Monday, March 26, 2012

Special Day

Today, at the Bris, I learned my new grandson was being named after my dad. When they announced the Hebrew name, it hit me like lightning. Some of the attendees were worried I was going to drop the baby. Then I heard they had designated the “H” name for Tamar’s grandmother, Hilda, a spectacular woman, beautiful in spirit as well as physically beautiful. So, in English, he will be known as Hanan (rhymes with Shannon). WOW. A surprise worth waiting for!

Then we found out that we may have another grandchild next year. This one, the four-legged kind. Yes, Ahvee’s Destiny is officially “in foal!” If all goes well, she will become a mommy next February.

Awakino Cat got a respectable 87 Beyer speed rating for yesterday’s race. We look forward to more out of him!

Cricky’sGoldenEyes breezed nicely today. Hopefully, the right race will come along for him in the next few days.

Have a good week!

Best,

A.

Special Day

Today, at the Bris, I learned my new grandson was being named after my dad. When they announced the Hebrew name, it hit me like lightning. Some of the attendees were worried I was going to drop the baby. Then I heard they had designated the “H” name for Tamar’s grandmother, Hilda, a spectacular woman, beautiful in spirit as well as physically beautiful. So, in English, he will be known as Hanan (rhymes with Shannon). WOW. A surprise worth waiting for!

Then we found out that we may have another grandchild next year. This one, the four-legged kind. Yes, Ahvee’s Destiny is officially “in foal!” If all goes well, she will become a mommy next February.

Awakino Cat got a respectable 87 Beyer speed rating for yesterday’s race. We look forward to more out of him!

Cricky’sGoldenEyes breezed nicely today. Hopefully, the right race will come along for him in the next few days.

Have a good week!

Best,

A.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

The good, the bad and the ugly

Let’s start with the “bad.” On Saturday our long legged beauty, It’s Truly Ahvee, was fractious in the paddock, rearing up when they cinched his saddle on tight. It was a little scary, seeing him get up on his hind legs and tower over us all. I wasn’t scared for us (though maybe I should have been) but was worried that he might flip over and hurt himself. Happily, the groom got him under control and everything proceeded normally.

Out of the gate, he got off to a good start but then fell behind and never seemed to be in the race or in the mood for running. He ran “green.” That doesn’t mean he was ecology minded, just that he needs some seasoning in race running. Perhaps, he didn’t like the dirt in his face or he was a bit spent emotionally from his experience in the paddock. Whatever the reason, he ran poorly, finished last and left us very disappointed. I doubt he’ll turn into a champ but maybe he can do better at longer races and/or on the grass. Otherwise, he’ll have to run with cheaper company.

The old man (7 years old), Awakino Cat, was the “good.” He ran today in Florida at Gulfstream and looked good from start to finish. Happily, he did not get claimed. He ran second and his usual big finish. His performance gave us hope for more good things from him and, hopefully, we’ll give him some longer races than the 5 furlongs he raced today, so that big finish can have the time necessary to get him to the top. Yay, Awakino!

The “ugly” was the article on the treatment of horses and high incidence of horses being fatally hurt during racing. I’ve not read the whole article, but rather than discuss abuses by certain trainers or in specific jusrisdictions, it seemed to be a broad indictment of everyone is U.S. racing. I’ll have more comments when I read it in its entirety. However, I can tell that the care I’ve seen in Linda’s stable is outstanding. Each horse is evaluated daily. She does not push a horse that is troubled. She takes her time bringing them to the races in the first place and doesn’t run them more frequently than she believes each horse can handle. They are groomed and well cared for. You’d be proud of how they are treated.

Having been the object of media frenzy, I can only say, don’t take everything you read as gospel and assume the writer(s) may have their own agendas (not the least of which is to make a name for themselves). As you know, you are invited to see our horses at Belmont, Saratoga or in Florida anytime, so you can judge for yourself. We love our horses and though there are bad apples at the bottom of varfious barrels, we believe that the vast majority of those involved in the sport feel the same way.

Best,

A.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Bad news

Due to an Equine Virus at Saratoga Harness Track, all racing has been canceled for the weekend to avoid any contagion. That means that Numismatic and MarvelThisBliss will not get to run until this ban is lifted… maybe next weekend.

We tried to claim a horse at Aqueduct today and lost a 3-way shake. So, we didn’t get her. This must be at least the fourth in a row that we’ve lost via shake. Is it me or Linda’s bad luck!?

Tomorrow, It’s Truly Ahvee (the almost named, Stuck With You) runs in the third race. We’ll be there!

For all our Florida people, on Sunday, Awakino Cat will run his first race in six months in the third race at Gulfstream, an optional claimer. He’s in the outside post, number 7. We can only hope for no rain and a good result.

Best,

A.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

3 longshots

Friday night it’s Numismatic in the 12th race at Saratoga Harness from the 7 post. He’s 10-1 Morning Line after his last place finish two weeks ago and with his outside post in this race.

Saturday sees It’s Truly Ahvee at Aqueduct running in a 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight also from the 7 post with Irad Ortiz, Jr. the jockey. He hasn’t raced in 18 months, so he’s the longest shot in the race at 12-1 Morning Line. This is Rhoda’s baby. She’s always loved his long legs and you can’t argue that he looked terrific, when we saw him a few months ago. Hope he looks as good on Saturday but, of course, no matter what he looks like, we hope he’ll run well.

MarvelThisBliss, our pacer, who put some money in the bank with his 2nd place finish two weeks ago, comes from the 5th post and is 8-1 Morning Line. Let’s hope we surprise them all again!

My grandson, is even money to lose a little weight on Monday morning when he becomes an official member of the tribe. We’ll love him, no matter what.

Have a lovely weekend,

A.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Foals

I thought the excitement of spending time with a foal, a filly, that had been born 12 hours before and playing with an 8-week old colt who loved being handled by people was going to be the highlight of the weekend, but it's topped by hearing that our first grandchild, an 8 lb., 13 oz. boy was born to Tamar and Arielle this morning! Tamar was a superstar and now they're both taking a nap with their son sleeping between them.

Since I am brimming with excitement, I have not "cleared" this announcement with anyone. So, if I've done wrong in any way, I apologize… but this is real news!

I'll tell you more about the grandson (and about how funny Ahvee's Destiny was this weekend) later. Have a great week!

Best,

Grandpa A. (or whatever I'll be called!)

Friday, March 16, 2012

It was a bad day

I thought it was a bad day when I heard the HBO show about Horse Racing was canceled due to the death of the third horse to perish while the show was being produced. This horse wasn't running. He was being walked to his stall, when he reared up, fell backwards on his head and had to be euthanized. Fear of animal group backlash, stopped production and ended up canceling the series which had been renewed for a second season earlier this year.

People always ask us about horse personalities… are they all the same?, how do they differ?, etc. We always pointed to the sweetest horse we knew as the example of horse that could be a pet. Her name: Meriwether Jessica. When we first met her, she was owned by MMTAGC Mike Dickinson (that stands for Much More than a GC). Mike ended up selling her to Patsy Symons and Patsy recently sold her to Stonestreet Farm (the home of Horse of the Year, Curlin and Rachel Alexandra) as a broodmare.

You could come right up to Meriwether Jessica (MJ for short) and hug her. She loved it. If you tried to leave, she'd start bowing her head, inviting you back for more hug time. What a gentle animal and a star on the track too!

She'd been mated to a wonderful sire named Street Cry and was out in the corral with other horses, when one of them got a little wild and kicked her in the head. She had to be euthanized. Writing this just brings more tears to my eyes. What a shame! This was really a bad day… not just for me but for all those involved with this very special horse. RIP, MJ.

We have no runners this week. Maybe it's better to take it easy and go hug some of our horses.

May the weekend bring better days for us all.

Best,

A.


Monday, March 12, 2012

The lowdown on Numismatic

I expected to have this info early yesterday but only received it later in the day when I was already attending a wedding. Numismatic was dehydrated and required intravenous fluids. His white blood cell count was not normal. The Vet thinks he was just finishing a low-grade cold. The Vet will check him tomorrow and, if all is well, he will be entered again for next weekend.

MarvelthisBliss ran on Saturday night, while I was attending a concert by the Midtown Men (four originals from Jersey Boys who sing Four Seasons tunes and songs from the 60's. They're produced by my friend Ken Wirth). The strategy for our almost 9-1 pacer from the number 2 position was to put him in back of the number 1 favorite, Myster Bono. This would force the inner horse to run into the wind while Marvel would run covered up… an easier trip. I brought my I-Pad to the concert but could not get a video signal. So, I talked to Eric at the intermission. Our plan did not work out that way.

Myster Bono appeared rank (hard to handle) and we were forced to go to the front. MarvelThisBliss ran well but could not stave off the stretch charge of the 2-1 GreatHeartHanover whose odds were affected by a lot of late money. Still we ran second and brought home our first harness racing paycheck. He paid $6.40 to Place and $6 to Show (the high show price is reflective of all the money bet on Mr. Bono to Show but he ran off the board).

I was surprised to find out that Harness racing purse distribution is different from Throughbred racing. First place gets 45% compared to 60%. Second place gets 25% compared with 20%. Third gets 15% compared to 10%. Fourth gets 10% compared to 5%. Fifth gets 5% compared to 2 or 3%.

We hope to get the opportunity to see them race next weekend. Of course, who knows when our grandson will decide to appear. The due date is the 21st. So, we have to be on our toes.

Best,

A.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Dead Last

Numismatic tried to keep up with Mr. Invincible but, instead, appeared to run himself into the ground. We await the vet's report on his blood and after scoping his throat and breathing tubes.

Let's hope MarvelThisBliss does a better job tonight in the sixth race at 8:45 PM.

A.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Freud smoked a cigarette...

…and Ahvee's Destiny had a smile on her face, after they consummated the act. In horse lingo, they say, Freud "covered" Ahvee's Destiny.

Today, she ovulated, which is a good sign. In eighteen days, we'll know whether she is "in foal."

Tonight, Numismatic runs in the tenth race at Saratoga Harness. Tomorrow, MarvelThisBliss runs in the sixth race. Eric thinks we will be first or second in both… we'll see!

It's Truly Ahvee is "tucked up." It means his stomach is flattening out because he doesn't eat enough and losses weight from his workouts. I wish I was tucked up. For him, it means a little less work than might be usual before entering a race. Linda says she sees a possible race for him on March 28th. We can't wait!

Cricky'sGoldenEyes is a little sore in his joints but should be fine. Let's hope so. He's been on vacation for most of his life!

Awakino Cat may be ready to race by April and Hear the Footsteps should be going back in training up here soon.

Have a lovely weekend and keep that picture of Ahvee's Destiny smiling in your mind! It's definitely in mine.

Best,

A.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tomorrow is the day

The honeymoon is on and they're not even getting married… well married up is more like it. Ahvee's Destiny will meet her Momentary Lover, Freud, tomorrow. Then, if everything goes well, it will take a few weeks to know whether she's in foal.

Cricky'sGoldenEyes jumped up coming out of the gate last Saturday. He eventually finished fifth and was given a very low speed rating by the Beyer people. Ramon said Cricky will do better in the future.

Numismatic, our trotter, will start from the one hole at Saratoga Harness on Friday night. He's in the 10th race. In harness racing, having the one position gives you an advantage. Let's hope he's up to the task. Eric believes so!

MarvelThisBliss, our pacer, will start in the sixth race on Saturday night from the number two position.

We're looking forward to both.

Best,

A.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Vagaries of Horse Racing

Just found out there were so many entries at Saratoga Harness that we didn't get in for Sunday. It will be next Sunday, March 11th… a good day for a wedding. That's where we will be!

A.