Derby Bound -- an occasional & semi-interactive Racing Breed Dynasty

[rjolley]

Enjoying the dynasty. You make it sound exciting enough for me to check this game out.

[path12]

4/23/2007:

NOTES: Glad to hear from those following along! Hope it stays enjoyable, I'm having fun with this.

SCHEDULING: None.

RACES:
Sweep House, 4yo+, 8.5F on dirt, $16,000 claimer. He is a 7-1 outsider coming from post six in a 10 horse field. Probably one notch too high for him, but if he runs big he can do this.

He breaks alertly and gets to the rail a length in front on the first turn, stretches to three down the backstretch but is chased down around the far turn and despite battling hard down the stretch loses the show by a head at the wire, finishing 4th with a 70 rating.

Proper Blues, 4yo+, 8.5F on dirt (good), NWX1 Alw. He is 9-1 from the rail in the field of 9. He has won big against lesser company on an off track so I don't expect that to be a factor. I just want to see him compete well at this level, hoping his first race was just getting used to the class jump from $16K starter alw.

After dueling briefly out of the gate with the 8 horse, he quickly moves out and opens up six lengths on the rest of the field in a quick half of 46.4, never really being threatened as he wins easily by 4 while posting a 101 rating. Woohoo! So much for wondering if he fit here.

Lynch Barkeep, 2yo(F), 4.5F on dirt, $25,000 maiden claiming. She is the co-third choice at 9-2 and breaks from the 4 hole in this 10 horse field.

And it was mostly a so-so debut. She got caught in traffic a couple of times around the turn, could not rally from that and finished a nose out of fifth in an even effort of 53. There was a brief flash of speed on the turn in between traffic jams, which gives me both hope that she might be competitive at low levels and that she is strong enough to race now rather than putting her on the sideline to develop as we are currently doing with our other 2yo's.

[path12]

4/30/2007:

FOFC STABLE RECAP - MAY 2007

Bankroll: $191,175 (last $70,295)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz -- 14% win pct. Purse ranking: 7th. (last 12%/8th)

2007 Record: 27 starts, 7 win, 8 place, 2 show, 17th place (last 47th)
2007 Earnings: $166,750, 39th place (last 71st)

Energy level in parentheses after name.

Devil Key (96) -- 5yo chestnut mare. Bought for $24,000. 2006 net: $38,660.
Lifetime record: 25 starts, 4 win, 2 place, 8 show, $94,580.
2007 record: 5 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 0 show, $26,520

Ain't Armor (0 - INJURED UNTIL MAY) -- 4 yo bay filly. Bought for $8,000. 2006 net: $5,820.
Lifetime record: 11 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 2 show, $24,330
2007 record: None.

Seattle Back (98) -- 4yo gray colt. Claimed for $40,000. 2006 net: $18,630.
Lifetime record: 10 starts, 3 win, 2 place, 2 show, $73,630
2007 record: 3 starts, 0 win, 1 place, 1 show, $12,490

Storm Sue (99) -- 5yo black filly. Claimed for $32,500. 2006 net: ($10,660)
Lifetime record: 16 starts, 6 win, 5 place, 3 show, $126,420
2007 record: 4 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 1 show, $32,650

Musical Trail (98) -- 4yo bay colt. Claimed for $16,000. 2006 net: $6,530
Lifetime record: 6 starts, 3 win, 0 place, 0 show, $42,810
2007 record: 5 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 0 show, $40,900

Irish Bricks Again (NA) -- 2yo black colt. Bought for $13,000.
Claimed for $25,000. Net profit $6,600.

Nobody Likes Bing (100) -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $8,000. Unraced.

Lynch Barkeep (94) -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $4,000.
2007 record: 1 starts, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $0

Diseased Yak (100) -- 2yo bay colt. Bought for $3,000. Unraced.

Sweep House (96) -- 5yo bay horse. Bought for $10,000. 2006 net: N/A
Lifetime record: 18 starts, 1 win, 2 place, 1 show, $28,110
2007 record: 5 starts, 0 win, 3 place, 0 show, $10,620

Proper Blues (97) -- 4 yo brown colt. Claimed for $16,000.
Lifetime record (at claim): 4 starts, 4 win, 0 place, 0 show, $34,800
2007 record at claim: 2 starts, 2 win, 0 place, 0 show, $19,800
FOFC record: 3 starts, 2 win, 0 place, 0 show, $40,170.

[path12]

4/30/2007:

SCHEDULING: Three horses ready to go this week. There are only a couple weeks until the first schedule break of the year in mid-May.

Seattle Back was a strong second last out at $50K, his first claiming race in awhile. We'll try him once more at the same level except stretch him back out to his usual route distance.

Storm Sue has a win and show at $40,000 her last two outs. I don't want to really raise or lower her. The only $40K left is a long 10F route but she might be able to handle that and she's in.

Musical Trail struggled with traffic last out at $40K. There is no good race to put him in before the break and I'd like to run him before that, so break my usual rule and stick him in the $50K race along with Seattle Back.

RACES:

Storm Sue, 4yo+(F), 10.0F on dirt, $40,000 claiming. She is the 2-1 favorite of the 10 horse field starting from post 5.

She sits just behind the leader through a half in 48.3, then moves into a three way duel for the lead, getting her nose in front going into the far turn. That was as good as it got though as she started to run out of gas after the turn and had nothing left for the stretch run, fading to 4th by 10 and running a 67. Decent effort.

Musical Trail and Seattle Back, 4yo+, 8.5F on dirt, $50,000 claiming. There are 10 horses in this race. Musical Trail is 9-1 on the rail and Seattle Back comes from post 9 at 7-1, a bit higher than I'd expect off his last race. At those odds I think a $100 exacta box is in order.

Seattle Back takes a slight lead from the outside in a three-way battle through the first turn. He shakes off one challenge in the backstretch, but cannot hold off the second around the far turn and ends up slowly giving ground to finish 4th and running an 87. Musical Trail was unhurried early while saving ground, made a move to as high as fifth at the top of the stretch but never threatened the leaders and ended up seventh posting a 71. Good thing I forgot to make that bet.

[path12]

5/7/2007:

SCHEDULING: Last week before break. Sweep House is ready but there's nothing for him. Proper Blues on the other hand is also ready after racing just 9 days ago, and there is a $16,000 StAlw race on the card this week that he should be able to destroy. It'll be a quick 12 days since his last race, but he's got a month to rest after this.

RACES:

Proper Blues, 4yo+, 8.5F on dirt, $16,000 StAlw. As you would expect after a strong NWX1 win, he is a huge 1-5 favorite coming from post 6 of 8.

After being challenged through the first quarter, he proceeds to run off and hide, snapping off fractions of 46.3 for the half and 110.3 through 3/4. He finishes 7 lengths in front of the second place horse, and 17 lengths in front of the third place finisher, running his second 101 in a row. He's earned a few weeks rest.

[path12]

6/11/2007:

NOTES: Ain't Armor is finally back in training after her injury.

SCHEDULING: All of our horses are 100% after the break.
Devil Key threw a clunker last out at $16K but she's been successful at that level. We find a sprint for her.
Ain't Armor was racing around the $10-12K range at the time of her injury. Let's try her at $8,000 for her debut back, there is a race a couple weeks out that will work.
Seattle Back has faded twice at $50,000. He has shown signs of liking the turf, and there is a $40,000 claimer on grass coming up. Let's try him there.
Storm Sue, while competitive, is also on a two race downturn in ratings at $40,000. Let's give her a shot at $32,500, there is a mile race later this month.
Musical Trail is eligible for a $25K StAlw still. There is one next week and we stick him in there. Might be a hair too much distance, but he's got wins at $25K and $32.5K claiming so I hope he at least fits in well with the field.
Lynch Barkeep is ready for her second try. A sixth at $25,000 Mcl doesn't give me any reason to look for a higher level. There is a race early July that will work.
Sweep House has been competitive at $12.5 but not so much at $16K. So we find a $12.5 claimer for him.
Proper Blues finds a nice race for his next step up the Allowance ladder, a NWX2 at 7 furlongs.

RACES:
Devil Key, 4yo+(F), 6.0F on dirt, $16,000 claiming. She breaks from post 6 of 10 as the 7-1 fourth choice. I'm hoping that last bad race was an anomaly.

Not so much. She does run three-wide on the turn, but when you're in eighth it doesn't matter much. A rally at the end to finish 5th isn't impressive either when you are still 8 back of the winner. I'm not sure how form cycles are handled in Racing Breed (or if they even exist), but she's clearly not at the top of her game. I think we'll be looking for a softer spot next out.

Proper Blues, 4yo+, 7.0F on dirt, NWX2 Alw. He is the 7-5 favorite of the 7 horse field and breaks from post 5.

He didn't get his usual good jump from the gate and sat third on the rail two back of the leaders and then just really ran pretty evenly, not gaining or losing much ground and ending up 4th and running an 86, far below the past two 101's. Hopefully it was just a bounce from two big races.

Actually, when he gets back to the barn a quarter crack is discovered. Nothing serious but does explain the dullness of this out.

[path12]

Argh. I lost a whole damn writeup. Welp, that does it for tonight then. I'll recap it next time.

[Tasan]

Dang. I'm missing my racing!

[Tasan]

bump?

[path12]

Originally Posted by Tasan

bump?

I'll get back to it soon I expect. Little bit of a gaming funk and summer busy-ness going on now.

[path12]

As noted above, I lost a weeks results but bottom line for last weeks races:

Seattle Back -- 8th on the turf at $40,000 -- blocked backstretch and 3 wide on the turn.
Musical Trail -- 3rd in a $25K starter allowance -- trouble the whole way.
Sweep House -- 2nd at $12,500.
Storm Sue -- won by 2 lengths at $32,500 -- but was claimed. Unfortunately, I lost all the overall gain/loss data for her, but she was a good claim for us overall I'm pretty damn sure.

OK, my back went out, I'm on Vicodin and bored so let's try and get back on track here......

[path12]

6/25/2007:

NOTES: Another open spot to fill with a claim with the loss of Storm Sue. We get an opportunity right away. Demand Mandate is a 3yo filly out of Langfuhr ($25K stud fee). Her last five speed ratings: 69, 69, 77, 84, 92, 93. That sure looks like an improving filly to me, and for $40,000 it's a risk worth taking. She is the 3-2 favorite and despite running 3-wide the entire way makes a late move on the pacesetter that got loose on the lead, finishing a clear second though dropping a bit to an 84. We get the claim, and have 10 horses in our stable once again.

Our new horse:
Demand Mandate -- 3 yo chestnut filly. Claimed for $40,000.
Lifetime record (at claim): 9 starts, 2 win, 3 place, 1 show, $62,850
2007 record at claim: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 place, 0 show, $38,000
FOFC record: None.

SCHEDULING: Nope.

RACES:
Lynch Barkeep, 2yo (F), $25,000 maiden claiming, 5.5F on dirt. She is 8-1 and breaks from post 2 of 10. The only other non first time starter is 38-1 from the far outside. She sits fourth on the rail at the half, at the head of the main pack behind the leaders. She can't do any better than that and grudgingly gives way down the stretch to finish 6th, running a 51. Credible in the sense that she could end up a decent low-level claimer, these races may have to get a bit cheaper for her to win though.

[path12]

7/1/2007:

FOFC STABLE RECAP - JULY 2007

Bankroll: $186,635 (last $191,175)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz -- 15% win pct. Purse ranking: 11th. (last 14%/7th)

2007 Record: 38 starts, 9 win, 9 place, 3 show, 18th place (last 17th)
2007 Earnings: $214,710, 38th place (last 39th)

Energy level in parentheses after name.

Devil Key (98) -- 5yo chestnut mare. Bought for $24,000. 2006 net: $38,660.
Lifetime record: 25 starts, 4 win, 2 place, 8 show, $94,580.
2007 record: 6 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 0 show, $27,060

Ain't Armor (100) -- 4 yo bay filly. Bought for $8,000. 2006 net: $5,820.
Lifetime record: 11 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 2 show, $24,330
2007 record: None.

Seattle Back (97) -- 4yo gray colt. Claimed for $40,000. 2006 net: $18,630.
Lifetime record: 10 starts, 3 win, 2 place, 2 show, $73,630
2007 record: 5 starts, 0 win, 1 place, 1 show, $14,950

Storm Sue (NA) -- 5yo black filly. Claimed for $32,500. 2006 net: ($10,660)
Lifetime record: 16 starts, 6 win, 5 place, 3 show, $126,420
2007 record: 4 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 1 show, $32,650
Claimed for $32,500. Overall profit (apx) $48,490.

Musical Trail (98) -- 4yo bay colt. Claimed for $16,000. 2006 net: $6,530
Lifetime record: 6 starts, 3 win, 0 place, 0 show, $42,810
2007 record: 7 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 1 show, $44,640

Irish Bricks Again (NA) -- 2yo black colt. Bought for $13,000.
Claimed for $25,000. Net profit $6,600.

Nobody Likes Bing (100) -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $8,000. Unraced.

Lynch Barkeep (94) -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $4,000.
2007 record: 2 starts, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $0

Diseased Yak (100) -- 2yo bay colt. Bought for $3,000. Unraced.

Sweep House (98) -- 5yo bay horse. Bought for $10,000. 2006 net: N/A
Lifetime record: 18 starts, 1 win, 2 place, 1 show, $28,110
2007 record: 6 starts, 0 win, 4 place, 0 show, $13,620

Proper Blues (95 -- quarter crack) -- 4 yo brown colt. Claimed for $16,000.
Lifetime record (at claim): 4 starts, 4 win, 0 place, 0 show, $34,800
2007 record at claim: 2 starts, 2 win, 0 place, 0 show, $19,800
FOFC record: 5 starts, 3 win, 0 place, 0 show, $58,290.

Demand Mandate -- 3 yo chestnut filly. Claimed for $40,000.
Lifetime record (at claim): 9 starts, 2 win, 3 place, 1 show, $62,850
2007 record at claim: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 place, 0 show, $38,000
FOFC record: None.

[path12]

7/2/2007:

NOTES: As noted in the recap, Demand Mandate grabbed a quarter in her last race. Being young and promising I have no plan to rush her back so we'll wait for some good workouts and 100 in fitness.

SCHEDULING: Devil Key is ready. We're now in the last half of her 5yo season and she may be tiring with a couple of dull efforts at $16,000. We find a $12,500 sprint and see if we might be able to snag a win.
Musical Trail is also ready to go after a troubled trip in his starter allowance. We'll bump him back up to $40,000 at a mile on July 14th.
Four places at $12,500 suggest that is the level for Sweep House, and we find a long 10F test at that level. He was just shy a nose last time at that distance.

RACES:
Ain't Armor, 4yo+ (F), $8,000 claiming, 8.5F on dirt (wet). For her first race since October, she gets a sloppy track and the outside 8 post, but is still the 2-1 favorite in this bottom level claimer. I'd hope she could win this but she could need a race.
That proves to be the case as she is carried wide on the first turn and runs evenly about 5 lengths back of the leaders the rest of the way, finishing sixth. And is foolishly claimed, at least paying for her feed this year.

Her record for FOFC stables:
Ain't Armor -- Bought for $8,000. 2006 net: $5,820.
Lifetime record: 11 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 2 show, $24,330
2007 record: 1 start, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $0. Claimed 7/4 for $8,000. 2007 net: $2,000.
Overall profit: $7,820.

Devil Key, 4yo+(F), $12,500 claiming, 6.0F on dirt (wet). She is the 4-1 second choice in the field of 10 and breaks from post 2. Saves ground about 2 back of the leaders through the turn, nicely just getting out of a possible jam in the backstretch. At the top of the stretch she makes a strong move and draws off by two, running a 73.

[path12]

7/9/2007:

SCHEDULING:
Seattle Back should be a good fit at $40,000 but traffic contributed to a dull race on the grass at that level last out. We find a dirt sprint at that same level in a couple of weeks and enter him there.

RACES:
Sweep House, 4yo+, $12,500 claiming, 10.0F on dirt. He is a 3-1 co-favorite in this mile and a quarter race breaking from post 2 of 9.

That was as dominant a race as you'll ever see a claimer run. Breaking smartly, Sweep House has 5 on the field while running a half in 48.2. He stretches it to 8 going to the far turn, and wins easily by 9, running a 76. Needless to say we'll be looking for those long cheap routes going forward.

Musical Trail, 4yo+, $40,000 claiming, 8.0F on dirt (wet). He is the 3-1 second choice on the rail in a field of 9. The track came up sloppy, he is 1 of 2 on off tracks but those races have dropped off the racing form. Barring his bad racing luck he should have a chance here.

I was worried about him being on the rail because he always gets caught in traffic, and sure enough he gets blocked by a fading frontrunner going into the far turn and loses around 3 lengths. Approaching the quarter he finds a way through and gets to 1 1/2 lengths of the leader at the pole, has evened it by the 1/16 pole and stretches out another 1 1/2 by the wire, running a nice 93. Those were a couple of nice races.

[path12]

7/16/2007:

Nobody was ready or racing. Pretty rare.

[path12]

7/23/2007:

SCHEDULING: We've got 9 horses in our stable. Of those, 2 are 2yo's that probably won't race this year. 2 are coming back from minor injuries. Another 2yo who is not ready to win yet. That leaves 4 horses to race at this time and they each need a couple weeks to bounce back after each race. Bottom line: that was a lot of words used to say "none".

RACES:
Seattle Back, 4yo+, $40,000 claiming, 6.0F on dirt (wet). Track listed as good for the 3-1 favorite breaking from post 2 in a 10 horse field. He is 3-0-1-1 on off tracks.

He runs a decent race, ends up third by just over a length at a 94, but is claimed away. Bummer.

Final record:
Seattle Back -- 4yo gray colt. Claimed for $40,000. 2006 net: $18,630.
Lifetime record: 10 starts, 3 win, 2 place, 2 show, $73,630
2007 record: 6 starts, 0 win, 1 place, 2 show, $18,800. Claimed 7/25 for $40,000. 2007 net: $52,800.
Overall profit: $71,430.

[path12]

7/30/2007:

NOTES: The claim shouldn't have been a surprise, because that's the level on which he can win. I would rather run a horse where he belongs than not; except in those cases I would do exactly that, such as a promising younger horse rising through the ranks to allowance company, or early 3yo's. All of these claims with the possible exception of Storm Sue were pretty close to their top level. I'm hoping to save money for the auctions but may start looking for some lower level durable claimer, not unlike the mediocre innings-eater in baseball.

SCHEDULING:
Proper Blues quarter crack is 100% now. Despite that he was credible at NW2X last out so we'll put him back at that level in a race this Friday.
Devil Key is back at $16,000 after the win at $12.5. She gives every impression of liking more ground so let's try her at a mile and 1/16th.
Musical Trail is off that strong win in the slop at $40K. He is still eligible for $25,000 StAlw and there is one next week. He's in.
Sweep House is also back up to $16,000 after that romp last out. Next week.

RACES:
Proper Blues, 4yo+, $42,000 NW2 Allowance, 7.0F on dirt. It's a closely bunched field of 7, and Proper Blues is co-third choice at 7-2 breaking from post 3. Tough looking race.

He presses the pace from third on the rail to the first quarter, then moves through to take a nose lead at the half. Grabbing a small lead at the top of the stretch he holds off two late challengers to win by 1 running a 93. We're going to have to decide what to try with this horse, he doesn't have star written on him but he's pretty good.

[path12]

8/6/2007:

SCHEDULING: Lynch Barkeep is at 100. I'm not in a hurry to get her back in a race but find a bottom $25,000 maiden claimer in early September and enter her there. The other two year olds are just not ready to race yet.

RACES:
Musical Trail, 4yo+, $25,000 StAlw, 8.5F on dirt. He is the 9-5 favorite of the 10 horse field starting from post 8. There are a couple of 5-2 shots right behind him in the betting.

Pushed slightly wide on the first turn he quickly grabs a nice stalking position and moves to the lead in the backstretch. He is not headed from there and stretches out to a 5 length win while posting a 95 speed figure. I don't think he'll be eligible for any more of these so it is nice to finish with a win.

Devil Key, 4yo+(F), $16,000 claiming, 8.5F on dirt (wet). She is the 7-1 fourth choice and breaks from post 8 of 10 on the sloppy track. She does well on this surface with a record on off tracks of 5-3-0-1.

Not this time though as she is held wide on the first turn losing 3 lengths to the leaders. It didn't matter though as the three leaders put 10 lengths on the rest of the field while Devil Key quietly faded to 9th, running a very dull 41.

Sweep House, 4yo+, $16,000 claiming, 6.0F on dirt (wet). In a wide open field of 10, he is the co-second choice at 9-2 and breaks from post 4 on a track listed as good. A bit shorter distance than he usually runs. He has one win and two places in six starts on wet tracks.

He duels with the favored 6 horse from the gate and they go stride for stride the entire race on the lead, with Sweep House falling short by a nose at the wire, grabbing the place with a nice figure of 79.

[path12]

8/13/2007:

NOTES: I know our preference was for an older horse to claim, but we find a very nice looking 2yo colt out of Smoke Glacken ($25K stud fee). Despite lots of trouble he was second in his first out while running a 74, nice for a debut. Since then he's got a couple of sub :37 3f works, on the mud no less. That's worth the $32,500 claim and we go for it. He runs away by 8 while posting a 92 and we get the claim. Our new stud 2yo:

Johnny Delight -- black 2yo colt. Claimed 8/15 for $32,500.
Lifetime record (at claim): 2 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $15,200
2007 record at claim: 2 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $15,200
FOFC record: None.

SCHEDULING: Demand Mandate has recovered from her grabbed quarter. I'd like to try her in allowance company but the only NW1 is out a couple of weeks, and at 6F it is shorter than we'd prefer given that she looks to like more ground. But we'll get a read on her with the company and it gives her an extra couple weeks to make sure she's healthy.

Proper Blues is still eligible for a $16,000 StAlw, quite easy pickings for a horse that just won a NW2 allowance. But a check is a check, so we'll put him there.

RACES:
Proper Blues, 4yo+, $16,000 StAlw, 8.5F on dirt. He is a massive 1-9 favorite breaking from the rail in a field of 9. This should really be no contest.

And it isn't. The 4 horse goes with him out of the gate, but is shaken off at the quarter pole and he is gone after that, posting a 101 while winning by nearly 19 lengths. So long starter allowances, it's time to see if this colt can win some better money.

[path12]

8/20/2007:

SCHEDULING:
Musical Trail comes off two straight wins at $40K and a $25K StAlw. I think he gets claimed if we run him at $40K. So either $50K or an NW1 Allowance.....the Alw comes up and we enter him.

RACES:
Musical Trail, 4yo+, $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 8.5F on dirt (wet). Muddy track and Musical Trail is an even-money favorite from post 2 in the 9 horse field. He has 2 wins in 3 starts on wet tracks.

He puts himself in horrible traffic once again, ending up trapped on the rail by four other horses for nearly the entire race. Rallies a bit at the end but I don't think you can make any judgements about this race either good or bad. Throw it out.

[path12]

8/27/2007:

SCHEDULING: We'll drop Devil Key back to $12.5K after her dull race at $16K and find one at a mile next week.

RACES:
Demand Mandate, 3yo(F), $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 6.0F on dirt (wet). She is the 3-1 favorite but shouldn't be now the the track came up sloppy -- she has just one show in three starts on wet tracks. If I could I'd scratch her, but you can't scratch the day of the race.

Not too bad, she gained a couple of lengths on the leader in the stretch but put five lengths on the rest of the field while grabbing the place with an 84 rating. At least we know she is able at this level.

Lynch Barkeep, 2yo(F), $25,000 Maiden Claiming, 5.5F on dirt. She is the 5-1 third choice and breaks from post 4 in the field of 10.

She breaks smartly and tracks just off the leader through the backstretch and the turn, slowly giving way down the stretch but holding on to the place, running a 55. First finish in the money!

[path12]

9/2/2007:

FOFC STABLE RECAP - SEPTEMBER 2007

Bankroll: $295,485 (last $186,635)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz -- 16% win pct. Purse ranking: 8th. (last 15%/11th)

2007 Record: 51 starts, 15 win, 12 place, 4 show, 7th place (last 18th)
2007 Earnings: $333,560, 34th place (last 38th)

Energy level in parentheses after name. Horses in italics have been claimed.

Devil Key (100) -- 5yo chestnut mare. Bought for $24,000. 2006 net: $38,660.
Lifetime record: 25 starts, 4 win, 2 place, 8 show, $94,580.
2007 record: 8 starts, 3 win, 1 place, 0 show, $36,060

Ain't Armor (NA) -- 4 yo bay filly. Bought for $8,000. 2006 net: $5,820.
Lifetime record: 11 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 2 show, $24,330
2007 record: 1 start, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $0. Claimed 7/4 for $8,000. 2007 net: $2,000.
Overall profit: $7,820.

Seattle Back (NA) -- 4yo gray colt. Claimed for $40,000. 2006 net: $18,630.
Lifetime record: 10 starts, 3 win, 2 place, 2 show, $73,630
2007 record: 6 starts, 0 win, 1 place, 2 show, $18,800. Claimed 7/25 for $40,000. 2007 net: $52,800.
Overall profit: $71,430.

Storm Sue (NA) -- 5yo black filly. Claimed for $32,500. 2006 net: ($10,660)
Lifetime record: 16 starts, 6 win, 5 place, 3 show, $126,420
2007 record: 4 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 1 show, $32,650
Claimed for $32,500. Overall profit (apx) $48,490.

Musical Trail (96) -- 4yo bay colt. Claimed for $16,000. 2006 net: $6,530
Lifetime record: 6 starts, 3 win, 0 place, 0 show, $42,810
2007 record: 10 starts, 4 win, 1 place, 1 show, $86,040

Irish Bricks Again (NA) -- 2yo black colt. Bought for $13,000.
Claimed for $25,000. Net profit $6,600.

Nobody Likes Bing (100) -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $8,000. Unraced.

Lynch Barkeep (94) -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $4,000.
2007 record: 3 starts, 0 win, 1 place, 0 show, $3,400

Diseased Yak (100) -- 2yo bay colt. Bought for $3,000. Unraced.

Sweep House (100) -- 5yo bay horse. Bought for $10,000. 2006 net: N/A
Lifetime record: 18 starts, 1 win, 2 place, 1 show, $28,110
2007 record: 8 starts, 1 win, 5 place, 0 show, $26,220

Proper Blues (99) -- 4 yo brown colt. Claimed for $16,000.
Lifetime record (at claim): 4 starts, 4 win, 0 place, 0 show, $34,800
2007 record at claim: 2 starts, 2 win, 0 place, 0 show, $19,800
FOFC record: 7 starts, 5 win, 0 place, 0 show, $118,890.

Demand Mandate (94) -- 3 yo chestnut filly. Claimed for $40,000.
Lifetime record (at claim): 9 starts, 2 win, 3 place, 1 show, $62,850
2007 record at claim: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 place, 0 show, $38,000
FOFC record: 1 starts, 0 win, 1 place, 0 show, $7,800.

Johnny Delight (99) -- black 2yo colt. Claimed 8/15 for $32,500.
Lifetime record (at claim): 2 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $15,200
2007 record at claim: 2 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $15,200
FOFC record: None.

[path12]

9/3/2007:

SCHEDULING:
Sweep House battled for the lead the entire way at $16,000 last out. I can't see bumping him higher so we'll keep him at that level at a mile on Sunday. Hopefully he won't bounce after that tough last race.
I was looking for a minor stakes race to try Proper Blues in, but there were none in the near future on dirt. So we'll bump him to a NW3 optional claimer on 9/14. I think top end for him is minor stakes. We'll get another clue from this race.
Johnny Delight is set to make his first start for us after breaking his maiden with an impressive 92. There is a NW1 in a couple weeks and we'll try him there. If he does well we can look for some end season 2yo stakes.

RACES:
Devil Key, 3yo+(F), $12,500 claiming, 8.0F on dirt (wet). A good track listed. Devil Key is the 2-1 second choice and comes from post 7 of 8. She ran such a poor race last out, hopefully this will be a return to form.

She gets over to the rail and tracks the pacesetter by about 2 lengths the entire race before gradually weakening and just getting caught to lose the place and finish third, 3 1/2 back and a rating of 70. She looked like she wanted to make a move once or twice but just couldn't.

Sweep House, 3yo+, $16,000 claiming, 8.0F on dirt. 3-1 second choice breaking from post 8 of 9.

He is hustled to the rail early and leads by 3 down the backstretch, but at the quarter pole his energy gives out and fades to third at the wire with a rating of 69. I can't help but think that some kind of bounce given his last three races in the 70's.

[path12]

9/10/2007:

SCHEDULING: None.

RACES:
Proper Blues, 3yo+, $45,000 OC 50K/NW3 Allowance, 8.5F on dirt (wet). He is the co-second choice at 4-1. It's a 9 horse field and he is in the 2 hole. The track is muddy, he is 2 for 2 on wet tracks in his career. Third time is the charm....

He breaks alertly and maintains a couple length lead to the half, where he draws away to 7 at the top of the stretch. He fades in the last sixteenth but has plenty of cushion and wins by 3, running a second straight 101, but this time against much better horses.

Johnny Delight, 2yo, $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 6.0F on dirt (wet). At 5-1 he is an outsider in a contentious 7 horse field of promising 2yo's. I don't care if he wins, but I'd love to see a good performance. The track is now good and we'll see how he reacts to that as well.

Only a length and a half separated the first six horses at the quarter, unfortunately we were on the outside of that pack and ended up 4 wide throughout the turn and looking like he was about to fade. He did get a second burst and made a small move in the stretch before tiring again at the finish to end up 4th while running a 74. All in all I'm pleased because he had a chance to fade but then rallied. Seems a good sign.

[path12]

9/17/2007:

SCHEDULING: Devil Key is ready, we find a 6F $12,500 claimer first week of October for her. After taking a break from this stable, it seems clear looking her record over that she prefers sprints to routes.

Musical Trail had a horrific trip last out at NW1X. We'll try him back at that level.

RACES:

Musical Trail, 3yo+, $39K N1X Allowance, 8.5F on dirt (sloppy). He is one of three 4-1 co-second choices in the field of 10, breaking from post 7. Track came up sloppy, he's 2 for 4 on wet tracks, best in the race. It would be nice to see him stay out of trouble for a change.

Of course he can't as he is carried four wide around the first turn, but he was pretty clean after that. Favorite got four lengths on the rest of the field and couldn't be caught, but Musical Trail finishes a pretty solid third, though the rating of 81 isn't anything to shout about.

[path12]

9/24/2007:

SCHEDULING: Sweep House just missed last out at $16,000; so we find another for him at that level.

Proper Blues is now 10 for 12 lifetime and is coming off back to back 101 ratings. It's time to try him against stakes company. We find the 8.0F $75,000 Father Goose stakes and enter him there. I would have been willing to try a G3 if there had been one on the schedule, but still this is a jump from the NW3 allowance he just won.

Demand Mandate was a solid second while making the jump from $40K claiming to NW1. We find another NW1 but at what appears to be her favored distance of one mile.

RACES:

Proper Blues, 4yo+, $75,000 Father Goose stakes, 8.0F on dirt. At 4-1 he is the second choice of the seven horse field behind an even money favorite who doesn't look to be all that much better on paper.

On the track however, the favorite looked far better, running off by three and scoring a 98. Proper Blues stumbled at the start, raced up behind the leaders to the quarter pole before tiring badly to last while running a dull 76. He came out of the race fine. He sure didn't look like he matched up to stakes level horses that time.

Sweep House, 3yo+, $16,000 claiming, 8.5F on dirt. He is fourth choice at 6-1 in the 9 horse field.

He was solid at this level just a couple of months ago, but not now. Runs away by three early on and maintains that to the quarter pole where he runs out of gas and fades to 6th. Could be he's just aging quickly.

[path12]

10/1/2007:

NOTES: Our unraced 2 year olds are not showing much. Both Nobody Likes Bing or Diseased Yak are still over 40 seconds for a 3F work. These are going to be rock bottom claimers.

SCHEDULING: Johnny Delight was midpack in his allowance debut. There is only one NW1 allowance for two year old colts and it's on turf. His sire Smoke Glacken doesn't usually translate to turf very well, but since there is nothing else on the horizon we enter him here.

Lynch Barkeep was second last out in a $25K maiden claimer. There is a $20K race and we enter her there -- I don't think there is a big claim risk.

RACES:

Demand Mandate, 3yo+(F), $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 8.0F on dirt. She is 6-1 and breaks from post 7 in the 9 horse field. It's a rather tough group on paper, with the favorite coming off a stakes place last out.

She settles behind the leaders on the backstretch, moves three wide on the turn to take the lead and draws off by four lengths for the win with a 96 speed rating. That was an impressive race.

Devil Key, 3yo+(F), $12,500 claiming, 6.0F on dirt. She is a tepid 3-1 favorite breaking from post 6.

As is her habit she hangs towards the back and saves ground through the backstretch into the turn. There is absolutely no traffic on the rail as she makes a strong move from 6 back to win by 1 1/2 lengths while posting a 73.

Two races, two wins! Nice change from those dud races last week.

[path12]

10/8/2007:

SCHEDULING: No optimal races on the near schedule for Musical Trail. He's posted a third and a 6th with traffic problems and off tracks in his past two NW1 races. His form is disguised enough that I would put him in a top level claimer, but the only ones are short turf sprints, and he seems to definitely be a router. The NW1 races are either turf or 5F races or both, except for one a couple weeks out at 1 1/16 mile on the grass. Since he's had some success on off-tracks and there is nothing else around we'll try him there.

RACES: Johnny Delight, 2yo, $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 5.0F on grass. He is an 8-1 outsider from post 5 in the 7 horse race. I'll be happily surprised if he happens to show some turf ability here, but for the most part this is just a race to keep him in form.

He breaks alertly as the field splits into four horses up front and three far back. He is carried three wide through the turn and keeps pace with the top group, finishing an even fourth but just 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner while running a 91. Turf ratings tend to be somewhat higher than dirt, but that's still pretty good for a 2yo. I'll be open to trying him again on grass, but think he'll want more distance.

Lynch Barkeep, 2yo(F), $20,000 Maiden Claiming, 5.5F on dirt. There are nine entered, but the bettors see this as a two horse race, with Lynch Barkeep and Express Cat co even money favorites and the third choice at 12-1.

Four horses duel down the backstretch before Lynch Barkeep and Express Cat break away from the pack, staying within a length of each other through the turn and to the wire, with Express Cat taking it at the end by 1 1/2 while Lynch Barkeep has another place and a career best 62 rating. She'll get there soon.

[path12]

10/15/2007:

NOTES: Nobody Likes Bing popped a 38.4 workout at 3F to finally break 40 seconds. I think I'm just going to wait for next year with both her and Diseased Yak (who also got to 39.2).

SCHEDULING: Sweep House has had a couple tough outings at $16K, so we'll drop him back to $12,500 and see if that wakes him up some.

I'm very confused about Proper Blues' last race. A horse that can more than hold his own in a NW3/OC race should be able to handle minor stakes company, but he just bombed last time. So, since I can't figure it out I'll try him again -- there is a 8.5F stakes this week. It might be a touch longer than he might prefer, but he has won at this distance against lesser.

RACES: Proper Blues, 3yo+, $100,000 Big Time Spender stakes, 8.5F on dirt. He is 5-1 third choice in a contentious group of 10, so at least on paper he seems to fit.

He breaks smartly and tracks about 3 back in third until the far turn where again there is no push and he fades badly to finish last with a 73. I think that he is going to move back to a sprint next time -- and he's going to have to show me that he belongs before trying another stakes level race.

Musical Trail, 3yo+, $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 8.5F on grass. For his turf debut he is a 9-1 outsider starting on the rail -- a recipe for traffic problems given that he does not go to the front early. As with Johnny Delight last week, this is more an experiment than a race I expect a result from.

Sure enough he is pinned along the rail early, but is at the front and pushing the leader all the way to the sixteenth pole before he gets loose and ends up just a length back in third while running a 87. I think he would have won that race if he'd got free. A nice surprise.

Sweep House, 3yo+, $12,500 claiming, 6.5F on dirt (sloppy). He is 8-1 on the drop, which seems like an overlay. I'll wheel him on some exactas and see if we can hit something -- his wet track form is better than most anyone else in this race.

Eh. He tracked the lead along the rail before fading slightly down the stretch to finish a dull fourth with a 68. I think age is catching up with this horse as he winds up his 5yo season. He's dropping again next time until we find a level he can win at.

[path12]

10/22/2007:

SCHEDULING: Devil Key is coming off a win at $12,500. I see no reason to move her from that level and find a suitable race in around 3 weeks.

RACES: None.

[path12]

10/29/2007:

SCHEDULING: Demand Mandate comes off a strong NW1 win at a mile last out. I don't see a upcoming NW2 race for her but there is a minor stake on the grass this week. Her sire Langfuhr does pretty well on the turf. Let's try it and see what we've got -- generally I prefer to have only one unknown factor in a race in order to get a better read on it and this time we'll have two (turf and class), but the end of the year is coming so I can't be too picky.....plus I've got a good feeling about her.

RACES: Demand Mandate, 3yo+(F), $75,000 Columbia Stakes, 8.5F on turf (good). She is the 8-1 fourth choice in the 9 horse field.

She was unhurried early, then unhurried midrace and finally unhurried at the end, beating just one horse while running a 70. She was in touch with the field all race. Remember that quite often grass ratings are higher than dirt, so the fact she kept pace but had a much lower rating suggests that she doesn't love the grass and we'll move her back to the main track.

[Coffee Warlord]

Diseased Yak needs the glue factory.

[path12]

11/5/2007:

NOTES: Turns out Demand Mandate has a minor illness. That means we have to not put too much weight on that last race, and we'll wrap her up for the year.

SCHEDULING: Musical Trail showed some liking for the turf last out at NW1 but once again found himself in traffic trouble. He definitely likes a longer race, and the pickins are slim. There is a NW2 at 1 1/16 on grass -- even though he's eligible for lower this seems the best fit.

I'm unsure what to do with Proper Blues. He breezed through the conditioned allowances but has run into a wall at stakes level. The only other safe option is to try an open allowance -- but despite smaller purses those are some of the toughest races in the entire game and usually far harder to win than a small stakes. At the same time he is 10 of 14 lifetime and has been pretty durable this year with 12 starts and $146K in earnings so I don't really want to risk him for $50,000 yet.

Actually, I think we just answered our own question -- his earning potential outweighs the claim price. Until convinced otherwise we'll keep trying him at the minor stakes level under different conditions and see if we hit on his niche. He is 3 for 3 on wet tracks (which can be an indicator for grass ability) so even though his sire Top Account does not have a great grass record let's find something for him there. There is a short sprint turf stakes and we'll give it a shot.

Johnny Delight will take one more shot at finishing his 2yo season as an allowance winner.

RACES: Devil Key, 3yo+(F), $12,500 claiming, 6.0F on dirt. She is the 5-2 favorite in the group of 10.

Not much to say, she was blocked mutiple times down the backstretch and again in the stretch and ended up 3 lengths back in 6th, running a 64.

Proper Blues, 3yo+, $100,000 Mr. Explosive Stakes, 5.0F on turf. He starts on the far outside as the longest shot on the board at 17-1. Being caught wide on a turf sprint is death, and it's easy to get caught wide in turf races anyway. That is probably fair odds.

He is five wide through the turn and finishes last with a 81. Sigh.

Musical Trail, 3yo+, $42,000 NW2 Allowance, 8.5F on turf. He is a 13-1 longshot in the field of 10. I'd really love a clean trip for him.

For the most part he gets one, the only problem being 3 wide. He pushes a neck out in front at the top of the stretch and is just worn down in the final strides after a good duel, finishing second by a neck while posting a 96. This horse is pretty good when he gets a trip -- the problem is just how rarely that happens.

[path12]

11/12/2007:

SCHEDULING: Sweep House appears to have lost 10 points off his speed in the past four months and is dropping down the ranks, this time to $10,000 as we hope to get one more win out of him.

RACES: Johnny Delight, 2yo, $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 6.0F on dirt. He is a 9-2 co-second choice in a tightly bunched field of 8. I have no idea what to expect, I can make a case for him winning because he's got the only 90+ races on his record (twice), but there look to be horses on better form in here.

He breaks alertly but settles midpack down the backstretch, moves to challenge the leaders but then flattens out, finishing fourth by 3 lengths and running an 86. I want to try him routing.

[path12]

11/19/2007:

NOTES: Last week of the year. We'll recap the stable next.

SCHEDULING: Nope.

RACES: Sweep House, 3yo+, $10,000 Claiming, 8.5F on dirt (good). He is 4-1 second choice in the field of 8. Record on off tracks: 8 starts, 1 win, 3 place, 0 show.

He takes the lead on a slow quarter in 24.3, then moves out by four down the backstretch. He starts to tire in the turn but manages to hold the place, finishing second by a half length while running a 77.

[path12]

FOFC STABLE RECAP - FINAL 2007 SEASON

Bankroll: $354,630 (last $295,485)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz -- 16% win pct. Purse ranking: 8th. (last 16%/8th)

2007 Record: 71 starts, 18 win, 15 place, 8 show, 10th place (last 7th)
2007 Earnings: $426,890, 37th place (last 34th)

2007 net profit: $223,330
Overall FOFC net profit: $277,970

Horses in italics were claimed.

Devil Key -- 5yo chestnut mare. Bought for $24,000. Overall FOFC net: $67,370.
Lifetime record: 25 starts, 4 win, 2 place, 8 show, $94,580.
2007 record: 11 starts, 4 win, 1 place, 1 show, $46,710. 2007 net: $28,710

Comment: Bottom level claiming should allow her to eke out another year.

Ain't Armor -- 4 yo bay filly. Bought for $8,000. 2006 net: $5,820.
Lifetime record: 11 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 2 show, $24,330
2007 record: 1 start, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $0. Claimed 7/4 for $8,000. 2007 net: $2,000.
Overall profit: $7,820.

Seattle Back -- 4yo gray colt. Claimed for $40,000. 2006 net: $18,630.
Lifetime record: 10 starts, 3 win, 2 place, 2 show, $73,630
2007 record: 6 starts, 0 win, 1 place, 2 show, $18,800. Claimed 7/25 for $40,000. 2007 net: $52,800.
Overall profit: $71,430.

Storm Sue -- 5yo black filly. Claimed for $32,500. 2006 net: ($10,660)
Lifetime record: 16 starts, 6 win, 5 place, 3 show, $126,420
2007 record: 4 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 1 show, $32,650
Claimed for $32,500. Overall profit (apx) $48,490.

Musical Trail -- 4yo bay colt. Claimed for $16,000. Overall FOFC net: $91,550
Lifetime record: 6 starts, 3 win, 0 place, 0 show, $42,810
2007 record: 13 starts, 4 win, 2 place, 3 show, $103,020. 2007 net: $85,020.

Comment: Solid allowance horse, talented but tends to find trouble. Versatile and durable.

Irish Bricks Again -- 2yo black colt. Bought for $13,000.
Claimed for $25,000. Net profit $6,600.

Nobody Likes Bing -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $8,000. Unraced. Overall FOFC net: ($26,000)

Comment: Best hope is bottom level.

Lynch Barkeep -- 2yo chestnut filly. Bought for $4,000. Overall FOFC net: ($15,600)
2007 record: 4 starts, 0 win, 2 place, 0 show, $6,400.

Comment: She could settle in the $10-12,500 range.

Diseased Yak -- 2yo bay colt. Bought for $3,000. Unraced. Overall FOFC net: ($21,000)

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Diseased Yak needs the glue factory.

Comment: Boy, they're both bad (Bing and Yak). I'm just hoping to somehow steal enough purse money to break even.

Sweep House -- 5yo bay horse. Bought for $10,000. Overall FOFC net: $3,500
Lifetime record: 18 starts, 1 win, 2 place, 1 show, $28,110
2007 record: 12 starts, 1 win, 6 place, 1 show, $31,500. 2007 net: $3,500

Comment: Fading. Low level claimer that can sprint or route.

Proper Blues -- 4 yo brown colt. Claimed for $16,000. Overall FOFC net: $92,090
Lifetime record (at claim): 4 starts, 4 win, 0 place, 0 show, $34,800
2007 record at claim: 2 starts, 2 win, 0 place, 0 show, $19,800
FOFC record: 11 starts, 6 win, 0 place, 0 show, $126,090. 2007 net: $92,090

Comment: Puzzling horse. Probably end up in optional/high claiming if this trend holds.

Demand Mandate -- 3 yo chestnut filly. Claimed for $40,000. Overall FOFC net: ($17,800)
Lifetime record (at claim): 9 starts, 2 win, 3 place, 1 show, $62,850
2007 record at claim: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 place, 0 show, $38,000
FOFC record: 3 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $31,200. 2007 net: ($17,800)

Comment: Promising and likely to get better. Stakes potential.

Johnny Delight -- black 2yo colt. Claimed 8/15 for $32,500. Overall FOFC net: ($30,480)
Lifetime record (at claim): 2 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $15,200
2007 record at claim: 2 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $15,200
FOFC record: 3 starts, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $7,020.

Comment: Competitive but unsuccessful so far at claiming level, but time to grow. Showed run on grass and dirt. May want more room.

[path12]

END SEASON NOTES:

Generally it was a pretty successful year thanks to a couple of claims that look as if they'll pan out.

Offhand it looks like we're well covered on the low end claimers, and we've got a few allowance/high claimers. We're completely bare at the mid level ($20-32,500 & starter allowance) and we need a couple of those to grind out purse money.

As for the auctions coming up, we should be able to pick up one or two of those mid claimers at a decent price (particularly 5yos) at the Horses of Racing Age sale. Let's budget $50,000 and hope for two from that auction.

As for the 2 year olds, let's budget $150,000 there and hope for 2-4 prospects. I think once again we'll have to have more focus on the regular rather than select sale.

I didn't like typing out all my potentials in the auction, so I'm going to skip documenting all that, but I'll be using the same process as I detailed earlier in the thread....post #65-67

[path12]

12/10/2007:

MIXED YEARLING SALE

We bought 3 yearlings for a total of $100,000, leaving us with another $50K for the Select Yearling sale. Our three new additions are:

Hip #103 -- Chestnut colt. Bought for $70,000 (name: El Paso)
Jade Hunter ($15K stud fee) -- Video Card, by Capote. Sire can throw turf and juvenile ability.
Dam: G2 winner, best distance Route, No turf wins, Multiple 2yo wins. Three grade winning siblings (G2 & G3).

Hip #6 -- Brown filly. Bought for $7,000 (name: Roast Yak)
Senor Speedy ($1.5K stud fee) -- Queenly Empress, by Farma Way. Sire below average in turf and juv ability.
Dam: Claiming winner, best distance route, multiple turf wins, no 2yo wins. One stakes winning sibling and one graded stakes placed sib.

Hip #147 -- Bay filly. Bought for $23,000 (name: Springfield)
Tricky Creek ($3.5K stud fee) -- Alpine Sensation, by Fire Dancer. Sire has turf ability, below average in juv.
Dam: Claiming winner, best dist sprint, turf winner, 2yo winner. One G2 & G3 winning sib, one G3 placed sib.

[Coffee Warlord]

There must always be more yaks.

I submit to you Roast Yak.

[path12]

12/20/2007:

SELECT YEARLING SALE: As I suspected, our $50,000 budget didn't give us a chance to add another yearling. I'll look for another colt in the 2yo training sale in March.

Since we gave the Yak name to a colt last year, we'll even it up with one of the fillies -- Hip #6, now known as Roast Yak.

[path12]

I like naming horses after cities, my semi-random choice selector comes up with:

El Paso
and
Springfield

And then on to the Horses of Racing Age sale and hope for a couple good mid-level claimers to fall our way.

[path12]

1/2/2008:

HORSES OF RACING AGE AUCTION:

We manage to find exactly what we were looking for, good aging horses that should be solid mid level claimers:

Lonesome Desk -- 6yo h -- bought for $30,000
Sire: Fit to Fight Dam: Flight Galore by Wavering Monarch.
Life to date: 27 starts, 5 win, 6 place, 7 show, $168,300.

He was just getting squeezed out of the minor stakes level at the end of last year. Should be able to perform quite well in the $32,500-$40K range. Looks like he prefers sprints so we'll try him there first.

Exact Effort -- 5yo m -- bought for $45,000
Sire: Top Account Dam: Continental Inn by High Brite
Life to date: 18 starts, 4 win, 2 place, 3 show, $125,270

Hanging around 3rd and 4th at the NW2 level in dirt routes. Start her high and see where she levels out.

[path12]

FOFC STABLE RECAP - START 2008 SEASON

Bankroll: $152,630
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz

Overall FOFC net profit: $277,970

All energy at 100.

Devil Key -- 6 yo chestnut mare. Bought for $24,000. FOFC net: $67,370.
Lifetime record: 36 starts, 8 win, 3 place, 9 show, $141,290.

Musical Trail -- 5 yo bay colt. Claimed for $16,000. FOFC net: $91,550
Lifetime record: 19 starts, 7 win, 2 place, 3 show, $145,830

Nobody Likes Bing -- 3 yo chestnut filly. Bought for $8,000. FOFC net: ($26,000)
Lifetime record: 0 starts, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $0.

Lynch Barkeep -- 3 yo chestnut filly. Bought for $4,000. FOFC net: ($15,600)
Lifetime record: 4 starts, 0 win, 2 place, 0 show, $6,400.

Diseased Yak -- 3 yo bay colt. Bought for $3,000. FOFC net: ($21,000)
Lifetime record: 0 starts, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $0.

Sweep House -- 6 yo bay horse. Bought for $10,000. FOFC net: $3,500
Lifetime record: 30 starts, 2 win, 8 place, 2 show, $59,610

Proper Blues -- 5 yo brown horse. Claimed for $16,000. FOFC net: $92,090
Lifetime record: 15 starts, 10 win, 0 place, 0 show, $160,890

Demand Mandate -- 4 yo chestnut filly. Claimed for $40,000. FOFC net: ($17,800)
Lifetime record: 12 starts, 3 win, 4 place, 1 show, $94,050

Johnny Delight -- 3 yo black colt. Claimed 8/15 for $32,500. FOFC net: ($30,480)
Lifetime record: 5 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show, $22,220

Roast Yak -- 2 yo brown filly. Bought for $7,000. Unraced.

Springfield -- 2 yo bay filly. Bought for $23,000. Unraced.

El Paso -- 2 yo chestnut colt. Bought for $70,000. Unraced.

Lonesome Desk -- 6 yo gray horse. Bought for $30,000.
Lifetime record: 27 starts, 5 win, 6 place, 7 show, $168,300

Exact Effort -- 5 yo brown mare. Bought for $45,000.
Lifetime record: 18 starts, 4 win, 2 place, 3 show, $125,270

And so it begins once more.

[path12]

1/8/2008:

SCHEDULING: I'm not going to detail where we enter every horse now that we're up to 14 in the stable. Suffice to say everyone but the two year olds are entered over the next few weeks.

RACES:
Proper Blues, 4yo+, $48,000 Open Allowance, 9.0F on grass. He is the longest shot on the board at 19-1 in the 7 horse field. Technically it's a notch below stakes though these races are as tough as any.....mainly I wanted to give him a chance at a longer race on the turf, that 5F last time was too short I believe.

He is four wide on the first turn but that is no excuse as he stops at the top of the stretch and ends up running to his odds, finishing last with an 80 rating. Turf does not appear to be his ally.

Lynch Barkeep, 3yo(F), $25,000 Maiden Claiming, 6.0F on dirt. In an open 10 horse field she is the co-favorite at 3-1, just ahead of two other fillies at 7-2.

She breaks smartly, clears the field and gets to the rail where she maintains a length or two lead through the turn. She is challenged briefly at the top of the stretch but responds and draws away by nearly 3 at the wire while running a 68. FOFC's first win of 2008!

Musical Trail, 4yo+, $39,000 NW1 Allowance, 9.0F on turf. He is a tepid second choice at 9-2 and on the rail with the favorite breaking from the far outside at 3-2. Neither post is conducive to those odds, especially considering Musical Trail's penchant for finding traffic.

As I watch him repeatedly run up on a tiring horse as six other horses pass him on the outside for what seems the millionth time I'm getting all deja vu'd. Sixth, 3 back and a 99 while getting blocked all backstretch and turn. Blah blah blah.

Diseased Yak, 3yo, $20,000 Maiden Claiming, 6.0F on dirt. For his debut, he is surprisingly only 10-1 and half the 10 horse field have bigger odds. Go get 'em, Yak!

He is in the top half of the field through the first half, gets caught 3 wide on the turn and fades to last with a 41. At least he didn't lose touch with the field.

Demand Mandate, 4yo+, $42,000 NW2 Allowance, 6.0F on dirt. She is running against the boys and coming off a dull last out due to illness, so her 13-1 odds are not that surprising, but worth a little across the board bet.

She was not alert early in the race and shuffled back to last down the backstretch but made a huge move coming down the stretch and ended up 4th and 4 back at the wire, running a 93.

Devil Key, 4yo+(F), $8,000 Claiming, 8.0F on dirt. Dropping in from $12,500, she is a huge 1-5 favorite. At six years old I don't think she'll be claimed but if she's going to this would be the spot.

Traffic hits again, and she ends up grabbing the show. And our last original horse is claimed.

Devil Key -- 6 yo chestnut mare. Bought for $24,000. FOFC net: $75,370.
Lifetime record: 36 starts, 8 win, 3 place, 9 show, $141,290.
2008 record: 1 start, 0 win, 0 place, 1 show, $1,100. Claimed for $8,000.

Nobody Likes Bing, 3yo(F), $16,000 Maiden Claiming, 6.5F on dirt. For Bing's cherry (forgive me) she is the 2-1 second choice coming off the rail in a field of 7.

She dueled for the lead in a slow 24.0, then just dropped back to sixth and held there the rest of the way, finishing with a 38 rating. Nobody is going to like Bing if she runs like that. They don't schedule 2F races.

That was a long week. I'm going to bed.

[Honolulu Blue]

Thank you for picking up this dynasty again. I'll be reading and rooting for you.

See you at the Breeders' Cup?

[path12]

By the by, thanks for the nomination. Now that the awarding is done I just wanted to offically close this dynasty.

A corrupt file ended the FOFC stables. I'm toying with the idea of another one (I still play the hell out of this game) but we'll see how that goes......