2004 HOY misses a week

Rainbow Blue sat on the sidelines last weekend when the Open Pace at the Meadowlands didn't fill, and this week she will once again sit out after coming up slightly sick, according to trainer and co-owner George Teague Jr.



"We scoped her and she came up a little bit dirty; she had a little bit of mucous and I didn't want to chance it, so I left her out of the box," Teague told The Horseman Wednesday afternoon by cell phone from his barn at Harrington Raceway. "It was nothing serious and I just put her on a little bit of antibiotics. She seems all right today and I trained her light. I'll train her a good trip on Friday (May 20)."



Teague said it wasn't the first time the reigning Horse of the Year Rainbow Blue needed to be placed on antibiotics. "She periodically has mucous, but with her she definitely has a higher tolerance," he said. "Over the course of last year she probably was treated four or five times for mild infection. Nothing ever serious, but just enough where you don't want the stuff clogging up the airways."



Rainbow Blue's last start was May 6 in an Open Pace at the Meadowlands, where she posted her third win of the year, her 11th consecutive, and her 29th in 31 career starts. Rainbow Blue needed to pace her final quarter in :26 flat to hold off a valiant bid by rival Glowing Report to win by a head in 1:51.4.



"That was the fastest quarter (Rainbow Blue) had ever come," noted Teague of the final-quarter clocking. "She had never come a quarter in 26 seconds flat. I give Glowing Report more props than I take anything away from (Rainbow Blue). She paced the fastest quarter of her life.



"There is going to come a time (when Rainbow Blue finally loses)," he continued. "It would be nice if she could go through like last year (winning 20 of 21 starts), but reality is one thing. You are going to race a little bit different, and they are going to come to race. Her time will come, but I don't think I'll be as disappointed as most people will."



Teague said that he hopes to next start Rainbow Blue May 28 at the Meadowlands in preparation for the second leg of the Classic Series at Woodbine June 4. If the race at the Big M doesn't fill, then he plans on shipping the 4-year-old mare to Canada in search of a start.

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