Aucun sens de l'humour ?

The Photo Finish Survival Pool is supposed to be fun right?  Or, was there a memo that I didn't get?

A couple of harmless comments on the thread, followed by a pick made purely in jest by yours truly, brought out the inner Napoleon of contest administrator Deeds of Laurabelle Racing Stable yesterday.

Granted, I admit that I made the choice of Race 627 Alytrain purely in an attempt to get under Deeds' skin.  I was offended on some level by his ALL-CAPS tirade about "not posting there if it wasn't a pick" and "what a pain in the ass it was gonna be to scroll through to get the picks".

I honestly thought he would chuckle at the Alytrain pick and realize that it's all just in fun.  Whoopsy!

Instead, I get the following private message, "Seriously Jim, no need for your shit on the thread. I could care less if you want to play, but don't waste your own time putting Alytrain and anything else for that matter. You're out, for good. And putting it nicely, you're a dick. GFY champ" 

OMG!  I'm out!  For good!  And I'm a dick!

If you wish to comment, please make a vote.  Is Jim a dick?  Or, is Jim OK?  Thanks.  : )

11:58 am. Better buy Fox.

Some people may call it a cheap shot. 

Fox, a 12yo broodmare that I have always liked, has been sitting out there for a week with a $10,000 bid from Glenmore Park.  I had decided several days ago that I was gonna have her, but I didn't want to tip my hand too soon and cause a bidding war.

I'm sure that Glenmore was feeling quite confident since there has been no bidding activity at all since he placed the bid of $10k.  I've been patient however, hovering just under the surface of the water, like a crocodile waiting for a wildebeest to lower it's snout for a drink.

At precisely 11:58, giving myself a minute or two leeway to account for timing differences, my bid of $10,100 was placed and moments later the sale was over with the name Otsego Farms stamped firming on the bill of sale.

I was looking for another mare to complete my compliment of 10 broodmares, and she fit the bill nicely.  It is also a reunion of sorts as Fox is the mother of Arctic Fox, who is currently racing at Otsego Farms and may very well retire to the breeding barn herself next season.

Fun Video #4

A clip from one of the best movies of all-time.  From 1990, Treasure Island, starring Charleton Heston and Christian Bale.  Truly a classic...

Mediocre foals. Thou art mine, and I liketh it not.

My first few years in PF, I just dabbled in breeding.  I usually produced just one or perhaps two foals a year.

Since I ratcheted up production to four per year, and then upwards further to ten per year, I have had the distinction of producing middle-of-the-road racers.  Their not worthless, but their certainly not overly successful either.

How about Shatterstar?  Nightwing x Shattered Record is a nice match of two successful racers.  I get a nice AR and have high hopes.  He is now a 4yo with a record of 18-5-4-0 and just over $500,000 in earnings.  Acceptable, but not anything to crow about.

Sabretooth?  I had lower expectations because the breeding pair of Predator x Monsoon was not as compelling.  He has actually surpassed Shatterstar somewhat on the scale of mediocrity though.  A record of 18-3-4-3 with career earnings of $800,800 is actually not half bad.  He represents the best that I've been able to produce since my very first foal, Nova.

Domino (War Machine x Sharp Cat) 19-3-4-4, $172,575 and Tombstone (Vampirical x Shadowcat) 18-1-3-2, $172,300 round out my very average 4yo crop.

You see what's going on here?  None of them are completely hopeless.  You know, no 13-0-0-0 record or anything like that.  And yet, none of them are really good either. 

My next crop, who are currently 3yo's,  follow the same pattern.  Huntress (Big Easy x Shadowcat)  started off with a bang, winning her first race.  Since then, she has regressed a bit and sports a record of 8-1-0-3 with earnings of $116,100.

Starfire, a full sister to Shatterstar, and seemingly talent-laden, is currently at 9-0-3-2 with microscopic earnings of $86,250.  She's on-the-board in over 50% of her races, but hasn't won and her purses are pathetic.  Average, but not hopeless.

The sky was the limit for Ultron (War Machine x Nova) but he too has succumbed to the middle of the bell-shaped curve.  His record of 9-0-2-2 and earnings of just $39,000 leave much to be desired.

The past season I produced four foals and the jury is still out.  Nebula (Dubai Gold x Nova) is the only one who has raced and she finished a respectable 3rd.  Not great, not hopeless.  Too soon to tell really.

Going forward, I have a much larger population of foals to test.  Next season, I'll have 9 and in 2015 I'll have 11.  Hopefully, I can break out of this mold of mediocrity.

Killer heads back to London.

In a pre-arranged agreement, A View to a Kill is being sent back to where he was bred; Bally Doyle stable in London.

"It was a tough thing to do.  Packing Killer up for the trip to London was a heart-wrenching experience, and I'm not normally an emotional guy", Otsego owner Jim Webber said as the 5yo male was loaded up for the first leg of the trip back to the United Kingdom.

Webber continued, "Even though he hasn't accomplished all that we thought he could, he has been an excellent racer and I'll miss having a rock-solid option to throw out every 6 weeks."

"Mandy (Amanda O'Brien of Bally Doyle) was very gracious to let us have Killer for the past couple seasons and we promised she could have him back, just for the cost to ship him home."

With A View to a Kill gone, on the heels of the Sazerac sale, Otsego Farms finds itself with three open stalls and perhaps the need for another racer.

Successful weekend? That's debatable.

I suppose it could have been worse.  I didn't have a winner, but four out of five did hit the board, so I have to be thankful for that.

Nebula, a prized home-bred filly, finished 3rd in the William Tell.  She stayed towards the front the entire race and showed some promise.  She'll get about 60 days off and will try again at a slightly longer distance.

The 3yo colt Ultron also finished 3rd in the 6f Vulcan Stakes.  He was tailing off at the end so we'll need to work a bit on his stamina.

3yo filly Huntress lead early and faded in the last furlong to finish 3rd in the Cicada Stakes.  

Sabretooth also finished in 3rd place.  He ran in the Maker's Mark Mile on turf.  He ran into a bit of traffic and didn't get into the clear until late in the race, but rallied to hit the board.

Lastly, in his final race at Otsego Farms, A View to a Kill finished a disappointing 6th in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.  He'll be sent to Bally Doyle as previously disclosed. 

Comings and goings...

GOING:

Sazerac, the 3yo filly (Sendintheclowns x Seattle Halo) has been sold to Golden Acres.  A change of venue may be all this filly needs to get her career energized.  Trainer Steve Wilman has had the "golden" touch recently, so perhaps he'll be the one to bring out the best in Sazerac.

COMING:

Two year old filly Nebula (Dubai Gold x Nova), will make her racing debut this weekend in the 5 furlong William Tell Stakes.  With these early 2yo fields consistently sporting 20 entries, the smallish field of 11 suited Otsego trainer Jim Webber very well. 

"She's been ready to go for a few weeks, but the fields have been too big.  I kinda wanted to hold off until April anyway...almost made it."

As Nebula breezed by on a morning workout, Webber smiled and shook his head wistfully, "We've got high hopes for this girl.  Frankly, I'm scared to death of this first race.  It'll be devastating if she has a poor performance."

The blush is off the rose....

Tombstone's win was like a last minute call from the governor granting him a stay of execution.  He'll stick around for awhile; probably for the rest of the season.

Sazerac therefore, has moved into the position of official scapegoat. 

I was initially excited about her purchase.  She was, after all, an unraced 3yo filly, and that is a nifty little combination of attributes.

A 6th and a 9th place finish in her first two races has tempered my excitement.  She has gone off at reasonable odds; 7-2 in her debut, and 7-1 in her second race.  At least she hasn't been a hopeless 99-1 longshot, and that is encouraging.

However, I haven't seen enough talent.  The was no sparkle on the track to keep me hooked.

With my commitment to breeding and the prerequisite mares and foals occupying many stalls, my racing string is being constricted and it looks like Sazerac may be squeezed out.

I'm still thinking, but here is her AR.  If anyone has any interest, drop me a line.  I can't guarantee that I'm gonna sell her right now, but I might if the right person is interested and they are willing to pay $15,000.

Sazerac (2010), 15.3 hand bay filly

By Sendintheclowns out of Seattle Halo by Seattle Slew

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early (2-3).

This horse will have an average performance peak, at least two racing seasons.

This horse is good on hard dirt.

This horse prefers soft dirt.

This horse prefers mud.

This horse is good on hard turf.

This horse is ok on soft turf.

This horse has physical problems that may lead to alot of injury downtime.

This horse has average ratability.

This horse appears to be a sprinter.

Fun Video #3

Captain Ron.  One of my favorites.

Listen for the "Oh God no!".  Hilarious.

Tombstone breaks maiden.

"It was a timely win for Tombstone", Otsego owner Jim Webber confided to reporters after witnessing the 4yo colt win his first race this weekend.  "I had already decided that if he couldn't win a $33,000 Maiden, in his 18th start, he would have no place in our stable."

"You know I love this colt.  His attitude and personality make him one of my favorites, and I've said all along that he has talent.  Unfortunately, his talent has not manifested itself on the track and this was potentially his last race for Otsego Farms."

It was touch-and-go at the finish as Tombstone just edged the 3yo filly Sacagawea.  When reminded of the close finish, the fiery Webber exclaimed, "It was no wonder she tracked him down!  The filly only had 99 pounds on her.  Tombstone had 126!"

As Webber finished up the interview, KRF Stables owner Karie Okerstrom passed by with a nod and a  smile.  Webber yelled out, "Hey Karie, you wanna grab some dinner?  Where's Ryan?"

With a grin Karie said, "Oh, he's mucking out stalls tonight back on the farm".

"Oh, that's a shame."  And sticking out his arm with a wink back at the reporters Webber continued, "Shall we?"

Fun Video #2

I haven't seen a Red Fox in the wild for many years. 

Recently though, my sons Reid and Grant, spotted this fellow right behind our house.  Not only did they see him; they caught him in the act of securing his lunch, a tasty little mouse I suspect.  Check this out:

I guess I'm not as resolute as I thought...

"I'm expecting the worst and yet, I don't really want to get rid of any of these horses. I'm gonna run with them and see what happens." - Jim Webber, January 16, 2010

It was just over two weeks ago when I uttered those words.  Funny how fast things can change. isn't it?

Eleven races into the 2013 racing season and stoic acceptance is turning into outright panic.  I'm ready to ship off half of my stable in spite of my previous statement.

C'mon now.  It shouldn't be this hard.  How much better can you do than a colt out of Nova by War Machine?  Ultron has kick-ass breeding, a kick-ass AR and a kick-ass name.  Maybe that's why he keeps getting his ass kicked?  That last place finish at 7f was an eye-opener.  Six furlongs is obviously his upper limit, so I'll try him at 5f and see if there is any improvement.  If not, he goes.

I was very happy to acquire the unraced 3yo filly Sazerac at the year-end auction.  But after two lackluster performances, I'm ready to throw in the towel.  She should be mature now so her shortcoming may simply be a lack of talent.  With stalls at an absolute premium at this time, she may be on the way out.

I'm a real fan of Tombstone.  He remains an enigma however.  It seems like he should be a successful racer but he can't seem to get it together.  I've got a lot of respect for his sire Vampirical, and that's the only reason I've given him the latitude of 17 races without a win.  But his time is running out.

These are the only horses in the crosshairs at the moment. I'm taking aim.  It's only a matter of time before I pull the trigger...