Farewell, Ms. Lane

Tabby and I right after her retirement in 2012

Tabby has officially left us.  We certainly wish her new owner the best of luck, especially with her foal to be since we will be the breeders' of record. I hope she has a long and prosperous life full of love.  There is little doubt that we will keep an eye on her going forward.  She was a special horse for us and will continue to be so.

Of the many things I learn about this game, the most recent lesson is: unless you're independently wealthy, you cannot do everything.  I enjoy racing.  Raising babies is fun and watching George grow and develop into a Minnesota Derby winner will be a hoot - okay, just a winner would be great - but to keep a broodmare and then 2 foals was just going to be too expensive.  Now we can focus on raising George and claiming horses to race.  And lesson #2 could come into play there, too.

If you recall, lesson #1 is never fall in love with a horse.  Lesson #2 is: take the money when you can get it - it may not come around again.  Someone shows up and takes a shine to our weanling/yearling and offers us money we can't refuse...we won't.

In any case, Tabby provided us 6 of her 10 lifetime wins but her sweet demeanor will missed more than anything.  She took everything in stride and, as you can see above, she loved her people nearly as much as we loved her.  We're fortunate that she's staying right where she is in terms of boarding and foaling out, so we'll be able to see her from time to time, but the dynamic has necessarily changed.

Now we'll focus on developing George, getting Ellie ready for a much better season 2, getting Canterbury Racing Club 2015 going and one, perhaps two, more claiming groups. No matter how far we get in this game, though, Tabby will always be the one that stole my heart.

Good luck, girl.  Love you always.

"Off-Season"

As fall continues to trundle along here in Minnesota heading toward our inevitable date with winter (side note: two reports have indicated the upcoming winter to be "possibly the worst on record" and "milder than normal" - take your pick!), I'm spending time trying to streamline the operation a bit.

Crowded and hectic are only two words that could describe how things are.  Between our groups, the Canterbury Club, the new gig for slotmaker Incredible Technologies (or for the non-gamers, the force behind Golden Tee golf), the breeding operation and serving on the Board of the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association, life has gotten a bit crazy. Heather has been a big help but you can only give attention to so many things before there is some deterioration.

MTA

Obviously work can't deteriorate, that has to be the first priority.  The rest of it needs to be streamlined.  To that end, as my term ends on the MTA board I decided not to run again.  I'll continue to be a member and help out where I can, but my time on the Board is over...for now anyway.  I loved my time on the Board and I'd encourage any of the over 200 members to run.  I heard a lot of constructive criticism of the MTA in my three years on the board and I would encourage any of those dozens of folks to go ahead and run.  Try and make a difference, don't just complain and then do nothing to affect change.  This is a wonderful time for Minnesota racing and a crucial time for Minnesota breeding so go ahead and run, get involved and make an impact.

BREEDING

Additionally, as I've mentioned, we're working on selling Tabby Lane.  That may be getting closer as activity and interest in that regard has picked up significantly on several fronts in the last week.  It really is bittersweet for me on a couple of fronts.  It's not secret that I love that mare and George (the future Tabby Dacat), her first foal, is just a joy.  Throw in the fact that the foal she is carrying is by multiple graded stakes winner Doneraile Court, they both exceled between 7 furlongs and a mile and 70 and are an A++ True Nick and I think that whoever gets her is going to have one helluva runner on their hands (preference will go to the buyer that allows us to be listed as co-breeder).

So why sell her?

I love racing.  I'd like to be proven right on the match but I love racing.  I don't have the patience for the development time it takes for breeding.  Georgie we will keep and race - watch for him to become part of a group late next year as he moves from yearling to a 2-year old in training.  Selling Tabby and the foal-to-be will help me finance the racing operation.  We're not independently wealthy and as such we can't do all things so for now we will streamline the operation to racing.  That's not to say we won't be back to breeding at some point in the future but right now the money in Minnesota is skewed toward racing and not breeding so we're going to focus on that aspect of the industry.

RACING

Heather is working with Ellie a bit now that she's had 30-days to come down from being at the track.  Not a lot of heavy work, but just some lunging to keep her active and get her mind active.  Ellie is an immature 3-year old and is almost ADD!  She's learning focus and concentration and hopefully getting a bit more independent.  She finally showed some promise going a route the end of last summer and I want her to come to the track next year as a completely different horse.

The Canterbury Club is starting to wind down as well.  We still have our two runners, Maryjean and Terice, but hopefully not for long.  Both are doing well and continue to hit the board but that elusive 2nd win for the Club has been tough to come by.  Hopefully we can pick up a couple before the end of the meet for the folks.

We'll also be looking to get ready for the 2015 season now that Bourbonology has retired and pull together another group to go after a runner to compete next season.  If there is some interest, please go ahead and email me and I'll give you the details.

The off-season really is a bit of a misnomer since there really is a lot going on, though hopefully in the next few months our focus can get sharpened up and we can head into 2015 ready to rock.

Tough Summer, Tough Love, New Attitude

There are all kinds of excuses I can use for not keeping up on the blog this summer: new job, work travel, busy with DRF writing and the Canterbury Club but the reality is that I’ve been depressed. 

This summer, as far as racing goes, has been a disaster.  It all started when our broodmare, Tabby Lane, in foal to graded stakes winner Doneraile Court (an A++ True Nick if you were wondering), nearly died from a bout with colic.  Of course we weren’t home for her, we were trekking halfway across the country to my oldest son’s high school graduation.  Thanks to the expertise and quick thinking of Lisa Duoos at Dove Hill Farm and the folks at Weitz Equine, Tabby made it through and made it through with her foal safe and sound.  Without them, she surely would have died.  The bills were, of course, enormous, and contributed to Tabby being put on the sales block.

Elusive Edition, our 3YO Minn bred filly, had beaten but a single horse this summer in her first 3 career starts – NOT the start we envisioned – until she actually seemed to make an effort in her last race.  She was 2^nd most of the way before tiring to 7^th in the stretch in her first route effort.   I’m still not sure what her future holds.  Maybe we’ll find her another career over the winter.  Maybe she’ll grow and mature a bit; she’s always been a bit on the small side and maybe she really wasn’t ready at three?  If that’s the case we’ll start her up a bit further south after the first of the year and have her ready for the start of the2015 meet.

Bourbonology has been a mere shadow of her former self.  Breaking her maiden in late running fashion last summer I think may have given us a false sense of how she was capable of running.  That turned out to be an aberration as she was content to lope around mid-pack for most of the rest of her races.  We really thought a nice extended vacation and a slow crank up was what she needed to recharge the batteries.  Turns out that there was nothing really there in the way of heart and she’d just given up on racing.  We found her a nice second career teaching kids to ride in southeastern Minnesota so the rest of her life she should be loved on constantly.

Even the Canterbury Club has faltered a bit this season.  Granted, last year winning four races may have been too much to emulate and winning with Maryjean right off the claim this year may have set up some impossible expectations, but we haven’t won since.  We’ve been hitting the board and paying our way, which is really what you hope for, but it’s till disappointing.  I love winning for the people.  They get so excited and it gives them a thrill that I know they really enjoy.  I feel badly having only brought that to them once this season.

So I’ve been wallowing in a season long stew of self-pity.  It’s been very hard to climb out of and, to give her all the credit in the world, Heather has been right there every step of the way.  She’s offered encouragement, backed off when that would be best, listened, consoled and offered advice.  She’s even kicked me in the ass when necessary.  I’ve been ready to pitch the whole racing thing on several occasions.  It’s tough to lose and it’s especially tough to lose when you represent other people.

For the partners that were in on Bobo (Bourbonology) from back in the E Sveikata (Kat) days, it’s a disappointing ending to a long and, what I would think, a successful ride.  We won with Kat and had her claimed for twice what we bought her.  Got a win with Bobo, hit the board with both a few times, and no one had to put in another dime.  That’s a good two and a half year run.  Those that bought into her heading into this season though, a completely different experience and I feel horribly about that.

I’m shaking it all off now, though.  We’re going to get through this lull and get back on form again.  This year was an aberration and it’ll be treated as such.  We’ll reform, regroup and get back on the attack: either starting at Hawthorne, Tampa or both.  Not only will we win again, but we’ll do so with a renewed humbleness that only this game can provide for you.

Thanks to Jeff Maday and Michelle Benson for having me on Chalk Pub Talk this week and help reinvigorate my attitude.  Great friends, great family and a great partner can get you through anything.  So to help kick off the relaunch of the blog (and my attitude), here is the edition of Chalk Pub Talk, courtesy of Canterbury Park.

Tabby Back in Foal; And Maybe a New Home

Nearly three months after giving birth to her first foal by Eastwood Dacat, Tabby Lane is in foal again.  This time to multiple graded stakes winner Doneraile Court. 

The mating with Eastwood Dacat was designed to combine his natural speed with her capacity to get a mile, mile and 1/16 – get some speed into the distance.

The families nicked relatively well at the time of the breeding – a solid A according to E-Nicks, a B according to True Nicks (even the nickers can’t agree!!).  However nicks change over time as families develop and mature and more results are stirred into the mix and little George is now the product of a C with the True folks, though I haven’t checked again with the Werk people.

In my opinion nicking isn’t the be all, end all of breeding.  The horses have to match what you’re trying to accomplish first and foremost and, in their case, the injection of speed to Tabby’s stamina is what we were trying to accomplish.  I probably wouldn’t have continued with a C, to be honest, but little George is a beautifully conformed little fella and if he can run as well as he is put together…

Now the thought process involved in putting together Tabby and Doneraile was a bit different.  This time it was joining two that were successful doing the same thing – Doneraile obviously more than Tabby – and try and build a better version.

Doneraile’s two graded stakes wins, the Nashua and the Jerome, were both at a mile.  In fact, four of his six career wins were at a mile with the other two being at 7 furlongs and a mile and a sixteenth.  Of Tabby’s 10 wins, 7 came between 7 furlongs and a mile and 40 yards.  She liked to come from off the pace while he had some early speed and had some gate to wire wins on his resume.  Together I thought these two matched up very, very well.

We ran the nick report next (never lead with that – in my opinion – but let it be a bit of a barometer) and True Nicks came back with an A++ nick.  All the stars are aligning with this one, I can feel it.

Thanks to the persistence and patient handling of the folks at Dove Hill Reproduction in New Prague, MN Tabby is confirmed in foal as of June 5.  This means conception was late May and will give us an April 2015 foal.

Us.  Maybe it will be us, but I doubt it.  We’re being pulled in too many directions and it’s clear that racing is my first love and where I need to concentrate my efforts.  To that end, Tabby Lane and her foal to be are for sale.  I’ll listen to all offers but don’t call me with nonsense either – we’ll just keep her in that case!  I’m absolutely open to creativity and am clearly amenable to a discount as long as we’re listed as a co-breeder.

This is obviously a passive announcement but she will be actively marketed shortly.  I love her dearly and will miss her horribly, but business is business and it’s time to focus.

News and Notes or a Mishmash of Stuff

Thoughts on Chromer

I wasn't a believer initially.  Heading into the Derby I was not sure if he was really all that and he proved me wrong.  I jumped on the bandwagon after the Derby win, along with many others, and he certainly endorsed my confidence.

I didn't care much about the "slowness" of the Derby - there were 18 others that couldn't run faster.  The final time of a race can be influenced by many factors including the condition of the racetrack (the long break between the last dirt race and the Derby could have contributed to the 'dryness' of the track, some have speculated) and the strategy as the race developed.  I was afraid of the blistering pace in the Derby and it turned out that no one wanted to go.

Heading into the Preakness I was a bit afraid of the pace development again because if no one went in the Derby, then certainly someone would go in the Preakness.  There was some pace but Chrome ended up perfectly placed and was able to charge home.

I've actually avoided reading a lot of Tweets about the Preakness because I can already hear the complaining: ANOTHER perfect trip; he'll never get a mile and half; etc.  We'll see.  I didn't think he'd get a mile and a quarter and perfect trips come from good rides by good jockeys on good horses - you make your own luck.

Personally, I'm going to unabashedly root for a Triple Crown, I think we could use it.

Ellie Preps

Elusive Edition is getting closer to her first start for us.  She's prepping okay.  She's had two timed works where she wasn't asked for much.  In her last she had a four furlong work and she walked off the track looking like she handled it just fine.  I wouldn't go so far as to say she wouldn't have been able to blow out a candle, but it was pretty close.  I'm reserving judgments until I see her really lay out.

There are quite a few fine 3-year old Minnesota bred fillies this year, one of the best in her own barn, Sky and Sea.  She's nominated to the Minnesota Oaks but we have to get rolling first and the anxiety may kill me!

Canterbury Club

The best way to follow the doings of the Canterbury Racing Club is to sign up to get the blog updates at canterburyracingclub.com but in a nutshell: we claimed filly Maryjean for $8,000 in a race she won impressively.  We're hoping to bring her back this weekend, up a notch or two, and see what we have.  Club membership closed at a record 202 people and we're still looking for another horse for the club as well.

Bourbonology

Bobo is working on the farm and will head over to the race track in a couple of weeks.  She'll need a couple of works in her but she is rounding into shape very well.  Hopefully we'll get a start out of her by mid-June and get her summer started quickly and successfully!

Mother and Son

Tabby Lane is doing great.  We've had her covered a few times by Doneraile Court but she's come up empty.  We gave it one last try the other day and we'll see.  If she doesn't take then she'll get the year off and we'll focus on George and getting him through year one.  I think his mix of Eastwood Dacat's speed and Tabby's stamina and soundness will get us a nice runner, not just a nice Minnesota bred - but we'll see in a couple of years!

That's all the news that's fit to print now.  It should be an interesting three weeks between now and the Belmont - thank goodness.

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!"
 





Farewell, Kat

Kat as a foal (2010 - December 6, 2013)

After she broke her maiden – any time now we were telling ourselves – she was going to get some rest.  It was November of 2012 and she had already spent the summer being expertly schooled at Eisaman Equine and the fall in the skilled hands of trainer Kathleen O’Connell.  This was her 3^rd start for us and we had some decisions to make.  Would she stay in Florida or move over to the Bernell Rhone barn and try and make her mark in Minnesota racing like her mom, My Philly, did?  Should we give her a NW2 try at 2 or just shelve her until spring of her 3-year old year?  Those were our big decisions ahead.

Third time was the charm and she ran a very professional race to win by three.  Then there was the announcement: E Sveikata (“Kat”) was claimed for $32,000 by owner Joseph Balsamo and trainer Leo Azupurua Jr.

No. Freaking. Way.

She was valued at $16,000 when we bought 40% of her from breeder Gabe Puniska and his wife Jenepherin March of 2012.  She was a daughter of Even the Score like our Tabby Lane out of a mare named My Philly who was an allowance winner over the Canterbury Park lawn.  We had her in training from March and Kathleen took her time getting her to the races – making sure that everything was right with her.

Race 1 was learning experience.  She finished 4^th and was a bit tired near the end.  After all, this was running with purpose for an awfully long way!  In race 2 she closed very nicely over the Calder slop, finishing a solid 2^nd. 

Race 3 she came ready to play.  She tracked the pace and when Eduardo Nunez asked her to go, she went.  And then she went again.  Away from our barn.  Away from the carefully laid out plan.  Away from the rest that she was due.

Of course we kept following her.  Over the next 12 months, from November 8, 2012 to November 16, 2013 she ran another 12 times.  The longest gap between races was about 6 weeks.  She ran one more time in November and then took December off before coming back on January 10.  Then later in the year, after a $6,250 claiming race where she finished a badly beaten 9^th on August 31, she had another six weeks off before another $6,250 race where she not only was eased, but was claimed!

She couldn’t get that third win at $25,000, $16,000 or $6,250 but apparently she was claim worthy at $6,250.  She was having a tough time carrying her speed and, it seemed to me, that there was something wrong.  Was she bleeding through her Lasix?  Stopping like she had run into a wall was a hallmark of a bleeder but there is no way for me to know for sure.  She was competitive for a while at $25,000, even notching her second win there, but suddenly could no longer keep up with the cheapest stock in south Florida.

In her debut for the new barn (Alphonso Miranda – owner/trainer) she was a badly beaten last and ran the same pattern in the $6,250 NW3 claiming race: get on or near the lead and then stop badly.  That was on November 16.  On November 29 she was a vet scratch in a $16,000 claiming race over the turf.  Turf horse or not, THAT is a huge jump in class.  In my opinion the fact that she was a vet scratch was ominous – especially coming 13-days after a race where she stopped so badly.  Seven days later she was back in a $16,000 NW3 turf contest that was off the turf.

Kat broke like a champ.  She took the lead at 67-1 and was able to hold it through the first ¾ of the race.  Overtaken by eventual winner Big Debbie (a 16 ¾ length winner ironically trained by Kathleen O’Connell) she started drifting out in the lane.  Jockey Ronald Ordonez was working on her pretty good and, after straightening out briefly, she started drifting back out again.  Then she was down.  During the live call of the race, the announcer made the astute observation that Kat was doing all she could just to hold the place spot.  She couldn’t.  Her next mention:  “E Sveikata is down”.    The head on told the full story.  She had snapped her right front.  From my brief glimpse, it doesn’t look like she ever got up again.

I called Gabe.  He hadn’t seen the race so I had to break the news to him.  He was remarkably sanguine about the events, though obviously sad and upset.  Jenepher took it harder.  Gabe said that there was just something nagging at him to not watch this one.  I had a strangely different feeling.  I felt like I HAD to watch it.  I had to make sure that someone who actually cared about her watched her run – apparently not wholly unlike the feeling you get when you need to get to the bedside of a dying loved one. 

Gabe and I had talked about claiming her back at one point.  Our group had moved on and we had purchased Bourbonology so the cash flow wasn’t there – especially to take on a filly who I felt, at the very least, needed 6 months on a farm somewhere and quite possibly was ruined as a racehorse.  Gabe was divesting himself of all interests in racing and, retired and battling some health issues, really didn’t have the disposable income either.  We made business decisions.  Sound business decisions, but shitty – at least on my end - humanitarian ones.  Perhaps not.  As a steward of other people’s money – several who joined AFTER Kat moved on, how could I possibly spend it on a horse that was having issues, possibly unsound and may never race again? 

It is a decision that will haunt me for a while.  As folks that are in the equine retirement business know, you can’t save them all.  I know the course I would have taken if she were ours, but she wasn’t.  Virtually no owner can go and buy back every racehorse they’ve ever owned a part of when they feel the horse should be retired or need a break either. 

Kat deserved better. Our Tabby Lane is in foal to the Storm Cat stallion, Eastwood Dacat, and due to deliver in March.  The obvious name is Tabby Dacat.  I may change the spelling to Tabby DaKat. 

Rest in peace, sweetie.  I’m so very sorry.

Doldrums

It's that time of year, post Breeders' Cup/pre Derby prep season - and well past racing season at Canterbury Park, that makes you just sigh and glance at the calendar.  Coming home to a dusting of snow from the Breeders' Cup didn't help matters either.

At this point in time we aren't racing, just waiting.  BOURBONOLOGY will wait until Canterbury to make her return to the races.  She finished up the season okay, finishing second in a NW2 affair, but has failed to live up to her potential.  We decided to let her be a horse over the winter and get her back in training in February to get her ready for the turf season starting in late May at Canterbury, hoping that the extra time off will get her head in the right place and get that fire back in her.  With some heart back, I think she still can be a formidable presence on the turf and do considerably better than she has been.

ELUSIVE EDITION was pulled off the track with shin issues as a 2-year old earlier this summer.  We decided not to push her.  Some horses are ready to go at 2 and some just aren't and if you push them you can ruin them - we do NOT want to ruin "Ellie".  One thing she does have is a passion for running.  She loves it.  You can see it in the way she moves and we got glimpses of it on the track this summer.  She'll head back into training in February with the goal of having her ready to go opening weekend at Canterbury.

A very pregnant TABBY LANE is at Dove Hill Farm awaiting her foaling date which is mid- to late March.  Interestingly, her own foaling day was March 17 so she should be giving birth right around her own birthday.  She has been doing great and, knock on wood, been staying healthy and trouble free.  Here is a glimpse of her at the halfway point.

 

 

In foal to the Storm Cat stallion, EASTWOOD DACAT, we look forward to his speed and her proclivity for 7 furlongs to a mile to be a great combination and look to see the youngster tearing up the Canterbury turf in a few years.

 

Our time managing the Canterbury Racing Club has also come to an end with the claim of ASK EDDY at Hawthorne a couple of weeks ago.  EDDY was a real trooper and a cranky pain in the ass - it was hard not to love him!  EDDY won 4 races for the club and provided everyone with a thrill the way he gave his all each time out on the track.  MUNDY was a bit more enigmatic, but while we couldn't get a win with her, she did give it her best shot every time out.  Running the Club was a great experience and I loved getting to know the folks in the group, though I didn't get to meet all 170+ folks - maybe next year!

 

As the winter deepens it's nice to know that in less than 180 days we'll be back to racing here in Minnesota come Preakness weekend.  Unfortunately for now, the stable is all about expenses though come May we'll be attacking with a vengeance! 

Last Two Weekends Are No Throw Ins at Canterbury

The Canterbury season is coming to a close and while barns are paring down and shipping horses to Chicago, Oklahoma and other locales, the action has not stopped in Shakopee.  Actually, a LOT went on over the weekend including history being made and a first of it's kind event comes to Shakopee closing weekend.

Angela Calls the Card

Track analyst Angela Hermann became the first North American woman to call and entire card of Thoroughbred races on Saturday.  I covered a lot of the specifics in my first feature for the Daily Racing Form this past week. 

The poise she showed, especially race 1 when there were 3 video cameras in the booth and some dope with a cell phone camera, was impressive.  Her voice may not boom like regular announcer Paul Allen, but she was smooth and fluid and had her own take on the races as they unfolded.  It was a pleasure to listen to and even more so to have a front seat to some racing history.

Mundy Gets Claimed

Canterbury Racing Club horse, Mundy, was claimed over the weekend.  We had claimed her for $16,000 in the hopes that she would make a nice higher level addition to the Club.  I was mistaken.  The 5-year old mare wasn't herself in Minnesota.  As the meet wore on she was more and more determined to drag her pilot through fast early fractions and had a tougher time settling down on the front end.  The result was just a single 3rd place finish as we dropped her through the class levels until she was finally claimed at $7500 and will head back to AZ with old trainer Mike Chambers. 

She looked all the part to be a solid claim but that certainly did not materialize.  She may have disliked the Canterbury turf or she may be starting to get babies on the brain. Either way she never fired for us and I wish her well back in AZ.

That leaves the Club with one horse, Ask Eddy, who will go for his 3rd win of the meet in 5 starts on Friday evening.  It's a tough, full field, but we're hoping that Eddy can bring home one more win before heading to Hawthorne.  The race is his preferred mile and 70 over the dirt, $5,000 claiming.

Bourbonology Ends Season With A Second

Our own Bourbonology finished a solid second in her sixth race since we purchased her earlier in the meet.  She had a rugged win in her GRS debut, winning a Maiden Special Weight but faltered thereafter.  She came back in a first level allowance and was smoked; the same for an off the turf effort at $20,000 claiming.  In her final attempt at $20,000 she closed a bit better, but it appeared that she needed some class relief. 

We gave it to her in her next out, a $12,500 claiming race, and she responded well.  She was coming hard late and I thought we had a shot to win, but jockey Dean Butler couldn't give her head to run: she was trying hard to lug in and with a horse on her inside flank any rally would have resulted in a disqualification, or worse.  She ended up finishing 4th but gave us a reason for optimism.

Saturday she broke fairly and was settled nicely. When the time came to run, Dean was able to get her going and, with a change in the blinker set up, she was less apt to lug in.  Dean also had her on the rail and she rallied nicely for a second place finish.  Now she'll get some time off until Tampa Bay Downs in December, or perhaps even the 1st of the year.  Given the purse increases at Canterbury, we want to have a fresh mare for the 2014 season so we won't bring her back too early.

Professional Indian Horse Racing Association

An event that I have been looking forward to for weeks - no, not the last Food Truck Festival on closing day (well, YES, that too...); the PIHRA Professional Indian Relay Tribal Championships will take place at Canterbury.  If you haven't seen this, you can take a look here.  It's exciting, dangerous and full of tradition and pride.  One rider will make three laps around the track on 3 separate horses making two exchanges along the way.  The exchanges are exciting and these guys can flat out ride!  Bareback!  Races will be held all three days the final weekend of the meet starting Thursday night and I can't wait to see this live.

New and Notes

In other stable news and notes, Tabby Lane is doing just fine in foal to Eastwood Dacat.  She's settled on a farm in New Prague, MN and we will await the arrival of her first foal sometime in March.  Elusive Edition (Ellie), has recovered nicely from her shin soreness and is showing signs of growing out of it.  However, we will wait on this nice 2-year old Minnesota bred and not start her back until February to get ready for the 2014 season.

Something Had to Give

What a summer!  Generally speaking my summers are crazy anyhow.  This year the addition of the Canterbury Racing Club management to our portfolio and an increase in the stories for the Daily Racing Form because of larger and higher quality stakes races has really pushed my time to the limit.  Something had to give and that something has been this blog.

I know that there are not a ton of you that sit on the edge of your seat wondering what's happening next in the world of Bourbonology, Elusive Edition and the pregnancy of Tabby Lane, but still...I would like to be a bit more "current" than I have been.

As an illustration of how crazy it has been, I wrote a complete preview of Bobo's last race and completely forgot to post it!  So in general, a brief summary of what's been going on and a tepid promise that I will be better!

BOURBONOLOGY

She seems to have caught the "Tabby Lane Syndrome" that plagued Tabs in her 4-year old season.  She can't seem to get past that one win and go on with her potential.  In another eerie coincidence, we can't find a thing wrong with her either.  Physically she's just fine.  Our trainer, Bernell Rhone, made the comment that he knows that there is something in there, he just hasn't figured how to get it out yet! 

Frustrating does not begin to tell the tale.  She had that first out maiden breaking win in a tough stretch battle with Clay Brinson's Bluegrass Lucy and nosed her out for the win.  Her 1st level allowance win was awful  She broke poorly and it was all downhill from there.  We brought her back in a $20,000 non winners of two lifetime which was rained off the turf.  We wanted to see what she could do on the dirt.  We found out...nothing.  Finally we got a firm turf course and the same level going 7.5 furlongs and she finished mid-pack, never really threatening.

She'll live to fight another day.  That day may be this Saturday.

ELUSIVE EDITION

Our two year old Minnesota bred filly was showing all kinds of promise.  We still weren't sure if she was going to be fast or not, but we did know that she was smart, good looking and moved well.  We also learned that she had sore shins.  Rather than go on with her and risk serious injury, we took her off the track and sent her to the farm.  We treated her shins and gave her the opportunity to grow and strengthen.  The purses here have increased nicely and she is potentially too valuable to risk running her early.

We'll look to get her back in training after the first of the year and get her ready for opening weekend at Canterbury.  Fingers crossed the winter goes well and we have the opportunity to get her ready on schedule.

CANTERBURY RACING CLUB

This has been a hoot.  You can follow along the Club's exploits at the blog site.  Keeping up to speed there has taken up a lot of the time and energy I used to have for here!

Ask Eddy was our first acquisition and it appeared that he was a mistake.  He came into the barn underweight, sore and tired.  Club trainer, Clay Brinson, took back on him and just fed him, wormed him and generally got the cranky old man feeling better.  When he got to the track, he has responded with 2 wins in 4 starts.

Mundy, the "higher class" addition has been a bust.  We claimed her at $16,000 hoping she's be able to run at higher levels and we were proven wrong.  After a 3rd first out for us, she's missed the board in two consecutive starts.  She's been descending the class ladder rather than ascending it and that has been a bit depressing.  So far we're holding our own, but I'd really like to do MUCH better.

As the season in Minnesota winds down, the Club horses will head to Hawthorne with Clay and Bobo will get some time off in Florida until Tampa Bay Downs opens.

FALL

As fall approaches, our thoughts turn to the next group and the possibility of claiming another horse out of Tampa Bay - or perhaps even Hawthorne - and getting geared up to start 2014 with another runner or two.  It's hard to believe that we're already thinking ahead to 2014, but time does indeed fly!

So I shall go forward and try hard to blog here more than once per month!!  And I will certainly try and remember to actually publish what I write, too!

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.