bridge loan to nowhere

As I've touched on in the past, we're all about sustainability here in NJ. For example, have a look at the measures being put in place to see to it that happy horses are bred in-state for years to come. You'll like this one. I just can't believe it never occurred to anyone to maybe grab a copy of Quicken at Best Buy and balance the books every so often. I mean, everyone's had that time or two when they've sent out a check and had to do the mad dash to the bank to cover it, but c'mon, I've never had the state legislature bail me out. And, sure, I know that the breeders were counting on supplemental monies, but that's like spending holiday bonus money before it's actually in hand ("What do you mean, 'marginally competent?' What about my bonus? I already bought the Play Station! Don't do me like this!"). Yeah, the state will throw a $5m or $10 bone at the breeders, whatever it is, but it's all just a bit of pissing into the wind, I'm afraid, and certainly won't help see to higher state foal crops. Ladies and gentlemen, New Jersey Racing!

Hope everyone has had a great holiday season so far. I'm off to Maine to ring in the New Year, which should be a good time. Depending on what kind of snow we get, it could mean a lot of Scrabble and bear hunting out back of the house. (Okay, one of those two is a lie.) If it really comes down, maybe I'll get to take a spin in the John Deere and plow some driveways. Anyway, if the site gets a little too quiet over this next stretch, you'll know how things went down. Just try to remember me fondly.

doh!

Veiled Reference ran great last night at Charles Town, getting nailed on the wire after making all the pace. Chart of the race is here. She's come back fine and is busy now doing last minute Christmas shopping. It was tough to miss out on the stakes win (they're now reconsidering the definition of juggernaut in the dictionary), but it's impossible not to love how she performed. She showed great speed and heart and really moved forward off of that maiden win (ran a speed figure of 76 versus the 63 last out). She's still a little green, but she'll learn from this one that, yes, sometimes other fillies are coming after you. Plus, we'll help her out and get her the added distance that she needs. No more of these shifty little sprinters; she wants to roll off 12 second eighths, so that's what we'll dial up.

Enjoy the photo. It's kind of like the rejection letter from that college that you really, really wanted to get into. Blow it up, stick it on the wall and just let the anger build. Do I have that right? Probably not. Filly is heading into '08 the right way, so we'll look to get ours down the line. Have a great holiday, everybody.

oh, okay

Short pre-race write up from DRF for Saturday's Eleanor Casey at Charles Town. Couldn't even get a "from the powerful T Street Stable operation," in there. Don't these guys read the blog? You look up juggernaut in the dictionary and it's just a big T printed there. Geeze. Anyway, just sending along the link.

just saying

It's worth checking out the latest news from Lambholm South, the Florida farm standing the great Express Tour. Our boy is on a roll. Isle Repo It won nicely at Calder this past week, posting a big speed figure going two turns and doing it the right way. Good to see that Express Tour has the few winners now, particularly given his small crop of 11 out of the gate. I told one of my friends down in Florida that I'll offer up my 2008 season to him for $750 and a six pack, so we'll see if I get any takers. Obviously, he's got a long road to haul, but I'm really encouraged by the type of horse that he's throwing. Just like the man himself, they're tough, fast, no-nonsense types that lay it down each time out. I'll take one of those all day over some of the flashier get that are more popular in the marketplace. He can be had for a song now, but if he can sustain what he's started into his second crop, he's in with a shot to make it. As I told my dad, they haven't sold him off to Turkey just yet, so he's doing something right. Here's hoping Isle Repo It rocks on with his bad self.

Closer to home, Nautical Agent will ship out from Overbrook next week to another local farm in Colts Neck. It's quieter than the training center, so maybe she won't get as fired up watching her barn mates train in the mornings. I've been told that they have a few show horses at this joint, so she'll have to get to work prepping for that life in the circus she's always wanted. All is well at last report. We'll probably x-ray the leg in February to see where it is and go from there.

gas up the car, baby

It's on again down at Charles Town in West Virginia. Veiled Reference will return in the Eleanor Casey Stakes on Saturday night, a race restricted to 2yo WV-bred fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs. Entries are here. She'll be left to wonder where all the boys are from that last visit, but hopefully not too confused so as to be thrown off her game. Post time is at 10:27pm. You should be able to watch the feed from the track at espn.com (link here). I'll make the trip, if only to have an excuse for my failure to round up stellar Christmas gifts this year. ("What can you do, Mom? I was in the car all weekend. No, of course we're cool. What's wrong with a baby cactus for Christmas? Cacti need love, too."). So, with that going for me, as well as the Charles Town nightlife, it just makes sense to hit the road. Veiled Reference is on the hook for gas money to make the trip back, so if things don't break our way, this might wind up a permanent relocation. I figure I can probably wander the casino floor at Charles Town for a good week or two before anyone misses me. Kate might tire of stealing all the blankets without a fight after awhile and call me on the cell or something to find out my whereabouts. Or at least call to find out where I'd left her gifts. Fortunately, cacti can survive long spells without water, so I'd be able to direct her right to it in the closet, no harm done. Plus, I could get her to drop the other one off with my mom. I've found you just can't send those things through the mail.

fun at the depot

Alright, so maybe it wasn't the ideal day to go and grab a tree, what with the 30 mph winds and all, but we braved the elements, took a drive to Home Depot and landed a cute little number that seems perfect for our place. Herman, our ornament (don't call him "oriental," please) penguin buddy, has assumed his position toward the top of the tree, located for ideal viewing of the adjacent TV, and we seem pretty well set for the holidays. Yes, Kate will be devastated when she piles up present after present for me and she's left to look at dead space under Herman for herself, but that's just something she'll have to get over. If she has any luck, maybe I'll throw a Kit Kat bar in her stocking. Or not. We'll see how the balance of the week plays out.

Much, of course, will depend on how Veiled Reference gets on in her next affair down in Charles Town. We're still shooting for that stakes race toward the end of the week (this Saturday, 12/22). She had her final breeze in preparation on Saturday at Fair Hill and laid down a fairly serious 5/8ths move in something like 1.02 and change. Times, of course, are all relative. Tim worked her himself and he's reported to really pile on the weight between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so the final time probably doesn't do her move justice. I spoke to him afterwards and he was pleased enough, so she must have gotten around there in good form. We'll see where we are with that race toward the middle of the week. If she goes, we'll have a perfect excuse to make another DC run and hook up with my brothers.

Nautical Agent is doing well down at Overbrook Farm in Colts Neck. She continues to take everything in stride, just as she always has, and has responded well to her initial treatment. If she keeps on like this, we'll figure out shipping plans for her in the new year. In all likelihood, she'd head to a farm/clinic for additional recovery before getting situated somewhere for the balance of the year. She is an absolute sweetheart, so I don't think we'll have too much trouble finding caretakers once she's bounced back from the injury.

get in early

Don't thank me now, but you'll now be able to tell your friends that you were in on Express Tour before anyone, maybe even his mother. He had his first winner last month from an initial crop of just 15 foals. Express Tour, you might remember, nipped Street Cry in the UAE Derby back in the day (note Street Cry's big burst similar to his son's Street Sense in the video; both father and son tended to want for more once making the sharp run). Express Tour was poorly managed from there, unfortunately, but still fired an awesome race in the 2001 Jerome Handicap for one of my bigger scores of memory. I don't mean to brag or anything, but you know this whole subprime mortgage lending mess? You know the one I'm talking about, right? Well, let's just say that the winnings from that afternoon would cover their fair share of that nut. Do I feel bitter that I used them instead for a 5% down payment on my castle and went with a juicy adjustable rate mortgage for the balance? Yeah, sure, I do. But I don't hold it against Express Tour. He told me to lock in for 30 years. And it looks like I might be in trouble.

Okay, I made some of that up, but you get the point. Express Tour has been berry, berry good to me (and the Fed might be wasting its time on that other matter) and I'm hoping he'll be good at stud, too. I expect tough, fast, durable runners like his daddy, Tour D'Or, got back in the day. He doesn't stand for Hard Spun's $50,000 - try $2000 instead. What a steal!!! (Disclaimer: ummm, yeah, I own a share of him.) Just be glad to be on the bandwagon now. It's the least I can do, it being the holiday season and all.

have a laugh

Go ahead and read this latest piece on NJ racing published over at Bloodhorse. It's good for a chuckle or two if nothing else. The 140 days all at Monmouth Park that trainer John Forbes throws out as sufficient to support a state breeding program is high comedy. Set aside the fact that the Monmouth surfaces can hardly stand 90 days of racing a year, let alone 140, and ask whether you'd breed horses in the state with such a limited window to earn out. I know what you're thinking: "NY, PA, WV, DE and, heck, even MD offer more days, most of them racing year round. Ummm, why would I breed in NJ?" You wouldn't of, course. Not that any of the proponents of the 140 days really care. They're happy to have the small band of the usual suspects (Sleeters, Broome, Generazios, etc.) clean up the state-bred purses while the balance of the troops chase after the subsidy/slot enhanced purses with horses that should likely run for about half of what they're chasing each afternoon at MP. It's a nice little racket for those that can get the stalls. Claim something useful for $20,000 down at Gulfstream in between rounds of golf, give him a few months leading up to MP and then run him for $40,000+ and knock off a condition or two before dropping him back in. Life is good, baby. Sure, you've got to live with a few seconds and thirds while Pletcher and Dutrow break some maidens and reel off a few conditions with their "C" string horses, but with the size of those pots, ain't no harm in a handful of second place checks, right? Come August at MP, unless you catch a tough $10,000 claimer shipping in from PHA, those x1s are there for the taking all month long.

Does the set-up help grow the NJ industry? Does it even help foster a more compelling betting product? Unless 3-5 shots running off the screen in six horse fields is your cup of tea, the answers are no and no.

Additionally, all this talk of bailing on thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands is ridiculous. You've got nighttime racing in the biggest market, plus this deal with TVG (which needs PM content), plus a brand new mall, football stadium at rail line at the place, plus slots (you know it's only a matter of time before that place is a casino), plus one of the best turf courses on the east coast. And you want to leave it behind? You should be running sixty days there every year. The business only benefits from the variety of the product. Throw down an artificial surface that works for both breeds if that's what it takes, but don't give that market segment up, that's just silly.

And since when does a four-year plan constitute long-term planning? How about never? It's not like these most recent three and four year plans have worked. I mean, we've been threed and foured right into the friggin' abyss. These plans and subsidies are nothing more than the equivalent of a fresh coat of paint on a house that's structurally shot. Sure, maybe it looks nice for awhile, but underneath the paint it's just a mess. Rest assured, if the current trends and modus operandi in the state continue, they can wax poetic about Breeders' Cup 2007 (and 2014, too, while they're all it) until the cows come home, but for all the smoke and mirrors, the rotting will persist and the house is coming down.

how many days left?

Man, I have got to get on it. There's something like, what, two days left until Christmas and I am woefully behind on shopping. I love people, but really don't care for crowds (unless they're chanting my name and/or throwing flowers and/or cash at me, all things that have yet to happen), so the mall is definitely out. That leaves sending off Kate to do my bidding or on-line shopping. Since I'm still working to get Kate on the program (didn't I include something regarding obedience in the vows?), I'm left with on-line shopping. Historically, I've done okay with it, but I usually find myself braving the crowds at the eleventh hour year after year. This time around, things are going the be different, so even if I have to resort to mail-ordering Viper Pliers for everybody on the list, I'm dodging the mall at all costs. Time to do some quality surfing on Amazon then. As long as I can avoid the "one for you, one for me," approach to shopping, I should be able to take care of business. Plus, I don't think it makes me a bad person if I limit gift options to those that ship with Free Super Shipping Saver Discounts. Sure, I usually know just the thing to put a smile on my brother's face come Christmas morning, but if I can duck the $7.95 in shipping, he's getting that third copy of Dianetics.

Thanks to everyone that's keeping Nautical Agent in mind. She's been taking care of business at Overbrook this week, which is great. Our short term goal is to get through the month and, so far, she's been the model patient. I'll have to get down there with some treats to mark the holidays and reward her for being so good. She'd much prefer a saddle and rider, but she'll just have to settle for carrots and the occasional jacket sleeve. If she's good to go come the new year, we'll figure out where she ought to hang out for the balance of her recovery.

No news from Fair Hill re: Veiled Reference. I saw that she worked this weekend, slowly, as planned. Tim will likely let her roll a bit next weekend which should set her up for an engagement later this month. Word is back from the stewards in WV that we'll be good to put the blinkers back on her next out. She'll miss scoping out the latest fashion trends on the apron, and just maybe will keep her mind on running through the lane. I'll show her pictures afterwards of what the crowds were wearing.

Check It Twice was recently sold and transferred to the Pletcher barn. Why should you care? Colt was sired by Repent, who's daddy is none other than Louis Quatorze, the sire of Veiled Reference herself. He'll race down at Gulfstream Park through the winter.

too cruel

Tough news to pass along on Nautical Agent. She's okay, chilling in her stall at Overbrook Farm in Colts Neck, but her racing days are over. She suffered a condylar fracture of her left front leg in that last race at Philadelphia Park and will require stall rest for the next three or so months. These next few weeks are key, as laminitis and colic are both risks, but she's been a good patient so far, can put weight on the leg and has been smart enough to take it easy on herself in the stall. Doug passed along that she's unhappy to miss her training in the morning, but the gang there has been giving her extra attention to help her cope with the new routine. I was down to visit with my dad and she was her usual self: picky of the snacks she chose to munch on, nipping at our jackets and acting the real sweetheart, true to form.

She's wearing a Robert Jones bandage similar to the one The Tin Man has on now. It protects the leg, provides support and overall helps facilitates the healing process. She has a complete fracture, but the vet doesn't believe that it warrants insertion of a screw. Time should pretty much do the trick. If our plan had been to race again, the screw would be required, but we were looking at 3-4 starts more, anyway, before retiring her, so it's a moot point. With some good fortune and the 3-4 months of hanging out, she should be 100% sound to get back to her goofy dances and be a broodmare if that's in the cards. Right now, we're just keeping our fingers crossed that she hangs in there, gets through these critical few weeks and can let time work its magic into the new year. A tough pill to swallow, yes, but hope remains very much in the fold and, with any luck, she'll be busting her moves again before we know it. As always, it will be quite the sight to see.

splitsville

Slightly disappointed not to have landed anything at this last sale, but you've got to turn the page. Naturally, we like Veiled Reference and getting her brother would have been a logical move, but you've got to stick to a number (ours was $19,000; he went for $25,000) or you'll drive yourself batty. I think I've got a fairly solid process for assessing stock - certainly I've taken some lumps along the way to improve it - so I'm inclined to stick to my guns and just see what winds up clicking for us further on down the road.

Tim indicated that Veiled Reference would have a maintenance breeze this weekend before something a bit more serious next week. She seems to have come out of that last the right way and should be set for her best later this month with the two moves under her belt. Santa will be coming down the chimney with an AMEX bill, so let's hope she keeps on as she has. Catch you on the flip side.

and you get nothing, sir

Looks like we're going to have to cancel plans for an emotional, made-for-TV special marking the reunion of Veiled Reference and her younger brother. Tried to buy him at the Timonium Mixed sale going on in Maryland, but he went for more than we had loaded up in the trunk. Oh well. Word must be out on the sister...That's him pictured on the bottom: good shoulder and back end; bone a touch light compared to Veiled Reference (on top), but that's likely the difference in stud (Lion Hearted vs. Louis Quatorze) coming through. Note he's a weanling in the photo and she's a yearling, so the one year older. You still get the idea, though. (Both have nerve to move while I'm taking photos...). I wasn't especially crazy about Lion Hearted as his sire, so it's not the end of the world. They'll just have to meet up at Charles Town or something to catch up if they're ever in on the same day. "Mom left you, too??! OMG!"

We had two others in the running, but one was knocked out for vet reasons and another just went for an obscene amount of money, way over our valuation. I had the filly pegged at $20,000 and she wound up landed for $60,000. Good to see I was in the ballpark.

Horse sales are like trolley cars in that there's always another one coming 'round the bend (in towns that still run them, of course), so we'll sit tight, throw down some eggnog this month and gear up for the new year. Without a horse from this last one, I'll just go to plan B and get that alpaca for my mom. She should love it.

totally stolen recipe

Back on the scene after trip to the store and dinner. We had a tasty tamale pie that we saw put together on America's Test Kitchen the other day. Recipe follows (as I remembered it):

Ingredients:
Half a good sized onion (whatever your preference) chopped
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic minced (more/less whatever you like)
1 lb ground beef (90% lean)
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can dice tomatoes drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 package jiffy muffin mix

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees (that's Fahrenheit for all my European friends)
2. Grab 1 12" oven-proof skillet (10" probably good if you're stuck)
3. Get started over MEDIUM heat and throw some canola/veggie oil in there to coat the bottom
4. After oil starts to smoke, ADD onion and Chili Powder. Mix it up and cook the onions for 5-7 mins.
5. Once onions have cooked down a bit, ADD garlic and whoosh around.
6. When you can smell garlic (30 sec - 1 minute) ADD tomatoes and beans. Mix it up.
7. ADD beef and break it up into smaller pieces. COOK for about 10 minutes until beef is cooked.
8. While beef is cooking, make Jiffy muffin mix (it's really easy).
9. After beef has cooked, ADD cheese and cilantro. Mix. Season with salt and pepper (don't forget this step).
10. Dollop jiffy mix on top of beef and evenly spread to cover most of pan (will be hard to reach edges, but it's no big deal).
11. Place in oven and cook until muffin top has browned (10-15 minutes).
12. Serve with dollop of sour cream on top. Good stuff and only one pan to clean.

Spoke to Doug on his ride back from the track and he said that Nautical Agent cooled out really well and seemed pretty satisfied with herself after the race. We'll see how she bounces back over the next few days and map out a plan from there. I had been counting on a better price next time out, but she might have tipped our hand with the solid effort today. I'll have to talk to her during the week about the importance of playing things close to the vest from time to time...Hard not to really appreciate a filly like this one. She might not be the fastest, but as Doug and I were talking about, you'd be hard-pressed to find one with more try. A cool, little girl. We'll have to get down with some carrots during the week.

pass the hot chocolate

Man, it was cold at Philadelphia Park today. Nautical Agent didn't seem to mind it, running a fabulous fourth, only missing the win photo by a length and a half. Pics from the trip are here. I'll add more after a quick run to the market for provisions. I am being told that it is time to leave. Now.