Derby on a Budget? The Racing Breed Dynasty

[Honolulu Blue]

I got the game The Racing Breed about a year and a half ago, enjoyed it for a little while, but its flaws and some other shiny toys in the corner caused me to put it aside. Now I'm back to it. The interface isn't any better, but let's see if I can fight my way through it, and make some house rules to stop me from having an infinite bankroll in 2 years.

NUTS AND BOLTS

I started with $300,000 and I simmed to December 2009 to simulate some history (the game defaults to a start in January 2006). Oh boy, this was a pain. The only quick sim options are one day, one week, 4 weeks, and 3 months (actually 12 weeks). So I kept hitting the button to sim those 12 weeks. It took about 2 1/2 hours to sim it all. I could've simmed well over 50 years of Baseball Mogul in that same time. Harumph. But anyway, let's get to the current house rules:

* For 2yos, I will have a minimum of 4 weeks of rest between races.
* No racing a 2yo until he/she runs a 5f workout in 1:02 or better (fast track), or the equivalent at longer distances and/or off tracks (thanks path12).
* For all racers, I must have a minimum of 4 weeks of rest between stakes or handicap races. The exceptions will be the obvious ones - 2 weeks before and after the Derby/Oaks and Preakness/B.E. Susan; 3 weeks before the Belmont/Acorn; and 3 weeks before the Breeders' Cup. Those actual names aren't in the game, but their rough equivalents are.
* Max of 2 yearlings in the stable at the same time
* Max of 6 horses in the stable
* Can only change trainers once a year
* No selling an injured horse, unless 6+ AND sold for breeding purposes

I'll continue until I win the Kentucky Derby or BC Classic, run out of money, or lose steam. I reserve the right to make up new house rules as I go along.

[Honolulu Blue]

December 10, 2009: It begins

The stables gets off to a fine, if expensive, start. The first two yearlings were bought - UTHINKURTOUGH the colt cost $70,000 and SWEET CHEATER, my filly, cost $130,000. Both have nice pedigrees, but we'll see how good they are.

My first trainer will be Sherman Loman. His record in the past year was 130-15-10-19, meaning he won 11% of his races. Not the best, but I'm committed to him for the next year at least. His favorite jockey is Frank Harvey. He's 39 and had a record of 502-74-48-58 (14% winners). Frank is one of the better jockeys at the track in terms of winnings, despite some so-so ratings.

That leaves us with $100,000, which will buy us a few months of feed at least.

NEXT: Blue Stables is off and running!

[path12]

Sweet.

My dynasty has stalled because of two problems:

1) I like having lots of horses in my stable.
2) That makes it more of a pain in the ass to chronicle.

Looking forward to reading along.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by path12

Sweet.

My dynasty has stalled because of two problems:

1) I like having lots of horses in my stable.
2) That makes it more of a pain in the ass to chronicle.

Looking forward to reading along.

Thank you, thank you. I like chronicling my efforts, which causes me to prefer a small stable. But I enjoyed your dynasty while it lasted, and I only hope it's temporarily suspended - like a dirty trainer - rather than being out for good.

Where was I? Oh yeah, about to turn the page on another year...

JANUARY-JUNE 2010

No workouts until March. SWEET CHEATER's first one on March 2 was pretty shocking - 5 furlongs in a minute flat. Excellent! She's more than ready already. We scheduled her for a maiden race in April.

UTHINKURTOUGH's workouts were not so good. His short workouts were not impressive, and his occasional tries at 5f weren't good enough to put him in the races.

SWEET CHEATER's first race was against the boys on April 3. I did not intend to do this, but she did all right - 6th of 10 at 4.5 furlongs and was passing horses at the end. Her next race was a month later, another MSW but this time against her own kind. Another filly was much the best here, but SC was second best, 5 1/2 back. Her speed score was up to 76 from 69. The last race in the period was a MSW for fillies at 5f on June 6. She stalked, then burst into the lead and finished half a length ahead. Victory! But then again, she was even money in this race, so everyone expected her to win. Her speed score took another jump, to 83. We'll see how she does in allowance races and beyond.

As an aside, the Triple Crown was quite the thriller. Super horse CRYPTO PLAINS held off DUTCH CAST in the "Derby", the "Preakness", and the "Belmont". Congrats to the connections.

We have $122,300 to play with heading into the break; racing will resume in late July.

NEXT: Allowance races and beyond for SWEET CHEATER! But will UTHINKURTOUGH ever get to run?

[path12]

A rating of 83 in June for a 2yo filly is pretty impressive, odds be damned.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by path12

A rating of 83 in June for a 2yo filly is pretty impressive, odds be damned.

Yes, quite.

July-September 2010

During the break, UTHINKURTOUGH surprised us with a nice workout - 5f in 1:01. So we scheduled him for a race straightaway - a 6f MSW on July 22, the first day of racing after break. He was second after 2f, but faded all the way back to last. Awful performance with the speed score to match (36). His next race was August 26 at the same distance, but for a $40k tag. He went off at 86-1 odds, so nobody thought much of him. But he dominated most of this race before tiring at the end to finish second by a neck. The speed score of 72 was encouraging, if not world-class. We found a MSW race for him on October 18 at 5f on the turf. His pedigree doesn't suggest a particular liking for the stuff, but we'll see.

SWEET CHEATER raced on August 1 in a 5 1/2f allowance race for fillies. She was outrun and finished third - not bad, but a small step back. Her next race was an allowance for fillies on September 25 at a mile. We thought she'd really like the distance, and if she did, she could really rake in the dough. She started slowly - as was her style - but turned it on down the stretch to win by three! All right! The speed score of 89 has us thinking about a Breeders' Cup berth, so we'll have to pick her next race carefully.

We end the quarter with $148,350 in the bank.

NEXT: Will UTHINKURTOUGH find the winners' circle? Will SWEET CHEATER continue her winning ways? Will we find the next Horse of the Year at the yearling auction?

[QuikSand]

reading

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

reading

Awesome. Keep reading... I promise it'll be worthwhile.

October-December 2010

UTHINKURTOUGH got in the race described above. He did his usual fade job to finish 6th of 7. His speed score was 68, indicating no particular affinity for the turf, but it was more that he was racing against horses who liked the stuff. Back to the maiden claiming class for him - this time 6 furlongs. The track came up sloppy - another challenge. But he was the favorite here. Whaddaya you know - faded again, this time to fifth. His speed score was 53 - going in the wrong direction. He came out of the race with a cannon bone injury and my trainer thinks he'll be out until at least May. Son of a gun...

SWEET CHEATER was entered in the Lil Bo Peep Stakes on October 29. It was a $75k race at 6 furlongs - not her preferred distance, but the best I could do. She had too much ground to make up and ended up third, 6 1/4 behind. Worst of all, she came up lame - bucked shins. Not career threatening, but she'll have to miss the Breeders' Cup. Ouch.

With about $145,000, my budget for yearlings was clear. I wanted to keep a year's worth of training costs in reserve for each horse. So I can spend about $85,000 on one good horse, or split $65,000 between two. We'll see what comes up at auction.

There were a fair amount of interesting horses at auction. I bought a colt with nice breeding for $50,000. I named him U GOT IT (yes, there's a pattern here...). I decided to quit while I was ahead and make no more purchases.

I ended the year with $95,290. Our record was 10-2-2-2, $78,290. We have the following horses in the stable (current sell price in parentheses):

SWEET CHEATER ($76k) - High quality filly, might make it to the Oaks
UTHINKURTOUGH ($3k) - Mid-level claimer at best, no endurance, limited future
U GOT IT (yearling)

P.S. CRYPTO PLAINS won the BC Classic equivalent and Horse of the Year. DUTCH CAST had to settle for victory in the BC Turf and Turf Horse of the Year. Poor baby...

NEXT: Will SWEET CHEATER come back strong?

[RPI-Fan]

reading

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

reading

Another one? Well, I can use all the support I can get.

January-March 2011

SWEET CHEATER recovered just fine from her bucked shins and took her place at January 17's Winter Miss Stakes. It was a $75k race at a mile. She was the 5-2 favorite and returned $7.20 for her backers as everything worked right in this race. She drew off by 4 1/2 at the end. Encouraged, we entered her in the Grade 3 Heartland stakes on Valentine's Day. She was the even money favorite in this 1 1/16 mile race. Just like a valentine, she broke my heart when she got boxed in in front of the grandstands and finished half a length behind. Heads rolled for this failure... Mr. Sherman Loman became my former trainer after this race. I picked up the hopefully appropriately named David Winn. His record as of 2/14 was 29-7-5-3. 24% winners is very good. I had my eye on him last year also; he doesn't train many horses, but he hits the board an awful lot. His favorite jockey is Rafael Bermudez. He's 39 and his record was 99-16-19-12, winning at a 16% clip. He's among the top five jockeys in earnings and also has good ratings.

The stakes doubled for the next race - the 9f Grade 2 Crown Princess. We were up against several top contenders - including the winner of the BC Juvenille Filly. No one took us very seriously and the tote board held around 11-1. For the fun of it, I bet my loose change - $1790 of it - on SWEET CHEATER to win. On schedule, she made her move. But the leader was just too tough to be passed. That or she ran out of time. Second best and a length and a half behind. I get the feeling I'm going to see a lot of these fillies later on at the Kentucky Oaks, or whatever they call it. Oh yes, we're going. I've got the fever.

U GOT IT ran a 5f workout in 1:01.2, so he was scheduled for a MSW on April 9. I hope he shows us something.

UTHINKURTOUGH is still injured and projected to come back in May.

I ended the quarter with $205,000.

NEXT: Will U GOT IT show us something? Will UTHINKURTOUGH work his way back from injury? Will SWEET CHEATER become the next super filly?

[Honolulu Blue]

April-June 2011

SWEET CHEATER was entered in the Oaks Classic (read: Kentucky Oaks) on April 30. There were 12 starters in the field for this $750k 9f Grade 1 race. ESPN was there and so was I (it is my home track after all). Nobody much cared about my 15-1 filly, and I didn't get an on-camera interview. During the race, well, she was flying at the end, but had too much ground to make up. She finished 5th, 4 3/4 behind. We tried to turn the tables in the Lady Liberty (read: Acorn) in New York on June 13. ESPN was there again, but they cared even less about my 16-1 shot. Again, 12 challengers for the $400,000 Grade 1 purse at a mile. She finished fifth, 8 1/2 back, good for a small piece - enough to pay for travel and entry costs. Those other fillies are just too good, so we'll leave them alone to knock each other around. We'll try to find some easier spots where a 90-ish speed score filly can win.

U GOT IT raced on April 9. It was a MSW at 4 1/2 furlongs. Time to see what he's got... not a lot. He finished 5th, 13 1/2 behind the winner. The speed score of 63 wasn't too bad, so we tried him again in another MSW on May 15, this time at 5.5f. He finished 6th this time, but only 8 1/2 out. The score of 64 is hardly a quantum leap, but at least it's progress. He doesn't seem to like distance much, so I'll try a modest maiden claimer for him next.

UTHINKURTOUGH. Remember him? He finally recovered from his broken leg bone to be entered in a race on June 16. It was a $32,500 maiden claimer at 6 furlongs - not much of a race, but you've gotta start somewhere. He was made the 9-5 favorite and, looking at the field, it's not hard to see why. Anyway, he got the lead early and unlike earlier races, pulled away at the end to win by 10. Victory again! The 81 was a career high. I'll have to think carefully about where to put him. He's likely to get dusted in a regular allowance race, but a starters allowance might be an option. Otherwise there's always the claiming circuit.

I ended the quarter with $212,480.

NEXT: Will SWEET CHEATER resume her winning ways? Will U GOT IT break through? Will UTHINKURTOUGH win again?

[chesapeake]

Reading. Are the pedigrees based on real sires in this game?

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

Reading. Are the pedigrees based on real sires in this game?

Yep.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

Reading. Are the pedigrees based on real sires in this game?

RPI-Fan is correct as far as it goes, but there's more to it than that.

Yes, there are real names of sires in the game. And yes, they all have ratings that they pass on (partially) to their foals. But the names of the dams are not real - at least at first. Some of the fillies and mares, as they retire, become broodmares.

Part of the strategy of the game is to try to find horses that are bred to do the things you want at a price you can afford. Take a look at this chart from my current game:



All sorts are by purses won in the game. Some of you recognize at least some of the sires listed. SWEET CHEATER, for example, is by PULPIT, with DANZIG as the broodmare sire. Both are high on their respective lists and might get higher if SWEET CHEATER and other foals keep winning.

Or maybe not. Take a look at #2 on the Juvenile Sire list. MOCHA TRAMP is a game-created horse who's #1 in winnings in the game and also took Horse of the Year in '06 and '07, and has been retired to stud. His first crop didn't do much (I checked), but the second crop obviously has some big early winners on it. He's already around #36 on the main money chart and in a year or two could hit the top 20 there.

[Honolulu Blue]

July-September 2011

UTHINKURTOUGH was the first to go after the break on July 21. His race was a $32,500 claimer at a mile - not his best distance, I could tell. And to top it off, the track was sloppy. And they put a 3rd string jockey in him. Ugly results were assured, and received. Dead last, 31 1/2 lengths behind. The speed score was 34. At least he came out healthy. Everything was much better in his next race on August 19. The distance was a much more palatable 6f, the tag was down to $20k, and the weather stayed dry. We got the same crappy jockey, but you can't have everything. He gutted out a win as he hung on for dear life at the end. Yay! A winner at 5-1. We got an offer to sell at $19,000, but we wanted to see one more race. His next race was September 18, the price was up to $25,000, and the distance was the same as before. We thought we had everything lined up. Then it started to rain... a good track is no good for him. He lost by 6 lengths, but it might as well have been 60. He finished 8th with a speed score of 69. The same guy offered us $14,000 and we took it. Considering he was valued at $3k at the end of last year, we didn't do too badly. His record with us was 8-2-1-0 $31,090. We lost money on him, but it was fun having him around. Good luck wherever he goes - except when he races against us.

U GOT IT dropped down into the maiden claiming class for a $40k tag. The distance was 5 1/2 furlongs and he was named the 2-1 second choice. The favorite at 9-5 was a maiden, and sure enough he won. U GOT IT was no menace to him, but he held off the rest of the field to finish second, 5 3/4 lengths behind. The speed score here was 68 - not great, but still improving. We dropped him down another level to $32,500 maiden claiming company at the same distance for his next race on September 1. This ended up quite the thriller as three horses hit the wire together. Alas, the photo showed us as third best. We were the 9-5 favorite in this one, BTW. This seems to be about his level, but we tentatively plan to try him at a $25k maiden claimer to see if we can get him his first win.

It took awhile to find SWEET CHEATER a suitable race, but the results were worth it. She was entered in the $150,000 Grade 3 Bowling Green Stakes on August 8. This was a race at a mile and 1/16 and she was made the 4-5 favorite. She lolled around near the back before making her powerful move down the stretch to win by 2 1/2. Well all right! Her first stakes win and biggest payday! The speed score matched her highest at 93. Then we shipped her to New York for the Pink Bows Stakes on September 9. The bettors in New York weren't fooled and made her the 3-5 fave. On a sloppy track, she pretty much repeated her last race - behind early, powerful move in the stretch, win by 2 1/2. Yeah baby! Fantasies of the Breeders' Cup filled the air, but we've got a couple of months to figure out where to go from here.

I ended the quarter with $389,330.

NEXT: Will SWEET CHEATER make her date with the Breeders' Cup? Will U GOT IT get his first win?

[chesapeake]

Thanks for the info. What is U GOT IT's pedigree?

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

Thanks for the info. What is U GOT IT's pedigree?

U GOT IT has ROAR as his sire, and UNBRIDLED'S SONG as his broodmare sire. Both have done well in the game in their respective roles, though not enough to make the top of the lists.

Speaking of U GOT IT...

Ocrtober-December 2011

U GOT IT ran his $25k maiden claimer on October 3. He was listed as the 1-9 favorite - uh oh. Put it this way, the second best horse here raced in his last - and was beaten by a dozen lengths. It seems I may have miscalculated a tad. He got some token pressure early from a horse who wasn't going to win, but shook that quickly and as Trevor Denman would say, "They would have to sprout wings" to catch him. He won on a muddy track by 13 1/2 lengths. The 76 speed score backed up his last score of 80. The bad news is that, just as he was starting to get interesting, he was claimed by Pastore Farm. Ouch! I think he'll be good - not Derby good, but at $25,000, you could do a lot worse. Good luck to him too. He leaves us with a record of 5-1-1-1 $18,830. We lost money on him too.

His new farm's record, BTW, is 110-15-15-14 $295,650 - not half bad, but it seems they have mostly grinders. U GOT IT should fit right in. We've actually won more money than those guys in only 16 starts, but it's mostly with one horse...

We finally found a good spot for SWEET CHEATER. It was the Silver Queen Stakes on October 17, a Grade 2 race 9f race with a $250k purse. The bad part is that it was open to 3+ yo fillies and mares - the first time she's had to face older company. She made a nice run in the end, but finished a neck short. Another half a furlong would've made the difference. We decided that this was not quite good enough to send her to the BC Distaff, so we chose the Mother Goose, a Grade 3 race at a mile for $200,000. She finished well, but not quite enough to catch the winner. Half a length behind was good enough to earn a speed score of 108! Wow! To put it in perspective, the top speed score of the year was a 118. I'm not sure if I believe she's that good; if she is, she's going to make a ton of money next year.

As an aside, the BC Distaff had six horses finish within 2 lengths. And that speed score was only 105. Arrgh!

I waited until December for the yearling sale. There were several interesting ones for sale, some of them affordable. We took a nice looking filly for $50,000, and a colt for $65,000. The filly I named TELL THE WORLD. She's the second crop of MOTION DARE, who's one of the big money winners in the game. The dam was a distinguished racer who had NUREYEV as a sire. The colt shall be forever called WALKIN THE DOG. He's more of gamble, since I don't know anything about the sire PIRATE'S TOWNSHIP, except that he's sired a high percentage of winning racers with big purses. The dam had a nice history and is just coming into her own as a broodmare. One funny thing about horse racing is that WALKIN THE DOG has NUREYEV on both sides of his family tree. Can you say incest? I knew you could. I hope it doesn't make him go crazy on the track. That would be so not cool.

I ended the year with $384,130 in loose change and the following horses:

SWEET CHEATER ($160k - ha) - Year 4 goals: BC Distaff and ONE MILLION DOLLARS in earnings (evil laugh). She's already at $497,500.
TELL THE WORLD (yearling)
WALKIN THE DOG (yearling)

Our record for the year was 18-6-5-1 $469,130. We were 45th in earnings among Kentucky trainers, much lower in wins, and much much lower in starts. I like being a low-volume, high-quality stable.

NEXT: Can SWEET CHEATER make her million? Will she make it to the Distaff? Are the yearlings worth what I paid for them?

[Honolulu Blue]

January-March 2012

TELL THE WORLD and WALKIN THE DOG had informal workouts through February. The latter had the first breakout workout - 5f on a sloppy track in 1:01.4. Not half bad, and we entered him in a MSW race on April 13.

SWEET CHEATER waited until February 12 for her first race - the Winning Colors Stakes in California. This $400,000 race is a Grade 1 at a mile and 1/16 and featured the best of the best of the 4+ filly field. She only finished 5th, 9 1/2 lengths behind. She's telling me she's good but not elite. The speed score was a disappointing 83. Maybe she didn't like California. We brought her home for the Flower Bed Stakes on March 18. It was a $100k 8.5f race for older fillies and mares. She stayed closer to the lead than usual and took the lead earlier than usual. Bad sign? Well, yeah - for the rest of the field. She romped home by 6 3/4, paying $6.00 to her backers as the favorite. The speed score here was a nice 105. We found a nice stakes race for her in New York on April 17, so she'll be shipping out again soon.

We ended the quarter with $439,380.

NEXT: Will SWEET CHEATER get her million? Will WALKIN THE DOG be an immediate success? Can TELL THE WORLD get started?

[Honolulu Blue]

April-June 2012

WALKIN THE DOG went in his first race on April 13 - a MSW at 4.5f. He started slowly and finished worse - dead last, 15 3/4 lengths behind. The speed score of 45 was so miserable it had to be a mistake. It could've been the sloppy track too. So we sent him out in a $50k maiden claimer at the same distance on May 13. His odds were a ridiculous 145-1, so I laid down some loose change - $325 worth - on him to show. He didn't. He stayed ahead of two runners this time and the speed score jumped to 60. There's no sense beating my head against a brick wall, so I'll see if I can find some opportunities after the break.

SWEET CHEATER raced in the Grade 3 New Rochelle Stakes in New York on April 17. It was a 10 furlong race with a $150k purse. If I could design a race for her, this would be it - I loved the distance and the lack of competition. I convinced all my friends to bet on her and we bet our $4630 on her to win. Sure enough, she destroyed an overmatched field by 10 1/4 lengths. We collected $11,575, plus 60% of the purse, and the speed score was 100. On June 3 we entered her in the Nashville Handicap, another Grade 3 for another $150k pot. This time the distance was 8.5f. The track was muddy, and that caused some problems. She didn't like it, got stuck in traffic, and couldn't get started in her usual style. She came in second, a length and a half out, and could only muster a speed score of 91. We're sending her to Florida for the first time to put her in Grade 1 company. Let's hope for better results.

TELL THE WORLD has had only short workouts, and those are unimpressive. We'll keep her out of the races until she tells us she wants to race.

We ended the quarter with $542,750.

NEXT: Will WALKIN THE DOG drive me crazy? Will TELL THE WORLD ever show the world anything? Will SWEET CHEATER get her first Grade 1 win?

[path12]

Is the Florida race similar to the G3 she trounced?

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by path12

Is the Florida race similar to the G3 she trounced?

Somewhat. It's 9 furlongs instead of 10, and a $300,000 purse instead of $150k. I expect stronger competition because of the money and status.

[Honolulu Blue]

July-September 2012

SWEET CHEATER ran in the $300k 9f Daytona Beach Handicap on July 10. Despite the name, it's a Grade 1 stakes race. A sloppy track did not inspire confidence, but she was made the 5-2 favorite anyway. She ran her usual race, only with more traffic around than usual. Tabor did an excellent job of weaving through and getting her in front. She finished 2 1/2 in front with her first Grade 1 win. Outtasight!! Her next race was the $500k Grade 1 Legendary Lady back home on August 13. The distance was 9f and she was made the 3-1 co-favorite. She tried her usual style but the competition was close to her and caused some problems. But she got to the wire just in time... photo? Not necessary, our girl was a head in front! Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Her career winnings are now over $1 million. Our phone went crazy with breeding farms trying to get her barefoot and pregnant, but we're hanging on to her to try for a second million. Her next race was September 10 out in California. It was the 9f Diamond Jubilee, another Grade 1 for a $350k purse. This time she had a very strong competitor, one I had been trying to avoid, and there were other good fillies here also. We simply got too far back at the start and we picked off every horse left but one, and we were 2 1/2 back of her. Still, a $70,000 check wasn't too bad. We didn't see any suitable preps, so I might shut her down until the BC Distaff. It's been a long, productive season for her already.

WALKIN THE DOG went down a couple of levels to the $32,500 maiden claiming class on August 5. He was 11-1 in this 6 furlong race. He led most of it before fading... fading... fading... but he hung on by a length! Go Blue racer go! We didn't like the options for his next race, but chose a $50,000 claimer on September 7. He got a slow break then ran evenly more or less the whole race. He finished 6th of 8, 5 3/4 behind. The speed score of 66 was a bit behind his best. We'll drop him a level in his next race.

As I was scanning the races on August 13, I noticed an old friend - U GOT IT. Since he was claimed, he moved up to a $32,500 claiming race at 7f, finished 2nd a length and was claimed again. His new owner is the Royal Diamond Stable. They shut him down until January and entered him for the same tag at 6f. He finished 5th, fading again. But a funny thing happened in his next race in February - same conditions, but $25k price. He held 2nd the entire race and his score went up to 84 from the 70s. Then they turned him loose on a route - a mile and 1/16 - at the same price. He wired 'em, finishing in front by 7 1/2. They moved him up to $40k. He won by 2. Both speed scores were 90+. Now he's entered in a $50k race at a mile after a rest of nearly three months. It's ambitious, and the tag is pricey, but there's no reason he can't do well here (he's the 3-1 favorite). Do I want him back? There's room, and God knows I have the money. RDS's trainer is Tom Hundley, who's hitting at a grand 8% so far this year. Worse still is his regular jockey, Jeff Rautzhan. He's only winning at 6% this year, and 2 of his 6 wins have been on this horse. Imagine what U GOT IT could do with professional management. What they hey, let's do it...

He finished 6th of 10, 7 1/4 back. He faded, which wasn't his usual style. No injury, just a flat race. We hoped for better in his next race, which was September 11 at 6f. It was a $40k claimer. This time he mowed down the leader late, but it was only good for second. The 91 speed score was more like it. We'll send him back at a mile in October.

TELL THE WORLD has nothing to tell, other than the tale of some slow workouts.

We ended the quarter with over a million - $1,018,450 to be exact.

NEXT: Am I ready for my close-up with SWEET CHEATER in the winners' circle at the Breeders' Cup? Will U GOT IT show a profit for us the second time around? Will WALKIN THE DOG get his second win?

[Honolulu Blue]

October and November 2012

U GOT IT was sent on October 12 in a $50k claimer at a mile. The good news is he ran a speed score of 96 - a career best. The bad news is that the winner ran a 108! I'd have to say the ratings were all a little dizzy that day, at least in this race. U GOT IT finished 6th, 6 1/2 back. Back to $40k claimers for him. We found a spot for him on November 18 at a mile and 1/16. The winner was too good, but our boy was a clear second best, 4 back. There were hints that he might like even more distance, but longer non-turf races in the claiming ranks are hard to come by. We'll see what we can do... next year.

WALKIN THE DOG dropped down to a $32,500 claimer at 6f on October 15. He was 5th, beaten 15 3/4 lengths. No excuses, just outrun. We ran him at another race for the same tag on November 12. This time he was 6th of 7 on a sloppy track, beaten 13 1/2 this time. The speed scores were 66 and 65, respectively. He wasn't improving, and it wasn't much fun to see him struggle, so we sold him to some nice gentlemen from Japan for $7,000. They seemed really happy to have him from they way they were licking their lips...

SWEET CHEATER ran her Breeders' Cup prep on October 23 in the $250k 9f Grade 2 Silver Queen. After the year she's had, this should be pretty much a walkover, right? Well, not so fast. Some of the other good fillies ended up here and she was middling 5-2 favorite. Her performance was surprisingly flat and the speed score reflected that (92). She ended up third, 3 1/2 out.

TELL THE WORLD finally ran a workout worth something on November 13 - 5f in 1:00.3 on a muddy track. That's pretty good, but since there were so few races left by that time, we decided to shut her down for the year and try her out as an unraced 3yo in January.

NEXT: Breeders' Cup day!

[Honolulu Blue]

(beep)

You have reached the office of Blue Stables, home of SWEET CHEATER and other quality colts and fillies. We're in California at the Breeders' Cup rooting on our multiple Grade 1 winning filly SWEET CHEATER as she goes for victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 26.

If you would like to order SWEET CHEATER merchandise or join the official SWEET CHEATER fan club, please log on to www.sweetcheaterfilly.com.

We will reopen for business on Monday, November 28. Have a great day.

(beep)

[Honolulu Blue]

November 26, 2012

Finally it's here - Breeders' Cup Day. SWEET CHEATER is entered in the Distraff, race 6 on the card. It's at 9f for $2 million in prize money. The winner here will probably be the Filly of the Year. Here are the past performances:





As you can see, it's an extremely contentious race. You can make an argument for any of them. Most dangerous, IMO, are THE FOURTH PROMISE on the rail, and BELIEVE IN EARLY on the outside. POWERFUL GIRL had been running on turf most recently in longer races, so she should be around at the end. They made her the favorite off her last, which was on dirt.

ESPN was around again. Randy and Jerry briefly mentioned what a wonderful year SWEET CHEATER was having, but worried that our last two performances indicated that she was getting tired. Jeannine interviewed other, more intersting owners. And Hank's exacta boxes didn't include the 2.

And they're off! THE FOURTH PROMISE, DUELING STYLE, and BELIEVE IN EARLY got off to fast starts. SWEET CHEATER was well back early, but that didn't worry me. But when she was a dozen back heading into the turn, that worried me a lot. She got some lanes to run through, but it was too little too late. WEE JURY, who had been hanging around mid-pack made her move near the end and got up in time for the win. BELIEVE IN EARLY, THE FOURTH PROMISE, and DUELING STYLE held on in that order. POWERFUL GIRL was a non-threatening 8th.



Oh well, it was a great year. She still has a slight chance at Older Filly of the Year, though I personally would vote for THE FOURTH PROMISE. And there are no current plans to retire her. When she stops running well enough to be competitive, then it's time to go. But not yet.

We ended the racing year with $1,060,580. Our stable's record was 18-5-4-1 $856,830. We were 23rd on the Kentucky owner prize money list. Again, we're going for quality, not quantity.

NEXT: A new crop joins the stable! SWEET CHEATER goes for an encore! And what does TELL THE WORLD have to say?

[Honolulu Blue]

December 2012-March 2013

Auction time! I spotted some nice ones, and I settled on a colt at $75,000 and a filly at $70,000. The colt will be called WANTED MAN. He was sired by MOTION DARE, one of the game's top money winners. The dam is a little mysterious, but she's got some earnings and popped out a promising colt a few years ago.



The filly is URINTROUBLE. Her sire is ROBIN'S HOSS, another big money winner. This is his first crop, so cross your fingers. The dam has been at this awhile. She's had some good, not great, foals. We're hoping for greatness.



These are the horses in the stable:

SWEET CHEATER ($379k to breed) - Still running well. She'll tell us when she's ready to go.
U GOT IT ($23k) - Barely worth the bother, to be honest. Not in the allowance class, so he's just a grinder. Young enough to surprise.
TELL THE WORLD ($12k) - No idea how good she is, or can be.
WANTED MAN (yearling)
URINTROUBLE (yearling)

Oh yes, WEE JURY was named Filly of the Year. No shocker there. The older filly was a sprinter I had never heard of - not surprising, since this is a vast universe I've created.

On January 14, SWEET CHEATER raced in New York in the 8.5f $150,000 Grade 3 Winter Queen Handicap. She got top weight of 126 pounds, which didn't help. She was also the favorite at 2-1. Unless she declined and one of the other horses advanced, she should win easily. But she didn't. She was wide-wide-wide virtually the whole race, and she made it to the wire just in time for the win by a nose. Her speed score was a mediocre 97. She raced again, this time in Florida, in the $400k Grade 1 9f Winter Miss. The competition was rough, and she was a co-second choice at 5-1. She had even more trouble than the last race, but the last furlong was clear, but she couldn't catch the leader. She was second, 1 3/4 behind. Another sub-100 speed score has everyone worried. In the meantime, farms are continuing to bid for her services as a broodmare. It's getting more tempting... but we've got her dream race in New York next.

On the same day her stablemate was in New York, TELL THE WORLD was sent in her debut. I was sorry to have missed it, but we've gotta protect the franchise player. Her maiden was at 6f. My friends at the track told me I had to see this race, and I saw a replay of it. Wow! She made quite the move with around 3f to go, sweeping by her overmatched competition like they were standing still. Reminded me of SWEET CHEATER at her best. She won by an easy 5 lengths. The speed score of 83 was the stable's debut best, though of course everyone else debuted at 2. For an encore, she was entered into an allowance race on February 12. The distance was a flat mile, and she didn't seem to like it very much. She was 9th of 10, 10 back. She came out of the race with a minor illness, so we'll use that as an excuse. Other racers would have been knocked out for at least two months, but she came back in less than six weeks. Time to experiment. She was entered in another allowance race, this time on turf at 9f. She didn't do much and was fading in the last few furlongs. Only 6th of 10, 5 1/2 back. The speed score (85) was her best, but you can't expect to win an allowance race with that one. We're pointing her toward a sprint on turf next month. Should be interesting.

A week later, on January 21, U GOT IT raced in his year's debut in familiar territory - $40k claimer at 9f. Similar results as last time - clear second, but no menace to the winner. He went down by 4 1/2 lengths, and the speed score of 94 seemed more than a little optimistic. But I got news that he was claimed by Regal Eagle Stables. I'm not sure what to think. I guess I'm relieved more than anything. His record with us the second time around was 4-0-3-0 $26,600. Between the loss on the claim, the purses, and the training costs, we made a few grand. We're not interested in a third go-round, so good luck wherever he goes for the rest of his career.

WANTED MAN didn't do much in his workouts, and URINTROUBLE was little better, so they won't be racing for a little while.

We ended the quarter with $1,125,880.

NEXT: Will SWEET CHEATER win in New York and beyond? How will TELL THE WORLD take to sprinting on turf? Will the new horses show us something good?

[Honolulu Blue]

April-June 2013

WANTED MAN and URINTROUBLE did little in their workouts to convince me they can race. The latter is a little farther along, but not much.

SWEET CHEATER raced for the second time in the $150k 10f Grade 3 New Rochelle in New York on April 16. We bet the max ($5,000) on her to win as the 6-5 favorite, and they handicapped her by giving her 127 pounds. Ooof! That was costly as she didn't have enough in the stretch to make her usual move, and could only finish fourth, 1 1/2 out. Her speed score wasn't half bad at 103. On June 2 was another repeat race, the Nashville back home. This was a Grade 3 that also had a $150k purse and was run at 8.5f - a distance she probably appreciates more these days. We bet the max again, and this one went according to plan. The other horsies played nice and got out of her way on schedule, and she won it by 2 1/2. Woohoo! The winner paid $6.80, so you guys can figure out how much we won. We're still counting our money. BTW, the speed score was a career best 110. Since the Kentucky track is closed until late July, we'll be sending her to Florida for her next race.

TELL THE WORLD did the turf sprint thing in an allowance race on April 21. She made a nice move in the late stretch to win it by 3 1/4. Yeah baby! The speed score was a career best for her at 96. Nowhere for her to go but up - to the Grade 3 Southern Belle on May 20, to be specific. This was a $150k race at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. She ran out of time to catch the leader and had to settle for second by a neck. Not bad for a 7-2 pick. It proved to be very tough to find her next race, since there aren't many turf sprints for 3 yo fillies. But California offered a $125k stakes race on June 30 that proved to be too good to miss. She was the 3-1 co-favorite along with two others. She had extreme traffic difficulties heading to the wire and finished second by a length. The jockey was a third-stringer that we could make the scapegoat for this failure. But I choose to take the high road. She'll win plenty of races down the line - we hope.

We ended the quarter with $1,278,380.

NEXT: Does TELL THE WORLD really have superstar potential? Is SWEET CHEATER ready to play second fiddle? Will I get WANTED MAN and URINTROUBLE in the races anytime soon?

[Honolulu Blue]

July-September 2013

SWEET CHEATER repeated in the Daytona Beach, the $300k 9f Grade 1 she won last year, on July 9. She dropped back even farther than usual, and couldn't overcome that, so she finished 2nd, 5 out. Then came yet another repeat race - the $500k 9f Grade 1 Legendary Lady. She also won this one last year. But that was last year, and this time she couldn't come close. She dropped way back and was eased near the finish line. Her 9th place finish was the worst of her career, and she hadn't seen a 76 speed score since she was a frisky young thing who didn't know what she was doing. She came out of the race with a quarter crack - not career threatening, but it will cost her some time. And time is not on her side. She may only have a few races left; the offers to breed her are getting mighty tempting.

It's very difficult to find suitable spots for 3yo filly turf sprinters. That's why I took the spot for TELL THE WORLD in the Florida Sprint Cup. It was a $250k Grade 2 5.5f race on turf. I would have been happy if she just finished 5th among this group, but she did better than that. She finished 3rd, 3 1/4 out. Not the best, but not clearly overmatched either. Next I sent her to New York to compete in the $300k Grade 1 Safely Kept. This was a dirt race at 6f, which she hadn't raced on in some time. She didn't threaten, splitting the field of 8 and finishing 5 3/4 out. Her speed scores were identical 88s - not bad, but won't get it done when she has to face older company.

URINTROUBLE had a qualifying workout in August, so we sent her in a 6f maiden on September 14. She started well, but faded badly in the last furlong, finishing 10 back. She held on for 4th and a small paycheck. The speed score of 56 isn't what we were hoping for. We'll try her on turf next.

WANTED MAN is trying, but can't get over the hump.

We ended the quarter with $1,333,840.

NEXT: Is this the end for SWEET CHEATER? Will TELL THE WORLD continue her profitable ways against older company? Can URINTROUBLE get her first win? Does WANTED MAN want to go out and race?

[Honolulu Blue]

October-December 2013

WANTED MAN could never get a qualifying workout, so we'll see if he can do something in January.

TELL THE WORLD was sent in a NW2 allowance race on October 8. It was a 5f turf sprint and her first race against older company. I may have underestimated the competition, because they made her the 3-5 favorite. She made it look easy as she was close to the lead early, then took it to stay in the stretch. She won by 1 1/4 and earned a speed score of 96. Sweet! On November 5, we had a really rough test for her - the $200k Grade 3 In A Flash Stakes. She was 16-1 in a field of 10 as no one took her very seriously. There was some serious burners here, but she gave them a good run for their money, settling for 4th, 1 1/2 out. The 97 score was a career best. It's clear she belongs in this class, but she's not an A student yet. I'd like to think she'd be even better at 6 or 7 furlongs, and I'll likely try her out at those distances in the coming year. She was 10-3-2-1 $192,900 after earning nothing as a 2yo.

URINTROUBLE raced in another MSW on October 19. This one was on turf at 5f. She led most of the way and won by 1 3/4 with a speed score of 78. Yee haw! It's possible we have another turf sprinter here, though there's more experimentation to do. After the race she came up with bucked shins, which ended her year. He should be back strong in January.

What about SWEET CHEATER, you ask? She ran in another repeat race on October 22, the Grade 2 Silver Queen. It remains a 9f race for a $250k purse. She got into an absurd amount of traffic trouble coming home and finished third, 7 1/2 off the leader. She probably wasn't going to finish first, but she was way better than #2, but was blocked in.

But the big news around the stable is that she was sold to a breeding farm for $493,000. We hope she has lots of prize-winning babies - but not when they run against us. Her career record was 31-11-9-4 $1,683,500.



She's not a Hall of Famer, but as a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner, she helped build this stable from nothing. I'll miss her tremendously. But the stable will go on without her.

I eventually dry my eyes and head for the yearling auction, where there are a host of horses of interest. I can't buy them all, but I hope I can get the right ones.

Our Derby hope is IN YOUR DIRECTION. At $130,000, a little pricey, but we think he'll be well worth it. We had lots of luck with PULPIT as a sire (remember SWEET CHEATER?) and the dam as already popped out an early winner. DEPUTY MINISTER in the family tree can't hurt either.



The filly ROUND AND ROUND looked nice and at $80,000, a relative bargain. The sire CITY LAUGHIN has had lots of foals win lots of money, and the dam is a stakes winner, turf winner, and 2yo winner who has passed most of those traits on to her foals.



The year was moderately successful by our standards - 20-6-5-2 $583,660. The money was good for 34th among Kentucky owners. We owned the following horses as of the end of the year:

TELL THE WORLD ($90k) - Seems happy sprinting on turf; a little improvement and she can become a millionaire
WANTED MAN ($18k) - I really should sell him now, but I'll give him a chance or two, then give him away to a good slaughter.. I mean home.
URINTROUBLE ($88k) - The value seems awfully lofty at this point, but she could be another profit center as a filly turf sprinter.
IN YOUR DIRECTION (yearling)
ROUND AND ROUND (yearling)

The stable declared a special $1.5 million dividend, so we will be entering the year with $171,240. That should be plenty for five horses.

NEXT: Will I find enough turf sprints to keep the stable in feed? Will WANTED MAN get his first race? Will the yearlings show us something right away?

[path12]

I love the screenshots.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by path12

I love the screenshots.

Then I'll have to do more of them. I was surprised when Shift-PrintScrn worked as well as it did. I'd still prefer .html or text files, though.



NOTE: Above not a screen shot.

Where was I? Oh yeah...

January-March 2014

TELL THE WORLD was the first to go in the new year, a turf allowance on January 17 at the now familiar distance of 5f. She was made the 4-5 favorite and had a good rally, but was just short at the wire by a nose. On February 9 we sent her in the Kentucky Wildcat, a $75k stakes race. This was another turf sprint at 5 1/2 furlongs. Again, she was close, but no cigar. Third this time, but only a length out. On March 9 she went out in another allowance race (she's still eligible for the NW3 class). She stumbled at the start, losing a couple of lengths. It was costly as she was behind a neck at the end. She's a bit of a puzzle. It's clear she belongs in this class, but she's not the best player here. The speed score in her last was 100, a career high, and the others were in the high 90s. If I move her down, she'll get claimed for sure. Moving her up to stakes races involves some risk that she won't hit the board. I'm not sure what to do, but in the meantime, I've found another allowance for her.

URINTROUBLE was entered in the Bad Penny Handicap on February 4. It had a $75,000 prize pool and was a 5f sprint on turf. She was overmatched and finished last of 7, 9 lengths behind. The 76 speed score failed to inspire us. On March 8 we entered her in a race she couldn't win so we could see where her limits were. It was an allowance race at 7f on the dirt. She was never a threat and fading badly at the end, finishing 6th of 9, 11 3/4 out. She doesn't like distance much and likes the dirt even less. She may end up getting shoved into the claiming class just so I can find a race for her that she can win.

IN YOUR DIRECTION ran a 5f workout in 1:01 on March 2, so he was ready. We placed him in a MSW race in April.

ROUND AND ROUND had a nice 3f workout in under 37 seconds, but that's not good enough. We'd like to see more distance, and I'm sure she'll get into the races soon.

WANTED MAN was never fast enough, so we sold him privately for $18,000 on March 9. I took a bath on this one, but I wish him well.

In other news, on February 18 we fired David Winn as our trainer. It seems we could never get his favorite jockey as he was always promised to some other owner. Add to that a stack of injuries and subpar results, and we thought we'd go in a different direction. We hired Kevin Beard, who had a 44-11-9-5 record as of that date - small sample, but excellent results. His fave jockey is the 41-year-old Rob Bohanon, whose record was 68-10-12-10. His ratings were good, and he has a reputation as an excellent turf rider. As you can see, the effects were not immediate, but we're always looking long-term.

We ended the quarter with $196,640.

NEXT: How will we do with our new trainer? Will TELL THE WORLD win her signature race? Where will URINTROUBLE go from here? And what about the young 'uns?

[Honolulu Blue]

April-June 2014

IN YOUR DIRECTION headed out first on April 7 in your standard 4.5f maiden. He was near the lead early, but backed up late to finish 5th, 4 3/4 behind. The 72 speed score is fine for this stage in his development. No reason to change things radically, so we entered him in another MSW on May 10. This turned out to be a tougher race than the last, but his position was similar - 5th, 5 3/4 out. He got a 68 in this one - going in the wrong direction, but similar enough to not worry me. What did worry me is the grabbed quarter he came out of the race with. That would set him back until at least after the break.

ROUND AND ROUND went in her maiden next, on April 14. She ran steadily, relative to the other fillies, and was 3rd, 2 1/2 back. I figured she would win soon - if not the next time, then the time after that. So we sent her in another MSW on May 12. She pressed the pace most of the way, but could not advance fast enough to win, settling for being 2nd by a head. We were more convinced than ever that she would win, so she ran in a 5f MSW on June 9. Based on her history, she was made the 5-2 co-favorite. This time she wired 'em, winning by 1 1/2. The speed score was a promising 83. She should take to distance well once she gets it, and she might like turf too. Time to experiment, after the break.

TELL THE WORLD ran in an allowance race on April 14, the same day as ROUND AND ROUND went in her first race. She was even money, and all the pundits had her as the winner. She had a slow start, but was good enough to overcome it and win by 1 3/4. Our first win of the year! Yay!! We shipped her to California for the Grade 2 Comet Lady. It was a 6.5f turf race that had a $200k purse. She was ignored and misunderstood in the field and placed at 9-1 in the 10 horse field. She stayed back early, but the race fell apart in front, and she picked through the pieces to win by half a length. Wooohooo! Her first stakes win!!! Her speed score here tied her best at 100. Nothing looked interesting in June, so we'll save her for the speed day in Florida.

URINTROUBLE was sent out in a $45k allowance race at 5 1/2 furlongs on April 27. She was at or near the lead for most of the race, then faded late, to fourth, 6 3/4 back. The speed score was 75. We made the decision to sell her privately for $31,000. Her career record was 5-1-0-0 $29,760. Her prize money about paid for her training/feed costs, and we lost quite a bit on the difference in purchase and selling prices. We could probably have tried to grind out a profit with her, but with other, more exciting horses in the stable, we just decided to cut her loose. Here's her final PP:



We ended the quarter with $397,710.

NEXT: Will TELL THE WORLD find success in Florida again? Will IN YOUR DIRECTION get over his injury? Will ROUND AND ROUND rack up some more wins?

[Honolulu Blue]

July-September 2014

After the break, IN YOUR DIRECTION was the first to go. His race was a typical MSW at 6f. The track came up muddy - as good a time as any to see if he likes the wet stuff. The evidence remains inconclusive as he raced his usual style - out like a shot, but slowly lost his lead. He finished 3rd, 5 1/2 out. It seemed just a matter of time for him to lose his maiden status. But he'd have to earn it. His next shot was on August 23. The distance was dialed back to 5 1/2 furlongs. He was second, 2 1/4 behind. The winner ran a big one, but our boy ran his career best speed score - 89. Hopes were high entering his next race, another MSW, this time at a mile. I wasn't sure if he would like the distance. He was the 9-5 second choice in the field of eight, bracketed by horses who had already run this distance and run well. And they're off! He got his usual fast start, but this time he held on, wiring the field by 6 1/4! Victory dance once again!! He paid $5.60 for those that backed him, in case you care. The speed score was 86, so he held most of his speed through the race. We've found an allowance race for him next month.

TELL THE WORLD got his race in Florida - the Grade 2 Florida Speed Cup Filly & Mare Turf competition on July 28. It was contested at 5.5f. ESPN was not there, which was just as well. This race was a mess from the start - she was wide nearly the whole race, and blocked when she wasn't wide. She was a miserable 7th, 7 1/2 behind the winner. No injury, just a tossout due to bad racing luck. I could not find a suitable turf sprint, so we put her back on dirt at 6f in the Grade 3 Step Lively Stakes on September 2. The purse was $150k, and she was made the lukewarm 3-1 favorite, despite her lack of current dirt races. She was behind early, but didn't have time to catch the leaders. Third, a length behind. The 100 score seems to indicate that she doesn't care much about the surface. We've found a Grade 2 for her to show her stuff next.

ROUND AND ROUND couldn't find a suitable allowance race, so we put her straight into a Grade 2, the Cinderella. This $200k race was contested at 6f on July 29. She ran evenly, but comfortably behind the leaders. 6th, 4 1/4 out. We tried to see if we could get some distance for her, but again, no allowance races, so we entered her in the Kentucky Kitty Stakes on September 9. This was a $200k Grade 2 race at a mile. The top two ran off and hid, but she held third, but 9 out. The 83 speed score is OK, I suppose. It ties her career best. We finally found an allowance race for her next month.

NEXT: Will we ever find TELL THE WORLD's sweet spot? Can ROUND AND ROUND win again? Is IN YOUR DIRECTION the colt we've dreamed of?

[Honolulu Blue]

October and November 2014

TELL THE WORLD entered the Oh Susanna Stakes on October 6. It was a $200k Grade 2 6f sprint on dirt. She performed decently, but couldn't quite catch the leaders, settling for third, 3 1/4 away. Then she competed in the In A Flash Stakes on November 4. This was a race she was in last year, finishing 4th then. We were hoping for better this time around. It remains a Grade 2 $200k 5f turf race. She started a little slowly, but Bohanon expertly picked his way through the field to rapidly catch the leader... but ran out of time. She was 2nd, half a length behind. She got identical 96s for those who care about such things.

ROUND AND ROUND raced in an allowance race at 6 furlongs on October 25. She was the 8-5 favorite. She pressed the pace and found her lane late to win it by a half length. Whew! The speed score was 82.

IN YOUR DIRECTION ran the next day in his allowance race, also at 6f. His game seems to be "catch me if you can". They tried, but they couldn't do it. He won by 2 1/2. Suckas! The 89 was a new high for him.

The Breeders' Cup was in Kentucky this year and a case could be made for all three making it. As a good, but not great, sprinter, TELL THE WORLD was not entered in the BC Sprint, and was shut down for the year. We actually found a better spot for ROUND AND ROUND, and I'll tell you about that shortly. IN YOUR DIRECTION was entered in the BC Juvenile, but lost out due to insufficient earnings. So that ended his year.

ROUND AND ROUND got the last featured race of the year, the Promising Starlet. The $75,000 ungraded stakes race was at a mile on turf. Could she handle the green stuff? We shall see. She was made the 3-1 favorite. They're off! She started second, but quickly took the lead and held it without too much pressure. She won by 4 3/4. Well all right! Her speed score was 87 - pretty good for a 2yo.

We're excited about our prospects in the coming year. TELL THE WORLD is a nice sprinter who can contend on grass or dirt. ROUND AND ROUND is on a glide path toward the Oaks and beyond. And IN YOUR DIRECTION is our first serious Derby contender.

NEXT: The latest additions to the stable!

[RPI-Fan]

Great great dynasty, keep it up! Has me itching to fire up my copy of TRB.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Great great dynasty, keep it up! Has me itching to fire up my copy of TRB.

Thank you very much. Definitely give the game another shot. And be sure to write your own dynasty.

December 2014

Auction time!

While doing my research, I found one of my old horses.



This is one of the few ways you can find out what they're up to, since there's no search function in the game. WANTED MAN, if you recall, I sold in March of this year. He's had 7 starts, one show, and has earned about $4000. Clearly not worth my time to keep, but I'm glad he's still going. Perhaps he'll do something one of these days. Or not.

I finished my research and came up with two nice yearlings that I think will make great additions to the stable. The colt shall be forever known as LOST MY CELL. His sire MUTKADDIM has leaped onto the top earning sire charts thanks to some nice scores. The dam was decent and she's popped out some decent foals. He cost $65,000, so keep that in mind when he's running in $10,000 claiming races. Here's his chart:



The filly will be called SHE WANTS MONEY. She's another one by MUTKADDIM, so you could say I'm doubling up on him. The dam was a big winner in turf races and one of her foals looks to be even better than she was. She cost $80,000, and this is her chart:



The stable went 25-7-5-6 $453,030 for the year, good for 41st on the Kentucky money charts. Not bad for a stable in transition. We ended the year with $425,520 and the following horses:

TELL THE WORLD ($74k) - Still doing decently well in stakes sprints, especially on turf. No signs of slowing yet.
IN YOUR DIRECTION ($69k) - On the Derby path. Could run aground at any point - especially with his running style - but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
ROUND AND ROUND ($112k) - On the Oaks path. I don't think she's quite fast enough to make it there, but we'll worry about that later.
LOST MY CELL (yearling)
SHE WANTS MONEY (yearling)

NEXT: Will TELL THE WORLD yield to age? Will IN YOUR DIRECTION run out of steam? Will ROUND AND ROUND stop the runaround? Will the newest class be winners?

[Honolulu Blue]

January-March 2015

Well all right, time to get everyone prepped for the really big races in the spring. IN YOUR DIRECTION went first. He went a mile in the $75k Jack Frost on January 13. He was made the 2-1 favorite. The good news is no one could catch him from behind. The bad news is he had company on the front end, and he couldn't catch him either. He was second, 1 1/2 back. The stakes got much larger in the 8.5f $150k Grade 3 Hilltop on February 10. This was a much tougher field and he was the 5-1 choice. The heavens opened and we got a sloppy track, which he took to like he was born in it. Again there was a speed duel up front, but he dispatched him fairly early this time. Competitors came and went, but he shook 'em all off in winning by 3 1/4. Yip yip yip yip! The 98 speed score was a new high and just enough to get us excited. So we put him in a really tough test - the 9 furlong Grade 2 $350k Crown Prince Stakes. He was 7-1 this time around and this time he raced like it. He started well enough but could only hold on to 5th, 6 3/4 out. The speed score of 83 wasn't much. Maybe he only likes the rain. Maybe he doesn't like racing over a mile and 1/16. Whatever the explanation is, without a weather forecast that far in advance, he's off the Derby trail, though he could race in the "Preakness" if he shows enough in his next race.

ROUND AND ROUND got the filly twin to IN YOUR DIRECTION's race - another $75k mile race on January 20. This was called the Winter Miss. She was made the 6-5 favorite. She pressed the pace for awhile, then made her move, and it was good for a win by 5 1/4. They never knew what hit them! That made three wins in a row for her. The speed score was a little light at 87, but we're sure they just made a mistake. Her next race was the 8.5f $150k Grade 3 Heartland. She was the 7-5 favorite against a better group. She got a troubled trip from the start as there was traffic all around her interfering when she needed to go. She could only manage a 4th, 4 1/2 behind. She may have been the best one there. Undaunted, we entered her in the Grade 2 Crown Princess. This was a 9f race with a $300k purse. Better competitors from across the country entered here and she was bet up to 5-1. She got the space, but she just wasn't good enough. She could only split the field of 9 and was 8 back. The speed score of 75 indicated regression. She may need rest, or she may need to get back on turf. I'm optimistic about her long-term chances.

TELL THE WORLD had three races in New York. Her first was January 24 in the Jet Set Lady. This $100k ungraded stakes was run at 5f on turf. She was made the 1-2 favorite and was much the best, but she got STUCK behind some tiring horse and finished 3/4 of a length behind. I apologize to those around me in my luxury box for my langugage. The next race was February 24, the $150k Grade 3 High Society - another 5f turf sprint. The competition was no better, and she was 4-5 this time. Wouldn't you know it, SHE GOT STUCK AGAIN. Half a length back this time. Again, I apologize for the language and for the popcorn bath I gave one of you. OK, next race was March 24 in the Grade 2 Empire State. This was at 6f on the green stuff, but against the boys. They were a lot better than the ladies she should have been whipping, but she was somewhat competittive here and given 8-1 odds. She got her space, but the winner was just too good. And she was edged out at the wire for second. She only finished two lengths behind and earned a speed score of 102 - her career best. We're now getting some offers from breeding farms for her, but I'm convinced she has some victories left in her legs.

LOST MY CELL had a qualifying workout (barely), so he'll get his first race next month. SHE WANTS MONEY didn't, and won't.

We ended the quarter with $629,270. My partners are demanding another dividend, but we're putting them off for now.

NEXT: Will IN YOUR DIRECTION or ROUND AND ROUND make it really big? Will TELL THE WORLD win again? Will LOST MY CELL break his maiden? Will SHE WANTS MONEY make us some?

[Honolulu Blue]

April-June 2015

SHE WANTS MONEY has run OK workouts at 3f, but hasn't done anything good at longer distances, so she'll stay on the sidelines.

LOST MY CELL made his debut on April 20 in a typical 4.5f MSW. He ran decently, but there were a lot of good racers here, so he could only make it to 6th, 5 1/4 behind. The 79 speed score seemed a little optimistic, but if taken at face value, it's the best 2 yo debut by anyone I've ever owned. So we ran him right back on May 25, with the distance increasing to 5f. He led late, but was collared by a competitor. Photo... our guy was second by a nose. Darn. The speed score was up to 80. He seemed to hold up OK, so we sent him on short rest in another maiden on June 21. This race seemed to attract a lot of attention, since it was the last one before the track closed for a month. He didn't like the extra half furlong either. The speed score dipped to 80 (still very good for this point in his development), and the finish was 4th, 2 1/2 behind. He'll win soon. It's just a matter of finding a race for him.

IN YOUR DIRECTION was sent to New York for the Hudson River Stakes on April 20, so I was actually here instead of Kentucky. This was a $150k grade 3 at a mile. The track was sloppy, he was the 2-1 favorite, and we bet the max on him. So he should have won, right? Except he didn't. He tired quickly and had no rally. He was only 6th of 7, beaten 4 1/4. The speed score was only 82. We gave him a little rest and sent him in the Majestic Prince in California on June 15. This $150k Grade 3 race was run at 8.5f. He was slightly better overall (89), but only split the field of 8. We're not quite sure what to do with him next, but I'm sure something will come up.

ROUND AND ROUND raced in the Grade 3 Frontier Gal on April 26. This $200k race was contested at a mile. She was the mediocre 3-1 favorite. The track came up muddy. Working through the mud and going wide through most of the race must have tired her, as she finished 4th, 3 behind. The 92 speed score was a career best. We then sent her out to Cali for a race against the boys - the $200k Grade 2 Screen Legend. This was contested at 9f on turf. She was never a serious threat, falling way behind early and staying there. The 7th place finish was ugly enough, being 10 behind was uglier, the 73 speed score was worse, and the grabbed quarter was worst of all. The injury shouldn't have long-term effects, but it will finish her until sometime in July.

TELL THE WORLD was sent to California to compete in the Comet Lady on May 12. She won this race last year - her last win. Since then have been three seconds and three thirds. She was 3-1 in this $200k Grade 2 race contested at 6.5f on turf. She couldn't repeat, and wasn't close. She only finished 5th, 3 1/2 behind. The speed score was a shocker - 105, a career high. I was skeptical, so we dialed her back to an allowance race on dirt on June 16. She was even money and we bet the max on her, so she SHOULD have won this easily, but was caught too far behind early. She rallied furiously to catch the leader at the wire. Or did she? The photo says she lost by a whisker. We'll send her back out on turf next time.

We ended the quarter with $617,480. This was a rare losing quarter for us. No wins and we didn't make enough to pay for the feed. That's going to change soon.

NEXT: Will LOST MY CELL get his first win? Will IN YOUR DIRECTION get another stakes win? Can ROUND AND ROUND recover from her setback? Does TELL THE WORLD have anything else to say?

[Honolulu Blue]

July-September 2015

The only one that raced in July was TELL THE WORLD, and her race was in California. It was the $100k Modus Vivendi Stakes, a 5.5f sprint on turf. She made her moves, but we could tell she wasn't getting enough distance. She still hit the wire third, a length back. On August 25 she was sent in the Easy Street Handicap back home. This was a $150k Grade 3 6f race on dirt against the boys (I've gotta stop doing that). She stumbled at the start and didn't have enough time to make up for it. Her 8th place finish was her worst ever, but she was only 4 back. The 89 speed score was her worst in a year. We're still getting offers to breed her, but we want her to race - and win. So we entered her in California's Redondo Beach Stakes, a $200k Grade 2 race at 7f, on September 29. She was completely dismissed by the betting public, being put at 20-1. I was very tempted to make a show bet here, just because. It would have paid about $14, because she did finish third, 1 3/4 back. The ol' mare may not be what she used to be, but she's still a money maker.

LOST MY CELL was entered in his fourth MSW on August 1. This was another one at 5.5f. He was 3-1 - not the favorite, but close. He got the early lead, made us sweat a lot as the hordes came a-rushin toward him... but he held on by a length! Victory is ours! We entered him in a turf allowance race on September 14, but it didn't fill. We're pointing him toward another allowance race next month.

IN YOUR DIRECTION competed in the Owensboro on August 4. The Grade 3 $150k race was contested at a mile and 1/16 - probably more distance than he preferred, but beggars can't be choosers. He jumped out to an early lead, but faded early and had only a limited late kick. He came out of it with a minor illness, which may explain things. He seems better now, so we've entered him in a sprint handicap.

ROUND AND ROUND was sent in the Bowling Green on August 11, basically the same race as the Owensboro but for fillies only. She had a nice finishing kick, but couldn't quite finish the job. She was second a length. The speed score of 99 was a new high for her. Then we sent her to New York for the Spinning Wheel Stakes on September 20. This was another $150k race, this time at a flat mile. She had another great race, but was nipped by a head. Her speed score was 101 - another career best. We're seriously thinking about the BC Distaff for her; the next race will tell a lot.

Ignore that filly in the corner. SHE WANTS MONEY is just soaking up oats and training time.

We ended the quarter with $699,830.

NEXT: (Deep announcer's voice, music of doom) One of these horses won't make it to the end of the year. (Quick video clips of each horse, reverse negative, turn to black & white, fade to black...)

[Honolulu Blue]

October and November 2015

As an aside, I found one of my old horses, WALKIN THE DOG:



To quickly summarize our history with him, we bought him as a yearling in December 2011 for $65,000 and sold him in November 2012 for $7,000. His record with us was 6-1-0-0 $12,930. He's obviously grown as a racer, since he never had any more than a 69 speed score with us. I guess he needed distance. This was an allowance race, so I couldn't claim him - not that I wanted him. It's good to see him doing well for Mr. Polonia, though he's not really an allowance racer.

Meanwhile, back at our ranch...

IN YOUR DIRECTION got to visit California for the Wild Bill Handicap on October 3. The 7f race offered $125k in prize money. He was generally ignored at 12-1. He would've been a good bet to show, except the two favorites finished 1-2, inhaling most of the pool. He did finish third, 3 1/4 behind. The 89 speed score was OK, but not really good enough for a stakes runner. So, of course, we send him off in a bigger stakes race - on turf, no less. The Grasshopper Stakes held a spot for him as long as we paid the entry fee. The $200k race was 5 furlongs. Nobody knew what to make of this, so he was sent off at 15-1 odds. He got the lead early but was quickly surpassed. Those other horses were just too good, and he finished 5th, 5 3/4 back. At least he earned the entry money and a few oats. There wasn't enough time left to enter him in any other race.

LOST MY CELL was sent in an allowance race on October 5. The track came up sloppy, and he handled it all right. He just wasn't fast enough to cause problems for the leaders. He did have a wide trip much of the race and ended up 5th, 3 1/4 out. On November 23 we tried him on turf at 5f. The best jockeys were all in New York at the Breeders' Cup (more later), so we got a 4th stringer. It probably didn't make any difference, as the race was blah - 5th of 7, 6 1/4 behind. I guess he doesn't appreciate the green stuff. The speed scores in his races have been remarkably consistent - 79-84-80-83-81-80. We keep hoping for a big leap forward. Maybe over break...

ROUND AND ROUND went in the Grade 2 Silver Queen, a 9f race for a $250k prize pool. Bohanon handled her well and got a good trip. Furious rally at the end... not quite enough. 2nd by a neck. That's her third place in a row to go with three wins from a year ago. The speed score of 97 was fine. Decisions, decisions - there was a very winnable Grade 3 at home, or we could go with the Breeders' Cup in New York. We decided to go for the gold, only to get shut out due to lack of earnings. Oh well, good year, and she could do extremely well for us next year.

TELL THE WORLD's race was on November 1. It was an allowance race at 8.5f race on turf. She was made the 3-1 favorite based on pure class, since she hadn't run a race this long in a long time. And she didn't do well at distance then. She didn't do well here and now either. Absolutely no rally in coming in dead last, 9 1/4 behind. We sold her to a breeding farm for $166,000. Her career record with us was 28-5-8-7 $583,450. She was, dollar for dollar, almost as good an investment as SWEET CHEATER, since she only cost us $50,000. We'll miss her consistent ability to make it in the money. Here's her final chart:



We're hoping SHE WANTS MONEY is just a late bloomer.

NEXT: Going once, going twice, sold! To me! Did I buy a money machine or a money pit?

[Tellistto]

Am enjoying this, hope you find a solid horse this year!

Tell

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

Am enjoying this, hope you find a solid horse this year!

Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I hope I find a good horse this year too. I think I did, though you never know.

December 2015

Another year, another auction. We found several good horses, a couple of which we could actually afford. Like this nice colt that I named I'M INSANE, whcih we blew $110,000 on:



CRYPTO PLAINS is one of the big money winners in the game, having won the Triple Crown AND the BC Classic AND Horse of the Year back in 2010. He hasn't made a big splash as a sire yet, but we're willing to take a chance on him. STARSHIP RAINBOW didn't have a big career as a filly, but it was certainly a nice one. And with SEATTLE SLEW and STORM CAT in her family tree, I'll bet she got some good genes.

We also picked up the filly MORNING AFTER at a relative bargain $95,000:



The first yearling we picked up out that was sired by ROBIN'S HOSS (URINTROUBLE) didn't work out well, but we're willing to take another shot. He did, after all, win the Preakness and Belmont in '08, the BC Classic and Horse of the Year in '09. WEEKEND PRIDE looks like a classy grinder, with foals so far that are doing the same.

We ended the year with $695,780 and the following horses:

IN YOUR DIRECTION ($73k) - Needs to take a step forward in order to keep running in stakes races. Offseason workouts are promising.
ROUND AND ROUND ($97k) - The clear star of the stable. She'll win again, and with a little improvement, win a bunch.
LOST MY CELL ($34k) - In racing no man's land - won his maiden, can't win an allowance race. That probably means high-level claimers. I wouldn't be sad to lose him.
SHE WANTS MONEY ($20k) - I really should sell her now rather than watch her lay an egg on the track.
I'M INSANE (yearling)
MORNING AFTER (yearling)

And now is as good a time as any to do a review of the stable's progress:

2010 - 10-2-2-2 $78,290
2011 - 18-6-5-1 $469,130
2012 - 18-5-4-1 $856,830
2013 - 20-6-5-2 $583,660
2014 - 25-7-5-6 $453,030
2015 - 31-3-8-4 $509,010

Totals - 122-29-29-16 $2,949,950

We're winning 24% of our races and in the money 60% of the time. That's more than acceptable. I would be content with 20 and 50, repsectively. The purse money has been surprisingly consistent, other than years one (with only 2 2yos) and three (when SWEET CHEATER was in her prime).

In addition, we've spent $865,000 on our horses at auction and $50,000 on claims, for a total of $915,000. We have received $717,000 from selling horses and $65,000 from claimed horses, for a total of $782,000.

There have also been some training, travel, and entry fees costs. These are strictly guesses on my part:

Training - $500,000 (including trainer changes)
Travel - $30,000
Entry fees - $120,000

The bets have more or less canceled each other out, leaving a net profit of around $2.2 million on revenue of $3.7 million. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

NEXT: Can we turn some of those close finishes our way?

[Honolulu Blue]

January-March 2016

We had two stakes races on the same day in two different states. I'll take IN YOUR DIRECTION first, since his race was run first by a few minutes (thank you simulcast!). The Paydirt Handicap was a $75k 6.5f race on January 11. He got out in front and stayed there pretty much unopposed. I love it when we wire the field! The winning margin ended up being 4 1/2 lengths. The speed score ended up being 103, a big number and his best so far. We went on to bigger and better things at home in the Southern Hospitality on February 8. This was a $250k Grade 2 at 7 furlongs. The muddy track didn't help his style, and after being surpassed early didn't pose a serious threat. He did hold third, 6 3/4 out. Then we sent him to Florida for the $250k Grade 2 Town & Country Stakes, another 7f race. This time he jumped out early, got into a duel with a frontrunner, eventually dispatching him, but here comes a deep closer. But he wasn't in time; our boy won it by a half length! Get ahead, stay ahead!! His 105 is another new high, and one of the highest of the year in a sprint (unlike real life, the speed scores tend to be slightly higher for routes than for sprints). He'll continue his tour of the country with a race in New York next.

I couldn't watch IN YOUR DIRECTION's race live on January 11, because I was in New York watching ROUND AND ROUND compete in New York at the Silver Queen Stakes. This Grade 3 $150k race was contested at 8.5f. She put in a miserable performance, getting far back and staying there. She still finished 4th, but was 7 1/2 back. The 84 speed score wasn't what we were looking for. She seems to be jockey sensitive; all but one of her money finishes have been with Bohanon riding. She went back home to race in the $75k Weekend Surprise on Valentine's Day. Bohanon was riding, the competition wasn't too tough, and she gave us a big, wet one in the form of a trip to the winner's circle. I love you too! She won by 1 1/4 and earned a career best 102. She then went back to New York for the Grade 3 Oceanside, a $150k mile race. Latham had to ride, and the two times in the past he's done so, she's finished 6th and 7th. The good news is she did better than that this time. The bad news is she was only 4th, 1 1/2 behind. She started on the rail and got boxed in, then got stuck when she did get room. Sigh. We're sending her to Florida for a marathon turf race next because we can.

LOST MY CELL ran in the stable's first claiming race in quite awhile on January 16. The price was $50,000, and the distance was 6 furlongs. This was a nice race, as he rallied and rerallied down the stretch. He finished 2nd, 3/4 behind. The speed score jumped to 93. He was made the 5-2 favorite on February 8 in another claimer (same price) at a mile. He faded badly with a quarter mile to go, and ended up 4th, 10 1/2 back. No more route races for him. We found familiar territory on March 26 - $50k claimer, 6f. His previous struggles scared some bettors off, so they sent him off at 5-1. This was another thriller as he had to catch the frontrunner and hold off a deep closer. Photo please... he held them both off! Outstanding! It's about time we got a break with those things. The speed score was another 93.

I finally got my fill of SHE WANTS MONEY's malingering and sold her to someone for $20,000. Good riddance.

I'M INSANE had a qualifying workout, so he'll get his first race next month. MORNING AFTER had workouts almost as good, but not as long, so she'll be on the sidelines for now.

I've been checking out the auctions to see if SWEET CHEATER popped out a foal. She hasn't, but look who did:



So WANTED MAN won't retire a maiden. He still has to be considered a bust. Also:



IN YOUR DIRECTION's earnings are higher now; I took the shot on March 1, before his Grade 2 win.

We ended the quarter with $992,900. Our four wins so far are one more than we had all of last year.

NEXT: Will we keep the wins coming?

[Honolulu Blue]

April-June 2016

I'M INSANE's race on April 17 was the first of the period. Typical maiden race. And a typical maiden race performance - stumbled at the start, even pace but no threat to the leaders. He split the field of 10, 6 behind. The speed score was a not half bad 72. Our evaluation is that he'll be a good racer once he figures out what he's doing - which could take a race or two. His next race was on May 17 - another maiden, of course, this one at 5 furlongs. He was sent out at 5-1. He pressed the pace for the first half, then took over rounding the turn. From there he made it look easy in winning by 4 3/4. Crack that whip! (or don't) The speed score of 89 was big enough to put him in a stakes race on June 20. The purse was only $75k for the Ambition, but the competition was much tougher. They added half a furlong, just for the fun of it. And it decided to rain all day, making for a sloppy track. He was 9-2 and didn't handle it all that great, only coming in 5th, 4 back. The score was a bounce back to 79.

ROUND AND ROUND got the ultimate endurance test on April 19 - the Enduring Heroine in Florida. This $200k Grade 2 marathon was run at a mile and a half on turf. I thought she'd like the distance and convinced the trainer to enter her here. You'd think the racers would spread apart at a mile and a half, but no... she started on the rail and got stuck at every opportunity. She was 4th, a length back, but you'll never convince me that she wasn't much the best here. The Beyer wannabe was 105, a career high. We dialed the distance back by necessity on May 18, when she came home for the Trend Setter Stakes. This was a $150k Grade 3 run at 9f. All the conditions were right, so we made a max bet here at 3-1 odds. Maybe on another day she would've done it, but SHE GOT STUCK YET AGAIN and finished second, a length behind. I won't convince you she was the best here too, but that's what I believe. She came out with a minor illness, but she barely skpped a beat. She stayed home for the Americana Handicap on June 21. The $250k Grade 2 was run at a mile on turf. She was 3-1 here too, though we didn't bet, foolishly. She finally got a good trip and kicked everyone's rear ends in winning by 6 1/4. Take that! And that!! And that!!! Now we're getting offers from breeding farms, but everyone around thinks it would be crazy to retire her now. Her next race will be a Grade 1 in New York.

BTW, if you want an idea of the troubled trips she had in the three races before the Americana, take a look at the bottom of this screen shot:



Speaking of New York, IN YOUR DIRECTION was there on April 26 for the Levittown. It was contested for a $250k purse at 6.5f. This was a tough race with tough competition, but he was able to keep third, 3 lengths back. Next was the Fleet Nasrullah Handicap back home on May 25. This $150k race was 6.5f again. He had the lead late as the 5-2 favorite, but couldn't quite hang on in losing by a head. The track was muddy, and that probably tired him out just enough. We sent him to Cali, where it never rains, for the City of Angels on June 28. This was a $150k race at 6 furlongs. He got the rail and dueled for the lead with two other for most of the race. The three crossed the wire together. Photo please...



the head points IN YOUR DIRECTION! Guitar riff! Now we're getting offers for him for stud duty, but they're not offering SMARTY JONES money yet, and probably never will. So I guess we'll have to keep running him, which is more fun anyway (at least if you're not the stud).

It took awhile to find a race for LOST MY CELL, but we finally found an allowance race at 7f. We got a 4th string jockey and he broke slowly (actually a habit for the horse), tried to make it up, and tired badly the last 2 furlongs. We can see why the jockey is 4th string. It wasn't all bad; a sliver of prize money for 4th. But being 8 3/4 back with a speed score of 73 isn't good. We wanted to get him to the winners' circle again, and we couldn't really find a better race for him, so we sent him out in a $40k claimer at 6 furlongs. His sell price was close to that, so there was a definite risk that he would leave us. He was made the 2-1 favorite. He wasn't claimed and he didn't win either, losing by 2 1/2 and getting nipped for 2nd at the wire. The speed score was better at 86, but that won't win an allowance race.

MORNING AFTER had a qualifying workout in April, so we started her on her journey on May 22. This was a MSW, but longer than the earlier ones - 5.5f. She broke slowly, then stayed behind the whole way. She was 7th, beaten 14 1/2 lengths. Ugh. The 56 was worthy of another ugh. We put her in a $50k maiden claimer on June 20 just to keep her in motion. She didn't win that one either, though she was just 2 3/4 out in third. The speed score ticked up to 59. Unlucky her got two sloppy tracks, and maybe she didn't like it and she'll do better in dry weather. Or maybe she LIKES it wet and will only go downhill from here. Only she knows, and she's not talking.

We ended the quarter with $1,309,860. We're literally swimming in cash. A special dividend will likely be declared at the end of the year. The amount has yet to be determined, though it seems likely to be at least 7 digits.

NEXT: The further adventures of Blue Stables!

[path12]

Now that is a finish.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by path12

Now that is a finish.

Yes, quite. It's kind of too bad that the game doesn't allow you to save races for replay later. You can only replay the race that was just run. But I'm a little beyond that point, as you will all soon see.

July-September 2016

ROUND AND ROUND was shipped to New York for the City Lights Stakes, a Grade 1 $300k turf race at 10f. She was made 6-1, but I thought she had a real chance. Bohanon gave her a good ride, and the results were great - first place, 3 1/2 ahead. Her first Grade 1 win! A couple of screen shots here - first, the race results:



Take note of the time - 2 minutes flat on turf. That's just ridiculously fast. Indeed, her 112 was one of the highest scores of the year:



She was on the yearly money list too, though too far down to see. I think she's still there, though I haven't checked lately.

Off that victory, we set our sights even higher and sent her off in the Kentucky Jewel - a $750,000 Grade 1 on turf, also at 10f. She was sent off as the 7-2 favorite. A 10-1 shot who had all kinds of trouble and limited success ran off and left her, but she beat everyone else to finish second, 2 1/2 behind. We had nothing to complain about. The 98 speed score indicated a bounce, but I suppose she deserved it. Another Grade 1 is next for her, then we'll slot her in the Breeders' Cup, somewhere.

IN YOUR DIRECTION got his shot at stardom in Florida during the Florida Speed Cup. He was entered in the $750k featured race at 6f. The bettors barely noticed him at 20-1. He tried to get out front early, but they were just too good, and up and left him in the mud. He ended up 6th, 5 back. He's vaguely competitive with this bunch, but there's neither money nor glory in finishing 6th. He got an easier spot back home on August 24. The Grade 3 Easy Street Handicap was a 6f race with a $150k prize pool. He was made the 7-2 favorite here. He got the lead, as always, but flat out couldn't hold it. He faded to third, 5 1/2 out. Not a total loss as there is some money in third. The speed scores were 99 and 101, respectively. Look for more of the same in the near future.

While I was keeping IN YOUR DIRECTION company in Florida, I'M INSANE was running a stakes race of his own back in Kentucky. He was only in this race because he was in relatively good form and there was literally nothing else remotely suitable for two months surrounding this race. He was a 10-1 nobody and pretty much raced like it. He never looked like a winner at any point and finished 5th, 7 1/4 back. We finally found another race for him on September 27 - an allowance race on turf at 5f. I knew he'd like the distance, and I guess we'd find out if he'd like the green stuff. He was made the 5-2 second choice on pure class; none of the other runners had ever run on turf before. He shrugged off all challengers and hit the wire 2 3/4 ahead. Yeah baby yeah! He paid $7.60 to win. The speed score of 88 wasn't quite as good as the race, but it's one off his career best. I guess he doesn't hate the turf. We'll see what we can find for him.

MORNING AFTER was sent all the way down to a $32,500 maiden claiming race on August 1. We wanted her to win, the bettors expected her to win as the 8-5 favorite, and gosh golly she did win. She pressed, took the lead on the far turn, and held off the closers to win by a length. A win is a win is a win! The speed score of 71 indicated some improvement, but she's really not anywhere close to being elite. Because we had nowhere else to put her, she was sent in an allowance race on September 19. She was made 52-1 and deserved every bit of it. That said, the race wasn't TOO bad - 6th of 7, 7 behind, speed score of 77. If you save your pennies, you can claim her.

LOST MY CELL came up second best in a couple of claiming races - a 6f $40k jobbie on August 2, and a 5.5f $50k turf race on September 7. He was 2 and 2 1/2 behind, respectively, with speed scores of 95 and 88. I think we've found his level.

We ended the quarter with $1,639,710.

NEXT: Will ROUND AND ROUND make it to the Breeders' Cup? Can IN YOUR DIRECTION shake off his mini-funk? Will I'M INSANE continue his early promise? Will MORNING AFTER find a good home... somewhere else? Will LOST MY CELL break through?

[Honolulu Blue]

October and November 2016

On October 5 we had stakes races in both Kentucky and California. I hate it when that happens... not really. The Grade 2 $250k Camptown Races happened first with IN YOUR DIRECTION. He was 9-2 at post time of the 6f sprint. He was good, not his best, and was third, 2 1/2 back. He was sent to New York to compete in the Grade 3 $200k Thunderbolt, a 5f sprint on turf. The competition wasn't great and he was made the 5-2 favorite. Alas, his race wasn't very good. He faded down the stretch to 7th, 2 1/4 back. I don't think he likes turf very much, so no more of that. We'll see if he comes back strong after the break.

Three hours after IN YOUR DIRECTION's performance, ROUND AND ROUND ran in the featured race in Cali - the Pebbles Stakes. This was a $300k Grade 1 on turf at a mile and a half. I never miss an opportunity to come to California, so I was there in person. She ran her race and tried to make her move, but it didn't quite work. She was third, beaten 1 1/4. Perhaps it was too much distance. We decided to save her for the Breeders' Cup.

LOST MY CELL ran in another $50k claimer on October 8, this time at 7 furlongs. He was the 9-5 favorite, but he couldn't finish the job. He faded in the last furlong and lost by a neck. That was the last straw. We sold him privately after the race for $33,000. His career record for us was 14-2-5-1 $104,740. Here's his final PP:



He was a profitable acquistion overall and probably could have continued to grind out more money for us over the next year or two. But my heart wasn't in it. I wouldn't be surprised to see him earn a half million more over the rest of his career. So we wish him well.

Continuing the purge, we also sold MORNING AFTER on the same day for $22,000. No PP for her, sorry. But her career record was 4-1-0-1 $14,970. This was a substantial loss, which we might have been able to grind back in time. But again, my heart wasn't in it. Good luck to her too.

With our slimmer stable, we sent out survivor I'M INSANE in the $75k 6f Jack Sprat on November 7. He was caught wide the whole race and didn't handle it well, finishing 5th, just one length behind. The 92 was a career best. We're hopeful that he might turn into a Derby contender or something over the break.

NEXT: One Breeders' Cup race coming up. Am I ready for my closeup with Jeannine? Is she ready for me?

[Honolulu Blue]

November 22, 2016

This is it... the day of the Breeders' Cup. The usual cast of characters are here from ESPN, along with many of the famous names in horse racing. And most of the best horses too. ROUND AND ROUND is our entry in the Filly & Mare Turf race. It's a $1,000,000 Grade 1 run at 10 furlongs - her best distance, as best we can judge. Here are the past performances:






Going through them one by one:

1-OKLAHOMA PATCH - Beat us twice in the Kentucky Jewel and the Pebbles. Dangerous; an overlay at 7-1 odds.
2-UNLIMITED TUNE - Won three increasingly prestigious races to get here. Might not like the distance or the company; overmatched?
3-ROUND AND ROUND - Can't say too much about our horse that hasn't been said. Bohanon is up, which is very good. The post position is a negative. She CAN overcome it all, but it will be a struggle.
4-MAGGIE'S LARK - Has run exclusively in the best dirt races, until the last two. Beaten badly in the Kentucky Jewel by ROUND AND ROUND and others. I'll let her beat me.
5-FREE PARADE - Ran a monster in Florida's Turf Queen to get here. Record mostly undistinguished otherwise. Jockey is a bum. No thank you.
6-RITZEE STAR - Competitive at the highest level in turf races, but hasn't won lately. Won't win this one.
7-MONTREAL MANGO - Career turf earnings (0) says it all. Pass.
8-ASCOT SERVICE - Good competitor, but probably not the best jockey. Workouts aren't great either. Could win, but at 6-1 I'd prefer others.
9-MEAN JODY - Finished just behind our girl in the Kentucky Jewel. Memories of the Florence and that 110 score are fading. Will be on the lead at the beginning, won't be there at the end.
10-WIN BY HILL - Token 3yo. Has done well against her own kind, but this is a big step up. Could win, but I wouldn't have made her the favorite.
11-RAPID DREAM - At 6, she's the oldest mare here. Three wins in a row against softer company. Now she's back in a Grade 1. I don't see this return being a happy one.
12-LOST IN CHIP - Must have been hurt during the Kentucky Jewel and may have needed the last race. Workouts have been great. Could surprise at huge odds.

If I had to pick the order of finish, I would say 1-3-10-4.

There was a fair amount of talk about our horse by Randy and Jerry, but they didn't think she had the speed to circle the field. Hank had a 4-horse exacta box that didn't include us. But Jeannine interviewed me! She tossed some softballs and I told her about the wonderful year we were having and what a great filly ROUND AND ROUND was. Don't blink, or you'll miss it.

And they're off! As expected, the pace came from the outside, with MEAN JODY leading early. ROUND AND ROUND was roughly mid-pack, not too far off the lead, but not pressing either. Around the turn, lanes started to open up, and she made her move. She swept by MEAN JODY with a furlong to go. Bohanon looked back - nobody coming. I looked back - definitely no pressure from behind. ROUND AND ROUND won it in hand! Here are the full results:



Jeannine came back to me after our victory. I think I said something silly like, "I'm going to Disneyland!" You'll have to forgive me; I'm drunk with the biggest victory this stable has ever had!

"I knew right from the beginning that you would end up winning" - Ratt, "Round and Round"

NEXT: With Breeders' Cup trophy in hand, where do I go from here? I'm not sure. I guess I'll think of something...

[path12]

Nice!!

[weegeebored]

This is a very cool read. I wish the game graphics were better as it seems as if the long-term gameplay is fun. Still it is a tempting buy for me. Continued success HB!