As my friend Tom Petty is fond of saying, "the waiting is the hardest part". OK, maybe we're not that close. Maybe I don't even know him at all! But the sentiment is absolutely true - especially in racing. It's surprising when you think about it. A sport where speed is king and winning is prized above all other things is dominated by waiting.
When you breed, is you mare going to be in foal and deliver safely after she comes back to you? It takes months to find out. Will the foal survive and develop into a nice colt or filly? That may take a year or more to determine. How will they perform in their first race? Well, it's 2 1/2 years to the races for some - longer for others.
What are we waiting on now? Well, Somerset Sam is off in KY in the barn of Kellyn Gorder. He's been shaking off his R&R and is getting back to work. He's at the farm right now, but he'll be off to Keeneland in another few weeks and probably a couple of weeks after that we'll get Mr. Gorder's opinion on what kind of 3-year old we have on our hands. All of us in the Star of the North partnership are hoping for the best. I can't speak for everyone, but I know I don't expect him to come back and tell us what kind of freakish speed he has. But it would be nice to hear that we have the makings of a useful open allowance company gelding. As Mr. Gorder has prepped the likes of Any Given Saturday and Blue Grass Cat at the start of their careers, we know that what he'll tell us will matter. So we sit and we wait.
We're also waiting for Ms. Trainer to let us know what she's finding out on the private sales front in Ocala. There has been nothing too promising that we've seen racing, but maybe there is a late bloomer out there somewhere for us to discover. What's nice is that while I'm trying to make an impact on the racing scene as a Managing Partner, she is trying to make an impact as a trainer so we both have a lot to gain by being successful out of the gate. This allows us both to be patient and wait for a solid opportunity because we may never get another bite at this apple. So we wait.
I try my best to wait patiently, but it certainly takes one heck of an effort. Ask my wife and my parents how patient I am - this is definitely part of the learning curve for me. But in the end, it's going to be worth it.
When you breed, is you mare going to be in foal and deliver safely after she comes back to you? It takes months to find out. Will the foal survive and develop into a nice colt or filly? That may take a year or more to determine. How will they perform in their first race? Well, it's 2 1/2 years to the races for some - longer for others.
What are we waiting on now? Well, Somerset Sam is off in KY in the barn of Kellyn Gorder. He's been shaking off his R&R and is getting back to work. He's at the farm right now, but he'll be off to Keeneland in another few weeks and probably a couple of weeks after that we'll get Mr. Gorder's opinion on what kind of 3-year old we have on our hands. All of us in the Star of the North partnership are hoping for the best. I can't speak for everyone, but I know I don't expect him to come back and tell us what kind of freakish speed he has. But it would be nice to hear that we have the makings of a useful open allowance company gelding. As Mr. Gorder has prepped the likes of Any Given Saturday and Blue Grass Cat at the start of their careers, we know that what he'll tell us will matter. So we sit and we wait.
We're also waiting for Ms. Trainer to let us know what she's finding out on the private sales front in Ocala. There has been nothing too promising that we've seen racing, but maybe there is a late bloomer out there somewhere for us to discover. What's nice is that while I'm trying to make an impact on the racing scene as a Managing Partner, she is trying to make an impact as a trainer so we both have a lot to gain by being successful out of the gate. This allows us both to be patient and wait for a solid opportunity because we may never get another bite at this apple. So we wait.
I try my best to wait patiently, but it certainly takes one heck of an effort. Ask my wife and my parents how patient I am - this is definitely part of the learning curve for me. But in the end, it's going to be worth it.
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