Otsego 2010 season begins with little fanfare

Five horses went to post and only 2 hit the board in the opening week. Overall, our record of 5-0-1-1 can best be described as disappointing.

Future broodmare Affirm Gal looked decidedly mediocre with her 8th place finish in the San Gorgonio Handicap. She broke rather poorly then simply showed little interest. Heavy favorite Scenic Sheba was the easy winner.

Big Slick also looked sluggish with his 8th place finish in the Golden Gate Derby. He went off at 5-1, making him one of the favorites, but didn't show much, slipping back to the middle of the pack and staying there for the entire race. It may be time for us to lower our expectations. We thought he may possibly be Derby-worthy. Perhaps not.

King of the Sea completed our trifecta of 8th place finishes in the Aqueduct Stakes. He was actually running well and had begun to make a move when he was trapped behind the injured Fender 5yo Poseidon's Gift. King was forced way back, and was unable to recover.

Candle of Life went off as a 17-1 underdog in the Broward Handicap and came up with a surprising 3rd place finish. If the race had been a 16th shorter, he would have finished 2nd. The stretch run featured a questionable jockey tactic as Candle of Life cut off eventual winner Smart Habit. There was no inquiry.

Ultra-consistent Kid Flash finished 2nd in the Premiere Stakes. The Kid continues to hit the board in steady fashion. He'll compete in mostly Gr2 races this year, with perhaps the occasional foray into Gr1 territory, if we find a suitable field.

Crowded 2yo races are not in the cards...

Everyone is understandably curious about their new 2yo racers. We all want to get them on the track as soon as possible to satisfy that curiosity.

However, there are only two age-appropriate races in the first weekend. That means crowded fields, which means Otsego Farms will not participate. As of this writing, a week before raceday, the fields stand at 14 for the Lightning Stakes and 13 horses for the Ungraded Allowance. They will both most certainly have 20 racers by the entry cutoff on Thursday night.

There are some races for which I will endure a large field. The Kentucky Derby or Dubai World Cup come to mind. But I will not subject my horses to a chaotic 20 horse field in their first race for a measly $25,000 purse.

I expect my 2yo's will sit out the first few weeks of the season. By then, the initial crush to race will have subsided somewhat. which will hopefully translate into more reasonable fields.