Fizzy Pop has raced his last under the GRS colors. He was claimed away from us last night at Remington Park for the same price we bought him for 18 months ago - $10,000.He broke from the gate relatively well, though quickly found himself in second to last heading into the first turn. Jockey Dean Butler just stayed patient with him and slowly moved him up down the backside, angling him a bit to the outside heading into the far turn to get him poised for the drive. Eventual winner Little Wagon pulled up beside Fiz and went right on by on the outside and, though blocked a bit at the head of the lane, just did not have the old kick to go with the eventual winner. Dean tapped him twice and put away the whip well before the wire with third secure and no chance of making up the four lengths to second. He ended up finishing about 7 lengths from the top spot and almost 2 clear of fourth.
So the very first group that we owned 100% of the horse is over. HUGE thanks go out to my partners in this first venture: Mike, Jane, Laura and Josh. With you, this never would have happened. I hope you enjoyed the ride half as much as I did. More big thanks go to all the folks in the Rhone barn: Bernell, Cindy, LeAnne and Eloy for taking such good care of Fizzy for us and always having him in a position to win. All the jockeys who rode him for us including Juan Rivera and Jose Ferrer, but especially Dean Butler who piloted him to all three of his wins for us and was his regular rider. Dean never asked Fizzy for more than he could give but always got the most out of him. With him on board, I always felt like we had a chance and with all three, I knew Fizzy was coming home safely. Thanks to you all.
Here is the final GRS running line for Fizzy Pop (Slew Ginn Fizz - Pop Pop B B Gun - Red Ryder):
16 starts over 18 months
3 wins
3 seconds
5 thirds
He earned $47,424 for the group. We bought him for $10,000 and he was sold for $10,000. Sure, he was no Lava Man, but it's hard to argue with a claim like him and results like that. It's first and foremost a testament to Bernell Rhone and his crew having Fizzy ready on race day. He was in the money a remarkable 69% when he went out under our colors. That is good training, pure and simple. I've already mentioned the rock solid race riding he received. Sometimes you just lose to faster horses. I'll even take a bit of the credit. My philosophy that I always told Bernell was that I want him entered in spots where he has a chance to win. I'm not interested in placing him in spots to protect him from a claim or to run him in a stakes race to say we did. I just want to give my partners a shot at the picture and the win. Ultimately in the claiming game, if you're not a little afraid you may lose your horse, you're probably running him a little too low.
Best of luck to Fizzy Pop and his new connections going forward. I'll be following him as closely as I can. After all, he was my peppermint barn buddy and now he belongs to someone else. This is what happens when you claim, but after 18 months you do get really used to having him around. Thanks, Fizzy. I appreciate all you did.
Who's up for claiming another one?
5 comments:
I was reading your tweets regarding the race last night, hoping he'd win and my heart sunk when you tweeted that he'd been claimed away from you. I know it's a business, but you can't help but love these amazing animals. It is certain he will be greatly missed in your stable. Thanks for letting readers follow Fizzy's story (and yours) vicariously.
Hey Ted,
I know no matter where your ownership career leads, Fizzy will always be remembered as The First. You'll be looking for that "Fizzy" quality when you claim your next horses, and who can blame you when he put together a record like he did for GRS.
"And Fizzy Pop shows off at the end! Wins it under a triple hammerlock from Deputy Tice..."
May 25th 2008 Race 6 - Canterbury Park
Sorry to hear you lost Fizzy but a finish in the money and solid year are nice consolation prizes and set you up well for your next claim if you keep this group together.
You were fortunate with the weather in OK as we can't pick a race/day to run where we don't get rained off the turf.
Sorry to hear that you lost him, Ted...and I love your attitude at the end of the post. Not sure that I could ever handle watching a horse I love get claimed away...good luck with the next one.
Thanks all! As much as I love Fizzy, I love the game more and we'll be back. Some folks in the original group want to take a rest while some want to move on and get another, so we'll regroup when the bills come in, pick up a few more partners and go after another one!
Again, thank you all so much for taking the time to read and comment.
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