Ellie's Village

Sometimes it does indeed take a village.

Though I’ve been lax here with the launch of Midwest Paddock Report and running our groups and the Canterbury Racing Club, those of you that tuned in regularly know that Elusive Edition (Ellie) did not pan out the way we had hoped.

Her 2 year old season was a scratch due to sore shins.  Russ Rhone had her during the off season and worked on those shins all winter long and she never had a shin issue again.

Heading into her 3-year old season we decided to send her south to get her ready early and avoid the bad weather.  The Lexington area had some of the worst weather in generations and then she ended up bowing a tendon and being retired. So much for the best laid plans.

We had no place to really take her to make her well without it costing a small fortune.  She needed a lot of stall rest and attention and we do not have our own farm.

Enter Heather Haagenson and Scott and Angie Rake.

Heather, our Good Samaritan, thought Ellie would be a good project.  We checked with her employer, Rake Farms, who said that if Heather could handle it, Ellie could move in.

Ellie shipped to MN in May to Rake Farm where she was examined by Dr. John King.  John took a great deal of time examining and explaining to a very curious Heather (Frisbie) and I all about what we were seeing on the ultrasound, how bowed tendons occur, how they heal and what her prognosis was (good to excellent, though not as a racer).

Heather Haagenson then took over Ellie’s care: hand walking her twice a day and reporting back to us her progress, her friendship with pig Frankel and keeping detailed notes of her progress for Dr. King.  Lindsey, who handles Rake Farm stable on weekends, did the weekend duties.

As the summer progressed, Ellie improved and after about 100 days we had John re-examine her.  She could expand her horizons and, once again, the good doctor was very patient with our questions and providing easy to understand explanations and Heather carried out his orders perfectly.

As the racing season at Canterbury drew to a close (and the Rakes picked up their well-deserved TOBA breeding award in Lexington – gratuitous, but we’re proud of them!), it was time for Ellie to move on.  Racers were coming home - as were the formidable new babies – so she recently moved back to where her career began: Russ Rhone’s farm on the Shakopee/Chaska line near Canterbury Park.

She’s there, turned out for the first time in a long time, only because of the efforts of Heather, Lindsey, Scott and Angie.  The care and love she received in the beautiful and nurturing environment of the Rakes’ farm from the people and pig alike all gave her the time and attention she needed to heal.

Hopefully she will provide someone with years of enjoyment as a riding horse.  She could be very successful in dressage, flat classes and as a trail horse.  She has a good mind, moves beautifully, and has great ground manners and a wonderful personality.

That’s the task now: to find her a person will love her and a job she will love.  While not “free to good home”, her asking price will be small – enough to mean something to her new owner(s).  I never, ever want to find out that she’s ended up in a kill pen somewhere.  Her racing career has been snakebit but she came through it all with her disposition and love for humans intact because, in my opinion, she’s destined for a happy life doing something else.  She certainly deserves that.

If not for Ellie's Village, I don't know if she would have properly recovered and for that I could never fully express my thanks. 

Bad Bows and Good Bows

BOWED TENDON AND BOW OUT

We had it all planned out: Ellie would head south and not miss any training this spring;  she had grown up and, more importantly, she seemed to have matured between her 3 and 4 year old years; we now knew she would be a router and not a sprinter so we could get her ready accordingly.  Yup we had it all planned out.

Then we get “the call”.  Well, not THE call, but a crappy one none-the-less.  Her trainer had come in that morning and felt some heat just below her knee.  She was a bit tender but not enough to take a bad step.  Still, it bore watching so we waited and the first few days it seemed like maybe she just slept on herself wrong.  Then the heat and soreness were back and an ultrasound was done.

She bowed a tendon.

A human way to think of it is tendonitis or a tendon tear.  However you look at it, though, it is NOT good for a racehorse.  The prescription?  Ninety days of stall rest and then a slow resumption of activity in after taking another picture to make sure that the damage is healed.

As a Minnesota bred who probably can’t compete in open company outside of the state you might as well have told us her career was over.  Which it now is.

There is no way that we could have her back for this season and that meant another full year on the bench and it wasn’t fair to her partners to put them through that.  Who knows what would happen to this poor, snakebit mare next!?  She had a tough season at 2 with shins, she didn’t do well at 3 and now, with her 4-year old season closed, it’s time to find her a new job.  We’ll get her rehabbed and then we will see what the future has in store for her.  It’s part of our responsibility as owners and one that we take seriously.

TAKE A BOW FOR YOUR DEBUT

Mr. Lexis was purchased privately out of California a few weeks ago and shipped to trainer Clay Brinson at Hawthorne Race Course.  Mr. Lexis is a lightly raced 4-year old gelding out of the Valid Appeal mare Tracy V and sired by Badge of Silver.  He was bred by former Governor Brereton Jones in KY and sold for $45,000 at Keeneland.

He went and raced in Peru where he missed by a neck in a Grade 1 as a maiden but did finally break his maiden in South America and followed that up with an allowance win before shipping to the US to work under trainer Peter Miller.

After 10 starts at Santa Anita and Del Mar without a win against allowance and mid-level claimers, we picked him up and sent him east where he looks to make his first start Saturday in a conditioned allowance over the turf at Hawthorne.  He was installed as the tepid 7/2 morning line favorite so we should get a pretty good handle on what this group has on its hands.

When one door closes, another opens.  The door has closed on Ellie but now opens for Mr Lexis.  The racing cycle rolls on.

Chugging Along

Ellie checking out the sites at Turfway Park.

March is trying to make it's lion-like entrance in Minnesota but it's first attempt appears to have fizzled out.  Thankfully.

Around the region, thoroughbreds are trying to get ready for the 2015 Canterbury season while, nearby, others are already into their 2015 racing season (Midwest Paddock Report story on Hawthorne ).  We're definitely not quite there yet.

We have learned that Elusive Edition (Ellie) is working well and has definitely increased her lung capacity since starting up her training at Turfway Park under the tutelage of trainer Michelle Allen.  Michelle has sent us videos of Ellie working and it appears as if she really has the desire to run. 

Last year was a year of immaturity and growth for her. In 2014, Ellie was very ADD - especially when heading over to the racetrack.  She likes to take everything in and process.  We always figured that she was very bright which was echoed by her groom last season and confirmed by Michelle in Kentucky.  While I'm glad we have a smart horse who has the ability to learn, sometimes I think I'd be okay with just a dumb jock that can run!

So far I have resisted asking the obvious question: is she going to make a racehorse this season?  I wanted a good 30-days under her belt before I went that route.  Rounding into shape is no time to try and make that kind of determination.  Additionally, while getting ready for her debut season last year, everyone around her felt that while she might not be something special, she should be able to at least break her maiden and win a bit if placed right.  As we know, she didn't so morning observations can only tell you so much. We'll wait and hope to get down there to see for ourselves how she's looking at some point and go from there.

Heather beautifully captures George as a yearling in a rare quiet moment!

The little guy, George (Tabby Dacat - Eastwood Dacat/Tabby Lane/Even the Score) is doing well.  He whacked his head a few weeks back and cut himself pretty good.  He needed stiches so there was an unplanned vet bill, but what can you do?  Yearlings get themselves in trouble. You just have to hope that it's never too bad and they learn from whatever mischief they get into.  He's a big boy and appears to be a bit alpha-ish, which is good to me.  I want a bit of an edge to him.  I want him walking on to that racetrack with the type of confidence that says "I own this place!"

We march on (pun intended) and continue to get Ellie ready; get the Canterbury Racing Club some horses; get the alumni group launched; and look for just a few more partners to round out this year's claiming group.  There is a lot going on and while time seems to be on our side, May 15 will be here before you know it.

Gearing Up

As we get under the 100 day mark until live racing returns to Canterbury Park, horses are getting ready all over the country.  There are potential Canterbury runners in training from Louisiana to Minnesota and Kentucky to Arizona and many places in between.  Currently we have one horse in training and a yearling spending some time growing up.  As I told you about earlier, we sold Tabby Lane and while we retain the designation of 'breeder' to her Doneraile Court foal-to-be, she's off our books with the exception of the stud fee due when the foal stands and nurses.  Last post I mentioned that you can't do it all and we decided to focus on racing.  I'd love to be the independently wealthy type to race and breed, but I'm not so we roll the dice with Ellie and George and whoever else comes down the road.

Tabby Dacat

Young George (Tabby Dacat, officially) is pictured below.  He is a large roan (well, getting there) colt by Eastwood Dacat.  He appears to be relatively correct and is growing nicely, albeit a bit quickly.  We're very excited about our own homebred Minnesota bred.

Tabby Dacat (Eastwood Dacat-Tabby Lane-Even the Score) - We call him George

George and friend...



George will be part of a partnership group when he heads into training late this year, though it's entirely possible that we would put together a group for him earlier since demand seems to be relatively high even though folks know that nothing exciting is going to happen for about a year until he starts training in earnest.

Elusive Edition

Ellie (Elusive Edition) had a very difficult first year.  We ran her four times and she was a complete disaster in her first three.  Her first race could be considered a throw out - she failed to exit the gate in a timely manner and trailed the entire race.  Though she did beat a single horse in that maiden effort.  That initial effort was at 6 furlongs, much like her next two where she again finished 2nd to last. 

Elusive Edition (Late Edition-Mystical Elusion-Menifee) checking out the new surroundings at Turfway

To say that I was depressed over this would be an understatement.  After hurting her shins as a 2-year old and not racing, that first race was a long time coming.  Her efforts leading up to the season in training were good and we had high hopes heading into her 3-year old season.  This was clearly not the start we envisioned.

Her final start of the season was going a mile and 70 yards.  It was a desperation-ish move based on some sound reasoning.  Her jockey, Dean Butler, had mentioned to us that she just couldn't keep up at 6 furlongs and that, maybe, if we sent her longer he could relax her more and that might give her a chance in the race.

She didn't finish second to last in the maiden claiming effort (7th of 10), she did chase the winner around in 2nd place into the lane before she faded.  She most likely wasn't ready to go long and that last effort gave us - well most of us - some hope that with preparation geared to a router instead of a sprinter she may have a chance.

So with that she is back in training with Michelle Allen at Turfway Park.  We sent her away because the winters here have been very hard and really cut into training.  While she's going to be on a short leash this season - more second to last place finishes and we'll find her a new job - we do want to make sure that she has every opportunity to succeed.

New Group(s)

As I mentioned above, we'll be looking at getting George into a group at some point but right now we also are about halfway to 60% full for a new claiming private purchase group to launch this season.  We're keeping this group to 10 members so hopefully we fill in the next month and start shopping.

The Canterbury Racing Club is filling up nicely this season and while it looks like we won't be as big as this past record breaking season (204 members) we will end up well over 100 members.  We may have set the bar a bit high last season with six wins and twelve in the money finishes in 15 starts but it does give us something to shoot at!

We also started a group specifically for Canterbury Racing Club alumni.  There was quite a bit of pent up demand to get the Club to do more: carry over horses from year to year, maybe get a better quality horse and run in higher level races; but the Club was never designed for that.  It was developed as an educational opportunity for people who want to learn about racing without having to worry about paying the bills to do so.

Out of this the CAC Racing was born.  The CAC standing for Canterbury Alumni Club.  Where the Canterbury Club is a not for profit endeavor, CAC Racing will be for profit - at least we are going to try.  The Racing Club is only a $250 buy in and our regular partnerships are a $2000 buy in.  The CAC Racing group falls in between.  There is a $1000 buy in and the group was capped at 50.  As I mentioned, the only requirement is that member had to have once been a member of the Canterbury Racing Club.  I look at it like an intermediate step on the ownership ladder.

Club is On A Roll; Ellie Abscesses

What a month!  The ups and downs of this business are crazy and, frequently, happen at the same time.

The Canterbury Racing Club, which is managed by GRS, is on quite the streak.  Maryjean got to the Hawthorne and ripped off three consecutive wins before being claimed away from us in her last race.  Between her second and third win, Terice picked up a win of her own.  Both horses were well prepared by Clay Brinson and ridden superbly by Emmanuel Esquivel. 

The girls have been on fire and Terice goes at it again later this afternoon at Hawthorne.  If she can win she will extend the Club winning streak to five in a row and notch her own second consecutive win. 

The girls have helped the Club achieve several milestones this season: most wins in a season (5 and counting...I hope); first allowance effort (Maryjean, finished 3rd); and most consecutive wins (4 and counting).  It's been a lot of fun and I think the Club members have had a great time with it.

At the same time, our 3YO Minnesota bred filly, Elusive Edition, came up lame one day during her turnout.  It was heartbreaking.  She was way off on the front end and, because she has such an expression-full face, she just looked miserable.

Initially her feet looked good and we put front shoes on her which seemed to help some along with a short course of bute.  Once she was off the bute, however, she went totally sideways again and we hauled her up to Clearly Lake for Doctor Kathy Ott to take at her.

Step one was to use the hoof tester and see what she had going on in the feet.  As she moved around Ellie's right front hoof Dr. Ott exclaimed, "Whoa...look at that puss!!"  She had inadvertently squeezed and abscess with the off tester and drained it.  You could almost hear Ellie sigh audibly!  Her demeanor changed and she was obviously experiencing relief already.

To be on the safe side we went ahead and took x-rays and they revealed the abscess as well as a moderately low hoof angle in both feet - not unusual in Thoroughbreds.  The ankle shots also showed no wear and tear on her joints at all.  They actually looked great so there was some good news!

After days of cleaning, soaking and wrapping after a long day of work, Heather had Ellie in good shape (hey, I held her...).  Each day she was feeling better and better, playing and bucking and generally enjoying the outdoors.  The abscess cleared and dried up and her farrier has put special pads on under the hoof to give her some additional protection and compensate for her low hoof angle.  She still has nearly two months before she heads south to get ready for the season and it looks like she'll be healed up nicely and ready to get back to work when the time comes.

Ellie's hoof wrapped for treatment.  The blue wraps were just for transportation protection.

Her interim trainers, Roy Bland and Michelle Allen who will get her ready in Oklahoma for the Canterbury season, were wonderful in providing experience-based information, advice and checking in on her to see how she was responding to treatment. And hats off to the staff at Cleary Lake who were excellent with our girl, the folks over at Turn Crest where she is turned out and her farrier, Steve.

Heather deserves special mention.  She did virtually all the hard work in getting her back to health, spending nearly a week completely exhausted with an achy back to get the hoof treatments done.  That doesn't happen and Ellie doesn't get better.

I have no idea how her hoof angle impacted her racing ability at all but even if it did a little bit, discovering it and fixing it is going to help.  We learned that she has to go long and that sprinting is not her gig, so that should help as well.  Maybe putting together all the little pieces will get her on the right road to success on the track?

Tough Summer, Tough Love, New Attitude

There are all kinds of excuses I can use for not keeping up on the blog this summer: new job, work travel, busy with DRF writing and the Canterbury Club but the reality is that I’ve been depressed. 

This summer, as far as racing goes, has been a disaster.  It all started when our broodmare, Tabby Lane, in foal to graded stakes winner Doneraile Court (an A++ True Nick if you were wondering), nearly died from a bout with colic.  Of course we weren’t home for her, we were trekking halfway across the country to my oldest son’s high school graduation.  Thanks to the expertise and quick thinking of Lisa Duoos at Dove Hill Farm and the folks at Weitz Equine, Tabby made it through and made it through with her foal safe and sound.  Without them, she surely would have died.  The bills were, of course, enormous, and contributed to Tabby being put on the sales block.

Elusive Edition, our 3YO Minn bred filly, had beaten but a single horse this summer in her first 3 career starts – NOT the start we envisioned – until she actually seemed to make an effort in her last race.  She was 2^nd most of the way before tiring to 7^th in the stretch in her first route effort.   I’m still not sure what her future holds.  Maybe we’ll find her another career over the winter.  Maybe she’ll grow and mature a bit; she’s always been a bit on the small side and maybe she really wasn’t ready at three?  If that’s the case we’ll start her up a bit further south after the first of the year and have her ready for the start of the2015 meet.

Bourbonology has been a mere shadow of her former self.  Breaking her maiden in late running fashion last summer I think may have given us a false sense of how she was capable of running.  That turned out to be an aberration as she was content to lope around mid-pack for most of the rest of her races.  We really thought a nice extended vacation and a slow crank up was what she needed to recharge the batteries.  Turns out that there was nothing really there in the way of heart and she’d just given up on racing.  We found her a nice second career teaching kids to ride in southeastern Minnesota so the rest of her life she should be loved on constantly.

Even the Canterbury Club has faltered a bit this season.  Granted, last year winning four races may have been too much to emulate and winning with Maryjean right off the claim this year may have set up some impossible expectations, but we haven’t won since.  We’ve been hitting the board and paying our way, which is really what you hope for, but it’s till disappointing.  I love winning for the people.  They get so excited and it gives them a thrill that I know they really enjoy.  I feel badly having only brought that to them once this season.

So I’ve been wallowing in a season long stew of self-pity.  It’s been very hard to climb out of and, to give her all the credit in the world, Heather has been right there every step of the way.  She’s offered encouragement, backed off when that would be best, listened, consoled and offered advice.  She’s even kicked me in the ass when necessary.  I’ve been ready to pitch the whole racing thing on several occasions.  It’s tough to lose and it’s especially tough to lose when you represent other people.

For the partners that were in on Bobo (Bourbonology) from back in the E Sveikata (Kat) days, it’s a disappointing ending to a long and, what I would think, a successful ride.  We won with Kat and had her claimed for twice what we bought her.  Got a win with Bobo, hit the board with both a few times, and no one had to put in another dime.  That’s a good two and a half year run.  Those that bought into her heading into this season though, a completely different experience and I feel horribly about that.

I’m shaking it all off now, though.  We’re going to get through this lull and get back on form again.  This year was an aberration and it’ll be treated as such.  We’ll reform, regroup and get back on the attack: either starting at Hawthorne, Tampa or both.  Not only will we win again, but we’ll do so with a renewed humbleness that only this game can provide for you.

Thanks to Jeff Maday and Michelle Benson for having me on Chalk Pub Talk this week and help reinvigorate my attitude.  Great friends, great family and a great partner can get you through anything.  So to help kick off the relaunch of the blog (and my attitude), here is the edition of Chalk Pub Talk, courtesy of Canterbury Park.

"...walked out of the gate..."

That is the way Elusive Edition's comment line begins after her first race at Canterbury Sunday.  There were only a couple of things I didn't want to have happen: I didn't want her to be awful and I didn't want her to be one of those horses that couldn't earn a speed figure.  She managed both.

When things are going a bit sideways, never think they can't get worse.  They can.

Ellie had two official works from the gate.  She'd been over there several times otherwise, including the day before the race.  Still, in the heat of her first race, she locked up.  Froze.  From the second she hesitated I knew all was lost and I was livid.  It was brutally difficult to watch the entire race.  She spotted the field seven to start and was able to hustle up and get in touch with the field but it took something out of her and she flattened out in the lane. 

It was horribly depressing and frustrating.

Eighteen months we waited.  Suffered through her sore shins at 2; the cost of her layup over the winter; getting her back into training in the late winter; losing valuable conditioning days due to weather; missing possible start dates.  All the while partners pouring in money and patiently waiting for her first start.

And this is what we got.

Back to the gate she will go until she can get it right.  It's hard to take anything from this effort.  The winning effort was a 27 Beyer - we need to be able to beat horses that run a 27 - but who the hell can tell how good (or not) Ellie is when she just waltzed out of the gate and exhausted herself catching up?  Can she close?  Should she be in front?  We have no idea and this start told us nothing.

On tap is more waiting; more waiting; and more money.  If patience is a virtue, Ellie's partnership group is the most virtuous group on Earth.

The Need to Be Virtuous

Patience is a virtue.  Right now our groups need to be virtuous - starting with me.

Our 3-year old Minnesota bred filly, Elusive Edition, had her fourth work of the year this morning.  It wasn't scintillating, but it was a solid four furlongs and certainly shows her progression since she got on the track a month ago.  I was hoping that the work would have the 'g' next to it signifying a gate workout - an indication that she is getting ready to race.  It didn't and my disappointment was very real.

Ellie (center) working at Canterbury last week.  She does NOT seem to like being behind anyone!

I COMPLETELY understand the need to take your time with a first time starter.  You don't want to rush your way into injury.  Better to be slow and steady and bring the horse into the first race mentally ready and in shape to finish.  I don't believe in racing a horse into shape and I'm glad my trainers don't either.  That is different than a horse "needing one", a phrase that is common on the racetrack.

No work can simulate the rough and tumble - or the intensity - of a race.  You may feel that your horse is fit, but there is no ultimate test of that than a race and a race can prove to be the best tightener there is.  A horse that "needs one" will get that last bit of fitness it needs from a race and spring forward from there.  A young horse, especially, learns so much from that first experience that they almost all "need one" but they should be in the best frame of mind and the best physical shape that training can get them.

For those of you that don't recall, our "Ellie" went to the track as a 2-year old and developed some shin issues.  We could have pushed on and risked bucked shins or worse.  Instead we backed off, turned her out and let her grow and develop.  She's not as big as I would like to see her but she seems to be standing up to the rigors of training much better this year.  Having patience was the right decision.

Now she's three and we're watching her positive progression.  I was hoping that we would have her ready for this coming weekend but the late winter weather was uncooperative and we lost precious time.  Now I'm just hoping we can get her in before the end of the month.  The folks in this group have been great and done nothing but pay for her upkeep for a year and a half.  We made sure we were paid through May but now with her first start pushed back to June...well, I hope we can run and run well so we can use some purse money to pay the bills rather than having to write another check - that's no fun for anyone.

Patience may be a virtue...but it ain't easy...

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.

Doldrums

It's that time of year, post Breeders' Cup/pre Derby prep season - and well past racing season at Canterbury Park, that makes you just sigh and glance at the calendar.  Coming home to a dusting of snow from the Breeders' Cup didn't help matters either.

At this point in time we aren't racing, just waiting.  BOURBONOLOGY will wait until Canterbury to make her return to the races.  She finished up the season okay, finishing second in a NW2 affair, but has failed to live up to her potential.  We decided to let her be a horse over the winter and get her back in training in February to get her ready for the turf season starting in late May at Canterbury, hoping that the extra time off will get her head in the right place and get that fire back in her.  With some heart back, I think she still can be a formidable presence on the turf and do considerably better than she has been.

ELUSIVE EDITION was pulled off the track with shin issues as a 2-year old earlier this summer.  We decided not to push her.  Some horses are ready to go at 2 and some just aren't and if you push them you can ruin them - we do NOT want to ruin "Ellie".  One thing she does have is a passion for running.  She loves it.  You can see it in the way she moves and we got glimpses of it on the track this summer.  She'll head back into training in February with the goal of having her ready to go opening weekend at Canterbury.

A very pregnant TABBY LANE is at Dove Hill Farm awaiting her foaling date which is mid- to late March.  Interestingly, her own foaling day was March 17 so she should be giving birth right around her own birthday.  She has been doing great and, knock on wood, been staying healthy and trouble free.  Here is a glimpse of her at the halfway point.

 

 

In foal to the Storm Cat stallion, EASTWOOD DACAT, we look forward to his speed and her proclivity for 7 furlongs to a mile to be a great combination and look to see the youngster tearing up the Canterbury turf in a few years.

 

Our time managing the Canterbury Racing Club has also come to an end with the claim of ASK EDDY at Hawthorne a couple of weeks ago.  EDDY was a real trooper and a cranky pain in the ass - it was hard not to love him!  EDDY won 4 races for the club and provided everyone with a thrill the way he gave his all each time out on the track.  MUNDY was a bit more enigmatic, but while we couldn't get a win with her, she did give it her best shot every time out.  Running the Club was a great experience and I loved getting to know the folks in the group, though I didn't get to meet all 170+ folks - maybe next year!

 

As the winter deepens it's nice to know that in less than 180 days we'll be back to racing here in Minnesota come Preakness weekend.  Unfortunately for now, the stable is all about expenses though come May we'll be attacking with a vengeance! 

Last Two Weekends Are No Throw Ins at Canterbury

The Canterbury season is coming to a close and while barns are paring down and shipping horses to Chicago, Oklahoma and other locales, the action has not stopped in Shakopee.  Actually, a LOT went on over the weekend including history being made and a first of it's kind event comes to Shakopee closing weekend.

Angela Calls the Card

Track analyst Angela Hermann became the first North American woman to call and entire card of Thoroughbred races on Saturday.  I covered a lot of the specifics in my first feature for the Daily Racing Form this past week. 

The poise she showed, especially race 1 when there were 3 video cameras in the booth and some dope with a cell phone camera, was impressive.  Her voice may not boom like regular announcer Paul Allen, but she was smooth and fluid and had her own take on the races as they unfolded.  It was a pleasure to listen to and even more so to have a front seat to some racing history.

Mundy Gets Claimed

Canterbury Racing Club horse, Mundy, was claimed over the weekend.  We had claimed her for $16,000 in the hopes that she would make a nice higher level addition to the Club.  I was mistaken.  The 5-year old mare wasn't herself in Minnesota.  As the meet wore on she was more and more determined to drag her pilot through fast early fractions and had a tougher time settling down on the front end.  The result was just a single 3rd place finish as we dropped her through the class levels until she was finally claimed at $7500 and will head back to AZ with old trainer Mike Chambers. 

She looked all the part to be a solid claim but that certainly did not materialize.  She may have disliked the Canterbury turf or she may be starting to get babies on the brain. Either way she never fired for us and I wish her well back in AZ.

That leaves the Club with one horse, Ask Eddy, who will go for his 3rd win of the meet in 5 starts on Friday evening.  It's a tough, full field, but we're hoping that Eddy can bring home one more win before heading to Hawthorne.  The race is his preferred mile and 70 over the dirt, $5,000 claiming.

Bourbonology Ends Season With A Second

Our own Bourbonology finished a solid second in her sixth race since we purchased her earlier in the meet.  She had a rugged win in her GRS debut, winning a Maiden Special Weight but faltered thereafter.  She came back in a first level allowance and was smoked; the same for an off the turf effort at $20,000 claiming.  In her final attempt at $20,000 she closed a bit better, but it appeared that she needed some class relief. 

We gave it to her in her next out, a $12,500 claiming race, and she responded well.  She was coming hard late and I thought we had a shot to win, but jockey Dean Butler couldn't give her head to run: she was trying hard to lug in and with a horse on her inside flank any rally would have resulted in a disqualification, or worse.  She ended up finishing 4th but gave us a reason for optimism.

Saturday she broke fairly and was settled nicely. When the time came to run, Dean was able to get her going and, with a change in the blinker set up, she was less apt to lug in.  Dean also had her on the rail and she rallied nicely for a second place finish.  Now she'll get some time off until Tampa Bay Downs in December, or perhaps even the 1st of the year.  Given the purse increases at Canterbury, we want to have a fresh mare for the 2014 season so we won't bring her back too early.

Professional Indian Horse Racing Association

An event that I have been looking forward to for weeks - no, not the last Food Truck Festival on closing day (well, YES, that too...); the PIHRA Professional Indian Relay Tribal Championships will take place at Canterbury.  If you haven't seen this, you can take a look here.  It's exciting, dangerous and full of tradition and pride.  One rider will make three laps around the track on 3 separate horses making two exchanges along the way.  The exchanges are exciting and these guys can flat out ride!  Bareback!  Races will be held all three days the final weekend of the meet starting Thursday night and I can't wait to see this live.

New and Notes

In other stable news and notes, Tabby Lane is doing just fine in foal to Eastwood Dacat.  She's settled on a farm in New Prague, MN and we will await the arrival of her first foal sometime in March.  Elusive Edition (Ellie), has recovered nicely from her shin soreness and is showing signs of growing out of it.  However, we will wait on this nice 2-year old Minnesota bred and not start her back until February to get ready for the 2014 season.

Something Had to Give

What a summer!  Generally speaking my summers are crazy anyhow.  This year the addition of the Canterbury Racing Club management to our portfolio and an increase in the stories for the Daily Racing Form because of larger and higher quality stakes races has really pushed my time to the limit.  Something had to give and that something has been this blog.

I know that there are not a ton of you that sit on the edge of your seat wondering what's happening next in the world of Bourbonology, Elusive Edition and the pregnancy of Tabby Lane, but still...I would like to be a bit more "current" than I have been.

As an illustration of how crazy it has been, I wrote a complete preview of Bobo's last race and completely forgot to post it!  So in general, a brief summary of what's been going on and a tepid promise that I will be better!

BOURBONOLOGY

She seems to have caught the "Tabby Lane Syndrome" that plagued Tabs in her 4-year old season.  She can't seem to get past that one win and go on with her potential.  In another eerie coincidence, we can't find a thing wrong with her either.  Physically she's just fine.  Our trainer, Bernell Rhone, made the comment that he knows that there is something in there, he just hasn't figured how to get it out yet! 

Frustrating does not begin to tell the tale.  She had that first out maiden breaking win in a tough stretch battle with Clay Brinson's Bluegrass Lucy and nosed her out for the win.  Her 1st level allowance win was awful  She broke poorly and it was all downhill from there.  We brought her back in a $20,000 non winners of two lifetime which was rained off the turf.  We wanted to see what she could do on the dirt.  We found out...nothing.  Finally we got a firm turf course and the same level going 7.5 furlongs and she finished mid-pack, never really threatening.

She'll live to fight another day.  That day may be this Saturday.

ELUSIVE EDITION

Our two year old Minnesota bred filly was showing all kinds of promise.  We still weren't sure if she was going to be fast or not, but we did know that she was smart, good looking and moved well.  We also learned that she had sore shins.  Rather than go on with her and risk serious injury, we took her off the track and sent her to the farm.  We treated her shins and gave her the opportunity to grow and strengthen.  The purses here have increased nicely and she is potentially too valuable to risk running her early.

We'll look to get her back in training after the first of the year and get her ready for opening weekend at Canterbury.  Fingers crossed the winter goes well and we have the opportunity to get her ready on schedule.

CANTERBURY RACING CLUB

This has been a hoot.  You can follow along the Club's exploits at the blog site.  Keeping up to speed there has taken up a lot of the time and energy I used to have for here!

Ask Eddy was our first acquisition and it appeared that he was a mistake.  He came into the barn underweight, sore and tired.  Club trainer, Clay Brinson, took back on him and just fed him, wormed him and generally got the cranky old man feeling better.  When he got to the track, he has responded with 2 wins in 4 starts.

Mundy, the "higher class" addition has been a bust.  We claimed her at $16,000 hoping she's be able to run at higher levels and we were proven wrong.  After a 3rd first out for us, she's missed the board in two consecutive starts.  She's been descending the class ladder rather than ascending it and that has been a bit depressing.  So far we're holding our own, but I'd really like to do MUCH better.

As the season in Minnesota winds down, the Club horses will head to Hawthorne with Clay and Bobo will get some time off in Florida until Tampa Bay Downs opens.

FALL

As fall approaches, our thoughts turn to the next group and the possibility of claiming another horse out of Tampa Bay - or perhaps even Hawthorne - and getting geared up to start 2014 with another runner or two.  It's hard to believe that we're already thinking ahead to 2014, but time does indeed fly!

So I shall go forward and try hard to blog here more than once per month!!  And I will certainly try and remember to actually publish what I write, too!

Updates on Ours, Heliskier and Some Dialogue

BOBO

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

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

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

HELISKIER

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

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

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

ELLIE

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

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

CANTERBURY RACING CLUB

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

 

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

"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…

So Much Going On, So Little to Report

It’s an interesting time of the year right now.  So much is going on yet nothing is going on.  I want to write a blog post about something but no single subject can adequately fill a post.  So let me break up THIS post into four pieces and maybe that will fill up the better part of a page.  I can say that once things start breaking loose, there will be no shortage of things to talk about!

TABBY LANE

Tabby was covered early last week by Eastwood Dacat (Storm Cat – Western Eternity) and now we wait.  She was exhibiting signs of heat even after her first cover so she went back to the shed.  After that she was fine, so now we will wait for a pregnancy check in another week or so.  She handled the experience like a champ for a maiden mare and all the credit goes to Lisa Duoos at Dove Hill Farm and Reproductive Services for her patience and expertise.

ELUSIVE EDITION

Our 2-year old Minnesota bred filly (Late Edition – Mystical Elusion) is doing as well as can be expected in the snow covered Minnesota tundra.  Thankfully the snow is melting away and she should be getting her work in on a larger oval shortly instead of the makeshift oval she has been using – BUT that’s WAY better than nothing and foundation miles are foundation miles.  Also, she’s learning her trade: how to be handled like a racehorse, what’s expected of her in the morning, how to interact with her humans – all important as well.  As a 2-year old, I wouldn’t expect her over to the track for a few more months but we are really anxious to see her stretch her legs and see what we have.

CLAIMING GROUP

I have to say that this is one of the most energetic and fun groups I’ve ever put together.  There is a core of really strong handicappers and racing fans that love exchanging opinions which has made our Yahoo Group a ton of fun.  It doesn’t hurt that many of the horses that we discuss dropping a slip for go on to win.  It’s become a pretty profitable betting angle for the group.

We have dropped slips on three occasions and been outshook each and every time.  While that DOES tell us we are on the right track, it’s still frustrating as all get out.  We have reached out for a private purchase that we hope to be able to consummate this week that will get us a really nice horse that should fit well into the upper claiming/possibly allowance ranks at Canterbury for the summer.  But we will wait and see – it’s way too early to count chickens!  That said, the horse would be coming from a great outfit and I’d be really excited to have him part of our stable.

CANTERBURY RACING CLUB

The management of the Canterbury Racing Club really begins in earnest now that signups are done and we’ll start looking for horses.  It looks like we exceeded last year’s membership by about 17%, so that’s nice and gives us the basis for a nice start with a couple of horses with Clay Brinson out of Hawthorne.  We also got a nice mention in the Paulick Report’s Good News Friday column which was fun to see we well.

As I said, there is a lot going on but, for now, everything is on edge.  Once it all starts to break loose, however, it should be one very busy summer and this keyboard should get beat pretty good!

Ellie's Lessons Continue

Ellie getting ready to head over to get her work in.

When a foot of snow falls, like it did over much of the Midwest the past few days, it’s hard to imagine that the Canterbury Park racing season is only a few months away.  Yet it is and we’re getting horses ready to run – and not just in warmer climes, but here in the heart of winter.

I spent a good part of the morning with our 2-year old Minnesota bred filly Elusive Edition (Late Edition-Mystical Elusion) who is learning her trade at Rhone Thoroughbreds in Chaska, MN under the watchful eye of seasoned pro Russell Rhone.  The main training track is still buried under snow, but a temporary oval has been set up nearby to allow the horses to go out in sets of two in order to get their foundation miles beneath them.

Ellie was tacked up and went out mid-morning and did several laps clockwise before turning to do several more counterclockwise.  Give the rudimentary nature of the temporary setup, she really can’t stride out as much as you’d like to see, but then at this stage she doesn’t really have to – she just needs to build up stamina and muscle.  Let her bone build strong and true.  Learn her lessons on how to be a racehorse and what will be expected of her in her career.

The season comes whether you're ready or not - so out in the show she goes (the track and path are clear, of course).

There was a lot to like about what I saw this morning.  She kept her head nice and still during her work.  Her ears were forward and her mind on what she was doing.  As she approached a small flock of seagulls I was a bit concerned about how she would react when they flew off in her face.  She didn’t so much as flinch as she jogged on past.  She untacked quietly and cooled out nicely.  The nerves that she exhibited during her first weeks at the training center have dissipated and she has settled in nicely to a solid routine.  She appears to love to work and has a good mind in her head – two things you simply can’t train.  Another thing you can’t train: when she turned to go counter-clockwise she caught a glimpse of her older work mate and immediately wanted to rush off to catch up.  She’s competitive and what’s not to like about that?

We will march through the last few weeks of winter and we’ll watch our average temperatures start to venture above freezing and stay there.  More horses are coming in every day to get ready for the summer and before you know it, we’ll be ready to spring the gates on opening day 2013!