Back on Track

The Winter season is officially over!  The Florida horses shipped to Arlington Park last Tuesday after the horses heading to Philly had left a few days prior. We were among the first outfits to arrive at AP where the racing season begins in 10 days on April 29th. This season we are in barn 7c which is one of the newer barns on the backside. It is centrally located close to the training track and is only a short walk through the paddock to the main track. Another great feature is the availability of grazing areas which we hadn't had in prior years. Arlington has redone (refurbished?) the poly track and it seems to be in excellent condition. It seems to be darker in color than in prior years and has noticeably less shredded rubber mixed in. The turf course looks lush as always and we are looking forward to the racing getting started.

This is the first Spring since I started training in 1999 that we don't have a division of horses in Kentucky. While feeling a bit melancholy about that fact, the economic realities of horse racing have made it difficult to base out of Kentucky especially when the racing scene shifts away from Keeneland and Churchill Downs. The purse schedule at Arlington is not as good as Churchill's during May and June, however once the racing there ends in early July you are hit with the double whammy of Ellis Park (and the constant threat of closing) and stall rent at Churchill Downs. Handicapping the political process and court rulings is a treacherous pastime but there is over $100 million dollars in escrow that may soon be released to the horse racing industry in Illinois which will potentially boost purses there past the Churchill Downs level.

Another big change is the addition of Susan Ditter as the assistant trainer for the Philadelphia Park division. Susan worked for us back in 2001-2003 before trying her hand as a jockey and then racing official. She was looking to get back into training and this position opened up when Cherie decided that she was going to return home to Saratoga for the Summer rather than head to Philadelphia.

Spring is almost here!

The Final 4, opening day of baseball, Keeneland!

If you answered, things that start this week you are correct! We are only pointing one horse to Keeneland this Spring, Colonel Klink, but he is training particularly well and I am looking forward to him competing against what figures to be a solid field of runners on April 9th. He is going to work on Thursday and will be shipping up to run early next week.

Redboard King worked well last week, going 5 furlongs in 102.40 at the Classic Mile. He shipped this morning to Philadelphia Park and is scheduled to work on Thursday or Friday over the surface there.

Albin is doing fine while we are awaiting the release of the Arlington Park condition book to determine a plan of action for him.

Target Practice had 8 days off after his poor showing in Maryland. We will look for a softer spot for him later in April.

Big Shake has been diagnosed with a non-displaced chip in his ankle which will require surgery to remove. While this is disappointing we were able to correctly diagnose the injury before it could do much damage to the joint. We are expecting a full recovery for him.

Appoint has been entered for Saturdays 9th race at Tampa Bay Downs. We aren't expecting big things from this race as it is her first off of an extended break and is well short of her best distance. It should set her up well for the Indiana racing season.

Graphite Halo has been training forwardly while pointing for her comeback race on the 23rd of April at Atlantic City racecourse.

Rolled Up may try the turf again at Atlantic City as well. There is a NJ bred race for him on the 19th of April.

Gondorf has had no issues with his feet lately and is training on a regular schedule.

Hippocrates Jones will work on the turf on Thursday. He went nicely last Tuesday, going 51 for a half mile. We will go another half mile this week, perhaps in company with Graphite Halo.

Mizz Liza is being turned out daily in the sand round pen and is enjoying life. She will start being ridden next week.

Rochelle Rochelle has been training well as we pick up the pace with her. She is still missing some hair on her legs but the rest of her coat has grown in fine.

Cool Clue had an easy work this past Sunday and scoped 95% clean afterwards. There are several options for him in the near future.

Normandruth came back yesterday from his brief freshening at a local farm. He will head to AP to run this summer on the polytrack.

Ships Cabin and Kickin n Screamin are both recovering from their lung infections.


This is a hectic time of the year as we move horses, people and equipment to various destinations throughout the country. However it is also the time of the year when the variety of races and tracks picks up and we aren't stuck running for low purses at quirky tracks. I am looking forward to having a good late Spring and Summer season!

Weekly update

Albin ran really well in his first non-maiden start on Thursday at Tampa. After being a little rank in the early stages, jockey Junior Alvarado got him settled in behind the leaders down the backside. Albin moved to the lead entering the stretch and was all out trying to hold off Corredor Dela Isla, eventually settling for second, losing by a neck. That same horse had beaten Albin by 3 last summer at Arlington.
Chart of Albin's race

Target Practice ran terrible yesterday in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel. He looked great and was on his toes in the paddock prior to the race. Target Practice broke alertly was was sitting a nice trip second a length off the early leader. However heading into the turn he came under pressure and did not respond, "stopping abruptly" according to the official chart. A scope afterwards revealed that he has a pretty signifigant lung infection.

Rochelle Rochelle has advanced in her training and she is now galloping at a little quicker pace as she recovers from a nasty skin condition. She will breeze next week and we are pointing for a start early at Arlington.

Appoint worked her first 5/8ths off the layoff on Tuesday in 103.20 at the Classic Mile. She is advancing towards her first start since her third place finish in the Hoosier Breeders Sophmore Stakes last October.

Colonel Klink continues to train well as he readies for an April 9th start at Keeneland. He worked an easy 50.10 this past Tuesday and will work 5 furlongs this week.

Cool Clue is looking for a spot that fits. There are some interesting races on the grass at Atlantic City next month for him but we need to find a bridge race for that. I am not conviced he is a grass horse but I would love to try him on it to see how he handles it. If he runs well on the grass it opens up a lot of options for him.

Gondorf had some work done on his feet this weekend and will be getting a few easy days before resuming regular training.

Graphite Halo had a nice work on Thursday going 51.30 over a soggy turf course at the Classic Mile. She is now being pointed to an race on April 23 at Atlantic City. That race is a starter allowance for fillies that have started for less than $12500 and not won two races going 1 mile and 40 yards on the turf.

Hippocrates Jones went an easy half mile in 51.20 on the dirt at the Classic Mile. He will work Tuesday on the grass going another half mile.

Missus Mayflower is still battling a sore shin.

Mizz Liza had her scan this week which revealed signifigant healing in her leg. She has been getting turned out in the sand round pen as the first step on her recovery.

Redboard King is training great. He went 5 furlongs in 103.10 on Wednesday finishing very well after a slow first quarter.

Ships Cabin has been out of form lately and his coat has gone bad. We will let him get healthy before looking to run him again.

Rolled Up ran an even 5th in his return to the races last week at Philly. There are some interesting New Jersey bred races for him at the upcoming Atlantic City meeting.

Big Shake is doing fine and will start again at Tampa before going north.

Slumber Smarty, Hemissesu, Angry Dragon and noname are all training fine.

Midway through March

The Winter that never ends struck again this week as torrential rains wreaked havoc with racing and training schedules from New York to Miami. I suppose the positive that you can takeaway from these storms was they are now rain storms rather than blizzards. We wound up missing several days of training in both locations which isn't exactly a tragedy, however it does make efforts to get returning horses back to the races that much more difficult. I also wish that Target Practice hadn't missed so many days since his last race heading into next weekend's stakes but I suppose most everyone else in the region is dealing with similar issues.

Target Practice is scheduled to work Monday as his final preparation for next Saturday's Private Terms stakes at Laurel. The rain has turned the Philadelphia surface into a sea of mud but we are going to try to get the work in tomorrow or at the latest on Tuesday. Kendrick Carmouche who is currently the leading jockey at Philly has taken the call on Target Practice.

Colonel Klink came out of his tune up at Tampa is good shape and is training very well for his next race which is April 9th at Keeneland going 7 furlongs on the polytrack. While hoping to win what figures to be a very competitive race, it should set him up well for the Arlington Park racing season.

Gondorf has started galloping again as he recovers from reoccurring foot trouble. The plan is still a comeback race in May at Arlington Park.

Albin looks to make it two in a row when he heads post ward in the 6th race Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs. He finally broke through last out to break his maiden after many close calls and has trained really sharp since. Diego Rodriguez who was aboard for the winning ride won't be able to make it as he has commitments in California but Arlington Park's leading rider Junior Alvarado will be a good replacement rider.

Richwood Silver ran terrible last Monday and was claimed out of the race. It is always a little bittersweet when you lose a horse that you have had so long but she has been in poor form since November and honestly probably needs a long vacation.

Big Shake ran a much improved race last week when he was 4th in a maiden 50000 race at Tampa Bay on the turf. He was unlucky to draw an outside post which led to him being wide throughout yet he ran strong through the stretch, only losing by just over 2 lengths,

Normandruth ran a dull race last week at Philadelphia and was found to have bled after being scoped post race. We are going to turn him out for a couple weeks and point him to the summer meet at Arlington where he can run on the polytrack surface that he seems to prefer.

Rochelle Rochelle is training fine though her coat has not recovered quite as quickly as I had hoped. The filly that beat her two races back, Awesome Vow, ran fifth in the Florida Oaks yesterday, only losing by 3 lengths.

Graphite Halo worked well over a heavy track on Thursday, going 51.80 as the rains began to pick up. She came out of the work in good shape and we are looking to get her another turf work next Thursday going four furlongs. She has filled out over the Winter and is training forwardly. I don't know if we are going to get a start in her at Tampa because that depends on what charms the next condition book holds. Certainly I would like to have a race under her belt before heading North but we may be at the mercy of the Tampa Bay racing office, which is unsettling to say the least.

Hippocrates Jones finally had his first work since being pinfired on Thursday also just beating the worst of the storm, going an easy three furlongs in 38.80. He came out of the work in good shape and we are going to try to work him back on Tuesday on the turf, weather permitting naturally.

Cool Clue has been hampered by the spotty training schedule at Philly and sustained a minor leg injury which led to us passing on a couple of potential spots. He should be fine and we will find a spot for him in a week or so.

Kickin n Screamin is scheduled to work tomorrow morning and be entered for a race next Sunday at Philadelphia.

Ships Cabin has been a disappointment since his victory on New Years Day. We will continue to search for winnable races for him.

Appoint has trained well despite being in raging heat this week. We have to make sure to keep her away from Gondorf so we don't wind up with another foal next spring. She also worked this past Thursday going four furlongs in 49.20.

Redboard King has been training in draw reins to make him use his hind quarters more effectively. He worked well out of the gate last Monday going a half mile in 50.

Angry Dragon has some skin irritation on her legs and we gave her 10 days of just turn out time. She is going back to the track tomorrow.

Hemissesu and Slumber Smarty have been going to the main track and have done very well.

Mizz Liza is going to have her leg scanned tomorrow and if all is well she will start to be turned out in the sand round pen.

Missus Mayflower's shins have been bugging her and we have backed off her trining till they aren't.

Spring must be close...

The weather continues to be a thorn in the side of racing operations nationwide and we are not immune to whims of Mother Nature in either location. After another week of interrupted training (snow and cold temps at Philly and rain in Florida) we are holding our breath and hoping that Philadelphia's Sunday card goes on as scheduled with Richwood Silver in the second race. She is dropping hard in class after her bizarre behavior in her last race when she tried to bolt on the backstretch while on a clear lead. The snow late in the week eliminated a couple days of training and she will be quite fresh coming into this race. Hopefully that will translate into her normal effort (which includes making both turns) which should be enough to get the job done today. If they actually race...

Target Practice missed a key work because of the snow however his race did not even come close to filling so we will look down another more ambitious avenue with him. Three solid works will get him entered into the March 20th Private Terms stakes at Laurel going 1 mile. The jump from a maiden race to a stakes is a large one yet improving three year olds need to run in order to continuing progressing and allowance races have not been filling. Target Practice will work 5 furlongs on Monday, 6 furlongs next Monday and another 5 furlongs on the 15th. This schedule gives us a day leeway either way in case of continued inclement weather or poor track conditions.

Albin finally got the job done last Friday after many close calls and tough beats. His schedule moving forward includes a $50000 nw2 race at Tampa mid-March leading into a potential try at Keeneland or an early Arlington Park allowance spot. Spending the winter off track has helped him mature and the alternate training avenues we have at the Classic Mile really benefit horses like him.

Big Shake is another who should benefit from the Classic Mile but he hasn't yet made the leap to be a useful horse. We were hoping to work him on the turf this week but rain got in the way. He has coughed a couple times this past week and with his health history we are being cautious with his next spot especially considering he has the vaunted "special" date. March 10th for maiden 50k on the grass looks like the next logical spot.

Normandruth's training schedule has been affected by the mid-Atlantic region snow as well. He will also work tomorrow and we will keep our fingers crossed that his next scheduled race, an entry level allowance on the 8th at Philadelphia fills.

Rochelle Rochelle's skin issues are finally beginning to resolve themselves and we will start to ramp up her training this week. Hopefully we can get an late March /early April start (win!) for her that will set her up well for the beginning of the Arlington Park meet. I will go out on a limb and say she will be the most improved horse in the stable this spring

Colonel Klink came out of his tuneup race in good shape. We are pointing him to a 7 furlong allowance race at Keeneland over the polytrack on April 9th before he heads to Arlington and Illinois breds.

Missus Mayflower didn't break well and got tired yesterday in her final tuneup for a proposed March 4th start at Tampa. While a bit disappointed she will miss this date, I am glad that we didn't find these things out after a weak effort in the afternoon. Tampa's new condition book is due out this week and we will find a different spot for her in 2-3 weeks.

Mizz Liza is doing well while recovering from a strained suspensory.

Hippocrates Jones is still a project as he recovers from shin issues. He tends to not use himself properly (his front end "pulls" his back end along) and we have switched his equipment in an attempt to get him to travel in a better balanced fashion. He is ready to work and Thursday on the grass going 3 furlongs will be his first breeze back. He has displayed flashes of ability and hopefully with some maturity he can fulfill his potential.

Redboard King worked really well yesterday under jockey Diego Rodriguez at the Classic Mile. We had been hoping to get another work on the turf with him this week but the weather didn't cooperate. However with the track getting muddy we went ahead and worked him anyway and were surprised with how well he went. Diego said he handled the muddy surface great (better than the turf) and was impressed with the work. though the time was nothing special (50.20) the track was getting heavy and he went his last 1/8th in 12 with minimal urging. It has taken some time but he is finally starting to put things together and may be an interesting horse for Dee Tee stable this Summer.

Gondorf's foot issues continue to plague him though when he has been able to train this winter he has impressed. The latest malady is an abcess that is going to come out of the coronet band of his non-patched foot. While this is a setback, it is relatively minor and he should be able to get back up to full speed quickly.

While I was disappointed with Missus Mayflower at OBS yesterday, I was pleased with how well her workmate Appoint went. She broke alertly and worked alongside MM under wraps and galloped out well. She was clocked in 51.80 over the synthetic surface that was playing very slow. Afterward she recovered quickly and appeared fitter than Missus Mayflower who was winded, despite this only being Appoint's second work since last fall. A late March/early April tuneup at Tampa to prepare for the Indiana racing season is still on schedule.

Graphite Halo has been caught up in the rainy weather also. I was hoping to work her on the turf on Thursday but with the rain taking out training that day and subsequently Saturday as well we decided to wait it out and not work her over a heavy or muddy surface which she hates. We will work her on Monday over a dry dirt track and point for next Tuesday on the turf with a more serious move.

Cool Clue is now a winner with a boatload of conditions and options. The fact that he can handle both sprint and route distances gives him many possibilities but with his back bothering him a bit and us not being able to stretch him out with training we passed on the latest spot. There are so many options available in the coming weeks but the 20th at Philly sprinting is a possibility.

Kickin N Screamin is doing fine but i want to give her a little more time off of three closely spaced races in a row.

Ships's Cabin is entered for March 2nd at Philadelphia Park in a 25000 nw 3 race going 6 1/2 furlongs. It looks like a good spot and with any racing luck he will be right there at the finish.

Hemissesu and Slumber Smarty finally arrived in Florida after some weather delays. They are nicely mannered fillies and will be heading to the track this week after spending last week in a field learning about the Classic Mile and lead changes.

Angry Dragon and the unnamed Smarty Jones-No More Ironing colt have been galloping 1 1/8th daily and have progressed nicely.

2010!

This Winter we have split the stable into two divisions, one located at Philadelphia Park and the other at the Classic Mile Training Center in Ocala, FL. There were a few reasons besides high purses and good weather for these locations but those are two good reasons! Kentucky simply isn't a viable year-round location any longer as the purses at Turfway Park and Ellis Park are far too small to give the stable and its owners a reasonable chance of success.

Philadelphia Park is a track that boosted by slots revenue offers purse levels that give us an opportunity to make our horse ventures profitable. The fact that they run a year round circuit is a huge plus as we can set up shop there and not have to move. The Mid-Atlantic area also has many other tracks within a short van ride like Laurel, Penn National, Delaware Park and Monmouth, giving us a lot of flexibility when shopping for spots to run. Another reason that Philadelphia fits with our program is that with a dirt surface, we have an outlet for our horses that don't appreciate the polytrack surface.

The Classic Mile Training Center was chosen over a racetrack location in Florida for several reasons. The first and foremost is that being located at a training center allows us to train the horses in a different manner than being at a racetrack does. We have turnout paddocks where the horses can graze, a turf gallop with hills, two days a week of turf works, a mile training track with a starting gate and the ability to bring our two year olds in to get them prepared for the upcoming year. The quiet setting also is a welcome break for the horses and people used to the fast pace of the racetrack with training jammed into a short 4 hour window. The ship to Tampa is 90 minutes, about 5 hours (the same as Churchill to Arlington) to Gulfstream and close to 10 hours to the Fair Grounds. Ocala's weather is warm by Winter standards but the mornings are cool, almost ideal circumstances.

Arlington is our Summer destination and we will be expanding our numbers there this year. Our horses fit very well in the racing program there and the purse structure may be enhanced by money currently still in escrow as the casinos exhaust every delay tactic they can.

As for the horses.....

COOL CLUE is in today at Philly Park in the last race (number 10), breaking from post position 4 in a 10 horse field under Tony Black.

COLONEL KLINK continues to train well as he gets closer to his return to the races. He went a nice 5 furlongs on Thursday on the grass at Classic Mile in 102 under jockey Diego Rodriguez. Klink was still a little winded after the work but recovered faster than he had been previously which shows he is getting his fitness back. We will look for a turf sprint for his first race back since his maiden victory last summer.

SHIPS CABIN is being pointed for a starter allowance race on January 30th at Philadelphia Park going 6 1/2 furlongs. He will be looking for his third win in a row in that spot and will be ridden again by apprentice Jermain Burke.

ROCHELLE ROCHELLE is being aimed at a maiden special weight race on the turf at Tampa on Super Bowl Sunday, February 7th. She finished 2nd a few weeks back in an off the turf event and has trained well since that race.

ALBIN came out of his 4th place finish in an off the turf race last Sunday in great shape. We entered him back for a race on the 29th this morning with a race on the 4th being the backup plan.

RICHWOOD SILVER is being pointed to what we hope will be a winning spot on the 7th at Philadelphia Park.

APPOINT and GRAPHITE HALO are both progressing nicely in their training at CM coming off of short layoffs.

ROLLED UP came out of his recent start ok and we will be looking for spot for him in early February.

MIZZ LIZA has been training better lately after having some attitude issues.

GONDORF has had trouble with a persistent quarter crack that has finally grown out enough to allow us to patch it and get him back on track. He has really physically matured since last fall.

BIG SHAKE has been my biggest disappointment so far this year. I keep expecting to see him wake up and run to his potential but he keeps failing to live up to expectations. We will keep entering him on the grass and hoping for dry weather.

TARGET PRACTICE has been training great and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the MSW at Philadelphia will fill on February 13th.

NORMANRUTH is pointing to an allowance race at Philadelphia Park on the 30th.

HIPPOCRATES JONES had his shins flare up and we wound up re-firing them. He is being turned out in a sand round pen daily and will return to full training shortly.

REDBOARD KING had the ultimate equipment change a few weeks ago and he has traveled much better since. One of his testicles was twisted which was causing him some pain. He is currently jogging 2 miles and galloping a mile and should resume timed works in a few weeks.

MISSUS MAYFLOWER had a nice work on Thursday, going 37 for 3 furlongs and galloping out in 49 and change for the half. She really loves to go fast and once we get some more gate work into her she should be ready to run.

KICKIN N SCREAMIN continues to plug along and will run back in one of the 5000 claimers written for the 8th at Philadelphia Park.