Racing roster for 2012

The 2011 racing season has been deemed a success.

We've had strong results from veteran racers such as Confederation, Stowaway, and Big Slick (pictured at left); exciting performances from up-and-comers like A View to a Kill, Mister Fantastic, and Rogue; and encouraging moments from youngsters such as Shatterstar, Sabretooth, and Tombstone.

With these horses forming the vanguard of our 2012 racing string and throwing in the likes of Eminem, Immortal, and Domino, and it's easy to see how we can be optimistic about our prospects for 2012.


With the exception of Confederation, all of the above-mentioned racers will be back in 2012. Joining them will be the following 2yo's:

Huntress (Big Easy x Shadowcat) - Classic distance multi-surface filly.
Starfire (Nightwing x Shattered Record) - Full sister to Shatterstar will run around 8 furlongs on all surfaces.
Katana (Sovereign Sword x Go Dancing) - Turf sprinting filly.
Ultron (War Machine x Nova) - Dirt sprinting colt who is pictured at left.

Additionally, we'll attempt to secure a couple veteran racers at the year-end auction to round out our roster for 2012.

2012 Stable Makeover Continues....

Veteran racers True Ensign and Confederation (shown above) have both been sold in stall management transactions. True Ensign was sold back to Eureka Racing Stables and Confederation was shipped to Godolphin17.

Otsego Farms had planned on selling True Ensign back to Eureka at the conclusion of this season all along, but the sale of Confederation was a bit of a surprise. He has been running very well and was definitely in the mix for 2012.

When asked about Confederation, Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber responded, "I have nothing but respect and admiration for that horse. In fact, he is one of my favorites. It was a business decision, pure and simple." With five or six incoming foals and their eye on a couple horses in the annual auction, Otsego Farms was in the unenviable position of having to make room.

Webber continued, "I thought about keeping Confederation and selling Stowaway instead, but after several heated discussions with my training staff, we concluded that Stowaway had a little more gas in the tank and was a better option for racing as a 6yo. Time will tell if it was the right decision."

These sales come on the heels of a transaction involving 3yo sprinter Deadly Force, who was sold to Sunshine Stables a couple of weeks ago.

A View to a Kill finishes strong 2nd in lucrative Japan Cup

Otsego Farms' 3yo stayer A View to a Kill (Bally Doyle; War Machine x Dancing Delaware), earned $1,250,000 by finishing second in the 12 furlong Japan Cup this weekend.

The entries included phenom Heat Seeker from FDL Lodge, Faldo from Olmo Dorato, Retribution from Spartan Racing Stables, and Chiknsmack's Silver Poetry. The field could have been much tougher, but many other champion caliber horses skipped this event to attend various Breeders Cup races.

Killer cruised along mid-pack until the final 2 furlongs, when he moved into second and stayed there, watching the 2/1 favorite Heat Seeker run away from the pack and win by almost 10 lengths. Faldo finished third, and the veteran Retribution came in fourth.

Otsego Farms owner Jim Webber was calm at the finish line, simply raising a fist as Killer crossed the finish line in 2nd. "We had hoped for a win, but realized that beating Heat Seeker was gonna be unbelievably difficult. We'll get him next year", Webber said as he marched off towards the winners circle to congratulate the FDL connections.

A View to a Kill will take the remainder of the year off, bypassing the Hong Kong races.

Dynamic Damsel Duo notch first victories

Rogue (pictured above) and Domino, our 3yo and 2yo chestnut fillies out of War Machine, both recently brought home their first wins.

Rogue, who has been showing much better form in the second half of her 3yo season, won the 8.5 furlong Boiling Springs Handicap on turf. She now has a record of 14-1-4-2 and has not finished worse than second in her last four races.

In her fifth career race, Domino won the KS Thoroughbred Assn Futurity Fillies at 5.5 furlongs on dirt. The track was sloppy, but Domino had no trouble, winning easily by over 4 lengths.

Both fillies will race again next season, joining 4yo colt A View to a Kill and 2yo colt Ultron in a four-headed monster of War Machine offspring sporting the Otsego blue and gold.

Nightwing quartet making waves

Four Nightwing (pictured above) colts are making a name for themselves this season, and in the process, making a name for their sire as well.

Daredevil (3yo - Bonai), Gournay (3yo - Yeguada Lore Toki), Goodbye COV (3yo - History's Own), and Shatterstar (2yo - Otsego Farms), have a combined 2011 record of 33-15-9-2.

Daredevil has had a monumental season, with a legitimate chance at HOY honors, but the other three colts have shown talent as well with 7 victories between them in 23 total starts.

Congratulations to these fine colts and their owners. We hope for continued success.

Two lessons learned, stable life goes on....

I've re-learned some lessons in the past couple weeks....

1) Do not discuss plans on horse sales and acquisitions with anyone but your most trusted allies.

I recently made the mistake of relating my plans regarding a horse that was available via auction, to a fellow PF participant. He relayed that info to another stable and a plot to thwart my acquisition was born. The whole tasteless affair has been resolved, but my reputation has been unforgivably besmirched on the forum. I'll remember this episode well and my future dealings with these two stables will be very limited.

2) Never give up too early on a well-bred horse with a nice AR.

Even though she is by my beloved War Machine, and half-sister to Union Jack, the 3yo filly Rogue had been a bit of a disappointment. She had not won a race in 13 starts and had put up acceptable but unremarkable PSR's. I grew restless and decided to sell her.

I had the common sense at least, to set a high reserve of $500,000. It was not met ($250,000 was the high bid) and Rogue stayed at Otsego Farms. She responded by winning her next race with a 97 PSR and pocketing $120,000. My confidence in Rogue has been restored, and while she may not be a superstar, she will be a solid entry in the underpopulated F&M races next year.

Also, Mister Fantastic, a slowly maturing horse, has started to come of age. Due to my impatience, I have debated selling him for the past season and a half. Having raced just 6 times by the start of his 4yo season, he was fresh and finally seemed ready to compete. MF has finished 2,2,2,1 in his last four races and is obviously gaining confidence in his own abilities.

I bred him and I'm very glad that I waited for him to mature rather than shipping him out after 4-5 mediocre outings.

Upward and onward!

Miscellaneous Otsego news....

The quest for a quality broodmare to lease for War Machine is over. In a spectacularly generous gesture, Chris from Smokey's Stable will allow us the use of Isca's Revenge, the superb classic distance mare. It's a picture-perfect match and we are extremely excited about the prospects for this foal. Future considerations was all that was disclosed regarding the terms of the transaction.

Rogue, the 3yo chestnut filly by War Machine, has been available for a few days on the auction page. She has been lightly raced and has shown some promise recently on the track. Her AR is solid and we feel that she will have some future racing success and that she will make an exceptional broodmare. We don't want to carry a broodmare that cannot breed with War Machine, so her future with Otsego Farms is limited. The auction will end at 4pm ET on Sunday. If the fairly lofty reserve is not met, I may entertain other offers. There has been some interest shown via email by three stables.

Confederation, at 5 years old, continues to amaze me with his excellence and consistency. In his last 10 races, his PSR's have been 109, 107, 108, 110, 93, 116, 105, 112, 112, and 110. During that span, his record has been 10-6-1-2. We've decided to race him again next season. We won't have room to keep him as a stud when he retires, but I hope to sell him at that time to someone who will keep him in that capacity. I have a feeling that this fellow will turn out successful offspring.

We are very encouraged by the light grey 2yo colt Shatterstar. He has a current record of 3-1-1-0 and just missed a second win by an eyelash. His three races have all been at 8 furlongs and since that is at the short end of his stamina spectrum, we are anxious to see him operate at 10+ furlongs. He is by Nightwing out of Shattered Record.

We may consider moving 3yo sprinter Deadly Force in the near future. He has ability, having gone over 100 PSR in 3 of his last 5 races. He has not panned out according to our expectations however and may get caught in a stall squeeze. If you have interest let me know via email.

War Machine and Union Jack are fully booked for the upcoming breeding season, but Nightwing still has slots available, and at just $25,000, he's a bargain. Nightwing is a true stayer with ability on both turf and dirt. His offspring have had significant recent success as well, as witnessed by the exploits of Daredevil, Gournay, Goodbye COV, and of course Shatterstar.

2012 planning begins early...

It seems like I start planning earlier every season.

I have literally been itching for the past several weeks to set up breeding pairs and to divest myself of horses that do not figure into next years plans. In fact, it has been with the greatest strength of will that I haven't put several horses up for early auction.

In an attempt to beat the year-end rush, and in spite of exemplary results, I seriously considered selling both Confederation and Stowaway recently. After all, they are both 5 years old; how much longer can they compete?

After consultation with my training staff and studying their race results and AR's, I've decided to keep both horses as racers in 2012. I'm sure this is the right decision, but it was touch and go for awhile as I was equally sure that selling them might be timely and correct just a couple weeks ago.

To open up stall space for my incoming foal crop, True Ensign will be sent back to sentimental owner Lise Harrison at Eureka Racing Stables at the end of the season. Additionally, the recently acquired 3yo Hex, might eventually have to be sacrificed.

My 3yo filly Rogue (War Machine x Dragon Flyer) has been rumored to be available. There is some truth to that. I might consider shipping her to another stable, even though her results have been more encouraging lately.

On the breeding front, I am currently considering the following pairings and names:

Revenge x Nova
Colt - Quasar
Filly - Lightning Lass

War Machine x In Spirit
Colt - Sakr-el-Bahr
Filly - Witchblade

Union Jack x Shattered Record
Colt - Caius Britainnicus
Filly - Boudica

Nightwing x Affirm Gal
Colt - Darkhawk
Filly - Moondragon

I'm currently looking for a mare to lease so I can produce a second War Machine foal.

That's what I'm thinking for now. I'm sure I will contemplate changes before the end of the season though.

Can you handle the truth?

These fantasy horses are very complex critters.

When a new foal is born, we are presented with a short AR which gives us rudimentary information about the new arrival. That information, plus what we can glean from studying the history of the sire and dam, is all we have to plan the new horses future.

Later, we gain more information by watching the horse race. Eventually, we develop a clear picture of the horses abilities and shortcomings. Sometimes this revelation comes quickly, sometimes it doesn't.

As I said, these fantasy horses are very complex critters. The small amount of information on the AR camouflage's the fact that there are many, many facets to the abilities and disabilities of each horse.

Here is a list of the attributes of each horse in the Photo-Finish game.

• Break Speed
• Early Speed
• Top Speed
• Long Stamina
• Ratability
• Running on Lead
• Handles Traffic
• Courage
• Soundness
• Curve Ability
• Durability
• Consistency
• Weight Stress Point
• Begin Peak Age
• End Peak Age
• Peak % at Age 3.3
• Running Style
• Acceleration
• Hard Dirt Ability
• Soft Dirt Ability
• Mud Ability
• Firm Turf Ability
• Soft Turf Ability

I imagine that many of these rating are intertwined when it comes to the horse performance on the track. For instance, a Poor Break Speed and the Far Back Running Style, may spell doom for a 5-furlong sprinter even if he has the most illustrious parents. Conversely, if all of the proper attributes fall correctly into place, you can have a superstar from relatively humble origins.

The attributes for each foal are determined by a mathematical breeding program devised by Photo-Finish Founder Laurie Brown.

Each attribute for the new foal is determined in the following manner:

• 25% probability of using the sire rating
• 25% probability of using the dam rating
• 25% probability of using the average of the sire and dam rating
• 25% random probability

Some Photo-Finish participants adhere to the belief that breeding is pure luck. As anyone can plainly see, the random probability is limited to 25%. Therefore 75% of the foal attributes are determined solely by the sire and dam. Unequivocally, this means that it is better to use the best quality sire and dam you can and to trust in statistical probability to produce a high quality foal.

However as shown above, there are many attributes to be determined for each horse and it is possible that poor ratings in key areas can torpedo a foal's future on the track. These poor ratings can be a result of a random anomaly or because both parents had a common weakness that manifests itself in the foal.

Those who trust in "pure luck" and pick poor studs or severely mismatched breeding pairs are statistically more apt to fail. That is a fact that cannot be disputed.

Prognosis good for Union Jack initial pairings. Well-established stables step up.

Seven solid citizens of the Photo-Finish community chose to reserve spots with Union Jack, the compact but robust turf stayer, who will be retiring at the end of the 2011 racing season.

Careful analysis of his AR and examination of his racing record lead many experts to conclude that Union Jack could be a sleeper-stud. He wasn't one of the all-time racing superstars, but he was an honest racer with tremendous ability.

Otsego owner Jim Webber summed it up quickly, "Jack is a stand-up guy, who has quietly done his job. He'll produce winners."

The names of the mares will not be disclosed at this time, but the stables that have spots with Jack are:

• Olmo Dorato
• Foxies Lodge
• Snowbank
• Bally Doyle
• Oak Tree
• 4th Alarm
• History's Own

At the time of this writing there is still one spot available. There have however, been some soft negotiations with a couple other stables that may not currently have a suitable mare.

This train is ready to leave the station. Don't miss it.

Un, Deux, Trois. Sixteen furlongs is the law.

We are fortunate here at Otsego Farms to have three quality studs who can provide a tremendous genetic probability of obtaining a real stayer. All three had significant success on the track and had the steam to do 16 furlongs.

Nightwing, who excelled on both dirt and turf, has an AR distance line that reads, "Handles 10 furlongs to 16 furlongs. Best distance 16 furlongs." As a stud, he has been generally underutilized in the past. Perhaps that will change with the success that Daredevil and Goodbye COV are experiencing. AVAILABLE at $25,000.

Union Jack, is primarily a turfer, but his AR states that he is Good, OK, Good on the three dirt categories. Distance-wise he is reported as handling, "10 furlongs to 16 furlongs." His AR does not state a best distance, but he has run successfully at 16 furlongs and holds the World Record at 14 furlongs. AVAILABLE at $50,000.

And most suprisingly, the AR for War Machine, who was mostly known for his exploits at 10 furlongs, states that he "Handles 10 furlongs to 16 furlongs. Best distance 16 furlongs." His offspring A View To A Kill, who is out of 16 furlong capable Dancing Delaware, shows off the potential of getting a stayer if matched with an appropriate dam. GENERALLY UNAVAILABLE except under special circumstances.

Breeding is always a gamble. Sprinters can pop out at the most inopportune times. But, these guys will put the odds in your favor if competing in the longer races is your goal.

Otsego Farms - The Superheroes of Racing - We Think 16.

Still looking for a mare to lease...

Otsego Farms will produce a record five foals later this season The pairings I have in mind at this point are:

1. War Machine x Affirm Gal
2. War Machine x Nova
3. Union Jack x Shattered Record
4. Union Jack x In Spirit

The odd man out at this point is Nightwing. I don't own a fifth broodmare, so I plan on leasing one if possible.

I'd like to secure a mare that has the following traits:

• Excellent stamina. Able to run 12-16 furlongs.
• Stalker or Mid-pack running style.
• No history of injury or soreness.
• At least OK on all surfaces.

I would pay a significant fee for the right mare. I realize that a mare in the caliber of Promised Land or Domitila will not be available, but I will certainly look at others that possess the above traits.

Otsego announces newest acquisition

Hex, the 3yo chestnut colt bred by KRF Stables, and recently owned by Olmo Dorato, has been acquired by Otsego Farms.

In a brief statement, Otsego owner Jim Webber joked that the reason he purchased the colt was because he "liked his name". He continued by saying, "È un piacere fare affari con Ettore, che è un po 'come un fratello per me."

Hex, who is by Hold That Tiger out of Heat Haze, has a career record of 10-0-1-1. When asked about the horse's modest record, Webber explained, "At around 11 furlongs on turf, this horse has real ability. We think there is definite upside and we intend to exploit it".

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is known that breeding slots to soon-to-be stallion Union Jack were discussed.

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...

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".