Webber scores TV guest spot

While recently in LA, Otsego Farms owner/trainer Jim Webber made a brief guest appearance on the popular ABC television show "Dancing with the Stars".

Dancing the jive, Webber scored three perfect 10's from the judges.

PSR Update - 2010 YTD

With 33 races in the books and only 2 measly wins to show for it, I was expecting my PSR's to be much lower than average. I was duly surprised when I used Amanda's PP spreadsheet, and discovered that my PSR's are actually pretty darn good.

In fact, they look very similar to what I produced last season. I'm guessing that the competition is tougher this year. I've exceeded 90 in 58% of my starts, but that has not equated to Wins, or even Places for that matter. I've finished 1st or 2nd in just 7 of 33 starts.

The breakdown:

PSR	RACES	PERCENT
120+	0	0%
110-119	0	0%
100-109	6	18%
90-99	13	39%
80-89	7	21%
70-79	3	9%
60-69	2	6%
50-59	0	0%
40-49	0	0%
30-39	0	0%
20-29	2	6%
10-19	0	0%
Below 0	0	0%

Race Results for Weeks 13 & 14

Our disappointing season continued with a weekly record of 8-0-0-3. We have made a decision to temporarily lower our sights regarding race grades. With very few exceptions, higher graded races will be off limits until we can string together a few victories. Union Jack and Confederation will be the only racers that we will enter in appropriate Grade One and Grade Two races.

Hopefully, our 2yo's will breathe some excitement into our stable when they start competing in another couple of months.

A breakdown of the races for this past week is given below:

Affirm Gal - 3rd Black Helen Handicap - 96 PSR
A decent run for a Show finish just a length off the lead. Still has the speed to contend.

Sitio Estrategico - 6th Queen Elizabeth Stakes - 92 PSR
Best PSR of the season but still 32 lengths back. Will retreat to Gr3 or less in future.

Candle of Life - 3rd Shenandoah Downs Allowance - 109 PSR
Highest PSR of career only good for 3rd place. Continues to perform well and has talent.

Confederation - 3rd Mackinnon Stakes - 73 PSR
Did not like the soft going. Speed was off but still managed a decent 3rd place finish.

Stowaway - 7th Dubai Golden Shaheen - 102 PSR
Showed speed but was outclassed in this high profile sprint.

Kid Flash - 4th Salinger Stakes - 101 PSR
Ventured into Gr1 for first time and ran well but couldn't hit the board.

Big Slick - 6th United Emirates Derby - 74 PSR
Perhaps not as talented as we expected. Now winless in 9 career starts.

Chancellorsville - 6th Flamingo Stakes - 65 PSR
Looked completely uninterested. Will take some time off to reevaluate.

Otsego Kingpin jets from Dubai to Hollywood

Otsego Farms horse baron Jim Webber, back from a disappointing trip to Dubai, made a detour to Hollywood to visit friends before making his way back to Michigan.

Rumored for years to be coveting the Southern California lifestyle, Jim quickly dispelled the notion of a permanent move to Los Angeles. "My roots run deep in Michigan and that's where my horses are, so that's where I'll stay", said Webber when asked about a potential move to SoCal. However, he was seen with a prominent local Realtor touring several multi-million dollar homes in the Brentwood neighborhood.

"Just getting decorating idea's", Jim said with a smile when he was spotted coming out of a $5.6 million dollar mansion.

Eureka Racing - Otsego Farms transaction announced amid Dubai festivities

Lise Harrison, owner of Eureka Racing and Jim Webber, owner of Otsego Farms held a press conference in the Burj Al Arab hotel to announce the acquisition of the 5yo stallion True Ensign by Otsego Farms.

Webber expressed genuine excitement at the prospect of obtaining this accomplished veteran racer, stating "This horse is a wonderful addition to our stable. He is a consummate professional and we feel he can contribute significantly to our stable reputation and to our bottom line".

True Ensign has a career record of 25-7-4-2 with career earnings of $2,280,350. He is by Ensign Day out of Alymiss by Turkoman. True Ensign prefers dirt tracks and distances of 9 to 12 furlongs. He has exceeded 100 PSR in 3 of his last 4 races.

Ms. Harrison, and Mr. Webber are both in Dubai with horses they have racing this weekend. Eureka has the 2yo filly Exotica running in the Dubai Juvenile and Flow Diagram, the star 6yo mare, running in the Sheema Classic. Otsego Farms has 4yo colt Stowaway entered in the Golden Shaheen.

The Stars Come Out

In Dubai for the Golden Shaheen with 4yo colt Stowaway, Otsego Farms owner/trainer Jim Webber was spotted rubbing elbows with celebrities of business, the sports world, and the silver screen.

Photographed here with Jessica Alba, Jim had earlier been seen with New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, real estate mogul Donald Trump, and fellow horseman Bill Miller and Darren Young, owners of Stonewall Stables and Kings Park respectively.

Asked if he thought Stowaway had a chance to win, Jim was quoted as saying, "It could happen".

Drastic measures needed?

Here we are, almost a quarter of the way through the 2010 racing season and Otsego Farms has just 2 wins on the books. Before the season began, I predicted 20-25 victories. Simple math has me projecting at 8-10. Yikes.

What can be done, other than jumping off a cliff?

I've been scouring the sales page and a couple horses looked somewhat interesting. But I didn't have an overwhelming urge to own any of them, so my bidding was half-hearted, and ultimately unsuccessful.

I sent some emails asking about the availability of a couple horses. My offers were politely rebuked.

I may be overreacting. I really feel that Union Jack and Confederation will both have solid seasons. Probably 3-4 wins each.

I love Stowaway. He's got speed and if I can follow my instincts and enter him in just Gr2 and Gr3 races, he should also have a handful of wins. By the way, I have entered him in the Golden Shaheen next weekend, so you can see how well I'm following my instincts.

Doomsday and Affirm Gal both have gas left in the tank. Heck, Doomsday put up a 101 PSR this weekend and still had his 15 race in-the-money streak snapped.

Kid Flash is also a decent horse who can win if he is correctly placed.

My insecurities start with the rest of my stable. Seven Memory, Sitio Estrategico, Candle of Life, and King of the Sea are all on thin ice. Actually Candle's ice is a bit thicker. I really like that horse for some reason. He has ingratiated himself to me somehow, just like Heavens Hall did a couple of years ago. The others though have not been performing well and I've been thinking that a change of venue may suit them.

My 3yo's Big Slick, Mister Fantastic, and Chancellorsville all get a pass due to inexperience.

I realize I've been rambling. Just thinking out loud really. The point is, somethings gotta give because I'm not liking the start I'm having this year. I'll give it a couple more weeks and if some wins don't materialize, I'll make some changes. If you're reading this and have any ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears.

Race Results for Weeks 11 & 12

Performance for the 2010 season has been much lower than anticipated. We had just three runners this week and the results were disappointing across the board.

Seven Memory ran in the 7 furlong Richard Ellis Stakes. I dropped him to this distance after he faltered badly in his last outing at 8.5 furlongs. He started slowly, then moved into the middle of the pack during mid-race. It looked like he was beginning to make a move when his jockey unexpectedly pulled up. Seven ran the last couple of furlongs at effort level 3, finishing 8th in a field of 10.

The 5.5 furlong Schillaci Stakes should not have posed any stamina problems for Doomsday, but after a fast start, it was a slow fade all the way back to 5th place. This poor finish snapped a 15 race in-the-money streak for the 6yo stallion.

The Cox Plate was a race that I thought Union Jack could win. It was a smallish field at just 6 runners, with Scenic Sheba, Arctic Memories, and Union Jack being the favorites, in that order. Jack ran in his usual mid-pack style and was starting to inch towards the leaders when he ran into the back of a fading Thunderdome. Our jockey had plenty of time to avoid this pitfall but did not react until it was too late. The loss of momentum upset Jack's stride and he had to work to get back in front of Maximize for a 3rd place finish.

Race Results for Weeks 9 & 10

A win by Union Jack was one of the bright spots in an otherwise lackluster weekend of racing. In 5 starts, we could only muster a record of 5-1-1-0.

Stable stalwart Union Jack scored his 12th victory in the 10 furlong Turnbull Stakes. That victory moved him past Nightwing into 3rd place among all Otsego Farms racers. War Machine leads the way with 19 wins and Predator had 13.

Underachieving 3yo Big Slick finished a strong 2nd in the inaugural Revenge Stakes behind Bayonet from Snowbank Farm. We are very encouraged by this showing and feel that Big Slick may yet blossom into the racer we think he can be.

Newly acquired Chancellorsville finished 7th in a 10 horse field in the 10 furlong Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes. The grade was a bit of a stretch, but we felt it was a good test at that distance and didn't really anticipate hitting the board. Chance was stretching out at the finish, leading us to believe that he may be able to handle more distance, like his sire Nightwing.

Stowaway finished a disappointing 5th in the 7 furlong San Carlos Handicap. He was leading at 6 furlongs, but faltered and slipped back out of the money.

Five year old Stallion King of the Sea may be nearing the end of the line. His 84 PSR in the Gulfstram Park Handicap marked the 4th straight race under 90. He finished 5th in an 8 horse field and has now failed to earn a check in three straight races.