Streak Over

Prior to this month, we have managed to win at least one race in 20 straight months. The last time we went a month without winning was Jan '07. Then, on 2/1/07, Lite Brigade won a race and we claimed Silver Peagus for the first time out of the same race. The subsequent 20 months were enjoyable. Prior to winning on 2/1/07, our last victory before that came on 9/19/06 (Starlet Sky). In a potentially ominous coincidence, our last win this year was also September 19th (Classic Trouble). If we have to wait until 2/1/09 to win another race, we might not be around long enough to see that. At this point, all I can offer is an apology for letting the stable deteriorate to the stage that we cannot get a horse into the winner's circle for this long of a stretch.

For a brief moment today, I thought our streak would remain alive - Art of Diplomacy was very game in defeat after taking a narrow lead turning for home. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

No more Tolerance for losing

Today was the final straw....after another poor performance, I gave away our share of No Tolerance to Dan K. and thus the book is closed on a very disappointing and expensive claim. We wasted no time filling his stall in the barn - we claimed Saint's Relic today for $14k (split w/ Jagger). If he runs like he did today (convincing win in a solid field), we should be ok. "Relic" is a 5-year old gelding bred in KY.

Next up: Art of Diplomacy makes his debut for us on Thursday. With most of his races coming on the turf or synthetic surfaces, we'll find out whether or not he can run on the dirt.

Peaks and Valleys

I knew when we started this venture that there would be a series of ups and downs. Similar to other walks of life, no streak (good or bad) lasts forever. The tricky part is to identify the top of the peak or the bottom of the valley and act accordingly. Looking back, it is easy to see that we reached our pinnacle with Tytus' win in the Shot of Gold. While the dropoff wasn't sudden, we have slowly slid to where we are today - what I hope will be the bottom of the cycle. To say the highlight of our 5-race weekend was getting Yanks Acomin claimed away from us is pretty bad. With the other runners struggling to hit the board, the biggest blow came yesterday in Iron Boy's first and last race of his comeback. After flashing his normal early speed, he was clearly getting tired down the stretch. Rather than pack it in like most horses coming off a 13-month layoff would do, Iron Boy lived up to his name and dug in for one last push to the finish. In doing so, he suffered a fatal injury. The irony is that the injury was sustained in his healthy leg, not the one we spent all this time nursing back to health. Regular readers of this blog know how much I thought of Iron Boy and yesterday's courageous effort will only solidify his standing as one of our all time best - RIP buddy.

In what may end up being somewhat of a coincidence, the horse that brought us to the top of our cycle (Tytus) was shipped backed to Chicago today to resume his training with a target of being ready for opening day in Tampa. Here's hoping his return will signal the day we turned around the current downward cycle - we'll know that answer in the next couple months or so.

Tri-State Racing

Here's a first - In about a 7 hour window on Friday, we are entered in races in 3 different states - Illinois (Iron Boy), Oklahoma (Classic Trouble), and Indiana (Yanks Acomin). Those 3 races are sandwiched around 2 in Chicago on Thursday and Saturday. Here's hoping this sandwich tastes a little better than what we have been eating lately.

While those 5 prepare to race, we have reached the end of the road with La Celeste. Her knee was pretty sore after her last race and was not likely to get any better without extended rest. So we found her a home and will be giving her away - no more bills to pay on her!

Not a Lucky Charm

I thought driving to Chicago for the weekend would be helpful in changing our recent luck. That clearly was not the case with our 3 efforts. Depsite what a couple of you have suggested, I was not riding the horses this weekend, so we cannot use extra weight as an excuse. But we do have a few valid excuses to fall back on (Uno Way was in over his head, the 1 and 1/8 mile distance was probably a bit too long for Dawn Raider, and Mooji lost a shoe in the early stages of her race). Excuses aside, it still doesn't change the fact that it was a disappointing trip and I all have to show for the hours behind the wheel is a sore butt!

From what I can see, it will probably get a little worse before it starts to improve - we have a few shots this weekend to try to get this turned around.

Happy Ending

I recently received an update on Chief Magistrate. His new owner - Dr. Jen (pictured above) says that he is adjusting very well to his new surroundings. While I cannot promise a similar "happy ending" for all of our horses, it does make me feel good to know that Chief is in good hands.

As for our current runners, with the 3 going this weekend in Chicago, I am going to try to make a road trip in hopes of getting into the circle.

Matt

Return to Sender

When we claimed Rubialedo back in August, the previous owner was spotted on the track bidding a tearful farewell to her horse. Upon seeing this, I figured he would be a short-term runner for us. They missed their opportunity to re-claim him when he won in Iowa. That mistake cost them some money since they had to claim him back today for a higher price. Unfortunately for us, he missed winning by a neck -it could have been a big day for us. As it stands, we made money on that horse and I will rarely be too upset when we sell a horse for more than what we paid for them. After the last few efforts we have put on the track, it was encouraging to see one of our horses battling to the end.

Next up ?? we have tried 3 days in a row to get Uno way Calle entered, but the race just won't fill. There is a race in the book for Dawn Raider next Sunday. It would be good to get one or both of them into a race next weekend.