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!

Maiden Win is Only Step One

It’s going to be quite the hour at Canterbury Park on Saturday afternoon.  In the 5^th race, a first level allowance, our very own Bourbonology is going to try for two in a row against a tough field including some shippers from Chicago.  Then in the 6^th race, the Canterbury Racing Club stalwart, Ask Eddy, will step up one notch and take on $5,000 claimers in search of his 2^nd win in a row.  Near the top and near the bottom, but it’s all racing and all very exciting.

There is some fear involved in Bobo’s race.  Not by her…I can’t believe our daughter of Gulch is scared of anything at all…but from me.  We had another option coming out of her Maiden Special Weight win – a $20,000 non-winners of 2 claiming race which would have certainly been an easier spot.  She had a bit of a troubled trip: blocked down the backside and bumped in the lane which probably makes the race look a bit less than what it was, but still, as you’ll see, this race came up tough.

The only thing I really try to do is not to run horses where they do not belong.  I don’t want to run in a stake to be an entry – I want to have a chance.  I look at some running lines and I see the winner of a MSW end up 6^th, beaten 17 lengths in a first level allowance and I don’t want Bobo to be THAT horse.

Let’s take a look at the field and then I’ll stress some more:

She’s Mighty Fast (Padilla/Eikleberry): First 3-year old start, maiden breaker was at Remington in a maiden special on the turf and came back in the Mistletoe Stakes where she was clearly beaten from the first step back on the dirt.  Works have been nice and steady for her return, though not particularly quick.

De Novo (Robertson/A Canchari): Two allowance tries at Canterbury have been challenging over a yielding turf course and then an off the turf affair over a sloppy racetrack.  She still acquitted herself well and is eligible to improve over a firm course and third out after her layoff.

Miss Amelia (Suter/Rivera): In the same two allowance races as De Novo but hardly the same result finishing some distance behind her younger rival.

Seeking Luck (Stidham/Stevens): Her 3-year season began in America after racing as a 2 in her native Ireland.  Both tries on the turf here (out of 4 efforts) landed her on the board in an allowance at the Fairgrounds and Arlington.  It seems like she has a tougher time the longer she goes so a mile and 16 may not be her forte, but she is a classy individual.

April (Lund/Vergara): Ran a very nice 2^nd in a Canterbury allowance over the turf at the beginning of the meet over the dirt and then a bit distanced in her next but a sloppy racetrack could have been the culprit.  The filly has been very consistent.

Vertical Lift (Rhone/Butler): Dean chose to ride Lifty in this race and I don’t really blame him.  She’s an older mare with more experience and she knows how to win (3 wins, all claiming which keeps her eligible).  She’s going to be tough.

Mia Bee A (Robertson/Bell): Broke her maiden first out last year, topping Bluegrass Lucy, the filly that Bobo ran neck and neck with down the lane last out.  (3^rd place finisher?  De Novo)  Six furlongs in her 3-year old debut may not have been her cup of tea.  She should take to the turf and the distance should be more to her liking.  You can never count out the Robertson/Bell duo.

Banded (Scherer/Martin): Richie Scherer brings up from Chicago a filly who’s been close in four straight allowances at the Fairgrounds, Hawthorne and Arlington.  She was a solid 2^nd in the Northbound Pride Oaks last year at Canterbury and her Beyer figs are clearly tops in this group.  She has been sprinting and the distance may be too much without6 one under her belt but Scherer is a good 13% off of layoffs.

Street Savvy (Diodoro/Franco): She closed very insistently at 7 ½ furlongs in her Canterbury debut but fell short and then just missed by a neck over a sloppy track to the talented Quinichette.  Obliterated De Novo by 14 in that race.  Could be the one to beat in here.

Getting Birdie (Biehler/Keith): Been doing everything right since turning 3: broke maiden and then finished third in this type of race, though going much shorter.  Only bad race has been at a route and has never been on the turf.

BOURBONOLOGY (RHONE/GOODWIN)

Yes.  You read that correctly.  Bobo is mired out in post 11 coming out of the chute for the about a mile and 70 yard affair.  Reason #1 for concern.  Nik Goodwin aboard concerns me a little, not because of his ability – Nik is having a great year – but because Dean chose Vertical Lift.  The two worked so well together in her maiden breaker and it’s a bit unnerving to have a new rider aboard after experiencing success.  That said, I have faith and confidence in Goodwin and know he’ll give her a shot to win – which is all you can ask.

The race shapes up interestingly since I can find no real speed in the field.  Bobo has stayed close but won from off the pace.  She’s Mighty Fast has shown early speed on the turf but another who did better while rating.  I just don’t see anyone shaking loose which could make this a cavalry charge at the end after horrifically slow fractions.  I’d like to think that we could get out to a lead and get over but out of the 11 spot down the chute…I just don’t see that happening.  If someone does decide to go, I hope that more than 1 do – that could help weaken things up front but certainly make it no less of a charging finish.

I really don’t know how she’ll do.  Street Savvy looks great as does the Irish lass, Seeking Luck.  Several are coming in having not seen a firm turf course in a while and that SHOULD be what we’ll get tomorrow, so you don’t know how much those ladies will improve.  So many unknowns and a filly who appears to do whatever you ask – but you HAVE to ask…she won’t do it on her own.

Win, lose or draw, though, I’ll have to even out after the race and meet the Canterbury Racing Club group in the paddock for the next race.  What a day…it’s absolutely why I do what I do!

Updates on Ours, Heliskier and Some Dialogue

BOBO

Bourbonlogy got rained out last Sunday.  Not so much because of the weather, but because of the track conditions.  The race was washed off the turf and we were ready to go anyway.  There were a few scratches that made the race a bit easier for us but racing was called after a few races because of unsafe track conditions.  A trainer and a jockey told me it was akin to a pothole strewn road with puddles hiding the worst of it.  Of course a thoroughbred’s thin leg getting stuck and twisted in a hole could be disastrous and if the riders think it’s unsafe, who am I to disagree?

Bobo will go this Thursday in a Maiden Special Weight over the turf course going a mile and 70 yards.  She’ll start out of the chute and make a lap around the oval. She’ll open in the wagering as the 4-1 2^nd choice in the morning line behind Clay Brinson trained Bluegrass Lucy.  I’ll be back with a full profile of the race later in the week.

I’ll also have to retry the “View of the Owners” video blog again, though not this time.  My quick trip to IL has turned into a week-long grind that won’t get me home until sometime very late Friday night or early Saturday morning so I will miss Bobo’s first start in person, though I will be watching in a hotel room somewhere near Detroit.  Or, on my Horse Races Now app if I’m able to pick up a ticket to the Red Sox game that night while they are in Motown!

HELISKIER

Word is still positive on Heliskier.  The champion Minnesota bred gelding is banged up but doing okay after going down to his nose at the break on Sunday, ending his undefeated streak and generating one of my most read blog posts ever when I wrote about some of the behaviors I (and others) witnessed when it was learned the horse nearly went down.

Feedback from that post has been interesting.   I have had some dialogue with people who feel that I misunderstood what they – or folks with them – were expressing.  I think we have differing viewpoints on that and it was a good lesson for a lot of people in perception versus reality.  You may indeed be cheering for your horse hitting the front in a race but if that cheering comes at the same time the track announcer says that a horse juts face planted, your actions may be misconstrued.  Hell, that’s a lesson even I needed to relearn in a way.

This fellow pointed out that by my saying that I was never happier to see a horse fade like Careless Hunter did that I was basically cheering for their horse to be hurt as well.  That wasn’t the case at all, of course.  I didn’t want the kids’ bad behavior to be rewarded BUT I can see his point.  I knew the horse went out too fast and was tired.  The horse wasn’t hurt and no one suspected that he was either.  I also didn’t cheer and or high five someone when I heard that he had packed up the fight.  HOWEVER by not really thinking about how that statement could be taken by someone before I wrote it, I did, kind of, the same thing – I reacted but didn’t think. At the end of the day, I wish nothing but the best for Careless Hunter’s connections and hope they pick up a couple of wins before the summer is done, they seem like really good people.

ELLIE

Elusive Edition has been training okay.  She’s very smart and she simply LOVES to run – two things you can’t train a horse.  She has been experiencing some aches and pains, nothing major but she’s had to rest a bit throwing her a bit off schedule and causing us some concern.  We’re getting to know her better and better and she is really quite a character.  Most definitely one of the best parts of owning these horses is getting to know them as individuals and Ellie is a riot – and most definitely still a baby in some ways as well!

She’s rested a bit and gone back to the racetrack.  We’ll need to pick things up on her in the next week or so and see her develop.  It’s exciting but also our optimism and excitement is still tempered with some caution as it always should be with 2-year olds.

CANTERBURY RACING CLUB

This is been two things: more work that I imagined and more fun than I could have hoped.  The people involved are absolute gems.  We had our first race on Friday night and Mundy, our mare, gave everyone a thrill as she took command in the lane and looked like a winner before tiring to third.  The pace was a bit hot and the turf was a bit soft and both contributed to her fatigue, but it was an exciting run and the folks really turned out for it.  Hopefully we’ll have our gelding, Ask Eddy, race this weekend and I’ll get to meet more of the great folks in the Club.  I doubt I’ll ever meet all 179 of them, but I’m hoping to, even if I will forget most of the names – never the faces, but I’m HORRIBLE remembering names!

 

The start has been a bit slow, but hopefully we'll pick up the pace and hit the winners' circle a few times along the way.