15 Days till December

Jelly Donut ran a pretty good race today when running 2nd in his first turn around 2 turns.
http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/PRX111511USA1.pdf
He should continue to progress as he matures and distance will not be an issue for him.

All Peace N Quiet came out of her first race since January in good shape. She is also a horse that needs to go 2 turns to be effective. We will be looking to stretch her out in her next start.

Mustang Island is entered at Aqueduct Thursday with my friend Joe Aquilino training him. As usual we are sweating out the rain and hopefully he gets a chance to run in the starter allowance race going 1 1/16th on the turf.

Fusaichi Pretty had her first timed workout since July yesterday. She went really well covering a half mile in 49.3 under a slight hold.

Normandruth worked an easy half mile this morning and is on target for his next start on the 26th at Parx.

Hemissesu has been entered in the 1st race at Parx on Sunday. This will be her first start and she drew post 1 in a field of 7. The distance of the race (5 1/2 furlongs) may be a tad bit short but his will be a nice starting point for her. http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PRX112011USA-EQB.html

All We Are Saying was entered in a race today that didn't fill. We will enter her for a maiden special weight race for the 22nd for her debut.

Lyle's Angel is also going to be entered in that same maiden special weight race going 6 1/2 furlongs.
She worked well this weekend and we are going to be adding blinkers for her next race.

Target Practice had his 2nd work off of the layoff and did well once again going 104.3 yesterday at Westampton. He will work again next week going 5 furlongs again and will be ready to run again soon.

Red Baroness went another nice half mile this week and continues to progress.

Midas Terms is training well and is scheduled to run at Penn National on the 22nd in a maiden 7500 race going 1 1/16th.

Cascades Comet ran a bang up 2nd at Penn last week in her first two turn try. She is being pointed for a PA bred maiden special race on the 30th.

Outta Jail and Speedy Trial progressed a little too fast and we are just jogging them this week though we have also been doing some gate schooling with them as well.

Angry Dragon got clipped this week and there probably aren't too many sheep who had thicker coats! She is training ok but hasn't quite shown the same spark she had before getting sick.

Slumber Smarty popped an abscess out of her hind left foot on Monday. She was noticeably off behind for a few days and got a lot of relief once the abscess had broken through. She should be back to regular training on Friday.

Cozmaya is going to Ocala to be turned out for awhile.

Who We Gonna Call worked a very nice four furlongs this morning. He is being pointed to NW2x allowance races on the 25th and 26th at Parx and Penn National. 

The last supper has arrived for Hippocrates Jones. The date is November 23rd. The place is Penn National. The race is a 5000 nw2 going 1 mile and 70 yards.

One Time Richie is really doing well as is Extradite.

Beverly's Spirit has plateaued a bit in her training and we are working her lightly as to not have her go south on us.

Goonsquad worked well this morning and is a work or two away from her debut.

Southern Access went an easy 5 furlongs on Sunday. She is also a work or two away from making her initial start.

Normandruth's semi-annual victory party

Well it took close to 24 months but Normandruth finally made it back into the winners circle. Rallying from far back behind a fairly ordinary pace setup, Norm and jockey Jose Flores split horses in the stretch and caught the leader about 100 yards from the wire at Parx yesterday. Congrats to my co-owners Crown Racing and Ashley Sooknanan on the nice win. Assistant trainer Sue Ditter, groom Gloria Avalos, blacksmith Joe Williams and vet Dr. Steve McBride did a great job in getting him ready to run again after a multitude of physical issues. We are hoping to run him back on November 22nd at Parx in an entry level allowance race going 6 1/2 furlongs at Parx.

Lyle's Angel ran a decent race off of a brief layoff to be third in the race after Norman's victory. Sent off as the 3-5 favorite, she was bumped at the start by the horse directly outside of her and lost position going down the backside. The winner, a first time starter by Empire Maker, went wire to wire and the runner up sat a good trip in 4th while we were a little too far behind in 8th. Lyle's Angel had missed a little time after getting sick following her 2nd place finish at the end of August and was coming into this race with only 2 workouts since that race. She got a little tired at the end from having to work so hard making up ground but she came back in good shape and should improve off of this race.

Hippocrates Jones is in the 6th race at Parx on Saturday. He is listed at 5-1 coming out of post 10 in a field of 12 with Kristina McManigell riding. He has hit the board in three straight races and hopefully will get a solid pace to close into.

Hemissesu got sandwiched between two horses leaving the gate this morning but gathered herself up and finished the work up well, going 36.54 which was good enough for the 3rd fastest work of the day for that distance.

The 2nd fastest work was turned in by Goonsquad who went in 36.45 from the gate. She will have one more work next week after which we will start looking for a race for her to make her debut.

Jelly Donut worked in 50.35 on Monday morning. He was a bit under the weather late last month and this was a nice move for him. We are looking at a race on the 15th at Parx going two turns for the first time.

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Snow in forecast?

Our plans for Winter are coming together as we move closer to November. We will have a small group of horses at Palm Meadows training center in South Florida as well as keeping the main string at Parx and having a presence at the training center in Westampton. There is a possibility of us sending some to stable at Penn National as well though we may wait until Spring to go to the mountains. With the purses in New York set to explode after the 1st of the year we will be looking at racing on the inner track at Aqueduct as well.

Speaking of New York, Mustang Island is entered in the 2nd race on Friday afternoon at Belmont. The race is a NW2 other than for NY breds on the turf. Of course rain is expected all day tomorrow so we will be sweating it out once again with MI. He is doing great and does like a soft turf so it will be disappointing and well as terribly frustrating if it comes off.

Lyle's Angel worked really well at Parx the other day despite the slowish time reported. She is going to be entered in a maiden 40000 race at Parx on Halloween. She may be a work short going into that race but is feeling so good that we are taking our chances.

Target Practice is back doing track work and looks good. He had developed a terrible skin rash that took forever to get rid of but is now healthy and happy. Look for him to return to the races in December.

Hemissesu worked nicely on Sunday and is a few works away from finally starting. She has trimmed up and has shown some quickness in her morning works as well as a willingness to listen to her rider.There is a maiden $25000 race on November 14th at Parx that may very well be the spot where she debuts.

Angry Dragon has had a lingering lung infection that turned worse last weekend but she has recovered since a change to a stronger medicine. She has her appetite back, appears to be healthy again and will resume regular training this weekend. We probably wont make any more starts with her until she goes to Florida.

Kohlrah has gone back to Ocala where she will be turned out and pointed for a Spring campaign.

Red Baroness has trained steadily, going an easy four furlongs today in 51.20. She will stretch out to five furlongs for her next move and will soon head to Parx again to finish her gate work. A December start for her is the target.

Beverly's Spirit worked in 52 this morning after going an easy 53.20 on Saturday. She has made steady progress and hopefully will debut before the years out.

Normandruth worked in 49.11 on Monday at Parx. He is being pointed to a pair of races next Tuesday at Parx.

Jelly Donut needed a little more time after his latest and is being pointed to a race on November 15th at Parx.

Outta Jail and Speedy Trial worked in company today going 39.60 at Westampton. We weren't looking for speed from them, just trying to get them some experience and teach them to do it right.

Expedite is jogging 1 1/4 a day and will resume galloping soon.

Crownme has had a few easy works but doesnt yet have an official Jockey Club approved name.

Midas Terms came out of his 2nd place finish at Penn National in good order. He worked this morning going a maintenance half mile in 50.60 at Westampton. His next start will be in a PA bred maiden 10000 claiming race on November 8th at Penn.

All Peace N Quiet is another filly that is closing in on running off of a long layoff. She worked another easy five furlongs on Sunday and is about two weeks away from running.

Who You Gunna Call has settled in and we are looking for a race for him in a week or so.

All We Are Saying and Cozmaya worked in company with Hemissesu going 51.37 and galloping out well afterwards.

Hippocrates Jones is being pointed towards a 7500 nw2 after his 3rd straight on the board finish last Saturday.

                                                    Speedy Trial and Outta Jail

Friday Update

There is a lot of news to get to so we will start with the updates right away.

Jelly Donut ran an improved race last week when stretching out to 7 furlongs. The pace was still very fast and he will do much better when the races stretch to two turns and his one paced style can be more effective. There is a race on the 24th of October that we are seriously considering and will probably add blinkers next time as well.

Mustang Island bounced out of his win at Monmouth in great shape. We are going to enter him tomorrow in a allowance race at Delaware park for next Tuesday which is a little quick but with 'turf only' horses at this time of the year you have to take what you get.

Hemissesu broke sharp and worked really well from the gate at Parx last Saturday going 48.77 in company with All We Are Saying. She has lost alot of that baby fat and now is starting to look like a racehorse. Her pedigree was enhanced recently when Wilburn, who is out of Hemissesu's half sister, won the Indiana Derby.

All We Are Saying is a recent addition to the stable. She is a 3 year old PA bred filly by Cetewayo who isnt that far away from making her debut.

Cascades Comet ran a good 4th last week at Parx. She raced closer to the pace than she had in her 1st start and got a bit tired in the stretch. She came out of her race in good shape and will run in a PA bred maiden race at Penn National next out.

All Peace N Quiet is moving closer to her return to the races. She worked an easy half mile last week after having worked a sharp half from the gate on the 2nd. She should be ready sometime around the 1st week of November.

Fusaichi Pretty is back jogging on the training track. She looks great and will begin galloping next week.

Angry Dragon continues to be plagued by minor issues as she is currently battling a lung infection. We are hoping to get a race under her belt soon and are considering a Florida campaign for her this winter.

Beverly's Spirit continues to mature and shed weight. She worked an easy 38.2 this morning as we work on getting her to focus in her works.

Cozmaya had her 2nd work over the Parx strip on Tuesday going 50.44 for four furlongs. She has done nothing but improve since her arrival a few weeks ago.

Goonsquad broke well from the gate on Tuesday, working in 49.00. She is still a few works away from starting but should make her debut sometime in November.

Lyle's Angel worked really well this morning at Westampton going 48.10 which is a very good move around two turns. We are pointing her to a race on Halloween going 6 1/2 furlongs at Parx.

                                                     

Train Fare keeps plugging along getting closer to her 1st race. She went in 51.1 this morning at Westampton Training Center.

Target Practice has progressed to carrying the weight belt while exercising which is the last step before getting a rider again.

Southern Access had a minor setback that prevented her from working last week but we will be looking to do something with her this weekend, weather permitting.

Slumber Smarty continues to make steady progress in her training. We have been doing alot of gate wrk with her and she has been very good in there. She should make the races soon.

Red Baroness worked great this morning at Westampton, going 50.20 while dusting her workmate down the stretch. She came out well and will be headed to Parx for gate schooling soon.

Kohlrah worked at Parx on Tuesday going 48 from the gate which was one of the best works of the day. She will be hitting the races soon as well.

Hippocrates Jones is in Sunday at Parx in the 6th race. The race is a $7500 nw2 race going 1 1/16th on the dirt. We are expecting him to run well in this spot.

Midas Terms is also in tomorrow but at Penn National in the 7th race. The race is a maiden 7500 going 1 mile and 70 yards and he drew the outside post 8. He has trained better than he ever has coming into this race.

Double Edged Sword worked at Westampton Training Center this morning going four furlongs in 51.20 as he also gets closer to a return to racinng.

Crown Me worked in 38.00 this morning at Westampton. His name isnt official so you wont see the official work listed. He is learned quickly and seemingly does better every week that passes. We will do some gate work with him starting next week.

Expedite has started back in light training, jogging without a rider on the Euroxizer for 10 minutes each morning.

                                                                                 
                                                                    

Gearing up for Fall

The hot steamy summer of 2011 appears to be behind us as cooler temperatures have arrived offering a welcome respite for both horses and humans. While we aren't breaking out the parka's just yet with the advent of autumn, turf races will be less plentiful, muddy tracks more likely and Winter plans will need to firmed up. With the stable having quite a few turf only horses we have applied for stalls at Gulfstream Park while planning on maintaining our main barn at Parx with horses at Westampton as well.

Jelly Donut made his debut on Saturday and as we expected the distance was just not long enough for him. He did get valuable experience and will benefit from the fitness he gained while finishing 7th in the field of 11, passing several rvals in the stretch and galloping out well. We are looking at trying to stretch him out in lighter competition on October 2nd in a maiden 25000 race going seven furlongs at Parx.

Cascades Comet ran 6th yesterday in her first race yesterday at Parx. The race, which was about 4th on our preference list due to others not filling, wound up being taken off the turf and run on the main track. The filly broke well and dropped back a bit on the backside as she was getting pelted in the face with dirt. She rallied on the turn while wide and was finishing well while racing greenly. Afterwards we discovered that she had grabbed a quarter and had several other cuts and nicks on her hind legs. Cascades Comet actually making the races after having sustained a severe injury last summer is a testament to a lot of hard work by many people and to the toughness of the filly herself. From the Doctors at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Erin Hogan, Shawn Schlenk, Ashley Eisenbaugh, Devant Latham, Gabriel Estrada, Susan Ditter, Kristina McManigel, Carmine Palladino, Dorthy Schwarz, Alvaro Hernandez, the Parx gate crew and Dr. Steve McBride all did a tremendous job believing that we could in fact get this horse to the races when most would never have even tried, let alone succeeded. Owners DMD Thoroughbreds and Gary Marsh should also be given kudos since they were the ones who have been footing her bills for a longtime, never once tried to rush her and their patience and perseverance are the reason that we were allowed to do our jobs properly. Hopefully we can get her in one of the PA breds races on Parx on October 8th or 9th as she should also improve with racing experience.

Fusaichi Pretty has begun light training again. She is swimming and jogging on the eurosizer and should be under tack again soon.

Beverly's Spirt has been training well as she recovers from a few minor 2 year old ailments and should be back on the worktab soon.

Mustang Island worked well on Saturday and will be entered on Thursday at Monmouth Park in an entry level allowance on the turf. Unfortunately we were never able to run him at Parx on the turf and since track officals have closed the grass course for the remainder of the year it won't be happening in 2011. It is really too bad Parx management doesn't spend the money to install a better turf course that can be used as much as the other mid-Atlantic tracks use theirs. It isn't as though they dont have the money.

Target Practice is still recovering from a minor illness and should be racing again mid-October.

Midas Terms breezed well this past week and is being pointed to a maiden claiming race at Penn National on October 4th.

Hemissesu has done extensive gate work and is ready to work from the gate. She went an easy three furlongs in company with Kohlrah yesterday and will come back this weekend with another eay work.

Slumber Smarty and Red Baroness worked seperately yesterday with Slumber going 50.80 and Red Baroness going in 52.20. Both are training well with Slumber a bit ahead of the other filly.

Double Edged Sword worked a half mile in 52 at Westampton continuing his comeback off of a long layoff.

Angry Dragon has acted better the last few days and we will start turning up the heat in her training this week.

Crownme has been training well in company as he continues to progress.

Normandruth worked another nice half mile on the 17th going 50.08 at Parx. He will work another half mile before progressing onto five furlong works and a start in October is quite possible.

All Peace N Quiet worked in 103.71 at Parx on the 17th as well. She is still four or five works away from being ready but an October start is a possibility.

Cozmaya has settled in nicely and has trained fine. She is going to stretch her legs a bit this weekend.

Goonsquad and Southern Access worked 51.14 at Parx yesterday. Both were well within themselves and we are hoping to get them to the races in October.

Hippocrates Jones is training well at Westampton and is being pointed to a race on October 4th at Penn National

Lyles Angel is recovering from getting sick and we are trying to get some weight back on her.

Train Fare has trained steadily and is going to work this week.

Thursday update

Pretty quiet on the racing front this week.

Jelly Donut is set to make his debut on Saturday in the 6th race at Parx. The race he is in is a 5 1/2 furlong maiden special weight with a purse of $90000! He will be leaving from post 10 in a 12 horse field under jockey Kristina McManigell. While he will most likely be better suited to longer distances this is a good starting point and the purse is a nice bonus.

Mustang Island is scheduled to work on Saturday and we are pointing him to an allowance race on the turf on the 25th at Monmouth Park.

Cascades Comet's race didn't fill for Sunday and we will be entering her in a maiden special weight race going 5 1/2 furlongs for Monday's card.

Hippocrates Jones has been training at Westampton and seems to be enjoying himself (see picture below). There is a race at Penn National on October 4th that seems to have his name written all over it.

Midas Terms is also being pointed to a race (maiden $5000) at Penn National on October 4th

Angry Dragon didn't bounce back quick enough to enter back at Parx on September 20th. We will monotor her condition and find a race when she is doing better.

Target Practice is battling a minor skin issue and he may turn up at Laurel on October 18th. More details next week.

Lyle's Angel has finally recovered from her post race illness and is slowly returning to regular training.

Red Baroness and Slumber Smarty are scheduled to work another half mile on Friday. They worked well in company last week going in 51.

Kohlrah is a new horse that just came up from Ocala. She is a 2 year old PA bred filly by Senor Swinger.

Cozmaya is also new to the barn. She is a 3 year old PA bred by PA based stallion, Cetewayo.

Southern Access and Goonsquad worked really well on Tuesday, going 49.3 in company at Westampton. They both are now at Parx and it is looking like October starts for both are a strong possibility.

Crownme had his initial "official" work on Tuesday at Westampton going 39.2. His works won't show up as published until his name is officially registered by the Jockey Club.

Hemissesu has been doing a ton of gate work and has really progressed in her training.

All Peace n Quiet worked 103.67 at Parx last Saturday. She will work this weekend going another five furlongs.

Train Fare is going to work this weekend as well.

 Goonsquad and Lalo

Crownme

Crown Racing gets props

Nice article about Crown Racing in the September issue of the Florida Horse magazine.

Crown Racing in the Florida Horse magazine 

Rain anyone?

This is getting ridiculous. After the Philadelphia area set a record for rainfall in any month ever (at least according to recorded history) during August, September has already had more wet days than not. Of course there isn't anything that us mere mortals can do about it (other than incessantly whine) so we must adjust training schedules, monitor forecasts and pray that our turf horses find races between storms.

We will be attending the yearling sale at Keeneland for books four and five and will be looking for good looking bargins from regional programs in the Northeast such as PA, NY and MD. Get in touch with me if you are interested in buying a yearling or perhaps going partners on something that we purchase. The top of the market may still be solid and NY breds could be a bit overpriced as people look ahead to the racino at Aqueduct opening this fall but the levels at which we look to purchase ($30000 and lower) will be the softest part of the market.

Mustang Island ran about as well as he could finishing third on Monday at Monmouth. Stretching out to 1 1/8 on the grass which is further than he has ever run before, he stalked a slow pace, made a nice move at the top of the stretch and just ran out of gas the last 50 or so yards. We had planned on running back in the 32000nw3 race going 1 1/16th the same day but it didn't fill so we wound up in the allowance race which was a touch further than he probably wants to go. Mustang is such a versitile horse as the start before we purchased him he led a 6 furlong turf race through fractions of 22 and 44 and there he was Monday rating in third behind a 49.3 pace.

Target Practice ran 5th last Saturday at Delaware Park after setting swift fractions. Not only did he set a fast pace for the first 5 furlongs, but soon after faced a challenge going into the far turn and was never able to get a breather. Target came out of the race in good shape and we will look for a similar spot soon.

Lyle's Angel ran a fantastic race on August 29th at Parx, finishing a good second to a 1-5 favorite who had to work hard to get by her late. She showed much more early speed after breaking sharp from the rail, contesting the pace through fractions of 22.58 and 45.57 before winding up second best by little more than a length in a fast time of 1:16.18 for the 6 1/2 furlongs.

Six Clicks finally broke through and got DMD Thoroughbreds into the winners circle. Shipped all the way to Presque Isle Downs for his first try over the polytrack, Six Clicks got a great trip, sitting 4th behind the early speed before moving around them on the turn, opening up at the top of the stretch and cruising home. He will remain at Presque Isle under the care of Glen Wismer and we are looking at a race on the 24th before the meet ends on the 1st of October.

Cascades Comet has moved to Parx, taking the final steps down the comeback path which looked improbable not that long ago. She worked a sharp half mile from the gate, going 47.55 in company with Jelly Dount last Saturday and will work one more time this coming weekend before we enter her for a maiden race on the 18th of September.

Jelly Donut working in company with Cascades Comet broke alertly on his way to a 47.55 half mile which was tied for 5th best out of 32 that worked that distance. He is being pointed for a MSW race on September 17th at Parx and while you would tend to think with his size that he would be better going longer, as he gets fitter he seems to be finding more speed.

Train Fare worked a steady half mile on Tuesday at Westampton Training Center, getting the distance in 52 flat. She is slowly turning the corner and I hope to get her to the races soon.

Southern Access worked a nice four furlongs on Tuesday at the training center in company with Goonsquad. She went in 50 after setting the pace for her work partner. This was the third solid work in a row for her and she will be heading to Parx for her next work.

Goonsquad wound up breaking off behind Southern Access, took a little dirt before making a strong move around the turn and finished up well. She was timed in 49.3 and is also ready to move to the racetrack to get her gatework in.

Beverly's Spirit has been alternating between galloping and swimming in her training program. She is doing fine, just still a bit immature.

Red Baroness returned to the worktab on the 31st, going four furlongs in 51.40 in company with Slumber Smarty who also went in 51.40. Both are overdue to work back as we are waiting on the track to dry out.

Angry Dragon did not take to the dirt track at Monmouth as well as we had hoped and came back with a swollen right eye, with a dirt clod being the most likely culprit. Just this morning she had an abcess popout of her left front foot which could have also been a contributing factor to her poor performance. We are still thinking of wheeling her back on the 20th at Parx on the turf if she can resume regular training this weekend.

All Peace N Quiet worked 49.21 on September 1st, her first work over the Parx surface. She has trained steadily over the last 6 weeks and has moved closer to her return to the races in a few weeks.

Double Edged Sword has been training fine after a brief freshening. Look for him to work this weekend if the weather permits.

Fusaichi Pretty has gone back to light exercise as she recovers from a minor injury.

Hemissesu has been doing an extensive amount of gate work over the last few weeks. Her problem isn't that she is scared or afraid or a bad actor at the gate. The issue is that she is perfectly willing to go in nicely but  unfortunately leaves the gate at the same speed! Going in company has picked her head up a bit and she will work this weekend at Parx.

Hippocrates Jones ran a bang up race last week at Penn National, coming from far back to run 2nd on the dirt. We have not been able to get him back on the turf due to the rainy weather and it was encouraging that he showed a good closing kick on the dirt once again. There is a 7500 nw2 race going two turns at Parx on the 25th that looks like a logical next step.

Normandruth worked for the 2nd time off of a long layoff last week at Parx. He is doing well and will also be returning to the worktab this weekend.

Sligolicious is going to be retired and made into a show horse

Crownme is a new addition to the stable. He is a 2 year old PA bred by Rubiyat owned by Crown Racing. So far he has trained right along with no problems.

Expedite is another new 2 year old PA bred. He is also owned by Crown Racing and is by Request for Parole. Unfortunately he sustained a minor injury prior to his arrival and will miss a few weeks while recovering.

Earthquake today, Hurricane on Sunday?

We survived yesterdays historic earthquake however the oncoming Irene may do a lot more damage to our racing and training plans. The barn has gone through some changes since my last post with a few new additions and a some subtractions as well. The summer has been tough weather wise and that is not even counting the hurricane potentially on its way. Hot and wet have been the themes and neither are particularly conducive to training thoroughbreds. With Parx reopening on Saturday we will know be active at four local tracks, Monmouth, Delaware and Penn National as well as occasional excursions to Presque Isle. Despite all the negatives currently associated with the business of horse racing and the economy in general, the Mid-Atlantic is still a region full of opportunity for racing stables.

TARGET PRACTICE has been entered at Delaware Park on Monday, August 29th in the 4th race. He drew post 4 in a 9 horse field of conditioned $5000 claimers going 1 1/16th on the dirt.

JELLY DONUT popped out of the gate at Parx this morning. We are going to try to squeeze a work into him between rain storms, hopefully on Saturday. His goal right now is September 17th at Parx in a MSW going 5 1/2 furlongs for a $90000 purse. Yes that's right a $90000 maiden race! What a country!

SOUTHERN ACCESS galloped nicely today at Westampton and is scheduled to work 3/8th tomorrow morning. She seems to be over her minor issues and hopefully can get back on a solid training schedule.

LYLE'S ANGEL is pointing to a maiden $40000 race at Parx on Monday, the 29th going 6 1/2 furlongs. She has trained well and hopefully the race materializes.

MUSTANG ISLAND ran a good 2nd last Friday at Monmouth in his first race under the Cornerstone silks. After having a laughably hard time finding a turf race that stayed on the turf we finally were fortunate to get to race and MUSTANG ISLAND despite his interrupted training schedule made a nice run to grab the runner up spot behind a wire to wire winner.

SIX CLICKS is going to ship to Presque Isle Downs to run on the 31st in a $7500 nw2 going 1 mile. Hopefully he handles the polytrack and gets a chance to run at his preferred 2 turn distance.

CASCADES COMET has relocated to Parx and is inching closer to her debut. She has been going to the gate and we are hoping that she gets her gate card soon and get to run mid-September. I don't know exactly how talented she is but I can tell you she is one tough filly.

ANGRY DRAGON worked 48.4 and galloped out in 101.3 this morning at Parx under Jose Flores. After that nice move are pointing her to a potential race on September 3rd at Parx.

RED BARONESS has been galloping well and is going to breeze on Saturday if the track is in good shape.

SLUMBER SMARTY is scheduled to work 3/8ths tomorrow at Westampton Training Center in company with SOUTHERN ACCESS.

EXTRADITE and his partner (no name) by Rubiyat are expected to arrive at Westampton on Tuesday to begin training.

TRAIN FARE has been recovering from a lung infection however was training well before this slight setback.

SLIGOLICIOUS is training nicely while we try to figure out where to run him next. Not easy to have a NW2 turf horse these days with all the rain.

ALL PEACE N QUIET has trained really well and is headed to Parx as she remains on the comeback trail.

GOON SQUAD worked well this week and is progressing as she works towards making her debut sometime this fall.

BEVERLY'S SPIRIT has gone through some typical 2 year old growing pains over the last six weeks but she back on track in full training. We did find out that she is an excellent swimmer!

Saturday afternoon update

Target Practice drew post position 7 in a field of 9 Monday at Parx. He is listed at a generous 12-1 on the morning line in the 1 mile 70 yard $7500 nw4 race. He has trained well and I expect him to run well in his first start since February 15th.

Rochelle Rochelle is in on Tuesday at Parx. She drew post position number 3 in a field of 7 in the 2nd race which is a $15000 nw3 race for fillies and mares going 1 mile. She has also trained well and may be able to work out  better trip than she did last time when she was stuck on the rail behind very slow fractions.

Prospect Knight worked very nicely this morning at Parx. He went 5 furlongs in 102.31, galloping out in 115 over a deep surface. He will blow out next Friday for his expected next start in starter allowance company on May 23rd at Parx.

Mizz Liza worked a nice half mile in 50 at Westampton on Wednesday under jockey Kristina McManigell. She is being pointed to a maiden claiming race next Saturday at Parx.

Lyle's Angel also worked Wednesday at Westampton Training Center. Ridden as well by Kristina, Lyle's Angel worked in 49.80 finishing strong down the stretch. She will work again later this week as soon as the weather clears.

Beverly's Spirit and Angry Dragon shipped up from Ocala, arriving on Tuesday in good shape.

We are officially settled in!

With our last 2 horses leaving Ocala today, we are finally settled for the Summer!

Beverly's Spirit has been taking it easy in Ocala the last few days and will resume training on Thursday at Westampton. I want to thank Christy and Ashley who did such a great job with her. I'm sure that we will have many more young horses for them to work with in the future.

Angry Dragon is also scheduled to resume training on Thursday at Westampton after arriving from Ocala. She is going to go on an accelerated training schedule, using both traditional galloping as well as some aquatic training mixed in.

Hippocrates Jones ran a good race last week at Atlantic City to be 4th, only one jump from being 3rd in his return to the grass. His latest effort only a few weeks after a promising 2nd at Parx signals that he may be rounding to his best form.

Prospect Knight worked 48.81 at Parx yesterday, his first work since his narrow loss a few weeks ago. We decided since he had run hard all fall and winter that a brief freshening was in order and the time off seems to have done him a lot of good. I had him a tick faster (48.60) and caught him galloping out in 101.60. He will work 5 furlongs next weekend and is being pointed to a race at Parx the following week.

Rochelle Rochelle has been particularly sharp lately and demonstrated that sharpness with a 46.75 drill yesterday morning. Under Jockey Casey Fusilier, she broke off at the half mile pole and quickly chased down  a horse that had unknowingly broke off in front of her. She cooled out fine and is being pointed to a pair of races on the 17th.

Six Clicks has been training at Westampton since his 2nd place finish at Parx a few weeks back. We are looking for a similar spot for his next race.

Wasabi Yacht had his 1st work last Wednesday, going 3 furlongs over a deep surface at Westampton in 40. His shins have been a little sore since and we have done some swimming with him in lieu of track work. Hopefully they will settle down enough to get him back on track this weekend.

Normandruth has resumed activity, doing some swimming, jogging on the euroxsizer and spending time on the equivibe plate. He will start galloping again next week and hopefully will return to the races this Summer.

Lyle's Angel is scheduled to work on Wednesday at Westampton. She has been doing better lately and seems to be moving more freely since we started putting her on the equivibe plate prior to training everyday.

Cascade's Comet has been training great. She is up to jogging 1 1/4 and galloping 3/4's daily. We did try to swim her but that plan backfired so off to the track we went. She has exceeded my expectations for her at this point in her training.

Sligolicious has moved to Parx to begin the final phase of his training. He will gallop all this week and next week we will give him an easy work. We are looking at getting him back to the races mid-June.

Goon Squad has settled into her training routine at Westampton nicely. She is still learning the territory and we aren't asking her to do much outside of gain experience.

Southern Access had her 1st real work at Parx on Saturday. She went 26 for a quarter, dragging her rider after a horse in front of her. She was hardly blowing afterwards and we will maintain a once a week work schedule for her for the near future.

Double Edged Sword recently had the ultimate equipment change and has been jogging to get in shape following the long layoff.

Brad's Kitten disappointed last week for the 2nd time since coming North. We are going to make a few adjustments and look to find a softer spot.

Lady Thief got the go ahead to resume light training and has been jogging for 10 minutes on the euroxsizer.

Red Baroness has been galloping at Westampton and should be ready to have an easy breeze next week.

Slumber Smarty has also been galloping at Westampton and will work with Red Baroness.

Hemissesu sustained a cut to her hock and missed several days which has put her about a week behind the other fillies.

Big Shake and The Magic Bus were both recently retired.

Fusachi Pretty ran a much improved race over the grass at Atlantic City and we will look for a turf race toward the end of May for her.

Target Practice worked well at Parx on Saturday and is set to run next Monday in a $7500 nw4 life race.

Peace N Quiet arrived from Turf Paradise this week. That is a very long ship and she was quite tired when she got in.

Mizz Liza never had a chance when she broke a step slow and was forced 8 wide in the 1st turn at Atlantic City last weekend. She will get another shot on the 21st in a maiden claiming race at Parx.

Angry Dragon video

Click for Angry Dragon training video

Friday

Lots of things happening. We lost a tight race at Parx on Tuesday as Prospect Knight got nosed by Darley colt shipping in from New York. Prospect Knight ran another really good race, getting caught wide on both turns yet still closing ground in the stretch and galloping out well after the race. He is going to get a brief freshening and will return to full training on May 1st.

We shipped 7 horses North yesterday and will be sending the remaining Ocala horses up over the next three weeks. The weather forecast looks pretty good over the next 10 days in the Philadelphia area (outside of the storms currently rolling in) and it appears that Spring really is here after the dusting of snow last week.

Brad's Kitten had an easy work over the track at Parx today. He is being pointed to a claiming race on the 18th at Parx going 1mile and 70 yards.

Six Clicks also had an easy work at Parx this morning. We are looking at a few different spots for his next race. Probably going to go back to sprinting though a short field going a mile is a possibility.

Albin worked a good six furlongs over the grass at Classic Mile yesterday. He went in 115 and galloped out in 129 over a turf course that may have been a little less than firm after some heavy rains on Tuesday.

Mr Mojo Risin went a nice half mile in 49.30 on the dirt yesterday in Ocala. We may work him on the grass next week depending on the weather.

Surfer Rosa has been doing better lately, picking up some weight and her coat looks much better.

Lady Thief has settled in nicely at Southampton Training Center in NJ and will be starting her rehab work as soon as she is cleared by the vet.

Angry Dragon has done very well this week with her extra training and will be heading to Philly soon.

Wasabi Yacht has been galloping at the Training Center and is doing well.

Both Hemissesu and Red Baroness have shipped back to PA and will resume training soon at the training center.

Big Shake galloped strong this morning and is set to run next week at Penn National in a bottom level maiden claimer.

Cascades Comet has moved onto the next step in her rehabilitation and is being retrained using Parelli/Anderson methods in an effort to make her more manageable. So far she has done everything we have asked and we are pleased with her progress.

Fusachi Pretty has trained well since she has shipped in to our stable. She acts and has the conformation of a filly that will do better on the grass than on the dirt. We will be looking for a turf maiden race for her later in the month.

Lyle's Angel has put on some weight in the brief time that we have had her. I want to get her a little stronger but she is moving in the right direction. There should be a race for her at Parx or Penn towards the end of the month.

Slumber Smarty has shipped to PA and will resume training shortly with an eye of the upcoming grass season.

Rochelle Rochelle is training great and we my go ahead and run her back on the 18th in a starter allowance race as opposed to waiting for Atlantic City.

Mizz Liza is doing well and seems to have recovered completely from her last race mishap. Look for her in a maiden race soon.

Double Edged Sword is doing fine as he recovers from an injury at the training center.

Target Practice has resumed galloping and is back in full training. We are looking to get him back to the races sometime after the first of May.

Normandruth has shipped to the training center and will resume light training in a few weeks.

Sligolicious has also shipped out of Ocala and will try some swimming as we get  him ready for the turf season.

Hippocrates Jones is pointing to a race on the 18th at Parx and will work from the gate Sunday in preparation for that spot. I rarely work older horses out of the gate but I want to get him more involved in the early part of the race as he tends to lag back after the start and perhaps a sharp gate work will do the trick.

Beverly's Spirit has really excelled in her early training. She is scheduled to start going to the track next week.

We are looking forward to getting back to the racetrack and getting a lot of our horses out of "spring training" mode. After the OBS April sale the stragglers will be heading to Philadelphia, the three Chicago bound horses will head that way and we will wrap up the Winter season.

This weeks update

We would like to take the time to welcome a few new owners to the stable. Scott Rake who races under the name Rake Farm Llc. has sent us a pair of 3 year old fillies that will be racing in the Mid -Atlantic region this Spring and Summer. Fusachi Pretty is a daughter of FuPeg that will be pointed to grass races once she gets North and Lyle's Angel is a grey filly by Value Plus that who was second last out at Tampa in her first race since the fall. 

Dave Blaha who has been involved with Dee Tee Stables since its inception has finally taken the plunge and purchased his own horse, Brad's Kitten a gelded son of Kitten's Joy who is being pointed to a race at Parx on April 19th. 

Fox Tale Racing Stable has sent us Double Edged Sword a PA bred that won three races last year and is coming off of a layoff due to an injury. Fox Tale Racing is a division of Fox Tale Stud a commercial breeding farm located in Coopersburg, PA which is owned and operated by Vince Tucciarone and Dawn Newman. 

We also got a horse named Wasabi in last week from Jim Long. Wasabi who is a son of Rubyiat is a PA bred maiden who will be making his debut this Summer. Wasabi recently was gelded and may also lose his name as Jim has expressed an interest in possibly dumping that name.

Double Edged Sword and Wasabi are training at the Southampton Training Center in Mt Holly, NJ where we have opened up a full division of horses. With a training track, turnout paddocks, a swimming pool, an equivibe machine and eurosizers we have a little more variety in training than just being located on the racetrack. About a 20 minute drive from Parx, it is conveniently located from all the local tracks including Monmouth Park and Delaware Park.

We have been getting steady rain in Ocala for the last few days and as such haven't got much done. Lady Thief and Brad's Kitten are heading North this weekend as we slowly but surely shift our barn. 

Albin is finally has a concrete goal, that being a 1 mile 32000 nw2 race on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs on April 20. He has trained really well and should be ready for that spot.

Rochelle Rochelle ran evenly on Monday at Parx as she was trapped down on the worst part of the track and wound up 4th beaten about 7 lengths. Her next start is most likely going to be a return to the grass at Atlantic City on April 29th. Her 4th place finish earned her $1500 which put Rochelle Rochelle over the 30k mark for the year despite not having run a Beyer speed figure of over a 51. Gotta love Parx purses.

Hippocrates Jones was ridiculously far behind the field going down the backside in his return to the races on Monday. Yet he kicked in on the turn and finished well, making up 15 lengths to finish a good closing 5th.  He is going to run back on the 18th at Parx and then run over at Atlantic City in any of a number of spots depending on how his next race goes.

Recent gelding Big Shake is scheduled to run at Penn National on April 8th. He needs to start showing a lot more or he is going to be headed down a new career path.

Prospect Knight is most likely going to be running in an allowance race at Parx on April 5th. There is an outside chance he could wind up in either the Wood or Illinois Derby if either race comes up with a short field. 

Six Clicks has been perking up after a tough outing last out. If the weather cooperates we will get an easy work under his belt next week. 

Mizz Liza has been recovering nicely after her spill a few weeks ago. Her ribcage, which was so sore after falling to the ground and having another filly fall on top of her, has improved to the point where we will soon be putting the saddle back on her. 

Beverly's Spirit has really progressed as Christy Rogers and Ashley Eisenbaugh have done a great job of preparing her to be a racehorse. Using a combination of Parelli and Clinton Anderson natural horsemanship techniques, the girls have Beverly going in the right direction. Click here to watch them at work.

Angry Dragon has been getting some lessons from the girls as well before she trains to try to get her to be a tad bit more agreeable. She seems like she is learning and is doing well.

Hemissesu has trained great lately but banged her leg in the stall during a storm we had yesterday and may miss a few days. Been stop and go with her and Red Baroness for 2 months now. Very frustrating but patience is a virtue they say. 

Normandruth is a little bored but still is not ready to return to training.

Mr Mojo Risin is really training well. Looking forward to seeing him perform this Summer.

We are going to be sending horses up from Ocala every week and expect to be completely out of Florida by the last week of April. 

Saturday Update

Rochelle Rochelle has been entered to run on Monday in the 6th race at Parx. She drew post position 1 in a field of 6 in the 1 mile starter allowance. Joe Hampshire is subbing for her injured regular rider Jose Flores who will be out of action for a few months.

Hippocrates Jones makes his return to the races Monday in the 3rd race at Parx. The race is a $7500 nw2 race going 7 furlongs and we have drawn post number 1 in that race also. This will be Hippocrates Jones first race since being gelded.

Hemissesu continues to progress as she recovers from a bout of sore shins. She may have an easy work this weekend.

Prospect Knight has resumed full training and we are exploring many options for his next race.

Cascades Comet has done well while turned out and will soon move on to having a rider.

Albin worked 7 furlongs in 128 on the grass on Tuesday as he moves closer to a start off of the long layoff.

Angry Dragon had a splint freeze fired and will resume training on Monday.

Red Baroness and Slumber Smarty have both have had their shins fired and will be on the shelf for a brief period of time.

Mr Mojo Risin continues to train forwardly.

Sligolicious is also training well.

Normandruth will be sidelined another 45 days as he recovers from a minor injury.

Big Shake is close to a return to the races as a gelding.

Mizz Liza continues to recover from the spill she took last Saturday.

Liza gets blindsided

Mizz Liza had broke well from the gate from post number 1 and was maintaining her position along the rail when the four horse ridden by a terrible 7 pound bug rider veered directly into her path with no warning. Jose Flores saw the other horse coming but it was too late to slow Mizz Liza enough so he attempted to get out of the way. Unfortunately she clipped heels with the impeding horse and fell, tossing Flores hard to the ground while a trailing horse fell over the top of her unseating her rider as well. Both horses escaped permanent injury and Ramon Moya was unhurt. However Flores has sustained a cracked vertebrae and is under going surgery to fuse it tonight. He has full movement of all his limbs and should make a full recovery. Mizz Liza fell hard on her neck and side and sustained a few superficial cuts but looks like she will also be able to make a full recovery.

Obviously accidents happen in life and horse racing. What makes this incident especially troubling is that it was completely unnecessary. Flores did nothing wrong. The horses did nothing wrong. The blame lies strictly on the shoulders of apprentice Jason Nguyen who clearly is not a safe rider as he never even looked back after having caused a pileup. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jose Flores as we are hoping for him to make a complete recovery. We also are hoping that Jason Nguyen finds himself something else to do with his life before he takes someone elses with his incompetence.

Briefly

Mr Mojo Risin worked a nice 3 furlongs at Classic Mile going 37.10 over the dirt. He started off easy and picked up the pace in the lane, getting the last 1/8th in 12 flat while under a light hold.

Rochelle Rochelle is scheduled to work tomorrow which will be her first work since her latest win at Parx. This is just a maintenance breeze and we won't be asking too much of her.

Target Practice has returned to light duty. He galloped a mile at the training center this morning and we will start to wind him up for a return to the races later next month, perhaps a grass try at Atlantic City.

Hippo Jones is also scheduled to work on Saturday at Parx. 

Sligolicious may not even make it back to the races for us as there is strong interest from show horse connections for him. He has been training really well but I wouldn't mind seeing him go off to another career.

Beverly's Spirit has made huge strides since the girls started working with her just 10 days ago. She is already being ridden with few issues. Click here to see her in action

Angry Dragon has been doing really well as we get her used to the turf.

Cascade's Comet has been loving life while being turned out every day. Her legs have looked fine afterwards which is a huge step in her recovery.

Normandruth is still recovering from a mystery ailment. No timetable as of yet for his return to training.

Thursday

Prospect Knight came out of his race yesterday in good shape. He got a tough trip as he was forced wide into the first turn while racing a bit rank. I thought he ran really well considering and he continues to develop. There are a lot of possible destinations for his next start.

Mizz Liza returns to the races on Saturday at Parx in the 2nd race. Her dirt ability is still in doubt but the field she is facing is less than stellar.

Six Clicks is running around 2 turns for the first time in a starter allowance on Monday at Parx. He has trained well and hopefully he enjoys the longer distance.

Albin worked 6 furlongs in 114 on the turf at Classic Mile on Tuesday. He is about 2 solid works away from being ready to run.

Hippocrates Jones is scheduled to work on Saturday which will be his last big work before he returns to the races on the 28th at Parx. Looking forward to getting him back on the grass.

Angry Dragon, Red Baroness, Hemissesu and Slumber Smarty are all back training after recovering from various ailments.

It has been awhile

Needless to say there have been a lot of changes since we last updated this blog. Rather than sort through the past, let's focus on the future.

Our old Kentucky home has been sold and as a result Parx Racetrack is our new base of operations. Susan Ditter has done a great job there since coming back on board late last Spring and we will be operating exclusively in the mid-Atlantic area this Summer.

Onto the horse updates:

Albin is scheduled to work this coming Tuesday on the turf at the Classic Mile. This will be his last major work before he returns to the races on the 26th at Tampa. We will probably get one more work in before he runs but it will just be something easy.

Mr Mojo Risin has been training well despite several minor issues that cropped up this Winter. He may get a work in later next week provided his shins and foot stay sound. He is a very talented horse, hopefully he gets a chance to display that ability this Summer.

Cascade's Comet has been getting turned out in th round pen this week as she slowly returns to regular training. She is still a little bit of a terror around the barn but the good news is her injured leg seems to be coming long well.

Angry Dragon has been doing most of her training lately on the turf. She has been staying sound and has been behaving as well. What I want to do is get her as far along as possible on the grass before putting pressure on her. Still believe she is going to turnout to be a nice filly.

Beverly's Spirit has done very well since arriving from PA. She is almost ready to be ridden and has learned her lessons very quickly. Crown Racing has purchased a 50% interest in the filly and there is still a 25% share available. I am aiming to get her to the races later this summer, hopefully being able to take advantage of her PA bred status!

Lady Thief is recovering from her injury and should be ready to go back into training when we get her back up to PA later this Spring. In the meantime we are watching for Bind, a Pulpit colt that destroyed a MSW field last month at the FG earning a 105 Beyer in the process. Lady Thief is a half sister to the dam of Bind and the better he does, the better we do.

Surfer Rosa has been slow to come around this Winter. Lately we have been letting her stay outside in a small paddock almost all day and night and since we started doing that her appetite has improved, her color is improving and she looks to finally be picking up some weight. I believe her best days are still ahead of her but we have to make sure we take our time and let her get back to 100%.

Hemissesu has been dealing with some shin issues. Her's were a tad bit worse than her work partner, Red Baroness' but she is back to steady training now.

Red Baroness didn't miss as much time as Hemissesu with her shins and has got more miles under her belt than her workmate. Both should debut at Parx this Summer though Red Baroness has a pedigree weighed heavily in favor of turf racing.

Slumber Smarty was up to working solid half miles when a shin sidelined her as well. Her left shin has been tough to cool out though her right shin really was never much of a problem. She too will be looking to run on the turf this Summer in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Normandruth is still recovering from his early January race. We are hoping to get him back to regular training in a few weeks.

Gondorf is heading to Woodbine next week to try to take advantage of his Ontario bred status and run for those huge Canadian purses. Brian Lynch will be handling his training in Canada.

Hippocrates Jones worked a bullet 102.89 today at Parx as he makes his comeback from being gelded. We are looking for improvement from him on the dirt as we get him ready for the upcoming turf season.

Six Clicks worked an easy 103.02 as he readies for his next race on the 20th going 2 turns for the first time. His last 2 have been disappointing and hopefully stretching out will get him back on track.

The Magic Bus continues to train along as we develop a plan of attack for him.

Mizz Liza worked in 103.31 at Parx as she gets closer to her return to the races from a brief freshening.

Prospect Knight went in 48.79 under a strong hold at Parx. He is pointing to an allowance race next week after th starter race he is eligible doesn't look like it will fill. Prospect Knight has trained really well since his last race which had it form flattered when the 2nd place finisher, Son of Posse, came back last week and ran 3rd in the $100k stake at Turfway.

Target Practice is getting a little R & R at the training center in New Jersey.

Big Shake has had the ultimate equipment change and is looking to extend his racing career in his next race.

Rochelle Rochelle came out of her winning effort last week in good shape and will be pointed to a similar starter race in a few weeks.

We are planning on heading North with the Ocala horses mid-late April though some individuals may ship earlier. I am looking forward to really attacking the mid-Atlantic region as the purse structure is phenomenal and the competition is simply not as tough as we are used to facing. We will have stalls on the grounds at Parx and also at the Mt Holly, NJ training center which is short (20 minutes) drive from Parx. This is a setup which should benefit the horses as the training center offers a swimming pool, 5/8th mile track, euro-sizers, turnout paddocks, and an equivibe machine.