A Little More Than Two Months

It seems like such a short period of time but when I look out of the window at the piles of snow still out there and a low temperature this morning of 1, opening day at Canterbury Park seems like a very long time from now.

Since I started running these partnerships the same thing has happened every year like clockwork: we get a group together early, try to get one more going before the meet but just can't get it together and then, after the first week of racing, the e-mails and phone calls come asking if we are going to be starting another group for the season! I'm trying really hard this year to try and nip this one in the bud.

I rarely ever do a solicitation blog. That's not what this is all about. This is my forum to share with folks what it's like trying to get this thing off the ground and share our experiences as we campaign our runners. Last year it was all about Fizzy Pop, I Am Woman and the star crossed Miss Belle Express. This year we have our recent claim Tabby Lane and our small share in Diplo. Now that we're geared up, we should be showing more action here on the blog as well.

But back to my annual dilemma.

We have an opportunity for a Minnesota bred three year old filly that will very likely be a Canterbury only horse - of course you never know until you race 'em. She promises to be an 'action' type horse that should be able to entertain a group all summer long with hopefully a picture or two along the way. The entry point should be low, but the time to get her into real training is now. She'll need several weeks just to get her wind into her before she starts any speed training and have any hope of being ready for the beginning of the meet. Please drop me a line at ted@grevelisracing.com or click on the winner's circle photo above right to visit the website to get more information.

What I'm trying to say is the time to get ready for the summer is now, not May 1st!

Every Year This Happens

Maybe it's the holidays. Maybe it's not having a horse in training. Maybe I'm just uninspired when it's fifteen degrees below zero. Whatever it is, this time of year ends up leaving a bunch of holes in the blog roll. At least fellow blogger, the Aspiring Horseplayer, has an excuse - his team just won the NCAA Football National Championship. Throw that run in with the Holiday Season and who can blame him? Me? I don't have that as an excuse. In fact, with the Celtics injury issues and the Patriot's completely and utterly laying an egg along with BC not being able to compete with a scaled down version of USC, I really have no excuses. Yet, this happens each and every year.

Well, that is about to change! I'm slowly starting to feel inspired again. Maybe it's because I purchased a small interest in a Cal-bred gelding with some friends and I'm back in at Santa Anita again. It could be because I spent the weekend watching live and taped races looking from Tampa Bay Downs now that we're close to closing out the 2010 Claiming Partnership (still about 20% available if you're interested!). Derby preps and the Road to the Triple Crown is about to start in earnest - that's always a blood pumper as well.

I need to start trying to find some balance between the written blog and the radio blog as well. Sometimes I pass on things to write about because I figure I'll tackle it on the Show. I end up landing a fun interview instead and then the entire topic fades away. I downloaded an App on the iPhone that allows me to record my thoughts, so I think when something comes to me I'm going to record some thoughts and get them down on here as soon as I can.

Hopefully we're going to start tomorrow with the unveiling of our newest runner. At least one that I have a minor piece. The big purchase will probably take a few more weeks, but stay tuned for that. I just hope that he or she can bring us the type of excitement that Fizzy Pop brought us. The financial return was nice, to a point. You'll recall that the group was also heavily invested in Miss Belle Express who went down with a shattered knee shortly before her first race. Devastating emotionally, for sure, but it also killed the group's profitability. Fizzy was able to come back strongly and almost make it all up, but we still ended up a bit behind where we started. Three pictures on the wall and 18 months of pure joy was well worth it!

Lookout 2010, here I come!

Names

In the midst of mourning the loss of second peer in less than two years - very close friends both - I started thinking about how best to honor their memory. With Paul Benson's passing I vowed to live my life as truly and honestly as I could. The best way to honor his memory was to live the life of an officer and gentleman, though I'm not an officer (and some may argue not a gentleman either). With Paul Mooney's passing this weekend, I was again in retrospective mode and felt that I could be better read in Classics as he was and show the grit and determination he faced while battling cystic fibrosis. Both individuals were very different, but both exhibited traits that are worthy of emulation.


With a young son with asthma and a best friend who just died from cystic fibrosis (and another college friend having passed from the disease many years ago), I have decided that my few charitable dollars going forward will go to - in addition to the horse rescue groups I already support - lung and breathing related charities. There are many worthy organizations that try and stop hunger, try to eradicate cancer and alleviate the suffering of people both here and abroad. These all resonate, but my life has been, and is still, deeply affected by these diseases of the lungs, so that is where my focus will go moving forward.


Looking ahead a bit to my horse future, I know that I would like to breed race horses or at least buy an unnamed yearling or two - or more! There are many interesting and inventive ways to name a racehorse. You can play off the sire and dam like Fizzy Pop (Slew Gin Fizz/Pop Pop B B Gun) or you can name a horse after a family friend (Colonel John) or you can go with a hobby related name (Azeri - an aviation checkpoint). You can even name them after one of your favorite albums like Zenyatta (The Police album Zenyatta Mondatta). The first two horses I get to name: Dr. Benson and Estastisticos. Enjoy, my brothers. May they be champions for you someday.

I Am Woman at Monticello; Fizzy 4th for New Connections

I Am Woman is back to Monticello from Saratoga in what normally would be considered a good spot for her after that last outing. If you recall she was trapped in the back of the field in her last and was stuck three wide through almost the entire last quarter while picking up horses and finishing a strong fourth. All we wanted was to get a race back and move inside. Well, it took a few weeks and we didn't get moved inside at all - we drew the 8 hole again!

The race will be the 12th of the day and the conditions are non-winners of 2 races, but no more than 4 for fillies and mares. Like I mentioned, she drew the outside. Let's take a look at on her inside:

1 - No Limit Lady (Poynton): Shifting inside for the first time in a long time, she had a nice run two back, but her last was uninspiring.

2 - JL Lucy (Aldrich, Jr.): Been a while since she's been competitive but a return to form could bring her a piece.

3 - PH Quick Chick (Marohn, Jr.): First trip over the strip after coming in from Yonkers was flat. Should be some improvement this week. ML favorite.

4 - Bryn-Zion's Girl (Marohn, Sr.): Has had a tough last few months. Not a real chance in here.

5 - Fun Four Everyone (Micallef): Tough one last out, but has been right in there every week. Could be the one to beat.

6 - Celeriter (Benedetto): Best puts her right in this group.

7 - Biding Her Time (Parker, Jr.): Tends to run hot and cold. Hot here and she's a winner.

8 - I AM WOMAN (Merton)

Since the end of August, our gal has performed admirably. She destroyed her field in her qualifier and paced a solid fourth last out. I'm not asking for the rail, but would the four hole have been too much to ask? I don't think she can necessarily beat this group from the outside. She'll need some real help from the racing Gods. If she can get into a good position early so she doesn't get shuffled back, we could be in a really nice spot. But that is going to be tough to do on a half mile track out of the eight spot. In reality, I'm hoping for a win, but really expecting another strong effort and top four finish.

FIZZY FOURTH FOR NEW CONNECTIONS

Fizzy's race was taken off the turf and he raced over a sloppy main track finishing fourth of the six remaining horses in the race. The chart says he "never menaced" and that was true watching the race. He just ran around the track. This really didn't surprise me as Fizzy has always hated really sloppy tracks. Wet fast and he's OK, a real mess and that's another story. I would have asked Bernell to scratch out of the race if he were still ours because I would have seen this as a waste of a race considering his dislike for this type of surface. In the end, I just hope that he came back well.

Fizzy Under Other Colors

This will be odd this afternoon. I'll be watching Fizzy Pop's race today with less intent than at any time in the last 18 months. He's now running for somebody else.

When he enters the starting gate in the 4th race at Remington Park this afternoon he'll be in the colors of JT Racing and trained by Michael Teel. The race is a $15,000 claiming affair going a mile and sixteenth on the turf course. He'll be in familiar company in the starting gate as well. Former stablemate Onotheregoestokyo, the morning line favorite, will be in the field under former rider Dean Butler. Little Wagon, the horse that blurred past Fizzy in the stretch last out at $10,000 to win, is entered as well. Canterbury runner Chaska is in the line-up as is Spidey Power, dropping in from $50,000 Claiming having spent his summer in stakes company at Canterbury.

Fizzy is 20-1 in the morning line and probably deservedly so. He ran a nice race last out, but he didn't win against $10,000 claiming competition and now he moves up in class against the horse that cleaned his clock last out. Each race is different and the races aren't run on paper, however. Just ask the owners of Interpatation who upset the field at 40-1 today in the Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont. Any given day, right?

I want Fizzy to do well because I love the horse. I've often repeated how wonderful he is to be around. If he doesn't do well though, our decision to drop him to $10,000 would be validated. It's a weird dynamic, I have to admit. Personally I want him to do well, though professionally it would work out better for me. I hope this makes some sense. If it doesn't it's probably because my feelings about the race are unclear to me as well!

Just let him come home safe...

Now What?

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

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

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

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

Best of Luck, Fizzy...and Thanks for the Memories

Fizzy Pop has raced his last under the GRS colors. He was claimed away from us last night at Remington Park for the same price we bought him for 18 months ago - $10,000.

He broke from the gate relatively well, though quickly found himself in second to last heading into the first turn. Jockey Dean Butler just stayed patient with him and slowly moved him up down the backside, angling him a bit to the outside heading into the far turn to get him poised for the drive. Eventual winner Little Wagon pulled up beside Fiz and went right on by on the outside and, though blocked a bit at the head of the lane, just did not have the old kick to go with the eventual winner. Dean tapped him twice and put away the whip well before the wire with third secure and no chance of making up the four lengths to second. He ended up finishing about 7 lengths from the top spot and almost 2 clear of fourth.

So the very first group that we owned 100% of the horse is over. HUGE thanks go out to my partners in this first venture: Mike, Jane, Laura and Josh. With you, this never would have happened. I hope you enjoyed the ride half as much as I did. More big thanks go to all the folks in the Rhone barn: Bernell, Cindy, LeAnne and Eloy for taking such good care of Fizzy for us and always having him in a position to win. All the jockeys who rode him for us including Juan Rivera and Jose Ferrer, but especially Dean Butler who piloted him to all three of his wins for us and was his regular rider. Dean never asked Fizzy for more than he could give but always got the most out of him. With him on board, I always felt like we had a chance and with all three, I knew Fizzy was coming home safely. Thanks to you all.

Here is the final GRS running line for Fizzy Pop (Slew Ginn Fizz - Pop Pop B B Gun - Red Ryder):

16 starts over 18 months
3 wins
3 seconds
5 thirds

He earned $47,424 for the group. We bought him for $10,000 and he was sold for $10,000. Sure, he was no Lava Man, but it's hard to argue with a claim like him and results like that. It's first and foremost a testament to Bernell Rhone and his crew having Fizzy ready on race day. He was in the money a remarkable 69% when he went out under our colors. That is good training, pure and simple. I've already mentioned the rock solid race riding he received. Sometimes you just lose to faster horses. I'll even take a bit of the credit. My philosophy that I always told Bernell was that I want him entered in spots where he has a chance to win. I'm not interested in placing him in spots to protect him from a claim or to run him in a stakes race to say we did. I just want to give my partners a shot at the picture and the win. Ultimately in the claiming game, if you're not a little afraid you may lose your horse, you're probably running him a little too low.

Best of luck to Fizzy Pop and his new connections going forward. I'll be following him as closely as I can. After all, he was my peppermint barn buddy and now he belongs to someone else. This is what happens when you claim, but after 18 months you do get really used to having him around. Thanks, Fizzy. I appreciate all you did.

Who's up for claiming another one?

Fizzy Starts At Remington

Tonight Fizzy Pop takes on 9 at Remington Park in his seasonal debut in Oklahoma. Dean Butler, his usual pilot, will be on board as he goes a mile over the turf course against $10,000 claimers.

WHAT!? You say, Fizzy in for only $10,000? Yes, he is. And here is why: His last start, though a tough $16,000 claiming race at Canterbury was still a $16,000 claiming race. He ran a nice race and Juan Rivera rode him well, but he still finished 3rd. He's not going against lesser company in Oklahoma. Quite the contrary, with slot money inflating the purses a bit, higher quality horses have arrived at Remington to take a shot. The $15,000 level there may come up just as tough as the $25,000 level at Canterbury and Tampa where he fails to win. He has a legitimate shot at winning at this level. That's all I ask - a legitimate shot. We feel that it's more of a crapshoot at $15,000 and more calculated risk at $10,000. If we lose him, we lose him. I'd be very sad to see my peppermint buddy depart the barn, but running him to "protect" him from a claim does a disservice to my partners on the business end of this endeavor. If that's how you run a barn, then you're better off buying a pasture ornament and not a racehorse.

Here is the lineup facing Fizzy in tonight's 5th race:

Kippersol (Quinonez, B) - In his first turf start in over a year, he showed nice early speed before being blitzed and finishing 10th. He may have needed the last one, but his turf form (1 for 7 lifetime) leaves something to be desired.

Little Wagon (Landeros) - A familiar face for Fizzy, these two hooked up last out at Canterbury. Fizzy finished 3rd 2 1/4 lengths out while Little Wagon lost steam in the stretch and was the beaten favorite. Shorter distance will help but may not have recovered from presumably a 2007 injury.

Sku (Kimes) - Hard knocking 7 year old has been in the money in 15 of 27 turf starts, but the last of those was back in January. Jumps way up from $4,000 claimers where he couldn't notch a win.

Scaramouche (Berry) - Local debut wasn't bad finishing only 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner and others in here today. If he can improve off that, could be a threat.

Sushi Joe (Murphy) - Narrowly missed by a neck in local debut last out in that same $10,000 race as others. Versatile runner has solid Beyers and without hitting the gate two back could have hit the board in all 4 starts since returning from the layoff. The one to beat.

Condobound (Hamilton) - Turf debut after stepping up in local bow to win a $7500 conditioned claimer. Tough to beat some of these experienced multiple winners.

FIZZY POP (Butler)

Leeway (Martin) - 3rd in that same $10,000 race as many of these and was beaten favorite last out. In fact, has been the favorite in his last 6 starts. Probably not this time, but is a contender for sure.

Lucado (Quinonez, L) - Also a member of that last race, this one finished fourth. While close, has been unable to find the winner's circle in 6 starts since a freshener.

Guinness Charlie (Young) - Only local turf race was a disaster last year but has hit the board in 5 of 6 starts this year albeit against lesser.

Our boy has his work cut out for him in this one. On paper, he should be the favorite, though not a clear cut gimme by any stretch of the imagination. His Beyers are solid and a notch above the rest and Dean is back on board which always give him the best chance to win. He has been at Remington for a few weeks now so has had the opportunity to get acclimated and worked well within himself last week. I like our chances, but take nothing for granted

Life Interferes With Art

I know most folks think life imitates art, but right now, life is getting in the way of art! While Fizzy breezed and easy four furlongs at Remington prepping for his next start, I am completely and utterly neglecting the writing part of the program! As many of you know from tracking all my syntax and grammatical errors over the years, this is far from a professional endeavor, but it is a lot of fun and I do attempt to keep it as professional as possible. That includes the ability to post relatively frequently on a variety of topics related to being a small time owner.

Here is one of them.

Most of us small timers have another vocation to pay the bills until we get that one big horse or the groups start pulling together with frequency and consistency. That world has really crimped my racing style lately. Nothing completely out of the norm, just an awful lot of it between game trend analysis, personnel issues, new casino openings and a wide array of other obligations that all appear to be rearing their ugly heads at the same time. Normally that doesn't creep into my after hours life, but as any of you that work for The Man know, at times that just happens. It just so happens that this is my time.

If I combine the hours after 5 PM that my 'real' job takes up these days along with the unanticipated hours it takes to fill a half hour of Blog Talk Radio, my writing time has diminished completely. I think of an idea, jot a few notes and then realize that I am much too tired to try and form a sentence, never mind string together some thoughts. The Blog also takes a back seat to the obligations of the partnerships: financial statements to keep up with, trainers to stay in touch with, new groups to flesh out and try and fill, etc.

So really, what this ends up being is a long winded apology of sorts. I know that both the quantity and, sadly, the quality, of this blog has slipped in the last few weeks. I apologize for that and I do promise that it will get better as there does appear to be light on the horizon. Let's just hope it's not an oncoming train!

Thanks for reading and bearing with me!

SIGH...

That's kind of what it feels like these days: a big old SIGH. Fizzy Pop is out at Remington Park, WAY too far away to go feed peppermints in the morning. I Am Woman is sidelined with an illness, though she'll be back training Saturday and hopefully will qualify back sometime late next week. These days if I get up at 5 AM on a Saturday morning I can't climb into the car and enjoy the sunset over the Canterbury backstretch, watch horses work out and grab a cup of coffee in the track kitchen.

When Fiz gears up to race again (possibly next week), I'll have to watch on my Twin Spires TV on the PC. In fact, there is a very real possibility that he may race again on Friday when I'll be winding my way on the road again and I will miss it entirely. It seems like this season just flew by. Just yesterday we were counting down through interminably cold days to opening day and then the season was done in the blink of eye. To make matters a bit more difficult, we are now enjoying unseasonably warm weather, finally having our Upper Midwest summer. We should be done with that tomorrow, however, and dive right into Fall!

So in the interim I've been getting the radio show off the ground, working on the financials, closing Canterbury accounts and opening Remington accounts as well as trying to get new groups consolidated and new horses under the umbrella. All the while selling slot machines, of course!

Busy? Yes. But it does not beat the backstretch in the morning...

Postscript: As I board my flight to Nevada later this morning to spend the weekend with my boys, I will say a silent prayer for all those aboard The Flights and in The Offices eight years ago.

Fizzy Pop 3rd in Summer Finale

Fizzy Pop raced evenly Saturday night at Canterbury Park under Juan Rivera and finished third in a $16,000 claiming race that drew more like a $25,000 race in a race that will be our farewell to Canterbury for the summer.

Kudos go out to winning jockey Derek Bell on a brilliant ride aboard Just A Nibble. In my race preview I said that Fiz had a solid shot in this especially "if Derek Bell doesn't gun Just A Nibble to the lead." That's exactly what happened and Bell executed to perfection. The entire racetrack knew he was going to go to the front and try to hang on. After a blistering :22.2 first quarter, Bell slammed on the brakes and went the next half mile in :48.2 leaving plenty in the tank to hold off hard charging Rhone runners Onotheregoestokyo and Fizzy Pop.

From Fizzy's perspective, his trip was solid. I know thew world expected us to go to the front like we did last time and try to wire the field, but there were two problems with that: 1) Fiz didn't grab the lead last out, he inherited it when no one wanted it; and 2) Chasing Just A Nibble would have only assured that neither of us would have won. Rivera was instructed to track and then move midway in the turn and that was exactly what he did. Fiz was eating into the lead steadily through the stretch, but could not get there. Rivera rode him well through the wire and I was very happy with his effort.

Where do we go from here? Well, Fiz will probably head to Oklahoma with the Rhone string, but will head out to the farm for some R&R after the summer. We're guessing about 60-days and then back in training for the beginning of the Tampa Bay Downs meet in December.

I know folks wonder why because Fizzy is in good shape and appears to be lightly raced. This is mostly true. He is in relatively good shape for a 5-year old claimer and is racing well. It's also true that since he's been with us he's been relatively lightly raced. I prefer to think of it as smartly raced. In the 18 months since we claimed him at Tampa for $10,000 he has raced 15 times - not once for less than $16,000 nor higher than $25,000. This has been his sweet spot, if you will. I think this is a reasonable schedule. Fizzy has repaid us with our prudence with a record of 3-3-3 and over $46,000 in earnings. However prior to that, Fizzy had started 20 times in less than 18 months and a record of 6-0-0. A nice win percentage but with no real consistency and raced from $8000 claiming to $28,000 allowance with success comparable to level, as you can imagine.

I know this isn't scientific, but it's my feeling that there are only 'x' number of miles in a horse's legs. A little break now for Fiz to get refreshed, clear his head and enjoy being a horse for a while should help us keep him sharp when he comes back. I'd prefer to race smart then grind a horse into the ground. So far that's worked very well and while we'll miss him until he comes back, we hope that he'll continue to thrill us longer if we give him a short break.

A wise man once told me (and I'm sure he didn't come up with it, but he passed it along to a new owner, as he should), "Take care of the horse and the horse will take care of you."

Fizzy's Last 2009 Canterbury Start

Fizzy Pop takes on seven other $16,000 claimers in the 2nd race at Canterbury Park this evening. Estimated post time is 7:28 for those of you scoring at home. The race is going a mile and a sixteenth over the turf course and up for this ride is Juan Rivera.

Here is the rundown:

1. Captain Bucky (Morales) - Been solid in his last two at this level after a clunker of a debut following almost a year away. Fizzy beat him by a length and a half two back but clearly a horse on the improve.

2. Benson (Stevens) - A monster on the turf in allowance company in Arizona, he's run poorly in two turf starts at Canterbury. Up for third in the Claiming Crown Iron Horse, he still seems a level below the top ones in here.

3. Roadster (Goodwin) - Was facing much better in Chicago, though not successful and flat in local debut.

4. Little Wagon (Eikleberry) - His third start back after taking a year and a half off and on the improve. If he's rounding back into his old form, he could breeze this group without breathing heavy.

5. FIZZY POP (Rivera)

6. Onotheregoestokyo (Butler) - He's been close but not quite against higher and the drop may be just what he needs.

7. Trumper (Keith) - $7500 claim was closely nicely in his last start but is facing multiple winners for the first time. Beyers are well short of the rest of the contenders.

8. Just A Nibble (Bell) - Could be the speed in here but this race may be a bit to long here.

Once again, Dean has chosen to ride another and once again I understand the reasoning with 'tokyo being a higher class horse (in the past anyhow), but it doesn't inspire confidence in me. Not that I think Rivera is not capable. He is, in fact, having a good meet but Dean's ridden Fiz to his wins and seems to 'fit' the horse better than anyone. Another reason: Fizzy's past performances are now mixed thanks to his wire to wire win last out. Anyone stepping in is going to take one look and wonder which way to take this horse. Dean knows the horse and can take him whichever way 'feels' right tonight. A rider coming in cold is going to need a plan and now it's tough to figure out what that plan should be.

Fizzy can win against this group. In general, he looks pretty good in here and could even be a nice odds play as he may get overlooked behind 'tokyo, Little Wagon and the improving Little Bucky. If Derek Bell doesn't gun Just A Nibble to the lead, Fiz may be able to have things his own way on the front end again. He'll need a bit more luck than one usually needs (which is considerable), but what a great way to end the 2009 Canterbury season it would be!

But What If We Lose Him?

This is what you hear when you get too attached to a racehorse that's not a stakes or allowance type - basically, you're workaday claiming horse. To my partners' credit, no one has uttered those words as we make plans to enter Fizzy this weekend for what promises to be his last start at Canterbury this season.


Fizzy has been a stalwart since being claimed out of Tampa Bay Downs last spring for $10,000. He's won as high as $25,000 (via DQ) and as low as $16,000. In his 14 starts in the GRS colors he has posted a record of 3-3-3 and earned almost $45,000. It's hard to argue that Fizzy was not a successful claim. Yet we entered him back in again at $16,000 this week and the above was a question I was more than prepared to answer.


As I mentioned, Fizzy's one win at $25,000 came via a disqualification. While he's hit the board in some of the $25,000 races he's been in, he wins at $16,000. That's his level. Like or not, that's where he thrives and has the best chance to win each and every start. Why waste a start at $25,000 when you know you have a slim shot at the top spot and you'll just end up dropping him next out anyway?


I'm not interested in clouding form to cash a bet. I'm not interested in owning the most expensive horse I can afford (or not afford!). What I am interested in is providing the best experience I can for my partners which includes two very important things: giving them a shot at standing in the winner's circle and trying to give them a return on their investment. You do both winning races and we've owned Fizzy long enough to know that this is his level.


I can admit that I've fallen for him. He's a big handsome guy who really does have a heart of gold. He's great with my kids and he's very loving as well as a pleasure to work on according to the barn staff. He's happy to greet me now that he knows I come with peppermints. He snuggles a bit and is playful. He also is aggressive on the racetrack - and that's a combination every owner would love to have. I would miss him horribly if he were claimed away. But that's not the point of the business. The point is you run where you can win.

If someone thinks they can do better with him, good luck. But it'll cost them $16,000 to find out!

What About I Am Woman?

A fair question. The poor little filly has really gotten the short end of the stick with Fizzy Pop winning, Claiming Crown week, two new offerings and taking this blog over the airwaves eating up all of my time.

Owned in a partnership being run by VIP Stables, the national leader in harness racing partnerships, I Am Woman was purchased as a yearling with a lot of hope. I really expected great things by this Blissful Hall filly, but she didn't quite develop as hoped as a two year old. She's a little on the smallish side and so she sat out a few months and had some time to grow and develop before being brought back as a three year old. She had a tough go back at the Meadowlands and, after being RNA at the Meadowlands sale, she moved out to Chicago and tried to make a go at Balmoral where she reeled off three wins in a row and hope was renewed.

Sadly, that hope evaporated quickly when she headed back East to take on tougher competition in Pennsylvania. She dropped through the ranks at Pocono settling in at the $4,000 claiming level and still not hitting the board. A couple of weeks ago she shifted tack to Monticello Raceway and, after a lackluster first effort she put in a nice mile for a solid second place last Tuesday evening. The winner was much the best, but she was certainly the best of the rest. According to those who know more about Standardbred pedigree than I, Blissful Hall's tend to be late bloomers. I came close to auctioning off my percentage in her before that last effort. I hope that just wasn't a head fake on her part! I'll keep you posted as her next race comes up.

The Hambletonian

While we're on the subject of harness racing, it was a treat to see the Hambletonian, one of harness racings premier events, on NBC this afternoon. It was even more of a treat to see odds-on favorite Muscle Hill professionally dispatch a well thought of group of trotters to win his 13th in a row and tie and all age world trotting record in the process. Kudos to NBC for covering both the Hambletonian and the Hambletonian Oaks.

Fizzy Wins! Claiming Crown Week Ahead

Fizzy Pop (Slew Gin Fizz-Pop Pop B.B. Gun-Red Ryder) made his long awaited return to the Winner's Circle yesterday by using a newfound front running style to defeat seven challengers at Canterbury Park. He won the mile and a sixteenth $16,000 claiming race in 1:42.3 over the turf course (photo Canterbury Park).

While cloudy for most of the day, the rain held off completely so there was no chance for the race to come off the turf. After Fizzy's debacle in the mud last out, I was thrilled. Obviously not a fan of heavy mud I was virtually praying for a firm turf course and a firm turf course is what he got.

At the break, no one wanted the lead. Jockey Dean Butler barely had to urge Fizzy to go to the top and by the time the horses passed under the wire for the first time, Fizzy was comfortably in front and angled toward the rail. The quarter was a comfortable :23.4 and half an even more comfortable :47.4. I wasn't as concerned with the front running as I probably should have been, but once I saw those fractions I know that the stopwatch in Dean's head was running on Swiss movement and any possible concern I may have had was pushed from my mind. As Fizzy led on into the turn for home, Dontlaffhespaidfor edged up on his flank and they went eyeball to eyeball. Fizzy cut the turn for home like a pro and by the top of the stretch, Dontlaff was done, "Fizzy Pop found another gear" and drew off by about two. The race wasn't over yet, though, as stablemate Beau Named Sue found his own gear and was charging hard down the outside but would only make it as close as Fizzy's ear and he won by a head.

As always, it's a great walk to the Winner's Circle. What was particularly nice about this one was that we were on the apron when the photo was announced and the crowd went wild. Sure they won a bet, but it was great to hear the crowd cheering for Fizzy just as he returned back to them. He looked great and my sincere thanks go to Bernell, Cindy, Lianne and Eloy for having Fizzy so sharp on race day. A special thanks goes to Dean who, while riding magnificently all meet long, quickly recognized the conditions of the race soon after the break and was exceptional in taking advantage of what the race provided.

Betting-wise? Well, I of course had the Rhone exacta in our race, but for the first time in my life I cashed every bet I made. I only bet four races, but had 2 win, place, show tickets, two straight win tickets and two straight exacta tickets. Every bet won. Sure, the two straight win tickets were 1-2 favorites, but they won. And a 50% return for about 90 seconds of investment is pretty good. I also won on Fizzy at 3-1 and Tijuana Tunes, a Rhone first timer in the second who was working great and was facing weak, at 6-1. That was the other exacta, by the way - Tijuana Tunes over Root River Kid. These days are rare and while I'm sure that my partner Mike is correct that my seat in the horsemen's section of the mezzanine had nothing to do with it, I sat there through every race anyhow - including Fizzy's!

Claiming Crown

Yesterday also marked the day that I received my first set of press credentials for the Claiming Crown on Saturday, July 25, courtesy of Jeff Maday, Media Relations chief at Canterbury. This week I'll be previewing each of the Claiming Crown races on this schedule:

Tuesday - $35,000 Iron Horse; $50,000 Express
Wednesday - $75,000 Glass Slipper & Rapid Transit
Thursday - $100,000 Tiara & Emerald
Friday -$150,000 Jewel & the $100,000 Lady Canterbury

On Saturday I will be set up in a corner of the press box and will be blogging live all afternoon. I hope that those of you that can't make it live will watch on TVG and have your browser pointed to this site, refreshing often. This is a great event for Canterbury and, most importantly, for racing. There are shippers from all over the country coming to town for these "Blue Collar Championships" and if you can't be at the track, you can follow along with me.

Side Note

And while the day was not perfect, we didn't win Powerball, we did have the first three numbers which nearly made me faint. THAT would have been the perfect day!

Fizzy Pop Takes on Seven Others

Fizzy Pop is back in action at Canterbury this afternoon. The race is the 5th and the conditions are a $16,000 Open Claiming race going a mile and a sixteenth scheduled on the turf. While not raining, the weather is for mostly cloudy and a high of only 72. Having not been in town the last two weeks, I don't know how much of the rain we drove through in Wisconsin passed by Shakopee on it's way there or how wet, if at all, the turf course is today. My largest concern on that front is Fizzy's dislike for a messy course. That said, even if the race is ruled off the turf, I can see the main track being fast this afternoon.

It was tough finding a race for Fiz. There are several in the Rhone barn that are $16,000 to $25,000 horses and not enough of that caliber of races to go around. A few folks have expressed concern that Fizzy might get claimed in this spot. To them I have a couple of answers: it's part of the game and you have to race them where they can win and; he's only won on his own at this very level in a year and a half. Yes, he has a DQ win at $25,000 to his credit, but I'm not sure he would have won that race without the disqualification. In my opinion you claim to move a horse up in class that maybe has more talent than the current trainer is giving him credit for and your trainer can do a better job. I don't think there are many out there that'll do a better job than Bernell and while Fizzy can compete at a slightly higher level he's an honest horse and you're taking a big chance if you think you can get more out of him than $16,000.

On to the entries:

1. Captain Bucky (Bell) - He was less than stellar in his debut but faced those over a very sloppy track. If he just needed one, then he's going to be in great shape but if he's dropping in 'for cause' then it may be a tough second back for him.

2. Deputy Tice (Nolan) - Fizzy beat him a year ago here but is also moving up in class without a win. I never like that angle and he may be over his head here.

3. Beau Named Sue (Stevens) - An interesting Minnesota bred that has really come into his own. In 2008 he struggled but stayed competitive around the $10,000 level but in 2009 has been very impressive winning his first two and then placing fourth in the Blairs Cove Stakes last out. Beyer's have been solid and is the Morning Line choice.

4. Dontlaffhespaidfor (Goodwin) - A winner at $7500 non-winners of 3 lifetime, he may find himself a bit over his skis in this one. There was a nice uptick in his Beyer when moving to the turf last out, though the result wasn't a win at the open $7500 level.

5. Kon Krete Kid (Morales) - A nice second to Claiming Crown nominee Mister Merz last out, the Kid is still moving up in class (from $12,500) without a win and Beyer's seem a little low for this group.

6. Buzz the Tower (Eikleberry) - Buzz was claimed at Turf Paradise back in April and was immediately laid off until June here at Canterbury where he debuted in a $7500 claimer at this distance also on the turf. It was a tough trip for him and he was competitive at this level last year at Canterbury, so we'll see if he'll improve off of that one or if he belongs a bit lower.

7 FIZZY POP (BUTLER)

8. Zip Zaheri (Rivera) - This Arlington shipper has been less than impressive in 2009, but last out he reared at the break, was second last most of the way but rallied mightily to be up for 4th less than 5 lengths off the winner after spotting the field 16 lengths. He was also back on the turf and jumping up from $5000 claimers to $20,000 claimers. He ships and drops for this one. If his last effort wasn't a fluke and he makes the break, then he's going to be tough to beat.

You'll notice we have Dean back today. He has been red hot and is sitting a top the jock's standings at Canterbury. Fizzy fits this level well and has been training nicely. He's the second choice in the ML behind his stablemate, so all appears to be lining up for a solid effort, but the races aren't run on paper.

A Legend Passes

On an entirely separate note, legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite passed away last night. This was sad news for me even though Cronkite had been in ill health for a while and was actually reported as having died several weeks back. Cronkite WAS the news for me growing up. If he said it, it was true. He was repeatedly voted the Most Trusted Man in America and with his sure and steady delivery coupled with an earnest humanity, it was easy to see why. When I was a young child of about 4, a children's special was coming on opposite the CBS Evening News. My dutiful parents eschewed the news for the night and changed the channel for me. I promptly started crying and wouldn't stop until "Uncle Walter" was turned back on. That is some show of respect and admiration from a four year old! Rest in peace, "Uncle Walter".

More Thoughts From the Road

As the road show winds down in Springfield, IL, thoughts start turning back to home and racing. Full fledged blogging will resume this weekend...

* Rachel Alexandra taking on the boys in the Haskell - very cool! I think this is great for racing and she's more than up to it. Still would like to see her tackle Zenyatta at the end of the year, but it looks less and less likely that will happen.

* I Am Woman got shellacked at Pocono again. She needs a new home in a lower rent district. Rumor is she'll be moving to upstate NY. We'll see, but it has to be better than trying to tackle foes at Pocono.

* Fizzy Pop starts this weekend just in time for my return. I don't know if I can coax my wife and son into the car for another drive after this tour, but I'll be there with bells on. For those of you following at home: post 7, race 5, Canterbury Park on Saturday afternoon. $16,000 claimers going a mile and sixteenth over the turf.

* I'm going to head to the track early Saturday in order to run through the network there and make sure that live blogging can indeed take place on Claiming Crown/Lady Canterbury Day next Saturday. Many thanks to Jeff Maday at Canterbury for trying to make this possible.

* The Lincoln Bicentennial Road Show wound up today with sites around Springfield including the homestead, tomb and Museum. Gettysburg, Harper's Ferry and Antietam were awesome to visit again and share with my wife and son. One more eight hour leg and we're home.

* More race tracks passed: Penn National, Charles Town, Mountaineer, The Meadows, Hoosier Park and Indiana Live. I didn't see any signs in Ohio, but I'm pretty sure passing through the central part of the state we came within shouting distance of several.

I will be back previewing Fizzy's race Saturday morning and back with more regular posts as well.

A Visit, A Fade & A Change

Three of the five of us in Fizzy Pop's (Slew Gin Fizz-Pop Pop BB Gun-Red Ryder) ownership group took a ride down to Canterbury yesterday to check up on how our boy is doing. Sure, we could have just called our trainer, Bernell Rhone, and asked, but what fun is that? Besides, Laura needed to get her license anyhow in case our race filled this weekend and none of the rest of us that picked up our badges were around. So we worked hard in the office for an hour or two to get a bit ahead of the game and took an early lunch to go see our boy.

A trip to the backside when you only have one horse in training can be a bit anticlimactic. It ends up being a grand total of an hour and a half of drive time back and forth and you spend maybe 10 minutes with your horse. It's still 10 minutes very well spent, in my opinion. I'm sure Fizzy was disappointed as well because the last couple of times I've been by I brought peppermints and this time I had my wife's car so I didn't have any with me. I know he enjoys them, but better yet, I knew that Laura and Josh would have enjoyed feeding him a couple. A definite opportunity missed there.

The dogs were still up on the back side when we got there so we parked just inside the security gate and started to walk over to the Rhone barn. On the way we ran into Lianne Rhone (maybe Butler? I'm not sure if she uses Butler or not, mental note to ask next time) who rides Fiz from time to time in the morning and is basically an assistant trainer in the barn. She remarked at how well Fizzy worked Tuesday and how strong he is. She mentioned that Dean (jockey Butler) said he was striding great. Then the bad-ish news. When Bernell pulled up he said it didn't look like the race we were targeting was going to fill. He was right. It didn't and so we wait. In the interim we had a nice visit with Fizzy. I promised Laura I wouldn't put her picture up, but I made no such promise to Josh, so there he and Fiz are up on the the top of the page.

I Am Woman Fades to Fifth

I Am Woman tried to get off the snide at Pocono last night and all did not go well. It actually was hauntingly familiar. She came off the gate really well but got beat to the turn by Allamerican Excel who was dropping in from $7000. It was a change in tactic for Andrew McCarthy driving Allamerican Excel as she's been trying to come off the pace from the outside posts she's been saddled with. The change in tactics worked as once she got the lead from our gal, she wired the field and won drawing off by 7 3/4 lengths in 1:53.3. Fifth, where I Am Woman finished, was clocked at 1:55.2, or .1 out of second. If you were a glass half empty person, she was also only .2 out of 8th.

The positive here is that she paced faster then she ever has and her last quarter was :30 flat, better than her previous efforts. A few big negatives: she once again was passed in the stretch, which is disheartening; and while it may have been her fastest mile to date, it was only by a tenth of a second. I don't call the shots with her, so I'm not sure what's next. While the purse money in PA is great, it's not that great if you never win any of it. That said, shipping her all over creation is expensive and counter-productive as well. Her pedigree is nice enough (Blissful Hall-Wild Proposition-Laag) but without much of anything distinguishing her on the racetrack, it's tough to make a case for breeding her.

Borel Off of Mine That Bird. Period.

After learning that Clavin Borel may opt off Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the West Virginia Derby (Gr. II) for a ride in the Jim Dandy (Gr. II) on the same day, trainer Chip Woolley asked Calvin to commit to his horse for the season. Borel apparently could not do that and that sent Woolley looking for a new rider. I can understand Woolley's point. I have a Derby winner and Triple Crown contender and you only want to ride him when you have nothing better going on? You'd think the Kentucky Derby winner - and the only horse to hit the board in all three Triple Crown races - would get a little more respect than that.

I kind of look at it this way: I understand the Rachel Alexandra deal. She is a special, once in a lifetime kind of horse. Mine That Bird is not. That said, I don't believe he is the flash in the pan that I thought he was after the Derby either. The fact that he is a gelding and could race in the major handicap races over the next two to three years should be a factor in Borel's decision. Sure, one bad step and that's that, but I'm not sure if he has to "live for the moment" in this spot. Again, I can understand taking the ride on Rachel, but to leave the Derby winner for Warrior's Reward? I don't see it.

Can You Have Too Much Racing in One Day?

Nope. I tried yesterday. I really did. I set out for Canterbury Park yesterday morning at 10:00 AM in order to check on Fizzy and talk to Bernell about our next move. I arrived at lunch time and it was hysterical. I didn't notice anything different entering the barn, but one row over was a different story. Row 1 was already eating. Fizzy row wasn't. The site down the row of 20 horses with their heads out of their stalls eagerly anticipating lunch was a hoot. All the heads were bobbing outside the stalls and were cocked to the north end of the barn watching the grooms making their way down the shed row with the feed. As they moved along heads would disappear as horses dug into lunch.

Fizzy looked good. He's been holding weight well and really looks strong. Bernell said he came back well, but that he just wasn't himself for a few days afterward. He was eating well, no fever, nothing in particular, just not himself so the decision was made to wait an additional week before looking for a start. Now he's in fine fettle again and we'll look forward to seeing him again soon.

From there it was over to the front side to finish up handicapping the day's card. When I got to the gate I realized that I didn't have my racing ID so I had to reach into my betting money for the $5 admission. Not a big deal, but I was afraid that it might be a bad omen to start the day!

It was about 2 hours to first post, so I grabbed a water and sat down. I had already nailed down most of the card the day before, but I gave it a once over and then took a peak at the past performances for Running Aces Harness Park that evening. I had to clear my head because handicapping styles are very different and bouncing between cards has always meant bad news for me.

It was an absolutely glorious swan song for spring here: eighty-five degrees and very sunny. I spent the card going back and forth from my seat just past the finish line, the paddock and the windows. I hit a nice exacta with a short priced winner ( a Rhone trainee as it turns out - no inside info, he just really figured) in the second race of the card, but it was steadily downhill from there. Plenty of close followed by the inevitable no cigar. I lost fifty cents on the penultimate thoroughbred race and ended up plus $5.50 on a second place finish in the 7th. I ended the Thoroughbred card up $5. But wait...I knew that $5 admission was going to come back to haunt me!

Seven Thoroughbred races down and eight Standardbred races to go so I hopped into the car and headed up I-35W toward Columbus. For those of you not familiar with Twin Cities geography, Shakopee is about 15 minutes south of the cities while Columbus is about 15 minutes north of the cities. All totaled it should take about a half hour to move between tracks. I completely forgot about construction though and it was about an hour door to door. I still was there about an hour and ten minutes before post time.

It had been about a year since I had been up to Running Aces and there have been some changes. The biggest change is that the card room is opened up. There are 50 tables and about 30 were open and all were busy - a good sign for the long term viability of the track. Another change was the amount of seating that was added. The Park was built with no grandstand (in my opinion a bet on using the racing to get slot machines, but again that's my opinion), only an apron with some benches and picnic tables. Seats have been added throughout the apron and inside the betting area which are much appreciated.

There was also a new track announcer. Peter Galassi has taken the place of Briton Craig Braddick. Braddick was fun and engaging, but Galassi brings a smoothness and professionalism of delivery that seems to make sense in Aces second season. It's as if Braddick was the party starter and Galassi was brought in now to keep the show on an even keel as it grows up. Galassi is in his 8th year as the voice of Hawthorne Park and even brought an educational piece to his duties last night as there were a couple of two year old qualifiers prior to the main card. He took us through the process of qualifiers and the unique situation of the two year olds receiving extra schooling behind the gate. He was hit and miss with his picks, but then aren't we all - and we don't have to sit on TV and announce them to the world. I like them both, but I prefer Galassi.

The biggest change was the crowd (pictured above). Unlike the DRF charts, there is no data available on the crowd size and I am not close to being an expert in crowd estimation but I would say that the crowd had tripled from my visit last season - also on a Saturday night. The betting still wasn't what I would call robust as the odds would fluctuate considerably with each flash of the tote board owing to the small pool sizes, but I would think that handle has increased nicely year over year as well.

The first couple of races went off OK with no real winning going on and then it was as if God reached down and touched me with the gift of second sight. These days don't come along very often, but when they do you gotta jump. Two races in a row I hit the winner on a straight win bet; the perfecta straight and the tri with my first two keyed in order with a couple of others in the show position. It was as if I knew what was going to happen. The tally for the night was two tris, three perfectas, two daily doubles and five wins. It was a good night.

I pulled into my garage at 10:30, almost exactly twelve hours after I left. I was tired, but happy and contented with the outcome of the day. That said, I would have been content anyway because after two racetracks, 15 races, 100 miles and tired legs, I was a little bummed that there couldn't be one more racetrack on the day's card.

A Minnesota Double

Tomorrow I am going to complete a Minnesota Daily Double: Canterbury Park in the afternoon and then Running Aces in the evening. The day will obviously start off with a visit to the Rhone barn and some peppermints for Fizzy Pop now that my back issues are sorted out for the time being. Then it'll be off to the races. My lovely wife has summer solstace plans all day and overnight, so left to my own devices, this is what I come up with!

Post time for the first race at Canterbury is 1:30 with post time at Running Aces at 7 PM. That should help make the day manageable. It's about 45 minutes to an hour in between the tracks and I won't stay for the last two race at Canterbury. Nothing against the Quarter Horse folks. I know some of you, like you a lot, but the racing just isn't my cup of tea. Now if time works out OK and nothing in the first race at Running Aces looks like a must wager, then I'll stick around and watch them. The raw speed is very, very impressive. I just can't handicap them for anything.

There is no real feature to speak of on the Thoroughbred card tomorrow. The race rundown is as follows:

1. State Bred $25,000 Maiden Claiming
2. State Bred $10,000 Maiden Claiming
3. State Bred $10,000 Maiden Claiming
4. MSW (2-year olds)
5. $10,000 Claiming
6. State Bred $15,000 Claiming
7. $10,000 Claiming
8. 8 & 9 are the Quarter Horse races

I'll admit, there isn't a lot to scintillate, but it'll be good, competitive racing and the day is supposed to be gorgeous. Distance and turf are also sprinkled nicely about, so there is almost a little something for everyone. The first four races being maidens is a bit disheartening for me because I don't play maidens very well. That aside, I love watching the promising twos and see who needs to be book-marked for next year of the 2 YO stakes later this season.

I have only just printed out the card, so I can't say if there will be some nice betting opportunities or if the day promises to be chalky, but sitting in the Minnesota summer sun and watching racing is a great way to spend the day.


And what better way to wind down the evening than a foray up to Columbus, MN, home of Running Aces Harness Park for some evening Standardbred action. I may even try out the restaurant there this time for my dinner. The racing menu is as follows:

1. Trot NW $500 winners share or Lifetime
2. Pace $2500 Claiming
3. Pace 3YO MN-bred Males
4. Trot NW 2 Lifetime
5. Pace $2500 Claiming
6. Pace Under 5YO Maidens or NW of $3500 Lifetime
7. Pace Class B-1
8. Trot Class B

I haven't been to Running Aces yet this season, so I'm really looking forward to it. My trips last year were very enjoyable and, in the early part of the season, quite profitable. As the betting public got more savvy, though, the overlays started coming down to reasonable levels, but it was great while it lasted. One of the horses we were looking at buying is racing too, so that should be fun to watch as well, even though we passed on the opportunity.

So maybe this doesn't stand up to the Pimlico/Free State Raceway double twenty years ago, but it's home and it should be an awful lot of fun. I'll be Tweeting all day from both locations so I hope you'll follow along.