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...

Hey, watch the horns there, pal.

Making his way to Nad Al Sheba to attend the lucrative Dubai races, Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber stopped over in Navarre, Spain to witness an encierro; the running of the bulls.

Evidently not merely content to be a spectator, Jim was photographed hopping out of his Aston Martin and joining the run.

Jim was also in Spain to visit the principals at Yeguada Lore Toki, home of the great 2-miler Domitila. Veteran Otsego racer, Union Jack is concentrating on 16 furlong races this year and it is believed that Webber was wanting to discuss the training methods that Yeguada employed when Domitila was racing.

"I called Rafa from my Lear 45 while mid-Atlantic. He was very gracious and cleared his schedule to accomodate me."

When asked about his apparent lack of self-preservation by entering the encierro, Webber commented, "I was in a tight spot a couple times, no question about that. I literally had to grab one fellows horns and ride him like my Harley for a block or two."

Webber went on to state that he will be meeting several other Photo-Finish stable owners at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in a couple of weeks. "It'll be crazy fun. Trust me on that."

High Profile Otsego Owner on Newstands as New Cover Boy

Otsego Farms well-traveled owner Jim Webber has made another splash, this time on the cover of Men's Health magazine.

Touting the proven method that has sculpted his own body, Jim explains in the article "Lose Your Gut!" how to get the six-pack you've always coveted.

"It's really pretty simple. I'm always on the go and yet I've got time to look like this", Webber explained as he pulled up his shirt revealing a rippling set of abs which immediately elicited several oohs and ahhs from the women in the room.

As he was finishing the interview, Webber joked, "Tell Newmarket that our new colt Killer will give her a reason to finally mention Otsego Farms in her weekly audio blog."

He was referring to the 3yo colt A View To A Kill, who was recently acquired from Bally Doyle and who will be making his Otsego debut this weekend.

Editor's Note: Webber also was a major contributor to the article on Page 62 in the same Men's Health issue.

Webber hits Talk Show circuit to discuss newest acquisition

Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly in New York City this morning to start spreading the news about his newest racer, the 3yo colt A View To A Kill.

The light bay colt is by the famed Otsego stallion and Triple Crown winner War Machine, out of the Bally Doyle mare, super-stayer Dancing Delaware.

A beaming Webber stated, "I've been after this fellow ever since his first race. The principals at Bally Doyle have been reluctant to sell, but Mandy (Bally Doyle owner Amanda O'Brien) finally gave her consent as a personal favor to me."

Otsego trainers plan on a 45-60 day rest, followed by entries in dirt races of 10-16 furlongs.

When asked about the terms of the deal, Webber grinned and replied, "Cash, future considerations, and services rendered".

Race Results for Weeks 3-4

We sent six horses to post this past weekend and the results were very satisfactory.

Affirm Gal, the 6yo dark chestnut filly, is back for a final season of racing. She finished last in her final race last season, leading to speculation that her career as a broodmare would begin immediately. However, our trainers said she still could compete in the underpopulated 4+ F&M races, so she began 2011 as part of our racing string.

A good decision, as illustrated by her nice victory in the 8.5F Joe Namath Handicap. Her margin of victory was a slim .02 seconds over Under The Weeping Moon's Enchanting Waltz.

The maturation process of Mister Fantastic has required patience. Only 6 races in his first two seasons on the track has left him fresh and eager as a 4yo. Going off at a long 14-1, Mister Fantastic shocked the pundits with a nice 2nd place finish in the 9 furlong Canadian Turf Handicap. New Moon On Monday, the 3yo colt from our friends at Bally Doyle was the winner.

Altamente Reactivo finished 5th in the Warwick Farm Spring Cup. He ran very well and would have undoubtedly hit the board but for running into heavy traffic late in the race.

True Ensign finished 2nd by an eyelash to Glenmore Park's Bali Formal in the 9 furlong Maxxam Gold Cup. It was discovered after the race that True Ensign had suffered an injury that obviously affected him down the stretch. He'll get 60 days off before his next contest.

Majestic Song ran very well but had a terrible race nonetheless. He was blocked late and pushed well back, effectively ending his chances. It is very apparent that he would have finished in the top three, had he a clean trip. He had to settle for a 5th in the 10.5 furlong Belmont Park Cup.

And lastly, Deadly Force, the 3yo sprinter by Dawn Patrol, reeled off a sparkling 111 PSR in finishing 3rd in the 5.5 furlong H.D.F.McNeil Stakes. We are very high on this fellow and anticipate a fine season from him.

Webber issues ultimatum, "Start producing or find a new stable!"

In a rare episode of foul temper, Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber blasted his training staff, calling recent performances "utterly unacceptable".

Shaking his head as he left the barn, Webber explained, "We've got a nice string of racers so I need to see more consistency and positive results or there's gonna be changes. Mark my words, heads are gonna roll."

When questioned about his recent success with Union Jack and Confederation, Webber interrupted, "Anybody could win with them. I want to see improvement from horses like Big Slick, Chancellorsville, Bane, and Rogue. Those are talented animals and they're all underachieving."

Webber continued, "I'll be out of the country visiting some mates for a month or two on a trip to Australia. I'll be monitoring operations daily via iPhone and Internet. If things don't improve in my absence, I'll make whatever changes I deem necessary".

Webber will be traveling the Trans-Australian Railway covering the length and breadth of the continent. Starting in Brisbane and finishing in Perth, the Railway covers over 3300 miles. Asked what prompted this particular trip, Webber responded,"I've always heard that parts of Australia are as dry as a dead dingo's donger. I just wanted to see that for myself".

Prediction: Racing Heaven in 2011

Nineteen racers. That is the most we've ever fielded and it has us giddy with anticipation for Heavenly season in 2011.

That many racers assures us of several entries every week; even with the relatively light schedule we plan for our horses. We anticipate scheduling approximately 8-10 races for our veterans, 10-12 races for the 3yo and 4yo racers. and not more than 6 starts for the 2yo's.

Some of the horses to keep an eye on in 2011 are:

• Altamente Reactivo - Could be a factor in low grade routes.
• Union Jack - Will compete at 14+ furlongs exclusively.
• Confederation - Three straight wins at 11f to end 2010.
• Stowaway - Can he finally be the breakout sprinter we hoped for?
• Big Slick - Mature and looking very polished.
• Deadly Force - We anticipate major improvement.
• Domino - Has the heritage.
• Tombstone - Rock-solid ability and lungs.
• Shatterstar - Big hopes for this fellow.

We cut off our racing season early in 2010, making an early 2011 appearance possible for virtually all of our horses. Our only racers in December 2010 were Altamente Reactivo and Majestic Song. Everyone else is in tip-top shape, well-rested, and ready to go immediately at the start of the new season. The 2yo's will be withheld until June or July as previously planned.

The racing season is just around the corner and we're predicting Heaven on Earth here at Otsego Farms.

2yo Preview - Domino

The filly Domino is a product of War Machine x Sharp Cat and is our second foal by the immortal Triple Crown winner. The energetic chestnut filly stands at 15.3 hands, exactly the same size as her sire.

She prefers all surfaces, hard, soft, wet, or dry, as long as they are dirt. And, even though both parents had good to excellent stamina, Domino has a strong preference for sprints.

Our trainers say Domino looks ready to race, but she will be held in training until making her professional debut in May or June 2011. It goes without saying of course, that this War Machine product has imaginations soaring here at Otsego Farms.

Domino (2009), 15.3 hand chestnut filly
By War Machine out of Sharp Cat by Storm Cat

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 prefers hard dirt.
This horse prefers soft dirt.
This horse prefers mud.
This horse is ok on hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse appears to be a sprinter.

2yo Preview - Tombstone

By Vampirical out of Shadowcat by The Wicked North, the silent and stoic Tombstone is the embodiment of his name. This chestnut colt has gained great popularity among the trainers and riders at Otsego Farms for his unflappable demeanor.

Early maturity and surface flexibility highlight this colts strong points. Eight furlongs was his dam's limit, but Tombstone has obviously inherited his sire's lungs since he prefers and thrives on a lot of distance.

We anticipate his debut to be in the summer of 2011.

Tombstone (2009), 16 hand chestnut colt
By Vampirical out of Shadowcat by The Wicked North

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 is ok in mud.
This horse is good on hard turf.
This horse is good on soft turf.
This horse is of average soundness.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse likes a lot of distance.

Triple Crown Legend's availability to become scarcer still.

Five years after becoming the only Photo-Finish horse to win the American Triple Crown, interest in War Machine as a stud is as keen as ever.

Commanding an initial stud fee of $300,000 and with no shortage of suitors, the decision was nevertheless made to limit pairings to approximately five per season. This decision has been questioned ever since, by other stables and, if the truth be told, even by the connections at Otsego Farms.

The idea was to create a hot commodity through the basic laws of supply and demand. That actually worked fairly well. But there was a fly in the ointment; fewer offspring means fewer chances for success. While sires such as Memcay, Smart Money, and A Bus are churning out 15 foals per season, they are literally tripling there chances of success as a producer of quality racers.

Unbelievably, War Machine has actually endured some criticism as a stud because he has failed thus far to sire a superstar. Harsh standards indeed considering only seven of his offspring have hit the track up to this point.

In truth, his first batch did include a very successful debut. FDL's Garson de Garcia (War Machine x Madame de Francais) collected five wins in his 2yo season, including the Gr1 Racing Post Trophy.

Next breeding season, which is fully booked, War Machine will sire just six foals. Afterwards he will be pulled from general stud service to concentrate on producing champion foals strictly for Otsego Farms. He will still be available to other stables occasionally, in extremely limited fashion and to very select mares, on a quid pro quo basis.

2yo Preview - Sabretooth

The smallish brown colt Sabretooth is aptly named. His tenacious personality is well-known and respected among the stable hands at Otsego Farms. With names such as Predator, Monsoon, Magnificat, and Storm Cat in his lineage, it was probably inevitable that this fellow would be a hellion.

As you can see by inspecting his AR, he looks like he might be a little finicky about the racing surface. We don't anticipate this to be a big problem however. Additionally, in spite of his snarly attitude, he actually obeys his jockey quite well on the track. Also on the plus side is his excellent health and the fact that he is maturing quickly.

Even though his sire Predator was primarily a 6-8 furlong competitor and dam Monsoon never raced past 8.5 furlongs, Sabretooth prefers long distance races. We'll determine exactly how far he'll stretch by what we observe on the racetrack.


Sabretooth (2009), 15.2 hand brown colt
By Predator out of Monsoon by Storm Cat

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 is ok on soft dirt.
This horse dislikes mud.
This horse is ok on hard turf.
This horse is good on soft turf.
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 likes a lot of distance.

2011 Foal Sneak Peek

Our highly anticipated 2011 crop of foals arrived today.

Four foals total...two colts, two fillies. Three distance runners and one classic.

Appears to be our best batch ever.

Crossbones (2011), 15.2 hand bay colt
By Nightwing out of In Spirit by Bellbuster

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early (2-3).
This horse will enjoy a very long peak performance time, perhaps its entire racing career.
This horse is good on hard dirt.
This horse is ok on soft dirt.
This horse is poor in mud.
This horse prefers hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has a mind of its own and likes to run at its own pace.
This horse looks like it can run at classic distances.

Nebula (2011), 15.2 hand dark brown filly
By Dubai Gold out of Nova by Housebuster

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early (2-3).
This horse will have a very short peak time, perhaps only a single racing season.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse is good on soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse is ok on hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.
This horse is of average soundness.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse likes a lot of distance.

House of M (2011), 15.2 hand chestnut filly
By War Machine out of Classical Music by Black Tie Affair

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 prefers hard dirt.
This horse prefers soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse is ok on hard turf.
This horse is poor on soft turf.
This horse is of average soundness.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse likes a lot of distance.

War Hammer (2011), 17 hand light gray colt
By War Machine out of Shattered Record by Black Shatter

This horse will mature at the average rate (3-4).
This horse will have a very short peak time, perhaps only a single racing season.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse dislikes soft dirt.
This horse is good in mud.
This horse is good on hard turf.
This horse is good on soft turf.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse likes a lot of distance.

Domination: ETA 2012

War Machine x Nova = Ultron

This is, without question, the most dynamic pairing that Otsego Farms has produced thus far.

The legendary Triple Crown winner, who has two Kentucky Derby winners in his lineage, and the warp-speed, sprinting mare produced this big brown colt in 2010 and tongues at Otsego Farms have been wagging ever since.

Stable owner Jim Webber commented, "It's too soon to tell for sure, but we think he may be a sprinter. He's a big, strong fella and if he has the front-running tendency that both of his parents exhibited, he'll be a handful."

Watch for this phenom to hit the track in June 2012, and make sure you hang onto your hat when he goes by.

Union Jack - A Professional Racehorse

Through 2010 Union Jack has a racing record of 39-15-7-7. Excellent be sure. However, if you look a little more carefully at his record, you'll see that it is even more impressive....

He has finished out of the money just three times in those 39 starts. In the 10 races that he was off the board, he finished 4th and picked up a check seven times, and all of them were Grade One events.

He had 4th place finishes in the following races:

1. Breeders Cup Juvenile
2. Caulfield Cup
3. Hong Kong Cup
4. Whittingham Handicap
5. Diamond Stakes
6. Juddmonte International
7. Adelaide Cup

His average PSR in those seven races was 100.

The only three races in which he has failed to earn a check were:

1. A 11 furlong allowance on dirt in his debut.
2. The 2008 Kentucky Derby, when he finished 7th in a stiff 19-horse field which included Perfect Bell, Isca's Revenge, Case Closed, Princess Royale, and Fly So High.
3. And, in the only turf race when Union Jack has not secured a check, he had a 5th place finish in the 12-furlong Sunset Handicap during his 4yo season.

He'll race sparingly as a 6yo in 2011, probably a 6-8 race schedule of 14-16 furlong turf races.

After the 2011 racing season he'll be available for non-Otsego stables as a stud for one season only. There will be 8 non-Otsego spots available for this single season at stud. Although it is very presumptuous to bring this up so far in advance, anyone who wishes may now reserve a spot for this single season of available stud service. The fee will be $50,000 and I must insist upon turf mares who have had success at 10-16 furlongs. Foxie and Ettore have both expressed interest and they will have reserved spots if they are still interested

Party like it's 1999?

Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber was in New York recently for the Red Smith Handicap and went downtown after Confederation's victory to celebrate, eventually hooking up with homeboyz Jay-Z, P Diddy and 50 Cent.

After fielding a call on his iPhone, Jim explained, "These are good guys, but they party a little too hard for my taste. I'm heading over to Jeter's place to play some golf on the Nintendo Wii".

As Jim said his farewells, Fitty was heard shouting in the background "Dis some ICE yo! Ice is like gold an shih - Yo - BAYAM!!!"

"I couldn't have said that better myself", Jim quipped as he ducked into his limo.

Confederation - Aging to perfection

An accomplished racer, Confederation had won $1.7 million for FDL Lodge during his 2yo and 3yo seasons. But, as an early maturing horse with a projected performance peak of just a couple years, he was deemed expendable by FDL prior to the 2010 season. Otsego Farms was very pleased to step in and purchase Confederation for $400,000.

He has defied Father Time and his AR by continuing to perform at high levels this season. His 2010 record is 9-4-2-1 with earnings of $600,000. This strong showing, which includes wins in his last 3 races, all at 11 furlongs, has virtually assured him a racing stall in 2011.

Just rambling again....

The picture is of our dog Ozzie.

Right now, as I type, it's snowing in Southwestern Michigan.

Doomsday is a tough and gritty racer who has really won my respect over the past couple years. I was going to sell this fellow but I have reconsidered. He'll either race another season, or be retired from racing and sold as a stud to a qualified stable. He'll not race under any other colors but the Otsego blue and yellow.

Our washing machine broke about 4 weeks ago. Repair men have been to my house on 4 occasions and it's still not fixed. Issues with parts and general incompetence have got me fuming. Honestly, if you hear about a appliance repairman being strangled next week don't be surprised.

There are some very questionable entries in the Breeders Cup races, don'tcha think? These races are supposed to be for the best of the best, right?

My five 2yo's have raced in a total of 18 races this season. I simply cannot warm up to these 15+ fields so I have scratched them on many occasions. It's frustrating, but probably less frustrating than watching them languish in packed fields.

Confederation seems to have found his home at 11 furlongs. He has won his last two races, both at 11 furlongs, with PSR's of 109 and 107. His 2010 record is 8-3-2-1. This fellow is a true professional and will race again at age 5 in 2011.

I'm of the opinion that Stowaway is not good enough to try his luck at the BC Sprint. His record this year is 7-0-5-0. Obviously he is content in second place. He is very solid, but has never fared real well against top-notch competition. He can definitely beat at least half of the horses that are entered now though.

I'm currently reading "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. Pretty darn good so far. I recently finished the "The Camulod Chronicles", a 9-book series by Jack White, and was basking the afterglow of that excellent series, so I was inclined to be critical of my next read. However, Pillars has not disappointed.

Photoshopping the picture of In Spirit so she looked Golden Chestnut with a white face was tricky and I'm not sure I pulled it off. What d'ya think?

I abso-freeking-lutely love my fantasy baseball team this year. Why am I currently in last place?

Maligned 3yo crop beginning to pay dividends

Big Slick, Mister Fantastic, Chancellorsville, and Majestic Song.

These 3yo colts were charged with carrying the torch into the future for Otsego Farms. The consensus has been, by and large, that their contributions have been below par.

Big Slick was obtained from Pointgiven Stables as a yearling. Being by Troll Tower out of Charon, and with an eye-popping AR, Big Slick was very highly touted. Unfortunately, his 2yo season was injury-prone and disappointing. He has begun to realize his potential this season though, with several very strong showings, PSR's that have generally been around 100, and over $500,000 in earnings. We anticipate continued improvement.

Mister Fantastic was a homegrown product of Dayjur x Exotic Wood. He has been very slow to mature, with just a single race as a 2yo and only 5 races in his career thus far. He has been in-the-money in his last three races however and definitely is showing signs that he may be ready for a bigger workload.

Chancellorsville and Majestic Song are both newcomers purchased from Port Pirie and Olmo Dorato, respectively. Both horses have recently scored their first victories and while neither may ever be a Gr1 threat, they both have the talent to pay their way.

Majestic Song was recently rumored to be available for purchase, but with a win, a place, and a show in his last 5 races, he has cemented his place here at Otsego Farms and will stay to race another season.

We are satisfied with the progress these horses have made in 2010 and look forward to seeing them all race as 4yo's in 2011.

Blind we are, if the talent of this horse we could not see.

Altamente Reactivo, the 5yo light bay colt, bred by Establos Del Castillo and formerly owned by the Italian stable Olmo Dorato, has been purchased by Otsego Farms and will be shipped to Michigan in the next few days.

We are in the midst of a restructuring phase in our stable, and yet we could simply not pass up this fine router. It seems plain to me in looking at his AR that this horse has not fully matured yet. We therefore anticipate racing him in turf races of 10-12 furlongs for the next season or two.

In spite of the fact that many stables are trying to offload horses now, I was still very surprised that this fellow attracted virtually no bidding interest. We are genuinely pleased to welcome Altamente Reactivo aboard.

Agree with me you will. A winner he will be.

Stable clearout begins: Four horses bid adieu in quick fashion

In the past couple weeks, Otsego Farms has made some tough personnel decision which has culminated in the sale of four horses, the last of which was the popular 4yo homebred, Kid Flash.

Our plans have changed at least three times this season for a variety of reasons. It is entirely possible that the purge will continue with another horse or perhaps even two being sold in the coming weeks. Majestic Song, Quicksilver, and even the veteran Doomsday have all been mentioned in recent conversations.

Here is a breakdown of the horses that have been sold, and to whom:

Big Easy - Smokey's Stable
Seven Memory - The Raja Stables
Shadowcat - Sunset Ranch
Kid Flash - Sunset Ranch

We wish each of the stables the best of luck with their new additions.