Quick takes on what I observed this weekend...

A View To A Kill - Really thought he'd win, but very happy with a 2nd in the Belmont. Definitely doing his daddy proud.

Eminem - Looked fairly sharp placing 3rd at 8 furlongs, but tired a bit at the end. He'll try 7 furlongs again next time.

Candle of Life - Stretched him back out to 9 furlongs and he handled it well with a 3rd place finish. He keeps finding a way to stick around after I've made up my mind to ship him out....

Born to Fly - Has talent, but he's frustrating me and I already have another 3yo sprinter. On his way out.

Mister Fantastic - He has been ever so slow to grow up, but patience may pay dividends here. Now has finished 2nd in 3 of last 5 starts.

True Ensign - The old pro really isn't slowing down too much. He's been consistent, if unspectacular. Ran out of gas in a 4th place finish this week.

Deadly Force - Ugly 8th place finish. Never in this race from the start.

Tombstone - PSR was low but he looked decent to me. The distance was way too short, but I wanted to get him some experience. This Vampirical-sired stayer will have success, I'm sure.

No, I am not the Invisible Man.

More than 6 weeks has gone by since the last entry in the Otsego Insider.

The truth of the matter is, I spent a month at the Hospital San Juan De Dios near Navarre, Spain, recovering from injuries suffered shortly after my well-publicized run with the bulls.

It happened as I was chatting with reporters after I finished my run. Of course, I am able to speak fluent Spanish due to a year spent in Spain at the University of Cádiz.

Suddenly a rogue bull appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and bore down on a beautiful 3yr old girl who was playing with a butterfly along the avenue.

Naturally, instinct took over and I leapt to rescue the child from under the crushing hoofs of the massive beast. Shortly thereafter, I was able to hand the unharmed child to her grateful parents before collapsing myself with multiple injuries, which were too numerous to mention.

My steel constitution rewarded me with a quick recovery and here I am, back in the States and ready to resume day-to-day operations at Otsego Farms; which has been accomplished in the past month via computer, phone, and video conferencing.

Recent items of note that deserve comment:

1. Acquisition of 4yo colt Eminem. I'm was happy to get this speedy fellow from Royal Flush Farms. He is a proven talent and is settling in nicely.
2. Further development of 3yo colt A View To A Kill. I'm still pinching myself every time I see this colt in the barn. I remain very grateful to Amanda at Bally Doyle for parting with this immense talent. I loved him from his first race, and told Amanda so then. He has won two in a row, including the Wood Memorial, and races next weekend in the Belmont.
3. Acquisition of 3yo filly Immortal. This is a special filly and we're very fortunate to have her. Our thanks to Foxie at Foxie's Lodge for contacting me with this opportunity.
4. Our 2yo colt Shatterstar (Nightwing x Shattered Record) has tongues wagging. He finished 2nd in his first race, displaying a running style eerily similar to his slow-starting, hard-charging sire.
   
5. Veteran 5yo colt's Confederation and Stowaway continue to defy Father Time by consistently putting up wins and sparkling PSR's.

I'll be attending the Belmont Stakes next weekend to watch Killer try to spoil the triple crown bid of Sligeach. I've got 15 seats in my private suite, available to all PF owners on a first-come, first-serve basis. Noble and Mandy have first dibs though...