It has been a while since our last post and we have a lot of catching up to do!
Oklahoma Den is in the 5th race at Monmouth on Saturday afternoon. The race is a maiden 20000 on the turf going 1 1/16th and he drew post 1 with apprentice Manuel Franco riding. Oklahoma Den was unfortunate both his last starts at higher levels having the saddle slip in one and breaking slowly in the other.
Frosty's Whirl broke his maiden last out, winning a maiden 25000 race at Penn National by 5 lengths in his first start in close to a year. He is entered at Saratoga for Saturdays card however a minor cough is probably going to prevent him from racing.
Small Town Talk has had a lot of luck this year unfortunately almost all of it has been bad. In his first start off of the layoff in the Salvatore Mile he drew a tough post position on an intensely biased track and raced pretty well despite not hitting the board. His 2nd race back in the Monmouth Cup was run over an embarrassment of a track surface on Haskell Day. He absolutely could not handle the ridiculously deep footing and subsequently ran uncharacteristically poor and was found to have bled afterwards most likely as a result of struggling with the surface. We are hoping to get into a turf allowance race this Sunday at Monmouth.
Malibu Murmur ran 2nd last Sunday at Parx in a starter allowance race after winning her prior start at Delaware Park. She tries very hard and we are hoping to get a few more starts in with her before she is sold as a racing/broodmare prospect in the Fasig-Tipton mixed sale in October in Saratoga.
Midas Terms made his return to the races a winning one a few weekends ago. Having been off since last October with a fairly serious injury, Midas Terms dominated a conditioned claiming race winning easily by more than 8 lengths. Susan Ditter did a great job nursing him back to health and you won't find a more deserving owner in the sport than Bobby Okuba.
Mustang Island who had been off since April, won his comeback race on July 17th at Penn, a conditioned claimer on the turf. Under a clever ride by Josean Ramirez, Mustang Island, who often races on or near the lead, came from far back to run by the leaders in the stretch. He is going to be entered to run this Saturday at Penn National in a open claiming race.
Nose First capped off a big night for the barn July 17th (we went 3 for 3 that night at Penn) by wiring a field of maiden claimers to break his maiden in his 2nd start. Unfortunately the gate crew somehow allowed him to get loose behind the gate this past Saturday and he was scratched from his turf debut after dumping the jockey and running off.
Sweetjudyblue Eyes made up some ground late while sprinting in her return to the races last month. She is being pointed to a PA bred allowance race next week going two turns.
I Can See Russia has been sent to Gum Tree farm for a little R & R.
Pennypennypenny was wheeled back July 4th in an allowance race that was for some reason taken off of the turf (no rain). She broke in a tangle and sometime during the running was hit in the eye with a clod of dirt which prevented her from ever mounting a rally. We have taken our time getting her back to the race and she will be seen this fall at Laurel back on the turf.
Made to Love Her ran a decent 5th in her comeback race after missing time due to a leg infection. She came out of the race in good shape, posting a solid workout yesterday at Monmouth and is being pointed to a race on September 14th at Churchill Downs.
Sinatra's Dancer is a NJ bred that we claimed after losing Max's First. He ran on that same extremely deep Monmouth dirt track as did Small Town Talk and didn't appreciate the "new" surface at all. He is being pointed to a NJ allowance/optional claimer on August 31st.
Lyle's Angel just hasn't fired since her solid 2nd earlier in the Monmouth Park meet. We are going to look at several options for her.
Latent Charm is going to have an "official" work Friday at Westampton. She has trained well since returning to training after some time off.
Pleasantly Miranda is finally coming around and is going to be headed to Penn National to get ready to run soon.
Stella's Issac should make his first start soon.
Brown Monba (not his actual name) is a 2 year old PA bred that was purchased by Davant Latham for Gary Marsh and Kurt Luscombe at OBS April. He has trained well and is improving seemingly every day. Look for him towards the end of September/beginning of October.
My Beholder is a Fu Peg 2 year old colt who was sent to us by noted KY horseman Beau Lane. He has had a couple solid works since arriving at Monmouth and should be ready to roll sometime in September.
One Revolution has some bone bruising and we are giving her some time off with the thought of bringing her back this Winter in Florida.
All Peace N Quiet has had 5 works back since her return. She has progressed nicely and should be ready to run soon.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Heating Up
The first few months of 2013 were quite a challenge as the weather just never cooperated and between snow, rain, wet tracks, cancellations combined with several unfortunate setbacks the stable just never seemed to find itself in a groove. However as we close in on July and the heat of the Summer we have finally started making up for lost time.
Ciampini's trip in the opener of last Saturday night's Owner appreciation night card at Penn National was not exactly what we had been anticipating going into that race. After breaking sharp, Ciampini backed off the leaders while in between horses and actually started to retreat as the field headed into the turn of the 6 furlong race. He apparently wasn't comfortable between horses and the dirt being kicked back in his face obviously wasn't helping. Jockey Josean Ramirez, sensing that he needed to get him in the clear angled him wide going into the turn causing him to lose several more lengths, but once free of the traffic and dirt he began to make up that ground as the field went by the 1/4 pole at the top of the stretch. The early pace had been fast and was starting to take it's toll on the leaders as the rest of the field began to close in. Ciampini was widest of all and grinding it out when he was bumped off stride by the horse inside of him which caused him to switch leads back to his left lead. The field was spread across the track as they hit the wire and it appeared at first glance that the #2 horse on the inside had held on and we had beaten our bumping adversary (the #3) by the slimmest of noses for 2nd place. All in all not a bad placing considering the massive amount of trouble he had faced in his first race after being off 13 months. Ciampini had been unsaddled and was heading back down the dirt horse path towards the barn as Sue and I were commiserating with Ramirez about the race when the loudspeaker announced that the winner of tonight's first race was number four, Ciampini! Quickly Ciampini was rerouted back towards the winners circle as co-owner Larry Ensor (late to the races as is his style) bounded in out of nowhere to join the rest of us including the jockey with the saddle in his hand and the horse who had his blanket on. Not exactly a traditional winners circle picture to say the least, but a truly satisfying one as Ciampini has endured numerous physical challenges that have never been exactly diagnosed. We knew he wasn't 100% fit for this race but was certainly close enough to run well and despite the track being very loose (they put water on the track after the next 4 races but hadn't put any on before the 1st) and his trip being adventurous that he was still talented and game enough to pull it off was very encouraging. He appears to have exited his maiden victory in good shape and there are numerous way we can go from here.
Max's First's only race for us went far smoother at Monmouth Park a week earlier. Claimed by Roger Cettina's Skyscraper Racing for $7500 on June 1st, we wheeled him back two weeks later to win an optional $16000 NW2x NJbred allowance race with a whopping $55000 purse. Max's First stalked the pace under Angel Serpa, staying close to the rail until the stretch when he bulled his way through horses and ran down the favorite in the deepest part of the stretch to edge clear at the wire. Our relationship was a short one as he was claimed which was the 6th consecutive race in which he changed barns. He is a real pro and I'm happy to have had the chance to train him if just briefly.
Pennypennypenny's story is seemingly just starting to be told but so much has happened already. We stumbled across her at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Eastern Fall yearling sale where she was entered as hip number 279. On paper she looked interesting having been the 4th foal out of the minor stakes winning dam Sharp Ciel who had come from pretty strong blood as her 2nd dam was closely related to Capote, Exceller and Baldski. However on examination Penny was pretty small and oddly, barely prepared for a sale as explained to us by her consignor. She had just arrived the same morning from a farm where she had been living, not having been sales prepped, she had a sun faded coat, no shoes, no xrays, no scope report and because of that no interest in her. I told myself that despite my interest in her I didn't need any projects like she seemed to be so when she went through the ring I didn't bid on her. It turns out no one else did either as there were no live bids and she returned to her stall unsold. We had gotten two other horses at the sale believing that we had gotten relatively good bargains on both. The sale was virtually over when I just had to go look at her one more time and decided that since we had "saved" so much money on our other bargains I would make an offer for the little St Averil filly. My logic was that even if she didn't make it as a racehorse her size may be an asset if we retrained her as a children's hunter prospect but she had a really free and easy way of walking and just looked to me like she'd be fast. They jumped at the $1000 offer and off she went to Westampton where she was broke and ridden relatively quickly. Around December 1 we decided to give her a little turn out time allowing her to grow as she was still pretty small. The day before Paula and I were supposed to depart for Ft Lauderdale for a few days break over Christmas I saw her limping in the field behind our house. A sliver of broken fence had wedged itself in her left front foot and the puncture wound was pretty deep. Christmas vacation was now cancelled as we worked on her foot, soaking it, bandaging it and keeping her moving and putting weight on it as to not bring on other dreaded issues that can arise when a horse cant put weight equally on all their feet. Penny is a tough little horse and despite getting tired of getting penicillin shots she was a very good patient. Eventually the foot healed but it took quite a longtime and there was no rush getting her back on track. She debuted on Preakness day at Penn in a MSW on the dirt where she ran a good third running on gamely in the stretch despite being tired. Wanting to try grass with her because of the grass influences on her dams side of the pedigree we entered her in a 5 furlong turf MSW last Thursday at Penn. She broke a step slow and stalked the leaders from 5th position on the rail, moved up nicely on the turn, forged to the lead at the top of the stretch and held the runner up safe while running her last 1/8th in 11.4. After the race she ran off another 1/4 mile as the jockey was trying to pull her up! She has now made $21800 in her first two starts for myself and Paul Harte who came on as partner as we drove home that day from the sale. There is an allowance race on July 4th going 5f on the grass at Penn that looks like a logical next step.
Small Town Talk has been working great and has been entered in an allowance race at Monmouth on Friday as a Main Track Only runner in case the race is rained off. If he doesn't get an opportunity to run in this spot there are several other races next weekend for him including the Salvatore Mile at Monmouth. The main goal for him this Summer is to win a stakes race and the Iselin would be a great place to do it.
Made to Love Her worked well at Monmouth yesterday morning and is progressing nicely toward a late July return to the races.
Lyle's Angel is going to be entered for a 40000 nw2 claiming race next Saturday at Monmouth. She ran 2nd in that same race last out and should be tough despite the cutback to 5 1/2 furlongs.
Oklahoma Den is being pointed at a July 1 race at Delaware Park going 9 furlongs on the grass. The NY bred race we entered in for Wednesday at Belmont failed to fill.
More to come in the afternoon edition
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Start of Summer update
It has been a very busy time these last few weeks with Monmouth opening and shifting horses and people to new places. This past weekend we had an unfortunate death in the family as Paula's step father passed away, not entirely unexpectedly but it is still unsettling when it actually happens.
We want to offer belated congratulations to Rake Stables for Bourbon County who broke his maiden in impressive fashion by 14 lengths over MN breds at Canterbury Park last weekend. Bourbon County always showed a lot of talent though his physical stature did not allow him to be rushed to the races, Dr Rake was patient enough to allow us to let him to develop and mature enough to show what he can do. His patience was rewarded and the 95 Beyer figure that he received shows that the talent is actually there. We want to wish Bourbon County, Dr Rake and the Bernell Rhone stable the best of luck when cleaning up the MN bred stakes this summer at Canterbury!
Unfortunately there is a bit of bad news as Coax Liberty who is a stakes winning, graded stakes placed mare owned by Copper Penny Stable has been retired after suffering an injury last week. She had made great strides and had recovered completely from an old, unrelated injury suffered last summer and we are all disappointed that we wont get a chance to campaign her this season. On a positive note she will make a terrific addition to the Copper Penny broodmare band as she is well made, interestingly bred and amply credentialed.
Some other good news involves quite a few horses closing in on or making their returns to the races as well as some nice debuts to report on. Small Town Talk has had 3 solid works as he moves closer to his return to the races after some nagging foot issues. Tentatively we are pointing to the series of older horses two-turn stakes at Monmouth Park where he had quite a bit of success last year. He is training phenomenally right now.
Lyle's Angel ran really well this past Sunday at Monmouth Park finishing a fast closing 2nd in a $40000 claiming race off of a 15 month layoff. Dr Rake's patience (and mine) was really tested with this filly as virtually every time she looked to be peaking and ready to run something else cropped up setting her back. Lyle's Angel cooled out well afterwards and we are hoping to knock off a couple races with her this Summer to try to make up for lost time. My assistant Susan Ditter and vet at Penn National, Dr. Kate Papp did a really good job nursing her through her latest maladies.
Malibu Murmur is entered to run this Friday in the 7th race at Monmouth Park which is a $25000 nw3 claiming race on the grass. She ran 3rd in a starter allowance race in her last at Atlantic City which was her 1st race after a brief layoff since the Winter. She has trained well and hopefully can workout a good trip under Pablo Fragoso.
Pennypennypenny made her debut at Penn National on Preakness day and ran a nice race finishing 3rd in a maiden special weight event. She should improve with more experience and possibly a move to the grass as there is plenty of turf in her pedigree. She has come a long way from the Timonium fall yearling sale in 2011 where she showed up unshod, with no xrays or scope report nor was she even prepped for the sale. I figured for the upset price she was worth a shot and it looks like she is going to be worth considerably more than that.
Midas Terms is back breezing again after sustaining an injury last fall. He has had five easy works and will start to more serious training as we are looking to a late June return for him.
All Peace N Quiet has about five weeks training in since coming back from an injury suffered when breaking her maiden by 12 last Fall.
Ciampini is also breezing after being out since last Summer with a mysterious, more or less unsolved injury. He has had 4 solid 1/2 miles and will work 5 furlongs this weekend at Monmouth Park.
Sweetjudyblue Eyes has also trained solidly since her return from a freshening and will be back in the entries shortly.
Frosty Merry Eri may be retired as she has not shown much in her two starts and may benefit from another career outside of racing.
Made to Love Her is training really well after missing some time with an infected leg that needed to be flushed surgically. Unfortunately the overuse of antibiotics in equines has led to "super bugs" that traditional broad spectrum antibiotics don't seem to be able to handle regardless of how quick you are on top of infections. The good news is that she is fine, showing no after effects and is a fresh, sound filly entering the summer season.
One Revolution raced greenly after breaking slow in her debut at Pimlico during Preakness week. She will surely improve with the race under her belt and we are considering several spots in the coming weeks.
Southern Access raced in dull fashion last out which is just not her. We are freshening her up a bit and will look for something for her later in the Summer.
Pleasantly Miranda is a late developing filly and is still experiencing growing pain though she has physically matured quite a bit over the last few months. Look for her at Monmouth/Delaware in a few weeks.
Frosty Whirl has finally turned the proverbial corner after seemingly endless minor issues. He is very frustrating to deal with but I believe that in the end he is talented enough to deal with it.
Oklahoma Den ran an improved 4th at Monmouth last weekend, tiring just a bit in the deep stretch. He seems to improve with each race and hopefully we can draw in this Sunday at Monmouth in a maiden 20000 turf race.
Tango Master and Nose First have been doing serious gate work as we get them ready for their career debuts. Tango is a much better student as Nose First needs additional schooling which is unusual considering how laid back in general he is.
Mustang Island is prepping for Penn's cheap turf race season to gear up and will be seen in the entries soon.
Latent Charm will be rejoining the stable this week. Looking forward to her getting back to the races.
I Can See Russia made up a lot of ground 1st time out and will run back in a week or so. She should also benefit from the experience.
We want to offer belated congratulations to Rake Stables for Bourbon County who broke his maiden in impressive fashion by 14 lengths over MN breds at Canterbury Park last weekend. Bourbon County always showed a lot of talent though his physical stature did not allow him to be rushed to the races, Dr Rake was patient enough to allow us to let him to develop and mature enough to show what he can do. His patience was rewarded and the 95 Beyer figure that he received shows that the talent is actually there. We want to wish Bourbon County, Dr Rake and the Bernell Rhone stable the best of luck when cleaning up the MN bred stakes this summer at Canterbury!
Unfortunately there is a bit of bad news as Coax Liberty who is a stakes winning, graded stakes placed mare owned by Copper Penny Stable has been retired after suffering an injury last week. She had made great strides and had recovered completely from an old, unrelated injury suffered last summer and we are all disappointed that we wont get a chance to campaign her this season. On a positive note she will make a terrific addition to the Copper Penny broodmare band as she is well made, interestingly bred and amply credentialed.
Some other good news involves quite a few horses closing in on or making their returns to the races as well as some nice debuts to report on. Small Town Talk has had 3 solid works as he moves closer to his return to the races after some nagging foot issues. Tentatively we are pointing to the series of older horses two-turn stakes at Monmouth Park where he had quite a bit of success last year. He is training phenomenally right now.
Lyle's Angel ran really well this past Sunday at Monmouth Park finishing a fast closing 2nd in a $40000 claiming race off of a 15 month layoff. Dr Rake's patience (and mine) was really tested with this filly as virtually every time she looked to be peaking and ready to run something else cropped up setting her back. Lyle's Angel cooled out well afterwards and we are hoping to knock off a couple races with her this Summer to try to make up for lost time. My assistant Susan Ditter and vet at Penn National, Dr. Kate Papp did a really good job nursing her through her latest maladies.
Malibu Murmur is entered to run this Friday in the 7th race at Monmouth Park which is a $25000 nw3 claiming race on the grass. She ran 3rd in a starter allowance race in her last at Atlantic City which was her 1st race after a brief layoff since the Winter. She has trained well and hopefully can workout a good trip under Pablo Fragoso.
Pennypennypenny made her debut at Penn National on Preakness day and ran a nice race finishing 3rd in a maiden special weight event. She should improve with more experience and possibly a move to the grass as there is plenty of turf in her pedigree. She has come a long way from the Timonium fall yearling sale in 2011 where she showed up unshod, with no xrays or scope report nor was she even prepped for the sale. I figured for the upset price she was worth a shot and it looks like she is going to be worth considerably more than that.
Midas Terms is back breezing again after sustaining an injury last fall. He has had five easy works and will start to more serious training as we are looking to a late June return for him.
All Peace N Quiet has about five weeks training in since coming back from an injury suffered when breaking her maiden by 12 last Fall.
Ciampini is also breezing after being out since last Summer with a mysterious, more or less unsolved injury. He has had 4 solid 1/2 miles and will work 5 furlongs this weekend at Monmouth Park.
Sweetjudyblue Eyes has also trained solidly since her return from a freshening and will be back in the entries shortly.
Frosty Merry Eri may be retired as she has not shown much in her two starts and may benefit from another career outside of racing.
Made to Love Her is training really well after missing some time with an infected leg that needed to be flushed surgically. Unfortunately the overuse of antibiotics in equines has led to "super bugs" that traditional broad spectrum antibiotics don't seem to be able to handle regardless of how quick you are on top of infections. The good news is that she is fine, showing no after effects and is a fresh, sound filly entering the summer season.
One Revolution raced greenly after breaking slow in her debut at Pimlico during Preakness week. She will surely improve with the race under her belt and we are considering several spots in the coming weeks.
Southern Access raced in dull fashion last out which is just not her. We are freshening her up a bit and will look for something for her later in the Summer.
Pleasantly Miranda is a late developing filly and is still experiencing growing pain though she has physically matured quite a bit over the last few months. Look for her at Monmouth/Delaware in a few weeks.
Frosty Whirl has finally turned the proverbial corner after seemingly endless minor issues. He is very frustrating to deal with but I believe that in the end he is talented enough to deal with it.
Oklahoma Den ran an improved 4th at Monmouth last weekend, tiring just a bit in the deep stretch. He seems to improve with each race and hopefully we can draw in this Sunday at Monmouth in a maiden 20000 turf race.
Tango Master and Nose First have been doing serious gate work as we get them ready for their career debuts. Tango is a much better student as Nose First needs additional schooling which is unusual considering how laid back in general he is.
Mustang Island is prepping for Penn's cheap turf race season to gear up and will be seen in the entries soon.
Latent Charm will be rejoining the stable this week. Looking forward to her getting back to the races.
I Can See Russia made up a lot of ground 1st time out and will run back in a week or so. She should also benefit from the experience.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Quick update
Just a quick report on some of the horses.
Oklahoma Den came out of his 4th place finish at Aqueduct in good shape though he admittedly was pretty tired afterwards. It is hard to bring a horse back off of a layoff when the weather doesn't allow a full week of training for months but I thought he ran pretty well. He is still green and it was encouraging to see him fight back in the stretch and pass some of the horses that has passed him on the turn. Probably back to the grass as he seems to handle it better than he did the dirt.
Small Town Talk continues to train well towards his season debut. His 103 work the other day at Penn doesn't look impressive on paper but considering he did most of it into a 30 mph headwind the time probably stands up pretty well. He will work again this week and we are looking for something for him towards the end of March/beginning of April.
Lyle's Angel is back in full training after a little colic scare that wound up with her in Mid Atlantic clinic for a couple of days. She is scheduled to work later this week and if all goes well she should be back (finally!) to the races in April.
Bourbon County and One Revolution shipped to Penn last week to do more advanced gate work in advance of their debuts. Bourbon is pointing to a March 30th race at Penn National and One Revolution's schedule is still up in the air until Pimlico's condition book comes out with it's turf schedule. It is possible she will get a race on the dirt as a prep for the grass especially if the weather continues to be miserable.
Speaking of turf, one horse who will not be getting a dirt prep, Mustang Island has trained well as he nears his comeback after a winter break. He is the future book favorite for the title of 2013's top 7500 middle distance turf claimer in the mid-Atlantic area.
Coax Liberty is doing great as she also trains along toward her 2013 comeback race. It will be great to run nice race mares like her, Made to Love Her and Lyle's Angel this Spring/summer. Cheaper horses have their place and if you are racing in this region they are a necessary component of most stables but good horses make it easier to get up early each morning.
Frosty Whirl is close to his return to the races. We will work him later this week and get a better idea of his readiness.
Pleasantly Miranda grabbed a quarter last week and missed a few days training but the injury is very minor and she is already back in full training.
I Can See Russia worked really well out of the gate on Saturday with one slight issue, she forgot to bring her jockey along for the ride!. She stumbled leaving the gate unseating JG Ramirez and proceeded to go ahead and work herself. Unscathed after the incident, she will try again this week as she also nears her debut.
I'm a little pressed for time today and will report on the ones I missed in a day or so.
Oklahoma Den came out of his 4th place finish at Aqueduct in good shape though he admittedly was pretty tired afterwards. It is hard to bring a horse back off of a layoff when the weather doesn't allow a full week of training for months but I thought he ran pretty well. He is still green and it was encouraging to see him fight back in the stretch and pass some of the horses that has passed him on the turn. Probably back to the grass as he seems to handle it better than he did the dirt.
Small Town Talk continues to train well towards his season debut. His 103 work the other day at Penn doesn't look impressive on paper but considering he did most of it into a 30 mph headwind the time probably stands up pretty well. He will work again this week and we are looking for something for him towards the end of March/beginning of April.
Lyle's Angel is back in full training after a little colic scare that wound up with her in Mid Atlantic clinic for a couple of days. She is scheduled to work later this week and if all goes well she should be back (finally!) to the races in April.
Bourbon County and One Revolution shipped to Penn last week to do more advanced gate work in advance of their debuts. Bourbon is pointing to a March 30th race at Penn National and One Revolution's schedule is still up in the air until Pimlico's condition book comes out with it's turf schedule. It is possible she will get a race on the dirt as a prep for the grass especially if the weather continues to be miserable.
Speaking of turf, one horse who will not be getting a dirt prep, Mustang Island has trained well as he nears his comeback after a winter break. He is the future book favorite for the title of 2013's top 7500 middle distance turf claimer in the mid-Atlantic area.
Coax Liberty is doing great as she also trains along toward her 2013 comeback race. It will be great to run nice race mares like her, Made to Love Her and Lyle's Angel this Spring/summer. Cheaper horses have their place and if you are racing in this region they are a necessary component of most stables but good horses make it easier to get up early each morning.
Frosty Whirl is close to his return to the races. We will work him later this week and get a better idea of his readiness.
Pleasantly Miranda grabbed a quarter last week and missed a few days training but the injury is very minor and she is already back in full training.
I Can See Russia worked really well out of the gate on Saturday with one slight issue, she forgot to bring her jockey along for the ride!. She stumbled leaving the gate unseating JG Ramirez and proceeded to go ahead and work herself. Unscathed after the incident, she will try again this week as she also nears her debut.
I'm a little pressed for time today and will report on the ones I missed in a day or so.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Looking Forward
Today is the final "unofficial" day of Winter, as March showers may bring April flowers but as of tomorrow...no more snow! Well we hope that we have seen the last of it for it has been a tough season for trainers in the Northeastern portion of the US. That being said Laurel has turf races written in its upcoming condition book and Atlantic City's all grass schedule should be out soon and nothing says springtime louder than lower rung horses running on the weeds! If it would ever stop snowing/raining the turf should be lush at the mid-Atlantic tracks grass courses, except for Parx whose abysmal course needs a serious dose of Scott's turf builder.
Horse racing in the Northeastern area is at a crossroads right now in many respects but the fact is that the opportunities for horsemen in the region are very good. Monmouth and Delaware have released their condition books, the former with the same purse schedule as last season and the latter I believe has gotten a slight bump. Parx and Penn National still have healthy purses and Laurel/Pimlico have seen nothing but strong gains since the slots program in Maryland came on line. Charlestown has good purses considering the competition and for the better class horses, NYRA's purses are the best in the country.
Made to Love Her scratched out of the minor stakes at Charlestown that she was entered in on Tuesday due to sloppy conditions. We will look for a similar spot for her in the coming weeks.
Southern Access is going to be entered for next Wednesdays races at Penn National. She is coming off two blowout wins in a row and is being bumped up in class to the 10000 nw3 level. Hopefully the race will fill (Penn is going back to the 4 day a week schedule which will help the races with fewer than 10 entries go) and she can make it three in a row.
Bourbon County had a small setback last week but has recovered and is back in full training. We are thinking that he will launch his career this coming month.
Mustang Island has returned to full training and we hope to get him in a grass race sometime in April.
Frostys Whirl is just about ready to roll and we are searching for a NY bred maiden race sprinting for him.
Oklahoma Den is going to be entered for Mondays races at Parx or more likely for March 6th at Laurel.
Small Town Talk has trained really well lately and will work five furlongs this week. We are targeting the $250000 Mountainview Handicap at Penn as his main target for now with several stakes at Monmouth after that.
One Revolution has really progressed nicely since arriving and worked a solid half mile on Tuesday in 50.40 over a deep surface at Westampton. Everything would have to fall into place perfectly but there is an outside chance that she could make her debut at Laurel on March 30 in a MSW going 5 1/2 on the turf.
Nose First has been set back a few days with some respiratory issues but if this morning was any indication of how he is feeling, I'd say he is over his sickness.
Tango Master also had a lung infection but he is also back in good spirits and they both should resume their workout schedule this weekend weather permitting of course.
Pleasantly Miranda has continues to move ahead in her training. She has really grown into an imposing filly and is starting to match her coordination with that big body.
Malibu Murmur is in a holding pattern as we search for a good spot for her. With the turf season soon to arrive the number of potential races for her will widen immensely.
Coax Liberty has received a clean bill of health and has resumed full training at Penn National.
Frosty Merry Eri has been doing some gate work as she trains steadily towards her debut.
I Can See Russia picked up the pace in her latest workout, going 37.80 after a few leg stretchers in 40 to get her back acclimated to the dirt surface. She is due to work back in a day or so.
Lyle's Angel had been training well before a little bout with colic/ovary issues ended up with her in Mid Atlantic clinic for a little visit. She is fine and will resume normal training tomorrow.
Midas Terms is returning to the track at Penn National tomorrow and will resume training right away.
Written Word is going to get one last chance on March 6th.
Horse racing in the Northeastern area is at a crossroads right now in many respects but the fact is that the opportunities for horsemen in the region are very good. Monmouth and Delaware have released their condition books, the former with the same purse schedule as last season and the latter I believe has gotten a slight bump. Parx and Penn National still have healthy purses and Laurel/Pimlico have seen nothing but strong gains since the slots program in Maryland came on line. Charlestown has good purses considering the competition and for the better class horses, NYRA's purses are the best in the country.
Made to Love Her scratched out of the minor stakes at Charlestown that she was entered in on Tuesday due to sloppy conditions. We will look for a similar spot for her in the coming weeks.
Southern Access is going to be entered for next Wednesdays races at Penn National. She is coming off two blowout wins in a row and is being bumped up in class to the 10000 nw3 level. Hopefully the race will fill (Penn is going back to the 4 day a week schedule which will help the races with fewer than 10 entries go) and she can make it three in a row.
Bourbon County had a small setback last week but has recovered and is back in full training. We are thinking that he will launch his career this coming month.
Mustang Island has returned to full training and we hope to get him in a grass race sometime in April.
Frostys Whirl is just about ready to roll and we are searching for a NY bred maiden race sprinting for him.
Oklahoma Den is going to be entered for Mondays races at Parx or more likely for March 6th at Laurel.
Small Town Talk has trained really well lately and will work five furlongs this week. We are targeting the $250000 Mountainview Handicap at Penn as his main target for now with several stakes at Monmouth after that.
One Revolution has really progressed nicely since arriving and worked a solid half mile on Tuesday in 50.40 over a deep surface at Westampton. Everything would have to fall into place perfectly but there is an outside chance that she could make her debut at Laurel on March 30 in a MSW going 5 1/2 on the turf.
Nose First has been set back a few days with some respiratory issues but if this morning was any indication of how he is feeling, I'd say he is over his sickness.
Tango Master also had a lung infection but he is also back in good spirits and they both should resume their workout schedule this weekend weather permitting of course.
Pleasantly Miranda has continues to move ahead in her training. She has really grown into an imposing filly and is starting to match her coordination with that big body.
Malibu Murmur is in a holding pattern as we search for a good spot for her. With the turf season soon to arrive the number of potential races for her will widen immensely.
Coax Liberty has received a clean bill of health and has resumed full training at Penn National.
Frosty Merry Eri has been doing some gate work as she trains steadily towards her debut.
I Can See Russia picked up the pace in her latest workout, going 37.80 after a few leg stretchers in 40 to get her back acclimated to the dirt surface. She is due to work back in a day or so.
Lyle's Angel had been training well before a little bout with colic/ovary issues ended up with her in Mid Atlantic clinic for a little visit. She is fine and will resume normal training tomorrow.
Midas Terms is returning to the track at Penn National tomorrow and will resume training right away.
Written Word is going to get one last chance on March 6th.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Post Super Bowl Report
What does the Super Bowl have to do with the stable? Outside of the fact we have a light out in the office at Westampton... nothing but the end of football season means we are inching closer to the end of Winter. Had a pretty productive week of training and did manage to win another race which is always a good thing.
Southern Access won her 2nd race in a row Friday night at Penn National. In her 1st race against winners, she quickly moved to the lead, maintained a clear margin and won by 10 lengths. We will look to make it three in a row on March 6th at Penn.
One Revolution a 3 year old Langfuhr filly owned by Dee Tee stable arrived from Virginia last week and has blended right into the stable seamlessly. She worked in company this morning with another newcomer Nose First, going an easy 3 furlongs in 38.20. She did everything right and should maintain a regular work schedule.
Nose First is a 3 year old PA bred by Outflanker owned by his breeder Laura and Larry Ensor's Gum Tree Stable. He did well in his first dirt work and also will move right along in his training.
Malibu Murmur has been entered for Thursday afternoons 8th race at Laurel. The race is a 35000 nw3 claiming race going 1 1/16th and we drew post position number 5 in an 8 horse field. Josean Ramirez who rode her to victory in her last will go down to ride her.
Malibu Murmur galloping at Penn Nat'l
Pleasantly Miranda worked in company with Frosty Merry Eri this morning, going 51.20. They broke off a bit slow and picked it up nicely, finishing the last 1/8 in 12.00 under no urging. Both fillies cooled out well and will work again next weekend.
Lyle's Angel two minute licked 1 1/4 this morning and did really well. She may have an easy work next weekend if she has a good week of training.
Oklahoma Den worked a solid 102.10 today in company with Bourbon County. We are looking for a spot for him to make his return to the races. Bourbon County also worked well and should be ready soon.
Lyford is not progressing as we had hoped and is going to be sent back to the farm.
All Peace N Quiet is hand walking as she recovers from injury.
Tango Master worked in 51.00 by himself this morning. He finished up the work with good energy and is developing nicely.
Small Town Talk was back on the work tab on Saturday. We will work him four furlongs this week as we develop a game plan to get him back to the races though potentially an allowance race at Laurel at the end of the month as a prep for the Excelsior at Aqueduct in March is a possibility.
Made to Love Her had a maintenance work on Friday going 1/2 in 50.80 at Penn. Hopefully we can find a race for her soon that attracts a sufficient number of entries to allow it to go.
Coax Liberty continues to improve and if we can get a patch of good weather it will help her progress immensely.
Coax Liberty on Saturday
Mustang Island was back under tack this week, jogging a few miles this weekend. He will gradually return to full training and we hope to have him ready to run once turf season opens back up at the area tracks.
Frostys Whirl worked a solid 101.60 from the gate on Friday at Penn and is about ready to go back into the entry box.
Southern Access won her 2nd race in a row Friday night at Penn National. In her 1st race against winners, she quickly moved to the lead, maintained a clear margin and won by 10 lengths. We will look to make it three in a row on March 6th at Penn.
One Revolution a 3 year old Langfuhr filly owned by Dee Tee stable arrived from Virginia last week and has blended right into the stable seamlessly. She worked in company this morning with another newcomer Nose First, going an easy 3 furlongs in 38.20. She did everything right and should maintain a regular work schedule.
Nose First is a 3 year old PA bred by Outflanker owned by his breeder Laura and Larry Ensor's Gum Tree Stable. He did well in his first dirt work and also will move right along in his training.
Malibu Murmur has been entered for Thursday afternoons 8th race at Laurel. The race is a 35000 nw3 claiming race going 1 1/16th and we drew post position number 5 in an 8 horse field. Josean Ramirez who rode her to victory in her last will go down to ride her.
Pleasantly Miranda worked in company with Frosty Merry Eri this morning, going 51.20. They broke off a bit slow and picked it up nicely, finishing the last 1/8 in 12.00 under no urging. Both fillies cooled out well and will work again next weekend.
Lyle's Angel two minute licked 1 1/4 this morning and did really well. She may have an easy work next weekend if she has a good week of training.
Oklahoma Den worked a solid 102.10 today in company with Bourbon County. We are looking for a spot for him to make his return to the races. Bourbon County also worked well and should be ready soon.
Lyford is not progressing as we had hoped and is going to be sent back to the farm.
All Peace N Quiet is hand walking as she recovers from injury.
Tango Master worked in 51.00 by himself this morning. He finished up the work with good energy and is developing nicely.
Small Town Talk was back on the work tab on Saturday. We will work him four furlongs this week as we develop a game plan to get him back to the races though potentially an allowance race at Laurel at the end of the month as a prep for the Excelsior at Aqueduct in March is a possibility.
 |
| Small Town Talk |
Made to Love Her had a maintenance work on Friday going 1/2 in 50.80 at Penn. Hopefully we can find a race for her soon that attracts a sufficient number of entries to allow it to go.
Coax Liberty continues to improve and if we can get a patch of good weather it will help her progress immensely.
Mustang Island was back under tack this week, jogging a few miles this weekend. He will gradually return to full training and we hope to have him ready to run once turf season opens back up at the area tracks.
Frostys Whirl worked a solid 101.60 from the gate on Friday at Penn and is about ready to go back into the entry box.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday Holiday Update
We were lucky enough to sneak some works in this past weekend though this coming week looks bleak.
The track at Westampton was deep and the track at Penn was pretty normal. The Westampton works may not have reached equibase yet
Bourbon County went well, clocking a half mile in 49.30 breezing under a tight hold. He was a little winded afterwards but considering how deep the track was that's to be expected. We will do some more gate work with him this week and perhaps breeze from the gate next weekend.
Frosty Merry Eri and Tango Master went in company in 51.60. They are good work partners and we will go in company again next week. We will also get some gate work in for both of them this week.
Oklahoma Den went five furlongs in 103 finishing up well and also blowing pretty hard afterwards. He is perhaps a work or two away from being ready to run.
Pleasantly Miranda went in 39.60 in her second work back off of the layoff. She is a long striding type and did not appreciate the ground at all. April at Atlantic City is probably the goal for her right now.
Pennypennypenny went in 36.40 at Penn which was a little quicker than we were hoping for. She is really fast but needs to learn to listen to the rider a little better.
Frosty Whirl went a good five furlongs in 101.80 at Penn on Friday which was 4th fastest of 16 to work at the distance. He is also a work or two away from being ready to run.
Lyford went in 104 the same day and needs to start picking it up or he is going to wind up over jumps sooner than later.
Ski Bum is making his debut in Thursdays 7th race at Penn National.
Malibu Murmur has been entered in the Nellie Morse Stakes at Laurel on Saturday afternoon. She drew on the also eligible list as the race overfilled and we may not run even if we draw in.
Small Town Talk is going to record his 1st work later this week since running 4th in the Fall High weight Handicap at Aqueduct on Thanksgiving day.
The track at Westampton was deep and the track at Penn was pretty normal. The Westampton works may not have reached equibase yet
Bourbon County went well, clocking a half mile in 49.30 breezing under a tight hold. He was a little winded afterwards but considering how deep the track was that's to be expected. We will do some more gate work with him this week and perhaps breeze from the gate next weekend.
Frosty Merry Eri and Tango Master went in company in 51.60. They are good work partners and we will go in company again next week. We will also get some gate work in for both of them this week.
Oklahoma Den went five furlongs in 103 finishing up well and also blowing pretty hard afterwards. He is perhaps a work or two away from being ready to run.
Pleasantly Miranda went in 39.60 in her second work back off of the layoff. She is a long striding type and did not appreciate the ground at all. April at Atlantic City is probably the goal for her right now.
Pennypennypenny went in 36.40 at Penn which was a little quicker than we were hoping for. She is really fast but needs to learn to listen to the rider a little better.
Frosty Whirl went a good five furlongs in 101.80 at Penn on Friday which was 4th fastest of 16 to work at the distance. He is also a work or two away from being ready to run.
Lyford went in 104 the same day and needs to start picking it up or he is going to wind up over jumps sooner than later.
Ski Bum is making his debut in Thursdays 7th race at Penn National.
Malibu Murmur has been entered in the Nellie Morse Stakes at Laurel on Saturday afternoon. She drew on the also eligible list as the race overfilled and we may not run even if we draw in.
Small Town Talk is going to record his 1st work later this week since running 4th in the Fall High weight Handicap at Aqueduct on Thanksgiving day.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Mid-Winter Blues
Winter has officially settled in throughout the Northeastern part of the country. Winter weather of course wreaks havoc with training schedules as planning beyond 24 hours often becomes a futile battle. This week in particular has been rough as we have had periods of rain, snow, sleet, sun, a warming trend and soon to be freezing temperatures. One little secret of training thoroughbreds is understanding that our training plans aren't always 100% perfect and an extra day off or easy day of training every now and then is probably beneficial. That being said we have a number of horses that are tearing down the barn right now as they are overdue to breeze and I am just not willing to do too much speed work over sloppy or uneven surfaces. We have the benefit of having jogging machines at Westampton where the horses can get some exercise in when the track is just not kosher like this morning and Penn National does a pretty good job with its surface but training in the Winter in the Northeast is a challenge.
Made to Love Her caught a really top class filly last Saturday at Laurel in Bold Affair who won the What a Summer stakes by almost 5 lengths after holding up the start of the race, balking at the gate for five minutes. Made to Love Her raced along the inside chasing fast fractions, got untracked too late and finished 6th, though only beaten a few lengths for 2nd and galloping out strong after the wire. We will be looking to stretch her out in her next start which may come in allowance company sometime in February.
Lyle's Angel has picked up the pace in her training and her appetite as well. Despite being a fairly normal sized filly, she requires an enormous amount of feed and hay and never leaves an oat behind. Looking forward to getting her back to the races.
Small Town Talk has been training well and is ready to have his first work since he returned to full training after a brief freshening. Hopefully the weather will allow us to sneak in an easy work this weekend.
Small Town Talk at Westampton
Frosty Whirl worked an easy 1/2 mile last week and hopefully will get to work tomorrow or Saturday. We are going to probably going to stretch him out to 5 furlongs for this next breeze.
Oklahoma Den is really thriving in the mornings and is one that I am semi-desperate to work this weekend as he is overdue to do something and has been letting us know it.
Ski Bum and Lyford have been training partners and worked from the gate last week. We are going to perhaps get them to breeze in company this weekend. Ski Bum is ready to run and Lyford isn't too far behind.
Tango Master has trained nicely and we have started to do some gate work with him. He is also scheduled to breeze this weekend.
Tango Master has trained nicely and we have started to do some gate work with him. He is also scheduled to breeze this weekend.
Frosty Merry Eri is doing fine and is also overdue to work this weekend. She will be moving to the racetrack soon as she is ready to get her gate card.
Bourbon County also is in need of a strong work. He has been training very well and a mid-February first start for him has been targeted.
All Peace N Quiet is recovering nicely from her leg injury and is due to be re-xrayed soon.
Midas Terms is also on the mend and has exceeded all expectations thus far and is not that far away from a return to the racetrack.
Coax Liberty is another that has had her training hampered by wet racetracks. While we are cautious in our approach to training her in general, the muddy tracks have been a real hindrance.
Mustang Island, Outta Jail and Southern Access have maintained status quo.
Rochelle Rochelle has been retired from racing and we are actively seeking a new home and 2nd career for her.
Malibu Murmur has trained well since her win a few weeks back. We are weighing a few options for her including allowance races or a potential shot at getting some black type.
Pennypennypenny and Pleasantly Miranda are both doing well and are awaiting a good track over which they can safely breeze.
Angry Dragon and Red Baroness have been booked to leading freshman sire Frost Giant for the upcoming breeding season.
Angry Dragon in the paddock at Monmouth Park
Monday, January 14, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
2013? So far so good
We are off to a fast start in 2013 as both of our runners have been easy winners in career best fashion. Last night at Penn National, Malibu Murmur overcame a flat footed start which caused her to be much further off of the pace than usual to score an impressive allowance race victory. On Thursday night Southern Access ran away from maidens in her first try around two turns registering her first victory by over 8 lengths. While I don't expect to remain undefeated the entire year hopefully these results forebode a great year for Charles Simon Racing and our owners.
Small Town Talk returned to racetrack training last week after a short break following his 4th place finish in the Fall High Weight at Aqueduct. He didn't seem to lose too much fitness and we are shooting for a mid to late February return to the races for him. While he didn't run poorly in the sprint we are most likely going to go back to two turn races for him.
Lyle's Angel is back in full training and is doing great. She is showing no ill effects from surgery and is scheduled to begin galloping this week. A return to the races in March is what we are shooting for.
Made to Love Her ran really well when coming in 3rd in the Willa on the Move stakes at Laurel on December 15th. That was her 1st race back off of a 8 month layoff and her first foray against older fillies and mares. She has trained well since and is scheduled to return to Laurel on Saturday to race in the 6 furlong $125000 What a Summer stakes. Josean Ramriez who rode Malibu Murmur in her win last night will ride Made to Love Her.
Mustang Island is in light training and will be given some time off for the winter. We are pointing him to come back to the races on the turf at Atlantic City.
All Peace N Quiet is getting some R & R at Gum Tree farm and is doing well after being injured while breaking her maiden a few weeks back.
Tango Master had his 3rd published work on Saturday at Westampton going in 51.10 under Angel Castillo, Jr. He finished up well and will work another 1/2 this coming week.
Bourbon County went in 49 flat at Westampton on Saturday. He did it the right way, was under no pressure from the rider and came out of it in good order. He will work another 1/2 on Friday or Saturday.
Ski Bum is ready for his debut but the maiden race scheduled at Penn didn't fill. We will search for an extra race for his 1st start.
Rochelle Rochelle was entered to run last week but the races were cancelled due to poor weather conditions. We are looking to run her in a 4000 nw 6 months race going two turns soon.
Coax Liberty has done well though her training has been hampered by the weather more than most of the others as she doesn't train on off tracks.
Frostys Whirl dumped his rider on the way to the racetrack on Saturday before posting a 50 workout. He has trained nicely on the track despite his often boorish behavior off
of it. We are thinking that he will be ready to roll in February.
Frosty Merry Eri is far better mannered than our other Frost Giant 3 year old. She also worked on Saturday getting 1/2 mile in 51.2 at Westampton. We are going to do some gate work with her this week and she will work one more 1/2 mile next weekend.
Latent Charm underwent surgery to remove a chip from her knee a few weeks back at NJ Equine Clinic. The operation went well and she should recover fully and be back to the races late spring/early summer.
Midas Terms is going to resume jogging later this week.
Oklahoma Den worked in 50.30 on Saturday at Westampton. This was his second good work in a row and we will look to stretch his works out a bit before finding a spot to run him.
Pennypennypenny missed a little time over the holidays due to minor sickness. She is back on track and will pop out of the starting gate on Wednesday.
Outta Jail still hasn't been able to get her surgical procedure completed due to some unrelated health issues. We are hoping to get this done this week as she is feeling much better.
Pleasantly Miranda had her first recorded work since the late Summer yesterday going 3 furlongs in 39 seconds. She moved well, looked good afterwards and will continue on a steady work schedule.
Angry Dragon and Red Baroness were both retired last fall and will be bred to NY based stallion Frost Giant this spring.
Small Town Talk returned to racetrack training last week after a short break following his 4th place finish in the Fall High Weight at Aqueduct. He didn't seem to lose too much fitness and we are shooting for a mid to late February return to the races for him. While he didn't run poorly in the sprint we are most likely going to go back to two turn races for him.
Lyle's Angel is back in full training and is doing great. She is showing no ill effects from surgery and is scheduled to begin galloping this week. A return to the races in March is what we are shooting for.
Made to Love Her ran really well when coming in 3rd in the Willa on the Move stakes at Laurel on December 15th. That was her 1st race back off of a 8 month layoff and her first foray against older fillies and mares. She has trained well since and is scheduled to return to Laurel on Saturday to race in the 6 furlong $125000 What a Summer stakes. Josean Ramriez who rode Malibu Murmur in her win last night will ride Made to Love Her.
Mustang Island is in light training and will be given some time off for the winter. We are pointing him to come back to the races on the turf at Atlantic City.
All Peace N Quiet is getting some R & R at Gum Tree farm and is doing well after being injured while breaking her maiden a few weeks back.
Tango Master had his 3rd published work on Saturday at Westampton going in 51.10 under Angel Castillo, Jr. He finished up well and will work another 1/2 this coming week.
Bourbon County went in 49 flat at Westampton on Saturday. He did it the right way, was under no pressure from the rider and came out of it in good order. He will work another 1/2 on Friday or Saturday.
Ski Bum is ready for his debut but the maiden race scheduled at Penn didn't fill. We will search for an extra race for his 1st start.
Rochelle Rochelle was entered to run last week but the races were cancelled due to poor weather conditions. We are looking to run her in a 4000 nw 6 months race going two turns soon.
Coax Liberty has done well though her training has been hampered by the weather more than most of the others as she doesn't train on off tracks.
Frostys Whirl dumped his rider on the way to the racetrack on Saturday before posting a 50 workout. He has trained nicely on the track despite his often boorish behavior off
of it. We are thinking that he will be ready to roll in February.
Frosty Merry Eri is far better mannered than our other Frost Giant 3 year old. She also worked on Saturday getting 1/2 mile in 51.2 at Westampton. We are going to do some gate work with her this week and she will work one more 1/2 mile next weekend.
Latent Charm underwent surgery to remove a chip from her knee a few weeks back at NJ Equine Clinic. The operation went well and she should recover fully and be back to the races late spring/early summer.
Midas Terms is going to resume jogging later this week.
Oklahoma Den worked in 50.30 on Saturday at Westampton. This was his second good work in a row and we will look to stretch his works out a bit before finding a spot to run him.
Pennypennypenny missed a little time over the holidays due to minor sickness. She is back on track and will pop out of the starting gate on Wednesday.
Outta Jail still hasn't been able to get her surgical procedure completed due to some unrelated health issues. We are hoping to get this done this week as she is feeling much better.
Pleasantly Miranda had her first recorded work since the late Summer yesterday going 3 furlongs in 39 seconds. She moved well, looked good afterwards and will continue on a steady work schedule.
Angry Dragon and Red Baroness were both retired last fall and will be bred to NY based stallion Frost Giant this spring.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)