Back at the barn
After the press conference and brunch in the Clubhouse, Mom, Dad, Jim, Allison and I went to the barn to check on Fourty Niners Son. In spite of the thumbs up the vet gave us after the race, we were all still understandably concerned, our biggest fear being that his sesimoid tendon might have acted up (think: when you turn just wrong and get a twinge in your lower back that causes problems for days). Thankfully, he was just fine, half-dozing off in the warm morning sun streaming through the barn windows. So much for stress....

My marvelous Mom
Because the light was just wrong for photos in the Clubhouse, there aren’t very many pictures of family or friends from this trip. Luckily, I was able to catch Mom off guard in the barn while we enjoyed our final moments at Belmont together. Although Dad is certainly the more visible of the two in the horse racing business, Mom is no less part of the magic, dealing with scrambled schedules, multiple travel arrangements, a myriad of details and a pasture full of yearlings behind the Grand Island house. She’s amazing, and a first place winner in my book, any day.

Feeling the heat...or not?
One of the tell tale signs a sesimoid has been injured is feverish feet or knees the day following. Thankfully, Dad didn’t feel anything but cool skin when he reached into the stall to check. The good news was verified a few days later when Debra rode him on his regular morning workout back in California. We came off a dangerous turf course in perfect physical condition. Thank God.