of your senior string?

NL: Well, the rest being Restricted Access, Night Goddess, Samhain and Nightshade....

RW: OH NIGHTSHADE. Freeze. Tells us a little more about this older filly of yours! She's been on fire this season! What are your plans?

NL: Figured that would happen...Atropa is well...she's just Atropa. She's always been a hard spitfire of a filly and a devilishly clever racer. She's a thinker and no mistaking that. Her and Michael have been a winning combination since her stellar juvenile season and this year, it just seems that the right stuff keeps lining up for her. She stunned me when she matched Stormwing's record for the DTC...and honestly, we're running her with the Breeder's Cup Classic in mind. We want it so bad for her. She narrowly missed it last year to her arch rival Eternal Phantom, but she's stronger and hungrier than ever and so..yeah...that's where she's headed. She's keeping the other dirt runners in our barn in peak form too. She's a hard worker and never goes easy on her partners be it a training session or the real thing, she's always putting in the work and I'm going to be sad to see her go at the end of this year.

RW: Ahh, so this will be her last season? Any dates planned for her in the future as a momma?

NL: Of course, but I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself here...

RW: (snorts) Hey, you can't blame me for trying... Now Samhain, Night Goddess and Restricted Access, how are you feeling about them? They are great consistent performers, but not star runners like say, Nightshade or Anodyne...does that bother you?

NL: (looks incredulously at Reese White) Um. No, because they aren't less than the others. They are different and each one of those horses has talent and niches that Atropa and Dye don't have. Just because they haven't won as many stakes races does not make them less in my book. Night Goddess is a huge accomplishment. She was shipped around so much after her juvenile season with us and when she came back it was going back to basics, but look at her now. She's a grade one winner and performer and all within two seasons! That is no easy feat. She's a hard worker, does her job well and quite frankly she's had to put a hell of a lot more work in to get this good. Some horses have that raw natural talent that can make them an instant star. Are they to be admired? Hell, yeah, but at the same time in my book, horses like Night Goddess who have to put in more work to arrive deserve just as much recognition, if not, more appreciation. Same could be said for both Restricted Access & Samahin. Restricted Access is on the verge of a huge break out. She was a major threat her classic season, she's been conditioning this earlier year and now she's poised to be the upset. Samhain has has a bit of a thirditis in his career, but his recent trainings has showed us a colt who's so full of heart and fire. He's more resilient than most, who's spirit would have been broken, but not our Sammy. I see good things in store for these horses whom the public might deem as mere undercard runners. They couldn't be more wrong. They just developed at a different pace and that doesn't make them less than say, Nightshade or Andodyne.

RW: Thanks for putting that assumption and me to shame. (chuckles) Well. We thank you so much for your time and again, congrats on your all Grade One Senior string and here's to continued success as you all fight towards the Breeder's Cup and those end of the year awards. I'll be rooting equally for them all!