Some Progress

It seems that lately it has been feast or famine for us. We have won a couple races with Thrill, but the rest of the races have been much less productive. Our first race of the weekend followed that pattern when Angel dropped far back at the start and ran on late but it was simply not enough to hit the board. She galloped out well in front of the field, but they don't give out any money to who wins the gallop out. Considering we brought him back on very short rest, I was pleased with the race from Blumin Won today. This time, a late rally was enoough to get into 3rd place and cash a decent check thus breaking our string of win or "out of the money".

Thrill comes back again of Friday (possibly Thursday if government shutdown appears likely). I would like to give him another week of rest, but the uncertainty pretty much forces him into this spot. No Lip should be pointed towards a race for the middle of next week at Indiana Downs.

Jockey Roulette

The way I conduct myself, a handshake and/or my word means something. The same cannot be said about many of the folks you come in contact with at the race track. We were once again surprised in the entry box when we thought Paul or Dean were lined up to ride Angel in her race on Friday. Both took other mounts and we ended up with a jock who is 1 for 52 this year. Not a great situation – we tried entering another race today for Sunday, but it did not fill. We may try to do the same on Saturday (enter for next Thursday), so it is possible that we will scratch Angel if a better race becomes available.

We did get a race for Blumin Won on Sunday. We gave the mount to a kid who has ridden him the last couple races and asked for the ride back. At this point, my loyalty to Paul is no longer an issue and I want to use jockeys who want to ride our horses.

A Matter of Perspective

On the surface, it would appear that our 2 races last week were similarly disappointing. While it is true that I am this close (imagine my thumb and index finger apart an inch apart) to throwing in the towel on No Lip, there are reasons to be optimistic about Ready to Thrill’s next race. His race on Friday looked better in person than it did on paper. He liked the turf, finished the race with some energy and will appreciate a longer distance next time if we bring him back against the same bunch in a few weeks.

The couple races we entered Angel in this weekend did not fill which means the next spots we enter may not be ideal but she needs a race and should get one within the next week or so. I am contemplating what to do with Blumin Won. There is a race I like this weekend, but it would be a little quick to come back (9 days since our claim). However, the next race I like for him isn’t until after the potential government shutdown/track closure.

Cornhusker Pride

This will be probably be the first and last time I write these words - we claimed a horse bred in Nebraska. Blumin Won is a 6-year old gelding born and raised in the Cornhusker state. He ran second last night to the odds-on favorite and at the minumin should be competitive back in the same race ($5k, N4L). However, I think his better races may come on the turf and we could be able to compete at the $7500 level if he proves to be "reasonably" healthy. The air quotes are appropriate here because no horses available for the price we paid ($5k) are what I would deem healthy. This one in particular had a long layoff in the last couple years that would suggest he had a significant injury at some point. The hope is that he has recovered enough to give us a few races and allow us at least a chance to break even.

Nowhere to Run?

The result of last night’s race was not a surprise (see earlier post). However, we now have to decide what to do with No Lip. Previously, the plan was to bring him up to Minnesota. However, as the potential for a government shutdown looms, there is no guarantee Canterbury will race beyond July 1st. The last thing I want to do is ship a horse up here and sit on the sidelines when we can drop him to the bottom of the claiming ladder and race again in a few weeks somewhere in Indiana/Kentucky.

Unfortunately, the prospects for our next race are not much brighter. When I bought Ready to Thrill as a maiden, I knew that each win meant the subsequent competition would be harder as he lost his conditions. Once again, we are taking a shot on the turf when a softer spot would be available on the dirt. For multiple reasons, I want to see what this guy can do on the grass and this happens to be the easiest entry point on the lawn at this stage. Ironically, if the race stays on the grass, it looks like it will be very competitive and Thrill would have to continue improving in order to hit the board. That said, I am curious to see how he fares against this group knowing that for his next race we could drop down a couple notches and go back to the dirt (assuming there is still racing at Canterbury in a few weeks).

Miscalculation

In order to save a few bucks on the shipping cost, I had to make the call yesterday whether or not to put No Lip on a van to Louisiana before entering him in the race for next Wednesday. Given the quality I have seen show up in this condition at this track (Evangeline), I thought he would fit well. Unfortunately, a quick look at the competitors would suggest he is once again in a little over his head. At this point, it's too late to turn around so we'll have to make the best of it and hope he can at least hit the board and pay for his jock fee and shipping costs. Who knows, maybe the change of scenery will do him some good and he will pleasantly surprise us - I have seen longer shots come in.

Class Matters

A question handicappers often have to decipher is which is the better horse?: the slowest horse in a good race or the fastest horse in a weak race. More often than not it seems that the answer usually is that class matters. That is, horses trying to climb the ladder are less successful than those dropping looking for a little class relief.

That was more or less my take for Angel's race on Saturday. She didn't run poorly at all. After the top 2 finishers, there was a gap back to the next 3 who finished a length apart from one another. Unfortunately for us, we were on the tail end of that six or so feet and the difference amounted to $1,600 of purse money (difference between 3rd and 5th).

In retrospect, it was a little ambitious for us to think she could make such a big leap. I say that not with any regret rather with some post-race clarity. We'll give her the requisite couple weeks or so to recover and look for a more reasonable spot next time. The next race for the stable should be No Lip - as of now, we are still leaning towards a race in mid-June down at Evangeline Downs.

Plan B

I was surprised to get a call on Wednesday morning telling me that Paul was unable to ride Afleetmovinangel because he had committed elsewhere. I’ll be discussing this with his agent. However, if we had to “settle” for another jockey, the defending champ and current meet’s leader is a good backup plan. We have had mixed results with Dean in the past, but no jockey has won more races in the last few years at Canterbury.

As for the race itself, the jump from $5k N2L to allowance is quite aggressive. We have not had Angel long enough to have a real good idea for how she will run, but she should be ok on the turf and a turn of foot similar to what she showed in her last race could give her a fighting chance at the end. There doesn’t appear to be any “up and comers” in this race and a couple are coming off long layoffs, so this is a good spot to take a crack at getting a piece of a good purse (by Canterbury standards). If she gets soundly defeated, we will have scratched that itch and can return to conditioned claimers.

As for No Lip, I did hear from Tom a couple days ago. One option being considered is to return to Louisiana in a couple weeks to race against state-bred N2L allowance foes at Evangeline Downs.