Ellie's A Big Girl Now

Ellie w/ Heather after a brief pep talk the night before her first "big girl" work

When you buy, for all intents and purposes, a yearling, you hit all kinds of milestones as you get her ready for the racetrack.  Breaking, training center, move to the racetrack, starting gate, etc.  Elusive Edition (Late Edition-Mystical Elusion-Menifee) - Ellie to us - hit a big milestone for the group today: her first timed workout.

This was a long time coming for Ellie.  Last year at the track she was a small and scared 2-year old.  Chronic rain had the track sealed during training hours causing the surface to be a bit harder than usual and it took a toll on her shins.  She never bucked, which was great, but we decided to back off her, give her rest and treatment and then bring her back at three.

All winter long she played and grew up.  Her legs and joints became stronger and more stable and she loved tearing around her paddock.  Come March she started getting serious and, even though there were some weather setbacks, she was able to get out and run with a rider.  For a while she went over a makeshift track comprised mainly of hay but, eventually, the main training track cleared up and she was able to really stretch her legs.

May 2 she moved to the racetrack, settled in and galloped for a week.  Earlier this week I got a call from her trainer, Bernell Rhone.  After some quick catching up after a long winter, he told me that she'd be working this morning.

We couldn't make it up for the work so I waited. The plan was two fold: get her used to an actual workout and going faster and see just where she was at fitness-wise.

When Bernell and I caught up this afternoon the news was good.  She came back just fine but had some huffing and puffing.  He sent out a set of three to go three furlongs over a Canterbury track listed as "muddy" but by all accounts was in fairly decent shape.

She moved with her workmates well but apparently she tired in the last 70-yards or so and finished about half a length to a length behind them in :40.8.  Admittedly I know this is a horrible time, but it was her first work ever, it was over a muddy track and she's not in racing shape yet.  As the track's condition, and her own, improve, I will expect more out of her.

For now I know she came back well, tried hard, got something out of the work and is moving forward and that's perfect.  For now.

A Look Back...Before We Forge Ahead

As the year comes to close, it’s important to look back and recognize the folks that had an impact upon the year as well as looking ahead at what I’d like to accomplish in 2014.  Today I will take a look back before taking a look forward in the next day or two.

First recognition has to go to the horses that graced the stable this past year.  The winners: Ask Eddy, Bourbonology; those that tried: Mundy, Elusive Edition; and the mother to be: Tabby Lane.  All are very special and while Mundy and Eddy have moved along and were part of the Canterbury Racing Club, Bobo and Ellie remain in our partnership stable and are wintering at Russ Rhone’s operation in Chaska, which is as good a place as any to start the human portion of the acknowledgements.

The Rhone family and extensions have been instrumental to any success we may have on the track.  From Russ breaking Ellie and getting her ready for racing (and getting Bobo ready for 2014) to Bernell and Cindy at the track getting them at the very best which helped us garner our first Maiden Special Weight victory with Bourbonology this past year to Rhone daughter LeAnn and her husband,  Dean Butler, who predominantly ride our girls in the morning and afternoons, respectively, are our most intimate connection to the equine athletes and their success in the afternoons can be attributed directly to their efforts - these folks are not only accomplished but some of the best people you’ll ever meet.

It was an honor to work with Clay Brinson for the first time.  The guy is magical and turned an overworked, undernourished horse into a multiple winner with his patience and ability.  To have a season where I was able to hang out in the Rhone and Brinson barns was an experience like no other and with Juan indulging Heather with time with Eddy (even though he got a little naughty - Eddy, not Juan), the time with the horses this season was tremendous.

At Canterbury, for me, it all starts and stops with Jeff Maday.  If Jeff didn’t indulge a goofy blogger five years ago, I’m nothing in racing today.  I owe my place at the Form to him (and David Miller) as well as my position managing the Canterbury Racing Club.  To that end, the efforts of Andrew Offerman, Michelle Benson and Jalique Eikenberry cannot be understated as they were always at the ready with help and advice.  Track President Randy Sampson’s guidance over the track operations and influence on Minnesota racing can sometimes go unnoticed – but it shouldn’t.  The guiding light for Minnesota racing may have been lit by Dale Schenian and Randy’s dad Curt, but Randy has taken that torch and held it higher than it’s nearly ever been and will continue to make history over the next several years.  In any talk of a resurgence, Randy needs to get the lion’s share of the credit – though he would never say so himself.

When discussing the resurgent Minnesota racing industry one cannot give the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community enough credit.  Their deal with Canterbury is a unique one in the United States and has led to elevated purses, full stalls and fields, better wagering opportunities, more competitive racing and a strong heartbeat for a once dying industry in Minnesota.  They are also not passive participants.  You can see members attending the races and on major race days you can see the presence of their executive team actively participating in the success of the racetrack.  I see this teamwork only getting closer as time goes by.

It’s always a pleasure sharing a pressbox with Paul Allen and my fondest wish every year is that no track takes this gem away from us.  And speaking of sharing a pressbox, the inimitable Jim Wells makes it a pleasure to go to work each race day.  Angela Hermann provided the most noteworthy event of the summer when she was the first female in North America to call an entire thoroughbred race card and I was honored enough to report on, as well as witness, history.  Inviting me into the booth for some pre-race analysis with her was a blast, as always, and my day subbing for her in the paddock made me realize (again) just how difficult a job it is.  I would judge my performance as a C with a couple of A races but a couple that were just downright awful as well.  Of course I still had a great time and really appreciate the opportunity.

All the members of the Canterbury Racing Club this season were wonderful to work for.  They were an active, animated, opinionated and passionate group that made it one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life.  I hope that I can come back in 2014 and see if we can finish the year in the black for the first time as well as to continue to pass on my love and understanding of the business.

The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association board of directors was eventful and interesting this year as well.  Jay Dailey took over the presidential reins from Scott Rake and continued on with strong, stable leadership as the organization continues to grow and racing in Minnesota flourishes once again.  The rock beneath the occasional storminess of the Board is the miraculous Kay King, our Executive Director, who seemingly takes on task after task and makes them all look effortless. 

As we foray into breeding for the first time, Lisa Duoos and her team at Dove Hill Reproduction have been wonderful in guiding us through the breeding process and taking as good of care of Tabby Lane as could ever be expected.  It’s nice to see additional stallions come under her management, she certainly deserves it.  We used Deb and Jeff Hilger’s Storm Cat sire, Eastwood Dacat, and the patience and time that the Hilgers put into guiding me through the process before we even got started was above and beyond anything that you could expect.  This foal and any success he or she may have will be more a testament to those three than anything I have done.

Finally, I would be very remiss in not acknowledging the contributions of Heather Frisbie.  Her love, support and frank opinions are all much appreciated and sorely needed.  Her knowledge of the sport horse from her years showing horses and barrel racing is more valuable than I can express.  She brings an insight into the business that I don’t have and is a compliment to what I do know!  Add to it her eye for photography and willingness to share those gifts with the partners and Club members and I am forever grateful.  I love her dearly and glad we’re a team.  Now if I could only get her to stop falling in love with the horses…

If I inadvertently forgot anyone, I am truly sorry.  There are simply so many kind and generous folks for me to possibly be able to thank individually and I hope that if I missed you, you’ll forgive me!  In a day or two, I’ll share my goals for 2014 as we kick off another year of racing!

Bobo Last Minute - IN

As I mentioned in my last post, this summer has been a very hectic one.  I thought I may have caught a bit of a blogging break when we entered Bourbonology to run on today but she didn't get in and was on the "Also Eligible" list.

A bit of a refresher: the "Also Eligible" list is an auxiliary list of horses who only get into the race if one of the horses entered scratches.  This is usually done in turf races so if the weather dictates that the race come off the turf and onto the dirt and several horses scratch, you can still have a decent field in the race.

In our case this week, the weather was beautiful and there was no way we were going to get in.  That said, if the race did come off the turf, we would scratch as well.  I was tabbed to do the paddock analysis today so it was all going to work out - you can't analyze a race you run in for the people, right!?

Then at 10:10 Bernell Rhone called and let me know that we scratched in!

Scramble time!

Jeff Maday, Media Relations Manager at Canterbury, offered to take the race 4 paddock analysis for me but there is no way I was going to get a detailed race analysis up in time, so here is my take on the race - ever so briefly:

Four horses were dropping in from Bobo's last race and only one finished behind her.  Additionally, one was coming in from the off-the-turf race two back where Bobo was awful, but that horse, Wonder Country, finished 3rd.

The rest of the 9 horses are either jumping up in class or coming in from Prairie Meadows to try the turf here at Canterbury.

I think we can hit the board, though I would MUCH prefer that we won.  Her lackadaisical efforts in her last couple of starts is troublesome - especially combined with the fact that there is nothing the vet can find that is physically wrong with her.

I see the race coming up:

Toluca
Margo's Delight
Bourbonology

I will, however, be wagering to win - you can't bet against your own horse!

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!

Bourbonlogy Wins Her First at Canterbury

(Photo Credit: Coady Photography)

The last time I was in Detroit for a major sporting event was in the fall of 2004.  It was the World Series and my Boston Red Sox finally won a world series, erasing generations of heartbreak in weak roller back to the mound and a shuttle toss to first.  I walked downtown celebrating virtually alone in my Red Sox jersey and laid awake completely wired for hours.

Granted, it wasn’t 86 years since our last win, but it sure seemed like it.  Tabby Lane won a race at Tampa Bay Downs last spring and that was the last we saw the winners’ circle.  Her ankle got too bad, she struggled at Canterbury and we retired her to the breeding shed.   Since then we’ve spun our wheels: we lost shakes, horses didn’t vet for private purchase, the first week or two at Canterbury provided us not much to claim and we felt snakebit.  Then came Bobo.

Bourbonology (Gulch-Ciencia-El Gran Senor), one of the last of the Gulch progeny, was offered up to us via our trainer Bernell Rhone through trainer Joan Scott.  Bobo simply didn’t fit the connections profile and she felt maybe Bernell could find her useful.  We negotiated a price and then shipped her from Arlington to Canterbury.  You could not have a horse arrive in better shape.  Kudos to Scott and her team, Bobo was in great shape: sound, healthy and happy – obviously wonderfully taken care of.

Her first entry for us was in a Maiden Claiming $20,000 and was an also eligible and didn’t get in.  We decided to step up to a Maiden Special Weight over the turf and though the races were taken off the turf that day we were going to go in the slop…until the card was cancelled after the first few races.
Snakebit?

Last night the race went.  A Maiden Special going a mile and 70 over the turf with a full field of 10.  She was a 2-1 favorite and when the gates sprung open she was sideswiped by the 17-1 shot next her and slid back to about 7^th in the 10 horse field.

SNAKEBIT!!

Jockey Dean Butler never panicked.  There was plenty of time left in the race and he worked her back into contention down the backside but faced a wall of horses in front of her entering the turn.  Ever patient, Dean guided her between horses and she bravely went where he asked and when they straightened in the lane she had a relatively straight shot on the outside.  Now it was time to run!

My feed, naturally perfect up until race time, started getting choppy but cleared in time for me to see the last 200 yards where our girl went head and head with Clay Brinson’s Bluegrass Lucy and Dean got our gal to finish for the first time in her career (I’m pretty sure I’ll hear about this when I see Clay this weekend!).

She won by a head and I think I may have dislocated a shoulder pumping my fist.  If it were any later I probably would have been asked to leave my hotel in Dearborn!  Facebook and Twitter came alive and it was great to hear from so many people.  And while I couldn’t be there, the winners’ circle was packed with partners, friends and significant others and it was wonderful to see – even from afar!

Congratulations to the partners and great job to Dean Butler, Bernell Rhone, the folks back at the barn and even to Joan Scott for developing such a fine individual.

Snakebit?  Pffft…we apparently just needed to be patient.  Now we’ll see how she came back and look for her next race.  My guess?  Probably a first level allowance but we’ll see.  For now, we’ll allow a bit of time for celebration!

Welcome to Bourbonology

Bourbonology (Gulch-Ciencia-El Gran Senor)

I kind of feel like Gerald Ford when he said, “…our long national nightmare is over.”  Of course in our case it would be that our long spring nightmare of losing shakes and failed vet checks is over.  The claiming group has a horse – ironically she came via private purchase and not the claiming box.

Bourbonology, one of the last of Gulch’s progeny to the races, came to our stable on Friday and shipped in on Sunday.  For those of you that wonder how these things come about, I got a phone call on Thursday afternoon from our trainer, Bernell Rhone.   

“I need you to look up this horse right now,” he said to me.

Usually he’s not that insistent but there was a time crunch involved.  Bourbonology (Gulch-Ciencia-El Gran Senor) had just raced at Arlington Park but was not stabled there, she shipped in from Kentucky to race and was heading back.  Fortunately I wasn’t on the road at the time – which is highly unusual for me – and also happened to be on my computer at the time.  I dug in and looked her up.

She made her debut as a two year old for Bourbon Lane Stables and trainer Joan Scott at Aqueduct, running 5^th and 6^th in Maiden Special Weights.  She was given a few months off and came back at Saratoga where she finished 4^th three consecutive times in Maiden Specials.  She headed down to Tampa Bay Downs where she ran another 4^th in another Maiden Special before her latest in Arlington, a 3^rd in a $25,000 Maiden Claiming race.  Every race but her secnid was over the turf and she was competitive in every race – except her second.  Needless to say she will head out over the turf when the time comes that she heads out for us.

We went back and forth for a bit and Bernell secured her for us at a fair price.  A vet gave her the once over, I overnighted a check and she came up to Canterbury to join Ellie.

She settled in nicely and ate well from day one.  She was going to be walked a few days to get accustomed to the sights, sounds and routines of a new barn and a new racetrack before heading over to the track to get ready for her GRS debut and so we can see what’s under the hood.

She’s a beautiful looking filly and put together real solidly.  She almost looks male in her stockiness and she has dinner plates for hooves.  Though taller, I believe, she is very Gulch-y.  Let’s hope she has more than just his looks going for her!

"Ellie" Heads to the Track

Ellie getting ready to walk after a hard rain cancelled her work the day before her move to the track.

Although it has been a spring of frustration for the claiming group (4 lost shakes and an ‘off the turf’ scratch of another target), very quietly another group’s horse has been making progress behind the scenes.

Elusive Edition (Late Edition-Mystical Elusion-Menifee) has been preparing for her racing debut at Russ Rhone’s training center in Minnesota.  Just yesterday we got the news that Russ has gone as far as he can with Ellie and it was time for her to take the next step in her career – moving to Bernell Rhone’s barn at

Canterbury and getting ready to race.

Two-year olds are tricky under the best of circumstances and so far Russ has been able to navigate her through with a minimum of trouble.  She’s done all that was asked and done so with only minor hiccups along the road but now it’s time for her to get serious.  Some things we know about “Ellie” so far:

-         -  She loves to work.  She is tremendously cuddly and loving off the track.  Once she hits the track, though, she’s all business.  She wants to go harder and faster than we want her to right now so we need to protect her from herself but this is something you can’t train – a horse has it or they don’t.  We’re very excited that she does.

-          - Expert (read: not us!) opinions seem to guide us toward her being a useful horse.  Probably better than claiming quality but opinion is divided on whether or not she’s stakes quality.  However, like every other horse out there, you never really know that until they start the real running.

-          - She will NOT be running in one of those 2 furlong deals.  Until she’s ready to 5 furlongs or better, she’s not racing.  I hate the idea of pushing a 2-year old in a dead sprint in their first race.  What do they get out of that? They learn to run like quarter horses out of the gate?  That’s not very useful over 6 furlongs and certainly not useful if you have a miler or a router on your hands.  Why teach them something they will never use again?  Wait and do it once and, hopefully, do it right.

The jury is always out until the running starts, but we’ll get a better gauge on her as she starts her life on the racetrack.  Today (Sunday) is moving day for her, though we’re not quite sure when yet.  A couple of us plan to be back there when she arrives, or soon thereafter, to give her a familiar face, some loving and a few treats to hopefully make the transition a little easier.  Yeah, it sounds dopey but if it helps her just a little bit…

Canterbury Opens Door to Ownership

How do we get new owners in the game?  It’s a question that the industry has been asking for a long time.  Owner and breeder groups have been putting on “New Owner Seminars” for years and every once in a while a celebrity owner like Bobby Flay or Jim Rome shines the spotlight on the sport, but more often than not, all that serves to do is reinforce the image of racing as an expensive luxury inaccessible to the middle class or a mystery shrouded riddle that could only be accessed by those “in the know”.

In 2009 Canterbury Park boldly stepped out to draw back the curtain and pull its fan base into the action by forming the Canterbury Racing Club.  For $250 a person could buy into the Club and feel the joy of ownership without having to risk another dime.  The initial Club drew 60 participants and campaigned a winning filly name Tahitian Queen.  

The goal was to provide an educational experience for owners and give them the opportunity to see what it was like to own a racehorse.  A blog was created where they could follow the action and also keep track of the monthly financial transactions.  Videos from the trainer and jockey were posted to give members an understanding of what goes on during the training period between races.  It was a way to demystify racing.

 

Since 2009 the Club has more than doubled in size and has gone from a single horse to a multiple horse stable with last year’s Club topping 140 members.  With the partnership with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (Mystic Lake Casino) heading into its first full season the stewards of the Club the last several years, Jeff Maday and Andrew Offerman, are stretched to limit with other responsibilities.  This year I will be stepping in and managing the Club for Canterbury.  I’m looking forward to building on the tremendous success that the Club has had and we’re hoping for an even larger membership this year.

Club “graduates” have gone on to form their own partnerships and buy and race their own horses, perhaps not in overwhelming numbers, but the fact that some have, and that the club keeps growing every year, are indications that there is movement in the right direction.  Add in Canterbury’s three consecutive years of record average daily attendance numbers and there is a lot of positive going on right now at the Shakopee oval.

Here is how the Club is structured:

Each membership is $250.  No other funds will be required.  The member will receive free admission to Canterbury Park for the season and admission to the paddock and winners’ circle (these two may need to rotate depending upon the size of the membership).  When possible, we will also try and set up a reserved area for the group on race days.  We will also set up backside tours during the season to try and give members a glimpse of life on the backstretch.

The number of members will determine the number of horses we will claim.  Clay Brinson, the outstanding trainer that worked with the Club last year has signed on board for another season and, if the demand is enough for additional horses, Canterbury Park Hall of Famer Bernell Rhone will also train for the team.

Interested folks can fill out the 2013 Club Enrollment Form to get started.  We’ll be taking memberships into March, but the sooner we know the size of the group, the better we can plan our strategy. 

 

I’m very happy to be a part of the Club this year, but I’m even happier that Canterbury Park has taken such a pro-active role to get new owners into the game.  It’s a model worth emulating.

Just Making It Official

                                          Tabby Lane enjoying retirement. Photo Credit: Annie Ringwelski

It’s official.  Tabby Lane is now retired.

We had Dr. Jen Selvig, vet extraordinaire, come out and take a look at her last week and she made official what we really figured anyway: Tabby Lane needs to be retired.  In theory, there may have been a way to keep her going, but with her ankles and the wear and tear of 40 starts, things could only end badly.  Either should could one day not walk off the track under her on power or not be good for anything else for the rest of life.  Both of these are unacceptable to me.

Her stat line bears some repeating.

The 6-year old daughter of Even the Score out of the Rodeo mare Keeley Chay won 10 of 40 races in her career: a winning percentage of 25%.  That’s good no matter how you slice it up.  Seven of those 10 wins were after we claimed her for $10,000.  She hit the board 21 times for just over 50% and earned $116,416 in her career.  Her lifetime best winning Beyer speed figure was a respectable 77 and her highest win was a first level allowance/optional claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs.  While her expenses matched her earnings for us over the 2.5 years that we had her, she provided us with winner’s circle photos, thrills and hopefully gave some folks a taste of owning a racehorse.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Tabby’s sweet demeanor and good manners make her a pleasure to be around and exceptionally good with children.  We had partners that could cuddle with her and small children that could feed her carrots and pet her.  Now we look forward to a second career for her.

What her second career will be is the interesting question.  With her breeding and mild success on the racetrack she certainly looks like she could be a solid producer here in Minnesota.  Will we be the ones to breed her remains to be seen.  It is a three year outlay with no possibility of return but the potential rewards, especially with the Mystic Lake Purse Enhancement in place, could be tremendous if she can throw a good one.

I’ve been working with Deb & Jeff Hilger of Bleu Valley Farm and Lisa Duuos at Dove Hill Farm and Reproduction to learn as much as I can about this process before we proceed.  All three have been exceedingly generous with their time and knowledge and I would like to publically thank them here.  Whether we move forward or not, without their assistance, I wouldn’t be able to even think about entering this end of the business.  I don’t want to even entertain this if she doesn’t have the potential to drop anything decent and it appears she does have a fighting chance for that.

There is the possibility that there might be some folks out there that would like to breed her as well -  I am not opposed to that either.  It’s certainly easy enough to check out her pedigree, as some have already have and inquired, and determine yourself if she would be a nice addition to your broodmare band.  I would prefer not to sell her 100% outright but retain a percentage of her ownership in order to be a part of this fascinating part of the industry as well as to be able to keep tabs on her (oh my…bad pun!). 

The next month will be devoted to the wind down of the racing group and the potential wind up of the breeding group as well as at least another one, and possibly two, claiming groups for 2013.  The most wonderful time of the year indeed!

I certainly can’t write a post about Tabby Lane’s retirement with thanking Bernell Rhone, our trainer, whose sharp eye and local knowledge brought her to our attention and his excellent horsemanship kept her winning over 3 seasons.  And I certainly can’t end a post without thanking the big grey girl herself.  Thanks, Tabs, for your heart, desire, effort and even love, that you provided in the nearly 3 years of racing for us.  We love you and will now look to take care of you as you did us.