She's outta this world!

Another 2yo that will make her debut for Otsego Farms in 2013 will be the petite dark brown filly, Nebula.

She was sired by Dubai Gold out of Nova by Housebuster, so she has the bloodlines to be a very successful miler. However, her training hints that she may have more success at longer distances.

Otsego owner Jim Webber suggested that they would give her a try at shorter distances, just because she has the speed, but her destiny appears to be at 10+ furlongs. He continued, "She tolerates turf, but is infinitely more comfortable on dirt, so that's where we'll concentrate."

House of M. Looks, runs like daddy.

She bears an uncanny resemblance to her sire War Machine. Many a visitor to Otsego Farms has commented on that.

House of M is a 15.2 hand chestnut filly by War Machine out of Classical Music by Black Tie Affair and she'll be coming to a track near you in 2013.

She's fully prepared and ready to run early in the season. "Loves dirt, hates grass", commented an Otsego trainer who then continued, "The boss says M will never race on turf. Not even once."

When asked about distance preference, the trainer beamed and said, "This girl likes distance. She's no sprinter, this one. I reckon 10-12 furlongs will eventually suit her well. Maybe more."

We tracked down Otsego owner Jim Webber and asked him how soon House of M might see the track. "Oh, we're in no hurry, She's ready to go, but we'll probably wait awhile until the races lengthen and the fields thin out a bit. April, perhaps May. We'll see."

Bomb's away!

I've commented a couple times about how I made a concerted effort in the past year to get some compatible mares for War Machine.

One of the mares I acquired was False Demon, who is by Fusaichi Pegasus out of Seattle Halo. When Mike from Noble Farms offered her up and I saw the AR, I knew he was right; this girl is the perfect match for the Triple Crown champ.

Her AR states that she matured quickly, and had a peak of at least 2 seasons. How about Prefer, Prefer, Prefer on dirt? Very hardy. Good acceleration. Breaks well. Best distance of 12 furlongs. Nice.

False Demon had a good racing career as well, hitting the board in 15 of 25 career races and earning over $1,000,000.

War Machine x False Demon. Whether a colt or a filly, the foals name will be Trebuchet.

Prepare for war.

Bottoms Up!

I was fairly vocal in my disappointment with the auction this year.

There was a huge number of veteran (4+) horses for sale and 99% of them were unfit to be racers. It was the most untalented, over-the-hill bunch I've seen in all my years at Photo-Finish. In fact, the vast majority of the 3yo's were below average as well.

There were just 25 2yo's for sale and since I personally have become highly suspicious of nonraced 2yo horses who have been cast-off by their breeders, I decided to pass on them entirely. My feelings are the same for yearlings, but to a lesser degree because their availability can possibly be attributed to impatience by the owner rather than a perceived lack of talent.

So, I was prepared to sit this one out.

That is....until I saw a pretty little filly that was bred by Woodbury Stables by the name of Sazerac. The unique name comes from a very old New Orleans cocktail which is a combination of Cognac and bitters.

To be honest, it was her name that struck my fancy at first. I've gone on the record many times saying that I've made buy/sell decisions based on name alone. Call it a gut feeling or some kind of intuition, but the name caught my eye for some reason.

I decided to take a look at her parentage. Her sire, Sendintheclowns, was no superstar, but he won over $1,000,000 and had above average speed. The dam Seattle Halo, did not race, but has had reasonable success as a broodmare and is the dam of recently acquired Otsego broodmare, False Demon. Plus Seattle Halo is by Seattle Slew. Nuff said. Sazerac passed muster.

I particularly liked the fact that she is an unraced 3yo. I didn't see this as a dump-off because I figured Martin of Woodbury wouldn't have held onto her for her entire 2yo season if he thought she was hopeless. Plus, she was acquired for the very reasonable price of $41,000. That modest amount won't even be missed.

So, Otsego Farms is the proud owner of Sazerac. And in her honor, I've sent one of my staff for a bottle of Remy Martin, and some bitters and orange peel to mix up a couple drinks.

Skál!

2013 Breeding Pairs

The transition from racing stable to breeding stable begins this year with our most prolific breeding season ever.

Eleven foals will be produced, which is a 57% increase over last year and a 175% increase over 2011. The plan will be to produce 10-12 foals per season and initially race them all to determine their potential. Those not passing muster in their first 4-6 races after maturity will be sold.

Going forward, I'll keep a relatively small number of veteran racers. The bulk of my stable will be for the training and evaluation of young horses.

The broodmares I'll use this year are:

1. Ace Of Grace - True ability at 16 furlongs on turf makes her a great match for Union Jack.
2. Affirm Gal - Turf ability and speed up to 12 furlongs. Union Jack again.
3. Flawless - Nice results with Union Jack last year, so we'll stay with a distance sire and give Nightwing a crack.
4. Immortal - Loves dirt and distances from 7-10 furlongs. I've been thinking War Machine all the way for this girl.
5. In Spirit - Turf and distance = Union Jack.
6. Monsoon - This mare has some inherent talent. I can sense it. We'll match her with old stable favorite Doomsday to produce a turf miler.
7. Nova - Her string of immortal sires will continue with Run Missy Run. She's had War Machine, Dubai Gold, and Revenge up to this point.
8. Second Strike - Excellent match for War Machine. She loved dirt and 8-10 furlongs and had good speed. This will be a good one.
9. Shattered Record - She's stayed with Otsego studs until this year. Now she's off for a monumental match with Jenny's My Gal. This is a special pairing in my mind.
10. False Demon - Another dirt-loving, 8-10 furlong gal that was acquired specifically for War Machine.
11. Bold Alanna - Successful racer leased from Oak Tree for 2013 for a match with War Machine.

That's the lineup for breeding season 2013.

Did I just have another poor season?

And I thought that 2011 was forgettable....

The 2012 season was every bit as easy to forget. It was marred by unfulfilled expectations by my 2yo crop and by the mediocrity of my veteran racers.

In spite of generally high PSR's, A View to a Kill, Petenwell, and Kostya all had trouble finding the winners circle.

The 2yo fillies Starfire and Huntress both had some small success, but certainly nothing to get overly excited about.

2yos Titanium and Ultron, both carrying the weight of colossal expectation, were nothing short of busts. Ultron will get more time to straighten out but Titanium may very well be sold at the year-end auction.

Tombstone, the 3yo colt by Vampirical, has been very slow to mature. He has shown some improvement recently though. His last race of the year will determine if he has a future at Otsego Farms.

The other 3yo colts, Shatterstar and Sabretooth, have both performed pretty well, if not spectacularly.

Overall, a poor season for our stable. Next year could be a challenge as well due to the limited number of racers we'll be housing. The following horses (listed with their age for next racing season) are guaranteed spots:

A View to a Kill - 5M
Sabretooth - 4M
Shatterstar - 4M
Huntress - 3F
Starfire - 3F
Ultron - 3M
Crossbones - 2C (Nightwing x In Spirit)
House of M - 2F (War Machine x Classical Music)
Nebula - 2F (Dubai Gold x Nova)
War Hammer - 2C (War Machine x Shattered Record)

Everyone else is on the chopping block. If I see some nice performances this weekend, it is very possible that either Kostya, Tombstone, and/or Titanium will be back for another racing season. Domino will stay on either as a racer for another year or as a broodmare.

Bring on 2013.

Miscellaneous mayhem...

STABLE ROSTER
As the 2012 season approaches it's conclusion, Otsego Farms has begun the culling process that was necessary to make room for the influx of foals.

In the past week, four horses have been sold. They were 5yo male Eminem, 3yo filly Rich, 2yo filly Katana, and the foal Sovereign Hill.

During that same period, an opportunity to reacquire the 3yo Domino presented itself and a deal was struck with Steven of Golden Acres which will bring the War Machine sired and Otsego Farms bred filly back to Michigan. "We're still trying to decide whether to race her another year or send her to the breeding shed" confided Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber.

Four additional sales must be made prior to breeding season. Three of them will be very difficult. The fourth, Petenwell, will go back to Smokey's Stable.

PF FORUM
I think I'll go mad if I open the forum page up once more and see the same topics listed again. I bet I check it 5 times a day and for the past couple of days, the same tired old topics have hung on and on. I'm afraid to look again. Will someone please come up with a fresh PF-related topic?

SALES PAGE
As mentioned in the Forum, many of the racers for sale on the sales page (especially the buy-now horses) are a waste of money. Honestly, I wonder what people are thinking when they buy some of them. Even the least brilliant of us can look at a horses race history and determine if it is worthy of a stall.

I follow some simple rules:

1. If a horse is 2yo and lightly raced (less than 4 races) I will usually take a chance if the horse catches my fancy for any reason and if the breeding is acceptable and it hasn't shown a propensity for last place finishes.
2. If the horse is older than 2 and has shown flashes of speed (PSR's above 85), I will consider it as long as it hasn't consistently finished in the bottom third of it's races.

I will not ever buy a horse that has a long history of poor PSR's, several last place finishes, or has never hit the board in 6 or more races. I don't care if the price is $1, the horse is not worth owning.

Here are some recent purchases and how I see them...

Doire 4f $100 - A broodmare prospect I presume. Last place in six out of eight lifetime races. I'll pass even at just a C-Note.

Feud 2c $5500 - Just three races. Nice breeding. Acceptable PSR's. I'm in.

Hauntingly 3c $2000 - Has had his chances in 12 career races. Never hit the board and will be a 4yo next season. No thanks.

Light Touch 3f $5000 - Seventeen races with nary a win and a high-water mark PSR of 58. Ummm...nope.

Recital 4m $25,000 - Good speed, decent earnings, nice breeding. Why not?

Wrath 2c $1 - I'd rather have gum surgery than waste a stall on this horse.

HORSE NAMES
I'm putting together a list of superhero related names for my large crop this year. It's a little tougher coming up with so many. I may try to sprinkle in a few that don't fit my normal modus operandi, like I did last year with Deep Magic and You Know My Name.

Otsego owner waiting for stable changeover...

We've always fancied ourselves as a racing stable.

For many seasons, I dabbled in breeding but did not really commit to it. I always preferred buying veteran racers or unraced youngsters rather than making the stall-consumptive decision to breed my own foals and wait for them to attain racing age.

Because I wasn't housing broodmares and foals, I had room for plenty of racers. However, over the years, I've found that it is intrinsically more satisfying to breed and race your own; even if it means racing quite a bit less.

Hence my changeover to a breeding farm. It'll be a transformation over the next season and a half, but I'll emerge as a leaner organization. I envision 7-10 racers with the rest of my space being allotted to studs, mares, and foals.

Next year will be a transition year. I'll only have four new 2yo's, and one of them (War Hammer) will be a late bloomer who'll get a pass for most of the season.

In 2014 however, we will throw ten 2yo's into the fray, including some of our most compelling foals ever. Including...

Azrael (c) - Nightwing x Affirm Gal
Deep Magic (c) - War Machine x Isca's Revenge
Quasar (c) - Revenge x Nova
Xtra Run (f) - Run Missy Run x Xtra Heat
You Know My Name (f) - Union Jack x Shattered Record

Now, if I can just get through next year. I hope Nebula (Dubai Gold x Nova) can help ease the pain of waiting...

One of us is crazy (and it's not me).

At 8pm today, the auctions for Eminem, Rich, and Katana expired. The high bids were $1000, $2000, and $1000 respectively.

"It really is perplexing", commented Otsego owner Jim Webber. "The fact that the PF community sees no value in these horses is quite surprising".

Eminem is a 5yo sprinting male who won his last race and collected a $42,000 purse. He was at auction with a slim $15,000 reserve and garnered just a single bid of $1000.

The 3yo filly Rich, who has earned over $100,000 this season, had a high bid of just $2000. "Shocking", Webber said with a shake of the head, "This horse has another year of racing in her and the makings of a decent broodmare to boot. $2000? Are you kidding? I've got pairs of shoes that cost more than that".

Katana is a lightly raced 2yo filly and the expectation was that the $15,000 reserve would be easily met. Again, another $1000 bid was all that was seen. As the auction deadline was reached, Webber exclaimed, "By the lack of interest, you'd think Katana was one of those 2yo donkey's throwing up negative PSR's. This gal only has 3 races under her belt and they've all been decent showings."

Webber stated that all three horses will remain at Otsego Farms until the end of the season, "I'll reevaluate their status at that time." As his iPhone rang with a trumpet fanfare Call to the Post ringtone, the Otsego Farms owner apologized. "Sorry. Hang on a sec please" and with a wink added, "it's probably a PF owner who wants to buy War Hammer for $1000".

Finally. A bunch of perfectly appropriate broodmares for War Machine.

War Machine has been a stud for 5 years. During that time, he has sired a total of just 7 foals for Otsego Farms.

Why so few? Well, two reasons come to mind.

First, Otsego Farms used to have a very small breeding operation. Second, up to this point our broodmares haven't been quite right for him.

Happily, both of those problems have been rectified this season.

We've made a commitment to breed 10-12 foals every year, half of which will come from War Machine. And, we've taken drastic steps to acquire nice mares, specifically chosen with the Triple Crown Champion in mind.

Immortal, Second Strike, and False Demon were all picked up primarily due to their compatibility with War Machine. These mares, along with Nova and the occasional leased mare, (Isca's Revenge last year and Bold Alanna this year) have given me new hope in tapping War Machine's potential as a stud.

We're very excited to finally have the means to start cranking out more War Machine foals.

Incidentally, Shattered Record, In Spirit, Affirm Gal, and Ace Of Grace will produce my future turf stayers, who will usually be sired by Nightwing and Union Jack.

For Heavens sake...someone stop me!

I swore I wasn't gonna do it. Buy any more horses, that is.

I've got 45 total stalls, 39 of which are currently occupied. I've got 11 foals coming in next year. As you can see, it doesn't add up very well. I gotta get rid of some horseflesh, not bring more aboard.

In fact, I made a small step in the right direction recently when I decided to send The Reflex back to Bally Doyle for future considerations. That actually opened 2 stalls for next year; hers and the foal she would have had.

I was feeling good and had even made plans as to which other horses would be sold to get me where I needed to be. Then Noble decided to have his stable blowout.

In spite of my resolve, I got to Mike early and picked up a couple nice horses. There were a few others that I coveted as well, but my sanity eventually reasserted itself, in the nick of time.

I just couldn't resist the broodmare False Demon. She is Prefer, Prefer, Prefer on dirt and has distance capability of 10-16 furlongs (best 12). That make her a picture perfect match for War Machine. So, the stall improvement I gained from The Reflex (and foal) is gone.

Then I saw the filly Xtra Run, and it was love at first site. She's Run Missy Run x Xtra Heat and that, my friends, ought to be a very fast horse. If not, the PF breeding program is in line for major revisions.

Those of you who own HRF know that Xtra Heat has the highest speed rating in the game and RMR, of course, cranked out world records like a Pez dispenser. Translation: Xtra Run should be fast. And, the fact that she has Classic distance stamina also bodes very well.

So... I'm in a stall crunch again. Some of my boys will have to hit the sales page after this weekend.

2013 Racing string decisions...

The 2012 season is winding down and the time for tough decisions is here.

OK, I admit it. I've been procrastinating. I know I need to clear at least 5 more stalls, but I've chosen to let it slide a while longer to see what happens. Some recent developments have further confused the issue.

Here is a laundry list of horses that will/may be shipped off before next season:

1. Eminem - He'll be a 6yo in 2013 and hasn't exactly been stellar this year. He won his last race though and that makes me wonder if he still hasn't got enough to stick around another season. Chances of going: 90%


2. Petenwell - He'll also be a 6yo next year. He's still competitive though and usually has a 50/50 chance of posting a PSR of 100. If he goes, it'll be back to Smokey's. Chances of going: 70%


3. Kostya - Won his last race and still has good speed. Plus he'll only be 5 next year. Chances of going: 10%


4. The Reflex - Acquired in a swap with Bally Doyle for Rogue. Pretty much done as a racer and I was thinking broodmare all the way when I got her. However, I may need to pare down by one mare, and if I do, she'll be the one who goes. Chances of going: 60%


5. Rich - She also won her last race and is still a young 3yo, so the jury is still out. However, she's not spectacular and I really need the stall so she may have to be sacrificed. Chances of going: 40%


6. Tombstone - I like him and I think he has upside, but his progress has been pretty slow. Chances of going: 15%


7. Katana - I was crucified in the forum for making a behind the scenes deal to acquire her (Otsego Unethical was the topic headline). After all that grief, she has not panned out. Chances of going: 75%


8. Titanium - Spent $750,000 at auction to buy this filly because of her sire, Dubai Gold. She has also been a disappointment. Because of the high investment, she may get a little more time to prove herself, but maybe not. Chances of going: 33%


9. Leaning Tower - A nicely bred colt that I bought for a song. I figured he'd crap out and I'd sell him at season end. He came up with a nice 2nd place recently and spun out a 94 PSR. He will probably get another year to prove himself. Chances of going: 15%
   

Five of these horses are gonna go. Maybe only four if one of them is The Reflex, because that would mean one less foal next year as well. I have just a few weeks to sort it out. If you have input, I'm listening.

Otsego studs knock out competition.

War Machine. Nightwing. Union Jack. Three successful fighters who were capable of going the distance.

War Machine usually delivered his knockout punch early. Wire-to-wire wins were his stock in trade.

Nightwing got stronger in the late rounds. When the competition was getting leg weary, The Iron Horse would land a haymaker and blow past his rubber-legged competition.

Union Jack was the quiet assassin. Never the flamboyant superstar, he would simply lull the competition into complacency, then outpoint them for the victory.

All three were stayers. All three were stars. Wonder why more stables haven't made arrangements to their send breeding mares to Otsego Farms?

Not including internal Otsego spots, War Machine has 6 bookings, Nightwing has 2, and Union Jack has just one.

"Frankly, it's preposterous", Otsego owner Jim Webber recently exclaimed, then softened a bit and continued, "It's really my own fault though because I have done absolutely no advertising, nor do I intend to."

Webber continued, "These guys were all heavyweight champs and they should be getting a full book every year, but it's really no problem. We don't charge for the spots anyway. We typically trade breeding rights in order to acquire the studs we want. That's how we got our Run Missy Run, Jenny's My Gal, and Doomsday slots this year, so it's worked out pretty well."

When asked about his own breeding plans this year, Webber shrugged and said, "That's all for today fella's. I gotta fly. I'm off to the gym for a half hour on the heavy bag." Then he motioned to a passing Otsego groom and chuckled, "Hey Mitch, you got that picture of LaFleur taped on that bag yet?"

Why does this horse have a hold on me?

I can't quite put my finger on the reason why, but Tombstone has wormed his way into my heart and I'm finding it increasingly difficult to consider parting with him, even though my head is demanding it.

He has been less than stellar as a racer thus far, compiling a career record of 13-0-3-0. But he has shown some signs of life lately with consecutive 2nd place finishes.

His highest PSR is 95. In fact, that is the only time he has gone above 90. And yet, his surface and distance versatility are very admirable and hint at future success. Plus, the fact that his sire Vampirical was something of a late bloomer bodes well for Tombstone down the road.

The bottom line is, in spite of a pressing need to eliminate horses and provide much needed stall space for foals, I don't think Tombstone will be sacrificed. I like him and I have confidence that he will improve. He stays.

Be reasonable. Do it my way.

This is a transcript of a recent telephone conversation between Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber and another stable owner (SO) who shall remain unidentified.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

JW: Hello. This is Jim Webber speaking.


SO: Hi Jim, this is **** *****. Have you got a few minutes to talk?


JW: Sure ****. I've gotta get down to the training barn by 2:30 to check on Nebula, but I can spare a few minutes. What's on your mind?


SO: There has been a formal complaint lodged against Otsego Farms for an unauthorized horse purchase last season. I got wind of it and thought I'd give you a heads-up.


JW: What the f*** are you talking about?


SO: You made a private offer and bought *** directly from the owner when he was concurrently for sale via auction.


JW: Yeah. So what? Is that illegal?


SO: Well, no. Of course not.


JW: Then what is the problem?


SO: Evidently, some owners feel that you and others who employ this tactic are acting unethically. They feel that by shortcutting the auction, you are gaining an unfair advantage. Furthermore, they feel that this strategy, when employed by a veteran stable, may exacerbate the feelings of inferiority that some new stables experience.


JW: You're not serious.


SO: Ummm...yes I am.


JW: Hmmm. Well that certainly makes one think. How about this as a compromise? I'll keep doing exactly what I want, and you can tell them to *** ****.

END OF TRANSCRIPT

Stop, Hammer time?

Otsego Farms is overdue for a bona fide superstar. We're hoping that long wait will end in 2013 with the introduction of War Hammer.

The imposing 17hh light gray colt will debut for Otsego Farms next season and it won't be a moment to soon for our liking. He's out of Shattered Record, who has produced a couple of talented horses in her first two tries, Shatterstar and Starfire. Both of whom were sired by Nightwing.

War Hammer as hinted by his name, was sired by the incomparable War Machine. This has considerably raised the bar on expectations. He's been a little slow to mature, so he may not hit the track until very late next year, but we expect at least a couple of tuneups before turning him fully loose in the 2014 season.

War Hammer (2011), 17 hand light gray colt
By War Machine out of Shattered Record by Black Shatter

This horse will mature at the average rate (3-4).
This horse will have a very short peak time, perhaps only a single racing season.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse dislikes soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse is good on hard turf.
This horse is good on soft turf.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse likes a lot of distance.

Nightwing AR revealed!

In light of the recent release of the War Machine AR, Otsego Farms connections have decided to follow suit with Nightwing.

Dubbed by Otsego trainers as "The Horse without Fear" and "The Iron Horse", Nightwing ran 46 career races in 3 seasons, and never ran a race that wasn't a GR1 or a GR2.

He was a classic stayer who started slow and had a fierce finishing kick. In the breeding shed, he is most notable as the sire of the Bonai superstar, Daredevil.

Nightwing, 17.2 hand bay colt
By Gander out of Mrs Bently by Euclase

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early, ready for the Derby.
This horse will have an average performance peak, at least two racing seasons.
This horse will be near peak potential for the Derby.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse is ok on soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse prefers hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.
This horse doesn't like a stretch duel. May not fight to keep the lead at the wire.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has a mind of its own and likes to run at its own pace.
This horse has average curve handling abilities.
This horse doesn't do more work than it has to to win. Once it gets the lead, it eases up.
This horse handles traffic ok.
This horse has consistency problems. Doesn't always meet expectations.
This horse is a machine! Recovers quickly from fatigue and ready to race again.
This horse has average weight carrying capacity.
This horse stalks the pace.
This horse has good acceleration.
This horse is a slow starter out of the gate.
This horse has average speed.
Handles 1 1/4mi to 2mi, best distance 2mi.

Ummm.... That horse looks awful strong.

The Horse Racing Fantasy game, which is the engine for Photo Finish, rates a horses Speed and Stamina in the following manner:

EXCELLENT
VERY GOOD
GOOD
FAIR
POOR

As far as speed goes, you see a lot of Excellent ratings and many of the horses with "Excellent" speed are unsuccessful as racers. There are just too many other factors that go into the makeup of a thoroughbred racer. Excellent speed, in and of itself, is not enough. Remember Atmospheric Buzz? He had Excellent speed.

Excellent stamina however, is a completely different story. It is a very rare commodity and virtually guarantees a successful career. Just today, Mike of Noble Farms pointed out that there are currently only four active horses in PF that possess Excellent stamina. Three of them are:

Color of Fame
Ton Of Luck
Heat Seeker

They are all top-tier talents. Their success is obviously attributable in large part to their outstanding stamina.

Well, step aside gentlemen. There is a new sheriff in town.

Say hello to an up-and-coming 2yo by the name of Gradient (Memcay x Perfect Bell) that has that elusive Excellent stamina rating. He is gonna be a beast. Bet the farm on it.

Bred by Rainbow, this 17.1h black beauty has a current record of 3-1-1-1, and has gotten better in each race as the distance has lengthened. In his last race, an 11 furlong affair at Shenandoah Downs, he finished 1st in a field of 15 while posting a 108 PSR and setting a track record.

This guy is the Incredible Hulk and he's about to go on a rampage...

Let's all try to get real, OK?

Four races in 31 days.

If this particular horse does not scratch this weekend, it'll be her fourth race in 31 days.

My position as Photo Finish Chief Bully-Boy and Lord High Executioner demands that I address this breach of protocol. What would make a stable owner put such unreasonable demands on one of their horses?

It's not a new stable, so it can't be ignorance. In fact, the perpetrator is the owner of one of our most renowned stables, effectively ruling out poor management as well.

It really can't be greed since this stable has funds far exceeding my own, and I'm not exactly a pauper.

That leaves arrogance.

Do small strategies that most stables try to employ such as giving a horse adequate rest, using common sense, and adhering to some semblance of reality simply not apply in this stables case?

Sometimes these bad decisions come back to haunt you...

First time ever! War Machine AR published.

Dubai Juvenile. Breeder's Cup Juvenile. Dubai World Cup. Kentucky Derby. Preakness Stakes. Belmont Stakes. Breeder's Cup Classic.

He won them all, cementing his place among the Photo Finish all-time greats.

Now, for the first time, War Machine's AR is being made public...

War Machine, 15.3 hand chestnut colt
By Curule out of Mystic Lady by Thunder Gulch

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early, ready for the Derby.
This horse will have a very short peak time, perhaps only a single racing season.
This horse will be near peak potential for the Derby.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse prefers soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse is good on hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.
This horse doesn't like a stretch duel. May not fight to keep the lead at the wire.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse holds its position well in curves.
This horse cruises once it has the lead.
This horse handles traffic ok.
This horse has consistency problems. Doesn't always meet expectations.
This horse recovers fairly quickly between races.
This horse has average weight carrying capacity.
This horse is flexible; can run on lead, stalk, or come from behind.
This horse has good acceleration.
This horse has average speed out of the gate.
This horse has average speed.
Handles 1 1/4mi to 2mi, best distance 2mi.