Charles Simon Racing

Update

2012-02-17T03:42:00.000-08:00

Only two weeks till March with Springtime soon to follow!

Hippocrates Jones ran well again tonight at Penn, placing 2nd after a tardy break and his own lack of speed had him "lagging badly" behind early (21 lengths behind after 1/4 mile). He rallied strongly and wound up only losing by 1 1/2. It was his 7th on the board finish out of his last 9 races. March 3rd or 21st in the same class at Penn is a likely next spot.

Normandruth is in the 8th race at Parx on Saturday. He drew the rail in a field of 7 in the starter allowance race going 1 mile. We are trying him in a two turn race as he just dropped too far back in his last two sprint races and are hoping that he can get into the race sooner with the slower pace of a distance race. Rosario Montanez rides the Crown Racing horse for the 1st time.

All Peace N Quiet worked a nice five furlongs at Westampton on Tuesday. She is ready to run but we are having issues finding a good spot for her that will fill.

Sweetjudyblue Eyes worked well on the 11th at Westampton and is being pointed to a 1 mile race at Penn National on the 23rd.

Cascades Comet ran great in her last start, rallying in the stretch to just miss by a nose. She is also being pointed to the 1 mile MSW race at Penn on the 23rd.

Midas Terms is being given some time off to try to heal his quarter cracks.

Target Practice has been retired. He can no longer win at the lower levels and there is no reason to keep on going with a horse who has simply lost his desire to compete. We are working on getting him adopted out.

Lyle's Angel didn't quite work up to par this week and we are waiting for her to sharpen up again before trying winners for the 1st time.

Red Baroness is ready to make her debut but like so many of our entries this year, her race did not fill. Is in a holding pattern, waiting for a spot to open up.

Slumber Smarty ran a sharp effort in her first try against winners, finishing a good 2nd in a 16000 nw 2 race. Of course the racing office didnt offer that spot in the next condition book and she was outrun when we tried her against starter allowance company. Looking to try to stretch her out in a softer spot next out.

Outta Jail and Speedy Trial have moved over to Parx to train. Both are doing extensive gate work as we get them ready to start their racing careers this Spring.

One Time Richie and Extradite are training forwardly at Westampton, doing some gate work, getting lots of miles under their belts. The Crown Racing geldings both should be ready to run late Spring/early Summer.

Angry Dragon is now training at Parx as she nears her season debut. She is experiencing a minor foot issue but should be back in full training in short order.

Jelly Donut disappointed in his last and has been transferred to the farm to try something different with him. He is still maturing and probably wont be at his best until he stops growing which considering his current size is hopefully soon!

Fusaichi Pretty broke to the outside in her return to the races then ran off when her jockey straightened her out. She tired from the early efforts but looked fine afterwards. Her success for us was on the grass and she may simply be a turf horse but with no green on the horizon, we will be looking for a softer spot to try the dirt again.

Who We Gunna Call is back in light training following a little break to deal with a quarter crack issue.

Mustang Island, Beverly's Spirit and Classic Maria are all turned out.

Small Town Talk, Malibu Murmur and Latent Charm are new horses that arrived this week. We will be developing plans for them as we get to know them.

Lloydobler has learned to swim as he nears his first start since Saratoga.

Be Sharp and Pleasantly Miranda are both walking the shed row under tack as they prepare to go into full training.

The best thing about January is it's almost over

2012-01-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

This has not been one of my favorite months. The weather has been bizarre, getting horses races in the proper spots (or any spot for some) has been close to impossible and the few that have run have disappointed. That being said March is only a little over 5 weeks away which means that Spring will soon be here.

Target Practice had a nice pace set up to run into last night at Penn. He sat 5th behind a very quick pace and when he moved up to challenge going into the final turn I felt good about the way he was moving. However as soon as that thought crossed my mind I could see that he was no longer advancing on the tiring leader but was actually starting to labor. Once they straightened out in the stretch it was obvious that he no longer has it. He finished 7th, beaten far enough that keeping him in training is a mistake. Better to find him a new career while he is still sound and attractive to people looking for OTTB's than to chase cheap purses to no avail.

Fusaichi Pretty and All Peace N Quiet were entered yesterday at Parx in a $25000 nw2 race and maiden $12500 respectively. Neither race went nor did they draw enough entries to be brought back as extras. If I was a more paranoid sort I might believe that there is a conspiracy. February 2nd at Penn National in the same condition is the likely spot for FuPretty and January 28th in the maiden $25000 at Parx (where I will be running 2 PA breds) for All Peace n Quiet.

Angry Dragon is training well and there is a real shot that we will be entering her in a MSW at Parx on February 18th.

Hippocrates Jones is going to be entered for the races on the 28th at Penn National and should be tough as the brief freshening seems to have done him some good.

Normandruth is gearing back up and will be running sometime during February.

Southern Access was entered in the maiden 40000 races which did not go so she is in the 1st race on Tuesday which is a MSW going 6 furlongs at Parx. Again not the ideal spot but young horses don't get experience in the morning, they need to race.

Sweetjudyblue Eyes is in the 1st race on Monday which was not our 1st choice either. However she is training really well and most of the field consists of PA breds anyway.

Who We Gunna Call is still getting over a quarter crack issue but has resumed training and after watching the race at Penn National that he is eligible for I can't wait to get him ready for that spot.

Lloydobler is pointing to a maiden $7500 race going 6 furlongs at Penn National on February 3rd.

Cascades Comet is now going to be pointed to the maiden $25000 claiming race at Parx on the 28th since it appears that getting a PA bred MSW going two turns to fill is a near impossibility.

Red Baroness worked this morning at Parx in 49.93 and is a gate work away from being ready to run. There is a maiden $25000 going 5 1/2 on February 13th at Parx that we are tentatively looking at. While I believe that she will eventually find more success going longer on the turf this should be a good starting point for her.

Winter Blues

2012-01-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

Well Target Practice finally drew in a race on Saturday night's card at Penn National which sounds good until you look at the weather report for Saturday which calls for snow in Grantville. Let's hope that it passes through without disrupting the racing schedule.

Of course the PA bred Maiden Special Weight race for Cascades Comet and Sweetjudyblue Eyes didn't fill and with the next one scheduled for sometime in March we are going to go to plan's B and C. Cascades Comet is going to run in a maiden 25 at Parx on the 28th (making the far from guaranteed assumption that the race will fill and be carded) and Sweetjudyblue Eyes is going to be entered tomorrow in a Maiden Special Weight race going 5 1/2 furlongs on Monday. These races aren't where we want to be but 4 year old maidens need to run, not sit in the barn waiting for state bred races that may not come. I appreciate the owners of these horses being so understanding as they are scratching their collective heads trying to figure out how a state bred racing program supposedly as great as PA's claims to be, fails to even offer state bred maiden races. I can say without a doubt that PA is going to lose more than a few mares because of the lack of racing opportunities for those owners wishing to keep the foals and race them in restricted statebred company.

Slumber Smarty is on course for her next start on Febuary 6th at Parx going 6 furlongs.

Lyle's Angel is being pointed to a NW1x allowance race next Sunday at Parx going 6 1/2 furlongs.

Jelly Donut is in maiden 12500 limbo. Seriously he worked well this past week and is going to try to run again on the 30th at Parx in a maiden 15000 race around 2 turns.

Angry Dragon worked really well on Tuesday and is inching closer to her return.

Outta Jail and Speedy Trial both worked nicely on Tuesday at Westampton and will ship to Parx next week to start serious gate work. The Crown Racing fillies are still a bit ahead of their male stablemates Extradite and One Time Richie who need more training miles underneath their belts before they start breaking from the starting gate.

Frustrating

2012-01-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

The best part of training horses is racing. So it is very frustrating when you have horses ready to run and find yourself with nowhere to run them. Jelly Donut is sitting on ready yet was excluded from a race last weekend because of a stupid rule stating that any race with 8 PA breds entered automatically becomes a restricted state bred race (excluding the other non PA breds despite the field not being full). So the racing office brings the race back as an extra the next week and despite getting 6 horses in the race, they don't use or bring it back. Which leads me to Lloydobler who was entered the other day in a 7500 maiden race that supposedly only drew 6 entries as well. The race was brought back as an extra for the next racing day and lo and behold 13 entries materialize. Being that they only run 12, guess what horse was excluded...that's right Lloydobler who didn't get a chance to run 1st because there wasn't enough entries and then because there were too many. Tomorrow I get to enter 2 PA bred fillies in a PA bred maiden race at Penn National (Parx has now decided that they aren't going to card PA bred races unless of course the wonderful 8 PA bred entered rule kicks in). The last 2 times this race was written it failed to fill despite a $39k purse so I am crossing my fingers that some of my cowardly (and stupid) training brethren decide that "hey maybe it makes sense to run a PA bred maiden in a PA bred race with a $39000 pot that takes a low 50 Beyer figure to win". Not holding my breath. Target Practice was supposed to run this week in a staple of the Penn National card, the dated 4000 claimer yet the race was so popular with the brethren that it overfilled. Always a nice statement about the quality of horses competing at your track when the $4000 claiming race for horses that have not won a race in 6 months attracts an overflow field yet a $39000 maiden race doesn't even get close to filling.

1st (real) post of 2012

2012-01-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

It has been a mild Winter weather wise in the Mid-Atlantic region which has allowed us to train normally for the most part. We had a successful December with 3 wins and several other close calls and are looking to carry that momentum with us into 2012. Currently we have quite a few horses that seem to be sitting on big races and are looking forward to the return of others that have been laid up for various reasons.

Slumber Smarty was one of the December winners and she ran great Monday afternoon at Parx, finishing 2nd by less than a length in her first attempt against winners. She broke alertly from post 2 and quickly had the lead but was soon joined on the outside by another filly with early speed. Those two battled through the turn and down the stretch till passed on the outside by the favorite who was dropping in class and wound up with a perfect trip. Slumber battled on and held 2nd place, only losing by 3/4's of a length. We will probably look to try her in a starter allowance race next time out.

Lyle's Angel is training well and will be pointed for an allowance race later in January at Parx.

Cascades Comet ran a flat 4th on New Years eve at Parx most likely due to the fact that because of the lack of two turn races for PA bred maiden fillies we ran her at 7 furlongs. She was forced to chase a soft early pace which isn't how she likes to be ridden and after moving up to challenge at the top of the lane she faded in the stretch. She came out of the race in good shape and is pointing to a PA bred MSW on the 20th at Penn National.

Normandruth didn't fire in his latest race after some tough luck efforts. He has been raced hard since his return in October and we will freshen him a bit before looking to run him back in February.

Hippocrates Jones also has been raced quite a bit over the last 6 weeks and ran a dull 4th a few days before Christmas. We are going to give him 35 days before his next race on the 28th at Penn.

Lloydobler came in a few weeks ago from Gary Sciacca at Belmont. He needs a little class relief and we are entering him in a maiden 7500 race at Penn on Saturday and expect he will run well.

All Peace N Quiet ran 3 races in a 5 week period and also got a little sick at the end of the month. She is now doing well and we will look to run her soon.

Extradite has been training great since his brief layup last summer. The 3 year old PA bred owned by Crown Racing will start doing gate work soon and we are hoping to get him to the races in late March.

Southern Access is training really well and will be entered in a maiden 40 race on the 17th at Parx.

Angry Dragon has also been doing great and we are looking at getting her back to the races in a few weeks.

Cox's Event is entered at Penn National tomorrow night. This is our first start with him and we are expecting improvement from his recent form.

Target Practice is being entered to run at Penn National in a 4000 nw 6 months race on Saturday. He needed his last badly and should run well against the softer competition not to mention he has a great record over the track there.

Sweetjudyblue Eyes stumbled badly on the 31st in her first start for us. Kristina McManigell did a great job simply staying aboard her and she actually rallied to be in contention at the 1/4 pole before tiring from the effort. She is also being pointed to the PA bred MSW race at Penn on the 20th.

Speedy Train and Outta Jail were both a little under the weather during the holiday season but are back in good health now. The 2 fillies owned by Crown Racing are back on the worktab and will be heading to Parx soon to get gate work in. There is a realistic chance that they will both race in March if things continue to progress.

Midas Terms has been dealing with a foot issue that has forced us to slow down his training. He appears to be over the issue and should work this weekend weather permitting.

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-01T08:09:00.001-08:00

New years resolution #1- Update blog on more regular basis!

15 Days till December

2011-11-15T16:44:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-10-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

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

Crown Racing in the Florida Horse magazine

Rain anyone?

2011-09-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-08-24T12:26:00.001-07:00

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

2011-05-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-05-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-10T17:57:00.001-07:00

Click for Angry Dragon training video

Friday

2011-04-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-26T03:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-19T00:45:00.001-07:00

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

2011-03-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

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.

Back on Track

2010-04-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

Spring is almost here!

2010-03-30T15:57:00.001-07:00

The Final 4, opening day of baseball, Keeneland!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly update

2010-03-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Missus Mayflower is still battling a sore shin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Midway through March

2010-03-14T06:33:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spring must be close...

2010-02-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2010!

2010-01-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

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

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

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

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

As for the horses.....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Update!

2009-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well quite a bit has happened since our last post. Fading Light won again at Arlington and has been retired and is being retrained by the girls to be a show horse. Kickin N Screamin also won another race at Arlington and was recently second at Kentucky Downs. Colonel Klink broke his maiden impressively but was sidelined after having surgery on his ankle and has just recently returned to training. Graphite Halo returned from New York and ran third last out at Turfway Park and will be pointed to a Spring campaign. Normanruth made a splashy debut at Keeneland last Friday, running a strong second in a madien special weight race going 7 furlongs. He earned an 84 Beyer for that effort. Cool Clue and Target Practice both had disappointing races on the polytrack but have trained well on the dirt and I am looking forward to racing them on that surface. Rochelle Rochelle has also been an underachiever but she has been running at distances short of her best and will make her turf debut November 1st at Churchill Downs. Mizz Liza hasnt been doing much since she got really sick after her first race. Big Shake ran a sneaky good 5th in his turf debut and will return on the 1st of November as well. Albin ran well all summer but never got over the hump in breaking his maiden.

More to come soon.

Friday update

2009-05-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since we last updated the blog and there are a few changes. First we have launched www.chucksimonracing.com and this blog can be found there as well as a bunch of new things. We have had a few horses leave the stable and have greeted some of our new 2 year olds and well as moving a division to Arlington Park for the summer.

Comeback is making his comeback race on Sunday at Churchill Downs. This will be his first race after the ultimate equipment change (gelding) and he has been training really well. Jon Court will ride him from post position number four in the 10th race which is a maiden $30000 race going seven furlongs.

Fading Light took a tough beat yesterday in the finale at Arlington Park. She moved to the lead turning for home but got nailed right at the wire by the 6/5 favorite. It was a good effort on short rest for her and she seemed to come out of the race in good shape.

Operetta Italiano worked well this morning at Arlington Park after her unusual debut where the jockey simply fell off in the first turn. She went a half mile in 48 under a strong hold and looks like she is fine after the strange incident.

Colonel Klink worked a strong six furlongs in 112 at AP this morning also. We have been working on getting him to relax in the races and come from off the pace and he seems to be responding to a different type of training.

Sugarland Star!

2009-04-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning Sugarland Star, Operetta Italiano and Shades of Hope all worked in company, going their first five eights. Sugarland Star was a few lengths behind the other two beginning the work. She moved up going into the far turn while taking dirt in her face. She angled in between the others when Shades of Hope who was on the outside drifted out a little and finished well to be on even terms with Operetta Italiano at the wire. Shades of Hope, who still acts a little green, was a length behind the others. All three galloped out well and cooled out in good order.

Carl S. worked as well as he ever has but took a bad step while galloping out and came out of the work with a fractured right cannon bone which will require surgery. This is a tough break as he seemed to be just coming into his own.

Allie Jane worked her first 1/4 and did great. She was timed in 25.4 and galloped out in 40. She looks really good while going fast.

Albin came out of his work on Friday in good shape and will have one more five furlong work on the 10th before his scheduled comeback race on the 15th at Keeneland.

Update

2009-03-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

With all the rain the past two days we have postponed the works till the weekend. If the track doesn't dry out enough at CDT to work we may ship some of the horses to Keeneland to work.

Todays works

2009-03-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Albin worked well over the polytrack at Keeneland this morning. He went a half mile in 51 under a good hold and the exercise rider reported that he had a lot of horse at the end of the work.

Richwood Silver went very well as usual, getting her half in 47.60 at CDT, which was the bullet work for the distance. She looks ready for next Friday night at Turfway.

Carl S. went a strong five furlongs in 101.20 at CDT which was also a bullet work. He galloped out well and blinkers seem to have sharpened his speed. His next race may also be next Friday at Turfway March 27.

Sugarland Star, Operetta Italiano and Shades of Hope worked four furlongs in company with Cherie, Ryan and Pat Johnson riding. Shades of Hope was on the rail, Sugarland Star in the middle and Operetta Italiano on the outside starting out. Cherie on Sugarland Star got hit in the face with a clod of dirt in the turn and couldn't see very well coming into the stretch and didn't ride much on the filly down the stretch. Operetta did well despite losing the ground on the turn and galloped out well and Shades of Hope showed improvement from last weeks work. Next week we will try to get them a work out of the gate.

Too Muddy

2009-03-19T20:03:00.001-07:00

We scratched the works today because of muddy conditions. Will work in the morning.

MIA

2009-03-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy and simply haven't had time to keep up lately. We are going to work quite a few horses in the morning and I will have updates on everyone tomorrow.

Saturday Update

2009-02-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

Richwood Silver ran a nice race last night at Turfway, finishing a good second in an allowance race to a 4/5 favorite. She broke a step slow, which is a old habit that hasn't been an issue in a long time, yet got to the lead without too much trouble and held well when passed in deep stretch.

Comeback is in to run in the 7th race at Turfway on Wednesday afternoon. He is number 8 in an 8 horse field going 1 mile on the polytrack. He has trained well, going a half mile in 50 under wraps on Wednesday, and should be tough on the 4th.

Appoint ran 9th today at Oaklawn after breaking out and bumping the filly outside of her at the start again. She doesn't have sprinting speed and again trailed before making up some ground in the stretch. We will look to stretch her out next time before heading over to Indiana Downs in April.

Graphite Halo ran a good third last Friday night at Turfway. She was hung a little wide on both turns but finished up well and the race was much better than what she had shown in New Orleans. She came out of the race in good shape and will run in a similar spot later in March.

Albin started galloping this weekend after proving to be too much to handle while just jogging. He has grown quite a bit the last three months and has filled out considerably. We are pointing to a polytrack race at Keeneland sometime in April for Albin.

Reports from the Fair Grounds have Colonel Klink training well and pointing to a maiden turf race on the 14th of March. He worked an easy half in 50.80 earlier this week.

Shades of Hope has done well since his arrival from Ocala. Bill Recio had been training him in blinkers which we have continued to do since he has been here. We will work him with some company on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Sugarland Star worked another good half mile in 50.40 this past week. Her progression has been slow but steady and she is starting to put things together.

Operetta Italiano worked a nice three furlongs in 37, galloping out in 50. She has also been a little slow to come around but has made a lot of good progress lately.

Carl S. is doing well since his third place finish at Turfway on the 18th. He will work on Monday if the weather cooperates.

Kickin n Screamin worked well again on Wednesday, covering five furlongs in 102.80 which is a good move for her. She is being pointed for a race on March 16th at Turfway.

Fading Light has also been training well in preparation for her return to the races on March 14th at Turfway.

Rampillion worked in sharp fashion on Wednesday, going a half mile in 48.40 in her first work since her disappointing last race. Her blood work came back today and showed her red counts to be back to normal levels. We will work her again next Tuesday or Wednesday and look for a spot afterwards.

Cool Clue continues to impress in his training. He worked five furlongs this past Wednesday at CDT going in 101.80 without much pressure. Being a late April foal still has some baby fat that we are working off of him but he is looking like a really nice prospect for the summer.

Inki Blandford worked really well yet came out of the work with a minor health issue and will miss a week of training.

Sumwonlovesyou and Posse Valley both continue to move forward while recovering from injuries that have had them off for a considerable amount of time.

Normanruth had a nice work on Wednesday but came out with a bruised foot which we are treating.

Campaneris is training along at BEC and is doing nicely.

Jacques Sparrow is doing great at BEC on the Aqua Pacer. His leg has healed very well and looks great.

Basketwoman is also doing very well and will return to the track soon.

We have some new faces around the barn. The first crop of two year olds have arrived. Big Shake, Chief Paleface and Mister Monsieur are all at CDT and are now 'officially' in full training.

Top Royelle sustained a suspensory injury and has been retired and will be bred to Dehere.

Wednesday Update

2009-02-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

Louisville got a much needed rain shower last night which had the track in very good condition this afternoon for the many workers we had.

Richwood Silver worked very well under Pat Johnson. She went 5 furlongs in 100.80 under a good hold and galloped out strong. She will be entered to run in an entry level allowance race on the 27th of February.

Also working five furlongs was Kickin n Screamin who went in 102 with Cherie aboard. it was a very good move for the filly who is traditionally a poor work horse. She will be running sometime in early March at Turfway Park.

Cool Clue worked great once again, getting his half mile in 48 which was tied for the bullet work. He is very smooth for a big horse and very visually impressive to watch. Cool Clue still gets very hot after the works which tells me that he is still a ways from racing fit but has a lot of talent. There is a maiden race on the 21st of March going six furlongs at Turfway that is his current target.

Comeback went an easy half mile in 50.40 under Pat Johnson. We did not want to do too much with him coming off his slight sickness and Pat worked him perfectly. He is tentatively pointed to a maiden special weight race going one mile on the 27th at Turfway Park.

Fading Light went a nice half mile in 48.60 as son as the track opened at 11. It was a nice move and she continues to do well nearing her return to the races.

Amethyst Rose worked an easy half mile in 50.60 in her first work since her race. She went nicely and galloped out well.

Inki Blandford worked really good with Cherie going 48 seconds for a half mile. He is going to be entered for Sunday's races at Turfway.

Normanruth and Sugarland Star worked four furlongs in company going in 50.40. They stayed together throughout and continue to improve.

Italiano Operetta went three furlongs in 38.20 in her first work in a few weeks.

Love Dubai is getting some work done on his back and seems to be improving.

Posse Valley continues to jog 2 miles a day and is feeling great.

Colonel Klink came out of his race in good shape and we are awaiting the next condition book to see when his next race will be. He got a 75 Beyer number for his debut which is pretty solid for an early season turf race.

Appoint is going to work this week and is also awaiting the next condition book to see where she will run next.

Albin is doing great and feeling good. He was feeling so good today he kicked out and caught TC on the shoulder. TC not feeling so great anymore.

Campaneris is jogging at BEC and really going nicely.

Carl S. came out of his race in good shape and will be pointed for a similar spot in early March.

Rampillion's blood work came back slightly better but not quite where I want it and we chose to keep galloping her and didn't work her this week. Once her levels are back to normal we will start looking for a race.

Shades of Hope is on his way to KY and will work this weekend as we determine the course of action we will take with him.

Sumwonlovesyou is doing very well and will have her workload increased soon.

Graphite Halo has been entered for Friday's card at Turfway Park. She is in the 12th race which is a maiden 30000 claimer going one mile. Tommy Pompell will ride her in her first maiden claiming race.

Thursday update

2009-02-12T06:44:00.001-08:00

Bad news as Comeback is running a slight fever and will have to be scratched from tomorrows 9th race. While it is disappointing I am glad that we caught it prior to him running and will be able to treat him before it becomes full blown sickness. He got an 11 on the Thorograph speed rating for his first start which is a very solid number for a first time starter.

The good news is that Shades of Hope has been training very well at Classic Mile. Our patience has served him well and he is finally set to arrive in Kentucky next week. We are sending a couple of two year olds down to Ocala on Sunday and Shades will be heading back on the return trip. Bill Recio remains high on the horse and says he is a few solid works away from being ready to run.

Cool Clue came out of his work on Tuesday in good shape. He went in 49.20 under a snug hold from Hector Rosario and is looking better with every work. He is another horse that appears to have has benefited from our patience with him.

Graphite Halo zipped around the track in 36.60 and returned full of energy. I dont know why she ran so poorly last time but I am going to remove the blinkers. I think that we should take a look at a maiden $30000 race at Turfway on the 20th going a mile on the polytrack.

Normanruth and Sugarland Star both came out of their easy works in good shape. Sugarland hates the mud. Normanruth has gotten a little chubby due to the recent inactivity.

Fading Light is quite pleased with herself at the moment and it shows in her training. She is not far from a return to the races.

Kickin N Screamin is also going well. She needs a few more works and she will be ready to roll also.

Richwood Silver is sharp and will be tough if the race on the 16th fills.

Update

2009-02-09T04:58:00.001-08:00

Colonel Klink ran a decent race yesterday in his debut yesterday at the Fair Grounds. Showing a bit of unexpected speed out of the gate, Klink ran a bit green and tired a little in the stretch but only was beaten about 4 lengths at the wire.

Inki Blandford ran a game third on Saturday at Turfway Park. Despite missing a lot of training time the last few weeks, Inki was determined in the stretch and held on for the show position. He will improve with blinkers and steady training.

Makutus ran like crap on Thursday and was claimed thankfully.

Rampillion ran a dull race last Wednesday and came out of the race with low blood counts.

Comeback has been entered for Friday night's card at Turfway park. He is in the 9th race which is a maiden special weight race going 1 mile on the polytrack. He has been training well and I believe he has a great chance to run big if he gets a good trip.

Our newest horse, Rolled Up is also entered on Friday at Turfway. He is in the 10th race which is a $8000 claiming race going 6 furlongs.

Appoint came out of her eventful first race in good shape. We will look for something else for her the 1st week of march before heading to Indiana Downs with her.

We hope to get a bunch of workouts in tomorrow at CDT and will report about those works tomorrow.

Winter gets worse

2009-01-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

Turfway Park has canceled today which means Makutus will have to wait before going after his first win of the year after a close defeat a few weeks ago. The weather in central KY has been miserable and has brought most of the horse business and most others to a standstill this week.

Comeback came out of his nice debut last Friday in good shape. He is being pointed to a maiden $50000 race going 1 mile on February 11th. Inki Blandford and Carl S. are ready to roll if Turfway can get a race to fill for them. Richwood Silver remains on course for the 16th at Turfway. Appoint is also waiting for a race to materialize at Oaklawn.
Colonel Klink worked well at the Fair Grounds yesterday and is close to a start which may come on the turf. Graphite Halo was disappointing on Monday and is scheduled to return to KY Friday to be reevaluated.

Richwood Silver, Kickin n Screamin, Fading Light and Rampillion are heading to Turfway on Friday morning to work. Carl S., Inki, Cool Clue are scheduled for Saturday works at Turfway.

Wednesday Update

2009-01-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

We shipped four horses to Turfway yesterday morning to work over the polytrack. Despite the cold temperatures and a bit of snow all went well and we may do it again this weekend with four others.

Amethyst Rose worked from the gate in 49.40 from the gate and received her gate card. She will be entered for Sundays card in a Maiden Special Weight race for fillies at Turfway going 5 1/2 furlongs.

Comeback worked three furlongs in rapid fashion but did not show up on the work tab. He is in the 10th race on Friday night at Turfway, drawing post 10 in a 12 horse field.

Inki Blandford worked a very good six furlongs in 115, finishing up well in the stretch.

Carl S. went 103.60 for five furlongs and remains on schedule to run on the 31st at Turfway.

Graphite Halo went well at the Fair Grounds on Monday going an easy half in 50.60. She is on target for the 26th on the turf at FG.

Appoint is scheduled to work on Thursday at Oaklawn and Colonel Klink will do something this weekend at the FG.

Richwood Silver managed to cut her head in her stall last night and needed stitches to close it up. We will give her a few easy days. Her next start is most likely a $30000 NW3 oon Febuary 16th at Turfway.

Cool Clue will work this weekend along with Kickin n Screamin, Sugarland Star, Top Royelle, Fading Light, and Normanruth.

Winter days

2009-01-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

We haven't been able to do much training the last week or so due to the severe cold. Tomorrow Amethyst Rose, Carl S., Rampillion and Inki Blandford are shipping to Turfway to work. Entered Comeback again for Thursdays races. Appoint and Colonel Klink shipped out o Oaklawn and Fair Grounds this weekend. I hate winter!

Richwood wins!

2009-01-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

Richwood Silver ran really well in scoring a wire to wire victory at Turfway park yesterday. It has been a long time since she was last in a winners circle and the drop in class along with a heady ride by Diego Rodriguez made the difference. She will probably return in a similar spot next month or maybe visit the scene of her last win, Oaklawn Park. Anyway it was great to win one for Bob Gary, a really good owner but a great guy.

Training was cancelled today due to a frozen track. Hopefully we can get some workouts in on Saturday or Sunday.

Weather sucks

2009-01-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

Graphite Halo's race was rained off the turf today which killed our chances before we even hit the track. She came out of the race in good shape and will be legged up for the next grass maiden that comes up down at the Fair Grounds.

Hoping that the weather in KY clears enough to get Richwood Silver's race in Wednesday though the forecast is not promising. The moisture in the track will be a plus for her as long as it doesnt freeze and cause a cancellation of the races.

New target for Comeback is January 18 at Turfway.

First works of the year!

2009-01-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

It looks as though we had the track to ourselves at CDT this afternoon as all eight horses that worked were ours. Richwood Silver tuned up for her drop into the claiming ranks next Wednesday at Turfway by working a half mile in 50.20. She is in the 8th race on the 7th which is a $30000 nw2Lt race going 1 mile over the polytrack. She drew post position number two in the eight horse field and Diego Rodriguez will be aboard.

Normanruth and Sugarland Star worked in company going three furlongs in 38.80. Neither horse is very far along and I am just happy they are up to breezing the right way at this point. They will go another easy three furlongs next weekend.

Amethyst Rose and Comeback worked out of the gate and went pretty good with Comeback besting the filly by a length getting a time of 50.60. He may be entered for the 8th or 9th depending on how he comes out of this work. Amethyest Rose broke pretty well but will need to do it again for her card.

Colonel Klink and Appoint both went five furlongs in company with Klink beating the filly to the wire by a good two lengths in 104. We tried blinkers on Appoint and she went well in them. Cherie did say Klink was a bit winded afterwards and we scoped him but he was clean.

Cool Clue went an easy half mile in 50.60 and showed improved focus during the work by himself.

Graphite Halo is in to run at the Fair Grounds for Monday's card. She is in the 5th race which is a maiden special weight race for fillies going 1 mile on the turf. Pat Valenzuela rides and the filly will run under the name of my friend Richie Scherrer as trainer since I cant get down there for the race. The DRF has me listed as the owner which is an obvious mistake but considering its Louisiana, it isnt really surprising.

This week's works

2008-12-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

We have had a tough week weather wise as the week began with freezing temperatures, had a nice rainstorm in the middle and ended with 70 degree temperatures. Needless to say it has been a bit challenging trying to devise and implement training schedules especially with the track being closed 2 days for the Christmas break (did not know that Dec 24th is now considered a holiday but CD's world it is). We did get some galloping in and we were able to get most of our works in this weekend and in the end it wasn't so bad.

Carl S. had an easy half mile work today in 51.40 at CDT in preparation for his next start which is scheduled for the 31st at Turfway going 1 mile. This will be his first start around two turns and that style of race should suit him better than the sprints.

Appoint and Comeback went five furlongs in 104.80 in steady fashion, never being asked for speed over the muddy surface. Both appear ready to start with Comeback likely making his debut at Turfway on the 8th or 9th and Appoint being pointed for the 17th at FG.

Colonel Klink went in company with Amethyst Rose, getting the half mile in 51 and galloping out in 103.80. Both went in hand with the rider of Amethyst Rose having to work a little at the end to keep pace with the large strides of Colonel Klink. Both are getting fitter and are not far from being ready either.

Cool Clue went a really easy half mile in 52.80. This was his first work without company and he was a bit lost starting out but picked it up down the stretch. He was getting a little behind Colonel Klink and we need to get him to work properly instead of simply chasing the company.

Graphite Halo went in 104.20 in a maintenance move for her. She is being pointed to a grass race at the Fair Grounds on January 5th.

Rampillion went an easy half mile in 51.20 in preparation for her next race on January 2 at Turfway Park.

Richwood Silver worked her usual fast work going 48.40 for four furlongs. She is being pointed to a race at Turfway Park on the 4th.

Fading Light and Kickin n Screamin had their first strong gallops since returning to the track from BEC. They are fresh and should be ready to roll towards the end of January.

Inki Blandford galloped well and has come out of his third place finish in good shape. His next start may be on the 22nd.

Makutus is being pointed for a $7500 nw3 races on the 14th.

Normanruth galloped well and is about ready to start working once again.

Sugarland Star has been a little sick but has started galloping again.

Albin continues to be an aquatic star in the Aqua Pacer and will be returning to racetrack training next week.

Basketwoman has a lot of Aqua Pacer miles under her belt and will be returning to the track in February.

Campaneris will also start track training again shortly.

Jacques Sparrow has done well in the Aqua Pacer and is looking at a spring return to the track as has Posse Valley and Sumwonlovesyou.

Operetta Italiano is doing really well and will be returning to the track in mid-January.

Shades of Hope is pointing to an early February start at Turfway Park.

The soon to be two year olds plans are becoming clearer also.
Hippocrates Jones, Reddington, and the Medallist colt are heading to Ocala on January 5th. Rochelle Rochelle, Mizz Lizz, Chief Pale Face, the Thunder Gulch and Big Shake are all at Rea's and will be heading down to Ocala afterwards. Gondorf, Hostillian, the other two Smarty Jones colts, the Northern Afleet filly, Probation Charlie and the other Medallist filly will soon be on training of some sort also.

Monday Update

2008-12-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

Inki Blandford ran an improved race on Saturday while finishing third at Turfway Park. He rated nicely, moved up between horses, angled out in the stretch and closed ground steadily despite having some issues with lead changes. January 22nd at TP looks like the next logical step for him.

Makutus turned in a disappointing run on Saturday after racing so well earlier this month. He simply has to have everything his own way or he packs it in. He will race at a lower level sometime in the near future.

Graphite Halo worked fairly well at TP saturday morning despite doing a lot of looking around and appearing a bit uncomfortable on the deep polytrack. Somehow the clocker did not catch her or report the time.

Rampillion and Amethyst Rose worked over a heavy track at CDT on Saturday morning also. Rampillion went a quick three furlongs in 36.80 while the Rose went a half in 50.60.

We are going to work the majority of horses on either Wednesday or Friday depending on the weather and track conditions.

Workout report

2008-12-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

Cool Clue and Colonel Klink worked an easy half mile today in 50.60 seconds over the muddy track at CDT. They appeared to handle the off going well though Colonel Klink galloped out a bit better than Cool Clue did but that may be more due to fitness levels than anything. They will work another 1/2 mile next week and do a little gate work in between.

Aldebutante worked a half mile in 50 with Cherie aboard. She also seemed to handle the mud fine and was eager throughout the work. She cooled out in good order and her foot appears to be in good shape.

Comeback worked five furlongs in 104.80 and galloped out in 118. He was a little put off by the track and did not get into a comfortable stride in the mud till he hit the quarter pole. Comeback did gallop out pretty well and was not too winded afterwards. The 26th at TP continues to be the target for him.

Carl S. worked five furlongs in 104, galloping out in 117. He seemed very comfortable in the mud and had a nice work with a nice gallop out. The 31st at TP is going to be his next start.

Appoint went in 104.40 but was under urging throughout. She did not really get a hold of the mud and seemed to be fighting the rider and track the entire work.

Inki Blandford went well going 104.40 under a tight hold. He will be entered on Wednesday for the Saturday card at TP.

Graphite Halo galloped well and will be entered for Sundays card at the FG in a maiden special weight race on th turf.

Sox a Fire went in 53 from the gate and may have injured a stifle in the process.

Yesterday, Amethyst Rose went five furlongs in 104 despite very windy conditions and a cuppy track.

Sugarland Star had her second work and went in 39.80 under a nice hold.

Much needed update

2008-12-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

Makutus came out of his win last Sunday in good shape and will be pointed to a race on the 20th at Turfway in similar company.

Richwood Silver had no apparent excuse in her latest and will go on the "makutus plan" of dropping hard in class. She has never been the same filly in the afternoon since the gate was left on the track at OP.

Carl S. is pointing to a race on December 31st after being scratched Sunday due to a minor lung infection. He worked well on Tuesday and will probably work again on Sunday.

Shades of Hope is doing exceptionally well since being gelded and worked good out of the gate this week at the Classic Mile training center.

Ship's Cabin is in the process of being sold and will go for some R & R at BEC before heading to Woodbine in the Spring.

Graphite Halo is doing well and is being pointed for a December 22nd start at the Fair grounds on the turf.

Cool Clue and Colonel Klink both continue to train well. They will work another 1/2 mile on Sunday. Klink handled the muddy conditions well while breezing on Tuesday and remains on course for a late January start at the Fair Grounds. Cool Clue is still learning how to do things yet has enough talent to keep pace with Colonel Klink who has a lot more miles under his belt.

Appoint is about ready to run and I will be looking for a spot for her right after the 1st of the year.

Amethyst Rose tired in her work though the deep going on Tuesday and will work again on Sunday.

Sox a Fire hated the going and also tired badly on Tuesday and will work 5 furlongs on Sunday.

Normanruth has developed a sore shin and we have backed off on his training once again.

Sugarland Star had her 1st official work on Tuesday and went an easy three furlongs in 39.80. She will work with some company on Sunday going another three furlongs.

Comeback worked well on Tuesday and will work another five furlongs on Sunday. We are looking at a start on the 26th of December for him in maiden special weight company.

Campaneris is training on the Aqua pacer at BEC and is doing fine.

Jacques Sparrow has begun training on the Aqua pacer at BEC on the comeback trail from a minor leg injury that kept him out of action since the summer.

Basketwoman is also returning from an injury and continues to progress on the Aqua pacer. She will resume galloping in early January.

Rampillion did not get in the race we entered her for at Turfway on the 17th. We will work her on Sunday and look for another spot.

Aldebutante has been fitted with a padded glue on shoe and has trained well since the shoe was added.

Sumwonlovesyou has been training great while on the Aqua pacer. Since she was off for so long we are starting from scratch with her training but she has made great strides since the late summer.

Kickin N Screamin has been doing some Aqua pace work and will be pointed to a race at Turfway after the New Year.

Fading Light has also been training on the Aqua pacer and will be pointed to a January return.

Albin's return to the track has been delayed by spotty weather and I have kept him at BEC where he can train everyday on the Aqua pacer. He will be coming back soon with an eye on a return at the FG towards the end of January.

Operetta Italiano has also been doing quite a bit of training on the Aqua pacer. She missed some time this summer and fall and is just starting to get her legs back underneath her.

Top Royelle has been working on the aqua pacer and will be looking at a return to the races in January at Turfway Park.

Inki Blandford spent a week at BEC for a short break and some hyperbaric oxygen treatment and has trained well since his return to CDT.

Galaxy Lady has been retired and entered into the Keeneland January sale.

We have been doing some work with an exercise physiologist using special equine heart rate monitors and been recording lots of data that I am hoping will help us improve our training techniques and learn more about each horse individually. Once we have more information I will post the findings here.

The soon to be two year olds update

The Medallist yearling colt has been broke and is at BEC waiting to go south to either S. Carolina or Ocala. He developed a lung infection which has delayed his moving on.

The Mizzen Mast fillies are both at the Rea's and have been doing well.

The Eddington filly is doing well and will be moving on to more advanced training soon.

The Smart Jones colt got a little sick a few weeks ago but has recovered and also is close to moving on.

The Thunder Gulch colt and Johar will be moving to the Rea's next week as will the newest Smarty Jones colt.

The Theatrical colt will be going to the Rea's after the first of the year as will the Powerscourt colt.

The plans for the other Medallist fillies, Northern Afleet filly as well as the other Smarty Jones colt and Roman Ruler colt are still not set as of yet.

Today's Works

2008-11-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

We had a number of workers today and all went reasonably well. Colonel Klink and Cool Clue went three furlongs in a bullet 36.40 in company at CDT. They were both under a good hold and well within themselves throughout. We will look to go four furlongs with them next week and will do a little more gate work though Colonel Klink has more experience there than Cool Clue.

Normandruth went an easy three furlongs in 39. This was his first work since October due to some minor health issues. He will go another three furlongs next week and we will ask him for a little more speed.

Sugarland Star went three furlongs in 40 in company with Normandruth and missed the worktab. Since Ryan has not yet returned from Thanksgiving vacation we used a substitute rider who got a little too far behind the colt starting off and the filly was not thrilled getting so much dirt in her face. The experience will be good for her and they both will do more next Friday.

Amethyst Rose and Sox a Fire worked from the gate in company though the former did not credit for a gate work because she was a little slow leaving there. She did pick up speed rapidly and blew by Sox a Fire on the turn in recording a time of 50.40 which is better than it looks on paper due to her slow begining. Sox a Fire left there good enough to get a gate card and went in 51.60 but simply isnt as fast as the other filly. She will be seen at the races soon as she is not getting any younger.

Carl S. went well in his first breeze since his debut. He was clocked in 49.60 and was never asked for much during the work. There are a number of spots available for him though the 13th at Turfway going a mile for maiden $30,000 looks like the most logical.

Richwood Silver had another really good work going four furlongs in 48.60. She is headed for a race at Hawthorne on the 10th of December.

Comeback worked well from the gate on Friday going 103.20 for five furlongs. He should be ready to run in a few weeks most likely at Turfway Park.

Mondays muddy update

2008-11-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

We have not had much luck lately with the weather as it has been so cold early in the morning the track has been filled with hard clods which have made training a challenge. We finally got some warmer temperatures today but rain came along with it. Since the weather is going to turn very cold again tomorrow we decided to work several of the horses this morning despite the muddy conditions.

Colonel Klink and Cool Clue had their second work of the lay off, going three furlongs in 37.20 both under good holds. They both handled the mud fine and galloped out in 50.40.

Rampillion was very sharp and went four furlongs in 48.40 also under a tight hold. Amethyst Rose went the same distance in 49.80 and while handling the footing fine she did get a little tired galloping out.

Carl S. went great, covering the half mile in 49.60 while galloping out in 103. This was his first work since his race and he looks like he is progressing nicely.

Richwood Silver worked in 49, galloping out in 102.30 and finishing strong while under control as opposed to her occasional attempts to run off early in the work.

Comeback has done some gate work since his work in 50.20 last Thursday and continues to train well. We are going to work him out of the gate on Friday weather permitting.

Graphite Halo did not get in the grass maiden race on Thanksgiving and they did not bring the race back as an extra. We will point her to a maiden turf race at the Fair Grounds in December.

Normanruth has been galloping and we continue to work on his immune system which is tough in such erratic weather.

Carl S. debuts

2008-11-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Carl S. ran 5th today in his career debut at Churchill Downs third race. He was pinched back at the start and wound up trailing the field with mud from the sloppy track hitting him in the face. ET Baird gave him a few taps to get him motivated down the backside and he drew a bit closer though still a long way from the leaders. He angled Carl S. outside in the stretch and he closed ground to be 5th beaten about 10 lengths while galloping out very well. He certainly will benefit from the experience and will need more ground and two turns to be at his best. Carl S. came out of the race in good shape and will be seen again most likely at Turfway Park in December.

All of this weekends works are going to be postponed until Monday due to poor weather and track conditions.

Overdue update

2008-11-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the delay in updating the blog as I have been just been swamped the last few weeks. Our next runner is Carl S. who is making his debut on Friday at Churchill Downs in the third race which is a maiden claiming $30000 race going 7 furlongs. He may need a start or two before he is at his best and he will probably want a bit more ground but he is ready to begin his racing career.

Our runners from last Friday, Rampillion and Inki Blandford both returned in good shape and will resurface in races in a few weeks. Rampillion was hampered a bit by a poor break but gained a lot of experience and will improve off the effort. Inki Blandford will also improve as it is hard to run long first time out and he needed the race.

Makutus was entered for a $50000 nw2 race sprinting for Friday but the race did not fill and we will look for another spot for him. Graphite Halo ran well in her second start and her first on the grass. She finished 4th to a very tough field despite getting a less than perfect trip. She handled the grass well and was finishing at the end and I believe that the turf is where her future lies. Not exactly sure that we will get another try at Churchill but she came out of the race in good shape and looks like she is going to be a runner.

Aldebutante has been picking up the pace in her training after missing a short bit of time due to sore feet. She will work this weekend probably going an easy half mile. Richwood Silver is pointing to a race on November 20th where she will be shortening up a bit to a one turn mile.
Comeback missed some time due to a nagging cough but has worked well including a nice gate work on the 6th going 36.20 and getting his gate card. He will also work this weekend going 4 furlongs. Normandruth has also missed some training with a cough and has just recently started serious training again.

Colonel Klink has been jogging 1 1/4 and galloping 1 1/4 every day and is also going to work this weekend going three furlongs. He has done well since his brief break from training in late summer. Cool Clue was scheduled to have his first work since the summer on Tuesday but it was postponed due to him coughing. Hopefully he can get that work in this weekend also. Sox a Fire worked an easy 3 furlongs on Tuesday which was her first official work since the spring. She has done quite a bit at BEC though none of it was timed and she is on the fast track to get her first race in possibly on the 30th at Turfway park. She will work every 5 days Scotty Schulhofer style until the race which means a half mile on Monday.

Ship's Cabin managed to be outrun going 7 furlongs once again and we are going to stretch hm out to 1 1/8th in a maiden claiming $30000 race on November 27th. Moonlight Flite has re injured her leg and has been retired and will be entered in the Keeneland January sale as a broodmare prospect. Appoint has worked to five furlong works in November and is inching closer to being ready. Albin has recovered nicely at BEC and is going to start working in the Aqua Pacer before returning to the track. Basketwoman has been training on the Aqua Pacer and will be ready to return to the track in December. Jacques Sparrow has done very well at BEC and is scheduled to have his leg scanned in two weeks. If all is ok he will be starting training on the Aqua Pacer and will be back at the track in early January. Bubble Berry has been shutting between CDT and BEC getting ready for her start on November 27th going 5 1/2 furlongs for $7500.

Fading Light is ready to start training again and will be pointed for turf claimers at the Fair grounds with perhaps a warm up start at Turfway before that. Kickin N Screamin will be following a similar schedule as Fading Light and is also about ready to resume training. Top Royelle has been doing some light work on the Aqua Pacer and looks to be in good shape. She will be running in sprints at Turfway Park this winter before launching her broodmare career.
Bob's Bean has been retired and may be bred to Johar this Spring. Operetta Italiano has done quite a bit of work on the Aqua Pacer and will have x rays done this week to see if she is ready to resume track work. Sugarland Star is galloping at CDT and has done fine. She will have her first work next week. Amethyst Rose (formerly Rocket Dog) worked a sharp three furlongs in 36.60 on Sunday and will be working four furlongs on Saturday.

Sumwonlovesyou has been training on the aqua pacer and is going to start being ridden this weekend which represents the next step in her long recovery. Shades of Hope has trained fantastic since having the ultimate equipment change and will start getting cranked up for a start mid-January. Campaneris has been training fine and is close to her first workout since the summer. She is still small but has grown and filled out quite nicely the last few months. I am expecting her to start this winter at the FG or Turfway sprinting. Galaxy Lady has had few minor setbacks but will return to the races soon.

Our plans for the stable for the Winter are looking like we will maintain a base in Kentucky at Turfway and BEC and ship to run in various locations such as the Fair Grounds, Oaklawn, Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream, Aqueduct, Mountaineer, Laurel, Philly Park and Charlestown.

Ship's Cabin tries the dirt

2008-10-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Ship's Cabin has been entered to run at Churchill Downs on Friday. Wearing his extension blinkers like a Halloween mask, he drew post position number three in the first race which is a $50,000 maiden claiming race going seven furlongs on the dirt. Diego Rodriguez will be riding and Ship's Cabin will be getting 7 to 9 pounds from the rest of the field. Hopefully his mind will be on running on Friday.

Galaxy Lady was very tired after her race on Sunday. She came out of the race well an we will look for another spot for her in about 10 days.

Makutus worked very well once again this morning and was entered for Friday's races in a turf allowance race as a main track only entrant. He went in 48.80 under a tight hold this morning and was feeling really good leaving the track. If the rain doesn't show up he will run on the 5th of November.

We have moved out of Keeneland with the Breeding stock sale looming next week and have all the horses either at CDT or at Bluegrass Equine Center.

Workout update

2008-10-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

We dominated the work tab at CDT yesterday with 10 horses working. The day went well as all of the horses except Aldebutante worked really good. Aldebutante did not go bad but she did not have the same spark in her work that she had last week. She went in 102.40 which was actually the 2nd best of ten workers at the distance but she was not doing it like she can. This morning both her front feet were bothering her and we will be pulling her shoes and soaking them for a few days in some warm water and epsom salts.

Rampillion worked very well from the gate and we are going to move her debut up to next Wednesday at Churchill in a maiden $25,000 race going 6 furlongs. She blasted out of the gate and worked in 48 seconds while galloping out strong.

Appoint and Normandruth worked an easy half mile together, going 51 and galloping out in 105. Graphite Halo went a nice four furlongs in 49.60 under a tight hold. She is going to run on the 1st of November at Churchill in a grass maiden race.

Bubble Berry worked a sharp half mile in 47.80 under the cover of darkness. Apparently it wasn't dark enough as the clocker still managed to catch her. She is set for the 29th at Churchill.

Makutus worked great going 59.60 from the gate under Diego Rodriguez. He has had issues with breaking slow from the gate in the past and was a little slow in his last start so we wanted a sharp work from the gate from him. We got that sharp work and he will work one more time before his next start on the 5th at Churchill.

Carl S. and Inki Blanford went 5 furlongs in company with Carl S. breaking off in front of Inki. Inki caught him at the wire and I thought it was a good work for both horses with them timed in 103.20 and 102.80 respectively. Inki Blandford is going to start on the 7th at Churchill and Carl S. wont be too long after that.

Comeback worked early in the morning while it was still dark and the clocker did not get a time for him though he was blowing afterwards and the rider thought he went well.

Richwood Silver drew into the 5th race at Keeneland on Saturday which is her turf debut.

Fading Light hung a bit in the stretch yesterday at Keeneland while finishing 5th but was found to have bled after the race. She is at BEC for a little R&R while she recovers from the episode.

Lots of works tomorrow

2008-10-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

We will be working a lot of horses tomorrow morning at CDT. With wet weather on the horizon we have moved most everyone up in addition to the horses already scheduled. Aldebutante is going to work a half mile and gallop out an additional furlong. She is being pointed to a maiden race at Churchill Downs on the 9th of November. Rampillion, Normanruth and Comeback are all scheduled to work from the gate going four furlongs. Also scheduled to go from the gate is Makutus who is pointing to a November 5th allowance race at Churchill. Graphite Halo will work an easy half in preparation for her next start on November 1st at Churchill on the grass. If she is still a maiden after that there is a NY state bred race on November 20th at Aqueduct going 1 1/8th on the dirt for her. Appoint, Carl S. and Inki Blandford are also all scheduled to work tomorrow with Appoint going four furlongs and the other two going five. Bubble Berry is going to go four furlongs which will be her last work before a scheduled start on October 29th at Churchill.

Amethyst Rose (formerly known as Rocket Dog) had her first work this morning though the clockers did not catch it. She has done well since starting back in full training at Keeneland. Ship's Cabin worked four furlongs in 48.40 this morning at Keeneland. He was excluded from the race he was scheduled to run in this week and will run in a maiden $50000 claiming race opening week at Churchill going 7 furlongs. Moonlight Flite is training well at Keeneland and will have her first work soon. Galaxy Lady worked in 50 at Keeneland on Sunday which was not recorded by the clockers either. She is going to run opening day at Churchill Downs in a $5000 claimer.

Albin has gone to BEC for two weeks of R&R after a minor injury. Cool Clue is training well and is close to his first work since his brief freshening at BEC. Colonel Klink is doing really well since he started back from his break and I still have high hopes for him. Richwood Silver is ready to roll and will run Saturday at Keeneland in her grass debut. Sugarland Star has returned to training at Keeneland and is doing good. The Suit has been gelded and is still a little rough to the guys at Rea Quarter horses. However the Quiet American filly, the Medallist colt, Eddington filly and Smarty Jones colt are all progressing nicely. The other yearlings are all doing fine and we will be sending a couple more out to Rea's next week. Mercury Rising has one more start in him for us on November 1st at Finger lakes going 1 mile and 70 yards. If we don't see a lot of improvement he will be sold. Fading Light is in on Wednesday in the 1st race at Keeneland which is a $30000 nw2 LT race on the polytrack. She is listed as the 6-1 third choice on the morning line and will be ridden by Diego Rodriguez.

Long overdue update

2008-10-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week during the morning hours though we have had no runners in the afternoon. Yesterday we worked several horses at CDT including a set from the gate.

Aldebutante worked after the break during a steady drizzle with Cherie aboard. she went really well, settling nicely and finishing strong. Her time of 49.20 doesn't look that impressive but as Cherie said after the work, Aldebutante is really starting to stretch out and use herself properly. That is a sign of both physical maturity and experience and she will work a few more times before her next start at Churchill Downs at the upcoming meet.

Appoint worked four furlongs from the gate though she was only credited with three furlongs in 38. She broke well and did fine though she is not as advanced as some of the other horses.

Bubble Berry whistled four furlongs in 48.20 galloping out in 100.80. She is going to run in a claiming race at Churchill though we have not settled on a race yet.

Carl S. and Inki Blandford both worked four furlongs out of the gate. They were both timed in 50.40 and galloped out in 103. They need a little more gate work but both should be ready to run at the Churchill meet.

Normanruth worked early in the morning, going a half mile in 50 seconds. He is progressing nicely and may make the races at the Churchill meet also.

Rampillion worked 5 furlongs, the first four in company with Normanruth, finishing up in 102.20. She has really been training well and will be another of the two year olds that makes at start at the Churchill Downs meeting.

Graphite Halo came out of her race in good order and we are considering a turf start for her on the first of November at Churchill on their two year old showcase day. We want to get a chance to see how she handles the turf before the winter season eliminated our ability to do that. Sine she is a NY bred there are still a lot of opportunities for her at Aqueduct in the Winter, though turf is hardly an option then.

Mercury Rising needs to show a lot of improvement in his next start around two turns or her will find himself competing against $5000 maiden claimers at Penn National for different connections.

Albin strained his left leg in his tough trip stakes debut. he will get 15 days of handwalking before resuming light training. The injury is fairly minor and he should not miss much training or racing.

Colonel Klink has resumed training at Keeneland after a short break and change of treatments. He is doing well and appears to be on the right track now.

Campaneris has been training aggressively and has grown quite a bit since the early summer.

Cool Clue is doing well since his return from BEC.

Comeback was coughing this week and missed his work. He will do something serious on Monday or Tuesday if his lungs clear up and don't give us any problems.

Galaxy Lady has resumed racetrack training and is scheduled to work tomorrow morning at Keeneland. She will make a start at Churchill this November.

Ships Cabin is scheduled to run this coming Thursday at Keeneland in a maiden $40000 claimer going 1 1/16th on the polytrack.

Fading Light is also going to run this coming week at Keeneland in a $30000 nw2 race also going 1 1/16th on the polytrack.

Richwood Silver worked great yesterday at CDT going five furlongs in company in 10o.60 under jockey Joe Johnson. We are planning on running her at Keeneland next Saturday in a turf allowance race going 1 1/16th. This will be her first start since the Spring.

Shades of Hope lost his manhood this week as he was gelded. He just hasn't matured enough mentally and was becoming dangerous with his antics. This will make him a better racehorse overall and I still have high hopes for him.

Wednesday Update

2008-10-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

The horses that ran this weekend have all come out of their races in good shape. Ship's Cabin will be running back in a maiden $40000 race going 1 1/16th at Keeneland on the 23rd. Albin will be pointed for November 1st at Churchill Downs going 1 mile on the turf in a maiden special weight. Plans for Makutus are still in the air, though a turf start may be possible.

Graphite Halo had an educational trip today in the 5th at Keeneland. We weren't looking a huge effort first time out but wanted her to have a good trip and gain some experience. Diego Rodriguez did a good job in schooling her early in the race, coming up the rail inside of horses and finishing up strong in the lane. Though it does not look like much on paper, her race was something that she will improve upon.

We postponed this mornings works due to a muddy track at CDT. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will work Comeback, Carl S., Aldebutante, and Appoint.

Bill Recio reports that Shades of Hope has really turned the corner in his training at the Classic Mile training center and his silly behavior seems to be a thing of the past. He will join the main stable shortly.

Richwood Silver continues to train well and Campaneris is also progressing nicely. Bubble Berry has also been doing well and at BEC, Galaxy Lady, Sugarland Star and Italiano Operetta have been improving.

Some of the Gang

2008-10-04T18:57:00.001-07:00

Comeback and Ryan

Fading Light and Cherie

Richwood Silver

Aldebutante at Belmont

A lot going on

2008-10-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ships Cabin was up to his old tricks on Friday at Keeneland. Though he was not nearly as bad as he was in his first two starts, he was very rank while behind horses forcing jockey Rene Douglas to steady twice, costing him important position and a few lengths. He put in a mild rally to be 4th beaten about two lengths but galloped out far ahead of the rest of the field. We are going to try him around two turns again on the 23rd at Keeneland.

Albin and Makutus are both ready to go tomorrow at Keeneland in the 5th and 7th races. Makutus drew a tough group for an entry level allowance race but has been sharp in his training lately and we are looking for him to run a career best race, which he will need to do to be competitive against this bunch. Albin has also trained well after missing some time after his first race due to a lung infection that lingered a while. He appears to be 100% going into the Woodford and if Douglas can work out a trip, he will be dangerous in the stretch. His Thorograph numbers put him in the mix with this crew and if he can step up his game a little bit, who knows? Bob Gary and the AP crew are coming in from Chicago for the race which will be Bob's first stakes race as an owner.

Graphite Halo worked a solid five furlongs in 102.40 this morning at CDT and was entered in a maiden special weight race at Keeneland for Wednesday's card. She drew post position number six in the 5th race which is a polytrack event going 1 1/16th (or eight and a half furlongs as Keeneland calls it). Diego Rodriguez, who has worked her several times including this morning, will ride her. Graphite Halo is an improving type that is probably not going to be at her best as a 2 year old but has done enough training to where she will really benefit from racing experience.

Richwood Silver snapped off another quick work this morning at CDT, getting clocked in 47.80 which was good for the bullet work of the day even though she had worked an eighth in 13 before the half mile. That would give her a five furlong time in 100.80 which would have been the fastest five furlong work by a long ways. Cherie felt her get a little tired right after the wire and she was winded afterwards. She has scoped clean after every work lately which is a really good sign.

Inki Blandford worked a nice half mile in 49.60 and didn't want to pull up afterwards. He worked the first three furlongs in company with Normanruth and went out the extra eighth by himself. Inki has returned from his brief freshening over the summer in great shape both mentally and physically. Normanruth, who has been getting over a brief sickness, did fine in his first work in a few weeks.

Bubble Berry returned to the worktab with a quick three furlongs in 36.40. She will have another work or two before being entered at Keeneland or Churchill.

Sunday a big day

2008-10-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

We got a little lucky at the entry box today and hoping that carries over to the races Sunday when Makutus and Albin are both scheduled to run at Keeneland. Makutus, who was originally supposed to run Friday but had the race pushed back due to lack of entries, is in the 5th race which is an allowance race going 1 1/8th on the polytrack. Albin, who was entered in both a maiden special weight race on the polytrack and the Woodford Reserve Stakes on the turf, was fortunate to draw into the stake when only 11 others were entered.

Makutus race is a tough one as several of the other runners are coming off sharp races at various tracks around the country. He appears like the main speed and hopefully jockey Rene Douglas can ration out that speed and hold off the closers.

Albin drew post number 11 of 12 but that may not be as big of factor as usual because of his closers style. Rene Douglas will also ride him in the $200,000 Woodford which is a Grade 3 race and part of the Breeders Cups "Win and your in" series. Hopefully he can save some ground in the first turn, get a good position down the backside behind a solid pace and get through coming for home.

Comeback broke alertly from the gate and got right into his work but became a bit distracted when the horse he was working with pulled up after going less than 3 furlongs. His time of 50.20 would have been at least a second quicker if he had company throughout. He is improving with maturity and a Churchill start is looking good.

Appoint worked her 1st half mile going 51.20 after going 3 furlongs in 37.80. She galloped out well and is progressing nicely. We will go a few more half miles with her and will do some gate work her this week.

Carl S. and Rampillion went 49.60 in company, galloping out in 104. They broke off a little early and worked head and head throughout. They are both training well and should make starts at Churchill in November also.

Ship's Cabin leads off Keeneland meet

2008-10-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Ship's Cabin is in the 1st race on Friday which is opening day for Keenelands Fall meet. The race is a maiden $50,000 race going seven furlongs on the polytrack. Ship's Cabin drew post position number five in a ten horse field and will be ridden by Rene Douglas. Makutus was entered in an allowance race that failed to draw enough entries. We will enter him back for the same race for Saturday's card.

Tuesday update

2008-09-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

Kickin n Screamin is ready for her race Thursday night at Turfway Park. She has post position number 4 out of 11 runners and is listed at 9/2 on the morning line. She will be ridden by apprentice Matt Straight who is a graduate of Chris McCarrons riding academy. PP's are here .

Makutus and Ship's Cabin are being entered today for opening days' card at Keeneland on Friday. Albin is going to be entered for Sundays card.

Today's Works

2008-09-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Albin worked in 105 this morning at Arlington Park on his last day in Chicago this year. It was an easy work and he scoped clean afterwards. After shipping on Saturday to Keeneland he will train hard all week and if he seems to be thriving we will enter in the Woodford Reserve stakes on Sunday. If Albin doesn't draw into the stake then we will enter him in a maiden special weight going 1 1/16th on the polytrack on Sunday.

Ship's Cabin worked a sharp half mile in 48 in preparation for his next race on opening day at Keeneland. Rene Douglas will ride him in the maiden claimer going 7 furlongs on the polytrack.

Kickin n Screamin worked an easy 53.80 at Arlington,a leg stretcher before shipping. She remains on course for next Thursday at Turfway Park.

Rampillion and Comeback worked a nice four furlongs out of the gate in 50.20 while in company at CDT. Both broke well and remained together throughout the work and galloped out fine.

Carl S. also worked in 50.20 though he went by himself from the pole. He continues to improve.

Makutus snapped off a 47.80 work this morning at CDT in his last work before his next scheduled race on October 3rd at Keeneland. He continues to do well in his training and if the track is playing fair he will have a good chance. Rene Douglas will ride him also.

Appoint worked an easy three furlongs at CDT in 38. She may work an easy four furlongs next week.

Work info

2008-09-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Albin, Kickin n Screamin, and Ship's Cabin are all scheduled to work tomorrow at AP before shipping to Keeneland on Saturday. Albin is going to go five furlongs and the other two will go four.

Rampillion is going another half mile tomorrow at CDT and will go in company with Comeback. They are going to go from the gate and hopefully get approved from there.

Carl S will also work tomorrow as well as Appoint and Makutus. Carl S is going to go four furlongs as is Makutus and Appoint is going to go three furlongs again. Inky Blandford is going to work three furlongs on Saturday and Richwood Silver and Graphite Halo are scheduled to go five furlongs on Sunday.

Cool Clue back

2008-09-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Cool Clue is back at the track and ready to go into full training mode. After almost killing me and considering breeding a two year old Quiet American filly that was traveling in the van with him, he strutted off the van screaming at the top of his lungs. First day back to the race track will be interesting. Also on the van returning to the track was Bubble Berry. She has been burning up the Aqua Pacer and we are looking at an October 12th race at Keeneland for her.

Fading Light had a legitimate excuse other than a wide trip when 5th the other day at Kentucky Downs. She was coughing afterwards and a scoping revealed a minor lung infection was hampering her.

Albin is scheduled to work at Arlington Park on Friday going 5 furlongs. He, as well as the remaining horses at Arlington, will be shipping to Keeneland on Saturday.

Operetta Italiano was a little too hyper to start back at the track and we sent her to Bluegrass Equine Center to go on the Aqua Pacer before returning to racetrack training.

Top Royelle also went to Bluegrass for a freshening from the torture chamber at Presque Isle/Mountaineer Park.

The Suit and the Quiet American filly arrived at Rea Quarter Horses today to begin the breaking process. It is a good thing the guys at Rea's are top horseman because these two are tough.

Campaneris is going back to full training after a brief break to grow up.

Monday work report

2008-09-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

Graphite Halo worked well out of the gate this morning. She went in 49.60 and had no problems, breaking quick and straight. She will have a five furlong work next Sunday and reamins on course for her debut on October 8th at Keeneland.

Richwood Silver had one of the fastest five furlong works that was timed in 103 that I have ever seen. Cherie broke her off pretty slow from the pole but Richwood quickly picked up speed and finished up very fast and galloped out really strong. I am not sure where she will make her next start but it doesnt look like it will be too far away.

Comeback galloped out of the gate and did well, breaking fast and strong.

Weekend Update

2008-09-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

Makutus continues to train well coming up to his next race on October 3rd at Keeneland. He went an easy five furlongs in 102.20 and galloped out in 115. He is going to be ridden in the allowance race by Rene Douglas.

Carl S. and Comeback worked well in company, going a half mile through the early morning darkness in 50.60 and 50.80 respectively. Neither was particularly winded after the work and will go another half out of the gate next week.

Appoint went an easy three furlongs in 39.20 under no pressure. She galloped out strong and is still learning the game and developing physically. We do look forward to those slot-fueled purses in Indiana next year with her being an Indiana bred. Indiana bred maiden purses are scheduled to be right around $42000 when the Indiana Downs meet starts in April.

Rampillion went an easy four furlongs in 50.60. This was her first work in two weeks because of a minor ankle issue.

Mercury Rising improved some when he ran at the Finger Lakes on Friday. He broke a tad slow again but did improve 7 lengths from his first start. He will be better when the races get longer.

Fading Light has been entered for Monday afternoon at Kentucky Downs. She is listed as the 7-2 morning line favorite in the 6th race, a one mile allowance race, obviously on the grass. Diego Rodriguez will ride her.

Today's works

2008-09-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Richwood Silver lit up the powerless Churchill Downs training center this morning going four furlongs in 46.80. She was under a tight hold during the work and was not really winded afterwards. We were originally thinking that Churchill would be the spot for her comeback but she may be ready before that meet begins.

Graphite Halo worked five furlongs in 102.20 on her own. The work was another step of progress in her training and was her best work to date. She was a little winded and we are still looking for a spot for her debut though there is a possibility that we may start her at Keeneland on the 8th of October to get a race under her belt before going to New York to run against New York breds. We will see how she progresses the next few weeks. Ideally there would be a NY bred 2 year old filly maiden race on the turf for her but the newest condition book at Belmont lacks one.

Mercury Rising has drawn into the 5th race on Friday at the Finger Lakes, a maiden special weight going 6 furlongs. He drew post position number 5 in a field of 11 and Elaine Castillo rides back. We are hoping for better racing luck for him this time out.

Aldebutante looks fine after her rough debut on Sunday. She is heading back to Kentucky and is being pointed to a 7 furlong maiden race at Keeneland over the polytrack on the 16th of October.

Albin has finally scoped clean and will work this weekend. We are going to take a shot and try him in the Woodford Reserve Stakes on the turf at Keeneland as a maiden. Though there is little chance we get in we are willing to take a shot at it. Our backup plan is probably a maiden race going 1 1/16th on the polytrack the same day or an allowance on the turf later in the meet.

Tough trips for weekend runners

2008-09-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Aldebutante suffered through a horrible trip in her first start at Belmont this afternoon. She broke a step slow, was checked not too far out of the gate, checked again going into the turn and slammed at the top of the stretch while in tight. Hopefully she will come out of the race ok and gt back to the races at Keeneland.

Ship's Cabin showed a bit of talent on Saturday at Arlington Park without any of his usual stunts. Equipped with blinkers and jockey Tim Thornton for the first time, he broke alertly and assumed the lead soon after the start. He tired a bit in the stretch and was hampered when the horse on the rail came out into his path forcing him to steady hard. He re-rallied to be 4th and the stewards disallowed the jockeys claim of foul against the third place finisher. Though it was a little frustrating to have some traffic trouble he displayed speed and determination and will probably run back on opening day at Keeneland, October 3rd.

Appoint, Normanruth, Carl S. and Comeback all worked 3 furlongs at CDT and may advance to four furlongs next weekend. Makutus worked a sharp 100.80 under no urging from Cherie and looks like he will also run on opening day at Keeneland. Richwood Silver is scheduled to work tomorrow morning.

Friday update

2008-09-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

Aldebutante has drawn into the 5th race at Belmont on Sunday. The race is a six furlong maiden special weight going six furlongs on the turf though there is a lot of rain in the forecast. She will be ridden by Richard Migliore and John Fahy will be saddling her for us. Aldebutante drew post position number eleven and will run regardless of track surface as she needs racing experience and has handled everything we have thrown at her so far.

Mercury Rising will be working tomorrow, going 6 furlongs from the gate with jockey Elaine Castillo. Hopefully he breaks a little better than he did in his race a few weeks ago. We are pointing to a race on the 19th at the Finger Lakes for him.

Kickin n Screamin disappointed over a soft course yesterday but came out of the race fine and will be pointed to a 20000 nw3LT race at Turfway park on October 2nd.

Makutus has trained well since his maiden victory and is on course for October 3rd at Keeneland.

Richwood Silver has continued to train well and will work again Sunday morning, weather permitting.

Today's Race and other things

2008-09-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

Kickin n Screamin is running today at Arlington park in the 7th race, a $25000 conditioned claimer on the turf. She is listed as the 3-1 morning line favorite under leading rider Rene Douglas.

Ship's Cabin has been entered in the 4th race at Arlington on Saturday. The race is a seven furlong maiden special weight on the polytrack and he will be ridden by Tim Thornton and will be equiped with blinkers for the first time.

Aldebutante has arrived in New York for her debut this Sunday going six furlongs on the turf.

Fading Light came out of her race in good shape and will run back at Kentucky Downs in an allowance race.

Monday work update

2008-09-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

Aldebutante broke sharp from the gate this morning under Diego Rodriguez in her final work before her first start on Sunday. She was timed in 35 for three furlongs and galloped out very strong afterwards. After the work she cooled out quickly and we are working on transportation plans to get her to Belmont later this week. She is going to trainer John Fahy's barn at Belmont and will run in John's name as trainer and he will saddle her since I will be busy at the sales this weekend. We have reached out to Richard Migliore and he will definitely ride her if we wind up in the dirt race though my preference right now is to try her on the turf. They will let us know tomorrow if he can be freed up from any commitments in the turf race.

Graphite Halo went five furlongs in 105 early in the morning. Cherie started her off slow and she finished up really well. We are trying to get her to be tractable and run at the end of her works which will hopefully make her want to pass horses rather than stay aside them.

Appoint, Carl S. and Normanruth all went easy three furlongs in 39.80, 39.40, and 39.60 respectively. They will all go another three furlongs next week.

Makutus went very well, going 47.80 in his first work since breaking his maiden at Arlington a few weeks ago. He is being pointed to an allowance race going 1 1/8th on opening day, October 3rd at Keeneland.

Richwood Silver went great in her first work since the spring. After getting a brief freshening she has been training forwardly and her 48.40 work was a really nice move with Cherie never letting her really run.

Fading Light on Saturday

2008-09-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Fading Light has been entered in the 6th race on Arlington Park on Saturday. The race is an entry level allowance race going 1 1/16th on the turf and Fading Light who starts from post number five has leading rider Rene Douglas riding.

Mercury Rising came out of his race in good shape and will look to run back on September 19th at the Finger Lakes going 6 furlongs. We will probably have him work once out of the gate maybe on the 10th before the race.

We have officially moved back to the Churchill Training Center and will have stalls at Keeneland during the fall meeting in October.

Labor day works

2008-09-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Carl S. and Comeback went great this morning, going three furlongs in company in 37.20 under Ryan and Cherie. They worked much more professionally today, staying together, switching leads and finishing up well past the wire. They will move to four furlongs next week when we move back to the training center.

Appoint, Campaneris and Normanruth went 1/4 mile in 26 while in company. Appoint went nicely and Normanruth did fine but Campaneris may need a little more seasoning before progressing to three furlongs. Normanruth was on the inside of the three and held his ground well and Appoint did a good job while between horses but Campaneris wanted no part of the others and needs more schooling before we start going too fast and far with her.

Rampillion and Graphite Halo worked well this morning though the clockers apparently missed a lot of the work, giving them a 38.20 clocking despite their working four furlongs and galloping out fast enough to get credit for another eighth. Rampillion broke off outside of Graphite Halo and was going a a good clip passing the 1/2 mile pole. They stayed together through out the work and both galloped out strong. They will work another half mile out of the gate next week, probably on the 6th or 7th.

Sunday Update

2008-08-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

We have been extremely busy this week and unfortunately have neglected the blog so lets get everybody updated on all the news around the barn.

Mercury Rising made his debut at Finger Lakes in the 7th race this afternoon. He broke in the air at the start which is not great anytime but really bad in a 5 1/2 furlong race. Mercury got way behind and was ducking and diving from the dirt being kicked in his face. Elaine Castillo whacked him a few times coming into the stretch and after he got over the shock of getting hit he actually started to run a bit. However the race was so short that by the time he got untracked they were at the wire. He will benefit from the experience and needs a little more ground to be at his best.

Galaxy Lady got her first win in over 3 years yesterday, winning a $4000 claimer at River Downs. Under Joe Johnson, she shot to the front and led every step of the way, easily winning by 11 lengths. It was my first trip to River Downs and found it a nice little track that was kind of a throwback to the days of racing before slot machines. Hopefully they can figure out the mess that is Ohio racing and keep it going.

Aldebutante worked really well on Friday, going in 102.40 in a really sharp effort. She finished up strong and galloped out super and looks to be over her thyroid issue and on pace for her debut on the 14th.

Rampillion and Graphite Halo are scheduled to work tomorrow morning at Churchill Downs. They will go another four furlongs and gallop out and extra eighth. Both fillies are progressing as expected.

Fading Light has been training great but her race that was scheduled for the 5th at AP didn't go and they have brought the race back for the 6th at 1 1/16th on the turf.

Colonel Klink worked six furlongs in 115.40 on the 27th which was his first work since sustaining a minor injury after his last work on August 2nd. He wasn't supposed to go that far but he was so fresh from his little layoff that he began the work too soon and galloped out a little too fast. He will work again on the 2nd and we are leaning toward a start on the turf on September 14th for his 1st start.

Albin has returned to training after a brief illness and is still a possibility for the 14th at AP or Kentucky Downs on the 22nd.

Rain Shower was sold privately as she had fulfilled her mission of winning a race at AP and does not look like she will ever improve enough to consider keeping long term.

Comeback and Carl S are both scheduled to work tomorrow after working well last week.

Appoint continues to train well and will have her first three furlong work tomorrow.

Campaneris is doing really well though I wish she would grow a little taller and have little less of an attitude.

Results from the weekend and some work reports

2008-08-25T08:14:00.001-07:00

Makutus made his return to the races a winning one, leading from gate to wire to win the 2nd race at Arlington Park yesterday. Let off as fourth choice at 5-1 despite being the morning line favorite, Makutus broke well and made the lead going down the backstretch, setting fractions of 23, 47.1, 112.1, and 124.1 before finishing up in 136.3 winning by 1 1/4 lengths under Tim Thornton. Makutus shipped back to Louisville last night and arrived in good shape this morning. His next race may be at Keeneland in an allowance race. Chart

E Major and Hackercraft did not fare so well on Friday. Hackercraft showed very little on the drop to the lowest condition in his career, never kicking in and finishing last in a conditioned $5000 claimer. E Major broke very well in her first start on the turf. She settled in a good position, 4th on the rail over the soggy grass course but failed to rally in the stretch and never showed that spark that she displayed in her first race. She may be on her way to a career as a broodmare.

Comeback worked in 38.20 at Churchill this morning. He is still very green and doesn't pay much attention during his breezes. He will work another three furlongs next week. Carl S. worked three furlongs in 37.40 in his first official workout. He has a really big stride and is still developing physically and he will work another three furlongs next week. Normanruth worked a quarter mile in 26.30 and is also very green. He will work another quarter mile before we work him three furlongs in an official work.

Rampillion worked 50.60 out of the gate in company with Graphite Halo this morning at Churchill Downs. She broke alertly and went evenly with the other filly. She will work an easy 5 furlongs next week and looks like she will make the September 20th race at Turfway barring any unforeseen mishap. Graphite Halo broke a step slow, rallied to catch the other filly but would rather race beside her than pass her which is something that we will work to correct.

Sumwonlovesyou's foot continues to improve. We are flushing it with an iodine solution and she is walking normally without any soreness.

Kickin n Screamin is doing fine and looks like she is on target for the 11th. Rene Douglas has been booked to ride her in that race.

Mercury Rising worked four furlongs in 49 seconds which is good for him. We are trying to get him up to the Finger Lakes this week for a race next weekend.

Aldebutante came out of her work in good order and will remain on her normal training schedule.

Colonel Klink is back in full training after a minor injury knocked him to the sidelines for a week.

Makutus returns

2008-08-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

Makutus has been entered in the 2nd race on Sunday at Arlington Park. The race is a one turn mile on the polytrack for three year olds and older horses in the maiden special weight condition. Makutus drew post three with Tim Thornton riding and were installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite.

Rain Shower 4th

2008-08-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Rain Shower was 4th today in the 6th at Arlington today. She broke a step slow and trailed through glacial fractions in 9th place before putting a mild rail rally to be 4th, beaten about 3 lengths. It wasnt a bad race but it gets frustrating having so many turf closers and so many races without any pace. Chart

Fading Light worked well this morning at Churchill Downs getting four furlongs in 49.20. We changed her shoes around and it seems to have helped her. She is being pointed to an allowance race at Arlington on September 5th.

Makutus blew out extremely fast this morning going 3 furlongs in 34 and being credited for his gallop out time of 46.40 as his official time. The race he was entered for at Arlington did not fill for Saturday and was brought back for Sunday's card which may be good for us as it gives him one more day to recover from such a fast work.

Todays works

2008-08-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Rampillion and Graphite Halo worked 4 furlongs this morning at Churchill Downs, covering the distance in 50.80. The work got a little messed up when a out of control horse from Dale Romans split our fillies going to the pole to start the work and Rampillion wound up about 5 lengths ahead of Graphite Halo. Cherie who was aboard Graphite made the best of the situation by tucking in behind the other filly and getting her used to getting dirt thrown in her face which she didn't seem to care for very much. Rampillion basically was on her own and did well though Ryan said she was pretty tired after galloping out.

Comeback had his first official work going in 39.60 for three furlongs while in company with a unraced two year old of Bob Holthus. They did fine, he changed his leads and galloped out nicely. He was on the inside during the work and had no problems with a horse outside of him. Comeback will go a bit quicker for three furlongs next week.

Carl S. and Normanruth 'two minute licked' from the half mile pole together in their first work other than galloping. Both were fine though Carl S. towers over Rampillion who had to work to keep up with him.

Albin 3rd in debut

2008-08-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Albin overcame a tough post and a wide trip to run a solid third in his first start today in Arlington's 5th race. Hampered by post 11 and a fairly short run to the turn, Albin broke alertly and put jockey Tim Thornton is a tough position going into the first turn. Forced to ease him back in the turn to avoid being fanned 10 wide, Albin lost some valuable positioning while still being fairly wide in that first turn. He settled nicely behind horses while in seventh down the backstretch. Thornton angled him out going into the turn where he showed a nice turn of foot while three wide , moving into second turning for home with the eventual winner lurking right behind him. He was a little late in switching leads in the stretch which may have cost him a bit of momentum but he ran through the wire and finished up third behind the two favorites. We were hoping for a nice safe trip in his debut and we got that despite the wide trip. Albin should benefit from the experience and get a fitness boost going into his next race which is looking like the same race on the 14th of September at Arlington. This was the first 2 year old start for owner Bob Gary's group of yearlings that he bought last fall and hopefully it is a sign of things to come. Chart of todays race here

E Major and Hackercraft have been entered at Arlington Park for Friday's twilight card. Hackercraft has been entered in the 6th race which is a $5000 nw3 claimer going 1 1/8th on the polytrack with apprentice Inez Karlsson and has been installed at 7-2 on the morning line. E Major is in the 10th race which is a maiden special weight on the turf going about 5 furlongs on the turf. Tim Thornton will ride and E Major drew post position number 3 out of 12 and will run with blinkers on. She is listed at 10-1 on the morning line.

Two year old number 1

2008-08-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Albin is running today in the 5th race at Arlington Park which is a maiden special weight on the turf going one mile. He is the first of our two year olds to make it to the races this year and we are hoping for a good run from him. He is coming out of post 11 which isn't great and has underrated turf jock Tim Thornton on board. Albin has never missed any training since he went into serious training in March and has shown increased interest lately which we hope translates to a good race today.

Rain Shower has been entered for Wednesdays card at Arlington. She is post position number 3 in a 9 horse field of $35000 filly claimers on the turf going 1 1/16th. Thornton will also ride her as Rene Douglas is serving a one week suspension and is off all mounts next week. She looks like she is very competitive with this group providing she gets a decent trip.

Makutus worked in 51.40 yesterday at Churchill which was a little slower than I wanted and we will probably blow him out on Wednesday in preparation for his comeback race on Saturday at Arlington.

E Major worked 47.60 yesterday at Arlington in her final move before her turf sprint debut on Friday at Arlington.

Ship's Cabin worked from the gate in blinkers yesterday morning at Arlington going 35.40 for 3 furlongs. He came out fast and straight and hopefully he is going to get over his in race antics with the blinkers on.

Mercury Rising was measured this morning by Cherie and has been found to have grown from 15.1 hands when he arrived in April to 16 hands. Hopefully his lack of enthusiasm for training has been due to this growing spurt as opposed to any lack of ability. His half brother won a NYB stakes race last week at Saratoga and was a late developer so hopefully Mercury is following those same lines.

Fading Light is pointing to a race September 5th at Arlington Park going 1 1/8th on the turf. She has been training very well since her last race.

Aldebutante has not been feeling so great the last few days and will not make her debut at Saratoga next weekend. She has had some stomach problems and has been a little lethargic which is not her. She has not had a temperature or developed a full blown sickness but pushing her while she is acting a little down is a bad idea.

Campaneris has been training well after having a respiratory issue and Comeback has been doing very well despite going through a growth spurt which can make horses look a little uncoordinated.

Graphite Halo and Rampillion are both doing fine and progressing nicely. Sumwonlovesyou is being treated with aggressive antibiotics to fight the foot infection that she has developed. Richwood Silver is doing great and looks really good. Carl S. is coming around and Cool Clue has started to be turned out as well as going on the Aqua Pacer. Basketwoman's leg injury is healing really well and she has started undergoing Aqua Pacer treatments. Bob's Bean and Bubble Berry are going into the second phase of their off track training, ponying with Hank on the track at BEC. They may make starts at Kentucky Downs in September.

Wednesday's news

2008-08-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Galaxy Lady is in today's 3rd race at Arlington Park a $5000 NW3L race going 6 furlongs. She will break from post 5 in a field of 8 runners with Brandon Meier aboard. She has never raced on the polytrack surface so we will see how she likes it today.

Aldebutante worked really well this morning at Churchill Downs. she broke off a few lengths behind Mercury Rising going to the 5 furlong pole, caught him after a 1/4 mile, stayed next to him for another eighth then drew away to finish her work in 101.80 and galloped out very well getting the 6 furlongs in 114.20. Her next work will be a blowout before she debuts at Saratoga on the 24th. Mercury simply isn't in her class and tried but could not keep up with her in the stretch. He is leaving for the Finger Lakes later this week and should run before the month is out.

Makutus is doing well and will work on Saturday morning which will be his final tuneup before his return at Arlington Park on August 23rd going 1 mile on the polytrack.

Rampillion and Graphite Halo worked four furlongs this morning at Churchill Downs. This was both horses first work further than three furlongs and it went fine. Graphite Halo started behind Rampillion by about a length and stayed there till deep in the stretch where she moved alongside of the other filly and they finished together. Graphite Halo galloped out very strong and was bouncing on the way home. Rampillion got a bit tired and did not gallop out as far or fast as the other filly. Both fillies have been very good in the gate and don't need a lot more work there. Rampillion should be ready sometime in September most likely at Turfway Park while Graphite Halo may also be ready about the same time but will start at Belmont in NYB races.

Fading Light worked very well under Diego Rodriguez covering her four furlongs in 48.60 while under quite a bit of restraint. This was the first work for her since her comeback race and she did it very nicely. Arlington's next condition book will be coming out soon and we will be looking for a spot there. E Major has been training great in recent days while equipped with blinkers which she will wear for the first time in her next start on the 22nd of August at AP on the grass.

Appoint continues to train well as does Richwood Silver. Basketwoman is going to start light training on the aqua pacer at BEC this week while Bob's Bean and Bubble Berry are going to start a more aggressive training program after they both had a nice break and some light training.

Cool Clue is close to his return to regular training and Italiano Operetta and Jacques Sparrow are heading in the opposite direction, soon moving to BEC for some additional rest.

Monday Update

2008-08-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

Albin worked very well out of the gate on Saturday morning, getting 5 furlongs in 101 and being approved by the starter to make his debut next Sunday on the grass at Arlington Park. Ship's Cabin also worked Saturday morning under jockey Tim Thornton, going a half mile in 48.40 while wearing some new equipment. We put a modified extention blinker on him along with rubber figure eight and a stronger bit. This seemed to help as he stayed on the rail throughout the entire work, never showing any desire to get out until he was pulling up. E Major worked this morning with jockey E.T. Baird aboard. She went in 49.20 for the four furlongs and galloped out really well. E.T. thought she was traveling well and TC thought that a few changes we have made with her shoes have helped her. She is still pointing to a maiden grass sprint for her next start on the 22nd.

Some good works at CD today

2008-08-07T18:54:00.001-07:00

Makutus and Aldebutante worked well in company this morning at Churchill Downs. The track as usual was very slow and deep despite the temperatures early in the morning being quite reasonable. The pair broke off on even terms going past the 5/8ths pole with Cherie on Aldebutante and Kenny Wirth on Makutus, who can often be tough to handle. They stayed together throughout the work and hit the wire moving at a brisk pace. Makutus galloped out stronger than the filly but he has been working longer and further than she has and is a talented if unlucky three year old. Aldebutante was visibly winded after the work and has tucked up (lost weight) from the heat and from the fact that she has grown taller over the last six weeks. Makutus is being pointed to a one mile maiden special weight race on the 23rd at Arlington Park while Aldebutante is shooting for the following day's races at Saratoga.

Rampillion and Graphite Halo worked out of the gate together in 39.60. They broke very well and worked together around the turn which is the way Churchill's gate is situated. Both broke sharp enough to get their gate cards and we can move ahead with getting them fit and ready for the races. Rampillion is being pointed towards Turfway Park or Kentucky Downs while Graphite Halo is looking at Belmont's fall meet for her debut.

Comeback continues to do well, galloping kindly while he is still physically developing. He is growing tall and looks a lot like his dam who was a very talented filly who had some soundness issues.

Colonel Klink is rapidly recovering from his minor injury and will probably return to the track this weekend. Albin is galloping 1 3/4 miles every day and never seems to get tired. The maiden race on the 17th on the Arlington turf continues to be his main objective. Richwood Silver is training well as she returns from a brief freshening. Cool Clue is doing great at Bluegrass Equine Center and will return to the track in about two weeks.

Bob's Bean and Bubble Berry are also doing well at BEC and are looking at races at Kentucky Downs when they return to the races. It will be interesting to see how Bob's Bean takes to the turf and Bubble Berry has already run fairly well on the grass. Basketwoman's leg is looking better and Sugarland Star is spending a lot of time outside in the paddocks at BEC.

Ship's Cabin is going to work on Saturday morning at Arlington, hopefully when the track is clear of Arlington Million runners. He will be equipped with some new gear including an extention blinker and a special bit.

Rain Shower is pointing to a spot for $35000 on August 20th going 1 mile on the turf. hopefully we can keep Rene Douglas in that spot. We are still waiting on races to materialize for both Kickin n Screamin and Fading Light. Galaxy Lady is going to be entered for a race at Arlington for Wednesday the 13th going 6 furlongs at the NW3 $5000 level.

Appoint is really starting to turn the corner physically as she is looking more and more like a racehorse every day. Campaneris is still coughing and has had respitory issues for over 10 days. The heat hasnt not helped in her recovery. Carl S. is doing well as he plays catch up after some minor set backs. E Major is training fine as she prepares for her turf debut. Mercury Rising worked a 1/2 mile in 52 after his company never appeared. Normanruth and Moonlight Flite are both training well as they comeback from relatively minor injuries.

I will be in Chicago this weekend for the Arlington Million and to see Ship's Cabin work. Both may be equally exciting!

Monday Update

2008-08-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

Ships Cabin forget to turn yesterday at Arlington in the 5th. After breaking very poorly his first start, he broke very well yesterday and went to the lead. However he bolted in the first turn and had to be pulled up. We cant find anything wrong with him physically and are going to have to use some equipment like an extension blinker and/or run out bit, to get him under control.

Hacker Craft did not fare so well either in his race on Saturday. He simply does not race as well at the mile distance and needs more ground. He may get both that and class relief in his next start.

Albin and Colonel Klink both worked Saturday morning at Arlington. Albin went 6 furlongs in 119 in a stamina building work in preparation for his debut on the turf on August 17th. Colonel Klink went a 1/2 mile in 49.20 but overextended a bit and will miss the race on Million Day. The injury is not serious but the race is coming up too quick for him to make it.

Comeback is doing well and will have his first official workout on Thursday, weather permitting. Carl S. and Campaneris have both recovered sufficiently from their respiratory illness to return to the track after having a few days off.

Rampillion and Graphite Halo broke well from the gate this morning and will work from the gate on Thursday. Graphite Halo is developing very nicely after a few false starts earlier in the spring and Rampillion is also coming along well.

Mercury Rising galloped aggressively this morning which I hope is a good sign moving forward since he has been lacking in aggressiveness. Maybe the light bulb in his head is finally turning on.

Normanruth continues to plug along though his mind may be a bit ahead of his body at this point. Appoint is really turning the corner according to Cherie. Though she is still carrying excess weight, she is starting to shape up and is moving forward in her training.

Aldebutante has made multiple visits to the gate and she is settling down nicely there. There is a thin line between doing too much with her and not enough because she is such a high energy filly. She will work later this week, going 5 furlongs.

Makutus is training well though I would like to see him carry a bit more weight, which has always been an issue with him. There is a race on the 22nd at Arlington Park that may be a good spot for his return.

E Major worked a slow 4 furlongs in 52 today though she finished strong and galloped out well in 104. She is on course to make her turf sprint debut in a few weeks.

Works and races

2008-08-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

Aldebutante and Mercury Rising worked four furlongs from the gate this morning at Churchill Downs. They both broke well and stayed together until just past the 1/4 pole when Cherie asked Aldebutante to pick it up and she accelerated away from the colt and finished up the work in 50. Mercury Rising wound up going in 51.2 and simply isnt in the same class as the filly. She will work 5 furlongs next week possibly in company with Makutus and though she wont make the Saratoga race on the 10th it wont be too much longer until she is ready. Mercury will also have a 5 furlong work next week.

Rampillion and Graphite Halo worked together in 39 for 3 furlongs. They stayed together and finished up well and despite the time being a little slow, the work was something that we can build on. They will go a little quicker next week and then stretch out to 4 furlongs after that.

Makutus worked a quick 5 furlongs in 59.60 under jockey Diego Rodriguez. He went very well while in hand and seems like he is really getting close to his return to the races. Makutus is a talented horse who has never really shown what he can do in the afternoons.

Hacker Craft has been entered for Saturday at Arlington Park. He is in the 6th race which is a $10000 nw3 LT race going 1 mile out of the chute. He is listed at 8-1 on the morning line which is strange considering he has been 2nd and 3rd in the same class. PP's

Ship's Cabin has been entered in a maiden $25000 race on the grass on Sunday's Arlington card. He will be stretching out to 1 1/8th in his second start after breaking slow 1st time out and will be adding Lsix second time out. He is listed at 12-1 on the morning line. PP's

Weekly recap

2008-07-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

This past week went pretty well for us on the racetrack though we had a few physical setbacks, none look too serious. Kickin n Screamin's 2nd place finish was a good effort on Thursday at Arlington. On Friday, Rain Shower won a hard fought stretch duel by a head to win the 5th race at AP, a $25000 claiming race for Bob Gary. (chart) She ran decently in two allowance races since we claimed her at Keeneland but we were looking for a win and she and Rene Douglas got the job done. She will most likely run back in a similar race for $25000 on the turf in a few weeks. In the 7th at Arlington on Friday afternoon, Fading Light made her first start for us since we purchased her from the Keeneland January sale. The race was a 1 1/8th turf allowance race and we drew post position 11. She showed a little more speed than usual, though still 10 lengths off the pacesetters. She made a nice run through the stretch, was steadied slightly at the eighth pole and wound up in third place about 4 lengths behind the winner. it was a good effort for a filly who hadnt run in a long time. (chart) Galaxy Lady ran third at Ellis Park yesterday. She broke a step slow from the rail and as it turns out must have hit the gate when breaking as she had 2 big welts on her side where she knocked the skin off. She put forth a mild rally to get third, just missing second place. (chart) For the week we ran four horses and had a record of one win, one second and two thirds which is a pretty good week.

Aldebutante worked yesterday over the Churchill beach. She went in 50.60 in hand under Cherie and I told her not to let her do more than that because the track was so deep and tiring. Apparently water for the track isn't in the budget. She galloped out very well which is not surprising considering how easily she worked. We are planning on working out of the gate on Friday. That will be a big work because it will be the last strong work before she runs. We cant afford to miss any days or have any setbacks if we are going to make a race on the 10th.

Rampillion worked 3 furlongs in 37 seconds which was a pretty good move. Going in company with Graphite Halo, Rampillion started off well and finished up good despite the deep conditions. She was pretty winded afterwards but cooled out in good condition. She will also work on Friday going 3 furlongs once again. Graphite Halo, who has grown immensely the last six weeks, was under a strong hold throughout and will work another three next week also. She will also do some gate work as will Rampillion.

Makutus continues to train strong on the road back to the races. He worked a nice 5 furlongs in 101 which was the 5th fastest of 28 workers at the distance. Cherie said that he hit the ground fine and galloped out with good energy. He was a bit winded returning to the barn which was not surprising considering the condition of the track. Makutus was scheduled to return to the races at Turfway park in September but it looks like he will be ready far in advance of that meeting.

Comeback 'two minute licked' for 5 furlongs and galloped strong afterwards. He will most likely work 3 furlongs next weekend. Campaneris has trained well though she is still quite a bit behind most of the other 2 year olds because of her late start.

Mercury Rising worked 4 furlongs in 50.80 without company. He did fine but doesn't have much fire in him without company. He will need a few more sharp works before he heads to the Finger Lakes to begin his racing career.

Appoint is turing the corner physically and has trained in a much more foward manner lately. She will begin working and doing serious gate work soon.

Colonel Klink continues his steady march towards his racing debut on August 9th at Arlington Park. He worked in 101.60 out of the gate under a strong hold of exercise rider Willie Dunn. Colonel Klink was in company with Albin but outbroke him and waited on him for a short while before going on by himself. Albin still has trouble leaving the gate and that has to be improved upon if he is going to run on the 17th at AP on the turf in his first start. He wound up working in 103.60 after his slow start.

Inky Blanford has been turned out for 30 days at his owners farm for some R&R. Shades of Hope has worked a few quarter miles in Ocala and is scheduled to ship North in a few weeks. Jacques Sparrow has a minor injury and will have a brief break from training. E Major is doing well and is scheduled to work 1/2 mile on Monday at AP. She is being pointed to a turf sprint on August 22nd at AP. E.T. Baird will be her new jockey. Carl S. is doing fine as is Normanruth. Moonlight Flite has spent the last week on the Aqua Pacer at Bluegrass Equine Center, which is her 1st exercise since injuring herself at Keeneland this spring. Bubble Berry, Cool Clue, Bob's Bean and two returning horses Solomons Buddy and Sox A Fire have all also been training on the Aqua Pacer.

Kickin N Screamin runs well

2008-07-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

Kickin n Screamin ran a good 2nd today in the 4th race at Arlington Park. The race which was scratched down to a five horse field, had very little early speed which put Kickin at a distinct disadvantage with her late running style. There were no fireworks in the paddock this time as TC's time spent schooling her paid off. Kickin N Screamin under jockey Jose Velez sat in fourth place on the rail behind a tepid pace set by the eventual winner Stage Glitter who led in fractions of 24.4, 49.2 and 1:14.2 which is especially slow considering a great deal of it is run down the long chute at Arlington. She made a bid along the inside turning for home but Stage Glitter had too much left after the slow pace and we wound up 4 lengths behind the winner while almost 3 lengths clear of the third place finisher. All in all it was a good showing against open claimers after having competed in conditioned races since we claimed her. The new condition book is due any day and hopefully we can find a similar spot for her next time. Chart

Galaxy Lady has been entered to run on Saturday, July 26th at Ellis Park. She drew post position number 1 under apprentice rider Diego Rodriguez. She has been installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite after her 2nd place showing in similar company last out at Churchill Downs. Click here for the PP's

Jacques Sparrow and Aldebutante both received gate cards after breaking well from the gate on Wednesday. Albin and Colonel Klink are scheduled to try for their cards on Sunday or Monday depending on the gate schedule.

Monday Update

2008-07-21T05:27:00.001-07:00

There is a lot going on this week at CS racing. We have three horses running at Arlington Park, possibly one at Ellis Park, lots of works and the main barn moving to Churchill Downs. Because of maintenance work being done at CDT this month we are being relocated for approximately 30 days over to Barn 36 at Churchill. Most of the moving will be done this afternoon and tomorrow morning and we should be back on a regular schedule Wednesday morning.

Aldebutante worked great yesterday, going 48.20 for four furlongs, outworking Jacques Sparrow by about 5 lengths in the process. They stayed together for the first quarter of the work but when Cherie tapped Aldebutante on the shoulder she accelerated quickly and finished strong easily besting the colt. Jacques simply isn't as quick as the filly and is really more of a distance type and this was not a bad work for him as he went in 49.20 which is his best to date. The filly will be ready to run soon but Jacques most likely wont run until Keeneland in the fall.

Albin worked 5 furlongs out of the gate this morning at Arlington Park. Albin broke to the inside and a step slow but rider Willie Dunn soon got him straightened out and on his way. He ducked out a bit passing the quarter pole and seemed a bit disinterested in working alone as he has done before. He was timed in a slow 106 for the 5 furlongs after his tardy break and green tactics. We will get him over to the gate a few more times before he works from there again. Colonel Klink was far more eager in his first polytrack work over the Arlington strip. He was supposed to work 4 furlongs but was so eager going to the pole the clockers caught him going 5 furlongs. He broke off about 5 lengths behind a horse of Todd Pletchers and wound up coming up the rail to get within a head of that horse at the wire. He was timed in 101.60 which is a good move for his first polytrack work especially considering he wasn't even really supposed to be working the first 1/8th.

Galaxy Lady worked a sharp half mile Sunday morning at CDT. She was timed in 48.20 under Cherie in preparation for her next start on the 26th of July at Ellis Park.

Mercury Rising worked 4 furlongs in 50.80 in company with a horse named Concention. He broke off a few lengths ahead of the other horse who headed him at the 1/8th pole. Mercury fought back and was a neck in front at the wire and galloped out pretty well. He will work out of the gate at CD this week.

Rampillion worked a slow 3 furlongs, mostly due to Inky Blanford's rankness before the work started. The rider of Inky had to almost pull him up to get him straight which meant that his company for the work, Rampillion also had to slow down. As a result they hit the pole very slow and the final time of 40 was mostly because they broke off so slow. Inky is going to his owners farm for 30 days of R&R while Rampillion will do a bit of gate work before she works next week.

Italiano Operetta, Bob's Bean, Bubble Berry, Cool Clue and Basketwoman all left this week for Bluegrass Equine Center for therapy and/or turnout due to minor injuries or general wear and tear.

Richwood Silver and Appoint both are back galloping and are doing well. Sugarland Star is at Bluegrass where Sumwonlovesyou and Posse Valley are soon going. Campaneris and Comeback are both progressing nicely and aren't far from doing more. Carl S. has had some fill in his leg and we have backed off on his training for now. Graphite Halo has been 'two minute licking' and is ready to resume working this weekend. Makutus is getting ready for another 4 furlong work this week. He is getting ready quicker than anticipated. E Major came out of her race in good shape and is pointing towards a turf sprint to try to change her luck.

Fading Light, Rain Shower and Kickin n Screamin are all entered to run later this week at Arlington Park. Kickin n Screamin had to be scratched after flipping in the paddock before her last scheduled start but has trained very well since. The PP's for her race on Thursday (4th) are here. Rain Shower is dropping in class for us, back to the claiming level we took her for. She has not raced poorly for us but needs a lot of help since she has so little early speed. Rain Shower will be the morning line favorite under Arlington's leading rider, Rene Douglas. The PP's for her race which is the 5th race on Friday are here. Fading Light makes her first start since we purchased her at the Keeneland January sale. It took her a little while to get back in the swing of things since her winter break but she has trained very well lately. She is another that needs some pace help since she too has very little early speed. The 1 1/8th distance is not easy to come back at but since she is such a confirmed closer who does very little running early, we think she will be ok. The PP's for her race, the 7th at AP on Friday, are here.

Ships Cabin has rough begining

2008-07-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ship's Cabin raced very greenly today at Arlington Park in his career debut. He broke a step slow and veered in sharply avoiding the horse outside him who broke to the inside at the start. After spotting the field 12 or so lengths he wasn't thrilled at the prospect of getting at that polydirt kicked in his face so Zimmerman steered him to the outside. Still far back and wide at the head of the stretch he made a run while gawking at the grandstand throughout the stretch run. He finished 9th and last beaten 9 lengths which really wasn't that bad considering the trouble he encountered and the fact that the race went 1:10.32 after quick fractions. He will be better for the experience and may find his home on the turf where there is considerably less kickback and what he is really bred for. Chart of the race

Kickin n Screamin has drawn post position #2 in the 4th at Arlington Park next Thursday, July 24th. For more on her and Dee Tee stables click here.

Cool Clue, Bubble Berry, Bob's Bean and Basketwoman all left CDT this morning for Bluegrass Equine Center for varying degrees of R & R. Albin and Colonel Klink shipped to Arlington where they will finish up their preparations for their debuts. The remainder of the stable will ship Monday afternoon to Churchill's barn 36 for the summer. We are planning quite a few works for Sunday morning and will report how those went later tomorrow morning.

Friday update

2008-07-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Kickin N Screamin worked a sharp half mile this morning at Arlington park in 48.60. She is being pointed to an $18000 claimer next Thursday at AP. She has been training fine since her accident in the paddock before her last scheduled race and should be a contender in that spot.

Ships Cabin has been installed at 8-1 for his career debut tomorrow at Arlington Park. Marcus Hersch selects him on top in the DRF:

"1. Ship's Cabin
2. Goaltogoal
3. Atheist
SHIP'S CABIN
missed works between April and May, but has breezed like a bear first in
Louisville, then up here, working for career debut; if he runs to the worktab,
he could win. GOALTOGOAL a close third -- though only of 6 -- in HAW career
debut; would seem to have room to improve; strong pedigree. ATHEIST keeps fading
to second or third after being on lead at stretch call; seems to have some
talent; wouldn't be surprised with a change in tactics since new rider up here."

Ship's Cabin entered at Arlington Park

2008-07-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Ship's Cabin drew post position number 8 in a 9 horse maiden special weight race going 6 furlongs over the polytrack on Saturday at Arlington Park. Though 6 furlongs may not be his optimal distance he needs to get some racing experience and this race hopefully get him that. Ramsey Zimmerman is aboard for Bluegrass Equine Center who bought him through BEC Bloodstock at the Keeneland November sale for $7000.
PP's for the race
Ship's Cabin's pedigree

Monday morning works

2008-07-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Colonel Klink getting a bath

We had ideal conditions to work horses this morning, sunny skies, light breeze, and moderate temperatures. Galaxy Lady was the first horse to work at 6:00 am. She went in 48.20 under Diego Rodriguez, finishing well and galloping great. For a cheap claimer she does awfully well in the morning. She is being pointed to a conditioned claimer on July 26th at Ellis Park.

Fading Light and Albin were the next to go. They worked 5 furlongs with Fading Light being the lead horse and Albin following. Fading Light got away from him a bit too much down the backside and Albin had a lot of ground to make up turning down the stretch. He did well to get within a few lengths of Fading Light without being pushed too much. He was timed in 103.40 for the 5 furlongs and galloped out in 117 for 6 furlongs. Fading Light got really aggressive leaving the pole and worked under a tight hold throughout. She was timed in 102.60 for 5 furlongs and appears ready to make the July 25th race that she has been pointed for. Albin looks like he will be ready for his targeted race on August 2nd at AP.

Makutus worked a nice 1/2 mile under Rodriguez in 48.60, galloping out 5 furlongs in 101.60. He was steady the whole way, finishing strong the last 100 yards and galloping out great. He wasn't that winded afterwards and is rapidly getting fit enough for his return to the races.

Aldebutante, Jacques Sparrow and Colonel Klink worked 4 furlongs out of the gate. All entered and stood well in the gate except Klink did try to kick and assistant starter but he missed. Klink broke a step behind the other two who broke alertly. Cherie even lost her iron briefly after the break causing Aldebutante to wind up a few lengths behind the others. Jacques Sparrow under Juan Matos held the inside position with Colonel Klink just a head behind while Aldebutante was eating some dirt while about 4 lengths behind. turning for home Cherie edged out from behind the other two and began to make up some ground while Klink headed and passed Jacques about 50 yards from the finish line. Aldebutante kept gaining ground steadily, passing Jacques Sparrow also while falling about a length or so short of Colonel Klink at the wire. Klink galloped out really well with his big stride and Aldebutante finished up fine though maybe a bit tired. Jacques Sparrow was done by the wire and Matos eased him up without asking for much of a gallop out as he is just not up to the fitness level of the other two. I was very happy with Colonel Klink who continues to improve and Aldebutante who handled a little adversity well. Jacques Sparrow did fine, he broke really well but is still a bit behind in his development. They were timed in 50.1 and were caught galloping out in 103.3 though Jacques Sparrow did not break 105.

Rampillion and Operetta Italiano worked in company in an easy 3 furlongs in 38 flat and galloped out in 52.20. It was OI's first 3 furlongs and was Rampillions first work since early June so we weren't looking to break any speed records. Rampillion with Ryan aboard was inside OI with Cherie when they broke off from the pole. They stayed head and head throughout with OI galloping out a little longer after the work. She is much bigger than Rampillion is right now and just doesn't have to work as hard as the other filly does. I thought it went great for both fillies and they should move ahead in their training from that work.

Mercury Rising worked 4 furlongs by himself in 50.10 with Matos aboard. He did fine, finishing up well and galloped out better than he has been.

E Major doesn't fire at AP

2008-07-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

E Major raced poorly for the 1st time in his career yesterday in the 7th race at Arlington Park. After acting up in the starting gate she broke alertly and was in a good position down the backside while the leader and eventual winner was setting solid fractions of 22.30 and 45.70. However when she was asked to run leaving the turn she had no response. E Major finished 7th, 16 lengths behind Summer Flight who won the race by 3 in 117.41. She checked out okay afterwards and we are going to try to figure out exactly why she didn't run as well as she had in her first two races. Click for chart

Ships Cabin worked at AP, going a sharp 4 furlongs out of the gate, 47.80, which was 4th best out of 44 who worked the distance. He is pointing to a race on July 19th for his debut. That race is a 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight on the polytrack. Though he should be more effective going longer, it will be a good starting point. Ramsey Zimmerman (or as TC calls him "the retard") is scheduled to ride.

Rain Shower also worked yesterday at AP going an easy 4 furlongs in 49.40. She is looking at a $25000 NW3 LT race going 1 1/16th on the turf on July 25th. Rene Douglas is booked for the mount.

Kickin n Screamin went a really easy half mile in 53.60 yesterday at AP. It was her first work since her mishap in the paddock. She may run next in one of two spots. The first is a 18000 claimer going 1 mile on the polytrack on July 24th. The other is a 25000 going 1 1/16th on the turf on the 26th of July. Jose Velez should ride in either spot.

Carl S. worked a quarter mile this morning in company with three horses from other trainers barns. He did fine despite having a slight issue with the turn which is really tight for him at CDT considering his size. Cherie said that the time was 26.20 and he did it easily and cooled out well. the other 2 year olds are scheduled to work on Monday morning. Since the racing in KY has moved to Ellis Park, the starting gate schooling schedule has been cut back and there is no gate available on weekends. So we will be working most of the 2 year olds on Mondays and Tuesdays to coincide with that schedule change.

Hacker Craft 3rd at AP

2008-07-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Hacker Craft closed from well off of a slow pace today to finish 3rd in the 4th race at Arlington Park. Sitting 7th while 10 lengths off the leader who set fractions of 24.95, 49.38, and 113.21, Hacker Craft rallied inside of horses on the turn to get into 3rd at the head of the stretch. He closed ground on the leader through the stretch and fell 1 1/2 lengths short at the wire. Click for the chart.

Makutus works, Runners at AP

2008-07-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Makutus worked in 51 seconds for a half mile yesterday at CDT. It was his first work since April 13th at Keeneland. He was having some hind end issues after that work and we have given him plenty of time to recover. Aboard for the work was Diego Rodriguez who worked him at Keeneland. Rodriguez said after the work that he felt strong and was smoother in his action than he was this spring when he worked him. Makutus will work another 4 furlongs next Monday or Tuesday. Personally I still feel that he is a very talented horse and look forward to the late summer and fall with him.

E Major has been entered for this Friday the 11th at Arlington Park in a Maiden Special Weight race. The race, which came up tough due to a couple of KY shippers, is a 6 1/2 furlong race on the polytrack. She has been training well and with a lot of speed lined up in the race we may get a favorable trip. Here are the PP's for the race.

Hacker Craft is entered to run on Thursday at Arlington. He is in race 4 which is a $10000 Nw3 LT race which has come up tough due to a few hard droppers. Hacker is training nicely and rates an upset chance with some pace and a good trip. Here are the PP's for this race.