Terry's Notes

Moment of the Year

I know I've viewed the replay Iof the 2009 Woodward a few times over the last few months.  Well, fans who visited NYRA's website just voted the finish "The NYRA Moment of the Year".  We were proud to be part of it.

Click here to experience the thrill.

Who knows, maybe we can get another shot at the 2009 Horse of the Year at the 2010 Breeder's Cup at Churchill Downs.

Newsletter

We've received very good feedback on our first electronic newsletter.  Take a look and let us know what you think.

Santa Anita Track Surface

Looks like they are going to switch back to a dirt surface at Santa Anita.  This is really a multifaceted issue.  I know for sure the artificial surfaces are just as safe, if not safer, than dirt tracks.  It's funny, over the past three years, this issue has conveniently made a bunch of owners and trainers soil and track surface experts.  Well, here's the scoop - there is really little difference in surfaces.  Some horses like the dirt surface at Aqueduct and don't like the dirt surface at Belmont!!! It's just that simple.

There is only one winner in each race and the rest of the horses just did not get the job done.  Artificial tracks just give losers one more lame excuse to use after they get beat.

Don't take the bait - all the horses in race line up in the starting gate and run over the same track.  Funny, did anyone read of any negative track surface comments from any of the connections of Breeders' Cup winners over the last two years?  Hmmm.

A huge week coming up.  Thanksgiving in a few days.  Erin, my daughter, coming home from Kentucky for a few days.  Ryan, my son, stays in North Carolina to prepare for a Sunday soccer game against Wake Forest in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Soccer Tourney.

 

Macho come backs in the Clark at Churchill on Friday.  On the same day we run Dixie in the Top Flight at Aqueduct and El Gato Malo in the Citation at Hollywood.

 

Our goal is to break our win record of 64 (we have 57 right now) and hit the four million dollar in earnings mark.  We need just over $350k more to meet the goal.  I saw we hit both objectives.

 

Had two good wins in California this past week.  Ginello and Camp Victory powered home to the wire at Hollywood.  Both horses are fresh and improving and could be heard from in a big way in the coming months.

 

Lots of good things happening in the racing world.  This upcoming weekend is always a nice time to watch great racing and spend time with family and love ones.

 

We have much to be thankful for.

 

Until next week.

Terry

Another week closer to the end of the year.  The debate rages on in the horse industry about who should be horse of the year – Rachel or Zenyatta?  I know it will be close and one set of connections will be upset after the winner is announced in Beverly Hills late in January.  Who do I think should win?  Well, at first I was intrigued by the thought of making them both co-HOY.  But after some thought, I realized that’s not the way we play this game.  We have a finish line in racing and the first one there wins.  The filly with the most votes for HOY should win. 

My vote – Rachel - by a very small margin.  Both ladies had great years.  Taking the ownership connections out of the process, Rachel’s body of work over the entire calendar year was more substantive.  Just my opinion.  Oh, by the way, I don’t have a vote but do have some thoughts on why owners (who put up all the money and take all the risk) don’t have a voice in the awards voting…more on that later.

Just got back form a quick trip to Ocala with the team to check up on or yearlings in training and also several of our older horses coming off layoffs.  Watching these young horses laying the foundation for their racing careers under a beautiful Florida sun is heaven.  Ask anybody in Ocala who breaks and trains young horses – “how is your group this year?” and I guarantee nine out of ten will render the same basic answer “this most likely is the best group we’ve ever assembled”.  So, how did the West Point yearling look? – see the previous sentence. 

Bobby Frankel died early this week.  I never got to know him very well.  We exchanged hellos all the time at the races.  He certainly was known as a complex guy and one who loved his horses like few others.  I read his hall of fame credentials in a DRF story last night.  What a career.  Jay Hovdey really captured the essence of Bobby Frankel’s life in his Racing Form article.   Take a look - http://drf.com/news/article/108986.html

Just back from the Breeder’s Cup.  What a nice expericnce.  First, I want to congratulate two of our trainers, Carla Gaines and Dale Romams, for winning Breeders' Cup races.  That is the height of our sport, and it is a tremendous accomplishment.  Not that any of us needed further evidence, but it is proof of just how good our training team is.

Anyone who was at Santa Anita on Saturday afternoon as Zenyatta thrilled the racing world knows this game still has quite a bit of life in it.   In early September, after watching the Rachel Alexandra Woodward win, I thought it would be a long time before I felt as moved after a horserace.  I was dead wrong.  The BC Classic was just as, if not more, stimulating. 

I am proud we were part of both the Woodward and the BC Classic.  Awesome Gem gave it a great try, he was just not good enough.  We needed a great trip and some luck to hit the board.  Didn’t happen.

El Gato Malo also ran hard but could not make a dent into the lead of a very nice horse, California Flag.  Gato is a sound, honest horse who will be quite a bit of fun going forward as a five year-old in 2010.

I know so many people in our industry who knocked the decision to stage the Breeder’s Cup at Santa Anita for two straight years.  Well, I’ve always been a big fan of the saying “the proof is in the pudding”.  Two years at Santa Anita – not one horse seriously injured, great weather, increased attendance in year two and declines in wagering less than the industry trends.  Sure, the Breeder’s Cup can, and will, tweak some things going forward for 2010 (to be held at Churchill Downs). 

We ran a filly yesterday at Philly Park by the name of Amazed By Grace.  She was terrible as a two year old.  In fact, the vets at the New Bolton Clinic indicated she had a malfunctioning heart and most likely would not be a viable racehorse going forward.

Our only choice was to give her time and see if Mother Nature could take care of this little “issue”.  Off to the farm she went.

Fast forward a year.   She’s knocked off four straight races.  Grace has a stride the size of Texas and looks to love her work.  She received a 92 Beyer number.

You’ll be hearing more from this filly in the near future.

Finally, today is Veteran's Day.  I wanted to take a moment to thank all our veterans for protecting our country and our freedoms.  You are the true American heroes.

Until next week.

 

TPF

Just got out to California for the 2009 Breeder's Cup.  Had a quick dinner with the President of the BC, Greg Avioli.  He's done a great job building the BC brand over the last few years.  More Europeans than ever before, betting with Betfair, large fields, twenty five million in purses.  The BC is doing quite a few things right.

This is a week to cherish the horses and connections who will compete on Friday and Saturday.  It's a time to give thanks and remember why we all love this game so much.

Awesome Gem is set for the Classic.  I know we will be a longshot.  I know he's not the fastest horse on paper.  I also know he tries hard every time he runs and he's in the best form of his long career.  You heard it here first, Awesome Gem, could shock the world on Saturday afternoon.

We are close to finding out if El Gato Malo go into the Turf Sprint.  We are the first one on the outside looking in.  Entries are on Tuesday morning.  I just heard we many have one filly opting for the Filly/Mare Sprint instead of the Turf Sprint.  We only need one.  "The Bad Cat" is training well and this will be his third race back off a layoff.  He'll show up on Saturday.

Lots of excitement all week.  The big stage.  Where everyone wants to be.  Gotta be in it to win it.  Hey, anything can happen.  The list of sayings goes on and on.  We'll line up in the starting gate on Saturday and let the best horse win.

 

Really have a heavy heart over the loss of our Northern California budding star, Our Reward after a paddock accident on Sunday night.  This sure is a tough game – as they say “not a game for men who wear short pants”.

Just got back from a trip to New York City with Josh Cooper, our crackerjack Chief Operating Officer.  I take the train from Trenton and am in the middle of NYC in about 70 minutes.  Always good to get out of the office to meet with clients away from the racetrack.

South Bronx and Prince Teton saw the winner’s circle last week at Belmont and Keeneland.  Both are hard trying three year-olds who should have good years in 2010.  The action moves to Aqueduct this week for the long winter/spring meet.  Just think at the end of the Aqueduct meet in 2010, we'll be a fews weeks away from the Kentucky Derby.  Somewhere on a backstretch (most likely in America), the 2010 Kentucky Derby winner is munching on hay and having bandages applied.  Where is he (or here)?

Breeder’s Cup is next week.  We are going in with two horses under the radar screen but two that we think could upset the apple cart.  We just made the pre-entry for both on Monday with a bank wire to the Breeder’s Cup.  We enter next Tuesday at the draw party held at Santa Anita.  Should be  a fun week.  Reni Schriek, who works with JB on the West Coast, is at the helm of our Breeder’s Cup planning.  Give her a shout if you need anything out there next week (760) 458-3448.

The first time we ran a Breeder’s Cup starter was at Santa Anita in 2003 with a nice sprinter named Ethan Man.  The best we’ve finished was third the 2007 Classic at Monmouth.  It’s time we won one of these BC races…

Another week in the books.  Had a good win with our nice, New York-bred filly Speed Dating last Friday.  It was off the turfer and five horse field but the pot stayed the same so we’ll take the money and not ask any questions….

The Breeder’s Cup is less than three weeks away.  West Point will run two horses, Awesome Gem and El Gato Malo.  It’s our Super Bowl and everybody wants a shot at the big dollar purses given away in fourteen races over two days.

Debbie and I spent a few days in Saratoga over the weekend.  This is a fun town but things sure are different since the last weekend we were here – that was the Woodward Weekend when Rachel beat Macho Again by a short neck.  The leaves are beginning to pile up all over town and the temperature is dropping quickly.  I can see the starting gate of the main track from my living room window.  Can’t wait for next July to get here…

Congie DeVito, our fearless head of communications, is a Temple graduate (summa cum laude, I might add).  His Temple Owl football team put a whipping on Army this past Saturday in Philadelphia.  They were just a better coached, more athletic squad than the Army Team.   Well done, DeVito – you called this one early and often.

Do me a favor if you really love this racing business – take a moment to send a few friends and associates to the Breeder’s Cup webpage: www.breederscup.com

Walk them through what has gone on all year to get to this point.  Tell them to watch the ESPN telecast early next month of the BC races.  See if you can cultivate their interest in racing.  Vow to take them to the track in due time.  We need more fans in our sport.  We can change the direction of our industry, one person at a time.  It’s up to each one of us.

Until next week.

Terry

On my way back from a 24 hour trip to North Carolina to see a soccer game.  We had a good weekend on the track with wins by the exciting two year-old Middle Of The Night and the improving three year-old filly Amazed By Grace.  All thoughts and focus now on the Breeders' Cup early next month at Santa Anita. We have a shot to run two on Saturday.  It's not cheap to run in the BC.  To try the BC Classic requires a $150 thousand dollar entry fee.  The bottom line is you better feel pretty good about running well or it's better to stay home and watch the ESPN broadcast.

All the horses have settled in well with their respective New York trainers, (Tom Albertrani and Mike Hushion).  The yearlings in Ocala all have had a saddle put on their backs for the first time as of today.  David McKathan is like a horse whisperer with young stock.  

We are rounding the stretch and turning for home with our new website.  Technology always seems to outrun any upgrades but we think we have made great strides with the forthcoming web upgrade.  More to follow within the next two months.

Going to West Point on Thursday for an awards function honoring Ross Perot, Sr.  He's a Naval Academy grad but still seems like a good guy......  The Academy will award him the "Thayer Award" for outstanding contributions to our country.

Finally, this week is the Temple versus Army game.  We have quite an intra-company battle going on here.  Fortunately, I am the President, so I get the final word.  If you have any good ideas of what I can bet our communications director, let me know.  I still haven't paid off my bet from last year, but let's hope nobody remembers.

Go Army!

Make it a good week.

Terry

Just back from our first European Sale.  Last week, Buzz Chace and I visited Ireland and the Goff's Sale.  My first trip to Ireland.  A beautiful country.  Went racing at The Curragh on Sunday and then visited the sale on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Bought three nice colts. Two Irish-breds and one Canadian-bred (go figure).  One will train and run in California; the other two will train in Ocala and run in the Northeast. 

They raise a very solid and sturdy horse in Ireland.  They are not as well prepped as the sales yearlings in the US - but that's not a negative.  More and more of the top bloodstock (stallions and mares) are finding their way out of the US market and into the European market.

We had a decent weekend - Awesome Gem got the money in the Hawthorne Gold Cup. 
Macho Again failed to fire against a solid group of top handicap horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont.  Flat Bold had a brutal trip finishing off the board in the Indiana Derby.  We'll live to fight another day with all three.

Breeder's Cup right around the corner.  We have a decent shot to run three.  Macho, Awesome Gem and El Gato Malo.  It's our Super Bowl and we need to win one of them sooner or later.

Until next week.

Terry
 

Just finishing my first day in Ireland.  Never been here before.  What a neat country. Buzz Chace and I are over for the Goff's Sale which starts on Tuesday.

We went to the races today at The Curragh.  First time I've seen bookies at work.  Weather was overcast but temperatures were mild.
Flight out of Philly was two hours across the Atlantic when the pilot came on and said we had to turn back to Philadelphia because of a problem with the autopilot.  Back to Philly, an hour wait, changed planes, then restarted the journey to Dublin.

The economy in Ireland has really taken a hit over the last year (even more so then the US economy) so we should be looking at some very good deals at the sale.
 
They play the US races on a national channel called "Attheraces" everyday here in Ireland.  I just saw Saratoga Russell get nipped at Monmouth and Majestic Peak break his maiden at Fairplex.  All of our horses are firing and running well these days.

We hit the air this week as Macho Again flies into New York for the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Awesome Gem flies to Chicago for the Hawthorne Gold Cup and Flat Bold flies to Indiana for the Indiana Derby.  This will be a good weekend to get lucky.  We've put ourselves in the spots to get lucky - it's a real team effort.

You can look at information on the Goff's Sale at http://www.goffs.com
 
All the best for great week.

Terry

I restart my weekly blog after a six week stretch at Del Mar and Saratoga where we did video blogs each week.

Overall, we had two very solid meets on the east and west coasts.  Of course the highlight of the summer was our tough, grey colt, Macho Again, running a close second to the super filly, Rachel Alexandra, in the Woodward on September 3rd at the SPA.  Some writers called it the best race in the history of Saratoga.  Wow, they’ve run a good number of races on those hallowed grounds over the last 140 some years.

Very Cool.  If you haven't seen the race, click here.

I just got back from the Keeneland Sale.  Needless to say "the times they are a changing."  The averages prices were down almost 45%.  The buyback rate was almost 40%.  “Buyback” is the term used when the sellers don’t accept the auction price and effectively say to the market “I value my horse higher than you do”.

Far too many horses sold for less than the stud fee paid to produce them.  The stallion market has dried up and the stud fees for 2010 will surely tumble.

Now, the good news – finally the end user is getting a better shot at making a decent return on investment.  For too many years, the market forgot about the people and stables who race these sale horses.  Things are starting to turn and it’s about time.

Spent a week in California inspecting the West Coast stock and also watching my son Ryan play in a soccer tournament out there. I think I went four days without seeing a cloud in the sky. Great weather.

I go back to Kentucky this week for the first yearling sale of the year. Prices are way down (they are getting closer to where they should be - when you factor in purse money we run for). This may be the best buying era in the history of our industry. I know that is a bold statement - yearling prices may be down by 50% in 2009. I've said it before and will keep saying it - the turbulence in the market is not all bad. Lets hear it for the end user!!!!

Del Mar opens their summer meet in 48 hours and Saratoga one week after that. It's a bit of a bummer that both meets a happen at the same time - two treasures of our racing industry overlap each other. However, we are primed and ready to be a force at both meets. Got to love summer racing.

Out on the West Coast after two days in Kentucky attending Breeders' Cup Meetings. The BC Board had quite a bit of turnover this year which is good in some respects - and no so good in others. Bottom line, the Board as a whole can make the BC Event better and better each year. I truly believe this area is best served with an evolution - not a revolution. More to come about the Breeder's Cup in coming months.

We had a good second on Sunday with The Whammer at Hollywood Park. What a nice, hard trying horse who has never been off the board. He'll be tough to keep outof the winner's circle down at Del Mar.

I am from Jersey but have to admit this weather out here ain't all that bad. I don't think I've seen a cloud in the sky for about four days.

We ended a great month of June last week. A good number of our horses are running well. Time to focus on Del Mar and Saratoga. We should be loaded for both meets. Was thinking over weekend about excuses and how they play out in this game we call racing.

Sometimes horses have legitimate excuses for not running better. Most of the time, excuses are just plain dumb. The vast majority of times the best horse won on that particular day. Now, don't get me wrong, the best horse on one day can be very different than the best horse on another day. I have to laugh when I read about owners, trainers, racing managers, partnership managers, etc. blame the jock, the trainer, the surface, the starting gate crew, the lead pony, the shadows on the racetrack - and on and on and on.

We think we have a pretty good system in place. We run, we evaluate our horses, and look to the future. Even the best horses can't be the best every day. All we can do is keep them healthy and happy, and hope they are the best more often than not. Saratoga and Del Mar here we come.

 

We finally got our six year-old gelding, Awesome Gem, to the winner's circle after a little more than two years (his last win was on June 23, 2007 in an allowance at Hollywood Park) on Saturday out West.   He's made over a million dollars since then yet not winner's circle photos.  Lets hope he's got his mojo back and rolls right into the Hollywood Gold Cup in two weeks.

Also good to see our other six year-old gelding, RJ's Brigade get the job done at Belmont today in his second start off the layoff.  He's such an honest horse who we should have some fun with.  Another comebacker, Saratoga Russell, ran a solid second today at Monmouth in his first start since last March.  He'll be doubly tough in his  next start.

We finish the first half of the year right at two million in earnings and just under thirty wins.  Currently we are the fifth leading owner in money won in North America.  Not too shabby and we are loaded for bear for the second half of 2009.

Unfortunate news out of Kentucky - the state Senate failed to pass the slots legislation last week.  What were they thinking?  More and more states in the region have slots.  Horses and horsemen follow the money trail.  I am not very bullish on the future of Kentucky racing if things don't change in a big way.

Saratoga and Del Mar only a few weeks away.  That has a nice ring to it, no?

A good week on the racetrack.  South Bronx breaks his maiden on Thursday at Belmont.  Voodoo Child shows quite a bit of improvement running second at Churchill the same day.  Rereadthefootnotes (pictured) wins a first level allowance off the layoff on Saturday at Belmont.  The Whammer runs a game second off the layoff at Hollywood.  Erin's Golden Star just gets beat in an allowance at Philly, and Palace On The Lake is a fast-closing third in her first effort against winners at Philly.  Pygmalion wins a thriller Sunday in the slop at Finger Lakes.

Dale Romans started our first two year-old of the year, Successful Score, in the last at Churchill on Saturday.  This colt has the potential to be a star after finishing a closing second to a very good Asmussen winner.  Watch out Saratoga.

Sure is nice to have several fit and fresh runners as we start the summer campaigns across the country.  I've said it for a long time - nothing is better for these horses then giving them time off and out of training. 

Sunday was Father's Day.  Many of our clients relate the fact that they caught "the racing bug" by going to the races as youngsters with their fathers.  I know that's how I got hooked.  My father was a teacher - after school, we used to go to Keystone Racetrack (now known as Philadelphia Park) for the last two races several days a week.  They used to let everyone in for free after the seventh race in those days. 

Have a good week.

Terry

Just back from a weekend in Kentucky and what a weekend it was.  Started out on Thursday in Lexington for a very interesting Breeders Cup Stratagy pow wow.  More to follow on BC but I think the organization is in pretty good shape considering how the industry is wavering a bit.

Friday, my daughter Erin and I went over to Louisville for a few hours before meeting some of the Macho partners for drinks at the Pub in Downtown Louisville.  We finished the night with a great dinner and a few hands of blackjack at the casino in Indiana, but only about ten miles from downtown Louisville.

Saturday rolled around and the partners started moving toward Churchill Downs.  Beautiful day, sunny, slight breeze and about 78 degrees.   Churchill provided two suites upstairs in the Jockey Suites area and the group got settled for a long day of waiting.

Fast forward five hours.  Macho Man is in the paddock.  He looks very good and handles himselft with class.  The rest of the field looks superb.  Keep in mind this is the paddock for a Grade One, in fact I learned it's the only Grade One on the dirt for olders in the Midwest - All Year!

They break and our little Grey colt drops over to the rail and just gets into a nice easy rhythm chasing the seven horses in front of him.

As they turned down the backside, I sensed the leaders were picking it up some.  Just what we needed.  Truth be told, at the half mile pole, I questioned if he was good enough to run by every one of these good  horses after such a sensible pace.  I, and the entire racing world, was about to get the answer. 

Macho started his run, reminiscent of the New Orleans Handicap rally.  I glanced at Einstein.  He is in a trap very similar to the trap Macho found himslft in on the far turn in the Travers last summer.  No where to go with some run - oh well.

Everybody knows what happens next.  Macho makes a sweeping six wide run from dead last to run by a very, very classy field of older handicap horses.

West Point Partners stand in the winner's circle after the Foster for the second time in three years.  Dave Berman from New York was the only WPT Partner in both of the photos as he owned a peice of Flashy Bull as well.

And now the pundits come out of the woodwork. 

This little colt is too slow.  He will never beat Einstein or Adriatic Boy ever again.  He Beyers are below par.  His sheet numbers are below average.

Here is what I do know - the colt won the Derby Trail, finished second in the Preakness, won the Jim Dandy, second in the Super Derby, won the New Orleans Handicap, won the Foster, and now has dead aim on the Whitney.

So, as long as the Pundits don't "get to" the horsemen's paymaster at Churchill and we can withdraw that $360k from the Foster win within the next week - I think we will be ok.

Have a great week.

Terry

A great weekend for racing and a fitting finale for the Triple Crown.  As Summer Bird crossed the wire in the third jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday, my daughter Erin reminded me of a statement I made on Thursday before the Derby standing outside barn 42 at Churchill Downs.  She asked me who "really didn't belong in the gate for the Derby?"  I distinctly remember telling her I thought both of the "Bird Horses" just didn't fit.  Those "Bird Horses" were Mine That Bird and Summer Bird.  Both of them were housed very close to our Oaks Contender, Justwhistledixie.  That's racing.

The New York Times, while not very kind to racing overall this spring, did have an interesting article on reworking the Triple Crown.  Take a look http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/triple-crown-needs-major-reform/?scp=1&sq=len%20friedman&st=cse

I am going to take a harder look at this issue in the coming months. On the surface, changing the timing of the Triple Crown seems like a decent idea, but is it viable?  A very important question is what it does to the economics of the two tracks involved, Pimlico and Belmont. 

More and more, I am realizing the only real "magic wand" for horses is time and Mother Nature.  As the article indicates, they run so hard and dig down so deep; horses need more and more time to "regroup".   I know some need more time than others, but the data is pretty darn conclusive that time helps in a big way.

I do know something has to change as the Triple Crown season destroys too many horses.  Year after year, people push and push horses who just aren't ready - and for what?  Almost all owners talk about "doing the right thing for the horse".  Sadly not everyone puts words into action.

We have a big week ahead with Macho Again in the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on Saturday.  We'll try to win the race for the second time in three years with Robbie Albarado on a grey colt from the Holy Bull line.

Have a great week-

Terry