Closing Her Up

Our warm seasons in Minnesota are short, at least they feel really short when you have -23 high temperatures some winter days, so we try and savor the Canterbury Park live racing season while we can.

Admittedly there was not a lot to savor on the racetrack for us personally this year, we only managed one win this season, but there were certainly great moments.

Trainer Robertino Diodoro, in his second season training at Canterbury, seized the training title from 9 time champion Mac Robertson.  This is the first year that I can remember that Mac didn't have the title wrapped up with 4 - 6 weeks to go.  I had a chance to talk with Diodoro after his Castletown won the $40,000 HBPA Sprint Stakes and asked him what changed between his debut season, where he had a hard time reaching the winners' circle, to this season.

“We had help issues, horses getting sick, you name it,” Diodoro said.  “I wasn’t going to come back but [Minnesota HBPA President] Tom Metzen kept after me in Phoenix to try again.  I do really like it here and after evaluating our horses and where they would fit, I decided to give it another try, but we weren’t going to do it halfway.”

                                                       Trainer Robertino Diodoro


Diodoro tied the Canterbury Park record for wins by a trainer on a single card, taking six on the final day, albeit in a highly unusual way, winning both ends of a dead heat in the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile stakes which counted as two wins.  I'm not sure which feat is more impressive: winning six races or getting six wins in five races!

                                         Mercedes Stables owned/Diodoro trained dead heat.

The jockey race was another that came down to the final day.  The trio of defending champion Dean Butler, Ry Eikleberry and Alex Canchari entered the final day with Eikleberry sporting a two win lead over his rivals and was able to hold off Canchari, taking the title 64 - 63.

The Indian Horse Relay was again a highlight of the meet for me.  These kids are truly amazing.  For those not familiar, there are several teams that consist of a rider, holder and mugger.  Three horses on each team go a lap each (1 mile) and at the end of the lap, the mugger grabs the horse coming in at nearly full speed while the rider jumps off one mount and vaults on another for another lap.  This year's winner was Dolphus Racing from the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation.

Horse exchange in the Indian Relay

And things can get dangerous - this rider was not seriously injured.

The big race of the season was the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, run on closing day for the first time in it's 3-year existence.  According to Canterbury's Vice President of Racing Operations Eric Halstrom,"“We had hoped that moving our biggest race to the end of the season would allow us to draw horses from tracks where we had not before."

Halstrom wasn't mistaken.  Ten of the 12 entered for Saturday most recently raced at tracks other than Canterbury, including Saratoga, Monmouth, and Parx in the east, Del Mar in southern California, and Northlands Park and Woodbine in Canada.

The winner was Long on Value who swept passed the early leaders Chairman Crooks and the favorite General Jack to take the richest race in the Canterbury Park era of Minnesota racing.

While the leading owners of the meet were brothers Al & Bill Ulwelling for the third time in five years, it's hard to imagine an owner having a better year than Rake Farms LLC.  Proprietor Scott Rake breeds and races a small stable but had some of the biggest wins of the year with filly Sky and Sea and gelding Bourbon County.  Between the two, four divisional honors were captured including Sky and Sea being named the Horse of the Year for the 2014 season.

Sky and Sea

From a business perspective, stats at the track were relatively flat but in an era when contraction is the norm and tracks are struggling to fill fields and just stay open, flat is the new up.

From my recap in the DRF:

Total purses for the meet were up 5.4 percent over 2013 with the track paying out $13,120,706 over the 68-day season.

Field size, which was a decade-best 8.36 horses per race in 2013, remained steady with 2014 fields averaging 8.22 starters per race.

Claiming activity at the Shakopee oval was up sharply year over year, with the number of horses claimed nearly doubled from 2013, 165 compared to 65, with a total value of more than $1,000,000, an increase of 79.3 percent year over year.

While the track still enjoyed robust average attendance, averaging 6,419 fans per race day, on-track handle slipped 7.5 percent year over year. Out-of-state handle, however, remained strong, essentially flat after the giant 31.8 percent increase from 2012 to 2013. All-sources handle saw a dip of 2.5 percent from 2013 numbers.

The purse increases have not subsided yet, either.  I believe that there are two more years of increasing from the original SMSC agreement before that money flattens out.  Additionally, we reached the bottom as far as Minnesota bred foal crops go.  This past year was the lowest number of 2-year olds we will see.  Starting next year the crops goes up exponentially and we should start seeing more MN bred races filling and more opportunities to race.

From a selfish business perspective it was a difficult season but overall it was another dynamic season of racing in Minnesota.  While we didn't win as many races, we'll just need to get better go forward.  And this summer wasn't a total loss as it was also the emergence of Heather as a bonafide photographer.  All the pictures here are hers and, if you follow her on Twitter (@raezen12 - and if you don't, I encourage you to do so), you've seen more of her marvelous photos all season long.

So off we go to regroup and try and come back stronger next season.  Now we'll focus on the baby and getting ready for 2015.  As always, we'll talk Breeders' Cup when the time comes as well as thoughts on various racing issues as the winter goes on and, of course, keep you posted on our activities as well.

I leave you today with the complete rundown of the divisional winners from this past season at Canterbury Park.

Horse of the year, 3 year old filly, top sprinter – Sky and Sea

Older horse – Bourbon County

3 year old colt/gelding – Speed is Life

Grass horse – Dear Fay

Older Filly/Mare – Talkin Bout

2-year old – Hold for More

Claimer of the meet – Terice

Quarter Horse – Dirt Road Queen

 

 

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!

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!

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!

Bourbonology's FIrst Start - Take 2

Bourbonology’s first start for GRS was swept away under adverse track conditions so we’re back to give it another go tonight.  Well, she’s back to give it another go tonight, I am in Michigan for work and it doesn’t look like I’ll be back until sometime very late Friday night.  I’ll miss the race in person but I’ll be watching on the PC or on my Horse Races Now app on the iphone.  Either way I’ll be rooting her on.  Here is a look at the field.

Dear Hrishi (Van Winkle/Rivera): 0-37 mare is going to give it another go.  Has finished on the board 21 of those times so she’s been close.  She’ll bounce up from $25,000 Maiden Claiming to take on this group.

BOURBONOLOGY (RHONE/BUTLER)

Daring Ride (Padilla/Eikleberry): Closed quickly but fell short.  The shorter distance may have been better suited to him last week.  Now tries the turf for the first time and gets a bit longer.

Excusemeplease (Bravo/Keith):  Another off-the turf race last time with a rally that might have been better suited to a shorter distance.  Picks up an extra 70 and loses Butler but picks up Keith.  Nice that Dean decided to go with our gal after her second work with her.  Like last time, that may not mean anything at all, but it’s still nice…

Andrea’s Josie (McKinley/P Canchari): Moving up from a maiden claiming race where she finished behind several in here.

The Grans (Lund/Vergara): First of an uncoupled Valerie Lund trained entry.  Had a tough couple of races where she was pulled up in one and then slipped in the stretch in the other.  Came back to run a credible 4^th at Canterbury at this level in an off the turf race.

Ee Da How (Lund/Vegara): Pulled up her last time out but had a very stylish debut.  If she is feeling okay, I know that trainer Valerie Lund will have her ready.  Both her runners are sneaky dangerous.

A Thousand Talents (Kirby/Escobar): Former Biehler trainee had her first trip of 2013 over the Canterbury surface in an off the turf maiden special.  She didn’t break well and never got into the mix.

Bluegrass Lucy (Brinson/Ochoa): Sweet filly in the Brinson barn, Lucy finished a fast closing 2^nd in her first Canterbury turf start.  She really improved from the dirt to the turf and the morning line favorite will be a handful.

Antique Angel (Van Winkle/Franco):First time going a route a ground or over the turf. 

ALSO ELIGIBLES: Chasen A Star, Prairie Lake, Bitter Tears, Rio Bello, Velve Kay

There is not a lot of consistent early speed in the race.  In fact, only Excusemeplease appears to have ever really been on the front end.  That was her last out but it was also off the turf (which could very well be the case with rain in the forecast in the Shakopee area).  If she, or anyone, can sneak away on the field, that could be all she wrote for the rest.

Bobo should be in a relatively good position.  I was a bit concerned heading into her last race with her work being relatively non-descript. And actually, if you look on time alone, her last work was nothing to get excited about either, unless you saw it.  She really did a nice job staying to task and picking it up when Dean asked her to.  It may not mean much, but overall we were very happy with the differences in her works.

There are several in here that can jump up.  Bluegrass Lucy will be tough and I think Valerie Lund will have both of her runners as ready to go as they can be – if they can overcome their issues they will be difficult as well.  The wild card will be the weather again.  There will be rain and thunderstorms in the area and at this point I don’t even care if we stay on the turf, only that we get to race.  To be honest, she should do relatively well over a wet track so hopefully it will not matter.

Best of luck to all her partners and we do have one angle going for us: it’s out partner Matthew’s birthday today and that’s always a powerful handicapping angle!

Longest Shot on the Board

That’s what Tabby Lane is on Sunday.  At 12-1 she stands no chance.  Why in the world did we even enter her?  What were we thinking?!?!

There was a method behind this entry and I’ll let you know how we can actually win this thing after we review the other entrants in the 7.5 furlong race over the Canterbury Park turf course.

1 – SS Shelby (Lund/Rivera): Mare reeled off 5 wins at Turf Paradise over the winter, winning as high as $20,000 Optional Claiming.  She did pick up a win in five starts over the turf here, though she faltered against Tabby last July in a starter.

2 – Hidden Gold (Bravo/Castro): Two time Lady Slipper Champion who hung a 79 Beyer last out.  Sharp as a tack but distance may be an issue.

3 – Second City Street (Sherer/Walker Jr): Narrow misses in her last two against these types.  Was the favorite last out running out of room.  Hoping the extra furlong and a half makes the difference.

4 – Go Go Jill (Rengstorf/Stevens):  Three year old takes on older here for the first time after picking up a win in her seasonal debut over a field of state bred allowance horses.  Talented lightly raced filly is tough and on the improve.

5 – Grace of Greatness (Robertson/Bell): Seasonal debut for filly that picked up a nice win at $25,000 open company last summer.  May need a sharpener and I doubt that this race is the goal for him.

6 – Sasha’s Fierce (Sherer/Goodwin): 2010 MN Distaff Champion hasn’t been able to duplicate her 3 year old form but has beaten this type last year.

7 – Mesa Mirage (Hanson/Keith): Speedster has the ability to wire the field and probably needed her last after the layoff.  Is going to be tough on the lead but will have company.

8 – TABBY LANE (RHONE/BUTLER)

9 – Priceless Pearl (Silva/Franco): Second off the claim in the Silva barn.  Barn debut in the Lady Slipper didn’t go as planned but was quality on the turf last year here, though winless.

10 – Congrats and Roses (Robertson/Riggs): 2^nd in the 2010 Minnesota Debutante and the 2011 Distaff Classic but just not able to nail down that stakes win.   She probably needed her last but may be overmatched in here.

So why did we enter here?  We tried to get a $12,500 claiming race to go but there were not enough entries.  Not even close.  We ended up with 2 choices: drop down to $7500 or go up a notch to $16,000.  $7500 is giving her away – there is no doubt about that.  Tabby’s low end value is about $10,000 and we’re not going to put her up for sale at less than her value.  $16,000 is probably the upper end of her range, but the issue here is that it’s an optional for non-winners of 2 lifetime other than maiden, claiming, starter or state bred.  We only qualify under the claiming condition, but it does mean that we can run into lightly raced stakes or allowance horses that might not have been able to break through with enough wins yet.  Kind of the situation we’re in Sunday.

You never know how these races turn out until they are filled and this one turned up tough.  That doesn’t mean that we can’t win.

There are several horses in the field that are going to want the lead and several short sprinters stretching out a bit to seven and a half furlongs.  There are also a couple of horses that are coming in off of seasonal layoffs that may (hopefully) need a race.  Last season she really jumped up on the turf and we’re pretty excited to get her there again.  Jockey Dean Butler will have Tabby in a nice spot and she’ll rally for sure – will she have enough to get there to beat these is going to be the question.

We’ll see on Sunday afternoon.

Missed It By That Much

The race was run over the main track at 7 furlongs and, as I mentioned in the preview post Friday, I was a bit afraid that was too short for Tabby Lane.  I was also afraid that the layoff may have taken the edge off her so at least I was dead wrong about that part. Kudos to the Rhone barn for keeping her sharp.

Tabby broke last and laid off most of the field, which isn’t terribly unusual for her.  The early fractions set by Black Magic Moon were more than reasonable at :22.1 and :44.3 and I was optimistic that the pace was one we could close into.  What I didn’t account for was the mid race move made by Holy Bling.

JJ Garcia took Holy Bling, just before the half mile mark, and shook her loose and she went running.  She opened up five and then seven lengths on the field and tried to ride that all the way home.  In the meantime, Dean Butler had Tabby on the move through the turn and at the top of the stretch she had moved to 6^th but was fanned very wide.  She changed her leads and continued to close hard down the lane, kept company by Learn the Lingo.  Tabby’s rally fell 1½ lengths short of the top spot but prevailed for second by an increasing head.  According to the Trakus system at Tampa, Tabby ran 33 feet further than the winner and came home with the fastest last quarter time of the field.

There was no question that at a mile Tabby had this race but after 59 days of waiting we had to go with a race that was close to what she wanted and this was it.  We’ve already made the decision to ship north from Florida this coming week.  The only chance we have for a race at Tampa would be on closing day, the same $16,000 claiming race over the grass that had us on the "Also Eligible" list last week and I’m not waiting around to see if we make it in.  Besides, that’s only two weeks away.  At least if we get to Canterbury she can train over the surface, get settled in and perhaps run down at Prairie Meadows waiting for a race here.  Up north we have options; at Tampa we have only hope.  I prefer the options.

Tabby came back from the race in really good shape – “better than when we went over” said her trainer, Bernell Rhone, on Sunday morning.  You can’t ask for any more than that.  See you soon, Canterbury!

Tabby Takes on Seven at Seven

After nearly 60-days Tabby Lane is back in a race.  We were looking for a $16,000 claiming race or, near the end of the wait, even another $12,500 race just so she can get racing again.  There is nothing more frustrating than having a fit horse that’s just reeled off two wins in a row get stuck waiting for a race to fill.

The golden ticket was finally punched for tomorrow (Saturday) in a $5,000 starter allowance going 7 furlongs over the main track.  I would have liked to have had a bit more distance but at this point beggars cannot be choosers.  We certainly would not have gone below 7 furlongs.  Tabby is just not equipped to sprint and the setter of the morning line at Tampa Bay Downs apparently feels the same way – or at least feels that she needs more than 7 furlongs.  Maybe he’s right, maybe not.  Over the distance Tabby has a win, a second and two thirds over six career starts.  Not bad.  And in that winning effort she was only a point off her career best Beyer speed figure.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Here is the field for the 10^th race at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday.

Learn the Lingo (Hyland/Allen) – Second choice has had a couple of subpar efforts since reeling off two in a row to close out 2011 at $10,000 claiming.  Was void of early speed in those efforts which is contrary to her better performances in her PPs where she was on or near the lead.

Bobbiesqueen (Navarro/Serpa) – Morning line favorite at a meager 8-5, this front runner came back from a short break at Calder at the of the year and made her first two efforts at Tampa winning ones in a conditioned $5,000 claimer and a non-winner of one allowance – both in convincing fashion.  Emboldened, she traveled to Gulfstream for an optional claiming starter and, although she set the fractions, wilted late against the tougher competition but managed to hang on to take the show spot.  She is a well-deserved favorite if she repeats her Tampa form and is left alone on the front end.

Markswayornoway (Camillo/Gonzalez) – Winner of a conditioned $5,000 claiming race last out, this one looks like she may be in a bit over her head in with the top of these, though hopefully she can push Bobbiesqueen early.

TABBY LANE

Black Magic Moon (Vacca/Vargas) – Her last race in 2011 was a doozy, smoking a field of low level claimers at Suffolk by over 10 lengths.  After that race she was laid off until last month where she was pushed up to her former class levels ($16,000 - $20,000) and simply wasn’t competitive.  Butler was on board for both her local efforts but will be on Tabby Lane today.

Standing Appeal (Camillo/Clemente) – Another Juan Camillo trainee, she also has been toiling at the lower rungs at Tampa following up a win at $5,000 with a ho-hum third at $8,000 last out.

Harlan’s Pepper (Nagle/Spieth) – A winner two back in a non-winners of 3 $8,000 claiming race, she graduated into a straight $8,000 claiming race where she was a respectable 3^rd after having some trouble early.  She has some good tactical speed and it should be interesting to see what Spieth does should Bobbiesqueen takes the engine all alone.

Holy Bling (Passley/Garcia) – She’s hit the board in her last five starts, winning three of them.  She’s a solid sprinter who has done well stretching to 7 furlongs.  She was unable to hold up against the likes of $12,500 fillies and mares last out when it counted and she faces several in here that are of at least that quality, including Tabby, though is rated a bit ahead in the morning line at 4-1.

As you may have been able to guess, I’m a bit miffed at the morning line.  And I'm miffed for absolutely no valid reason.  Objectively there are probably four horses that can win this race: Bobbiesqueen, Tabby Lane, Learn the Lingo and Holy Bling and the obvious choice of those four is Bobbiesqueen, the morning line favorite.  The reality is that the morning line doesn’t matter a hoot.  We’ve all heard it before, “The races aren’t run on paper.”  My guess is that while Tabby is valued for her ability at Tampa and her recent winning streak, a seven furlong race is viewed more like a sprint and it’s no secret that Tabby needs a bit more room to unwind and get rolling.  Pick us 4^th if you will, but there is a way that these 7 furlongs could work to her advantage. You know, I think a shrink would say that I'm acting like someone is picking on my kid...

Bobbiesqueen is a frontrunner.  Last race she set fractions at Tampa of :23.1 and :46.4 while cruising to victory at 6 ½ furlongs. Holy Bling, on the far outside, set fractions of :22.4 and :45.4 when she won at six furlongs last out.  Standing Appeal, Markswayornoway and even Black Magic Moon and Learn the Lingo (in her better efforts) all prefer the front end.  Markswayornoway even pushed along Holy Bling last time they faced each other before fading.  Markswayornoway is a considerable distance from Holy Bling in the starting gate but is settled in right between Bobbiesqueen and Tabby Lane.  The three hard chargers could leave the rail open early for Tabby to save some ground while letting the speed move out.

It is a 7 furlong race so Tabby can’t sit too far back and still expect to make a run, but there is no one I trust more in the irons judging the pace of the race than Dean Butler.  His last ride on Tabby was picture perfect and as of late (he was last month's Jockey of the Month at Tampa) he has been simply fabulous.

My concerns are twofold: the unintended layoff taking the edge of her sharpness and Bobbiesqueen going wire to wire.  If both of those concerns are mitigated, Tabby Lane will be right there at the end.