Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance : Ted Grevelis

Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

cdawahare@bloodhorse.com — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:53:00 GMT

Courtesy of Ted L. Grevelis (Owning Racehorses)

Opening Day crowd of 7,000+ line the apron prior to the start of Race 3

While the eyes of the horse racing world are turned to the Triple Crown, there are other races to be run and less hallowed tracks than Churchill, Pimlico and Belmont have their meets just beginning. Here in Minnesota our racing season is short, but Canterbury Park makes the most of that opportunity each and every year.

Last season's opener was Derby Day and it was bright and sunny and packed to the rafters. This year was a Friday night under the threat of rain... When I got to the track about 30 minutes before first post, the parking lot looked like a typical Saturday. Decent for a Friday night, but not great for a season opener. More of the same once I got inside - a nice crowd, but nothing special. There was a glimmer of hope from the south as there was a line of clearing that looked like it wanted to come our way. Maybe if we could get some of that it could help save the night a bit?

Entering the track I went right to the paddock, located just inside the main gate to the right, for the first race. There was certainly an air of exuberance. Friends were greeting friends they haven't seen since last season and after an extended off season, everyone was happy to be back racing.

Canterbury Paddock prior to the 1^st race of the season

The first race went off as scheduled and as the final horses moved into the starting gate, the crowd started applauding and went the latch sprung and track announcer Paul Allen began the call there was whooping and hollering from the growing crowd - we were back in action!

They're Off!!! The gate springs open in the first race of the 2009 season

Dean Butler piloted the first winner of the meet, the Mac Robertson trained 3-5 favorite Mister Merz. Merz is stablemate of Rebel Stakes (G2) winner Win Willy and carries the colors of the Jer-Mar Stables. There was a sad note to the open festivities as Golden Prancer broke down in the turn for home. Jockey Adolpho Morales was unseated but thankfully unhurt as was the jockey of Erinn and Aaron, B.L. Hollingsworth. Golden Prancer was vanned off the track. The celebration of the first race of the season was a subdued one.

Fortunately the second race featured a great comeback by a big favorite in a stretch run that took up every stride to the wire. Five to one Crossing Guard tried to take the field wire to wire and built up a 10+ length lead entering the stretch. Even money favorite, Ma Barker made her move under Juan Rivera and started to chop into that big lead with every stride. As the wire got closer, so did Ma Barker. The crowd was really worked up by mid-stretch and as Crossing Guard's stride shortened, I'm sure the wire seemed like it would never come for Dylan Williams. When they finally crossed it looked like she had hung on...until the instant replay. Maybe Ma Barker DID get there? After what I'm sure was an agonizingly long wait for the photo (been there!), Ma Barker indeed got the win and the place went nuts saluting a very game filly winning her first race since her maiden at Turf Paradise. The first Daily Double of the season: $6!

The chalk parade continued in the third as Tahitian Queen romped keying a $15 pick 3! Wow... The upside for me in this race? Tahitian Queen was ridden by Jose Ferrer who is picking up the mount on Fizzy Pop in Sunday. More on that in the next post later today.

Finally, in the 4th, it was bombs away as Engaging Lover blew up the tote board at 25-1 for Harvey Berg and jockey Luis Medina. Bernell Rhone's comebacker Belicheck - off over a year until his start at Tampa a few weeks ago - combined for an exacta payout of over $300. Amazingly enough, a husband was telling his wife behind me - "I told you! I told you!" The feeling of KNOWING regarding a 25-1 shot. Rarely happens, but when it does...

Finally my stomach started to remind the rest of my body that it was dinner time. At Canterbury Park, choices abound. On the main level there are two main bars - one near the top of the stretch, the other just past the finish line. These bars bookend a snack bar, pizza and pasta and a Mexican stand as well as a small restaurant inside the card club. The fabled Canterbury Nut Lady also operates her stand as you head up to the Mezzanine.

The Legendary Canterbury Nut Lady

As you head up the escalator, there is a Famous Dave's BBQ stand, another snack bar and a shout out to the "Great Minnesota Get Together" (below) - many of you would probably call it our State Fair - where you can get fries, foot longs and, of course, Pronto Pups (corn dogs to the rest of the world)!

A taste of the Minnesota State Fair

Finally, upstairs in the Clubhouse (below) is another snack bar, the Clubhouse Buffet and the Park Restaurant. Choices for literally every taste and budget. I went for a slice of pizza which was better than any "venue" pizza you've ever had - and plenty of pizzeria's as well!

Clubhouse seating at Canterbury Park

Dinner leads me in to the 'specials' that are run at Canterbury. Each racing day, from Thursday to Sunday has a theme attached to it. Friday nights are Minnesota's Finest Happy Hour with live music on the apron, 1/2 price pizza, drink specials and contests. Saturdays are Classic Saturdays with Classic Cars on display, a giveaway, other food and drink specials and a $10,000 Pick Six pool guarantee. Sundays are Pepsi Family Day which features pony rides, face painting, a petting zoo and a kids "Race the Track" after the final race. When Thursday racing returns in a few weeks it'll bring the return of buck night which is just as it implies: $1 admission, $1 hot dogs, $1 Pepsi, $1 nachos, beer specials and a "Who do you like today contest?" with the prize of a $20 win, place, show wager. Solid daily promotions, good, affordable food and exciting racing action - a definite winning recipe.

Live band grace the Canterbury apron every Friday night

There is also something else about the crowd at the Shakopee oval - it's young. There were plenty of twentysomethings and thirtysomethings around as well as families. These days this is an anomaly when you head out to the racetrack. Maybe it's because we're a summer meet? Maybe because we run in the evenings during the week? I went ahead and asked a group of younger folks sitting behind me what their reasons were for picking the racetrack. The number one answer was fun! This was followed by the excitement of wagering and, interestingly enough, the puzzle of trying to figure out a race and the feeling you get when you nail one. They all agreed as well that it was an inexpensive night out. Five dollars in, inexpensive food (if you stick with the specials) and you control your wagering budget. They can all hang out together and make a lot of noise and pit their skills against each other. It was a mighty encouraging conversation. I don't know if we're unique in Minnesota, but it would be nice to see this trend spread throughout the country.

I was fortunate enough to run into old partner Brian (of Somerset Sam and Somerset Wish fame). It was great catching up with him and a special congratulations on his engagement to longtime girlfriend Andrea! It was also fortunate as my choice for the 6th race, Henry the K, ran off the board. We got so caught up in talking, I never placed the bet. So thank you, Brian!

In the finale of the evening, a Minnesota bred Maiden Special Weight contest, partner Janet Weber (breeder of Miss Belle Express) had a homebred running, Tahkodha Bill. Bill had a bought with seconditis last year and was trying to break that streak on his return. While it didn't happen (he was placed 3rd after being interfered with in the stretch), it was great to catch up with Janet and her entourage: Linda, John and Vickie. John and Vickie also are partners with Janet in the filly Standing Rock who races Sunday in the 3rd, just before Fizzy Pop's race so we'll be there to root them on!

The final attendance figure was 7,482 which was significantly less than the 10,000 plus in attendance last year, but a chilly, overcast, very windy Friday night with the chance of rain and thundershowers I'm sure kept plenty of folks away. Again, last year was Derby Day, sunny and warm after a long cold winter and most of the Spring. It's very difficult to make any kind of fair comparison. By comparison, day 2 - Preakness Day and sunny (though still rather chilly) - drew another 9,000+ fans. A solid opening two days in our little corner of racing heaven.

For more on Canterbury's opener, see Jim Wells official Canterbury blog.

Trato to Retire After Injury

cdawahare@bloodhorse.com — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:42:00 GMT

By Ted Grevelis

Who?

EXACTLY! This is a story about a horse whose retirement won't be generating any headlines, just a tough, hard knocking type that races everyday across North America with little fanfare but carries on his back the hopes and dreams of small time owners.

Trato was bred in California by Megali Ventures LLC and was sold at auction for $13,000. A son of Lit de Justice/Calm Seas, Trato was bought by John Cavalli, trainer Armando Lage and Thomas Thompson-led (at the time) Owner's Stable. Trato won over the turf at first asking in a $32,000 Maiden Claiming event at Golden Gate Fields at two, but quickly disappointed in allowance company before winning again in a $25,000 claiming race on the dirt at Bay Meadows. This win emboldened the group a bit and Trato was sent south to try the $40,000 claimers at Hollywood to start his 3-year old season. He ran mid-pack and went to work on his next race. Trato appeared sore while training and after some investigation and a series of x-rays, a condular fracture was found in the right front ankle and a screw was installed to stabilize the joint. It was unsure if Trato would race again and he was away from training for 10 months.

During those 10-months, ownership let the horse guide them. Trato was turned out and allowed to roam and play and test the joint on his own. When it appeared that the ankle had healed better than expected, some light training began to see how the young gelding would respond. He seemed eager to run again and the slow road back began.

Thirteen months after his last race, Trato was back in a $16,000 claiming race at Bay Meadows. While well placed throughout, he was flat - which was to be expected. What was not expected was that, despite training well, you could tell by watching him that there may have been a fear to test that joint in a stretch drive. After three more flat races there was talk about retiring the feller. He knew and got excited about race day, he was solid in the morning and his joint, by all indications, was as sound as a pound, but something was missing in the afternoons. Armando decided to give him a shot going longer (a mile and a quarter) in the Bay Meadows Triple Play claiming series and something seemed to click. He finished fourth, but it was a good fourth and three weeks later he was brought back in an $8000 claiming race and the streak began.

The streak wasn't about wins, though there were some, it was about a horse regaining his confidence and re-igniting the dreams of the owners and trainers (when sent south, Armando entrusted Trato's care to Doug O'Neil). In seven races, with the exception of one flat 5th place finish, Trato finished no worse than 3rd, won the Humboldt County Handicap, a Starter Allowance at Fairplex and was barely headed out of the win in the $50,000 Cal Cup Starter Handicap during the Oak Tree Meet at Santa Anita. Trato was sharp and he was back! It was apparent that the longer the race the better and after these three stellar race at 1 5/8, 1 3/8 and 1 1/2 miles, plans were being laid for a marathon stakes race at Turf Paradise after the first of the year.

On Thanksgiving, Trato was back in Doug O'Neil's barn and was sent out in a $40,000 Optional Claiming race that was taken off the turf. He was tracking the leaders in a nice spot for most of the race. As the pace picked up heading into the final turn, a point where Trato typically unwinds for his late kick, Trato started sliding off the pace. Then the words no one wants to hear from track announcer Vic Stauffer, "Trato pulls up!!! Something is wrong with Trato and he is out of the race!!"

Trato had bowed a tendon (other leg from the ankle injury) and was returned to the barn. From partner Jeff Deeney:

"...we went back to the barn, and Trato was walking albeit very gingerly, he was favoring that leg, and he was also VERY drugged up. They must have given him some really good stuff in the van. Once they finished walking him he could barely keep his eyes open. We looked at the leg with one of the guys there, and you could just see where the tendon was injured, didn't even have to feel it. They put a couple wraps on him and put iceboots on his two front legs and put him back in his stall. We spent about 30 minutes with him, he was really out of it because of the drugs, he stuck his head out so Janette would pet and scratch him, but that was about all the energy he had.

"Major kudos to Martin [Pedroza, Trato's jockey] for handling Trato so well, and also to Doug and everyone in his barn. The handlers there once he got back were really good with him and also to us."

Work has actively begun on rehabbing Trato and finding him a home away from the track. Partners like Jeff and Janette Deeney, Lloyd and father Noli Dalmacio, John Cavalli and others along with trainer Armando Lage will make sure that it happens. There were no photographers or reporters waiting at the barn. There are no stud fees in waiting or fanfare accompanying the retirement, just an everyday horse that was anything but to his connections.

The Ideal of a Racino

cdawahare@bloodhorse.com — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:22:00 GMT

By Ted Grevelis

With the passage of legislation in Maryland to allow either slots at the race tracks or, at the very least, slot parlors contributing revenue to the racetracks, it got me thinking about what I would do if I could build a racino. And not only build a racino, but design the structure around the racino including slot machines, table games and even state tax rates.

Before I get started, I'm no economist and admittedly these are rough calculations. While there is need for polishing this up by an expert, I hope that doesn't detract from my point: that slots, horses and government can coexist if everyone would stop being so greedy and work together so that everyone makes money

To start, you look at the Maryland legislation and you see that the state will get about 67% of the take. In contrast, Nevada casinos are taxed at a rate around 8%. Both are ridiculous. You need to be able to build a business on the high end and, as the sorry state of Nevada schools (especially southern Nevada) attests, you need a bit more on the low end to make it worth it to government. You need to be able to reinvest in the infrastructure of the physical plant; turn over your slot floor to keep offerings fresh; continuous track maintenance. Forcing a racino operator to try and operate on only 33% of revenue does only two things: discourage operators from maximizing the property and prevents the property from being the best it can be.

So first off, let's tackle this issue first. I would propose a state take of 20 - 25%. It's a pretty hearty tax, sure, but to compensate a bit for gaming, it should be a decent bite. This would also help stuff the state's coffers, but not make the tax so onerous that it stifles business creativity. Another 3% or so should go to the local government where the property is located. This would be perk of hosting the property, if you will. Now instead of forcing a racino operator to try and operate on 33% of the revenue, they have about 70% to work with.

A friend of mine who builds and operates casinos once said that if slot vendors would lease slot machines on an 85/15 revenue split, he probably wouldn't buy another slot machine again. This should be interpreted to mean that his operating cost for a slot floor runs about 15% of revenue. He has many years of experience doing this so I have no reason to doubt him. That being said, I would push that to 20% to account for inflation and perhaps some additional expenses that escape me right now. This is just to run a slot floor and not the racetrack, but those numbers would be part of an enterprise wide calculation and this is just on the slot end.

So now our slot floor is taken care of, our expenses are set and the state and municipality are taken care of. What about table games? I say the heck with them. They are labor intensive and don't generate the same type of ‘win' numbers as slots. If you want to add an automated roulette machine and some digital tables, go right ahead, but don't burden yourself with a table games department. It's no sin to be ambitious, but know who you are and what you are about. A racino shouldn't be a slot parlor with a racetrack attached; it should be an added amenity to the racetrack. I don't see it as a 3,000 slot behemoth. I see it more as a 1,000 - 1500 slot addenda to the race track. Don't add the headcount, chips and stacks of cards and stay with a lean operation.

Let's run some numbers before we get to the horsemen and purses. Let's assume that we're in an urban/suburban area like Prince George's County, Maryland. With that demographic, I think we're safe in assuming a $300 win per unit per day (actually, I think it may be considerably more, but let's go with that number).

1,000 Slot machines x $300 per day x 365 days = $109,500,000 a year

State tax (25%) = $27,375,000

Local tax (3%) = $3,285,000

Expenses (20%) = $21,900,000

What's left? = $56,940,000

Let's compare for a second the current model. I will not show the 3,000 machines that the law allows for - no one in their right mind would commit that kind of capital investment with a 67% rake.

Revenue = $109,500,000

State Tax = $73,365,000

Local Tax = $0

Expenses (20%) = $21,900,000

What's left? = $14,235,000

How do you reinvest, make a profit and increase purses on that? The government folks will complain that it's not enough dough for them, but where else can they get $27 million per location while still PROMOTING business development? (That goes to show you that liberal Democrat and devout capitalist are NOT mutually exclusive!)

If you dedicate 30% of ‘what's left' under the first example to augment current purses, horse rescue and disabled jockey funds that leaves the operator $39,858,000 a year. Keep in mind, I am not taking into account any revenue from food and beverage, gift shop or even horse wagering into these totals. If there is an infrastructure investment of $100,000,000 the ROI is less than three years! What business would not love that kind of return? And you're not going crazy building gaming palaces but building entertainment value for your patrons.

I truly think in my scenario you could dedicate even more money to purses and still not faze an operator. You could take that money and use it to promote the racing product and do things like free programs and parking that should be standard anyhow. Sure you'll need a smaller operator who would be happy with that kind of steady return as well as one that values the sport of horse racing. But you could do it.

Truth be told, the tracks could run it without an outside operator. Seriously. A General Manager would need to understand that he needs to do two things: hire someone with good, solid, slot experience to be Director of Slots; and take some time himself and take some casino management courses at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas or University of Nevada at Reno. They even offer intensive two week courses from time to time. Know what you don't know, admit it and then learn it. This way you have the racing folks running the entire entertainment product. Kind of like civilian control of the military, if you will.

This is my ideal; a scenario that for various reasons will probably never happen - the greed of all parties involved springs immediately to mind. But hell, I'm a horseman and I care about our product and what's in it for us. We're always on the short end and I'm tired of being the afterthought.

Wrapping Up a Partnership and Saying Goodbye

cdawahare@bloodhorse.com — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:01:00 GMT

By Ted Grevelis (Owning Racehorses)

The very first ownership group I was a part of was right here in Minnesota. Managed by chart caller and bloodstock agent David M Miller we ran under the banner of Star of the North Racing. Siblings Somerset Sam and Somerset Wish (Gazebo- Somerset Blum) were purchased from breeder Jack Welch in the early spring of 2007. They both broke their maidens in 2008 and both wound up their careers on the same weekend at Canterbury Park late this summer. It turned out to be a memorable finale and a lesson in how to care for your horses.

Sister and brother duo of Somerset Wish (4) and Somerset Sam (3) were more than likely going to retire after the weekend. Wish had two good years of campaigning and the thought of her getting claimed from us and running in bottom of the rung claiming races at bullrings was not acceptable to us. Besides, she has a knee issue that had knocked her off the track last summer and, while healed completely, she seemed to favor it a bit when she needed to change leads. A lot like a running back who hurts his shoulder, heals, but still seems skittish at the line of scrimmage.

Somerset Sam and my son Benjamin this summer.

Sam was a different story. If he could run well here we'd see him move on to Remington and continue to ply his trade. If he couldn't, however, we were going to retire him. There's not a happy ending for slow geldings and we wanted to make sure that Sammy had one. Coincidentally both were running in Minnesota bred $7500 claiming races going six furlongs over the main track. Sammy on Saturday and Wish on Sunday.

It was an absolutely gorgeous late summer Saturday in the Twin Cities and there were some fun races throughout the card. When the 8th race came around I packed up my Racing Form, glasses and binoculars and headed down to the track photographer to pick up Fizzy Pop's finish line photo from his last race and close out my account with the track bookkeeper. Then it was over to the paddock to see Sam get saddled and be on his way.

The feeling watching Sammy get saddled up and prepped to go was mixed. Maybe he had a future over the winter; however I got the feeling that he really wasn't enjoying what he was doing. He tried hard, but was so big that it was hard for him to turn his stride over. When he showed us in his last race that he couldn't get a mile - well, if you don't have speed and you can't go long it's time to find a new job. Once you get in the walking ring, though, doubts disappear and you start thinking, "Yeah, we can beat this group. Sure we can. And once we're in Oklahoma, well, he'll just get better!"

I watched the race in the horsemen seats on the mezzanine. Sam's trainer, Bernell Rhone and his brother Russ came by and sat with me as we watched the race. Sam broke OK but was bumped. Not badly shaken up, he was back on stride and tracked the leaders in fourth, but wide, most of the way. In the stretch, Sammy really didn't improve his position. I The Jury smoked the field by 15+ lengths and Sam finished 5th, seven lengths out of second. Bernell and I looked at each other for a second and I said "That won't keep him racing." Bernell nodded and agreed, "Not with that time. Probably best to let him go."

David will keep an ownership interest in Sam in order to monitor his retirement. He found a nice farm in rural Minnesota for Sammy to retire to. He'll be retrained as a riding horse and should live a nice sedate life trail riding. Sam has a great disposition for that kind of life and kudos to David for being responsible and a leader in the truest sense for the rest of us that own racehorses.

Somerset Wish with groom Reanna Theisen before her last career start.

If it's at all possible, Sunday dawned nicer than Saturday. I'm sure most of the country would have view it as a nice early fall day. Those of us in the Upper Midwest view mid-70's and sunny as a fine late summer day! After one quick stop at the bank to deposit the Canterbury check, we were on our way to Shakopee for probably the last time this summer. We got there early and listened to track announcer Paul Allen and analyst Kevin Gorg dissect the card and enjoyed a bag of nuts from Canterbury Park's 'Nut Lady'. Only one of them even mentioned Wish, which was to finish second and even then just in passing.

Her groom, Reanna Theisen, walked Wish into the paddock and Wish looked good. Theri, my wife, even mentioned that Ri's hair matched Wish today. After "rider's up!" and Adolpho Morales took the reins, we talked a bit with trainer Larry Donlin about how well Canterbury promotes racing and how some other locations rake in slot money while doing nothing to promote the racing product. The perfect storm of utilizing slots to market racing - not just tolerate it - could be seen someday if the folks at Canterbury ever get the gift of slot revenue.

Wish broke a bit awkwardly but hustled up to track the leaders perfectly in third position through the turn. I had the glasses trained on her and partner Brian Nodolf kept asking, "How's she doing? How's she doing?" I kept saying, "He's not moving on her, he's still not moving. NOW - he's asking her!" as she surged to the front turning for home. But her stable mate, Squeezable, was not ready to give in. She pulled alongside of Wish and got a neck out in front with about 100 yards to go. At that spot and from our vantage point, we all thought it was a good second. Then we watched the slo-mo of the finish on the big screen - she fought back along the rail and may have won! The TV showed the finish a couple of times and it looked like we got the head bob, but it was hard to tell because both heads were moving in the same direction in tandem. Finally Paul Allen announced, "The winner issssss...NUMBER ONE, Somerset Wish!" and we went nuts! We hustled down to the winner's circle and there was quite a crowd to see Wish off - Larry and his wife Maureen, Brian and his girlfriend Andrea, my wife Theri and I, David, her breeder Jack Welch with his two grandchildren, exercise rider and assistant chart caller Lisa Johnson and even tout sheet seller Big Jake Mauer. It was a big and very happy crowd.

The last race was typical of Wish's career. In 11 career starts she had two across the board: two wins, places and shows. Add to that another 4 fourth place finishes and she was always close. You left her out of you superfecta ticket at your own peril! She was always in the hunt and she always tried hard. Her heart is as big as all outdoors and the way she fought back to win at the wire was typical of everything we have enjoyed from her the past two seasons.

Wish is off to live on a Wisconsin farm courtesy of Brian. Again, another partner and friend stepping up and doing what is right by the horse. Apparently this is a polo farm, so maybe she'll make some polo ponies in her future? I love to think of Wish as a mom.

David always had the finances up to speed and in no time this partnership was closed out once the final bills came in. My rough figuring was that we'd walk away with three photos, great memories, good friends, many lessons learned and little, if any, cash. Success? You bet your life savers it was a success. Success in this game cannot only be measured in dollars and sense. You do your best to get the return, but you also balance the needs of the horse as well as the "fun" factor for your partners.

In contrast to what I have written about a sour partnership experience in the past, THIS is the way things should be done. Very publicly I would like to once again thank my friend, mentor and partner David Miller for the fabulous job he did with this, his first public partnership and encouraging me to head out on my own. Also thanks need to go out to Brian, Jack Gresser and Tony Miller who round out this partnership. Without each of us, this wouldn't have been possible. We'll all stay in touch and hopefully get involved together again. It was a great ride.

Most of the thanks go to Somerset Sam and Somerset Wish - two horses that I got to know and love. Thanks for showcasing your unique personalities on every barn visit and your hearts in every trip to the track. I hope you enjoy your retirements and I look forward to visiting you all as often as I can get out there to see you both.

Finally, there is an old adage that says "Take care of the horse and the horse will take care of you." Both Sam and Wish are going to have a well cared for retirement that they not only have earned, but deserve, thanks to the conscientious efforts of the managing partner and the support of the general partners. I have found that this type of concern is far more prevalent than the exceptions that are covered in the press. The spirit of caring is passed from industry veterans like David, to newcomers, like I was. Organizations like Old Friends and Neigh Savers are in place to help out, but they need our help as well. There are more organizations like these around the country that need your contacts, your time and yes, your money. These beautiful equine athletes work hard for us - make it your responsibility to work hard for them. I know that I will.

The Dream

cdawahare@bloodhorse.com — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:22:00 GMT

By Ted Grevelis

I wrote this on the evening of Tuesday, June 17, 2008 after a very long day driving around the Upper Midwest. I preface this way because I had a lot of time to kill. I had time to slip into a favorite American (and most definitely horse owners) past-time: day-dreaming.

Now that the Breeder's Cup is over and I know I won't jinx my horse, I will share this dream with you all. Ah, the superstitions of sports fan/horse owner/former athlete.

The first partnership I formed claimed a horse at Tampa Bay Downs out of a $10,000 claiming race in late March 2008. He is a 4-year old gelding named Fizzy Pop (Slew Gin Fizz - Pop Pop B.B. Gun - Red Ryder) and he's currently on R&R awaiting the opening of the next meet at Tampa. Our trainer is Bernell Rhone, Canterbury Park Hall of Famer and his regular rider is perennial top of the standings rider Dean Butler.

Now, The Dream:

Fizzy was racing in an $18,000 allowance race at Canterbury Park in mid-June and not only wins, but wins easier than we could have hoped. Dean comes back smiling and I say to Bernell, "A wise man once told me, 'sometimes they just get good' - and it looks like our boy just got good!!" We're all stunned and thrilled at the ease of the race. We take a couple of days and then Bernell and I get together and talk about the future. We decide on a grass stakes race in mid July (note: I had no idea driving around if there was even was a grass route Stake in the book for July, but that's the beauty of The Dream, reality doesn't matter all that much!).

As we lead into that race, Fiz is training well and I dare to start thinking about the Claiming Crown. The day of the race dawns and Fizzy is sharp again. How in the world does Bernell keep him so sharp? This race is closer and Fizzy needs to put out more of an effort, but he still wins by two. He's tired after the race the next day when the family goes to visit him, but he bathes in the affection the kids shower on him. When I get close to him I thank him and press close to his neck and tell him how proud we are and how much we appreciate all he's given us. Bernell and I decide to supplement him to the Claiming Crown - $5000 for a shot at the winner's share of the route grass race of $60,000.

August 2nd comes and this time Dean finds himself in traffic into the stretch. There is no clear path on the outside. A hole opens up late and Fizzy charges through and wins a photo!! Holy crap - four in a row and we're in the winner's circle again. I'm know I'll be interviewed after the race, so right there in my car, I rehearse it over and over again until it sounds right: "I'd like to thank the Rhones for their care and attentiveness; Dean for riding him picture perfect and knowing the horse; my partners for their faith and trust; my family for being there every step of the way for their support; and Fizzy Pop for being the tiger he is!"

After the race I'm interviewed by the TVG guys (another note: I didn't know at the time idea if TVG even cares about the Claiming Crown, but what the hell? Again, my Dream. Turns out, they DID carry it.) And they ask me what's next for the horse. Would I supplement him to the Breeder's Cup? (I know, I know, but again - my Dream!) I answered, "Emotionally I want to shout out 'Yes!', but we'll need to talk a step back in a few days, see how he came back from the race, get the partners, trainer and rider together and decide what we want to do next."

What we decided to do was to send him to the Joe Hirsch at Belmont and see if it has what it takes and then make the decision on the Breeder's Cup from there. He didn't win, but he had trouble and finished third. The partners, Dean, Bernell and a few other folks gathered in a back room in a restaurant to decide what to do. We enjoyed a fine dinner, relived the year and debated on the wisdom of taking ALL the winnings for the year and letting it ride supplementing to the Breeder's Cup and if we did, was Dean up to riding in the biggest race of his life at Santa Anita.

We decided to let it ride, of course. And no way was he going if he wasn't being piloted by Dean Butler. We ponied up the cash and we became the story of the Breeder's Cup. A bunch of shmoes that are trying to play with the big boys. Out to Santa Anita we went for the Cup and it is my birthday weekend to boot! Reporters are everywhere and my wife is hating life (she's a shy soul), but I'm enjoying it and we are the latest 'People's Horse'. We reap more in endorsements than we ever could winning the race and we decide to plow most of that into expanding our partnership with a several well-bred horses and start the road to the Preakness (Yes, the Preakness - another one of my little Dreams, but that's another story).

And the race? Well, after an agonizing wait, our number goes up after the photo sign comes down. The crowd goes wild and as partners we are almost passed out from the excitement. We can barely get to the winner's circle. It's like a dream...

Caption: Fizzy Pop winning the Breeder's Cup Turf - or maybe it was a $16,000 Claiming race at Canterbury Park?

Oh wait, it IS!

So there it is. My day-dreaming for me, my partners and our horse. It doesn't matter if it's feasible or even possible. That's the point of having a dream. In racing we all chase a dream. Maybe it's the Kentucky Derby or the Breeder's Cup or maybe the dreams are more modest in scope. It really doesn't matter. If you don't allow yourself the time to dream, just why are you exactly in this business? We all know it's not about the money. It's tough to make a buck day in and day out for most of us. The Dream is what keeps us going. The beauty of my dream? If it doesn't work out, I can adjust, but I will keep on dreaming.

How did things turn out in the real world? Fizzy finished the summer for us with a couple of wins and a second in five summer starts. After a single race at Remington Park, a $35,000 Optional Claimer by the way, Fizzy turned an ankle and is resting for a couple of months at a farm. He'll come back to training in December and we hope to see over the turf at Tampa Bay Downs in January. I'll just adjust the dream for his 5-year old season and we'll start over again.

Isn't that what we do every year?

TBA Partnership Week

Blood-Horse Staff — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:54:00 GMT

Welcome to Breeder’s Cup Day! We were handed the reins of the TBA Blog this week and were to start at a relatively inopportune moment – Breeder’s Cup Day (or Day 2, if you prefer). Given the justifiable focus on the best our industry has to offer today as well as ad nauseum blogs on the races themselves, we will resume your regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow.

I thought I would take this ‘quiet’ day to introduce you to your TBA bloggers this week. All three run partnerships of various sizes, shapes and forms. No, this won’t be a week long commercial of ‘join my group’, but rather views on racing from one of the many unique perspectives the TBA offers up to readers. In our case: owners.

Many, if not most of you out there are owners so you deal with many of the issues that we do. We may discuss some of those issues this week. We may take you back to that first stakes win, the first win period or that very first race under your colors. We may hit upon some national issues or some more parochial ones. There may be some lessons learned the hard way that we’ll share as well as moments that we’ve had that no other sport can offer to its participants and/or spectators.

I think that what we will be able to offer you is some entertaining commentary on racing from our perspectives. Here are the bios of your hosts this week:

Steve Zorn

Blog: The Business of Racing (http://businessofracing.blogspot.com/)
Location: New York

Biographical Info: Managing Partner of Castle Village Farm, a thoroughbred racing partnership group based in New York. He's also a tax lawyer, former law school professor and United Nations technical adviser. Steve is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

Frank Vespe

Blog: That’s Amore Stable (http://www.thatsamorestable.net/blog/)
Location: Maryland

Biographical Info: Managing Partner of That’s Amore Stable, a thoroughbred racing partnership based in Maryland and racing throughout the Mid Atlantic and Florida.

Ted Grevelis

Blog: Owning Racehorses (http://grevelisracing.blogspot.com)
Location: Minnesota

Biographical Info: Managing Partner of Grevelis Racing Stable LLC a thoroughbred racing partnership based in Minnesota and racing in the Midwest and Florida. Ted is also a Director of Sales for a leading slot machine manufacturer and has been involved in racing as an owner, fan, handicapper and even ticket puncher since 1985.