Weekend Review - 5/29/07

It was quite a weekend. For starters, given the way he ran, I am comfortable with Peagus being claimed for $30k. He is a very, very nice horse, but he looked tired and may be at the end of his good form cycle. If we had kept him, we would have likely given him some time off and brought him back at a lower claiming level. By selling him at or near his peak value, I think we maximized our run with him (6 in the money finishes out of 7 races). To date, he has been our most profitable horse and we should have nothing but good memories of him and wish him well in his new barn.

After watching Peagus’ race on TV, we tried to get the job done down in Iowa with Brigade. He ran a good race to finish second. The jockey said after the race that he never got a chance to give him a breather and subsequently didn’t have enough left in the tank after disposing the other front runners to hold off the eventual winner.

We had a blast yesterday at CBY watching Iron Boy take care of business. Although the field was short in numbers, he beat four high-quality horses. Since we have ran him twice in the last 2 weeks, he likely won’t race again for at least a few weeks. We’ll look for a race for Chief to run in this weekend. Other than that, it looks like it will be a slow weekend for the stable.

A few other items…..for those who attend the races at CBY, we have posted a link on the blog to print out free admission coupons (thanks to Kari for finding this link on the City of Bloomington’s website)….. Leather N Lace returned to the races on Saturday with a 3rd place finish up in Canada….. The WG hats have been a big hit. Several strangers have approached me at the track and commented on how sharp the hats look and how they see our logo everywhere. Originally, I just ordered enough hats to cover those who wanted them. A couple partners have requested additional hats, so I may be putting in an additional order in the near future. I am also considering putting together a design for some polo shirts. As such, please send me an e-mail if you would be interested in additional hats or a polo shirt. Based on the feedback, I will proceed with any orders accordingly.

Tough Choice

2 horses in races 2 hours apart and 200 miles away. As of now, it looks like I'll be heading south to watch Brigade. In my absence, I hope many of you are able to make it out to CBY to represent WG and cheer on Peagus. It's possible we'll have yet another runner later in the weekend at CBY.

New post: links to our last 3 winner's circle photos can now be seen via links on the right side of this page (thanks Chris).

Helicopter Needed

Despite the bad experience in Iowa last week, we found a race down there for Lite Brigade on Saturday night. Also, I know we are looking at entering Peagus in a race earlier that day at CBY. If the Peagus race is a "go" (entries are drawn tomorrow), I 'll have a tough time getting down to Des Moines to see Brigade's race. Anyone got a helicopter or small airplane we can use? If not, If I get a speeding ticket rushing down there, I'll just pay it out of the Web's Gems account :-). Other than that, not much new to report from last weekend. We did look long and hard at claiming a horse (Smithtown Bay) on Sunday for $15k. In retrospect, after winning the race easily, he would have been worth the $$ - most attractive angle was that he was a talented MN Bred. Those type are hard to find in the claim box. I wouldn't necessarily say we are actively "in the market", but I will continue to keep an eye out for those that offer some value. I can say that through 7 days of racing at CBY, that was the first horse I even thought about buying. That's all for now.

Race Recap - 5/15/07

It took a 500-mile road trip to figure out something we already knew - Iowa Sucks! We were hoping for better than 4th for Iron Boy. Paul indicated after the race that he never got a good feel for the track and was more or less "spinning his wheels". That said, he simply ran a sub-par race. Entries for this weekend at CBY look light, but there is a 4-day weekend the following week.

Race Recap - 5/12/07

There was once a time when we were thrilled with a 3rd place finish. So I guess its a good sign when we can be "disappointed" by not winning a second level allowance race. That said, the main reason for us not winning was simple - too fast, too early. There's a saying that "pace makes the race". A couple minutes before the race, I mentioned to Paul J. that I was concerned that the #1 horse was going to try hard for the early lead and force a quick pace. This was one time where I wishI was not right, because that is exactly what happened. Oh well, don't want to sound like I am making excuses - we'll get 'em next time. It was good to see a number of you there on Saturday with your hats and T-shirts in support. We're off to Praire Meadows tomorrow with Iron Boy. I am going to take a vacation day and drive down with Jamie and Paul. The race is scheduled for approx. 6:00 C.S.T. and should be on TVG or online at cbssportsline.com.

Canterbury Debut

Peagus is in for Saturday (Race 8 - Allowance). It will mark only the second time we have raced where our horse will not run for a claiming tag!! We tried to get Iron Boy in as well, but his race did not fill. Jamie has decided to scratch Lite Brigade from his entry this Friday at Prairie Meadows - we are looking at a race there next Tuesday. For those with old horses in their virtual stable, you may find this weekend's races interesting. Rhino Chaser and Shammuu race at Fairmount Park (Illinois), Starlet Sky races at Arlington Park (Chicago), and Uncle Brother races earlier in the day at Canterbury against Winter Trick (a horse we tried to claim). For those who ordered hats, I will have them in my car on Saturday. That's it for now.

Brigade Entry

FYI - as you will see, Lite Brigade in entered for a race on Friday night at Praire Meadows. As of now, we are not planning on running him in that spot. For now, he's is entered as a backup plan in the event that Jamie's other horse (stakes winner) cannot make the race. Things may change, but that is the plan.