Like human comfort food when on the road, healthy snacks helped Baeza feel like he was at home while preparing for the Belmont Stakes, presented by NYRA BETS at the Saratoga race course on June 7th.
What is the only problem with his doting connection? The Kentucky Derby announced by Woodford Reserve’s third-place finisher Baeza is very specific about his snack (liquefied carrots), and as a thoroughbred at the 3-year-old training, he’s pretty hungry.
With that in mind, 10 pounds of carrots are prepared every morning in John Sharreff’s barn for light race runners who finished second in the Santa Anita Derby before riding the Kentucky Derby. Since starting to enjoy “smoothies” in Southern California and arriving in Saratoga on May 29th, there’s no shortcut from Baeza that I feel like I’m home on the familiar treat every morning.
Shirev and his wife Dotty Ingold Sirevs said Baeza was specific about preparing his snacks. The carrots are fed into a blender and processed until liquefied. The scene in the aged green barn with peeled paint from the Saratoga Backstretch on June 5th was very familiar to the Shirev team.
Baeza returned from a morning exercise on the main track and walked through the quiet barn Shedrow. As he walks, a bright orange “smoothie” is poured into a small feed bucket, with exercise rider Frankie Heralte temporarily lifting the heavy blue bucket, giving the honor of Baeza eagerly devouring his post-workout snacks.
Ingold Shirev thinks this favorite healthy snack idea is somewhere behind, or perhaps somewhere in front of, Baeza’s mind, which powers him through training every morning.
As defined in Baeza, motivational rewards are specific. The regular carrots really aren’t his. Carrot juice watches him lift his nose. And the barn continues its efforts each morning as evidenced by the bright orange section of the grass covered in carrot residue on the outside of Barn 83 on the Oklahoma training track side of Saratoga Backstretch.
On Thursday morning, Baeza eagerly rounded his favorite snacks, leaving only a bright orange cone covering the muzzle. A photo of a very happy horse at home.
