She’s back! Our girl Princess (A Pic by Mrwill) officially has made her return to Woodbine! Trucking-in from Classic Mile Training Center in Ocala, Florida where she wintered, Princess made it in early Thursday morning to resume preparations for her eagerly-awaited 2017 sophomore campaign. Team John Ross including assistant Wesley and groom Tedston among others oversaw her development and care and my, has she ever blossomed!
We’ve been keeping a close watch on our dear girl and while there are only a couple reported workouts out of Florida so far this winter, we can say that she has progressed from the horse who fought to keep-up in her workouts now to the one coming-out ahead. Princess’ mom Cathy (seen below) occasionally sends us updates and although I believe what I am told, I sometimes really just need to see it for myself.
Walking into her barn Saturday morning, my first time seeing her in almost four months, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I’m unsure if it’s because her mane has grown-out making her look more elegant or if it’s because she’s sporting that sunny Florida glow, but Princess looked absolutely stunning. She’s never looked better. She’s almost tall enough to touch the top of her her stall door frame! Watch out there, big girl!
Moving a stall down this year, I am happy to see that she has a little window now to help her keep in touch with her training mate Royal Katy, a Colonel John filly who showed lots of promise in non-restricted company last fall at Woodbine finishing close to the likes of Queen’s Plate contender Ellen Vannin, the talented Tulsa and Mark Casse trainees Heard That and Kodiac Gal.
And I had my doubts whether Princess would remember me after not seeing me this long, but how silly was I for thinking that!? She started responding ecstatically once she saw me walk into her barn, knowing exactly what was going down. It’s as if she were Eve, discovering the sweet taste of an Ontario apple for the first time, so unable to contain herself she spat out a chunk biting more than she could chew. I’ve seen her happy and I’ve seen her a bit down, but I’ve never ever seen her this excited!
What I found particularly funny was seeing her respond to barn mates being walked around, poking her head out of her stall and nipping at them. A new habit perhaps? What happened to our sweet Princess?! In all, I’m happy to see her confidence up, which is exactly what we all felt she needed to grow into all along.
Princess releases a statement on her return to Woodbine:
If all goes well hopefully we’ll be seeing Princess’ season debut real soon. Like you, we don’t know where the winter went with less than three weeks left till Woodbine‘s 2017 season begins!
Some fresh snaps of Princess:
Shout-out also to Scacher and Gianni Lighta who are bringing their #WorkCrewStyle (click to check out their YouTube channel about life on the backstretch) to Team John Ross:
… and did you know that Princess has a beautiful two-year-old full sister named Miss G Note? Although we see a clear resemblance, she’s definitely much more reserved than Princess. Light Angel vs. Dark Angel if you will! I’m sure many of you with siblings can relate. Are you a Light Angel like Princess or a Dark Angel like Miss G Note?
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