OT: Maiden owner takes Hooves of Thunder challenge

[Honolulu Blue]

I was inspired by QuikSand's description of this game to buy a copy from Action Games ( http://www.odds-onchoice.com ) and give it a try.

My horse racing experience is limited to occasionally watching Triple Crown races on TV.

I found the game to be less challenging than I expected, but addictive nevertheless. I used QuikSand's rules (start with $10k, no private buys, limited private sales, etc.).

I started with a $6k claimer that did well and was eventually claimed, but not before it made several times its price in purses.

My second horse was a $4k claimer that won doodle squat before being sold to pay the bills for about $1500.

The third horse was a $15k claimer that won a whole lot of money racing at 8f (f=furlong, 1/8 mile).

My fourth horse was bought at the 2 year old auction for about $26,000. He was mostly pathetic at the 5f maidens that marked his early career - he needed more distance. He did better at 6f, and better still at 8f. He never won, but he finished second twice and 4th twice. He was claimed for $15k.

After my first two years, I had $59,190 in cash and no horses. The ranch had won $121,180 in purses.

NEXT: Year 3

[Honolulu Blue]

My Racing career - year 3

I started the year by looking at the claimers. I saw a horse by the name of BALIK that I thought might be interesting. He seemed to be misplaced in long races, and I wanted to try him in some low level sprints. I claimed him for $6k on January 7. He ran a consistent 5th or 6th, except his last race when he placed 8th. I finally sold him for $2736 on May 6 to get him out of my hair.

Meanwhile, in January I was watching the auction when LOST CONTROL came up. His breeding was excellent and my trainer liked him, so he should have been really expensive, right? Not really. I was the high bidder at $16,500. I dutifully entered him in his first race, a $15k, 5f maiden. To my surprise, he won. A month later I moved him up to a $15k allowance race. He won that one too. Two months until the next race at 6 furlongs, another allowance race. He won that one too. By now I was beginning to see visions of big money in my eyes. Another allowance race at 6f provided LOST CONTROL with his first taste of defeat, a third. October's race at 7f ended up with him in 6th. The next month he came back some and took a third at 8f. I tried to enter him in a $100k 2 year old stakes race in December but it was cancelled. Alas.

After getting rid of that nag BALIK, I scoured the claimers and found a real winner in QUITE A LADY. She'd done consistently well in races near $30k at medium distance (7-9f). She won the race I claimed her at and went on to win the next three, providing a hefty return on investment. One of the races she won was a $50k handicap. I wanted to try to only race her in handicaps and stakes races, but I had problems finding enough to fill her schedule. So I accepted an entry into a $60k handicap at 9 furlongs, figuring the distance would help. It didn't - she finished 7th, her worst of the year. I scrambled around and found a $65k handicap at her best distance - 8f. She took a third, coming just short at the wire. The pickings were starting to get slim, so I accepted a $35k claimer. She finished a very close second, but worse than that was the fact she was claimed. From my investment of $30,000, I received my share of $69,500 in prize money, and $35k for the claim. After expenses, I came close to tripling my money in three months. I wish I could find investments like that in real life...

Anyway, I enter the new year with $111,675, and a very valuable 3 year old (LOST CONTROL). This could be a very good year.

NEXT: The first half of year 4

[Honolulu Blue]

My racing career: January-June - year 4

LOST CONTROL entered the Smith Memorial Handicap, a 50k 5 furlong stakes race, on January 3, and cashed out in third - not bad for his first handicap race, but 5f was clearly not his best distance. The next race was the Abrams Handicap on January 23. The purse was the same, but the distance was 8f. He won it and took home a $51,000 paycheck, our best ever to that point. He missed out on a couple of stakes races because they got canceled. He didn't race again until March 28 in the Blue Rock Handicap, a 55k stakes race at 10 furlongs. I thought the distance would match his abilities well. But the layoff suited him poorly as he turned in a sluggish 6th place finish. The next race was the Crabapple Stakes on April 11. The distance was good (7f), but the pot was better ($125k). Only four horses competed, so we were all but guaranteed to cash. LOST CONTROL loafed back, per his usual style, and sprinted to the finish. He won by a nose and added $111,000 to the cause. I felt he was ready for the Kentucky - er, Blue Rock - Derby on May 1. That would have been a huge payday had we been able to pull it off ($500k purse!). Alas, we got bit by one of the games' bugs - the inability to confirm a scheduled race for the next month - and couldn't enter. Anyway, it was a long time until the next race - May 23's Taurus Handicap. At 8f and with a 50k purse, this should have been ripe for the picking. But the layoff hurt again and he came in last. No races in June, but a couple of interesting prospects in July.

I claimed BORN RICH at a 10k claimer on January 1. He took place money on January 17 and 31 before getting claimed for $15k. Both races were at 7 furlongs. I didn't expect him to get claimed so quickly, and I missed him, a little.

On February 3 I claimed WYNDMOOR HEAT for 15k. He showed the ability to get out in front and stay for 5 or 6 furlongs before tiring. I claimed him at an 8f race, which was clearly too long for him. His next race was February 19 at 20k, 6f. He finished 6th, clearly outclassed by the field. Not dissuaded, I entered him in another 20k claimer at 6f on March 10. This time he held on for third. He won his next race, a 15k claimer at 5f on March 25. It proved to be very difficult to find another 5f race for him for decent stakes. So I kept entering him in 6f races, with diminishing results - 3rd in a 20k claimer on April 14, 3rd in an 18k claimer on April 26, 4th in an 18k claimer on May 12, and 7th in a 20k claimer on May 26. I finally found a 5f race on June 11, but only for 15k. He finished fourth, but was claimed anyway. Just as well, because I think his prospects were limited anyway.

I bought two horses at auction in January. The first was DANNY BLUE. My trainer liked him and he had good breeding. I paid $16k for him, which I felt was a bargain, since horses with equal or worse pedigrees often go for triple that or more. He finished a very close 2nd in his first maiden on May 3, then took the second one on May 19. He also won the allowance race on June 6. I think I have something good here.

The other horse I bought was FLYING FEATHERS, another horse my trainer liked. He cost $9500. Good things are not on his horizon, I don't think. He finished a well-beaten 8th at his first race - the usual maiden - on May 5. It got worse - 13th and last on May 20, 10th and last on June 4, and 9th and next-to-last on June 18. Only in the last race did he finish within 20 lengths of the lead (and that one was 19 3/4). No finishing kick, no early speed, nothing interesting. The only thing that remains to be seen is what sucker is going to get this nag and how much I can extract from his pocket.

I now have $189,451 in cash, a valuable 3 year old (LOST CONTROL), a 2 year old with a lot of potential (DANNY BLUE), and a 2 year old with very limited potential (FLYING FEATHERS). The prize money total is now $559,580.

[Honolulu Blue]

July-December, Year 4

FLYING FEATHERS continued its distinguished record of non-performance by finishing 10th and last on July 5 (maiden, 6f), 5th and next-to-last on July 19 (ditto), and 7th and last on August 7 (maiden, 5f). I was quite tired of this non-performance and sold him to the glue factory for $3087. Good riddance.

On July 1, I bought a 35k claimer, TINKERS GOLD. I tried her in an 8f, 25k allowance race on July 21 and did fine (2nd). He did less well at August 5's Down Home Handicap ($65k, 8f), finishing 6th. I tried to sneak through a 30k allowance, 7 furlong race on August 20. The good news is she won; the bad news is she was claimed.

It was a very rough six months for LOST CONTROL. It started with a try at 11f at the Alexa Zambalas Stakes on July 3. Its purse was $275,000, and we got a sliver of it by finishing fourth. I should mention that there were only 5 horses in the race. At the Cancer the Crab Handicap he went on short rest (July 11) at a short distance (5f). Again we got a sliver of the $60k pool by finishing fourth. There were only 4 horses there, so it was worse than it sounded. On August 6 we entered the Blue Rock Sprint. As the name implied, it was a short race (6f). The purse was decent at $100k. Third place was nice, but it would've been nicer if we'd beaten more than one horse to get there. After that the fields got larger and LOST CONTROL's performance got worse - 13th on September 4, 13th on September 24, 5th (of 10) on October 28, 13th on November 6, and 8th (of 10) on November 24. All were 7-9 furlong handicaps and/or stakes races. Maybe he was trying to race hurt? He got some time off until the new year.

DANNY BLUE moved up to 6f allowance races most of the rest of the year. He finished second on August 4, 8th on September 2 (in the rain), 6th on November 4 (raining again), and 3rd on December 2 (more rain, but this was at 8f). On December 31 I entered him in his first claimer - $35k at 6 furlongs. He finished third and was claimed. I didn't want to lose him, but realistically speaking, he's probably *not* the best of the best of the class, and would probably have a tough time in allowance races - never mind anything stiffer.

All those entry fees and that dry spell took a toll on our cash and we start the new year with $166,680. Our prize money in 3 years of operation is an impressive $693,660.

[Honolulu Blue]

January-April, Year 5

LOST CONTROL recovered most of what he lost at the end of last year. On January 19 I decided to give him an easier (and less expensive) test of how good he was - a $25k allowance race at 8f, his favorite distance. He picked through the field to take a second on a sloppy track. On February 19 was the Tim Crews Memorial Stakes, a $100k stakes race also at 8f. He finished 4th but had some more at the end. On March 19 was the March Madness 8f Handicap for $50k. Against a small field (6), he brought home a winner - his first in nearly a year. April 21 brought the Huxemby Memorial Handicap. This, again, was a mile race with a $50k purse. He came in a close second.

I scoured the claimers and came up with BIG SAMPSON, who had big early speed and usually held on in 5 or 6 furlong races. I claimed him for $10k on January 5 and raced him in a $20k claimer at 5f on January 21. He finished third. After two showings out of the money in February, he racked up three straight 3rd place performances - a $15k claimer at 5f on March 9, a $12k claimer at 5f on March 24, and a $12k claimer at 6f on April 13. His last race on April 27 ended with a 5th place finish. It's tough finding 5f races for old horses, but we'll keep looking.

I bought SUNNY SMILE at auction for $10,500. As usual, the breeding is good and my trainer liked him. No races yet; his first maiden is next month. I'm cautiously optimistic.

At another auction, I purchased HICKORY RICHARD for $17,000. This, frankly, was a mistake. My trainer was not high on him and his breeding pedigree is iffy. He'll get his chance to prove me wrong in his first maiden next month.

Our cash as of May 1 is up to $176,370, and we have all four horses mentioned above. Career purses are $791,036.

[Honolulu Blue]

Ranch summary

For the fun of it, let me run the records of the horses I have had since year 3. Keep in mind two things:

1) The races and winnings are ONLY for when they were in my stable, and
2) The winnings are approximate, since I didn't keep as good track of them as I should have. Sorry.

BATIK
Purchased: Claiming race, $6000
Sold: Open market, $2736
Record: 6-0-0-0-$0

QUITE A LADY
Purchased: Claiming race, $30,000
Sold: Claiming race, $35,000
Record: 6-3-0-1-$69,500

BORN RICH
Purchased: Claiming race, $10,000
Sold: Claiming race, $15,000
Record: 2-0-2-0-$4400

WYNDMOOR HEAT
Purchased: Claiming race, $15,000
Sold: Claiming race, $15,000
Record: 8-1-0-3-$12,804

TINKERS GOLD
Purchased: Claiming race, $35,000
Sold: Claiming race, $30,000
Record: 3-1-1-0-$17,000

FLYING FEATHERS
Purchased: Auction, $9000
Sold: Open market, $3087
Record: 7-0-0-0-$0

DANNY BLUE
Purchased: Auction, $16,000
Sold: Claiming race, $35,000
Record: 8-2-2-2-$29,040

HICKORY RICHARD
Purchased: Auction, $17,000
No races to date

SUNNY SMILE
Purchased: Auction, $10,500
No races to date

BIG SAMPSON
Purchased: Claiming race, $10,000
Record: 7-0-0-4-$6272

LOST CONTROL
Purchased: Auction, $16,500
Record: 23-6-2-4-$347,716

[QuikSand]

With your horse LOST CONTROL, it seems as though he is a "late running" type, who tries to close the gap during the later phases of a race.

In "Hooves" it's pretty frequent that this type of horse runs into significant traffic troubles (gets pinned behind a tiring rival) and can lose a LOT of ground in the process. As a result, the horse can be "running" just fine, but just suffering the effects of bad luck, bad post position, or bad jockeying.

If you aren't watching your races, it's difficult to assess what's going on with a horse like this. You see in the PP line that he was in 10th place, then in 6th place, and then never made up ground, and finished in 7th. Sounds lousy.

It's possible, though, that he made a big charge to get from 10th to 6th, then got caught behind two other horses, couldn't get free until the final sixteenth, and by that time was way too far back. A bad race? Maybe not.

So, two recommendations-- take them for what they are worth.

Watch your races. I don't usually bother watching them in real time, but instead I will quick-sim the race, and then (without looking at the posted outcome) go to the "Replay Last..." function. This works like a VCR-- you can click the "fast forward" equivalent a few times to see the race run in about 4x normal time-- this seems fine to me. it lets you focus on your horse, and what really happened to him, and it only takes about 15 seconds to see a typical race. I think it's worth it.

Second, with a horse like LOST CONTROL (if I have him read correctly from here), let him run some distance. Try 9f, 10f, even 12f... give him a chance to stretch out. He won't be able to win all the time, but I suspect he'll get his best shot in that sort of race.

I realize that as a 3yo it's more catch as catch can, but I think it's worth it to try to keep your horses running where they have a chance to do their best. For this guy, it sounds like that's definitely over a mile.

Good luck...

[Honolulu Blue]

QuikSand:

Thanks for the comments. I do watch the races in real time, all of them. LOST CONTROL is definitely a closer - one that hangs out in the middle of the pack until the quarter pole or so, then makes his move.

He's 4 years old, BTW.

When I see the races at 8f or less I say yes, he should get more distance. But when I race him at distance... he finished 6th (of 9) at 10f, 4th (of 5) at 11f, and 13th at 9f. In all of them he either showed no signs of life, or was getting passed.

I'd like to try him again at more distance, but he seems to be making a nice living at 7-8f, and I'm a little afraid to jeopardize the gravy train.

But there's plenty of time and plenty of races left, and I'll probably get the chance to find out once and for all if he can handle longer distances.

[Honolulu Blue]

May-December, Year 5

LOST CONTROL finished 5th in the May Flowers Handicap ($50k at 7f) on May 21. On a tip from fellow stable owner QuikSand, I entered him in the Blue Rock Turf Classic on June 10. It was a 10f race on turf, with a $100k purse. He finished a lackluster 8th as the pack caught him at the end. Back to familiar 8f races for awhile, she (yes, she's a she) went on a roll - 3rd in a $15k allowance race on July 6, won the Roberts Memorial Stakes on July 23, and won the Down Home Handicap on August 3. At the Reuben Jones Stakes ($250k, 7f) on September 2, she finished a not too bad 4th. At the Gryphon Handicap (8f, $65k) on September 22, she finished an inexplicable ninth. I guess traffic held her up. She recovered to post a show performance in the Blue Rock Mile ($100k) on October 21. At the Lord Redmond Herring Stakes ($500k, 9f), she was a poor 9th. Then came two second place performances at a $250k stakes race at 7f that I forgot the name of on November 18, and a $50k handicap at 9f on Deember 10. Her last race came on December 24, a $100k stakes race at 9 furlongs. It was a miserable performance (9th) that bodes ill for the new year. I think I have found LOST CONTROL's limits - she is deadly at 8f, a contender at 7f, and marginal (at stakes level) past 8 furlongs. Which means she'll never make the really big money - those races tend to be longer - but with over $700k in winnings so far, I'm not complaining.

BIG SAMPSON was firmly established as a speed demon that tended to tire late, so I tried to find 5f races for him. He did very well at them, as you'll see in a bit, but they were so infrequent that I ended up racing him a lot at 6f, with less stellar results.

On May 11 BIG SAMPSON went out for a $10k claimer at 5f - the perfect setup for a win, which he came through with. Suitably impressed, I try him in a 6f, $15k claimer on May 28. He's clearly outgunned as he comes in sixth. On June 14 he held on for second on a muddy track in the same type of race. On June 25 I moved him up to an $18k claimer at 5f, and he finished second. On July 12 he competed in another 6f, $15k claimer and finished third. He inexplicably hit a wall on July 26, finishing a sorry 9th in an $18k claimer at 6f. His last race with us was yet another 6f, $15k claimer. He picked up a third place check and went to some other owner. His career stats for us were (14-1-2-6 $17,190). Not bad. He paid for himself and we enjoyed having him around. We're too busy around here to miss him, though.

SUNNY SMILE went out for his first maiden ($15k, 5f) on May 3 and showed nothing - 8th of 10. The same result on May 18. He moved up to 7th on June 4. A 5th place on June 18 brought faint hopes of a breakthough that was a long time coming. On July 6 he went out for his first maiden claimer ($30k, 5f). He finished 7th in that bunch of misfits. In a regular field of maidens on July 19 he finished 6th, and last. Back to the maiden claimers. He finished 7th on August 5 ($20k) and 6th on August 19 ($15k). Nobody wanted him at those prices, alas. So on September 3 the races went to 6f and the price dropped to $10k. He finished 8th. He brought in his first prize money - a whole $883 - on September 17 by finishing third. This fueled new hopes that he might not be worthless after all. Uh yeah. His next five races defined his mediocrity. I'll list them for you:

5th of 10 ($15k maiden claimer, 6f), October 2
6th of 10 ($10k maiden claimer, 6f), October 15
6th of 10 ($15k maiden claimer, 6f), November 2
5th of 10 ($6k maiden claimer, 6f), November 20
5th of 10 ($6k maiden claimer, 6f), December 4

Finally, on December 15 he broke through. He stumbled to the front and bumbled to the finish ahead of everyone else. I'd like to say it was in a fat stakes race, but it was a $4k maiden claimer at 6 furlongs. I was sure it was a fluke - and sure enough, on December 30 in a $6k claimer, he finished 8th of 13. Anyone want to buy a horse, cheap?

Fellow 2 year old HICKORY RICHARD shot the lights out. He won his first maiden (May 5), showed a tremendous finishing kick in taking second at his first allowance race ($15k, 5f) on June 3. Two months passed until his next race (August 2), when he won again, this time at 6f. He won again on September 7 in the same type of race. He was a well beaten 6th at 8f on October 5 - got stuck in traffic. He won again at 6f on November 2. No races in December, but he is scheduled for a handicap race in January. His career record so far is a sweet (6-4-1-0 $39,000). If he can stretch out a little, he'll make me a millionaire. As it is, he figures to clean up in the short distance races.

I claimed another 2 year old called REALLY ROSIE. The price was $10,000. She showed a good finishing kick in her (short) races to that point, and I figured she would do well at distance. I was wrong. Her first race was October 4 in the usual maiden. She finished eighth. On October 18 I tried again. She finished 4th, not too bad really. On November 3 I tried a maiden claimer ($15k, 8f). Eighth again. On November 19 I dropped the price to $10k. There were only four horses in the field, including mine, and mine was by far the best. The best horse finished, um, second. On December 4 I put her in the horse racing equivalent of the clearance rack - a $4k maiden claimer. This was at 6 furlongs. She came in second again and was claimed. Her record for me was (5-0-2-0 $3440).

I start the new year with $358,024 in cash, a highly valuable 5 year old (LOST CONTROL), a solid 3 year old (HICKORY RICHARD), and a worthless nag (SUNNY SMILE). We will investigate the auction market and find a horse we can ride to the top. Purse money is up past a million - $1,247,540, to be exact.

[Honolulu Blue]

LOST CONTROL went into January 20's $115k Stone Table Stakes trying to prove that he could contend at 9f. She finished last. On February 17 she went into the Tim Crews Classic ($100k, 8f) and finished a disappointing 6th. She defended her title at the March Madness Classic ($50k, 8f) on March 18. On April 13 she got her chance at a distance he hadn't seen for a long time - 6f - in the Aries Handicap. She finished 8th. On April 28 she came back with a shot on turf in the Gossamer Stakes ($125k, 7f). She had a furious rally to finish second. At the May Flowers Hanicap ($50k, 7f) on May 20 she was an inexplicable 8th. On June 17 she was again unimpressive at the Pushti Handicap ($50k, 8f), finishing sixth.

HICKORY RICHARD got another shot at an 8f race at the Abrams Handicap on January 27. He didn't handle it very well, finishing 4th (of 6) and fading badly. I think I've learned my lesson. On February 7 we found an allowance race for him ($15k, 6f) where he rallied but only to sixth. On March 7 he went to a similar allowance race and finished third. April 4 brought yet another allowance race and another show finish. April 22 brought the Judy Johnson Handicap ($60k, 7f), where he finished 5th and last. He rested all of May and came back to post a nice second in a $40k handicap at 6 furlongs.

My number one mission in 2001 was to dump that worthless nag SUNNY SMILE. It proved to be easier than I thought. On January 15 he ran in a $4k claimer at 6f. He finished fifth but someone claimed him. Yay! His career record was (18-1-0-1 $3263).

At the auction I bought EVENING FLIGHT for $14,500. Not much to say about her other than the fact he she finished 9th, 9th, 8th, and 7th in her four races, all maidens. She'll get a maiden claimer next.

At another auction I bought THE REAL SCOTCH for $14,000. She showed early speed but little else in a 9th place finish in her first maiden on May 3. She held on for third on May 17, but was shuffled back to 6th on June 3. On June 16 she got her first win on a muddy track. I wasn't really impressed, but I'll take it, I guess. THE REAL SCOTCH's game seems to be early speed and hanging on for dear life. Her fade isn't as bad as some speedsters, though. In July will be her first allowance race and we'll see how valuable she really is.

My cash balance on July 1 stood at $362,384 with four horses - LOST CONTROL (still a workhorse, but seems to be fading), HICKORY RICHARD (stakes level racer at 5 or 6 furlongs, but not many of those races have come along), THE REAL SCOTCH (unproven and a little enigmatic. I don't think she'll do much, but I could be wrong), and EVENING FLIGHT (coming to a glue bottle near you). Career purses are up to $1,402,340.

[Honolulu Blue]

July-December, Year 6

LOST CONTROL competed in the Roberts Memorial Stakes on July 28 ($100k, 8f) and finished fifth by getting stuck in traffic for too long. She got stuck in traffic again on August 20 in a $25k allowance race (8f) and finished 7th. September 28 and the Gryphon Handicap ($60k, 8f) came, which she had competed in for the last two years; she was 13th two years ago and 9th last year. She did much better this time, and was nosed out at the wire for second. On October 20 was the Blue Rock mile, a $100k stakes race. She finished fifth in that one. On November 14 was the Scorpio Handicap ($50k, 8f), which she won. She followed that with second place in the Yellow Ribbon Handicap ($50k, 7f) on November 28. December 9 was the Sagittarius Handicap, another $50k race. She won that one, her first win at 9f. This pushed her past the magic $1 million purse mark. Her luck didn't hold for the Ambiguity Stakes ($100k, 9f), where she finished 5th.

THE REAL SCOTCH compted in her first allowance race on July 5. The distance was 6f, which probably was too much for this early speedster. She finished last. Over two months passed until her next allowance race (September 12). This one was at the familiar distance of 5f, and she finished in the familiar position of last. She was last again at the $25k claiming race I entered her in on September 27, but she was claimed, which couldn't have been better news. Her career record with us was (7-1-0-1 $10,799).

Racing against THE REAL SCOTCH in her last race for us was ARDORA. He showed a good finishing kick in her races and hoped we could stretch her out to 8f and beyond. She finished 6th at the claimer, and we started to have mild regrets about the price we paid ($25k). We tried her at a mile on October 10 in an allowance race. He finished 4th - not bad, all things considered. One month later she was entered into a $35k claimer at 8f. He finished 7th, showing little. He went back to 6f for an allowance race on December 6 and plodded home in eighth. I don't think he has a future other than getting someone to claim him.

We tried and tried to get EVENING FLIGHT a win, but we couldn't do it. She finished 7th at a $30k maiden claimer on July 5 (all these races are 5f unless noted), a hopeful third at a $30k maiden claimer on July 19, 8th at a $20k maiden claimer on August 5, fifth at a $15k maiden claimer on August 20, 4th at a $15k maiden claimer on September 6, fifth at a $15k maiden claimer on September 20, fifth again at a $10k maiden claimer on October 3, and seventh at a $10k maiden claimer (6f) on October 18. The highlight of her miserable career was a second place showing in a $6k maiden claimer at 6f on November 15. This is pretty bottom-of-the-barrel stuff and she wasn't claimed here. She wasn't claimed in her next race either, a December 3 $6k maiden claimer at 6f. Just as well; she finished 8th. Fifth place in a $10k maiden claimer rounded out the year. Not completely worthless, but pretty much so.

We claimed GUT FEELING, a 3 year old colt, on August 15 for $15k. We stepped him up immediately in class to a $25k claimer at one mile. He finished fourth. On September 29 he came back with a $25k claimer at 9f and finished a sleepy seventh. He did a little better on October 26 (4th) back at 8f. Another $25k claimer at 8f yielded a mysterious seventh place finish. Undisturbed we moved him up again to the $35k class at 10 furlongs. The good news is there were only 5 horses in the race. The bad news is he finished fourth. He finished 5th (of 6) at 9f in a $30k claimer, and third in a $18k claimer at 8f.

Cash is up to $458,015 with career winnings of $1,602,556 - a million for LOST CONTROL, and about $600,000 for everyone else. We still have LOST CONTROL, who remains valuable; GUT FEELING, who has a little value; ARDORA, who has a limited future; and EVENING FLIGHT, who has almost no future.

I will suspend this career for now and go on to a new challenge - winning the Derby. I'll describe that in another thread.