Things looking up as season winds down...

Weeks 47-48 on the calendar provided plenty of fodder for discussion at Otsego Farms.

First, a landmark deal has been reached with Australian stable Glenmore Park.  Owner Bruce MacGillivray has agreed to sell his star 2yo filly Xtra Gold to Otsego Farms for a cool $4,000,000.  With her win this weekend, Xtra Gold has a record of 8-5-3-0 with earnings of $866,750.

"We needed to spend some cash.  This grand opportunity came up.  We're extremely happy with the acquisition", Otsego owner Jim Webber responded in a brief statement from Inglewood, California, after watching Xtra Gold win the Hollywood Preview Stakes.

Second, even though 3yo filly You Know My Name and 2yo colt Samurai Jack produced lackluster results this weekend, there was plenty of good racing news to go around.

Newcomer Phelan Ready went off at 20-1, but still managed a 4th in the GR3 Winter Stakes.  It was a solid performance for the 3yo filly, but in the end she may succumb to the numbers game.  "With the acquisition of Xtra Gold, we may not have a spot for Phelan Ready", Webber commented via Twitter during his flight back to Michigan.  This provoked countless responses from his 2.7 million worldwide followers who had not yet heard this news.

Another new racer, 3yo colt Fossett who was acquired from Bally Doyle, made his sprinting debut and triumphed at the 6F Thanksgiving Handicap.  Webber explained, "I thought he might have the makings of a sprinter, so we were determined to try him at 6F-7F.  This win proves we are on the right track".

Stable stars Methy Bus and Refractor also picked up wins.  The win by Refractor in the Brisbane Cup was especially gratifying because it evened the score to some small degree with the 3yo stayer Alphabet, who upset Refractor in the Breeders Cup Endurance a month ago.

"What can I say about these horses?  They are two of the best, most consistent racers in the world at the moment and I am very fortunate to own them", Webber concluded.

Top Ten Assets of Otsego Farms for 2016 and beyond...

These are the assets that will pay the bills for Otsego Farms, next year and further into the future.  They are listed by order of importance, counting down from 10 to 1.

10 - Mocha Milkshake
He's a 3yo colt by Memcay out of Gourmet Girl.  He is maturing very slowly; AR says 4-5 years old before I can expect peak performance.  He has done well in his four career starts and we expect great improvement next year.

9 - Azrael
This son of Nightwing is starting to put together some nice efforts.  He's hit 100+ PSR's in three of his last 6 races and the other three have been in the 90's.  His speed and stamina combination bode well at 10-12 furlongs.

8 - You Know My Name
She hasn't turned into the star we hoped for, but she's a consistent money maker who will race for another year, then will no doubt have a distinguished career as a broodmare.

7 - Union Jack
This stallion seems to have the magic touch.  He's got a flawless AR and cranks out good racers like a Pez dispenser.  He'll take over as the primary Otsego stallion as of 2016, and when you've got War Machine and Nightwing, that's saying something.

6 - Astrapios
This 2yo was purchased from Circle F in hopes that he can become a dominant 2-miler.  He'll try to avoid Refractor next season as much as possible.  He's got uncanny stamina and showed marked improvement in his second race.  He's on the fast track and hopefully he'll have some success at 12F as well as 16F.

5 - Warp Factor Ten
Run Missy Run x Nova says it all.  He has been in the money in 5 of 6 career races.  His speed is improving and we expect him to be a major player on the sprinting circuit in 2016.

4 - House of M
Fifteen of her last 17 races have been over 100 PSR.  She is ultra-consistent and combines speed and stamina very well.  She'll race next year, then go on to a career in the breeding shed.  We expect her to become our top broodmare very quickly.

3 - Jack the Ripper
This 2yo son of Union Jack is the nicest looking 2yo we've had in a while.  He has a record of 4-2-1-0 and won his first GR1 race this past weekend, putting up a 101 PSR in the process.  With his long peak period, he projects as a very valuable commodity for Otsego Farms.

2 - Methy Bus
This horse is an incredible talent.  Can beat almost anyone at 10-12F on any given night.  In the money in 21 of 23 career races.  Also has a long peak, so he could easily be around for another couple of seasons, hence his great value.

1 - Refractor
The top 2-miler in Photo Finish at this time without question.  With adequate rest, he is virtually unbeatable at his pet distance.  As of this writing he is preparing to defend his Breeders Cup Endurance crown.  Should have enough in the tank to compete at the highest levels for at least one more season.  Then he'll join Otsego stud as a resident stallion.

Accountants say "BUY"

My accountants have insisted that I spend up to $4,000,000 before the end of the year.  I've put out some feelers, made a couple offers and have had a couple offers sent my way, but so far I haven't been able to swing a deal to bring in a high-profile racer. 

I did pick up the 3yo colt Fossett (Parisian Sheikh x Fly So High) from Bally Doyle recently for $750,000, but that didn't get the bean-counters off my back.  Amanda has run Fossett almost exclusively at 8-9F, but we see him as more of a sprinter and he'll concentrate at 6-7F in the future.

Anyway, that $750k didn't meet the fiscal goals set by my accounting division, so I'm still in the market.

Send me an offer or suggestion.

Ettore Fieramosca makes bid to stay on in 2016

I bought Ettore Fieramosca on a whim. 

He had won a couple recent races and was on the sales page with no reserve.  Bidding was non-existent.  Perhaps it was because his AR stated that he matured early and has a very short peak time.  Since he was already in the middle of his 4yo season, he obviously didn't have much pull at auction.

However, looking over his performance history, it seemed to me that he did not peak early.  He didn't start getting over 100 PSR consistently until the middle of his 3yo season.  Based on what I observed in his record, and the ridiculously low price (with 10 minutes to go in the auction, I made the winning bid at $1000), I felt he would be a good investment for the remainder of the 2015 season.

However, his performance has made me think that I might keep him for another season.  He has put together a record of 3-2-1-0 $97,500 with an average PSR of 104 since I acquired him.  The race he lost was by a half-head to Reining Money.

I like him.  He's winning races.  That is the formula for keeping a stall at Otsego Farms.

2016 Outlook for Otsego Farms

As 2015 winds down, I've been making plans on who will be racing for Otsego Farms in 2016.  The following horses are assured a spot on the roster for next season:

Shatterstar - He'll be 7 next season and I've never raced a 7yo.  We'll make an exception in his case though.  He's no superstar, but he projects with a very long career peak and he fashioned a 8-3-3-1 record with earnings of $238,750 so far in 2015.  He's earned another season.

Crossbones - He also has a very long career peak so he'll be back as a 5yo in 2016.  He has quite a bit of ability, but bouts of inconsistancy have plagued him. 

House of M - All she does is hit the board and put up 100+ PSR's.  Her record in 2015 is 7-2-3-2 with earnings of $900,000.  She'll race next year, then retire to a career as a broodmare.

Methy Bus - This horse has become a stable favorite since his acquisition from Smokey's Stable.  His long projected career length means he'll race for at least 1-2 more seasons.  In 2015, he has been 7-4-2-0 with earnings of $1,705,000.  He is a force to be reckoned with at 10-12 furlongs against even the stoutest competition.

Refractor -  He is perhaps the greatest 2-miler in the history of Photo Finish.  Throw out the ill-conceived entry in the Gold Cup and he has a record of 7-6-1-0 with an average PSR of 119 at 16F.  He was a tad slow to mature and coupling that with his average length career peak means that he should have at least one more year to wreak havoc on the 16F circuit.

Azrael - He has shown signs that he's ready to bust out and make a name for himself.  He'll be back in 2016.

Kit Fisto - Has not found the winners circle in 11 career starts, but has finished 2nd five times, so he has been in the hunt.  He is less talented than Azrael, so he'll be on a short leash in 2016.

Mocha Milkshake - He should finally be mature as a 4yo in 2016.  He has definite potential and he'll have all of 2016 to show us what he's got.

You Know My Name - She's a consistent producer who will definitely have a spot on the racing roster in 2016.  She usually hovers around the 100 PSR mark and is always a threat in races that are just below the top tier.

Astrapios - We are hoping this colt will be Refractor's successor at 16F.  We think he'll have the raw ability to win at 2 miles when he is mature.  He made remarkable strides in his second race, finishing 2nd and cutting 14 seconds off his time at 16F.  We think only Refractor and Alphabet stand in his way.

Jack the Ripper - He's a chip off the old Union Jack block.  Has looked very competitive in  his three career starts with a record of 3-1-1-0.  He's better on turf, but he might be a Derby comtender anyway.

Warp Factor Ten - His speed is coming around and he's got the genes to make a splash.  So far as a 2yo he has a record of 6-2-1-1.  He should be a sprinter of note in 2016.

These horses have the rest of this season and perhaps a bit of next season to secure a stall:

Charlemagne, Crackerjack, Juggernaut, Samurai Jack, and Trebuchet - Their bodies of work are very limited so I'm trying not to make any rash decisions.  Hopefully, all five 2yo colts will be back in 2016.  It's possible though that one or more of these fellows will go by year-end or at the auction.

Xtra Run - This filly has raw speed, but has a couple holes in her abilities as well.  She'll be a 4yo in 2016 and doesn't have a lot of time to get straightened out.

Boudica - She is an ultra-immature filly and it showed in a disastrous debut.  I hope I have the patience to see how she does next year.