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.

If It Looks Too Good to Be True - It Probably Is

We’ve been looking to claim now for going on two months.  So far we’ve been out-shaken three times and had one of our targets scratched out of a race.  From time to time we come up with targets that look too good to be true and, of course, they are.  For example, take the horse below, Basilone.  Basilone was a 5-year old son of Giant’s Causeway out of the Alydar mare Twenty Eight Carat.

Basilone was purchased out of the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale for $220,000 and came back and was sold in the 2010 OBS Open 2 Year Old sale for $425,000.  Obviously big things would be expected of this young colt.  We found him heading into an $8,000 Maiden Claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs today.  Our heads were turned and more research was necessary. 

Looked up the colt’s lifetime works and, as you can see below, a disturbing pattern emerged.

Track    Date  Distance Course      TrkCnd                 Time                     Effort    Gate Rank/Num in Rank

PMM 03/22/13 5F           Dirt         Fast                       01:02.03              Breezing              7/12

PMM 02/23/13 4F           Dirt         Fast                       :48.55                   Breezing G           12/56

PMM 02/17/13 5F           Dirt         Fast                       01:02.33              Breezing              39/45

PMM 02/10/13 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :50.03                   Breezing              20/39

PMM 02/02/13 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :49.62                   Breezing              37/76

PMM 01/14/13 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :50.57                   Breezing              32/42

PMM 01/07/13 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :49.44                   Breezing              26/44

PMM 12/31/12 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :49.63                   Breezing              34/81

PMM 12/12/12 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :49.88                   Breezing              5/16

PMM 12/05/12 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :49.82                   Breezing              6/11

PMM 11/28/12 3F            Dirt        Fast                       :36.66                   Breezing              1/8

SAR 07/02/12 4F               Dirt training Fast               :49.08                   Breezing              6/66

SAR 06/26/12 5F               Dirt training Fast               01:01.44              Breezing              1/3

SAR 06/20/12 4F               Dirt training Fast               :49.34                   Breezing              1/18

SAR 06/14/12 4F               Dirt training Fast               :48.88                   Breezing G           1/30

SAR 06/07/12 4F               Dirt training Fast               :48.03                   Breezing              1/36

SAR 06/01/12 4F               Dirt training Fast               :49.44                   Breezing              13/41

SAR 05/26/12 4F               Dirt training Fast               :49.66                   Breezing              14/54

SAR 05/20/12 3F               Dirt training Fast               :37.06                   Breezing              4/39

SAR 05/12/12 3F               Dirt training Fast               :37.40                   Breezing              5/31

PMM 04/17/11 5F            Dirt        Fast                       01:02.90              Breezing              7/8

PMM 04/10/11 4F            Dirt        Fast                      :50.90                   Breezing              20/27

PMM 04/03/11 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :50.05                   Breezing              26/36

PMM 03/27/11 4F            Dirt        Fast                       :49.00                   Breezing              15/60

PMM 03/20/11 3F            Dirt        Fast                       :37.00                   Breezing              6/18

As a 3-year old, Basilone worked five times at Palm Meadows – not once impressively.  Then the youngster disappears for a year and emerges at Saratoga as a 4-year old and works nine times over the Spa’s training track including four bullet works in a row, one from the gate – but not a single start. 

Then after his July 2^nd work (not a bullet but a more pedestrian :49.08 for four furlongs) Basilone is gone again until November 28 and proceeds to work steadily another eleven times but nowhere near the top of his class like he was at Saratoga.  But he is finally set to debut as a five year old maiden.

The setting for this nearly half million dollar horse’s unveiling was Gulfstream Park’s winter meet, the meet of champions – where Kentucky Derby contenders are born.  But Basilone didn’t debut in a high level maiden race, but rather a $12,500 Maiden Claiming race.  His connections were saying: if you want our $425,000 horse, you can have him for $12,500.  He ran a credible 2^nd at 3-1, but I have to wonder for the roughly $3,000 odd they won in the race, couldn’t he have covered a few mares as a gorgeous unraced son of Giant’s Causeway in Nebraska, Washington, Massachusetts or some other less than major league racing circuit and try and prove himself as a stallion and make more money?  Any possibility for a stud is gone once you prove he can’t run even if, given his frequent long absences from training makes it appear, he was too often injured to be successful.

Instead of calling it quits, he heads up to Tampa Bay Downs and drops to the very bottom maiden claiming rung there, $8,000.  Given the above, while he was interesting to look at, there was no way on God’s green Earth I was even going to think about dropping a slip for him.

He raced well in the forward group for a while, 5^th within 3 lengths of the lead at the second call of the seven furlong race and jockey Daniel Coa started winding him up for the stretch drive when the unthinkable – though maybe not wholly unpredictable – happened: a leg snapped and Basilone hurtled forward on three legs, throwing his rider over his head onto the dirt and nearly flipping on him.  Coas escaped serious injury and was able to ride later on the card.  Tampa Bay Downs leading jockey, Daniel Centeno, aboard Duppyzapper was unseated while trying to avoid the fallen horse and was more shaken up and sent to the hospital where he was checked and released according to the Daily Racing Form (video of the race accompanies the DRF article).

Maybe it was a bad step.  Maybe it was a chronic problem.  I don’t know what the issue was that lead to Basilone breaking down and being euthanized but the perception is horrible and, as a partner noted, is “why racing gets a bad name.”

Just scanning the workouts shows there was a history here of an animal with a problem.  If I could afford a $425,000 purchase, I’m pretty sure if he couldn’t race by 4 I wouldn’t keep pushing on – especially with a history of problems and steadily declining works.  And I certainly would not enter him for an $8,000 fire sale price tag as a 5-year old maiden.  I can say that with confidence since our group retired our $10,000 claim with an ankle issue that she could have raced on for one more season at $5,000 but would have been good for nothing at all when her career was over.  The group chose to retire her while she could still be a trail horse or possibly even a low level performance horse and I couldn’t be prouder of our blue collar team for doing right by our mare.  I wish I could have seen the same for poor Basilone.

A Win, a Potential Loss and a Tie

Three months ago we had two race horses: one an open mid-level claimer and one a promising two-year old (aren’t they all?).  Now we have win but no promising two-year old, a potential broodmare whose racing career is all but over, but a relatively profitable bank account and folks ready to go racing.

Photo Credit: Jenepher Puniska

Last First.

E Sveikata (Even the Score – My Philly) was a homebred by Gabe and Jenepher Puniska (Hess on the breeding forms) that we bought 40% of in March.  She was training at Eisaman Equine and doing well.  In June she went to the racetrack to the barn of Kathleen O’Connell where she took her training to the next level.  We were all patient and careful with her as she made the adjustment from the farm to the track.  We call her ‘Kat’ while the barn called her ‘Eva’ short for Eva the Diva because of her regal prep work at Eisaman.

Kat’s first start, in a $32,000 maiden claiming race, was on September 28^th, nearly six months after paying out with no possibility of return.  We, of course, wanted to win, but our hope was to hit the board.  She finished 4^th.  She came back just fine, though, and was entered back on October 19^th, same level, same distance (5.5 furlongs). 

For race number 2, the track came up sloppy and she drew the rail – two things you really don’t want to see for a young horse.  She also had developed a minor urinary tract infection that didn’t impede her training, but did need treatment.  By race time she was testing fine and we decided to let her rip and see what she could do in the slop and pinned inside – she’d have to do eventually.  She broke a step slowly and also had to be steadied behind horses entering the turn but was still able to finish second.  Things were looking up!

Race three was last week, November 8.  She went a furlong further, which we thought was more to her liking.  It was going to be our last race on the dirt before we moved her to the turf.  We stayed at the same level and she broke alertly and, while wide the entire trip, proved to be much the best.  So much so that someone anted up $32,000 for her and claimed her away from us.  All that time, energy and money and she was gone.  It was truly a bittersweet moment.  After the expenses are tallied up, the group would have earned between 15 – 18% off of our initial outlay.  One thing you learn over time in this business, making money is hard and when you do, be thankful.  But we won’t know what Kat will become.  Her development will be different under a new trainer and regimen.  We’ll continue to chart her progress and wish her and her new connections the best of luck going forward.

On to Tabby Lane. 

Everyone that reads this knows Tabby.  Tabby’s career is spotty, but overall you can never complain with a horse that can start 40 times and win at a 25% clip.  She won as high as a first level allowance/optional claiming as well as several starter allowances.  She may race one more season or she may become a broodmare.

It’s doubtful she could make it as a broodmare in Kentucky, New York or California, but she may do well here in Minnesota.  With the right stallion she could possibly throw some nice offspring.  Of course breeding is a bit of a crapshoot and any number of things can go wrong.  There are some folks in the group that probably won’t want to go that route and some that do, depending upon the costs involved.  Realistically, breeding is paying out for 3 years with no possible hope of a return until then.  Even then, we’ll probably need to breed to race in order to prove her out before we can breed to sell.

There are options.  She may come back and race one more season.  We may sell her as a broodmare prospect – I’m certainly not opposed to that.  I’m not even opposed to selling part of her as a broodmare prospect and retaining a small share just to be a part of the process and learn about it from the inside from those that know this end of the business.  It’s nice to have options while she, for now, rests and recreates out on the farm.

The business marches on, of course, and folks are ready to get started once Tampa gets rolling to claim a horse and get back in the game for another season.  The purses at Canterbury should escalate nicely and will provide us with a better potential return than was ever possible before – at least in my tenure up here.  There are remnants of the Tabby Lane group – depending, of course, what happens to her career – the remnants of the E Sveikata group as well as the foundation for the next group that was already in place.  It could be a very active winter for us!

For now, though, it’s time to close up the book on Kat, decide what to do with Tabby and flesh out the 2013 claiming group.  Business marches on indeed.

Won...and Done

Talk about an emotional swing!  I was in a meeting in Mount Pleasant, MI when E Sveikata’s race was run.  I got into the car about 15 minutes after the finish of the race to a rash of text messages from a friend in Vegas sending me the good news: Kat won!  Our girl was a maiden now more.  She professionally dispatched a group of $32,000 maiden claimers running wide the entire trip, roused when asked and keep the competition at bay for a 3-length victory – like a 6/5 shot should.

At this point my personal phone was dead and I only had about 10% left on my work phone but I jumped on Facebook to post the news:

“A maiden no more!!! E Sveikata breaks her maiden at Camder this afternoon!!!!”  (You read that right – Camder.  It’s an iPhone…I have fat fingers…). 

Not much later, as the congratulations started coming in, a friend in southern Cal added, “Congrats Ted Grevelis! She got claimed!”

Huh…

The elation quickly dissipated as the reality settled in.  I couldn’t contact our majority partner because the one phone was dead and the one in my hand just died.  My concern was immediately for him, Gabe Puniska and his wife, Jenepher.  Gabe was there when Kat was pulled from her mother’s womb.  She was a homebred and supervised every bit of her development. He’s been in this game a while and has lived through the ups and downs, but I had no idea how he was going to react with her claim.

I had several hours to stew as we heading toward the hotel in Battle Creek.  When the dust settled, Gabe was okay.  He was understandably conflicted but in the span of a week offspring of his broodmare sold horses in excess of $55,000 (a half-brother of Kat was sold at Fasig Tipton earlier in the week for $25,000) – not bad for a mid-level claimer/allowance mare that toiled at Canterbury Park.

The feelings of the group, while a bit mixed, were generally the same: she was great, and we made some money, let’s move on.  So that’s what we will do in some way, shape or form.  All the partners may not stay and some new may join us, but we will move one, secure in knowing that we were part of a two-year old’s development, paying out with no possibility for a return in months and then picking up a 4^th, 2^nd, a win and being claimed for more than we paid for her.  We came out of her ahead, and that’s never a bad thing.

Curtain Closes on 2012 at Canterbury with Bright Future Ahead

A year removed from a season that was marred by a 3-week government shutdown and ended with trepidation for the future of Minnesota racing, Canterbury Park recently concluded a record breaking year and will approach the 2013 season with renewed optimism and hope for the future.

Under the provisions of an agreement between the track and the casino-owning Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Community will provide $81 million over the next 10 years with 90% of the payment going to fund purses.  The remaining 10% will be set aside for marketing initiatives designed to increase attendance and handle at Canterbury.  In return, Canterbury Park has agreed to drop the pursuit of a racino and will be working with the Nation’s two casinos, Mystic Lake and Little Six, on joint marketing initiatives.

For the fourth consecutive year the track set a record for average annual attendance at 6,595, up 7.3% over last year’s season.  Additionally, the average daily on-track handle of $189,973 was also a 7.3% increase year over year while the average daily all source handle on Canterbury races of $452,405 was up 12.9% over 2011.  Total all source handle for the meet was up 25% to $28,049,108 with six additional racing days in 2012.  These are nothing to sneeze at.  Even with the 6 less racing days of 2011 the comparison is impressive. 

I found it interesting that the increase in on track attandance and handle moved in synch - that folks just continue to bet the same amount per capita no matter how many we pull in, but track President and CEO Randy Sampson pointed out, "We've had increased attendance each of the alst few years and handle has been flat.  This is definitely a good sign"

The claiming box was more active this season as well.  In both 2010 and 2011, 27 horses were claimed at each meet.  For the 2012 season that number doubled to 54 horses as trainers looked for better quality stock to compete for the increased purse money. A quick look at the claims report shows that while there are many familiar names on the list, there are quite a few who are not.  It may be a bit premature to think that we’re suddenly attracting new owners into the game, it does show a renewed level of interest. 

When the agreement was first inked, purses were increased 35% retroactive from the start of the meet.  For the 2013 season the purses will increase approximately another 25%. This should lead to more stall applications for the track resulting in fuller fields and increased wagering opportunities for the bettor.  The track has already begun work on recruiting not only owners and trainers for next season, but increasing the availability of the Canterbury signal to draw more wagering interest from across the country.  More wagering will result in increased revenue and will help to grow racing in the state.  The Festival Day crowd of over 17,000 shows that Minnesotans will come to the races FOR the races; there were no gimmicks on Festival Day, just gorgeous day featuring great racing – and the people came.  I don’t think the track can expect that kind of crowd every weekend, but it’s good to know that a good product brings in the people.

The optimism even permeated the annual Minnesota Thoroughbred Association’s annual yearling sale.  With the same number of horses sold as the 2011 sale, 31, the average selling price increased 61% to $10,332 and the median increased 45% to $5,500.  Even the sale topper was up 86% with a colt by Holy Bull out of Run With Joy selling for $56,000 to Barry & Joni Butzow, part owners of Graded Stakes winner Hamazing Destiny.

“The momentum really built through the season and really culminated yesterday with the record Festival Day crowd,” said Sampson.  “You can tell that we’re on the verge of things going up considerably as the agreement gets fully implemented over the next few years.”

DIVISIONAL TITLES

The 2012 Divisional Champions were announced by Canterbury Park on Sunday.  Horse of the Year was also the three year old champion and champion sprinter, the undefeated Heliskier.  Heleiskier was 4-4 on the season taking an allowance followed by three stakes, the Victor S Myers, the MTA Stallion Laddie and the Minnesota Derby, by a combined total of 33 ¾ lengths.  Heliskier earned $103,056 on the season. As you know, I have a great love for this three year old gelding and I’m very excited to see him run for years to come.

Other divisional winners include: Older and Grass Horse – Tubby Time; Older Filly or Mare – Ruthville; 3-year old filly – Keewatin Ice; 2-year old – Badge of Glory; and claimer of the meet – Patriate.

Mac Robertson was the leading trainer for the 8^th consecutive year with 53 wins and newcomer to Canterbury Tanner Riggs dethroned defending champion jockey Dean Butler with 74 victories to Butler’s 65.  The jockey race was a lot of fun this year with some newcomers entering the fray and I hope that an influx of new trainers can bring in some fresh faces in the jockey colony as well.  It’s always fun to see new talent and Canterbury has the potential to once again be a breeding ground for young jockey talent before they shift tack to California or New York (anyone remember Mike Smith at Canterbury?).

IT’S A WRAP

The bow is on the 2012 season but, as I mentioned, work is already underway to capitalize on the momentum Randy mentioned.  I’ve said before that the agreement is only the beginning and that there is still heavy lifting to do: feelers to trainers and owners need to translate into commitments and stall space; we need to have Canterbury broadcast from coast-to-coast to generate a following amongst the lifeblood of racing – the gamblers; it’d be great to be able to see Canterbury on TVG – handle does improve on nights that we’re broadcast; getting some simulcast centers out in some of the more distant Tribal locations would be great – broadcast centers in Bemidji and Duluth would do very well; and I’d like to see, though it won’t happen, the asinine restriction on internet wagering in the state of Minnesota.  That regulation’s time is clearly passed and the state needs to join most of the rest of the country in allowing wagers via ExpressBet, TwinSpires and the other legal advanced deposit wagering platforms.

If interest in our 2012-13 racing partnership is any indication, there is a spike in interest in owning horses and racing at Canterbury.  There is a lot to love about Canterbury and I look forward to helping to keep the momentum rolling through the next decade – and more.  Think I’m being a homer?  Check out what Brian Zipse had to say over at Horse Racing Nation. 

See you high atop Canterbury Park in May!

Busy Weekend On Tap

DARK STAR MEMORIAL

If you're coming down to Canterbury to watch I'll Have Another's pursuit of immortality in the Belmont stakes, try and come out early.  Track officials have announced that at 10:00AM in the paddock they will hold a memorial for the late Dark Star.  There will be plenty of stories and reminiscnences celebrating Dark's life.  It's probably fitting that the memorial be held in the paddock - that's where all of Dark's picks could win. It's a good thing, too, as his spirit probably would have had a tough time finding the winner's circle if it were held trackside!  God bless you, Drk, I hope you know how much you're missed.

NEW OWNERS' SEMINAR

The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association is sponsoring a New Owners' Seminar immediately following the Dark Star Memorial (approx. 11 AM) on the second floor of the grandstand.  There will be several speakers talking about legal issues, accounting issues, partnerships, claiming, auctions, training, vet care for the racehorse and more.  If you've ever thought about getting into the game but weren't sure how, this is going to be a great opportunity to listen to experts, ask questions and get a feel for what it's like to be a part of the game.

TRIPLE CROWN?

I'll Have Another's pursuit of the Triple Crown will end one way or another on Saturday afternoon in Elmont, NY.  I'm not sure what I'll do about placing a bet on the Belmont Stakes yet.  I really want to see a Triple Crown and am seriously thinking about purchasing a $2 win ticket on I'll Have Another and root for history.  There may very well be value in trying to bet the colt, but I can't bring myself to do it.  Those that know me know that I would bet against my mom if the line was right (sorry mom - and yes, she does read my posts), so that ought to tell you how badly I want to see a Triple Crown!

Tabby Faces Seven at Tampa

This afternoon, Tabby Lane heads back into action at Tampa Bay Downs facing seven other fillies and mares at the $8,000 Claiming level. While I would have liked to have seen her going longer, we can only run in what’s written so we’re going six furlongs over the main track. The race is the 9th in your program and Tabby will be running out of post position 3. Here is how they stack up.
1. Graemy – Scratched out of our last race two weeks ago now she’s dropping way into this one from $20,000. She could go two ways – as these big droppers generally do – huge threat or up the track.

2. Out of Wine – Had nice form earlier last summer but the last two attempts before the break at the bottom at Calder were awful. She does show a nice work pattern heading into this one, though.

3. TABBY LANE

4. Pyriteville – Ohio bred has been close but not quite there while bouncing all around in class.

5. Exchangable – Coming in off a win in an $8,000 claiming non-winners of three under a very well timed ride. This’ll be a tougher group, but she’s already two for four at this meet.

6. Penn Star – Been close but not quite getting there at a notch or two above these. Drop could be exactly what she needs.

7. Party of Eight – This tough 10-year old mare was as on a monster role leaving Tampa last spring and through the summer at Arlington before finally trying tougher and failing. She bounced right back at $6250 last out and is making the next logical step up.

8. Shez So Special – Big winner last out against $5000 claimers. She’s been very tough at that level and is now trying to take on tougher.

Tabby Lane comes into her second start off the layoff as the 10-1 fifth choice; hardly a ringing endorsement. At least this time the handicapping page at Tampa actually touches on her as a possible choice in the exacta, but I don’t think the public at large gives her a whole lot of chance. Even I, proud managing partner that I am, am not going to tout her to the heavens, but I think she does have a shot in here. In her last, she had a crappy start and still managed to finish fourth. She most definitely needed the race, there is no doubt about that. After four months away, I’m, not sure that her focus was where we’d like to have seen it. Hopefully she’s more on the ball. If all goes well, I think she can be there, but it certainly won’t be easy.  I’m hoping for a quick early pace with Graemy, Out of Wine, Penn Star and maybe even Shez So Special pushing things up front which will hopefully open the door to our girl in the lane, but – as always – we’ll need to run the race and see how it all unfolds.

Find Me A Winner!

Today the holidays officially end and the work of picking a racehorse begins. The group is almost fully rounded out with only a couple of stragglers remaining. I'll give it another week, maybe 10-days, for folks to get their paperwork in and then we're launching. In a perfect world we could have a runner by the end of the month, but realistically mid-February is a more reasonable target. In the interim there is video to watch, offers to field and a trainer to consult with.

Saturday will consist of me catching up with all the replays from Tampa in the last few weeks since racing returned to Oldsmar. It's not the best way to gauge horseflesh, but it's a start. I can see if there are some runners who may get dropped into a class below to catch a break out of a troubled race. It's not unusual to see a $16,000 horse run into a couple of bad trips and get dropped to $12,500 pick up a win and move back up again. The key is finding the horse that is dropping trying to steal a race rather than a horse dropping in ability!

I've got a pile of paper to go through, past performances and race charts mostly, that will perhaps give me a clue to what I'm looking for. Once I touch base with Bernell and let him know that we're ready, I'll get even more (and WAY better) insight into who is looking good. There may even be a bead or two on a private purchase. Ideally an owner that is having some trouble paying the bills, not one who is trying to get rid of his problems. Let me rephrase...I don't want ANY owner to experience financial problems, but I'd rather know that they are selling good stock at reasonable prices then only selling a select few 'failures' and keeping their best.

I'm going to start the coffee pot, organize myself and my thoughts and get going!

Focus

We've been all over the map in recent months getting the next group lined up and ready to go. This was mainly because interest has come from all over the country, though not enough in any one spot to make that one place a gimme for buying a horse. I think that one of the main reasons to get into a partnership is to see your horse race live, visit the barn, be in the paddock before a race. To me, all that is priceless - plus the works on the backside in the morning. That's just a slice of heaven.

However, you can't be all things to all people, so there needs to be a focus and if that keeps some folks from joining us along the way for right now, then so be it. I've decided that we're going to focus on Canterbury Park next summer and drill our focus down to a horse that can run there as well as either Tampa and Remington (if we race with Bernell) or Chicagoland (if we race with Tammy). Heck, if there is enough interest, we'll do both, but the focus is on racing in Minnesota next summer.

There are several reasons for this focus and, obviously, none of them are purse related. Of course just throwing that out there makes it seem like we race for scraps up here and that is not true. I would call our purse structure lower mid-level. We're certainly not rock bottom, but our allowances top out in the mid-twenties. As we proved with Fizzy Pop, though, you can make some money up here if you race where you belong.

Here are the reasons in no particular order:

- You have to start somewhere and rather than be scattered all over, I'd like to start building off of Fizzy with a group nearby. It's easier for me to control the day-to-day here.

- Canterbury Park itself. As many of you already know, I think Canterbury runs one of the most inventive and fun racing meets in the country. Partners that race with us here are going to have a fun summer.

- It's home. There is something about racing at home in front of family and friends that is just over the top. I've been in the paddock at Santa Anita and it's marvelous, but it's not home. Not saying I don't want to do it again, however, because I do!

- Costs. Costs are very manageable here. Training fees are fair and, more importantly, vet fees are fair. I've seen vet bills from racing in NY, NJ and CA and for the same services, you can't beat the Midwest/Florida. It simply makes fiscal sense.

There you have it. My two main requirements are that we run here in the summer and that whatever horse we claim or private purchase can compete elsewhere. I may be cutting off some folks in other locations and to them I say, thank you so very much for your interest. I hope that we'll be racing your way soon, but right now we're going to focus on methodical growth and that starts at right here at home. It's important to do things right and you can only do that if you are focused, not scattered. HBT9WWH64CZH

If you're interested, please drop us a line, I'd like to finalize the group and have a horse in training in January. It takes a while to rev up and get ready to race and trying to get something going three weeks before the meet starts is about three months too late!

Now What?

An interesting situation is what I have going on right now. Our group's horse, Fizzy Pop, was claimed Friday night. I still own 12.5% of pacer I Am Woman, but I don't manage her so that leaves me - a guy with a blog and a radio show dedicated to his emerging racing empire - without a horse to manage! In an ideal world we would have had Miss Belle Express to race us through the fall as well, but that was not meant to be. I also made an offer on a California horse to no avail as we were very far apart on the price.

Due to personal reasons, some of the Fizzy Pop partners need to take the money and run while the others and myself plan to soldier on with some new partners mixed in. But where do we go? Hopefully this weekend I will get a line on another California horse, so there is a start. I also definitely want to be ready with another claiming group for Tampa this winter and try to replicate the success we had with Fizzy. Still hanging out there is the possibility of teaming with a few other owners and try and hit a home run with a private purchase of a higher class horse, but that's a bit higher end and those kind of partners are hard to find in this economy.

So now what? Well, we keep pushing on. If we can get a nice percentage of a good horse racing in California, that would be nice. I would go ahead and offer some type of low cost entry point for that one for small shares and get the left coast in action. I'll also keep working for partners here in Minnesota and down in Florida that would like to see their horse run between Tampa Bay and Canterbury. $20,000 will get that group off the ground with a nice mid-range horse and money left over to pay the bills for a while. I'll also keep on talking on Blog Talk Radio (you can listen to the latest episode on claiming on the top left) because that is such a fun release I can't imagine giving that up. And, of course, I'll chronicle it all here!

Speaking of the radio show, thanks to your support, the show has become eligible to move into prime time. The question is what time? I was thinking 8:30 Central Time. That makes it only 9:30 on the East Coast and 6:30 on the West so most everyone should be home from work by then and it not be too late in the East. I'd be happy to entertain thoughts from the audience on this one. Again, thank you all for getting the show over that threshold so quickly. I really appreciate it.

Tonight's Show: The Claiming Game

Tonight on the show on Blog Talk Radio I'll be talking about the claiming game in racing. Claiming races make up the majority of races in North America and many of us small time owners are involved in the claiming game in some way shape or form. I'm looking to hear from you on the show about your experiences claiming horses, what you look for and what you try to avoid. If you can't call in, please drop me a line at ted@grevelisracing.com so I can get your comments on the air.

Talk to you tonight at 10 PM Central Time!