The Process of Becoming George

George!

This is the brief story of Tabby Dacat (Eastwood Dacat-Tabby Lane-Even the Score) in pictures.  Heather took most of these, the ultrasound is courtesy of the vets over at Weitz, the halfway mark photo was taken by Lisa Duoos at Dove Hill Farm and the one of Tabby and I by Annie Ringwelski.  Some were on nice cameras and some were via iPhone but the net result are pictures that tell a sweet story and are hopefully the prelude to a happy and successful one.

I hope you enjoy them and George's story - there is certainly more to come!



Tabby Lane (Even the Score-Keeley Chay-Rodeo) surges to the front at Canterbury Park during her racing days.  One of her 10 victories in 40 starts.  She retired with nearly $120,000 in earnings.
 

Tabby and I enjoying her retirement around Christmas 2012.  I totally fell for her, breaking a cardinal rule of racing horses - don't fall in love with them!

Eastwood Dacat (Storm Cat-Western Eternity-Gone West) looking especially regal in his paddock at Bleu Valley Farm in Stillwater Minnesota.  Bred to Tabby to inject speed into her stamina we hope to get a versatile, quick mid-distance runner.
 

George...very, VERY early on!  This was our first glimpse about 6 weeks after the cover.



With about 2 months to go, Tabby was slowing down.  Granted, it was frigidly cold, but she seemed to be getting that "I'm WAY ready for this to be over with" look about her.  You could see George when he would move around which was very cool but also made you feel her discomfort a well!



 

Welcome to the world, George.  He got a bit of an assist from Lisa here!  Mom backed herself into a corner nearly cutting off George's exit route so she stepped in and help him get back on track and out!

Tabs loving on her baby in the first hour.  She took to him right away and has proven herself to be a loving mom.  I could not be more proud of her. My favorite picture of the two of them and one that I feel needs more exposure - it is a beautiful expression of unconditional and instant love and devotion between thoroughbred mare and foal.  I'd really like to see Heather get some real recognition for capturing this moment so exquisitely.

Hopefully a sign of things to come - less than 48 hours old and he's off and running.  At first he was chasing mom if she wandered off, then he discovered running and it was mom doing the chasing!

Mother and son time.

Heather with mom and George - a gorgeous family!
 

Welcome to the World, Tabby Dacat

Tabby Dacat (Eastwood Dacat-Tabby Lane-Even the Score)

Eleven months we waited.  I watched our big, grey girl get progressively larger as the foal inside of her developed.  Life off the track and impending motherhood appeared to have agreed with her.  Her eye, chronically soft (off the track) got even deeper as she moved through her pregnancy.  She developed a close friendship with another mother to be, Tez Savitri, and the two mares passed their pregnancy together uneventfully in the same pasture for nearly all of their gestation period.

As the time got closer and closer I became amazingly nervous and anxious.  Horses have been having foals for thousands of years and Lisa and her team over at Dove Hill Farm and Reproduction are the best but I was perhaps move nervous than I was before I became a father.

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Tabby Lane was my mistake.  When you get into the business of racing horses, lesson number one is that you don't fall in love with them.  Period.  Horse isn't winning and you need to drop into the claiming ranks but you're afraid your horse might get claimed?  See rule number 1.  Not sure what to do when someone offers you a chunk of change for your racehorse?  See rule number one.  The horses I have had ownership stakes in previously (and since) were great.  None of them climbed into my heart like Tabby Lane.

I can't even articulate very well how it happened or when.  When I met her in the Canterbury barn for the first time we had owned her for a few months and she was successful for us immediately following the claim at Tampa Bay Downs.  She was sweet and kind and just about to start a god-awful losing streak.  She could not get untracked at Canterbury and we couldn't figure her out.  But I kept visiting her and learned her personality and it seemed she took a liking to me as well.  Her favorite activity, aside from rolling, was resting her big forehead on my chest as I rubbed her neck. 

In her second season with us we hung out at Tampa Bay Downs together for a morning and we talked.  I really needed her to get back on track.  I could swear she remembered me but I'm guessing that was just my imagination. Whatever the case, it was GREAT when she dropped her head and rested it on me and I rubbed away!

Her racing career has been well documented here and when we were informed that her ankle was showing some wear and tear but we could race her if we ran her at the bottom, I couldn't do it.  I wanted her to have a quality of life when her career was over - not to end up a crippled old racehorse.  I took a look at her race record: 25% win percentage and over 50% in the money; earnings just under $120,000; allowance winner; nice (though admittedly not terrific) bloodlines; and thought that if we could find a way to breed her inexpensively (relatively!) we would do it.

Tabby was solid on dirt and turf and had a fondness for 7 furlongs to a mile and 1/16 but lacked a quick turn of foot.  It took her a while to get rolling.  If there was some speed that could be infused there, this could make for an impressive little runner.  Taking advantage of the patience and knowledge of Deb and Jeff Hilger, I decided to send her to Eastwood Dacat, a quick son of Storm Cat who had some hard luck on the track but showed terrific speed before his career was curtailed.  I bought a season at the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association's stallion auction and we were set.

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Eleven months took forever and got here in no time.  Little Tabby Dacat (Heather's brainchild and, if I do say so myself, a terrific name!) is on the ground.  He came into this world around 9:15 PM on March 13 in an relatively uneventful delivery.  The only issue was after the little guy's hooves and head started to emerge, Tabby had wedged herself near a corner of the stall, blocking off the little colt's exit route!  Lisa popped in, helped him shift a little bit and then he emerged.

We've decided that we shall love him, hug him, pet him and nickname him George.

Tabs took to George right away.  They nickered at each other and she cleaned him off.  He responded in kind and their bonding was heartwarming (the delivery in pictures - good Heather pictures, not my iPhone pictures - will be a not so distant future post).  He's a big boy.  I don't have his numbers yet but he's a leggy bugger and pretty correct for a newborn.



Mother and Son about an hour after delivery

I don't know what the future holds for him - or her for that matter.  Breeding is a waiting game and an expensive one at that.  The partners have dwindled and I'm contemplating selling Tabby (see rule number 1...) but nothing has been decided yet. 

Maybe Tabby will stay in the family or maybe she will be moving on - an offer too good to refuse and I'll be reading rule #1 - but for now, congratulations, girl, on a beautiful little foal who is all hope and promise.

Six Weeks to Go

Tabby Lane (Even the Score-Keeley Chay-Rodeo)

A surprising amount of discussion over the last post.  There are a lot of twists and turns along the road back to success and certainly some growing pains but I hope the back and forth discussion in the comments section was helpful in shedding light on what's actually happening.

Today, though, it's time to get back to the actual reason for this blog's existence...the horses!  With her due date approaching on March 1, we took a ride over to Dove Hill Farm to visit with Tabby Lane and see how she was doing.

Tabby about almost 10 months along.

As you can see, mom-to-be is doing very well.  Knock on wood, her pregnancy to Eastwood Dacat (Storm Cat-Western Eternity-Gone West) has been complication free.  I'm concerned about her delivery for no real reason whatsoever except that I'm worried about her.  Horses have been having babies for thousands of years without human help but still...

I wasn't around for the conception, but I will be trying very hard to make it there for the delivery.  It's nothing I have experienced before and I really would like to see our girl deliver her foal.  I remember the first time she dropped her head and buried it in my chest while I scratched her ears and behind her neck like it was yesterday.  That's when she captured me forever. 

On our way out yesterday I had to pull on her halter a bit to give her a kiss goodbye.  When I did, she rested her head on my folded arm and leaned against my head.  We stood there, our heads against each other and I felt her get heavier and heavier as she relaxed on me for a few moments. 

I always warn Heather to not fall in love with a racehorse. Given the vagaries of the game and the high proportion of claiming races, your horse can be in someone else's barn in an instant which is unlike many of the disciplines she has been involved with in the past.  As we were leaving she looked and me and smiled and I said, "See...this is what happens when you fall in love with them..."

"You're leavin?  I'm grazin!"
 





ANNOUNCEMENT: Tabby Lane in Foal!

It is with absolute great pleasure that I announce that our very own Tabby Lane (even the Score – Keeley Chay – Rodeo), winner of 10 races (25% of her starts) and over $116,000 is in foal to Eastwood Dacat, a handsome and promising son of Storm Cat that was retired due to injury after showing tremendous potential.

Tabby was pregnancy checked this morning and her ultrasound, above, came back positive.  (Don’t ask me where, I have no idea, but I trust the vet!)  We’ll have a heartbeat check in another 3 weeks or so and then she can go back home until it get close to foaling time – sometime in March, 2014.  Interesting, Tabby herself was foaled on March 17^th, so mare should be expecting foal right around the time she’ll be celebrating her own birthday!  Much thanks to Lisa Duoos and her folks at Dove Hill Farm for facilitating the pregnancy!

So much can happen over the next 11 months and we’ll be working diligently to mitigate any possibly issues and give Tabby’s foal the best chance for success – at birth and later on the racetrack.  Stay tuned!

So Much Going On, So Little to Report

It’s an interesting time of the year right now.  So much is going on yet nothing is going on.  I want to write a blog post about something but no single subject can adequately fill a post.  So let me break up THIS post into four pieces and maybe that will fill up the better part of a page.  I can say that once things start breaking loose, there will be no shortage of things to talk about!

TABBY LANE

Tabby was covered early last week by Eastwood Dacat (Storm Cat – Western Eternity) and now we wait.  She was exhibiting signs of heat even after her first cover so she went back to the shed.  After that she was fine, so now we will wait for a pregnancy check in another week or so.  She handled the experience like a champ for a maiden mare and all the credit goes to Lisa Duoos at Dove Hill Farm and Reproductive Services for her patience and expertise.

ELUSIVE EDITION

Our 2-year old Minnesota bred filly (Late Edition – Mystical Elusion) is doing as well as can be expected in the snow covered Minnesota tundra.  Thankfully the snow is melting away and she should be getting her work in on a larger oval shortly instead of the makeshift oval she has been using – BUT that’s WAY better than nothing and foundation miles are foundation miles.  Also, she’s learning her trade: how to be handled like a racehorse, what’s expected of her in the morning, how to interact with her humans – all important as well.  As a 2-year old, I wouldn’t expect her over to the track for a few more months but we are really anxious to see her stretch her legs and see what we have.

CLAIMING GROUP

I have to say that this is one of the most energetic and fun groups I’ve ever put together.  There is a core of really strong handicappers and racing fans that love exchanging opinions which has made our Yahoo Group a ton of fun.  It doesn’t hurt that many of the horses that we discuss dropping a slip for go on to win.  It’s become a pretty profitable betting angle for the group.

We have dropped slips on three occasions and been outshook each and every time.  While that DOES tell us we are on the right track, it’s still frustrating as all get out.  We have reached out for a private purchase that we hope to be able to consummate this week that will get us a really nice horse that should fit well into the upper claiming/possibly allowance ranks at Canterbury for the summer.  But we will wait and see – it’s way too early to count chickens!  That said, the horse would be coming from a great outfit and I’d be really excited to have him part of our stable.

CANTERBURY RACING CLUB

The management of the Canterbury Racing Club really begins in earnest now that signups are done and we’ll start looking for horses.  It looks like we exceeded last year’s membership by about 17%, so that’s nice and gives us the basis for a nice start with a couple of horses with Clay Brinson out of Hawthorne.  We also got a nice mention in the Paulick Report’s Good News Friday column which was fun to see we well.

As I said, there is a lot going on but, for now, everything is on edge.  Once it all starts to break loose, however, it should be one very busy summer and this keyboard should get beat pretty good!

Tabby Lane Heads to the Breeders

"Um...Where are we going?"

The next part of Tabby Lane’s journey has begun.  On Tuesday she was vanned over to Dove Hill Farm (“No Worries, I’ve Got You Covered” – best tagline for a stud farm EVER) for her pending date with Eastwood Dacat. 

When she left the track last year to head over to Spring Lake Farm to start her retirement she had some trouble getting herself out of the van and she remembered that van!  When I arrived at Spring Lake, friend and proprietor Annie Ringwelski was trying to coax Tabs into the van for the short trip down to New Prague, MN and she was resisting.  Not strenuously, but with more of an “Oh, no, I remember that death trap” attitude.  With patience and firmness from Annie, Tabby got herself into the van and we started down County 13 with her whinnying and, it felt, stomping her hooves, for the first mile, giving us a bit of an adventurous ride before settling down after we stopped for gas.

"Fine...you got me in.  Congratulations."

When we arrived at Dove Hill, owner, friend and fellow MTA board member  Lisa Duoos was waiting for her and, though she made it a bit of an adventure, Tabby made it out of the van just fine.  In fact, the way she stumbled out and caught herself made me laugh.  It reminded me of the time you’re walking down the street and you trip over a crack in the pavement but catch yourself and try and make it look as smooth as possible.  If she blurted out, “I’m okay, I got it, no problem!” I would not have batted an eye.

As Lisa grabbed her lead and checked her out and Tabby struck a bit of a pose and did the same to her new surroundings.

"Let me sniff this place out before you lead me anywhere lady."

She lifted her head high and took some deep breaths to take in all the smells and process that information like horses do.  She let out a whinny to announce her presence and was led down to her beautiful stall that was all ready for her arrival right next to a cycling mare that, it is hoped, will help jump start Tabby’s own cycle – along with some evening light cover and being slowly introduced to Eastwood a bit each day.

After the door closed behind her she circled in her stall: two laps, a whinny and a mouthful of hay.  Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.  It was obvious she was feeling a bit stressed in her new surroundings and that certainly is a normal part of the process of moving from one location to the other.  It didn’t bother me much as I stood there at the door watching her...until…until she stopped in front of me, lowered her head to my level and put us eye to eye through the bars.  That lovely brown eye asking me: what was going to happen next?  Why was she moving?  What about her friends at Spring Lake?  THEN it became heart wrenching and on her next lap I had to walk away and let Lisa guide us on a tour of the lovely 10 acre property.  I didn’t want Tabby picking up on my new found angst.

The barn was gorgeous and the turn out pastures lovely.  We checked out the stallions, from the venerable Shot of Gold to Tabby’s baby daddy Eastwood Dacat to the Arlington Park 7 furlong record holder Lovango and Canterbury Park Hall of Fame owner/breeder Cam Casby’s own Law Enforcement.  Matts Broken Vow and Tiz a Trip complete an impressive line-up at Dove Hill.

I filled out the Farm paperwork and then it was over to say good bye to Tabby.  When I got over there she was nose to nose with the mare next door, saying hello and starting to get along.  Making friends already!

I desperately wanted to call or text Lisa the next day to see how she was doing but didn’t want to be the “nervous dad”.  I let myself get lost in work and tried not to think about it for a couple of days, but then I caved. I finally sent her a text asking how she was doing.

Lisa wrote back that she was quiet in her stall, socializing well and is “amazingly brave” around the stallions.

Making friends and standing up to the big boys.  That’s our girl!  But this is just the first step of her journey to motherhood and there is a long way to go.  I hope that it’s relatively uneventful and smooth.  However it goes, between updates on our racers, we’ll keep you posted on her progress here.

Meet the Parents

TABBY LANE (Photo: Wendy Wooley)

EASTWOOD DACAT (Photo: Bleu Valley Farm)

Tabby Lane is going to be a mother.  Many of her partners decided that the breeding end of the business was not for them but a few of us will soldier on and we’ll see what we can do with her.  At first blush we really thought we would have to send her Kentucky to find a stallion that nicked up with her nicely.  And matings I tried ended up with a “C” rating or worse.  Then we found a local Storm Cat son that matched up really well for a fraction of the costs of a Kentucky sire and none of the transportation: Eastwood Dacat (Storm Cat- Western Eternity- Gone West)

Eastwood Dacat had a promising debut at 3 at Oaklawn Park where he had led the field for a while in a Maiden Special Weight sprint before finishing 3^rd, beaten only 1 ¼ and earning a debut Beyer of 67.  All seemed poised for a strong second start but something went wrong.  There was no zip in the race at all and he was badly beaten…and injured.  The decision was made to retire him and try and pass along some of those Storm Cat/Gone West genes down the line.  That would have been the end of the story except when he arrived at Bleu Valley Farm in Minnesota, the young stallion showed plenty of zip and that got folks thinking.  Eastwood Dacat tried to come back one more time at five.  He was brought along slowly and led a MSW field at Hawthorne through the turn and then faltered badly.  Reinjured, he was brought back to Bleu Valley and now will try to establish himself as a stallion.

We bought the season to him at the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association's Stallion Services Auction and Tabby will head over to Dove Hill, who will be handling his season, in February to be covered.  Their progeny will be eligible for the 2017 MTA Stallion Services Auction Stakes – hopefully a black type affair by then.

The mating was rated by Werk as an A and the blend of her stamina, remarkable stability and desire to win (25% of her starts) combined with his speed should give us a nice foal.  For you pedigree folks out there here are some of the particulars:

Dosage Index: 4.0

Center of Distribution: 1.0

Werk Quality Rating: Q7 (total points 34)

5-Generation Inbreeding: GONE WEST - 3f x 4m NORTHERN DANCER - 4m, 4f x SECRETARIAT - 4f, 5f x

Stakes winners from the Storm Cat/Unbridle’s Song cross include:

A SHIN TOP                         2010 C   G2

ALPHA KITTEN                  2006 F   G2

BUTTERFLY SOUL             2010 F  

ELUSIVE LADY                  2005 F   G3

ETCHED                               2005 C   G2

HOLD ME BACK                 2006 C   G2

MEAL PENALTY                 2005 C

NECESSARY EVIL              2007 F   G3

ONCE WERE WILD             2006 F

OUT OF BOUNDS                2009 C   G3

PUISSANCE DE LUNE        2008 C   G3

WILD BOUT TIFFANY        2008 F

You will, of course, be subjected to following the progress right here as the time passes!