Quarter-End

With racing for this quarter wrapped up, I have calculated the share price at $18.40. Shares will be available for sale until our next race (Thursday @ CBY). While it has been a little quiet of late on the track, it should start to pick up again as all of the horses we have claimed from Prairie Meadows and Churchill will be free to race anywhere after next weekend when their respective meets close. Additionally, if she stays on course, Little Miss Tricky could make her racing debut on July 18th.

In the next few days, I will put together a full analysis of 2Q08 and e-mail to all of the partners.

Matt

Trade Up

I've mentioned in this space before that the 3 most common reactions to having a horse claimed away are: Happy, Sad, or Indifferent. When the announcement came today that Stop That Akki was claimed, I was definitely happy. Jamie has been saying lately that she was getting rough in the mornings and was looking like she was cycling down. She ran a poor race today and finished 7th in her final outing for us. We put the sale proceeds to work the next race and purchased a horse (Darby Lee) for $25k (split w/ Jagger). "Darby" is a 5 year-old mare bred in KY. She ran 3rd today in a very tight race less than a length behind the winner. Early indications are that we are bringing home a better horse than we left behind.

We are also bringing home the winner of today's first race in Iowa (No Tolerance). He ran a nice race today and won by almost 8 lenghts. Before we get too excited about a turnaround, keep this in mind.....if I ran a foot race against a guy with average speed, I would make him look fast. The last 2 races he has won have come against some pretty soft competition. Nonetheless, he has won them in impressive times and this will hopefully help him remember what it was like to be a dominant runner.

Matt

If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em

Despite the support from a handful of WG partners in attendance down in Iowa, Slapout could not get by the pacesetter and finished second in his debut for us. To offset the disappointment, we claimed the winner (Essence of Texas). "Tex" is a 3 year old gelding bred in the sunshine state (Florida). Including last night's victory, he has won 3 of his 11 lifetime starts. We split the $15k tag 4 ways (Jagger, Dan, and Caliber). Last night's runner-up effort means I still have not found my way to the winner's circle when attending our races in Iowa. As such, I will take one for the team and not make the trip down on Monday for our two races (No Tolerance and Stop That Akki). Looking back to Thursday night, it was a pretty dull effort for Balsero. Look for him to drop in class next time in search of a field that better suits him.

Reminder: Next week's racing wraps up 2Q08 and shares of WG will be available for purchase or sale. I will compute a share price as of 6/30 that will be in effect until our first race in July. As always, if you are thinking of buying/selling, I would appreciate a "heads up" so that I may plan accordingly.

Lastly, while I did not see the CBY report on Saturday morning, I hear it was a false alarm for the WG feature. They must be saving it for sweeps week ;)

Matt

New Addition - Halory's Blush

Jamie is down in Iowa today running a horse and we found somemthing to buy - Halory's Blush. "Halory" is a 5-year old Iowa bred. She ran a good third today and looks to be worth the $4k tag (split w/ Jagger). We were getting unbalanced with the boys in our stable, so it's good to add a mare to the mix. Also in Iowa, Slapout will make his debut for us on Saturday night (race 2).

On a completely separate note, CBY holds a silent auction once a year to benefit the Don Macbeth Fund (injured/disabled jockeys). This year, it will be held on July 6th and they are looking for donation items. As such, if any of you own/work for a local business that would like to donate a good/service, let me know and I can put you in touch with the proper person at the track.

Lastly, set your VCR/TiVo/DVR to record Channel 45 at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Matt

Thrill of Second Place?

Thrill of Victory did give us a late thrill today, but he ran out of real estate when charging home to finish second. I am convinced that we lost this race on Thursday when post positions were drawn. Breaking from the 11 hole, the jock had little choice but to reserve early and get over to the rail in order to save some ground. He simply had too much to make up when he made his run. Furthermore, he was claimed away from us. It leaves us feeling a little unsatisfied - we left a little meat on that bone. A couple races earlier, Dawn Raider put in his usual solid effort to run second to a nice horse. While I never feel good about losing, it makes it a little easier when the connections of the victor are "friends of WG" (unlike some others - you know who I mean).

That wraps up another fun week of racing - 5 races (2 wins, 2 seconds, and a third). We're back at it on Thursday with Balsero. Is it just me or does anyone else feel like the clock stands still from Monday - Wednesday as we await the next week of racing at CBY?

I hope all the fathers out there (including mine who is a regular reader of the WG blog) had a Happy Fathers Day!

Matt

Finally

Well, it took seven tries and a plunge to the lowest possible level, but No Tolerance finally found his way to the winners circle for us. 10 more of these and we'll have our money back on this one. We had a good night on Thursday with our 2 runners - Mooji's ran a credible third and Uno Way Calle ran a big race to win his first for us. Let's hope our 2 entries tomorrow run well and wrap up a good week.

Balsero makes his CBY debut on Thursday night (race 8). It will be a late one (about 10:15).

Matt

Oh so close

Over the years we have won our share of close photos. Not today - Stop That Akki lost by about 4 inches after a thrilling stretch battle. I suppose we were due to come out on the short end of a tight finish. In the prior race, Secret Lies ran entirely too good to finish 5th. She was less than a length behind the runner-up and about 2 lengths from the winner.

It was a very busy weekend beginning on Thursday - 3 new claims, 2 wins, 2 seconds, and a hard luck 5th. Minus the bad claim in Iowa on Friday night, that was a very good, productive weekend.

We crank it up again on Thursday with back to back races (Uno Way Calle and Mooji's Sister).

Matt

Destined for 2nd

Coming into today, Chief had 12 career wins, 11 places, and 12 shows. Last fall, he faced a similar setup and evened his record and 10-10-10. So I guess he was destined to finish second today to put his record at 12-12-12. He ran a good race but couldn't quite catch a horse who got away to an easy lead and hung on. Original WG shareholders may remember the horse that beat us (Winter Trick) as a horse we tried to claim in our first year of operation, but lost a shake.

Unwavered by last night's bad claim (apologies again), we dipped back into the Iowa pool tonight and claimed another runnner (Slapout). He is a 4 year-old gelding bred in KY that ran in last year's Oklahoma Derby. That spot was a little aggressive for him, but it does look like he can run a little. He finished a decent third tonight - $15k tag split with Jagger.

That makes 4 buys in the last 7 days. Unless we get some horses claimed away or receive additional investments at quarter-end, this will likely be the last purchase we make for some time unless something really jumps off the page.

Matt

Glass Half Full

Lumpy lived up to the hype and won his race debut tonight. It also marks the first time Jamie has won with a first-time starter after going 0 for 23. This time of year, it's wise to take your time with 2 year-olds. As such, it will likely be at least a month before we see him on the track again.
Not all went well tonight. Down in Iowa, we claimed a horse - Tiz Stormin for $25k (split w/ Jagger). He did not run as well as his form would suggest. Looks like we may have our hands full with this one. We've got 3 more runners this weekend who will hopefully get some of that money back for us.

Matt

Triple Crown - Chief style

With Chief racing on Saturday, it is interesting to note that his last three races have coincided with the Triple Crown races. He's no Big Brown, but we still like him. Last night, Spy Story made the best of a wet night. It was unfortunate that Dawn Raider had to scratch, but Spy came through with a 2-length score. Also last night, we saw Lumpy get some schooling in the Paddock before the races. If he breaks cleanly tonight in the short race, it should be exciting turning for home in his racing debut.

On Sunday, the focus shifts to the mares with Secret Lies and Stop That Akki running in back-to-back races. A full weekend of activity - hope to see you out at the CBY.

Matt

A Good Second

Unlike last No Tolerance's runner -up effort on Saturday, I was pleased with the second place finish for Balsero up in Winnipeg. The fresh Canadian air must have done him some good. He overcame quite a bit of traffic in the full field of 12 to run on nicely for the place. We also picked up another runner today - Thrill Of Victory. "Thrill" won his race today and is a 5 year-old gelding bred in KY who now has 4 wins from 20 starts. We split the $12,500 tag with Jagger.

Next up: Dawn Raider and Spy Story are entered in the same race on Thursday night. If it rains and the race comes off the turf, we will likely scracth Raider. If the race stays on the turf, there is a chance we'll still run both. Friday marks the debut for Lumpsinmyoatmeal. He will go postward in the night's first race.

Matt