Our trip to Florida

Rain, wind, sun, humidity, heat - we just about saw it all in our few days in Tampa. Attending the Yankees game on Thursday, we saw Billy Crystal's pathetic publicity stunt as he went down swinging in his lone appearance at the plate. Jamie's dog (Jagger) came within an inch of his life as he came out on the short end in his tussle with a German Shepherd. We rubbed elbows with some of the top owners and trainers this sport has to offer who were in town to watch a potential $50 miilion horse (War Pass) finish dead last at 1-20 odds in the TB Derby. We ran into to a couple friends (Jackie and Charity) who were in town. Lastly, I was able to chat briefly with the gentleman who bred Lite Brigade (Wilbur France).

As for the racing action, we saw our own heavy favorite (Miltos) come up short and finish 3rd. We knew she wasn't 100% coming into the race and she confirmed the need to give her some extended time off with hopes it will help her ailing ankle.

A few races later, the old guy (Silver) showed some young guns that experience matters. He broke sharply, got a clear lead and hung on by a nose as he stretched his neck out right on the wire in a race that will move into my personal "top 5" list. If you recall, he also won a race on last year's Derby undercard. My theory is that the big ham enjoys showing off to a big crowd.

In a shocking development, Silver was claimed away from us for $32k!!?? Earlier in the week, we were trying to get him in a race for a $20k tag. As such, the claim was a financial windfall for us. At that price, he would have had to win at least 5 more races before generating that much cash flow. That said, it still was a little tough to swallow on the heels of losing a couple other barn favorites in the last few weeks. 12/31/07 valuation was $12k, realized value was approximately $25k.

All in all, a productive trip down south. While I am able to manage the stable a couple thousand miles away, it is always more efficient to make direct contact with the operations. Additionally, I get a kick out of sharing the time with investors (Mark K.) who are able to take advantage of the whole experience this investment has to offer. Mark did a great job on this trip as the photo journalist (pictures to be posted soon) and treating Jamie's staff with some burritos and cerveza.

A look ahead: Dawn Raider is entered as an "Also Eligible" on Tuesday. However, it is unlikely he will draw in, so it looks like he will have to wait for another day.

Matt