New stall rule has Otsego brass racing to change plans

I have 31 stalls and 31 horses. Three of my horses are foals who are sharing a stall with their mother. So, under the old rules, I was using just 28 stalls and had three openings.

Even though the rule change doesn't officially take place until season end, the change regarding stabling has swept away my open stalls, effectively leaving me at full capacity.

I had plans to breed 5 foals this off-season. But because the new additions now will not be sharing a stall, I am forced to make room in my stable before I can produce even a single foal. This is prompting an immediate re-evaluation of my plans and my stable roster.

My current group of four broodmares include Nova, Shattered Record, Shadowcat, and newcomer In Spirit. Additionally, I had planned on adding Affirm Gal to that group to make five. Because having five foals means that I would have to add five stalls, I will instead make plans to reduce my number of broodmares.

My revised plan is that Shadowcat will be sold and Affirm Gal will race another season as a 6yo. That will mean just three foals this year, by Nova, Shattered Record, and In Spirit.

I will still need to clear three stalls to accomodate the foals. One stall was recovered today with the sale of the underachieving 4yo Seven Memory to Raja Stables. Another stall will be picked up when Shadowcat is sold. The third stall will be gained by the sale of either Doomsday, Kid Flash, Majestic Song, Bane, or Quicksilver. Indeed, it is quite possible that two or perhaps even three of these horses will be sold.

One thing is for sure, we're not the only stable that will be forced to make some quick and sometimes drastic decisions.

Union Jack sets World Record; Future as 2011 stud in doubt?

Union Jack has run the majority of his big races at 10 furlongs on turf. That was the distance that we felt would be his best, even though our trainers stipulated that he could handle up to 16 furlongs.

After seeing him run so well in winning the 13.5 furlong San Juan Capistrano Handicap in April 2010, we decided that it would be interesting to run him in an even longer race. Hence, his entry in this weekends 14 furlong St.Leger Stakes.

He cruised to an easy 10+ length win at 2:53.04 and in doing so, smashed the World Record which was formerly held by Yeguada Lore Toki's fine mare Domitila.

This incredible showing has made us wonder if perhaps Union Jack should race for another season, concentrating strictly on turf races of 14-16 furlongs. One thing is certain, he will not race again this year at 10 furlongs. We have our eye on upcoming 2 mile races, hopefully against Domitila herself. How he responds will determine if it's off to the breeding shed as originally planned, or another year of racing.

Doomsday available now or at season end; Make offer if interested

Doomsday, the speedy 6yo chestnut colt by Play Station out of Camena will be leaving Otsego Farms at the end of the season, perhaps sooner, if the right offer comes in.

He's a front runner with a bit of stamina that took a liking to sprints in the middle of his 4yo season and has stayed at under 7 furlongs ever since. His speed is evidenced by his superb and consistent speed scores which have been at 92 or higher in 20 of his last 21 races, including ten over 100 and another eight over 95.

I'm not sure if he has another race season in him, but he hasn't slowed down yet. I do believe that he can make a great stud though, so that along with the possibility of what he can do yet this season and perhaps next, makes him an intriguing possibility for the right stable.

Look at his race history and his AR (note the preferred distances). If you like what you see, make an offer.

Doomsday (2004), 16 hand chestnut colt
By Play Station out of Camena by Snippets

This horse will mature at the average rate, probably will not peak until after 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 is good on hard dirt.
This horse is ok on soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse prefers hard turf.
This horse is good on soft turf.
This horse will fight tooth and nail if challenged at the wire.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse has average curve handling abilities.
This horse cruises once it has the lead.
This horse isn't at all bothered by crowds and bumping.
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 is flexible; can run on lead, stalk, or come from behind.
This horse accelerates like a bullet!
This horse breaks well out of the gate.
This horse has average speed.
Handles 1 1/4mi to 1 1/2mi.

Stallion Big Easy, Miler Extraordinaire, For Sale

One of the very best milers in Photo-Finish history, Big Easy, is available on the sales page.

He had a career record of 44-15-16-7 with earnings of $4,168,400. His resume includes five Gr1 wins, including the Poule D'Essai Des Poulaines, the Australian Guineas, the Woodbine Mile, the George Main Stakes, and the prestigious Breeders Cup Mile.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a stable just getting into breeding, or for an established stable looking for a star stallion. His AR, as shown below is exemplary:

Big Easy, 15.2 hand chestnut colt
By Easy Goer out of Forresta by Alydar

This horse will mature at the average rate, probably will not peak until after 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 for the Derby.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse is good on soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse prefers hard turf.
This horse prefers soft turf.
This horse shows average fight if challenged at the wire.
This horse is of average soundness.
This horse obeys its jockey and is flexible in its pacing.
This horse tends to drift out in curves.
This horse just keeps going after it has the lead. It just doesn't let up.
This horse isn't at all bothered by crowds and bumping.
This horse is very consistent, lives up to its potential most times.
This horse recovers fairly quickly between races.
This horse can carry alot of weight and still run well, no problem with handicaps.
This horse always comes from midpack.
This horse accelerates like a bullet!
This horse breaks well out of the gate.
This horse has average speed.
Handles 5f to 1 1/8, best distance 1mi.

There is a reserve. I may sell him mid-auction under the right circumstances.

Breeding Stallions...How many is too many?

As each season passes, more stallions horses are retired to join the ranks of breeders. With so many quality studs now, even former greats might have a hard time getting any reservations at all, let alone fill their book.

Closer to home, trying to keep a lid on the number of Otsego stallions is becoming more difficult with each passing year.

When I started breeding, the initial choice were obvious. Nightwing, my first star racer was installed as the Otsego Farms resident stud. When War Machine burst on to the scene, it was a forgone conclusion that he would stay on as a breeder when he retired. Those were two easy decisions. There have been other, more difficult, decisions that were made with an eye on stable size and available stalls.

Predator was a successful racer who had several key attributes that I felt could make him a viable stud, but I just did not have room for him. He was regretfully sold to Zippy Chippy. He did produce an Otsego colt, Sabretooth (out of Monsoon) who will race as a 2yo in 2011.

Heavens Hall was another solid racer who may have made a nice breeding stallion. Again, lack of space forced a sale, again to our friends at Zippy Chippy.

These horses were both solid citizens with earnings over $2,000,000 each, but they cannot attract mares due to the glut of good stallions.

I purchased Big Easy to race his final season at Otsego Farms. He did very well, but the plan was to retire him to stud thereafter. Big Easy was an absolute monster while racing and has one of the best AR's you can imagine; not a single weak area. There was really no demand at all for his services. Not counting our filly Huntress (out of Shadowcat), he produced just two foals in his initial breeding season, one for Bally Doyle, and another for Oak Tree. I'm sure both Amanda and Karen would have paid the $30,000 fee, but since he attracted no other attention, I provided Big Easy free of charge. This year, even though I advertised him again on the blog, there has not been a single inquiry.

Now I've got two more stallions to consider. Union Jack and Doomsday will both most likely retire at the end of 2010. Out of sheer loyalty for their exemplary service, I'd like to keep them both as studs. The problem is stall space and economic feasibility. Fact are facts.... there is simply not enough demand for stud services to warrant keeping Nightwing, War Machine, Big Easy, Union Jack, and Doomsday. Especially since the problem will continue to grow each time I retire a successful stallion.

I'm thinking that three studs will be the maximum that I can maintain here at Otsego Farms. In reality, two is probably the best number. That will mean that some very difficult decisions will have to be made very soon.

Breaking with tradition. Kid Flash vs Doomsday.

A stated policy of Otsego Farms has been never to race two of our horses against each other. In fact, in 7 racing seasons we have never had more than one entry in a single race.

That tradition will end next weekend when two of the Superheroes of Racing will square off in the 6 furlong T.J. Smith Stakes at Royal Randwick. 6yo Doomsday and 4yo Kid Flash, will meet in a move that surprised everyone in the organization from top to bottom.

As to who would come out on top, opinions varied among Otsego principals.

"The old feller will kick his arse, and no mistake", said one Doomsday supporter.

"The Kid'll get 'em in the last furlong", a Kid Flash groom commented.

Whatever the outcome, this race has raised eyebrows and interest at Otsego Farms.

Race Results for Weeks 35 & 36

Otsego Farms sent just three racers out this weekend and came home with a record of 3-0-1-0.

True Ensign went back to dirt after a one race foray onto the grass and rewarded us with a strong second place finish in the 10 furlong Saratoga Breeders Cup. Personally Majestic from Stonewall Stables was the easy winner and Olmo Dorato's Beamington finished third after being run down by True Ensign in the final furlong.

Big Slick finished fourth in the Pennsylvania Derby, after having the lead but fading after about 7 furlongs, He requires a bit of rest, and upon reflection, running him in this Derby on just 3 weeks rest was obviously a poor decision. He'll get at least six weeks off before running again. Chiknsmack's Priceless Revenge won the race in track record time.

Mister Fantastic finished fourth as well, in the KY Cup Classic. He was running well, conserving energy after a fast start, when he was trapped behind Darkwood's Memorantial, who was laboring heavily. Pushed all the way back to 8th, Mister Fantastic rallied in the final 2 furlongs to finish 4th. Veteran racer Kaolinite from Hey Buddy got the win.

Increasing PSR's breed optimism

In the midst of a tough year, any shred of good news is welcome.

The wins have come so sporadically, that our procedures and decisions has come into question. Initial concern had recently given way to widespread panic. An ill-advised sale of Kid Flash was only averted when he failed to attract enough attention to cover his reserve price of $75,000.

In short, Otsego Farms was desperate for something good to hang our hat on.

In this case, the good news is that in one single weekend, The Superheroes of Racing racked up their three best PSR's of the season.

1. Union Jack finished 4th in the Juddmonte International Stakes and, in a measure of the talent in that small but select field, scored our best PSR of the season at 114.
2. With a PSR of 113, Big Slick finished 2nd in the Haskell Invitational and collected our biggest purse of the year at $250,000.
3. Confederation won the Del Mar Handicap with a sterling 110 PSR.

Also, Doomsday registered a 105 PSR for our 10th best of the season. In all, four of our top ten PSR's were hit this past weekend.

This display of speed is most welcome and leads me to believe that the rest of the season could be more in line with what we expected.

In the words of the immortal Ben Grimm, "It's clobberin' time!"

Random thoughts to Enlighten and Provoke

A few thoughts about stables and horses...

• Golden Gate decision to sell broodmare Grecian Formula (dam of a couple marginally successful horses) and buy broodmare Morra (one of the worst horses in PF history) - INADVISABLE.
• Smokey's Stable picking up 7 wins in this weekend's racing - INCREDIBLE.
• Saintsrow unraced 2yo Badge winning first race in track record time, and being an offspring of Dubai Gold, who was recently purchased by the Long Island Hayburners for a bargain price of $300,000, which prompted Stonewall Stable guru Bill to say Dubai Gold is and will be a great sire - INTUITIVE.
• Pegasus Song's eventual place atop the all-time earnings list - INEVITABLE.
• Only one bid on a steady, productive racer like Kid Flash - INEXPLICABLE.
• Stupidity of jockey riding Chancellorsville this weekend in never having the horse above effort level 3 for the entire race - INCONTROVERTIBLE.
• Potential winning streak of Jenny's My Gal of Foxies Lodge - INCALCULABLE.
• Ettore of Olmo Dorato's absolute refusal to say a bad word about anyone or anything - INSPIRATIONAL.
• The letter "W" in the word "vowel" - INTERVOCALIC.
  

Kid Flash fails to draw reserve; Will remain in Otsego

Kid Flash garnered only one single bid, $50,000 from Elite Thoroughbreds, which was not enough to cover the $75,000 reserve price. Therefore, he will stay at Otsego Farms to finish the season as an active racer.

Admittedly, Kid has had a bit of an off-year in 2010, but has still been in the money in 4 of 6 races and has earned approximately $74,000. His speed scores have been respectable at 100, 99, 98, 98, 88, and 82, so he still has shown adequate speed.

We toyed with the idea of dropping the reserve in the final hours to facilitate a sale, but decided against it.

Union Jack to retire at season end

Union Jack, the 5yo male who is small in stature but big in heart, will be retired at the end of the 2010 season, joining Nightwing, War Machine, and Big Easy as Otsego Farms studs.

Jack, who has fashioned a career record of 35-13-7-7 thus far, has seven Gr1 wins, the biggest of which was The Derby during his 3yo season.

He is a very solid choice for a stable who has turf-loving mares with stamina. He does have surface flexibility though, so even mares who like dirt could consider Union Jack. He had just four career starts on dirt and two of them resulted in PSR's above 100.

There will be five open spots at $30,000 each, two of which are already spoken for. Reservations can be made here, or via email to mvpcandidate@gmail.com.

His AR is disclosed below:

Union Jack (2005), 15.2 hand bay colt
By Portsmouth out of Dragon Flyer by Tagula

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 is good on hard dirt.
This horse is ok on soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse prefers hard turf.
This horse prefers soft turf.
This horse will fight tooth and nail if challenged at the wire.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse obeys its jockey and is flexible in its pacing.
This horse has average curve handling abilities.
This horse just keeps on going after it has the lead, it doesn't let up.
This horse handles traffic ok.
This horse is very consistent, lives up to its potential most times.
This horse recovers fairly quickly between races.
This horse has average weight carrying capacity.
This horse usually comes from midpack.
This horse accelerates like a bullet!
This horse has average speed out of the gate.
This horse has average speed.
Handles 1 1/4mi to 2mi.

Otsego considers pairings for upcoming breeding season

I've got four studs and four broodmares for next breeding season. That means, for the first time, my pairings will all be in-house. The question is, who to match with whom?

The Studs:

1. Nightwing - Dirt or Turf. Stayer.
2. War Machine - Dirt. Classic.
3. Big Easy - Dirt or Turf. Miler.
4. Union Jack - Turf. Classic to Stayer.

The Broodmares:

1. Shattered Record - Dirt or Turf. Classic.
2. Nova - Dirt. Sprinter to Miler.
3. Shadowcat - Dirt or Turf. Sprinter to Miler.
4. Affirm Gal - Dirt or Turf. Miler to Classic.

The match that jumps out at me is Big Easy x Nova. They have distance chemistry and even though Nova was strictly a dirt runner, Big Easy was great on dirt as well. Perhaps the foal would even gain a little more tolerance for turf. I may even have to stray from my superhero naming habit for this one. The name Big Bang seems perfect.

Next up is a match for War Machine. Either Shattered Record or Affirm Gal would do just fine. However, AG seems a little better on turf and War Machine was not fond that surface, so therefore I'd say that it will be War Machine x Shattered Record.

Union Jack will be joining the Otsego stud ranks and Affirm Gal will be a spectacular match for him. Her best distance/surface appears to be 10 furlongs on turf and that is exactly what UJ does best. No brainer here. Union Jack x Affirm Gal.

That leaves Nightwing x Shadowcat. It's not a match that I would search out because the distances they prefer are not very compatible, and as I've said in the past, I like to match strength to strength. However, in looking at the AR's, there are several areas in which Shadowcat can improve Nightwing genetics, such as fighting at the wire, curve handling, consistency, and gate speed. Plus Big Easy x Shadowcat produced a classic filly in Huntress last year, so maybe she can do it again.

So...that's how it will be. Any comments?

Sprinter/Miler Kid Flash up for grabs

Kid Flash, the 4yo bay colt by Our Differences out of Change of Scenery is now available on the Photo-Finish sale page. With a career record of 22-3-6-7, he has been a steady and consistent earner.

His AR is posted on the sales page. Minimum bid is $50,000. There is a reserve but it is reasonable.