From The Inside Out

The Unfortunate

2012-01-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

Just found out this morning that one of our top pacing mares was in the process of aborting her foal. She was in foal to Somebeachsomewhere due to the fact she had an absolutely gorgeous Somebeachsomewhere filly in 2011. After three fillies I was seriously hoping for a Somebeach colt from her. At this point I'm not sure I want to know the sex. The rigors of the foaling season are now in full swing. Bummer for the mare, bummer for Anne, and bummer for Diamond Creek Farm.

P.S. Remember to follow me on Twitter at @DiamondCreekKY to stay up to date on all the activity of the farm. As most who read the blog are well aware, I am not always prompt at updating here but with Twitter I can inform all as things are happening.

Tweeting

2012-01-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

I am sliding over the dark side slowly but surely and have gotten a twitter account. Like the blog, I am sure my first few (or more) tweets will go unread but at least its a quick way to stay connected with everyone....

Follow me at @DiamondCreekKY

Love Is In The Air

2012-01-25T15:34:00.000-05:00

Hailing from a family of greatness that includes top sires Andover Hall, Angus Hall, Conway Hall and top race fillies Cameron Hall and Ultimate Cameron, our mare Muscle Amour foaled a gorgeous Donato Hanover filly this morning at our new farm in Pennsylvania. Like an experienced mare, she took to the foal immediately and both are doing very well.

Now that we are years into the naming process I am running out of being creative and I need help from everyone. Send in your suggestions?

A New Farm & A New Challenge

2012-01-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

PART 2:

2012 brought the daunting task of moving in to the new Pennsylvania farm and adjusting to a farm not suited to the way we run things in Kentucky. Up to the challenge and ready to prove everyone wrong, Anne and a few keys employees took the ball and ran with it. Not withstanding multiple hurdles including a house with no heat, a leaking roof, a barn that's electric design would make every contractor cringe and a few fields that nature make it difficult to use. Not sure how the previous owner was able to have 80+ mares during the heart of the foaling season, but I don't spend too much time worrying about that.

Without offending anyone, the mindsets of people in various parts of this county vary dramatically and we have found that PA and KY are quite different and will take time to get used to. We have a system of trust and have secured the work of great contractors and businesses in KY and it will take time to find comparable people in PA. So far we are weeding out the ones that aren't. However, on a more positive note, the people in Wellsville have been very welcoming and are great neighbors.

Being close to Hanover, Blue Chip and the New Jersey farms, Anne is looking forward to the foaling and breeding season and expects perfection in getting all the mares pregnant. We will see...

With the 20 mares due to foal and 4 barren and maiden mares finally gracing the fields of our newest farm, time slows down slightly and allows us to catch our breathe, even if it is only slightly. Our first foal and probably the first Rockin Image was born in the early hours of January 17th. And so it begins again....towards what we will have to wait and see.

A New Farm & A New Challenge

2012-01-17T22:29:00.000-05:00

PART 1:

I was presented with a farm for sale in Pennsylvania a few weeks before Harrisburg and barely gave it another thought. We have three farms here in Kentucky that keep us pretty busy and spread out as it is. Adding another farm in Pennsylvania would potentially stretch us to the breaking point. I remember thinking that it would be quite a challenge that we would undertake sometime in the future. Another call a few days later reminded me that the farm was definitely for sale and had I given it much thought. I said I hadn't but I would consider it. Over a handful of brief conversations with my father we came to the conclusion that it was a direction we wanted to head in and since the farm was close to Harrisburg, we would take a look during the sale as a kind of "foot in the water" type of thing. We never expected to be where we are now.

I remember driving on the farm and definitely seeing its potential. The hodge podge buildings littered the center of the farm (a couple of houses and barns) and the fields spiraling out from the center (like a wagon wheel). Interesting concept but not what I envisioned. After a grand show and some wheeling dealing and a bit of bragging we were left pondering an excellent opportunity to expand operations to Pennsylvania.

Negotiations began the week after Harrisburg and a few roadblocks had to be navigated before we reached an agreement that suited both parties. One needed money fast and the other needed to move in as fast as possible. With a few more hiccups the week of the closing nearly derailing the sale, we had to renegotiate some items that were already (supposed to be) decided upon. By the final day of 2011, we had a new farm and I was on vacation in Montana wondering if I was exactly where I was in November 2005 when 24 horses exited the trailers at Diamond Creek Farm. Were we in way over our head?

2012 Foaling Season Has Arrived

2012-01-17T16:29:00.000-05:00

The 2012 foaling season arrived bright and early this morning at our new satellite operation in Wellsville, PA with the birth of what is most likely the first Rockin Image foal. Yankee Celebration, an unraced daughter of Art Major delivered a healthy Rockin Image filly as the sun came up. So far so good as the mare and foal are doing well.

More to come later regarding the purchase of the new farm

Trotters

2011-12-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

Bookings for the trotters were more difficult to prepare due to the fact the cons outweighed the pros for certain stallions (even ones I believe are the top producing stallions on the racetrack)...

ANDOVER HALL:
Arlanda Hanover
Day Five
Decimal Hanover (half sister to Donato Hanover)
Filly At Bigs (dam of Big Rigs, a $500,000+ earner)
Four Starz Lindy (dam of American Gangster)
Religulous (maiden)
Royal Versailles (daughter of millionairess Fern)

CONWAY HALL:
Berry Nice Muscles

CREDIT WINNER:
A Starlet Born
Continentalvictory (1996 Hambo winner)
Gold Mine Ambrosio
Michelle's Angel (dam of Archangel)
Precisionist
Streisand Blue Chip (maiden)

DEWEYCHEATUMNHOWE:
Dream N Lindy
Graceful Way

DONATO HANOVER:
Armbro Temple (dam of Temple Of Doom)
Dream Valley OM (winner of $500,000)
Gasoline (maiden)
Glide Power (winner of $400,000+)
Grand Cameron (out of great Cameron Hall)
Ladymatic
Letsjustalkaboutme
Muscle Amour (from family of Andover, Angus, Conway Hall)
She's Gone Again (sister to Poof Shes Gone)
Temple Of Heaven
Ultimate Cameron (winner of almost $800,000 and 1:53.3)

KADABRA:
Valley Courtney

MUSCLE HILL:
Chicy Micky
Right On Renee
Sacred Saint
Silicone Valley
Sister Sammy

MUSCLES YANKEE:
Clever Catch
Love To Flaunt
The Queen (sister to Pampered Princess)

SWAN FOR ALL:
Megavite
Noifsaboutit
Rapid Rail
Shops For Dresses

YANKEE GLIDE:
Ferrari OF (dam of European star Formula One)
Five Grand

Thought? Disagreements? Etc?

2012 Bookings

2011-12-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

After careful thought, much deliberation, some disagreements, and ultimately a solid back and forth on the pros and cons of all available stallions, we have assembled the following list for our 31 pacing mares for the upcoming 2012 breeding season. If any has questions or the reasons behind specific choices or the process, do not hesitate to ask:

ART MAJOR:
Blood Diamond (full sister to Western Terror and If I Can Dream)
Dance To Rock (from a sister to Cams Card Shark)
Mystical Gypsy (maiden)
Rarified Air (full sister to Rocknroll Hanover)
Righteous Renee
Speed Date (from a sister to Yankee Cruiser)
Yes Maam

BETTORS DELIGHT:
London Eye
She's Poison (daughter of She's A Great Lady
Who Moved The Rock

PONDER:
Forgery

ROCK N ROLL HEAVEN:
Just Add Water (out of Cathedra Dot Com and brother to Simply Business)
Miss Liz
Thong ($700,000+ winner)

ROCKNROLL HANOVER:
Mambo Western
Mystical
Schoolofcardknocks (dam of $500,000+ Valentino and three in sub 1:51)
Zintillating

SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE:
Isabella Blue Chip (two year old Dan Patch winner)
Mississippi River
Monkeys Can Sing (out of the great producer Cathedra)
Restive Hanover (two year old Dan Patch winner)
Summer Mystery (dam of Progress Pace winner Vertical Horizon)
Western Montana (sister to Allmerican Ingot and LCB)

WELL SAID:
Best Laid Plans (from the family of Western Hanover)
Loving Caroline (daughter of Best Laid Plans)
Loyal Opposition ($2 million+ earner and sub 1:49 winner)
Tidewaterdragonfly (millionaire and sub 1:50 winner)

WESTERN IDEAL:
Acey Deucey (sister to Elusive Prey and Duneside Perch)
Amazing Marker (full sister to the great Loyal Opposition
Brain Storm

Tomorrow I will put up the trotting mares

Response

2011-11-26T18:11:00.000-05:00

In response to a comment on the blog about who I was most surprised and disappointed about in Harrisburg; here goes...

1) Most Surprised By ... Hip 333 ... Liquid Fire. A gorgeous, almost black colt by Donato Hanover out of Ferrari Of brought $290,000. He was a good sized colt who moved efficiently and effortlessly and we figured he would be purchased by the owners of his older, half brothers (Formula One and Down Force) but for a horse to bring as much as he did, you need two different parties that think he is worth that much. I sat in the auctioneers' stand and held my breath almost the entire time. When the bidding slowed down around $200,000, the auctioneer turned and whispered to me that it was OK to smile and enjoy it. I broke out in a huge grin that lasted for the next couple of hours.

2) Most Disappointed By ... Hip 214 ... Rare Force One. A large, stocky yet athletic Somebeachsomewhere colt from a full sister to Rocknroll Hanover. Last February when I split the horses up between the Lexington and Harrisburg sales, I was hoping that the last major sale would be the best spot to sell this colt but I think the amount of Somebeach yearlings sold at Harrisburg hurt not only him but the majority of them. Fewer sold in Lexington and the demand was greater. Being observant, I noticed that the top colts and fillies sold better at Lexington versus Harrisburg. Oops. Try again next year.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

2011-11-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all the readers of this blog. I hope this day goes as well for everyone as it is so far for me. Celebrating family and friends is one of the greatest things in life. On this day of Thanksgiving ... I give thanks to ...

1) Healthy mares and foals...Nothing beats empty barns and fields full of healthy and happy horses

2) Everyone who looked at, bid on, and/or purchased one of our yearlings...Without the help and belief of those people, we definitely could not afford the ability to continuously upgrade our broodmare band.

3) My staff ... from my farm manager to the newest member of the maintenance crew. Without their dedication and hard work and countless hours working in inclement weather, Diamond Creek Farm wouldn't exist as it does today.

4) Our newest purchases and the hope for a great 2012 racing and breeding season. Its amazing that even after a dismal racing season and a breeding season that did not quite meet expectations, we have eternal hope that next year will be better.

5) A great partner. Recently, Jerry Silva has delved into the breeding side of the business and he has gone about it the same way he has acquired the top racing prospects. He is arguably the easiest partner and knows what he is good at and allows me to make most of the major decisions.

Harrisburg Recap

2011-11-17T20:42:00.000-05:00

After being accosted by avid and rabid readers of the blog, I decided that a few thoughts, reactions, and opinions would suffice. Less than a week after the marathon Harrisburg sale has ended, I am dealing with pneumonia that I blame entirely on the very clean and properly ventilated Penn Expo Center. It seems like I leave every year down on my luck and lucky enough to escape with a clean bill of health. This year I left feeling like I was up on my luck and down on my health. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

My rambling thoughts...

1) Thank god for people who put their money where their mouths are....The Cancelliere's came in with big plans and did not disappoint. If you weren't there when they bought Showherthemoney last year or Donato Hanover's full brother this year, you missed the greatest spectacle I have ever witnessed. Surrounded by long-time horseman who were chuckling with glee, the bidding was spirited and lively but when the bidding concluded on Hip 203, I couldn't stop laughing as Murray Brown trotted across the arena and hugged Tom Cancelliere as his brother was trying to high-five him and chest bump him. Couldn't get any better than that testosterone-fest.

2) The announcements of a bunch of first year sires next year: Daylon Magician, Manofmanymissions, Broad Bahn, Roll With Joe...etc...right after Jeff Gural forbids offspring from horses who breed at four racing at his tracks (except for those meeting the exceptions). Every horse is sore after racing. Bad excuse. People want to cash out and there is nothing wrong with wanting it but if Jeff Gural wants it to stick then he needs to have no exceptions or scrap the program. I don't care either way but what horse isn't sore, sick, tired, injured after racing for two seasons (or one and half in the case of Big Jim). While I haven't decided yet of the bookings for 2012, I don't think this group of retiring horses exhibit the same type of charisma or race record of some of the recently retired Somebeachsomewhere, Muscle Hill, Rock N Roll Heaven, or Donato Hanover

3) The Perretti dispersal. A few years ago...who would have thought? Now the sale is over and all that's left are the 2012 yearlings, a few mares not sold, and two of the sports top stallions. It's a sad day as a fan and an excellent opportunity to get ahold of families that were difficult to attain before. We were avid bidders but only procured 3 mares. We did however get into a family I was lacking....Cathedra and Cathedra Dot Com. Graceful Touch was the talked-about mare leading up to the sale and afterwards as she brought $560,000. I thought she would bring between $500,000 and $600,000 but was unsure how to wrap my mind around making that money back in a reasonable amount of time. Good luck to her new owners...she is one helluva mare and with Steve Stewart's golden touch, it would not surprise me if the 2013 Lucky Chucky yearling tops the Lexington Sale.

4) Kadabra. He blew it out of the water. They paid a fortune for horses with average pedigrees because he is head and shoulders the best trotting stallion in Canada. Could you imagine if he got the same mares Donato, Dewey, Muscle Hill or Credit Winner. He might be the best stallion based on improving the mares. I have received no less than half a dozen calls since Monday wondering if we had any breedings in Kadabra we would be interested in selling. The answer is no. But I wish I had some to use myself. Stud fee raised to $15,000. Might want to get on that bandwagon.

5) Spotty. That's how I think the sale was. The average was up but if you take out the one that brought $825,000, it was down. One horse affected the average by $800+. As we say every year, the good horses sell well and the ones who aren't, don't. I was talking with a well-respected person on Tuesday and that person told me that 27% of the horses sold at Harrisburg brought less than $10,000. There is no possible way to make money selling horses for $10,000. With all the money to race for, it is still shocking that the averages are so low. We benefitted by having a strong group of horses at Harrisburg and are averaged showed it but we struggled to get all the horses moved and were disappointed with a handful of what we thought were pretty good horses. Proving my point...you had to have a horse with good size, good confirmation, good pedigree, good video and you got paid with good money but if your horse was lacking in one of those categories, you were probably disappointed.

More to come....that's enough to digest for now

Yearling Videos

2011-09-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

We completed yearling videos earlier this week without an injury or negative surprise. The horses you expected to perform well did and there were a few positive surprises as well. No one successfully jumped over a fence, ran through a fence, or got scuffed up. We shorten and narrowed the paddock this year and we are very pleased with the results. Both groups of Lexington and Harrisburg yearlings did well.

Click Here For Yearling Videos

Happy watching!!

Back With A Brand New Wrap (Rap)

2011-09-05T19:17:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Murray Brown and the influx of other emails regarding the lack of words being written here has finally got my juices flowing ... so here goes...

Thought #1:
After a relatively disappointing breeding season wore off, this summer has been pretty good. A brief hiccup happened about three weeks ago when our only Swan For All (a colt out of Shops For Dresses) was kicked in the leg and an X-ray revealed a fractured radius and dislocated elbow. Unfortunately for him, the severeness of the injury and cost of surgery with no good outcome ended in him being euthanized. If one colt gives any indication of the type of horses a sire will produce, then Swan For All should produce great looking horses

Thought #2:
Can't wait for the yearling sales. Lexington yearlings have been in the barn for two weeks now and are rounding into shape quite well. (Actually some are bulking up and others like the extra food and now need to be cut down). It is the culmination of almost three years of work, sweat, tears, and blood. Its the few surprises that pay for the ones who slip through the cracks. Its the $200,000 pacing filly that pays for the trotting colt with a $15,000 stud fee who sells for $10,000 or less. Gotta think big picture or sales gross versus individual horses if you want to stay sane. However, there are some horses who carry residual value that should be protected. Unfortunately, most of the industry does not like it when farms protect their investments.

Thought #3:
Gotta love Jeff Gural and all he has done for the Meadowlands and the industry, both short-term and long-term. One thing I must disagree with is in the details of his stand on stallions going to stud at age 5 versus 4. It isn't the general idea of going to stud at 5 instead of 4 because I think it is very noble and the right thing but he gives horses that were injured the ability to get a free pass to enter the breeding business at 4. Big Jim is the perfect example and I think others will take the same approach. Horses should enter stud at age 5 regardless of circumstances. Otherwise you will get weird, strange, vague, and made-up "injuries" to star horses. You think if this rule was implemented a few years ago that Donato Hanover, Deweycheatumnhowe, and Muscle Hill wouldn't have come up with tendon issues, bone degeneration problems, or some other creative "injury" so they could have side-stepped the rules. The rules should be strict and concise. If you get injured at 2 or 3 or 4 then you will have to wait until you turn 5 to breed. That way you avoid the vagueness of an injury when a good horse underperforms and starts to loose value.

Thought #4:
Buyers market at the mixed sale in Harrisburg. It's a sad day when Perretti unloads 160 mares and ends their breeding business. Unfortunately for them, I cannot see how the market can absorb that many mares. Who is going to buy all those mares? They won't have a problem selling their blue blood mares like Graceful Touch but who is going to buy the pacing mare who is 0 for 4 and in foal to an unfavorable stallion.

Thought #5:
Donato Hanover has quickly shown his prowess in siring both fillies and colts. I am eager to see if Deweycheatumnhowe next year and Muscle Hill the following year can follow in their excellence on the track and sire great horses as well. Im liking the fact we have 8 shares in Donato Hanover. So far I have bet on the right horse.

Thought #6:
Hip #111 at Harrisburg is a filly that stands out among the best we have ever had. I know we have had a couple of fillies bring $250,000+ but this filly is head and shoulders above them. She is an Andover Hall out of Decimal Hanover, making her a sister in blood to Donato Hanover. She looks the part, acts the part, trots the part. If she was in anyone else's consignment, I would be drooling to have her. They don't come along very often and its fun when they do.

Best Bets & Longshots

2011-06-18T15:16:00.000-04:00

In reference to a comment of the previous blog, below are the three best bets and three longshots of last year's yearling crop (or this year's two year olds):

Best Bets:
1) Big Easy (Rocknroll Hanover x Mississippi River). Anybody who would listen to me for the past two years heard me brag about this colt. Not only is he out of one of my favorite mares but he was always smarter, tougher, and easier to deal with then all the other colts and fillies. From day one he stood out.

2) American Gangster (Andover Hall x Four Starz Lindy). Again like the aforementioned colt, he took care of himself extremely well, always stood out in my eyes and was one of the few who got a nickname (Stovepipe) --- due to the size (scope, bone density) of his legs when he was born. Built like a brick s_ _ thouse!!

3) Day Dream (Muscles Yankee x Dream N Lindy). A gorgeous little filly who never did anything wrong had no major confirmational faults. She flew under the radar and besides being slightly heavier throughout the spring and prep season than we would have liked, she showed well, trotted well, worked out well, and sold well.

Longshots:
*Let me preface this section by saying that whether by chance, injury, pedigree, or bad luck - these horses have an uphill battle to become the next Somebeachsomewhere, See You At Peelers, Crys Dream, or Muscle Hill

1) Zodiac Sign (Ponder x Sign In The Sand). We had sold the mare the previous fall, Ponder had not established himself as a top-tier pacing stallion (also having moved from PA to KY didn't help) and the filly's attitude could be considered less than desirable. One during while the farrier was trimming yearlings, she decided she was not going to be trimmed and it took 6 guys, 3 ropes, enough sedation to knock down a Clydesdale, and a brave Steve Stanley to finally get it done. Plus she was small. Her nickname was La Diabla.

2) Fillyanthropy (Donato Hanover x Filly At Bigs). If video day was any indication of how much talent she was going to display on the racetrack (and thank god it rarely does), it would have been better to breed her at 2. She trotted a total of maybe 5 seconds. We shod her differently and chased her down one side and back the other and she kept looking at us like "it isn't going to get any better". For being as well bred a filly, out of a mare who enough raw talent to go around, and a three quarter brother who won a Breeders Crown elim (Big Rigs), she was going to be a challenge (although one that needed patience, time, time, and patience).

3) Uncommon Night (Donato Hanover x Uncommon Scents). Her mother was super fast but clearly (up to this point) had deposited her talent on the track and saved nothing for her offspring. 0 for 3 going to the sale, the filly was up against the wall. Not only that, she developed a horrible skin fungus and infection in late August that lasted 5 weeks. It sloughed off huge amount of skin and left behind ugly pink welts and rough patches of skin and new hair. Of the five Donato's we had to sell, she was 5th in pedigree, 5th in looks, 5th in size. However, as I write this I noticed she has overcome a lot of everything and finished second in a qualifier this morning at the Meadowlands in 2:00.4 with a last quarter in 29.0. Not bad at all.

Down To It

2011-06-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

It is finally here. The arbitrary date I chose back in February for the end of our breeding season. However, I am flexing my arbitrary muscles and extending the date to make sure we get stubborn mares bred. Here we are in the middle of June and I am scratching my head trying to figure out how to deal with a mess of trotting mares still not in foal including Grand Cameron, Michelles Angel, Decimal Hanover, Clever Catch, Ferrari Of, Glide Power, and Chicy Micky.

We are breeding 32 pacing mares and 28 of them are in foal (counting days on 2 more while the final two did not catch and are being retired) and breeding 42 trotting mares but only have 26 of them in foal (counting days on many). Kind of frustrating is a massive understatement.

Up until May 1st, our mares were coming up in foal with surprising regularity and based on all data we had, we were on pass to have our most successful breeding season. However, the last 48 days have been what can accurately described as a full listing of the word frustrating (look it up in the thesaurus). Besides dealing with a herd of infertile stallions, airline companies who lack anything remotely resembling intelligence, and courier companies that have have your best interests last. Now that's an answer I can sink my teeth into.

With the breeding season winding down, it means the racing season is heating up and last year's yearlings are starting to become this year's brightest stars. Every year we sit down and choose our "best bets" and "longshots". It won't be too long before we get to do it again for this year's crop. Luckily, I have already found my top pick...

P.S. I've been out of action for a week or so but I needed a break and vacation was calling my name. I guess it's time to plug back in ...

Colic

2011-05-23T20:25:00.000-04:00

I am probably going to jinx myself by writing this post but here goes...

Today was the first time we had a mare colic severely enough to warrant surgery. At 1:45 this afternoon, the guys expressed concern that Arlanda Hanover was not feeling well. We noticed she was definitely uncomfortable and much preferred lying down to standing. She was unhappy, had an elevated respiration, and was thrashing around her stall. A dose of banamine helped but did not cure her. She seemed to respond slightly and was a bit more restful and stopped rolling around. However, the banamine's help ended about 30 minutes later and she resumed rolling around and acting colicky.

Our vet came out and passed a tube and did not get much reflux, sedated her slightly, rectally palpated her, and after listening to gut sounds (or a lack thereof) decided a trip to the hospital was warranted. Once Arlanda arrived at the hospital, a quick scan of her large intestine revealed a decent amount of edema giving the medicine specialist and surgeon the hint that the mare most likely had a twisted large intestine. She was then anesthetized and cut open revealing her large intestine to be much darker in color (purple in appearance) than it should be, again indicating a twist was the likely cause for her pain and discomfort. With both arms disappearing inside her abdomen, we sat there in awe as he aggressively untwisted the intestine. From initial slice to final suture in place was a total of 15 minutes and Arlanda Hanover was all better.

A few days of rest and recuperation and if all goes well, she should return to the farm in a couple of days. Her paddock-mate Armbro Ticket was quite upset at her friend's earlier condition and was not too pleased when she left for the hospital without her. Most everyone on the farm who has had anything to do with Arlanda was present at the surgery and you could tell by their faces that they were gravely concerned. Luckily, as everyone left, there was a collective sigh of relief and we can all sleep easier knowing she is doing well and in great hands.

Valley Courtney

2011-05-22T14:16:00.003-04:00

Although pictured in the previous post, I figured the filly deserved her own post. Valley Courtney, herself, is a smallish mare that blends into the background and never has any issues nor does she cause problems. She is not an attractive mare but not an ugly mare either. Her pedigree has been boosted in the last couple of years by her sister, Elusive Desire winning more than a million dollars. Her yearling is a pretty nice Deweycheatumnhowe filly (not the best but not the worst - very similar to her mother) but her weanling is a gorgeous cross of both dam and sire (Muscle Hill).

As each Muscle Hill was born, I would say that the newest one was the best one (short-term memory, I guess) but now that all are born and are in various stages of growth, Valley Courtney's is the best filly. It would be hard to argue that she is nicer than Decimal Hanover's colt but not hard to think she is as nice. Thankfully she is booked back to Muscle Hill.

***Murray Brown will be out on Tuesday to view the 20 yearlings being sent to the Harrisburg Sale. We have a very good group of yearlings selected to be sold this November in Harrisburg including a sister in blood to Donato Hanover (Andover Hall filly out of a sister to Donato Hanover) and a Somebeachsomewhere colt out of a full sister to Rocknroll Hanover.***

Muscle Hill Stars

2011-05-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

CHICY MICKY FILLY

CONTINENTALVICTORY COLT

CLEVER CATCH FILLY

VALLEY COURTNEY FILLY

Pretty much the same look ... agree?

Cohen Out Of Control

2011-05-19T21:26:00.001-04:00

Tall, rangy, athletic, and grumpy are all good descriptions of Cohenikova and her offspring. The Bettors Delight filly she had on May 4th was no exception. Beautifully bodied and possessing her mother's most noticeable characteristics (including pinned ears), she reminds me more of Brain Storm (a daughter of Cohenikova that we kept due to a cyst that formed in her pastern during the yearling prep process a couple of years ago) than the other foals. Definitely not a bad thing at all. Brain Storm is a gorgeous specimen and yet goofy as can be. Perfect for some things and not nearly as perfect for others. It is quite a chore to give her a shot (usually you need more than a twitch or a lip chain). At this moment, it's too early to tell if the newest filly will follow in her big sister's footsteps but you can be sure that she will be tough. All of the mare's foals come by it honestly.

BRAIN STORM (AS A FOAL)

2011 FILLY

On a slightly different note...Glide Power is driving me crazy. We have bred her to Donato Hanover three times with no success. A mare like that should not miss getting pregnant her first year. What a pain in my _ _ _ !

Day 1

2011-05-18T14:03:00.001-04:00

We are so close to the end of the foaling season that everyone is getting anxious. The weather is finally turning around, mares are getting in foal, and one lonely mare stands stoically in the paddock outside the foaling with no care in the world. She is monitored like a hawk, not because we are worried but because we are getting restless. The saying goes: a watched pot never boils, but sometimes people cannot help themselves. Even as I write this, I took a small break to check the window, because the mare laid down and rolled around in the mud. False alarm.

From speaking with a couple different people who have Muscle Hill foals, it seems a large circular star graces the forehead of most of his foals. Our only foal without one is pictured above (Decimal Hanover colt).

A Post A Day

2011-05-17T07:09:00.002-04:00

I was always told a post a day would keep the bad news away ... or maybe it was an apple a day keeps the doctor away ... but that is beside the point ... Anyways after technical issues with the blog I have decided to post a new blog every day until the breeding season is over.

On a slightly similar note, some people have emailed me and said they are having issues posting comments. I have tried everything I know and have even contacted the publisher of the blog and they cannot find any issues. If you have a pressing comment or name choices you would like to submit, please forward them to my email.... diamondcreekfarm@hotmail.com

Debuting tomorrow ... blog post # 1 ... topic undecided ... stay tuned

Fifty Percent

2011-05-03T16:41:00.010-04:00

Today we checked Ultimate Cameron in foal at 14 days to Donato Hanover, confirming the 37th pregnant mare this breeding season, bringing our percentage to an even 50%.

37 down and 37 to go.

Couple of thoughts on this year's breeding season so far...

1) All five mares booked to Credit Winner are in foal. Kudos to Blue Chip for an excellent job.

2) The Western Hanover line stallions are as fertile as can be. Rocknroll Hanover, Rockin Image, and Rock N Roll Heaven are fertile enough to not only stop every mare we breed them to but just for fun I saved a small amount of one of them and 5.5 half days later, with the help of a microscope, I saw one or two "live" ones. Like father, like grandson, like great-grandsons.

3) We have had the most difficult time getting our maidens in foal on the first cover. Usually this group of mares has been the easiest but we have struggled with the likes of Ultimate Cameron and Glide Power.

4) Some of the older ladies of the herd are working themselves slowly into retirement. Hundred Kisses at 23 just had her last foal and next year will be the final ones for Can Du River, Armbro Nest, and She's A Great Lady.

On a completely different note but one of unusual interest...we have a yearling colt who has a propensity for running through fences and/or gates. This one colt has run through no less than 4 fences and/or gates and besides a few cuts and scraps has come out the other side relatively unharmed (knock on wood ... no pun intended)

Berry Cute Foal

2011-05-03T16:32:00.002-04:00

The first of May came with quite a surprise as Berry Nice Muscles foaled a Conway Hall colt after she had been thought she was going to have a filly. The first mistake all year. But a nice surprise, nonetheless. A big white blaze graces his face and at 120 lbs he is the biggest Conway foal we have ever had. Not always the biggest horses, Conway's usually are long but short legged. This colt must have stolen his legs from someone far back in his pedigree because his mother is not tall or long legged. I am not going to complain.

Time for some "Berry" good names...

A Flurry

2011-04-29T06:38:00.004-04:00

It was a flurry, not the wet and white kind, but the rush of new, little brown foals. Luckily this group did not contain a "ginger". The only ginger was the one helping usher in the new arrivals from the cheering section outside the stall.

Rocknroll Hanover x Mystical

Born in the wee hours of the morning of April 28, Mystical delivered a plain bay Rocknroll Hanover filly. Similar to a plain brown bag, she has no distinguishing characteristics or white markings but she is hardly unremarkable. She is beautiful and weighs a very robust 129lbs. Built like a linebacker but with the grace of a ballerina, she should end up being a tough filly.

Deweycheatumnhowe x Michelles Angel

A few hours later, Michelles Angel foaled a dark brown Deweycheatumnhowe colt. Her second colt and he is as nice as her first colt (a Credit Winner who sold last fall for $120,000). Big things are planned for this big colt.

Andover Hall x Megavite

With her best friend foaling before sunrise, Megavite was not about to be upstaged and delivered a dark bay Andover Hall colt just after the sun went down. During Michelles Angel's delivery the previous morning, Megavite could be heard giving encouraging and vice versa was true during Megavite's foaling. Megavite has the ability to produce different sizes and shapes but I think she put her hard earned time into this colt's head because pictures do not lie (be patient and see when I post it).

Pictures to follow shortly...

Keep the names flowing (similar to the streams that have become rivers and the rivers that have become whitewater rapids from all the rain we have gotten in the last week)...

Naming Update

2011-04-27T08:38:00.003-04:00

Below is a list of names that have been approved with multiple others pending at the USTA offices...

Well Written (Well Said x Summer Mystery)

Royal Asset (Donato Hanover x Royal Versailles)

River Thames (Bettors Delight x London Eye)

High And Tight (Somebeachsomewhere x Thong)

Leonardo (Donato Hanover x Ladymatic)

Walk The Walk (Muscle Hill x Letsjustalkaboutme)

El Grande (Donato Hanover x Grand Cameron)

Into Thin Air (Art Major x Rarified Air)

Continental Divide (Muscle Hill x Continentalvictory)

King Midas (Muscles Yankee x Gold Mine Ambrosio)

Thank you very much for all the name submissions...it makes my job easier....keep them coming...

**On a more soggy note, the rain in the past week has caused Diamond Creek to be updated to Diamond Raging River...

One And One And One And One

2011-04-19T08:41:00.005-04:00

With almost no fanfare and at possibly the worst time to wake up (3am), Zintillating delivered a healthy Art Major filly on April 17th. Bred only to Western Hanover-line stallions up to this point, it was refreshing to see a different style horse come out of Zintillating. Mostly heavy-bodied horses with decent size is what you expect and to see a long-legged, racier horse was a change of pace (in a good way). The mare and foal are doing as well as expected. Some mares have the innate sense to do a better job caring for their foals (usually with the least amount of human help) and Z is one of those mares, which makes everyone else's jobs that much easier. Too bad we didn't have 75 Zintillatings

The next day, at a much more appropriate time (unless you were about to sit down for dinner), Uncommon Scents redeemed herself with a black Chocolatier colt. Last year, she shocked everyone by laying down and spitting out a bright red Deweycheatumnhowe filly, who we aptly named Ginger Red. To go from one extreme to another was a relief as well as a blessing. Whether it makes much sense or not, people seem to be attracted to the darker yearlings. I have to admit, it is much more pleasing to the eye to look at a dark bay, brown or black yearling. Luckily, at this moment, all is well...

We had a few days break before the next storm came (literally and figuratively). The day after a severe wind storm ripped off one of the cupolas from the yearling barn (causing rain to wash directly into the barn), we had two foals in one night. First, Pop Or Tonic delivered her third foal, a gorgeous, little Well Said filly. Not a nice mare, the filly loves people and is the exact opposite of her mother in more ways than one. Everyone is on guard when Pop foals and this year was no different. Hobbles, stall ties, and a muzzle await the mare and as soon as she is up, she is loaded into the gear like Hannibal Lector in Silence Of The Lambs. Usually it is a will of spirits and Pop gives in when she realizes she does not have the upper hand. Time is on our side...

An hour or two after Pop foaled, Hundred Kisses, at the spry, old age of 23 delivered her final foal. As if she knew she had to go out with a bang, Kisses gave us our second chestnut colt of the year. With a big blaze and four white feet (including two hind stockings), it was quite a shock for us and well as the mare. I think she was wondering what happened as well. The colt is relatively cute (as cute as a chestnut could be). It's crazy to think that we went four straight breeding seasons without a chestnut and now we have had three in the past two years. Thank you Ponder.

Keep the names coming....

I promise that as soon as the rain ends and the sun comes out, I will update the pictures but April in Kentucky is full of temperature swings and endless rain...Spring has sprung.

Two Years In Waiting

2011-04-16T08:12:00.005-04:00

I have been waiting for two years and eight fillies for our chance at a Deweycheatumnhowe colt and I am royally disappointed. A mare with a history of dark horses and pretty horses (Gracious Marla) gave us our second chestnut Deweycheatumnhowe in as many years. What a letdown....

I needed to get out that mini-vent ... on a more positive note, the mare and foal are doing well. On a more conspiratorial note, I am beginning to think the mares are much smarter than we give them credit for because Adena Springs (Thoroughbred farm directly across the road) has a beautiful chestnut stallion in the paddock closest to the road. I am beginning to wonder ...

What is happening ... two chestnuts in two years ... yikes!

Lucky for him ... he is cute

P.S. Just checked out the stats and in Dewey's first crop ... 7 of the 86 registered foals were chestnut ... don't feel nearly as bad as I did 10 minutes ago...

Update On New Arrivals

2011-04-15T10:38:00.010-04:00

Since the last post we have had a handful of nice foals bringing our total to 28 ... a very healthy number and just passed the half way mark. 23 to go...

Muscle Hill x Chicy Micky:

Everyone was thrilled when Chicy Micky delivered a healthy Muscle Hill filly on April 6th. Her battle with feet issues has been detailed in previous posts so it was quite a relief (for her) to get rid of the excess weight. She has been much more comfortable and active since her foal was born. Mare and foal are doing well. Although most are light bays, the Muscle Hill foals seem to have the distinct, large star like their dad. The hope is that he passed along heart, speed, and efficiency of gait as well. A brilliantly fast two year old, Chicy Micky stands a great chance to pass along the preciousness to her offspring...

Somebeachsomewhere x Speed Date:

Our first stakes winner as a racehorse in 2006 and runner-up to Isabella Blue Chip a handful of times at 2...she took after Isabella by giving us two fillies, however, she bucked the trend Isabella had set by delivering a nice Somebeachsomewhere colt on April 8th. Quite a bit taller and more robust than her first two fillies, we are excited by the possibilities. Her first filly (an Art Major) is training quite well and has steadily improved all spring and will be looking to rout the New York Sire Stakes this summer and fall.

Andover Hall x Filly At Bigs:

The following night, Filly At Bigs delivered a full brother to multiple stakes winning two year old Big Rigs ($142,160, 1:55.1). Big Rigs was rated just outside the Top 10 for returning trotters and his connections have heaped high praises on him going into the season. This colt looks, acts, and behaves nothing like his full brother. Larger in stature, lighter in color, and with more white markings, he has quite a ways to go before the comparisons can be made but with his genes, its not a great leap to think he could follow in those "Big" footsteps

Muscles Yankee x Rapid Rail:

There are some mares you give up on too early and others you sit on and wish you had sold before their value plummeted and then there are the few you have patience on and they eventually reward you. Looking back, we probably paid too much for Rapid Rail and her first three foals had their ups and downs without showing their mother's ability and terrorizing speed. It finally came in her fourth foal, a Credit Winner colt who was runner-up as a two year old in the New York Sire Stakes final. Already a winning qualifier posted as a three year old, he should do very well in sire stakes or wherever they decide to race him. The fifth foal was a Muscles Yankee filly we sold last year and all reports so far indicate another potentially good one...This foal is a full sister to the aforementioned filly (Roundhouse). Sometimes it pays to wait...

Muscle Hill x Clever Catch:

With similar markings to Chicy Micky's filly, Clever Catch delivered a rather large and leggy 129lbs Muscle Hill filly on April 13th. With the surplus of colts and already three Muscle Hill colts, having another filly was not at all bad. In fact, this mare produced such great looking horses that I don't think it will matter whether she has a filly or colt to sell. Unfortunately last year, her Muscles Yankee colt (nicknamed George) died of a stomach rupture at two months old. I think everyone who say him was in agreement that he was the best foal we had ever had...and if all things are equal, this filly could be just as nice. Unfortunately on her first day outside, she preferred to take in her surroundings (including the cameraman) from a relaxed position...

Finally

2011-04-08T10:40:00.002-04:00

Based on her facial expression, I'm pretty sure Gina disagrees with our statements that this is the best looking Deweycheatumnhowe that we have ever had. Unfortunately, she is also the 7th Dewey filly we have had.

As if she is on a timer, Right On Renee spit out her third foal and second Deweycheatumnhowe filly, on the exact day as she has for her other pregnancies (345 days).

A darker color than her sister, this filly was bright-eyed, smart, tall and lanky, and besides a minor constipation problem (remedied fairly easily), was an early and easy starter.

Let's remind Gina to not be so critical and judgmental...

I would prefer names to include the word "Right"

Foaling Update

2011-04-04T17:32:00.003-04:00

Since my last post we have had an influx of foals ... not the same influx of farms the size of Hanover, Perretti, Kentuckiana but a handful nonetheless.

Healthy, happy fillies and colts is all we can ask for...

March 24:

Dream N Lindy had a Donato Hanover filly in the early afternoon, her third consecutive filly. If they all turn out as nice and correct as the first three, I would not complain if she had all fillies. Her first filly was an excellent individual and always showed her talent. We expect big things from her. Her yearling filly is also an excellent individual and possesses many of the same traits as her big sister.

Name choices should be two words long and contain the word "Dream"

March 26:

Noifsaboutit delivered a bright bay Andover Hall filly, finally giving every intern a chance to deliver a foal. Since we purchased this mare in 2007, she has given us three fillies and one colt and while she is arguably the ugliest mare on the mare (standing equally among Armbro Temple and Continentalvictory), her foals are among the most gorgeous. We ended up buying back Precisionist (a Muscles Yankee filly) and she is as nice a broodmare as we have at the moment. When you look at Noifs and then at her offspring, you have to wonder if the mare is really the mother of the foal...plus she snores so loud, its a wonder how her babies sleep at night

Name choices for Noifsabout - no themes (up to your imagination)

Night of March 29-30:

A two for one package deal came on the night of the 29th and into the morning of the 30th when Decimal Hanover (a half sister to Donato Hanover) foaled a robust and stocky Muscle Hill colt and Restive Hanover had a dark brown (almost black) Somebeachsomewhere filly. In her usual quiet and confident style, Decimal encouraged her already ready-to-go colt and he stood and nursed before Restive Hanover delivered her filly. Restive, on the other hand, was under the watchful eye of the night staff due to her propensity to step on her foals. She isn't what you would call an intelligent horse and needs to be protected from her foals until it sinks in that they are delicate. She killed her first filly in 2009 by pawing it to death. Last year we placed her in hobbles for a day or so and then she was fine but this year she surprised us by taking to being a mother very well.

Name choices for Decimal - similar to her filly (Fraction) but make it more masculine

Name choices for Restive are up to your imagination - no themes

April 3:

Shops For Dresses, usually with a flair for the dramatic (2007 she fell while being chased by feral dogs - 2 weeks before foaling), was without incidence this year as she foaled an opinionated and impassioned Swan For All colt. The colt did not need help with anything and if you tried he would throw himself on the ground and wait for you to leave before he tried again. Lets hope he is an anomaly.

Let's try to get creative and come up with a relatively masculine name related to Dresses (not sure how that is going to work out...)

How Does The Ad Go...

2011-03-22T18:16:00.003-04:00

"You Can't Rock Without Muscles" or "Without Muscles You Can't Move The Rock" ... either way Bob Marks' colloquial catch phrases popped into my head as we had two Rocknroll Hanover fillies and a Muscles Yankee colt over the weekend.

Yes Maam foaled on Friday night in New York and from what he have heard, mare and Rocknroll Hanover filly are doing well, which is quite a big relief. Yes Maam has had quite a history ... what follows is a relatively brief synopsis. She foaled for the first time at Blue Chip in 2009. Eight days after foaling the farm quickly identified the mare was in discomfort and she was shipped to Cornell where they gave us the bad news she had a tear in her uterus and have developed peritonitis (not a good prognosis in horses). We took it day by day (there were some days I wanted to say give up and was talked out of it and vice versa) and while it took months, the mare made a full recovery. The following spring (2010), Yes Maam started cycling normally only to back slide and she developed a large mass on her left ovary resulting in the cessation of follicle development on her right ovary. It was determined she had a GCT (granulosa cell tumor) and without getting into too much detail it prevented a normally cycling mare. We decided removal of her left ovary was in her best interest (and the farm's) and luckily for us, three weeks later we bred her and she conceived.

Phew...enough brief synopses for awhile...

Next came Mississippi River...she delivered a Rocknroll Hanover filly Saturday night, a full sister to Big Easy, who we sold at Harrisburg for $165,000 (thanks to John Butenschoen). Like I have always been told....no news is good news....next mare and foal

Not twenty minutes after Mississippi River foaled, her paddock-mate, friend, and butt buddy, Gold Mine Ambrosio delivered a Muscles Yankee colt much to the chagrin of our two new interns (who have never delivered a foal, let alone two). To their amazement, they were able to marvel in the excitement of their first births and do their job.

I know its a tall order for some but three new foals need names....don't deprive them

All Things Equal

2011-03-20T19:02:00.009-04:00

Below is a collection of thoughts, musings, personal interpretations, misunderstandings, and miscellaneous thoughts:

1) I understand ... having all the facts up front about a particular situation allows for better decision making. Since her purchase, Chicy Micky has been on and off lame and needs to be trimmed more than the other mares. Lately, deep in gestation, she has needed shoes to stay sound. However, on Thursday, she was so sore that she couldn't walk. After a couple doses of anti-inflammatories didn't help, our vet examined her and thought she had foundered. Upon closer examination by a podiatry specialist (with the help of X-rays and experience in these type of mares), showed she had not foundered but had the proclivity to do so if certain factors aligned. He devised a plan for specific trimming and shoeing and predicted that Chicy Micky would be fine with a little R & R and glue on shoes

2) I understand ... more now then I did when I first started. I remember the first breeding season when we did most things by the seat of our pants and were on a steep learning curve. I know for a fact I am no expert but I do know more now then I did then. I blamed a lot of the barren mares on myself then just the same as I do now except I am probably less likely the cause now as I was then.

3) I understand ... certain mares are going to make me go insane by giving me all fillies. Yes Maam, Speed Date, Isabella Blue Chip, Dream N Lindy, Loyal Opposition, Day Five have had a combined 13 foals and 0 colts. I could easily name just as many mares that have given my only colts (well...not nearly as many) but I understand

4) I understand ... Muscle Hill seems to pass on many of his qualities and very few of his faults. His colts are highly intelligent, correct, muscled, and have big egos. I like cocky foals, its the ones with wimpy attitudes you have to be concerned about. Good horses seems to standout from Day One. Muscle Hill seems to be able to pass on that characteristic.

5) I understand ... there is always something to complain about even if there isn't

6) I don't understand ... why we only had two yearlings with OCDs. Every year we have seemed to have less and less yearlings with OCDs.

7) I don't understand ... why the best horses seemed to get injured more often than the others. Our best Deweycheatumnhowe yearling was a filly by Day Five who broke her tibia in October in a freak, traumatic accident. A screw was inserted in her leg to hold the destroyed bone together. She was jumping around her stall a few days later and bent the screw in her leg causing a severe amount of pain and swelling. With a little bit of luck and the filly's ability to withstand nearly 5 months of stall rest, she is now on the road to full recovery. Although she will never "run with the herd" she is completely sound (albeit structurally not perfect) and ha sthe ability to carry foals. Check her out as of this morning ...

Oh no...it looks like I understand a lot more then I don't...

Far from it ... i fall in between a realist and optimist

Gas Pedal Down

2011-03-18T20:05:00.006-04:00

A mare of very ordinary size and stature with a less than desirable race record could absolutely rip it across the field when we turned her out for the first time. If she had used some of that explosiveness on the racetrack she should have made more money and had a faster record. However, once you were introduced to her personality you began to understand. A docile mare with a fragile ego, Ferrari Of, would be better off (mentally) staying in your living room than in the field with other mares. However, this very ordinary mare, has been an extra special producer for us.

Clearly, with plenty of back class and able to pass on only her best qualities, she has given us four colts before she successfully delivered her first filly earlier this morning. An annual candidate for post-partum depression (lasting about 24 hours), Ferrari Of (known to everyone here as Feefee, Fifi, or Fefe depending on who is spelling it) consistently produces colts with size, scope, substance, and great conformation. Her first colt went to Europe (although Erv Miller still claims he was the winning bidder at $90,000 (controversy pushed it to $165,000)) and has since only lost one time (won a heat of the Orsi Mangelli and finished fourth in the final). He is being prepped for a big four year old campaign. Her second colt is a Muscle Yankee colt who has yet to make a start. Her third colt was purchased this past fall by the same ownership group who purchased his half brother and Swedish star (Formula One). Now we are lucky enough to still have her best colt, a Donato Hanover colt being prepped for sale this fall at Harrisburg. A gorgeous horse.

The Deweycheatumnhowe filly she had last night looks the most like Ferrari than the colts however she looks to have more leg and attitude than her mother. Its all great in Ferrari's world (or it will be in less than 8 hours ... when the depression ends).

Check back tomorrow for a picture...

Keep the names coming...

For Ferrari...any name having to do with cars (with a feminine twist)

Hambo Squared

2011-03-08T16:44:00.005-05:00

The 2009 Hambletonian winner combined with 1996 Hambletonian winner. Both obliterated the previous time standards for the race. She did it against the boys and he made it look like he beat the girls. Both were impressive in their own and very special way. And they did it again. At 2:30am on March 8th, Continentalvictory gave birth to a 100lbs Muscle Hill colt, much to the relief of everyone watching. Officially, all is well in the world of Hambo lore...

New New New

2011-03-06T14:33:00.006-05:00

Three new babies in less than 24 hours. It always seem like good luck and bad luck comes in waves. Fortunately this time good luck prevailed.

GRAND CAMERON:

Born just a few hours after midnight but directly on her due date, Grand Cameron foaled a Donato Hanover colt. A very light bay but an immediate favorite, the girls like to tease him by calling him Bucky (in reference to his almost buckskin appearance). I think they are crazy but whatever floats their boats. The first colt by the first daughter of the great Cameron Hall which makes him inbred to Garland Lobell and Kenwood Scamper. With the success of those crosses doubled, he has the genetic potential to be a superstar, which is why he is in the process of being bubble wrapped and placed neatly into our racing stable for the 2013 season.

RARIFIED AIR:

Similar to clockwork, Rarified Air, foaled a very healthy, happy, and large Art Major filly just two hours after Grand Cameron foaled. Best friends and nearly inseparable for months, the mares deemed it necessary to grace us with their foals presence at almost identical times. Besides a typical Art Major head, the filly is robust, athletic and very nice. The mare is a full sister to the superstar sire Rocknroll Hanover, which gives this filly an excellent chance for future success.

BEST LAID PLANS:

We just purchased this mare in November for what we perceived as a great price and having already owned a daughter of hers (Loving Caroline) and knowing what kind of horses she produced, we were very excited when she delivered her seventh foal and only second colt (from Rocknroll Hanover). Born in New York because she is being bred to Rock N Roll Heaven, we have only seen two pictures and could not be more impressed. Can't wait until she and her new colt come back home sometime this summer or fall.

On a more sobering note the first week of pregnancy checks were not as exciting. Out of the first five mares we bred, we only got two pregnancies. All three that came up empty were maiden mares bred to fertile stallions. No excuses. Better luck next time. Shrug it off and refer back to the fact we have eleven healthy babies consisting of eight colts and three fillies. Role reversal is a wonderful thing.

Continentalvictory is due to foal a Muscle Hill any day ... two Hambo winners squished into one...supposed to be a colt....we will see...

Letsjustalkaboutme

2011-02-25T16:30:00.002-05:00

Let me premise this post by saying that this post is not about me...

Last year it was Talk The Talk and this year it's Walk The Walk. Letsjustalkaboutme delivered a monster of a Muscle Hill colt on February 21st. Dark brown and handsome, he looked nothing like the mare or the stallion at foaling and still doesn't. Not quite sure if that is a good or bad thing. Nicknamed Donnie, for no other reason than we like to name the colts after human names, he has taken the place of our deceased Muscle Hill colt by Silicone Valley named Earl. If these two are any indication (as well as photos of a few others I've seen) than the foals of Muscle Hill will be strikingly more handsome than their dad.

Pictures of the colt are pending....due to rainy weather....hopefully tomorrow morning

After I finished the post I received word from Blue Chip that A Starlet Born delivered a healthy Donato Hanover colt on Wednesday night. With all that complaining last year about fillies versus colts has paid off so far. 6 colts and 2 fillies. Couldn't be more thrilled...now we need some creative names

P.S. We are concluding the second full week of the breeding season, which means that next week our the first round of pregnancy checks. Due up first next week are Glide Power, two-time NJSS champion, to Donato Hanover and Blood Diamond, sister to Western Terror and If I Can Dream, to Somebeachsomewhere.

Grand Slam

2011-02-20T12:58:00.000-05:00

A little slow at updating the blog last week and because of my sluggishness, I am behind by four foals in keeping everyone in line with the happenings of the farm.

LONDON EYE

On February 10th, just as I settled into the hottub for a good, hot soak, the call came that London Eye had broken water. Not too pleased with the interruption, I had barely enough time to grab a shirt and towel and hustle to the barn. Luck I was not needed as the mare did a superb job of delivering a 135 lbs Bettors Delight colt. A monster was born, not only long-legged but long-eared as well.

THONG

Not a few hours later but technically on February 11th, Thong delivered a healthy and very robust Somebeachsomewhere colt. A definitely "colt to watch" as he matures and gets older. Bright, smart, early to stand and nurse, he is a firecracker. I think he causes plenty of anxiety for Thong by spending his days ripping and tearing around his paddock with his mother chasing after him. Like Newton said, "a body in motion tends to stay in motion..." although a rare times he has to recharge his batteries...

LADYMATIC

The third colt came less than 8 hours later when Ladymatic delivered a Donato Hanover colt in the snow surrounded by two very interested field mates. Obviously in distress due to the proximity of the other two mares, Ladymatic got back to her feet right after foaling and chased the two mares away. While in the process of clearing space for her newborn, the colt only a minute or two old stood up, much to the obvious surprise of Anne, and stumbled awkwardly after his mother. The confusion for all became too much, leading the mare to become overly stressed and exhibit the classical signs of hemorrhage. A vet was summoned and treatment began but within a very short period of time, the mare calmed down and was normal before morning. Since that scare, the mare and foal are excellent and as usual, Ladymatic and her offspring are people oriented and love attention from all.

ISABELLA BLUE CHIP

Six days later, Isabella Blue Chip gave birth to a Somebeachsomewhere filly. Her third filly out of three tries is obviously slightly disappointing but when that filly stood up, stretched out, it was plain as day that this was a filly beyond compare. Booked to Rocknroll Hanover, we switched her to Somebeachsomewhere. It would be hard to say since Loving Caroline's yearling filly is a knockout, but this filly at 24 hours old is the best of the Somebeachsomewheres that we have had in the past two years.

Time to get creative...below I have listed some parameters that we like to use when naming the foals

1) When at all possible, we like to promote the mare

2) Isabella Blue Chip's first two foals have the word Blue in it and we would like to keep that going

3) London Eye - something to do with London preferably

4) Thong - try to keep it on the clean side since I have to get it passed by the USTA

Another First

2011-01-31T10:31:00.001-05:00

I landed in Canada on Friday night and was standing in the line at Customs when Anne called me to let me know that Summer Mystery had successfully delivered a handsome, brown Well Said colt. Again by the shadow of the wire, we were lucky enough to have the first Well Said foal of the year.

Summer Mystery's first foal was a gorgeous but slightly feminine Western Ideal colt that blossomed late in his three year old year capturing the Progress Pace at Dover. An earner of just shy of $700,000, he continues to race strong in the Opens at Dover. Her second foal (a Western Hanover filly) showcased her wicked closing speed in a qualifier at the Meadowlands (finishing in 26.4 in her first attempt). Her second attempt was marred by an accident that ended her two year old season and eventually her career. Her third foal just sold this year at Harrisburg (a very average looking Rocknroll Hanover filly --- yet acted like a good filly around the barn). Her yearling is a gorgeous Somebeachsomewhere colt and should be highly sought after in Harrisburg(?).

The mare is a great looking individual and her offspring tend to look more like the mare than the stallion but this year, the colt resembles Well Said much more and having viewed Well Said, I would have to say that that is not a bad thing at all.

The second foal of the weekend arrived at 10pm on Sunday night at Blue Chip Farms. Royal Versailles gave birth to a long legged Donato Hanover filly. The word from Blue Chip is that mare and foal are both doing well.

Now everyone have their work cut out for them....two newbies need names...let's get creative

As The World Turns

2011-01-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

As the world turns we are forced to deal with exhilaration and heartache in short, quick bursts, never allowing us to remain in one place too long. As the highs of having the first Muscle Hill colt quickly subsided and a group of new interns were inundated with unaccustomed routines, we passed the critical 48-72 hours without a hiccup.

The colt aptly nicknamed Earl (due to his early arrival) grew stronger every day and filled a special place in the hearts of those who cared for him on a daily or hourly basis. A few days after his birth I got married and left for a honeymoon in California but thats where the good news ended.

Silicone Valley was born in a field (an adjacent field to the one she foaled Earl in) here at Diamond Creek on a gorgeous day in April of 2007. She was a sweet filly and was as close to perfect her entire first year and half. She was a nearly flawless yearling and Jerry Silva and Mel Hartman rewarded us with our most expensive yearling to date. She was placed in the very capable hands of Ron Gurfein and then Greg Peck before she retired to the farm following her two year old race season. She cycled normally, got in foal on the first cover on the second day of the breeding season, and every pregnancy check was within normal limits. We had the foal sexed and at 62 days, it was confirmed to be a colt.

An otherwise sweet and very easy going mare foaled Earl in the snow in the afternoon of January 12th, only to be very reserved and tentative (not uncommon among maidens) with her new arrival. All the commotion of moving the foal to a stall seemed to drive a wedge further between mom and baby. Being slightly premature, he needed a bit more attention than a normal foal but he seemed to do everything right as he progressed. We were cautious about his turnout because of his lax joints but within days he was tearing up and down the barn aisle.

Three days ago, I was awakened by a ringtone reserved for Anne, not a good sign since she had explicitly told me to have fun and not call or text (she knows me too well - didn't even have the phone off at night during my honeymoon), calling to inform me that Earl's respiration rate was way too high and he was not nursing. She told me that she had called for a vet and would keep me updated. Only 5 minutes later, she called back saying that he was going downhill fast and they were loading him onto the trailer for the 30 minute ride to the hospital. The trailer made it only 3 miles down the road and Earl took his last breath. With no prior indications and a mare with very little maternal instincts, the only guess is that she pawed him or stepped on him, breaking a rib and causing a lung laceration or mortal injury to an internal organ. Completely shocked and overwhelmed, Anne was given the unwanted task of calling me back and informing me of his death. My first reaction was heartache and empathy for Anne and Gina who pore their hearts and souls into caring for my horses but my second thought was "how am I going to explain this to Jerry and Mel."

So we are now in the distinct category of having the first Muscle Hill colt and having the first one to pass as well.

As the world turns again, we are forced to deal with heartache and exhilaration in short, quick bursts, never allowing us to remain in one place too long.

Silicone Valley

2011-01-13T14:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon at 3:30pm, much to everyone's obvious surprise, Silicone Valley had cocooned herself up against a fence, in the snow and was in the process of delivering her first foal. With very little encouragement and the willingness of a seasoned mare, she pushed out our first foal, her first foal, Muscle Hill's first foal and Juan Carlos' first time assisting a foal. Im not sure who was more scared, the mare or Juan Carlos. Since it was too late to move the mare into the barn, out came a beautiful bay colt in the ankle deep snow. Quickly loaded into the back of a pickup and with the mare dutifully following in tow, they made the slow trip to the barn where he got a much deserved rest.

All is well with mare and foal. She has taken to being a mother like a seasoned pro and the colt is a bit rambunctious for being 15 days early. We couldn't be more pleased and are excited and proud to have the first Muscle Hill colt born.

Bookings

2011-01-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Now that it is officially 2011, it is time to unveil the bookings for our mares. Below is a list of the mares bred to each stallion:

ANDOVER HALL:

Arlanda Hanover

Day Five

Filly At Bigs

ART MAJOR:

Acey Deucey

Amazing Marker

Forgery

Shes Poison

BETTORS DELIGHT:

Brain Storm

Mambo Western

Western Montana

CREDIT WINNER:

A Starlet Born

Four Starz Lindy

Religulous

Royal Versailles

Temple Of Heaven

DEWEYCHEATUMNHOWE:

Chicy Micky

Gold Mine Ambrosio

Love To Flaunt

Sister Sammy

DONATO HANOVER:

Continentalvictory

Dream Valley OM

Glide Power

Grand Cameron

Ladymatic

Megavite

Muscle Amour

Precisionist

Ultimate Cameron

MUSCLE HILL:

Dream N Lindy

Ferrari Of

Letsjustalkaboutme

MUSCLE MASSIVE:

Graceful Way

MUSCLES YANKEE:

Clever Catch

Decimal Hanover

Michelles Angel

Noifsaboutit

Silicone Valley

Valley Courtney

ROCK N ROLL HEAVEN:

Best Laid Plans

Loving Caroline

Yes Maam

ROCKIN IMAGE:

Armbro Ticket

ROCKNROLL HANOVER:

Can Du River

Isabella Blue Chip

Mississippi River

Restive Hanover

Schoolofcardknocks

Summer Mystery

Tidewaterdragonfly

Thong

Zintillating

SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE:

Blood Diamond

London Eye

Mystical

Rarified Air

Righteous Renee

Speed Date

SPORTSWRITER:

Cohenikova

Pop Or Tonic

Shes A Great Lady

SWAN FOR ALL:

Berry Nice Muscles

Gracious Marla

Shops For Dresses

Uncommon Scents

WELL SAID:

Armbro Nest

Loyal Opposition

YANKEE GLIDE:

Armbro Temple

Rapid Rail

Right On Renee

Now its time to ask why I didn't book to this stallion or that one...bring it on...you might not always agree with the reasons but I don't mind sharing them...thanks for reading

Ultimate Cameron

2010-12-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

As I was preparing to write this post about the breeding decision for Ultimate Cameron, I just happened to be cruising the Standardbred Canada website and was very excited to read that Ultimate Cameron joined Random Destiny as one of the two finalists for the O'Brien Award for Three Year Old Filly Trotters. I am very honored by that recognition and regardless of whether she wins or doesn't, I am thrilled to just have been associated with a filly of that caliber.

As for the 2011 breeding, we have decided to breed Ultimate Cameron to Donato Hanover. Based on the handful of blog posts and the countless emails I received on this matter, the consensus pick was Donato Hanover as well. Some reasons were along the same lines as our thinking and some actually gave me pause but we think (as I have stated in other posts) that Donato Hanover will become the preeminent trotting stallion and Ultimate Cameron's exceptional qualities mixed with Donato's should give us an excellent chance of having a good racehorse.

Ultimate Cameron's second dam Canne Angus and Donato Hanover's sire's dam is Amour Angus, giving the resulting foal a 4x4 cross to Kenwood Scamper (the dam of both Amour Angus and Canne Angus). While the mentioned crosses of Garland Lobell, Speedy Crown and others are important, we think the crossing of superior females on the top and bottom of pedigrees is something to strive for. In this cross, we couldn't have asked for a better one. This resulting pedigree is filled with great horses in all generations. The goal is to continue the excellence that began with Kenwood Scamper.

Thanks again to the voters of the O'Brien Awards. It is quite an honor to be nominated.

Mares Purchased

2010-12-13T10:22:00.001-05:00

The mixed sale at Harrisburg usually begins rather slowly as an overflow of yearlings are offered. With a large offering of stallion shares following closely, the bidding heated up quickly. During this part of the sale we purchased two more Donato Hanover shares (bringing our number to 8), another Somebeachsomewhere share (2 total) and an Art Major (3 total).

From the beginning, we bet on Donato Hanover being great and we are not going backwards until he proves otherwise. I always thought he presented the greatest stallion potential over Deweycheatumnhowe and Muscle Hill but only time will tell. We hedged our investments with shares in all three but a significant amount of money has been invested in the future success of Donato.

With 6 Deweycheatumnhowe weanling fillies and 0 colts, we decided to take a chance a buy a weanling colt by that sire. While not the most ideal horse, he certainly fills a void and has improved since he returned here to the farm.

The first day of the sale is primarily filled with pregnant mares and we sold 4 while improving the quality of the herd with the purchase of 3 new ones. We sold one mare in foal to Muscle Hill and replaced her with another daughter of Dream Valley OM in foal to him. Chicy Micky was carrying her first foal and was due relatively early. She was a very fast daughter of Kadabra that had some issues while racing but her two year old mark taken at the Meadowlands was extremely impressive. It also never hurts to have too many mares from that family. Both Chicy Micky and her sister Silicone Valley are in foal to Muscle Hill and due relatively early.

The second mare we purchased was bought primarily for who the mare was in foal to. With the success of Credit Winner offspring at the sales every year, it makes sense to have at least one in your consignment. With his "issues" this past breeding season, he only bred 52 mares (and if averages play out he may only have 40-42 live foals next spring. If we are lucky to have one, then we might be paid handsomely during the sales of 2012. Graceful Way accomplishes that goal (carrying her first foal as well). She is a beautifully built mare but lacks the usual top quality pedigree we normally seek out. The third mare we purchased is the dam of one of our top young mares, Loving Caroline. We purchased Best Laid Plans for much less than what we thought she was worth. A mare who has not sold a yearling under $100,000 and has had only one colt. Her future looks fairly bright (plus she is in foal to the top pacing stallion, Rocknroll Hanover).

After what we considered a pretty successful first day, we went into the second day with the hopes of picking up a few maiden mares. As it worked out, everyone else had Showherthemoney at the top of their lists ($700,000 purchase price), but we considered her the best mare in the whole sale and she had the looks to go along with the race record and pedigree. She might have been the best pacing mare offered at Harrisburg since I started going (which is not a long time). However, we picked our battles and left with three new maiden mares and a filly to race. We bought back two fillies we sold the previous fall as yearlings. One is the only daughter of Armbro Temple (another pedigree I do not think you can have too much of) and being a daughter of Muscles Yankee gives me plenty of options to breed her to. The other filly we are going to try to race as a three year old. Only having purchased her for $22,000, Sacred Saint showed a glimpse or two as a two year old that she had some talent. Hopefully in the right hands she will make some money. The final two purchases were very high on our list. Muscle Amour gave us a piece of a pedigree we did not have (Amour Angus) while Blood Diamond gave us a three quarter sister to Western Terror and If I Can Dream. The only daughter of the great Arterra, she provides us with a deep pedigree and lots of relevant and top quality stakes performers.

After the conclusion of the sale, we partnered with Mel Hartman on the purchase of the two year old sister to the great Poof Shes Gone. A daughter of SJs Caviar, she will be bred to Muscles Yankee this coming year. She, just like the other two SJs Caviar daughters, is a gorgeous individual and possesses a great length of body, a powerful hind end, and stands up off the ground. She is an excellent addition.

As I go back and reflect on our purchases, it is easy to say how happy I am with our purchases but this year more so than in year's past, I think we filled some voids. Our trotting pedigrees have far outweighed our pacing pedigrees and we took a few risks this year in shoring up a few mares with excellent pedigrees.

P.S. Just because I am interested in other people's opinions....If you owned Ultimate Cameron (a daughter of Yankee Glide and Cameron Hall), who would you breed her to and why???

Next Post: Bookings

2010 Selling/Purchasing

2010-12-02T08:34:00.001-05:00

We went into the fall yearling season with the intention of buying a few select yearlings. We had our eyes on a pacer from Lexington and a trotter at Harrisburg. If we could be lucky enough to purchase the two well-bred fillies to go along with two others we were retaining, we could enter 2011 with a similar number of race horses as last year.

2010 was a banner year for the farm. Our racehorses earned over a million dollars and we ended the year with so much more left on the table. If you told me we would end 2010 with a seven figure total, I would have been ecstatic. And yet here I sit, thrilled with our results and somehow slightly disappointed with how the season ended. With the retirement of Ultimate Cameron and Glide Power along with a few other young fillies, it was time to replenish our race stable.

Privately we purchased a two year old filly named Gasoline. She has been here at the farm for almost 6 weeks and is ready to go back to the track sometime after the first of the year. We purchased her based almost solely on pedigree (not that we don't have enough of that family already) but she showed some promise so we will give her a shot.

Next we retained two Rocknroll Hanover fillies. One was not our choice while the other one was in the plan from the beginning. Polar Opposition (Loyal Opposition) had a leg injury and a cosmetic flaw that we thought would ruin her value so we decided it was in our best interest to keep the filly. As for Live Wire (Western Montana), we have decided to retain all the dam's offspring.

Going into Lexington, we had Hip #98 circled and starred. The Stewarts were gracious enough to allow us (and others) to X-ray and scope the Bettors Delight sister to Rock N Roll Heaven. While not a robust and strapping filly, she was correctly made, a great mover, and had a top notch pedigree. Going into the bidding, we had a $200,000 high bid penciled in. In the course of the rapid bidding, we entered around $175,000 and a blink or two later the bidding slowed down at $230,000. One more bid took us to $240,000 and we had been maxed out. Bruce Saunders & Frank Bellino raised their hand again and the filly became theirs. I wish them the best.

With the success we had with Glide Power (thanks to the generosity of Jan Johnson and Ebby Gerry), it only made sense to reinvest with the same group. We purchased an oddly named filly called Fancy Hoof Steps. A great looking Yankee Glide filly, reminding all involved of Glide Power.

After Lexington, we refocused our attention on the catalog at Harrisburg and circled plenty of top fillies. One stood out (Hip 117), and those who read the blog know the story. Comments were made about how much we paid, how much we would have paid, and other conjectures. Whether true or not, we knew all we needed to know when we paid $255,000 for Swan Hot Mama.

Besides, Swan Hot Mama, we took home three retained pacing fillies. All are being turned out until after the first of the year where they will be shuttled off to various trainers and we will wait nine months or so to see if our decision to keep them paid off. Our goal of racing 5 to 10 a year has ballooned to 15 this year. It is either going to be a great year or a very head pounding one. Get the Tylenol for the headaches and the bullshit meter for the trainers. I love the calls that report how well all are doing...

Next Post: Mares Purchased at Harrisburg

Things I Learned At Harrisburg

2010-11-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

1) There are too many horses for sale...a simple supply versus demand shows us that the stud fees are too high and the books are too big for our industry. When a stallion stands for $20,000 and his average is $34,000+, its impossible for people who breed to the horse to make money. I know the USTA limited the books of stallions to 140 but with complaints about a narrowing of the gene pool, why don't we limit them further to 50 or 75?

2) Muscle Hill's excellence on the track is still clear in everyone's minds. His share and the mares in foal to him brought premium prices (deservedly so? ... we will find out in a couple of years). He is the type of stallion (like the other great ones before him) who will have no excuses if his offspring don't perform up to expectations. He was bred to a top notch group of mares.

3) Don't bid when you are angry or drinking. $700,000. It was the most exciting moment I have ever seen at an auction. It provided the one thing that is lacking in our sport and at the auctions I've attended the past couple of years: EMOTION. There was passion, anger, excitement, curiosity, bewilderment, enthusiasm. I could go on and on but for those who witnessed it, it will be something you won't forget. I hope for all involved, they make their money back hand over fist. When someone spends that kind of money and they are successful, it benefits the sport.

4) I offend people. Usually not on purpose but I have the ability with words and/or actions to offend people. I apologize to all past, present and future people I have, am, will offend. I'm okay with the fact not everyone agrees with my opinion and I try not to impose my opinions on others. I usually speak/write with much thought and consideration but I am not shy about pointing out faults and I expect others to point out mine. Its a two way street and I invite the critics. A little conflict never hurts.

5) 2010 was better than 2009 and 2011 will be better than 2010.

Perturbed

2010-10-21T17:32:00.000-04:00

Hunterton was gracious enough to let us X-ray and scope the sister to Rock N Roll Heaven the night before she was going to sell in Lexington (the X-rays and scope were perfect) and because of the results we felt confident in bidding up to $250,000. Unfortunately for us, Mr Bellino and Mr. Saunders got to the number first and we backed out. Knowing the relevant information when spending that kind of money gives buyers the confidence to reach deep into their pockets. The think I don't understand is why an owner/consignor would not open welcome someone to come and X-ray their yearling. It only adds speculation and reduced confidence. Just recently I was confronted with this issue.

There is a filly at the Harrisburg sale that piqued our interest. A great family of production, the first filly of the mare, and a first crop Donato. It all adds up to a filly who could ring the bell when she enters the ring. To me, a horse like this, who has the potential to bring a significant amount of money, should be scrutinized, analyzed, and gone over with a fine tooth comb (hence the need to X-ray and scope). I left a message with the consignor requesting the desire to send someone to X-ray and scope the filly. I got a return call apologizing and informing me that the owner of the filly did not allow X-rays and scopes. An honest reaction, after I hung up the phone, was bewilderment and confusion. A couple of choice words later, I am left to wonder...Our penciled in number for the filly just got erased and a number half that size was written in with permanent marker. If someone was nosey and wanted to know it wouldn't be hard to figure out which filly I am referring to...

New Forum

2010-10-20T17:57:00.000-04:00

Perfect place to share ideas, thoughts, concerns, opinions about harness racing and breeding. Click the link below and enjoy. I signed up last night and have offered up some thoughts already. Once you sign up go to the forum about Rock N Roll Heaven and his chances of being Horse Of The Year. We need more opinions....

http://www.harnessracingforum.com/forum.php

Yearling Videos

2010-09-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. And easy to locate at this link .

The day of yearling videos is always a highly anticipated yet anxious day. When you have a group of yearlings expected to sell well 6 weeks later the videos provide a chance to showcase the good ones and hide faults in the bad ones. Anyone who thinks the yearling video editing doesn't highlight the positives and downplay the negatives has their head buried in the sand.

When a yearling cruises down the fence line swallowing up the ground, gets to the end, stops, spins around, and blitzes down the line again, I stand their like a proud parents. Now ... that is how my parents felt when I performed well as a child. I wish they would all do as well as Hip #176 and #379. Unfortunately we have the ones who cruise up and down the fence line in between losing their minds and pretending to be Grand Prix horses. We have changed the shape of the paddock, length of the paddock but we cannot seem to stop the occasional horse from trying to leap over it. We have gotten smart over the past couple of years and gotten rid of traditional oak board fence and adopted a safer more elastic fence that bounces the horse back into the paddock instead of him/her going through it. Less injuries. This year we had a horse run full speed into the fence. He bounced back, dusted himself off and continued with the video. In fact, the only cut he had was below his left eye that require one stitch.

The one thing that bothers me about the video day is the pacers. I have no idea why I video the pacers. Our first year we didn't video the pacers and much to others chagrin I changed my mind and have done it ever since. Watching a pacer trot down the fence row is almost excruciating. Unless they flip over into a pace, I am not sure what someone is looking at. Good trotter video well. I'm not sure the same can be said for the pacers. The ones who move the best, float over the ground, don't interfere with themselves at trot is not comparable to how they will move when they pace. Oh well...not my call.

For those looking for a steal....Hip #232 and #379 are the ones you should pay attention to. Hip 232 is a Muscles Yankee colt who is an absolutely correct individual with no physical flaws and moves exceptionally well in his video. Being the 4th foal out of a mare that has no production so far (2 went to Europe and the other is a 2YO), he will be overlooked by many and definitely will surprise whoever he ends up with. As for #379, her video looks like it was sped up. It definitely was not. Everyone who was there that day stood back in awe. She required no encouragement and absolutely floated across the ground. Even as a foal she trotted when the others galloped.

Humongous Rigs

2010-09-04T07:58:00.000-04:00

Last night Big Rigs tracked down Jimmy Takter's good colt (Leader Of The Gang) and won a division of the Champlain at Mohawk in 1:56.4. So far so good for the connections of the colt. All through the winter and into the spring, Kelly O'Donnell thought Big Rigs was a good colt but wasn't sure how good until he raced him at Pocono in a stallion series event at the beginning of August. There he torched the 5/8ths mile track in a stakes record 1:57.0 in his first lifetime start. Since then he crossed the finish line first in a PASS event only to be put down to third after interfering with a horse in deep stretch. After only 3 starts, the owners and trainer must be licking their chops. They have quite a colt on their hands.

As a yearling, Big Rigs was nothing special yet he didn't have any major flaws. Just an average sized foal and early yearling, he began to mature late in the summer and when prep began he was kind of forgotten about with respect to the other better looking yearlings. As potential buyers came out to see the horses, we got the same feedback from everyone. "You should do really well on this colt." The mare was 0 for 2 when we sold the colt and our expectations were tempered to begin with. When the hammer fell at $70,000, we were very thrilled. Now it looks like it might have been a steal. We will have to wait and see if he improves this fall and into next year.

As for the yearling season this year, we are selling a Donato Hanover three quarter sister to Big Rigs named Fillyanthropy. She is a beautiful filly who is well balanced and isn't as heavy as her brother. She is tall enough and like her brother, does not have any glaring faults. Nestled near the beginning of Day 2 in Lexington, she should be in a prime spot to do very well especially if Big Rigs keep performing at the high level he is currently at.

A Ticket To Somewhere

2010-08-29T10:02:00.000-04:00

Lotto Ticket was arguably one of the ugliest foals we have ever had. His prominent roman nose stuck out like a sore thumb when his mother narrowly pushed him into this world last April. Always a smallish colt, his head was so eye-catching that it made him look even smaller and his noggin that much bigger. It was an ever-revolving door.

As last fall turned to winter and winter to spring, he began to grow (and luckily his head did not). Before too long he started to lengthen out, grow taller and fill out. While not the best looking yearling we have to sell this year, he has made the most dramatic change in the last year. I never would have guessed that he once was a foal whose head looked too heavy to hold up.

His pedigree is filled with top class racehorses and while his mother (Armbro Ticket) has yet to produce a great one like her sister (Artistic Vision, dam of Rock N Roll Heaven), she is the dam of a sub-1:50 performer at Chester and a few other sire stakes horses. Being a son of Camluck, if at best he is only an Ontario sire stakes horse, then he should reap the rewards of that rich program.

A Gangster Of Some Sort

2010-08-26T13:18:00.000-04:00

He has spent his entire life trying to live up to the name I put on him. The goal is not to fail. American Gangster is a badass movie and I gave Four Starz Lindy's first foal a huge name to strive for. Even back in March of 2009 when I first took his photo, he gave me the evil eye, knowing full well the expectations placed on him. He is one of the horses that when/if he turns out to be great and people ask "did you know", my answer will always be a definitive yes. He is a horse who knows how to take care of himself. Laid back in demeanor, he goes about his business and finds plenty of time to rest. Perfectly content to chill out, he rarely spooks and cares very little about the hustle and bustle of the yearling prep. For a big colt who could easily manhandle you if he wanted, he is respectful of his size and seems to know when to and when not to do things. Big things have been expected from this colt since day...hope its not too much pressure.

A Clever One

2010-08-24T17:15:00.001-04:00

My sister thought it would be funny to call my fiance Culp Fiction (her last name is Culp). My fiance thought it was cute. She also has been wanting to name a horse for the past two years. I tend to be quite picky and I told her she should probably stick with what she is good at...educating the bright minds of tomorrow. So when it came time to name the first foal out of the mare, Clever Catch, I thought it would be a clever word play on Pulp Fiction by using my sister's nickname for Lindsay. That is how Culp Fiction came to be...

Now...the filly is a smooth chocolatey color (thank god she is a Chocolatier) and oozes elegance and class. She has always stood out in the crowd and not because she has a big white blaze but because she has never had anything wrong with her. She never got sick, never got injured, never ran through a fence in an ice storm (like a couple of her not-as-smart pasture mates.

If all my first foals were as nice as she is then there would be no reason to complain. She is not too big or too small, she is perfectly proportioned and has excellent length. Even our farrier finds nothing wrong with her (feet). My only fault would be that the mare gave me a filly to sell and not a colt. However, when her pedigree contains the incomparable Moni Maker then maybe having a filly is not so bad after all.

Food For Thought

2010-08-24T15:53:00.000-04:00

I was browsing the newest USTA poll and I began to wonder if I was the only one who thinks the poll is clearly weighted to older horses. I will probably offend some and reward others with my comments but for those who care I will offer up my own Top 10 and maybe a reason or two why I think so...

1) Shark Gesture...without a doubt is the best horse in training. There isn't a horse more durable, tenacious, or who wants to win more than Shark Gesture. Put him on the lead in the last quarter mile and there is almost no horse that can get by him (minus Vintage Master in the Ben Franklin at Chester). Outstanding up to this point and clearly the front runner for Horse Of The Year.

2) Rock N Roll Heaven...the fastest and most consistent 3 year old pacer at this point. He rarely disappoints, is tough as nails and can race well on the front or from behind. He finally won a major stakes race (bridesmaid in plenty of the top ones). He needs to exert his dominance when the big money is on the line and he should be the top 3 year old when the season ends.

3) Muscle Massive...a bit up and down before the Hambo but that one race wipes clean the slate. He ran down a very good horse in Lucky Chucky. If he continues to be as good as Takter has been preaching then it should make for a good matchup the rest of the year. He would have to be really awesome this fall for him to unseat the Top 2.

4) Lucky Chucky...not the prettiest horse on the racetrack but he knows how to win. He did so at Chester on Sunday so convincingly that he made the rest of the group of trotters look very ordinary. Like I said above, it should be a great battle between Chucky and #3 for end of the year honors.

5) Thatsnotmyname...Dave Brower on Hambo Day said she was the best two year trotting filly he had seen in some time. That is quite a statement when Snow White is still fresh in everyone's memory but this filly has done nothing wrong. Her time in the Merrie Annabelle would have beat the boys in the Peter Haughton. She has been dominant and destructive against the fillies. I find it shocking that she doesn't even make the Top 10 in the USTA poll.

6) Put On A Show...if you throw out her Hambo Day performance, this filly has been unstoppable. She looks like an older mare against the three year olds. Sometimes its comical to watch how much better she has been then the other fillies and it is surprising that she has as many miles as she has at 1:50.0 to 1:50.4 and has still not broken 1:50. It should only be a matter of time. Far and away the best three year old filly.

7) One More Laugh...besides Shark Gesture, he is the toughest horse racing right now. He never seems to get a great trip yet he is there at the finish line almost all the time. When he got a great trip he narrowly beat Rock N Roll Heaven in the Meadowlands Pace. A definite spoiler if Rock N Roll Heaven doesn't live up to his billing but is second best in my opinion at this point.

8) Talespinner...the most dominant two year old trotting colt. Has won all his starts by wide margins. He has not yet faced the likes of Pastor Stephen, Leader Of The Gang, and The Lindy Reserve but he is so much better than anything in Canada that he has to be placed here above the others who have traded wins back and forth. While I think Pastor Stephen is the best US two year trotter, it is way too early to crown a champion of this division.

9) Tug River Princess...doesn't win all the time but when the big money is on the line she is tough and determined. Lately she has won established herself the best older mare by winning the Roses Are Red and Golden Girl finals and runner-up finishes in the Lady Liberty and Betsy Ross.

10) Won The West...too consistent not to be included in the Top 10. He has been in the top 3 in all twelve of his starts and its kind of surprising that he seems to get better year after year. The best of the rest but not quite in Shark Gesture's league.

Yearlings

2010-08-23T16:11:00.000-04:00

Yearling prep season is officially under way.

It's amazing how quickly the 44 different personalities adapt to the routines we set that are vastly different then what they had been accustomed to for the past year and half. The equicizer alone should be enough to freak out a normal horse but when you add 6 fired up horses, it makes for an exciting first couple of days. An introduction to a bridle and surcingle makes everyones lives easier (including the grooms and trainers who purchase our horses) and developing a routine that is conducive to each horses' needs allows for a somewhat stressless prep program. Our yearlings walk or do a light jog 6 days a week and get plenty of baths, groomings, long walks, and they practice standing for future potential owners. Most take to the new program without a hitch while a few high intensity individuals take a while longer to fall into line.

Over the next week or two, I am going to go into depth on a handful of Lexington and Harrisburg yearlings. On Wednesday I will debut what I consider to be our best yearling selling in Lexington.

A Big Weekend

2010-08-09T12:09:00.000-04:00

Our run of good luck lately, culminated in a very exciting and fruitful weekend. It actually began Thursday night when Mystical Diva, a 2 year old Western Ideal filly out of our mare Schoolofcardknocks, finished fourth in the Countess Adios in only her second lifetime start. Looks like our friends Mystical Marker Farm and Tony Alagna have an up and coming filly on their hands. We are selling an Art Major sister to Mystical Diva at Harrisburg and School has a full brother weanling at her side. More about School later in the weekend.

Friday night at the Meadowlands, we were pleased to see our filly Glide Power finish third in the Duenna in a very good time. She bounced back off a dull effort in the Oaks eliminations, her only bad race of the year. We’ve enjoyed our partnership very much with Ebby Geary and under Jan Johnson’s able tutelage, Glide Power has won the NJSS Final and Del Miller already this year. We expect big things from her the remainder of the year.

Saturday, Hambletonian Day, great crowd, great weather and a day of exciting racing. What better for our sport. The day started on a somewhat disappointing note for us when we learned that our filly Redwhitenbluestone, which we own a small % of, had to be scratched due to illness from the Marie Annabelle. For the Peter Haughton, we had high hopes for Orlando, the first foal from our mare Arlanda Hanover. Unfortunately, a recall wound up several of the 2 year olds and Orlando broke leaving the gate. He has shown great potential and hopefully he rebounds. We are selling a Donato sister to Orlando, named Jupiter, at the Lexington sale. We also have a weanling full brother to Orlando to sell next year.

In the second division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes, Valentino, out of the aforementioned Schoolofcardknocks, finished third, race timed in 1:48.4. Valentino has been knocking at the door against the big boys and hopefully he will break through with a big win soon.

The Hambletonian itself was an extremely exciting race and we extend our congratulations to Jimmy Takter, Ron Pierce and the connections of Muscle Massive. He should make an exciting sire. Also, congratulations should go to the connections of Lucky Chucky who was dead game and came oh so close. Our interest was focused on Temple of Doom, out of our mare Armbro Temple. Temple was burdened by the nine post but came from last to finish an admirable fifth. Temple has been close in so many big races in his career, but needs to breakthrough once to show his real talent. Temple is from a great trotting family and we wish him well the remainder of the year. Temple has a Muscles Yankee sister, Temple of Heaven, racing for Trond Smedshammer. Unfortunately, Armbro Temple’s foal last year died during foaling, but she has a nice Credit Winner filly, Temple of Athena, at her side now and is in foal to Donato Hanover.

Last but not least, the Hambletonian Oaks was the highlight of the day for us. Our filly Ultimate Cameron didn’t let the nine post affect her and roared out of gate to secure a good spot. She also, stormed home late to finish a fast closing second to winner Bar Slide. Thanks Trottin Trevor Ritchie.

We couldn’t be prouder of UC and if we had to finish second, we’re glad it was to Mitchel and the Caldwell’s. By the way, the Caldwell’s raised UC and we thank them for that. For those who don’t already know, UC earlier this year won the Casual Breeze and Elegantimage Stakes up at Mohawk, races won by her late mother Cameron Hall eight years earlier. UC has already exceeded our expectations and we look forward to the Moni Maker, Am Nat., Breeders Crown and others. We need to thank several people for UC’s success. John Cashman for helping negotiate the private purchase of UC from a Finnish attorney representing the Laakkonen family. That was no easy task. Thanks to the team of Bob and Lynda Stewart. Bob has done a wonderful job with UC, as well as many others in the family including her dam, and Lynda has been UC’s vet from the beginning. Steve Stanley, a terrific farrier, has had to deal with foot problems and after watching tape of her races in Canada and the US, made shoes for her from memory and sent them to New Jersey and the result was just the ticket. We look forward to future races for UC and an exciting breeding career. Her full sister Grand Cameron is in foal carrying a Donato colt.

So we look back on an exciting weekend and look forward to more exciting racing the rest of the year.

Ginger Red

2010-07-14T14:44:00.000-04:00

Ginger Red (Deweycheatumnhowe x Uncommon Scents) is very nervous about me kneeling in the paddock trying to catch her off guard.

For those who know how close we reside to many of the top Thoroughbred farms, I promise this is not a Giants Causeway filly. We plan on keeping her based on how much the yearling buyers love buying chestnut fillies. She is a beautifully built filly and is much friendlier and better behaved than our other Dewey fillies.

Names Updated

2010-07-03T08:43:00.000-04:00

Below is a list of the names approved so far...

ANDOVER HALL:

Chateau (Royal Versailles)

Fraction (Decimal Hanover)

Chi Omega (Megavite)

Creatine (Berry Nice Muscles)

Twosome (Youvemetyourmatch)

N/A (Arlanda Hanover)

ART MAJOR:

N/A (Righteous Renee)

N/A (Mambo Western)

BETTORS DELIGHT:

Great Colt (Shes A Great Lady)

Flights Delight (House Flight)

Annihilation (Yankee Celebration)

N/A (Speed Date)

CONWAY HALL:

Vixen (Gracious Marla)

CREDIT WINNER:

Sam Squared (Sister Sammy)

Temple Of Athena (Armbro Temple)

DEWEYCHEATUMNHOWE:

Death Valley (Valley Courtney)

Five Grand (Day Five)

Ginger Red (Uncommon Scents)

Dream Big (Dream N Lindy)

The Right Stuff (Right On Renee)

N/A (Filly At Bigs)

DONATO HANOVER:

Omnipotent (All Knowing)

Talk The Talk (Letsjustalkaboutme)

N/A (Dream Valley OM)

N/A (Ferrari Of)

N/A (Four Starz Lindy)

MUSCLES YANKEE:

Gold Fish (Gold Mine Ambrosio)

PONDER:

Summons (Armbro Ticket)

Soda Pop (Pop Or Tonic)

Phenomenon (Mystical)

Homestake (Western Montana)

ROCKNROLL HANOVER:

Cohen Rogue (Cohenikova)

Acid Rain (Cool World)

N/A (Isabella Blue Chip)

SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE:

Jersey Shore (Summer Mystery)

Eagle Nest (Armbro Nest)

Speedy Caroline (Loving Caroline)

Rare Force One (Rarified Air)

Cantankerous (Can Du River)

WESTERN IDEAL:

Iced Out (Restive Hanover)

Electrify (Amazing Marker)

Zinderella (Zintillating)

N/A (Tyber Song)

N/A (Schoolofcardknocks)

Is Everyone Doomed?

2010-05-29T07:23:00.000-04:00

If last night's start is an indication or a foreshadowing as to the year Temple Of Doom is going to have then he should be very, very successful. With a chance at being one of the top colts of his generation, we are on pins and needles waiting to find out. Born here at Diamond Creek 6 months after we purchased the mare out of the Harrisburg Mixed Sale in 2006, he is listed as bred by L & L Devisser but we consider him one of our own and are extremely proud of where he ended up.

Born on April 28, 2007, the almost black colt was gangly and stubborn right from his first breath. As he grew and matured the two qualities noticed on his first night never went away. He was always a big colt who was always trying to figure out what to do. Not looking at all like a graceful creature we nicknamed him The Deer. As he physically matured, his mental maturity lagged and he became a 1000lbs foal as a yearling. On the first day of prep, when we put him in his workout group and then into the exerciser, I commented to Sarah that of all the yearlings I would pick Temple Of Doom last. He would only go just fast enough to not let the gate hit him on the ass and he performed this way throughout the entire 10 weeks of prep. He was frustrating because we knew he had ability but he would never let it out. As the other colts were hollering and getting horny when the fillies would pass in front of the stalls, Temple Of Doom was eating hay or sleeping. Slowly but surely he started coming together in the final week before the sale. While definitely not a knock out yearling, we predicted he would end up being a very nice looking horse once he grew into himself and finished maturing. I saw him in Lexington last fall as a two year old and it was shocking how much more like a man he had become. If we sold him as a 14 year old boy just starting puberty, he had become a muscle bound 18 year old in the course of a year.

Last year as a two year old, he showcased his ability by always being close but seemingly never able to put it all together. Second and third in many of the year's best races for two year olds, it was only a matter of time before he figured it all out. Some horses come by it almost immediately, but it seems that The Deer has done a little later. Earning just over $235,000 without winning a race as a two year old, he showed that the mental maturity has caught up to the physical maturity by winning his first start last night in 1:54.3 in a leg of the NJSS. This could be quite a year.

P.S. Now its time to be a salesman. No yearling to sell this year but this spring on two days and three years after foaling Temple Of Doom, a Credit Winner sister was born and looking nothing like her brother (actually thats a good thing). She was bred back to Donato Hanover last night, two hours after Temple Of Doom's coming out party.

The Wait Is Finally Over

2010-05-27T09:02:00.000-04:00

No update meant no foal. If you were holding your breath you might have expired waiting. Finally, 2 hours and 45 minutes after her due date, Four Starz Lindy broke water and delivered a 129 pound Donato Hanover filly. She is large and in charge. If she is going to take after her yearling brother (who weighs a massive 1015 as of Wednesday this week), she got a jump start. Thank God for Donato Hanover. They are all the same. I may have said it once, twice, or thrice but its true. You know what you are going to get. At some point soon, I need to take a picture of all the Donatos and show you what I mean.

I am glad it is over. The foaling season has been trying on everyone. We had unexplained issues that baffled vets but we have come out of it with 45 healthy foals. For those who are counting (including Howard) we made up a bunch of ground and ended with 21 colts and 24 fillies. It could have been better but from where we were in mid-April, I am quite pleased. Although I would have liked a Dewey colt, I ended up with 5 good looking fillies from nice mares and we should be rewarded when it comes time to sell the foals next fall.

Our final breeding day will be the weekend of June 19-20th so that leaves us 3+ weeks to finish up what is turning out to be an excellent season. Our goal is always 90%+ in foal and we should have a legitimate shot to reach that goal.

Now I don't know what I am going to do with my cell phone at night. For the past 5+ months, I have had a love affair with my iPhone. It goes everywhere I go (yes, even into the bathroom). Now I am going to be free to move about the house and even the state of Kentucky without the fear I might miss "the" phone call. My phone needs a break, I need a break, the staff needs a break, and especially, Anne needs a break. The time has come. Its finally over. Yippee!

In the final couple of days

2010-05-16T08:02:00.000-04:00

Four Starz Lindy is going to drag this foaling season out to the bitter end. With a handful of foalings over the past week, we are left with one stubborn mare. Not due for another 10 days and looking no more ready than she did 2 months ago, we may be in for the long haul.

Within the last 6 days here are the newest foals

Rocknroll Hanover x Isabella Blue Chip (Filly)

Rocknroll Hanover x Cool World (Colt)

Art Major x Mambo Western (Filly)

Western Ideal x Tyber Song (Colt)

It seems that every year the good and the bad come in waves and they always balance one another out. You can't have too much good luck without some bad news sprinkled in here and there. With a run of successful pregnancy checks coming over the past two weeks, we have also been inundated with sick foals. High temperatures, diarrhea, coughing. Its a pain in the ass because weeks may go by without a sick foal and then in the course of a couple of days, our medicine room will be full of drugs awaiting to be administered to the "sickies". Luckily the foals respond well to the treatments. Im not sure what would be worse: a few foals sick at once or a slow rotation of one sick foal every once in a while. It seems like we get through it every time without too much issue.

As for the breeding season, we got off to a great start and seem primed to do much better than we had in years past but April brought a string of pregnancies and a string of aborted pregnancies. It seemed that for every new pregnancy, another mare would have aborted. We lost 6 pregnancies in the course of two and half weeks. We gained a net total of 0 pregnancies during that time. For whatever unexplained reasons, the mare's pregnancies were not developing properly or they had been reabsorbed. Luckily they were not too far along and now all 6 have been rebred and we have confirmed pregnancies on 2 while we wait on the other 4.

Come on Four Starz Lindy...we are waiting very patiently.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

2010-05-09T20:00:00.000-04:00

1) Muscle Hill....

6 mares bred, 6 mares in foal. We received a letter from Southwind (along with everyone breeding to the horse) stating certain suggestions to follow to increase the chances of getting your mares in foal. We had beat Southwind to the punch and had been implementing those suggestions from the first time we had looked at his semen under the microscope. We even went one step further and inseminated all the mares to Muscle Hill with the deep horn insemination technique. It seems to have worked so far.

2) Black Foals....

There is something nice about a black foal with no white markings. We have been lucky enough to have had a couple over the past few years but this year we are blessed with three. An Andover colt (Arlanda Hanover), a Donato Hanover colt (Ferrari Of) and a Credit Winner filly (Armbro Temple). Lucky me.

3) 5 to go...

5 foals to go. It should be over in the next two weeks. This is one breeding/foaling season that I can't wait until its over. It has been trying and frustrating in many ways but we should emerge from it better suited to handle next years season.

4) Two-Year Olds....

With baited breath we wait to find out if three years of hard work and patience will pay off with a superstar performer on the racetrack. You always have your favorites but there is always the one who flies under the radar and pops up to be the next "Great One". Which one will it be?

5) Cosmetics....

A bump on a front cannon bone will likely prevent a yearling from being sold this fall. Cosmetics play such an important role in shaping the buyers feelings and its unfortunate that a small superficial bump could cause a $100,000 filly being sold for $50,000. Not going to happen...

6) Foals born since my last post...

Andover Hall x Youvemetyourmatch (Filly)

Donato Hanover x Ferrari Of (Colt)

Art Major x Righteous Renee (Colt)

Ponder x Armbro Ticket (Colt)

Credit Winner x Armbro Temple (Filly)

Andover Hall x Arlanda Hanover (Colt)

Andover Hall x Berry Nice Muscles (Colt)

Any clever suggestions for these ones...?

7) Names So Far...

This is a list of approved names so far...

Jersey Shore (Somebeachsomewhere x Summer Mystery)

Sam Squared (Credit Winner x Sister Sammy)

Omnipotent (Donato Hanover x All Knowing)

Zinderella (Western Ideal x Zintillating)

Speedy Caroline (Somebeachsomewhere x Loving Caroline)

Eagle Nest (Somebeachsomewhere x Armbro Nest)

Rare Force One (Somebeachsomewhere x Rarified Air)

Talk The Talk (Donato Hanover x Letsjustalkaboutme)

Cantankerous (Somebeachsomewhere x Can Du River)

Chi Omega (Andover Hall x Megavite)

Flights Delight (Bettors Delight x House Flight)

Fraction (Andover Hall x Decimal Hanover)

Belle Air (Western Ideal x Restive Hanover)

Big Flirt (Muscles Yankee x Clever Catch)

Cohen Rogue (Rocknroll Hanover x Cohenikova)

Pictures of Some New Foals

2010-04-22T07:44:00.000-04:00

Donato Hanover x Dream Valley OM - Colt

Muscles Yankee x Clever Catch - Colt

Conway Hall x Gracious Marla - Filly

Western Ideal x Restive Hanover - Filly

Whining Does Pay Off

2010-04-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

For most of my life whining never seemed to pay dividends. I tried it as a single digit, teenager, young adult with little to no success. But I just tried it a week ago and it worked so well, I am going to continue whining. After I complained about a run of fillies, I am in the midst of a string of 6 colts in a row. Yippee!

1) Rocknroll Hanover x Cohenikova. First colt from four foals. She has arguably the best looking horses we produce on a yearly basis so it is nice to finally get a colt.

2) Western Ideal x Schoolofcardknocks. She produces horses that have tons of potential but not one has realized it. Yet.

3) Bettors Delight x Shes A Great Lady. Perfect sire for the half mile tracks in New York crossed with the half mile world record holder (still holds the record set at Delaware in 1996). It doesn't get much better than that.

4) Ponder x Western Montana. Very excited to finally get a colt. We keep and race all the offspring of Western Montana. You hit homeruns with colts. Could this be the one?

5) Ponder x Mystical. Pretty filly crossed with sire who produces very very nice horses. Close your eyes and picture that. Yep...good looking colt

6) Ponder x Pop Or Tonic. Second colt in a row. Couldn't be happier. 6 colts in a row.

I need another 5 colts before we get back to 50/50. So I am going to complain until I get another 5 in a row.

Complain...Complain...Complain

More More More

2010-04-11T11:21:00.001-04:00

What am I going to do? This is my blog so I am going to whine and cry about stuff that doesn't really amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things. We had four more fillies since I last wrote. This is getting to be almost laughable. Enough about 50/50 over time or any crap like that. We have had 16 fillies out of the last 18 foals. Someone tell me the chances of that happening. Pretty small (I'm too depressed to actually do the math myself). If I try to pull out a sliver of good news, all foals are healthy.

1) Deweycheatumnhowe x Filly At Bigs

2) Andover Hall x Royal Versailles

3) Deweycheatumnhowe x Uncommon Scents

4) Deweycheatumnhowe x Day Five

My grievances:

1) Our first chestnut foal. Usually I don't say it even if its true but the filly is ugly. Chestnut is an ugly color and the foal is ugly. Thank you Uncommon Scents. Four out of five in the filly department for her

2) Two first year sires the past two years (Donato & Dewey) and what do I get: 10 fillies and 1 colt. 1 friggin' colt. Next fall I get the distinct pleasure of selling 6 Dewey fillies and 0 colts. Lucky me.

3-Infinity) I want A colt.

Enough complaining for one day. That felt good.

Split Them Down The Middle

2010-04-04T08:24:00.000-04:00

Four foals in four days. Two colts and two fillies.

1) Donato Hanover x Dream Valley OM (Colt) --- very uneventful foaling and yet everyone was excited because the colt is humongous compared to what the mare usually produces. The previous two foals have been below 85 pounds each while this colt weighed in at a very normal 106 pounds. Very typical of the Donato's we have had, he possesses very little white and has no obvious physical flaws. So far Donato puts up a very correct horse.

2) From a family known for producing fillies, Clever Catch had a very handsome Muscles Yankee colt. Although a great sire, Muscles Yankee has never been known for producing pretty horses like Credit Winner but Clever Catch seems to have outdone herself this time. Nicknamed "George", this colt weighed in at a very robust 126 pounds. Rugged and lacking any white, this colt should blossom into quite a looker.

3) Last night while no one was looking, Dream N Lindy, a sister to Dream Vacation, foaled her second filly in a row (a Deweycheatumnhowe). Average in size like her mother, the filly has been one of the quickest in standing, nursing, and acting like a normal foal. Similar to Donato Hanover, Deweycheatumnhowe seems to stamp his foals in specific ways. Not quite as plain headed as his sire, Dewey foals tend to have average looking headed but tend to be longer legged and longer bodied than Muscles and plenty of white.

4) Just before the mares were turned out this morning, Speed Date foaled a Bettors Delight filly while standing up. I love it when mares foal standing up (being facetious) because everyone dances around behind the mare trying and failing to be graceful while guiding the newborn to the ground in a safe and efficient manner. So far the filly does not seem to have any ill effects and mare and foal are very obsessed with one another.

All is well again...

Names...? Everyone seems to be a bit stingy, keeping all the good name choices to themselves. Time to share the love...

JInx

2010-03-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

I think I jinxed the farm when I wrote in my last post about having so many fillies. Two more foals over the last two days; two more fillies. We now have 13 fillies and 5 colts. Quite a discrepancy.

First came the first foal for the 2004 two year old filly champion, Restive Hanover. She had a beautiful Western Ideal filly. The filly looks more like a Thoroughbred foal than a Standardbred. Over the past couple of years we have had plenty of Western Ideals so I think I have a good grasp of what to expect when one arrives. As the filly emerged I was shocked and shocked in a good way. The filly has a beautiful dished face and is chromed out like a Giants Causeway rather than a Western Ideal. I love this filly. She is one of the prettiest foals we have ever had.

Last night came the first foal of Valley Courtney, a sister to millionaire Elusive Desire. She had a Deweycheatumnhowe filly. Our other "Dewey" was born in New York this spring so it was exciting to finally have one here. Over the next couple of weeks, we will have plenty of Deweys to admire as we are expecting 4 more. Of all the mares purchased over the past few years, Valley Courtney might be the biggest steal. An average mare on the size scale, she is perfectly proportioned and has perfect manners, something we noticed immediately in her filly. Purchased after Elusive Desire's two year old season for a very modest $35,000, Valley Courtney's value skyrocketed over the past twelve months as her sister became the most consistent three year old filly last season, besting the million dollar mark and earning a 1:53.2 mark. Booked to Muscle Hill, this filly may end being a gold mine. If her first foal is an indication of future potential, then we are in the drivers seat.

Names...?

One For Me One For You

2010-03-28T12:38:00.000-04:00

Two foals in two days. One for Diamond Creek and one for Anne.

First came a Bettors Delight colt from Anne's newest purchase, Yankee Celebration. Going into the Harrisburg Sale, Anne held out little hope that she was going to purchase a new mare. She spent lots of time pouring over the pedigrees and narrowing her list to a handful of mares that had the chance to fall within her price range. Unfortunately, every mare seemed to bring slightly more than she was willing to spend. Near the end of her hunt, we were standing near the signer of the ticket that purchased Yankee Celebration for $6,500 (carrying a Bettors Delight first foal). She went over and offered a $1000 immediate profit. The owner took the quick profit and Anne was the new owner of a young Art Major mare. A very nice Bettors Delight colt followed. The colt is a good sized, robust, and sharp individual who is almost black. She couldn't have asked for a better Bettors.

As for us, Gracious Marla delivered another gorgeous filly. This time it was a Conway Hall filly. She is arguably the best looking mare we have and she most definitely is the most consistent in producing excellent looking offspring. Whether they go out and race well is debatable at this point, but she puts out individuals that are almost flawless in conformation (minus the Muscles Yankee colt we sold last fall). She has an Andover Hall filly to sell this fall named Debutante and our farrier recently commented that she is the best individual we have had in a few years. The Conway Hall filly is a striking filly and showed an immediate aura of superiority. Big things should fill her future.

As for the overall picture, this seems to be another year of fillies. Somehow this ground is blessed (or cursed) with the ability to produce more fillies than colts. Over the past couple of year we have been inundated with much more fillies. One of these years I hope we will end up with more colts than fillies but it looks like we will have to wait until next year. So far we have 11 fillies and 5 colts. Not looking good for the testosterone.

Time to suggest names...get your thinking caps on...

3 Foals in 3 Days

2010-03-16T14:16:00.000-04:00

After a week off since we lost Mississippi River's colt, it was good to get back to the grindstone and knock out a few more babies. Not only did we get three foals in three days but we got three fillies as well. After a brief scare with one, all seem to be progressing nicely.

1) Born on Sunday night in New York, we were unable to witness the birth of our first Deweycheatumnhowe foal. Right On Renee foaled a filly, not with incident. George reported that the foal was upside down upon presentation. Quick action on his part righted the foal and out she came. This is the second foal for the daughter of Andover Hall. This fall she will sell a very nice Cantab Hall colt who has all the markings of being an exceptional yearling. Keep an eye out for Battle Ready.

2) Monday morning at 2:00am (again...one of the worst times to wake up) House Flight foaled a very tall Bettors Delight filly. Her third foal in four years, the filly weighed a very respectable 129 pounds, making her one of the biggest fillies we have had. A striking resemblance to the recently euthanized Mississippi River colt, she is a very nice individual.

3) Born this morning at 1:00am, the SJs Caviar sister to Donato Hanover gave birth to an Andover Hall filly, making the foal a sister in blood to Donato. We have been waiting two years for this day and we are thrilled with the product. The mare aborted last year at 10 months and so it was with baited breath that we waited. The filly is very sharp and has an attitude that exudes class. She should be a highly prized individual when the 2011 yearling sales materialize.

Time to find classy names for these three classy dames.

Steady Fall

2010-03-09T15:34:00.000-05:00

The scalpel blade sliced through the skin, muscle, and fat like a hot knife through butter but what was waiting on the other side was not what anyone hoped we would find. The surgeon delicately removed the large intestine followed by the small intestine. What he found on the small intestine was enough to make him look up at me and shake his head. I knew then that the outcome was not good. A few minutes later, the colt was euthanized. But not before interns and residents came into the operating room with their cameras out and snapping. I guess its not every day that you see an eleven day old foal with that many adhesions and abscesses associated with his small intestine. Based on the look of the abdomen, its no wonder that the colt refluxed 12 liters in 18 hours.

Mississippi River's Bettors Delight colt was as unlucky as they come. Unfortunately for us, he was a beautiful colt that had unlimited potential.

Two Newbies

2010-03-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

It had been about a week since our last foal so it was a welcome relief that the next batch of mares started foaling. Within three days two mares had foaled and we are more than 25% of the way through our total number. Megavite had an Andover Hall filly in New York while Gold Mine Ambrosio had a Muscles Yankee filly here in Kentucky. From what I hear in New York, the Megavite filly is doing well. Sexed to be a colt last spring, we were slightly disappointed that the result was a filly but I will take a healthy filly over an unhealthy colt. Here in Kentucky, we were not quite so lucky. The Gold Mine filly had a high meconium impaction and was very uncomfortable for the first 12 hours. An uncomfortable neonate is not fun to watch. It is stressful and the constant threat of colic weighs on everyone who has to care for her. Luckily, the meconium passed and the filly is doing much better.

Any good ideas for names?

A Couple Of Other Thoughts:

1) When a semen shipment somehow gets lost in transit, the farm collecting the stallion gets paid, the courier company who picks up the semen and drops it off at the airport gets paid, the employees at the airport and who work for the airline get paid and the farm on the receiving end of the lost semen misses their mare and gets screwed. Nice system...

2) It's amazing the fluctuations in semen quality over the course of a week. One stallion in particular had progressively motile sperm as high as 19% and as low as 2% (24 hours after collection within the span of 5 days). I wonder...not sure what I wonder but I do

3) Clearly Muscle Hill is one of the greatest trotters (if not the greatest) ever but it will be interesting to see if he is surpassed in the breeding shed by the previous two years champions (Donato Hanover or Deweycheatumnhowe). Anyone want to share their opinion of which stallion will be the greatest sire...I have my opinion but since I am an equal shareholder in all three, I'm not sure I gain anything by putting those words out there...

4) I am in a complementing mood today so here goes...I love Somebeachsomewhere....everything about him oozes class. He was as fantastic a racehorse as there has ever been, he is a gorgeous individual, his semen is top of the line (we have bred 7 mares over the last two years and have got every mare in foal on the first cover) and his foals are spectacular. What more could he do at this point?

Pregnancy Checks

2010-03-03T15:22:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to report that two of the first three mares we bred this year were pronounced in foal this morning. All three mares were bred to first crop stallions. Silicone Valley, an Andover Hall daughter of Dream Valley OM, purchased by Jerry Silva and Mel Hartman from us in 2008 for $290,000 and subsequently bought back from them (each still own 25%), was in foal to the incomparable Muscle Hill. A beautiful filly who was unable to realize her potential on the racetrack but from one of the great trotting families, carries a potential superstar in her belly. The other mare bred to Muscle Hill but not in foal is another one of our past sale superstars, Social Butterfly. Sold in 2007 for $250,000, Jerry Silva bought her and still retains 100% of the ownership. A magnificent filly in her own right, she will no doubt produce spectacular foals. The often-mentioned Summer Mystery was pronounced in foal to 3 year old pacing sensation Well Said this morning. Already the proud mother of a Somebeachsomewhere colt this year, she is always an easy mare to get in foal and if the semen we got from Well Said is indicative of what his semen looks like throughout the year, then breeders should have no problem getting their mares in foal.

Four more mares will be checked Friday for pregnancy including the great Continentalvictory (bred to Muscle Hill) and Thong (bred to Somebeachsomewhere).

Boring

2010-03-02T07:22:00.000-05:00

If all foalings and after care were this easy then we wouldn't need to employ a staff at all. Mississippi River had her third colt in a row and for a Bettors Delight, he is great size and a very handsome colt. I couldn't be any happier.

In the past, some of our Bettors Delights tended to be small and stocky but we have figured out that mares with size seem to cross very well with him and we have two yearlings to prove it. Both of our yearlings are from mares that stand over 16 hands tall. And while Mississippi River is not what I would consider a tall, leggy mare, she tends to produce colts that are bigger than she is and it worked again with Bettors Delight.

Thanks for the names so far. In the next day or so, I will compile a list and let you know what we have narrowed our choices to for the foals already born.

The Grouch

2010-02-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

Can Du River foaled a Somebeachsomewhere filly on Tuesday morning at 415 am. That time of morning is one of the worst times to haul your ass out of bed and head through the cold to witness a foaling. An otherwise perfect foaling for Can Du followed my arrival and her 11th baby stood and nursed within minutes. Now with five Somebeachsomewhere's on the ground, it is nice to find commonalities among the group. They are all well built, at this point seem to stand pretty correct, have great musculature, and are quick do everything. Once turned out they all pace around the paddock and are very sensible to be around. I couldn't be more thrilled.

As for Can Du River...she foaled 22 days late and being in the first stall of the barn she witnessed 7 other mares make the walk from the barn to the foaling barn. Each time, she became agitated, pinned her ears, and tried to climb out of her stall. With only a mesh stall guard separating her from the aisleway, she could launch herself a good distance, looking to get ahold of the newest baby and steal it for herself. At one point, when Loving Caroline was foaling, she push her guard until it snapped, and she proceeded to walk out and peer into the stall and get very distraught, as if Loving Caroline had stolen her foal. Quite a peppy attitude for a 19 year old mare.

Can Du River was coined with the name, The Grouch, not long after her arrival to the farm. An older mare when we purchased her, she was stuck in her ways and wanted things done a certain way. For unsuspecting visitors, a look in her direction causes her ears to lay flat against her head and she follows that with aggressive posturing. It is all for naught. She is a complete blowhard and it is all a ruse. She is the most gentle, sweet, and patient mare when you give her what she want: a big bag of carrots.

It's a filly so no names associated with the Sesame Street character, Oscar...

Time To Talk About Me

2010-02-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

Minutes after the night staff left and just after the day staff arrived, Letsjustalkaboutme broke water and delivered a Donato Hanover filly in the paddock adjacent to the foaling barn. Clearly the mare was on the "watch close list" due to her immediate position to the foaling barn, but I do not think anyone thought it would happen 10 minutes after she was turned out. Thankfully, one of the day staff noticed her breaking water and notified Anne and there ended up being more than enough people there to assist the mare. The mare delivered a healthy filly in the field before they backed a truck into the paddock, loaded up the filly and drove her to a stall in the foaling barn. With the mare trotting comfortably behind the truck, it was the foal's first and only ride in the bed of a pickup (or at least we hope its her only ride). Mare and foal are doing very well so far.

When we purchased the mare last fall from the Harrisburg mixed sale, we took on a couple of partners (Jerry Silva and previous owner Mel Hartman --- each with 25%) and both were thrilled with the good news this morning. Letsjustalkaboutme is a half sister to our ill-fated mare Ifhallscouldtalk. Ifhallscouldtalk was purchased in 2006 (in foal to Muscles Yankee) and delivered a colt on May 3, 2006. A few days later, the mare spiked a fever. The fever climbed over the next couple of days and every diagnostic test was performed on her. Nothing was conclusive. We managed the fever with daily injections of Banamine and after 7 days the fever broke and the mare started to improve. They spent two more days in a stall just to be sure the mare didn't spike another fever. On May 14th, we turned her out with the foal. They played and ran all over the paddock throughout the day. That evening when they came back to a stall, the mare was steaming up and panting heavily. We checked her temperature and it was 104.5 (2 degrees higher than it had ever been). We took her to the hospital and with the deep ultrasound machine, they found her spleen full of abscesses. The vets were confident that because of the confinement of the abscesses to the spleen, the hyperbaric chamber would benefit the mare (along with the IV antibiotics and fluids). We left the mare at 8:30pm and by the time we got home (30 minutes later), the mare had had a seizure and fell over dead in the stall. During the necropsy, it was determined that the spleen had ruptured causing the seizure and eventual death. The cause of abscesses in the spleen was a 1.5cm metal wire that the mare had ingested. The wire tore a hole in the stomach wall, becoming lodged in the spleen. She was one of my favorite mares and when an opportunity to purchase a sister to her (much bigger and prettier than "Halls"), it was too hard to pass up.

Here's to hoping for a long and prosperous life for Letsjustalkaboutme...

Names, please...

Rare Air

2010-02-19T17:59:00.000-05:00

The Somebeach's keep rolling out...Rarified Air gave birth to a Somebeachsomewhere colt early this morning in New York at Pine Hill Stables. Everything is great and George Miller couldn't be happier with both mare and foal.

As I have reported here before, our vet sexes the mares between 60 and 65 days after ovulation and had struggled (in her opinion) over the past two years. Before Rarified Air foaled she had gotten all 7 predictions correct and the four mares that aborted fetuses this fall and winter. Unfortunately for her but fortunately for me, the filly turned out to be a colt.

We have four Somebeachsomewheres so far and they are all excellent individuals. Our last mare in foal to "The Beach" is 20 days overdue and is ready to explode at any moment.

Keep those names coming....

P.S. As soon as the USTA approves the first round of names I will update them on the blog. The names have been great so far...it is making it challenging narrowing them to three to submit

Its Amazing

2010-02-19T01:05:00.000-05:00

A few minutes past midnight, Amazing Marker foaled a tall, long Western Ideal colt. The foaling was textbook and foal has done everything right so far. We have had plenty of Western Ideal foals over the past couple of years and in my self-imposed expert opinion: he is by far the nicest one we have ever had.

This mare has a very interesting story and while I would love to tell it here, it will make its world premiere in the April issue of Hoof Beats. Be sure to check out my column in that month's issue.

How can that look not be of a champion?

Bring on the names...this potential superstar needs something great

Update

2010-02-18T12:15:00.001-05:00

As you can see, Loving Caroline and her filly are much improved and are enjoying the snowy Kentucky winter

Mess Up

2010-02-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

It doesn't happen very often but I did mess up. Big time. I was so excited when the first foal came, I wrote the blog post about the wrong foal. Armbro Nest was due to first but it was Summer Mystery who actually had the foal first and it was Armbro Nest who had a colt last night. I never noticed the mistake until Anne caught it while reading the blog.

So the story goes....Summer Mystery had a Somebeachsomewhere colt on Jan 24th and Armbro Nest had a Somebeachsomewhere colt last night Feb 17th. Both colts look identical and we couldn't have asked for a better foaling.

So the naming needs to start all over again...We need some names for both Summer Mystery and Armbro Nest.

Highs And Lows

2010-02-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the official start of the breeding season for the majority of the stallions. We checked 8 mares yesterday morning. Four were ready to breed, three had just ovulated the day before and one won't be ready until the beginning of the next week. The four mares were booked to three different stallions in three different areas, requiring a coordinated effort in trying to get all three boxes to arrive at the same airport. It seems that the organization of the semen shipments require an advanced degree. Of course, the weather here in Kentucky did not make it any easier, causing delays and cancellations in an industry famous for having them in perfect weather.

The commercials on TV about how easy it is to use the United States Postal Service Flax Rate Box Service makes me think that this system we have of shipping semen should be less of a hassle. Unfortunately it isn't. The farms, themselves, do a fantastic job of getting the stallions collected, the semen processed and shipped. Somehow between the time it leaves the farm and reaches it final destination, the package enters another dimension (sometimes never to be found again).

With weather playing a major role in the debacle last night, we had to drive to Cincinnati (1.5 hours north) only to find out that one of the boxes had somehow got on the plane in Harrisburg, PA only to not arrive in Cincinnati. How is that even possible?

Computerized tracking software is supposed to be able to find packages efficiently and effortlessly yet somehow a white Equine Express box manage to walk off a Delta plane and get lost for nearly 2 hours. As I write this today, I think back and have no sympathy for the airline who had to listen to me bitch and moan for an hour. In the end, the package was sitting in the back room, labeled, processed but not scanned into the computer. I have come to realize that dumb people are everywhere and we just have to learn to deal with it. Unfortunately for the rest of us, they seem to be at the controls of important aspects of our society (or at least my life).

Delta took up two precious hours of my life because of incompetence only to be quickly outdone by US Air. It is becoming quite clear why most of the US plane companies have filed for bankruptcy in recent years. While waiting in Cincinnati for two of the boxes of semen, the third and final piece of the puzzle was supposedly waiting in Lexington. Unable to get to the counter to pick it up, I called a friend who made haste to the airport only to find out US Air had closed for business for the night (35 minutes early).

Able to breed two mares and get a few hours of sleep, I awoke this morning and drove to the Lexington airport to pick up the third box. Come to find out US Air could not locate the box. They had no record of it arriving in Lexington but the computer showed it sitting on the runway in Charlotte, NC. Very helpful indeed.

Making a long story somewhat shorter...I returned to the farm only to be called back to the airport with word the box had in fact arrived from Charlotte and was ready for pickup. As you can see, both Delta and US Air are vying for most ignorant and inefficient airline. Do we have a winner yet? I will let you know how the rest of the season goes. Luckily, all mares held and were bred successfully including two maidens to "about to be crowned Horse Of The Year" Muscle Hill.

Loving Caroline

2010-02-15T12:41:00.000-05:00

I have finally figured out that it is never easy. With at least one issue per foaling this year, I should have assumed that Loving Caroline would be no different. I half hoped that being a Valentine's Day baby, that she would be in excellent shape and jump up and nurse right away, putting away doubts that we are doing something wrong. Having just lost All Knowing not 3 days before, we were definitely a little gun-shy. Closely monitored for any problems, Loving Caroline's little bay filly (marked almost identically to the mare), slowly began to show signs that something wasn't right. She did not stand, she remained rigid and flopped around without too much control over her legs and body, and had a glassed over appearance when you looked in her eyes. The vet administered fluids, tubed the foal with colostrum, and put the foal on some steroids to reduce any swelling (edema) that may have occurred during a potential hypoxic event during foaling.

The good news came within an hour. We had propped the foal into an upright position and had wrapped large coolers around her to keep her warm and less than an hour later we returned to find the foal standing and acting more like a normal foal than a dummy. Not long after that, the foal nursed and everything has gone perfectly since. Mare and foal have taken to one another superbly and Loving Caroline thoroughly enjoys her new role as a mother.

As you can see from the attached photo, the filly seems quite content with her artificial bed.

She Is ... All Knowing

2010-02-11T06:25:00.000-05:00

Purchased from Ray Remmen prior to her 2 year old campaign, All Knowing was too immature to be bred in 2007 so we decided to turn her out and let her physically mature. I pretty sure she didn't physically mature the first night but she definitely learned a very important lesson and quickly decided that she would lose 100 times out of 100 tries against a telephone pole. The morning after her arrival, we found the mare with a giant hematoma on her chest. The only culprit (the only object in her paddock capable of dishing out that kind of contusion) was a giant telephone pole located in the far corner of her paddock. Our best guess was she was running around and lost a game of chicken.

The hematoma increased in size over the first couple of days and hung off her chest like a large water balloon, causing her a huge amount of distress. This pocket of fluid decreased her desire to walk so she became confined to a stall until the hematoma started resolving itself. Our main concern was the chance the hematoma would develop into an abscess. Luckily for all involved, that did not happen but it was many weeks before she walked without a limp and the huge, swinging, sack of fluid began to shrink. To this day, if you palpate her chest with your hands, you can feel the loose skin and the area where the trauma occurred. She walks without a limp but if you are privy to her entire medical history, you will notice that she walks a bit more wide in the front than she used to. The original compensation in her gait due to the trauma resulted in a permanent change.

Unfortunately, she was a year behind in the physical maturity department and despite everyone's best efforts (including 4 breedings), she did not conceive in 2008. Brought home to Kentucky for the 2009 breeding season, we closely followed two cycles and noticed an interesting pattern in her follicle development during estrus. She would progress normally and instead of ovulating an appropriately sized follicle, it would shrink in size for 2 days before increasing again and surpassing the original large follicle (sometimes by 10-15%). We most definitely stumbled upon why this mare did not get in foal in 2008. Armed with relevant information, her breeding to Donato Hanover on February 27th resulted in a confirmed positive pregnancy.

Fast forward just over 11 months and yesterday at 5:45am, she delivered what appeared to be, a healthy Donato Hanover filly. Unfortunately for the mare, that is where the feel-good story ends. During the early part of her delivery and before my arrival to the barn, she began prolapsing her rectum. By the time I arrived, the prolapsed piece of rectum measured a couple of inches. Never having experienced this before, no one knew what to do. Our only experience with prolapses happened in 2007 with Summer Mystery (refer to Hoof Beat February 2010 for more information). I quickly tried to push it back in, with little effect, due to the mare straining mightily to get the foal out. I timed my pushes opposite her contractions and was able to get the entire exposed piece back inside, however, during the time I was pushing against her, more of her rectum came out (in totality: 12-15 inches). Once the foal was out and the rectum was back inside, we made haste in loading her and the foal on the trailer and heading for the hospital.

Upon arrival, the preliminary exam revealed both mare and foal to be in excellent condition and while the clinic wanted to monitor the two for a few hours, we were scheduled to pick them up later that afternoon. A couple hours went by and a call from one of the medicine vets revealing more problems for both mare and foal. Tubing the foal with colostrum reversed the negative downward trend for the filly, but the mare began to decline more precipitously. An abdominal ultrasound revealed a pocket of fluid and a belly tap confirmed the original hypothesis.

All Knowing has septic peritonitis. IV fluid and IV antibiotics were administered throughout the night and now we await news this morning on her condition. I will update this post as soon as I have more information.

THURSDAY UPDATE:

All Knowing is stable and slightly better than she was yesterday afternoon. She has passed her placenta and the uterine flush fluid is OK. She has yet to pass manure and a decision to rectally palpate and get some of the poop out outweighs the risks of not doing so. Her white count (3,800) has dropped below normal yet she still remains alert and attentive to the foal. As of right now, the mare and foal are better than they were 12 hours ago.

FINAL UPDATE:

All Knowing was diagnosed to have a perforated rectum (found during the rectal palpation). Her attitude and demeanor declined slowly this afternoon and the decision to euthanize her was made at 4:30pm. The foal will be put on a nurse mare as soon as one arrives and will return to the farm shortly thereafter.

Z in NY

2010-02-10T13:21:00.000-05:00

In New York and scheduled to be bred to Art Major this year, Zintillating foaled a big, beautiful Western Ideal filly this morning at 4am. George Miller (owner/operator of Pine Hill Stables) informed us that the foaling was textbook and he couldn't have asked for a more perfect delivery. The foal did everything she was supposed to and seems to be in excellent hands. The mare and foal are doing well.

The new filly is a full sister to Cardinal Zin, purchased for $70,000 at the Harrisburg yearling sale this past fall. Shady Hill Racing owns the colt. If all goes well, his racing career should begin sometime this summer or fall.

I would love to find a name using Zin. Past names for her foals have been:

Cardinal Zin

Mortal Zin

Sister Sammy

2010-02-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

Friday morning just before dawn, Sister Sammy surprised us with her 6th foal. A little over a week overdue, her only indication was some discomfort at 2am. Four hours later her water broke and she delivered a great big brown Credit Winner colt. While it is safer and easier for everyone when the foal presents in the correct position and is delivered with ease, it never seems to go the way you want. The foal was not in the correct position and because of that, I had to put down the video camera and maneuver and slide the foal into the correct position.

Sister Sammy weighs 1650 pounds pregnant and has plenty of force when she decides to contract her uterus and push the foal out. I had to summon up more strength than I was planning on using to fix the position of the foal. Not only did I have to assist in that area, but down an intern due to sickness, I had to help pull the extra large foal from the confines of the mare. Out of breath and a little tired (embarrassed to admit), it was nice to see that our hard work paid off with a big brown colt. Due to his extra large size, the colt took a little while longer than most to get up and nurse but before long he had found the mare's teat and was happily nursing his way to a full stomach.

Healthy and happy, that's about all you can ask for at this point.

P.S. My sister's name is Sam and she lives to Wyoming (hint: names centered around that are of preference)

Somewhereinthenight...

2010-01-24T22:04:00.000-05:00

Something finally to write about...

At 9:45pm tonight, Armbro Nest gave birth to a healthy brown Somebeachsomewhere colt. While it is not the first Somebeachsomewhere born this year (Steiner Stock Farm gets that great honor), it is our first one and we are very proud of the product. Our new interns could not have been happier and there seems to be some excitement building as some of the other mares get closer to their dates.

I went out of town on Friday for a wedding and returned this evening at 6:00pm. As usual, I kept in close contact with Anne and she informed me that she was sure that Nest would await my return before she foaled and Anne was certainly right. She knows Nest inside and out and is one of the only people who the mare seems to respond to in a relatively positive way.

Time for everyone to put their thinking caps back on. The second annual naming season has officially begun.

Mish-Mash

2010-01-15T12:04:00.000-05:00

Firstly, I am going to have to postpone the video portion of the blog until I get someone in here who knows a thing or two about the conversion issue I am dealing with.

Secondly, we are about a week away from our first foal hitting the ground. One of our most dependable mares is due first. Sister Sammy is foal to Credit Winner and regardless of who the sire is, the mare puts up a very good looking and well conformed individual. The yearling buyers have rewarded me handsomely by purchasing her offspring for $150,000, $100,000, and $65,000. Not too far behind Sister Sammy, we have a trio of mares in foal to Somebeachsomewhere including maiden mare Loving Caroline. A daughter of Best Laid Plans and from the immediate family of Western Hanover, this foal should garner some attention and if the foal resembles a cross section of the parents, then he/she should be quite a stunner.

Thirdly, we recently purchased the millionaire racemare Tidewaterdragonfly ($1,054,889; 1:49.4) and she is due to be bred to Well Said. She is an absolutely gorgeous mare and should provide an excellent opportunity to have great looking foals.

Lastly, in response to "poster: Howard", the move to send Deweycheatumnhowe to Ontario has been well received and it gives us an opportunity to breed 6 mares to an "Ontario-sired" horse. I think by sending the horse up to Ontario, it opens up an additional set of buyers for his yearlings and it allows those buyers access to a first rate sire. Good luck to Dewey!

Stay Tuned

2010-01-08T21:01:00.001-05:00

I will be shuffling things up this year by adding an occasional video here on the blog. From introductions to certain mares, foals, and yearlings to potential behind-the-scenes looks at the foaling and breeding process.

Since I am not completely tech savvy, it has been quite a challenge trying to get the videos transfered into the correct format. Bear with me...it is almost ready for a debut.

What Are We Thankful For

2009-12-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

As Christmas arrives, it's a good time to reflect upon all the things we are thankful for. The following are the top ten things I am thankful for this year (with respect to the farm and the horses):

10) The Beginning And End Of The Breeding

Thats pretty much self-explanatory. Its always great to begin and when its over, it feels just as good.

9) Somebeachsomewhere

The greatest pacer since Niatross. Easy for our six mares to get in foal. Semen quality was top of the line. Can't wait to see what they look like.

8) First Crop Donatos

One of my favorite racehorses, I couldn't be more happy with the results. Very correct and very sharp looking, they will be pleasant for buyers next fall. Not only mine but from what I hear from others, the buyers should have plenty to pick from.

7) Staff

We have an excellent staff of employees and I could not run this place without them. From Anne and Sarah to our newest employees, everyone has been instrumental in making this year effortless and smooth. With almost no turnover, our guys have learned the systems we have in place and because of that, their levels of responsibility have increased, taking the pressure of myself, Anne, and Sarah. Its been a great year. It will be hard to top in 2010.

6) Western Edge

An $80,000 yearling purchase in 2005 followed by very impressive qualifiers and first race led to thoughts of greatness. However, that was not to be. An undiagnosed nasal injury or disease caused the horse to be sidelined for 16 months. He returned last March under the tutelage of Erv Miller and eventually climbed through the non-winners ranks before we stopped with him in August. Now he is back and better than ever. To follow his amazing story, click on the link.

5) Swan For All

After purchasing 25% of Swan For All in the fall of 2008, we had very high hopes heading into 2009. Besides Muscle Hill, there was not another standout heading into the three year old season. Swan For All was our ticket. Unfortunately, an injury derailed those expectations but careful management, breakthrough scientific advances and time got him back to the races for the end of the season. He was second to Explosive Matter in the Bluegrass, third placed sixth in the Breeders Crown due to an untimely break, and ended the season and his career with a victory in the Matron. Now, he is off to Indiana, where he is poised to be the preeminent sire in the newly funded slot state. Good Luck SFA.

4) New Purchases

Over the past year we have added a very strong group of mares and looking back I couldn't be happier with our choices. Beginning with Thong ($705,185, 1:50.2) last January and ending with our latest purchase of Tidewaterdragonfly ($1,054,889, 1:49.4) and everything in between:

Valley Courtney ($109,272, 1:58.3) --- sister to millionaire Elusive Desire

Royal Versailles ($0) --- daughter of the great Fern

A Starlet Born ($0) --- from the family of Vulcanize, the great producer Crown Starlet, and Forever Starlet

Silicone Valley ($2,551, 2:00.4) --- daughter of Dream Valley OM and family of Dream Vacation

Celebrity Nike ($0) --- from the sister to millionaire Supergrit and the family of Snow White

Love To Flaunt ($9,600, 2:04.4) --- daughter of the great Lookout Victory

Letsjustalkaboutme ($56,338, 1:56.1) --- from the family of the great producer Delmegan

Mambo Western ($0) --- second dam is the multiple sub 1:52 producer Matts Sunshine

3) New Partners

Jerry Silva has come on board as a partner in most of the aforementioned mares. With a strong ally, it gives both Diamond Creek Farm and Exquisite Farms (Jerry Silva's breeding arm) access to twice as many top quality mares. Mel Hartman has also become involved in two of the mares and it looks like this is a potential win-win situation for all involved.

2) First Foals

Gotta love first foals. They represent the utmost potential. They carry forth the newest genes of the next generation of superstars. We are lucky enough to have 16 first foals born in 2009. That represents more than 33% of our 2010 yearling crop. Hopefully that bodes well for our yearling sales next year.

1) Ultimate Cameron's Breeders Crown

We almost got the ultimate thrill when Ultimate Cameron finished second to probable two year old champion Poof Shes Gone in the Breeders Crown final. Sitting on the couch at home with no an outside chance to finish in the top 5, our little filly came off the final turn and kept coming after Poof Shes Gone to finish second by a length in 1:56.3. A great way to end the season and a great confidence builder leading into next year. She has been at home since the Breeders Crown and after the first of January, she will return to Bob Stewart's tutelage for her attempt to conquer the three year trotting filly division.

A great 2009 ... all we can hope for is a better 2010.

2010 Bookings

2009-12-15T19:26:00.000-05:00

Below is a list of the 2010 Bookings (mare sire in parenthesis):

PACERS:

Art Major:

Armbro Nest (Dragon's Lair)

Zintillating (Cams Card Shark)

Rarified Air (Western Ideal)

Schoolofcardknocks (Cams Card Shark)

Bettors Delight:

London Eye (Western Ideal)

Cohenikova (Camluck)

Ponder:

Sweet Repeat (Cams Card Shark)

Cool World (Nihilator)

House Flight (Artsplace)

Hundred Kisses (Abercrombie)

Yankee Celebration (Art Major)

Rocknroll Hanover:

Armbro Ticket (Pacific Rocket)

Dragon So (Dragons Lair)

Yes Maam (Western Hanover)

Amazing Marker (Cole Muffler)

Mississippi River (Western Hanover)

Mystical (Artsplace)

Somebeachsomewhere:

Righteous Renee (Western Ideal)

Mambo Western (Western Hanover)

Speed Date (Western Ideal)

Western Montana (Western Montana)

Restive Hanover (The Panderosa)

Loyal Opposition (Cole Muffler)

Thong (Western Hanover)

Isabella Blue Chip (Bettors Delight)

Well Said:

Pop Or Tonic (Cambest)

Summer Mystery (Artiscape)

Western Ideal:

Can Du River (Cam Fella)

Loving Caroline (Art Major)

Shes A Great Lady (Dexter Nukes)

TROTTERS:

Andover Hall:

All Knowing (Muscles Yankee)

Filly At Bigs (Donerail)

Chocolatier:

Sister Sammy (Yankee Glide)

Day Five (Donerail)

Conway Hall:

Berry Nice Muscles (Muscles Yankee)

Credit Winner:

Noifsaboutit (Armbro Goal)

Megavite (Muscles Yankee)

Right On Renee (Andover Hall)

Deweycheatumnhowe:

Arlanda Hanover (SJs Caviar)

Michelles Angel (Andover Hall)

Gracious Marla (Malabar Man)

Uncommon Scents (Valley Victor)

Dream Valley OM (Valley Victory)

Ferrari Of (Credit Winner)

Donato Hanover:

Grand Cameron (Yankee Glide)

Armbro Temple (Garland Lobell)

Dream N Lindy (Conway Hall)

Royal Versailles (Muscles Yankee)

A Starlet Born (Muscles Yankee)

Ladymatic (Muscles Yankee)

Muscle Hill:

Letsjustalkaboutme (Self Possessed)

Silicone Valley (Andover Hall)

Celebrity Nike (Yankee Glide)

Social Butterfly (Credit Winner)

Continentalvictory (Valley Victory)

Four Starz Lindy (Dream Vacation)

Valley Courtney (Striking Sahbra)

Clever Catch (Andover Hall)

Decimal Hanover SJs Caviar)

Muscles Yankee:

Rapid Rail (Donerail)

Gold Mine Ambrosio (Pine Chip)

Love To Flaunt (Angus Hall)

Swan For All:

Shops For Dresses (Tagliabue)

Youvemetyourmatch (Donerail)

Of course, everyone has their own opinions as to which stallion should be bred to which mare...so I am asking everyone to be opinionated...I want to hear what people think....

Away From The Game

2009-12-15T13:08:00.000-05:00

I've been away from the game for too long now. As each day passed I thought I should update the blog but I kept putting it off. Not because I didn't have anything to write but because I might have slipped onto the lazy slope. But, I'm back now...

And back with a vengeance. Unfortunately, not with great news. During this part of the year comes the dreaded news on mares aborting and slipping their pregnancies. Late October through the first part of the year is always riddled with bad news. Not a lot of good news occurs on farms during this time. It seems like every time I leave to go on vacation, a mare aborts. Last year while I was in Australia, two mares aborted their pregnancies and this year during a weekend in New York, we lost another one.

Recently purchased from the Harrisburg Mixed Sale, Love To Flaunt was one of the newest additions and we were very excited to see the results of her mating with Chocolatier. Our only Chocolatier for the 2010 foaling season came 3 months early and 3 months too soon to survive. Unfazed by the premature foaling, the mare was much more concerned with where her pasture-mate disappeared to then what happened to the creature that came out. Born dead due to an umbilical torsion, the foal had been dead some time before the mare expelled him. Our bad luck with Chocolatier continues on. We have bred 6 mares over three breeding seasons and have 2 foals to show for it. The much maligned stallion produces such beautiful horses that it makes it almost impossible not to continue to breed to him. We have two mares booked to him for the upcoming season and with a slight change in our approach, we hope the results sway back the other way and our luck improves.

As for Love To Flaunt, she continues to deal with a retained placenta and after countless uterine flushes, she will not release it. As time drags on, the continued threat the rotting placenta places on her health and the uterus' health worry both us and the vets. Fortunately her blood work remains normal and she continues to carry on as if nothing is hanging out of her hind end. Last year, we had a mare abort at about the same time and a retained placenta caused this mare to cycle later than the other barren mares and get into foal deeper into the spring. With much difficulty we eventually got her into foal and our hope is that Love To Flaunt expels the placenta soon so we can get a jump start on cleaning her up, getting her under lights, and "encourage" her to start cycling so we don't have to wait until late April or May to breed her.

The ups and downs start all over again...

The Switch

2009-11-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday is one of those days where everyone on the farm spends the day saying goodbye or getting introduced to next year's cash crop. The weanlings were officially handed off from Anne's control to Sarah's. Anne and her group of guys have carefully cared for this years babies and it probably depends on who you talk to, what their level of excitement is. I know for some of her more trusted guys, it becomes a relief to not have to care for the weanlings and potentially deal with Anne when they miss an injury or disobey one of her orders. She demands a high level of attentiveness to detail and because of it, the weanlings are in excellent condition. Sarah and her "yearling team" have recovered from the prep season and now begin the process of dealing with the new "yearlings". The day is filled with each individual being displayed in front of the group. A mishmash of Spanish and English erupt as Sarah and Anne discuss the history of each foal and any treatments the foal has/is being treated with, while the weanling guys tell the yearling guys about the temperament and which foals are likable and which are not. For instance, Loyal Opposition's Rocknroll Hanover was presented and while Anne was discussing with Sarah about her fence injury last month, the guys were trying to figure out what to call her and who would be prepping her next fall. Her sister was nicknamed La Reina (which means "The Queen" in spanish) so there is ample debate about what her name will be. The guys who prepped sisters and brothers of the weanlings quickly made mental notes and starting comparing colors, sizes, and attitudes. For the guys, it is a fun transition and for Anne and Sarah it becomes and way to say goodbye and hello. For me, I like to sit back and enjoy. We laugh about how much hair the weanlings have and how much time it will take next summer to brush out the coats, the guys laugh while they pick up the feet and scurry away as legs go flying on certain foals and words like "loco" or "odioso" fill the air. Everyone seems to enjoy the switch and with each passing year, we make it a blast. Now its time to get down to business...well...more like 6 weeks from now...until then we will just enjoy the down time.

Wipe The Slate Clean

2009-11-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Its been a week since the end of the marathon sale in Harrisburg and hopefully everyone is recovered. Recovery is definitely a relative word. The overall results were very encouraging for our industry but looking at a list of the highest priced yearlings, I find it disheartening that we were unable to ring the so-called proverbial bell this year. We had many that "slipped through the cracks" and brought significantly less than we had planned and it is a tough pill to swallow to watch a yearling sell for $5,000. An optimist by nature, I find it hard to see the silver-lining when I reflect on this years' yearling sales. As they always say....there is always next year.

Back home and a week removed from the sale, it is easier to move forward and enjoy the down time before the foaling season begins. It's easier to reflect on the sales and realize that while the prices were not as strong as we would have liked, all our yearlings went to competent trainers who will give them the greatest opportunity to succeed. We can only do so much as breeders and now it is in the hands of the owners and trainers who will determine their futures.

With the 2010 broodmare band set and the bookings complete, I can let those who weighed in, know, we have decided to breed Loyal Opposition back to Somebeachsomewhere. The decision came down to The Beach and Well Said. The mare is a worthy candidate for both horses and ultimately neither one would have been a bad choice.

Before, during, and after the sales, I have been asked repeatedly what I think of the Donato Hanover's. We have 5 and I could not be happier. They are clean, good bodied, and very correct. They should continue to mature and be very nice yearlings. From what I hear from others, the sentiment is consistent throughout. He is such a nice horse, it would have been hard to imagine him not putting up good horses. The highly anticipated first crop of Donato will be followed very closely by Deweycheatumnhowe and we will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of 7 little Dewey's this coming spring.

The weanlings have been weaned for some time now and have been shuffled into their groups. Now its time to let them grow and forget about them until next summer. Besides coming to stalls to be trimmed and the occasional injury, we do not see much of the weanlings unless it is in their natural environment; kicking, screaming, and running wild, enjoying the fields, hills, and sun, like little wild horses. Couldn't we all be so lucky.

Who's The Man?

2009-10-21T12:57:00.000-04:00

So now that Loyal no longer gets to remain with her pregnant pals, its time to start thinking of who the next suitor should be. Im gathering opinions on who you think she should be bred to and why?

Loyal Opposition

2009-10-20T08:51:00.000-04:00

As some know, we weigh our mares on a monthly basis to: (1) adjust the individualized feed for a particular mare, (2) spot a potential problem that needs to be addressed (ie: teeth, GI, pregnancy. Last week during a routine weighing session, Loyal Opposition dropped 45 pounds in the course of the month, which is a rarity for a mare with an appetite like Loyal's. We had her palpated on Monday only to learn that she was no longer pregnant to Somebeachsomewhere. For so long, we spend all our time worrying about making sure the yearlings are prepped right for the sale and with that season winding down, its time to look forward to the ups and downs of the foaling/breeding season. It seems every year, a mare or two aborts between 60 day checks and the fall checks and unfortunately it happened to Loyal Opposition this year. As our mare band becomes stronger and stronger, we have to get used to the idea of losing a potentially great foal every year.

This week, all the news on the farm (good or bad) centers around Loyal Opposition. On Sunday afternoon, her Rocknroll Hanover filly decided it would be a wise decision to test the strength of the fence. She ended up plowing through the fence, leaving a handful of boards splintered and broken. However, she did not come out of it completely unscathed. Small cuts to her face, chest, front legs and hind right leg were all the battle wounds we could find. Luckily, she was spared from broken bones, deep lacerations, and tendon injuries. A couple of days of stall rest and some wound medicine and she should be back terrorizing the other 9 fillies she is turned out with. The mare came up empty on Monday and on Tuesday, the yearling is finally ready for the sale. I looked at her with a prospective buyer and I could not be happier with the finished product. Now the wait is on...the time has been put in and she is ready. We only need two big spenders to look horns and see what happens. For a first foal, she is exceptional. She stands over a ton of ground and has the body of a colt. She is very intelligent, well-mannered, and possesses many of the physical attributes of her mother. Hopefully they carry over into her next career and she is as brilliant as her mother on the racetrack.

With less than two weeks to Harrisburg, the final touches are being made and the horses are as good as they will ever be. The goal is for everyone else to agree, or at least 15 others (as we have 15 yearlings to sell).

Lexington In Review

2009-10-11T12:18:00.001-04:00

We are back home and trying to wrap our minds around the outcome of the Lexington Select Sale. Down at least 15% from last years numbers was not bad considering that the 2008 sale was mostly untouched from the financial crisis that was beginning. The Thoroughbred sales have not been as fortunate (being down 40% +) and we should be counting our blessings that we lucked out and most of us will come out the other side just slightly scathed. The one positive part of the sale is that the bargaining chips have fallen into the hands of the breeding farms. With the yearling sale prices falling, the mares coming off the track and the broodmares for sale have less show stopping appeal and the breeding farms can command that the values be lowered because there are less big-money spenders. It all comes back to simple economics: supply and demand. Buyers are in the drivers seat and can pick up horses with more value for less money. Gotta love business cycles.

On a more personal note: Our sale could be described as frustrating. If one more person was interested in a horse or two, our sale would have been a huge success. Most of the yearlings were exactly where we projected them to be but none of them "rung the bell". Its the first time since we started selling yearlings that we didn't have a horse that topped the six-figure mark. Disappointed? Slightly. But in the grand scheme of things, it was not all that bad. The bright side of the situation is that we have 15 excellent yearlings to sell in Harrisburg and have been told by a handful of trusted folks, that the Harrisburg consignment is much stronger in both pedigree and looks. Time will tell.

For those who watched the second division of the Tattersalls 3YO colt pace Saturday saw Well Said fail to put his stamp of domination on the pacing division and also cause the interference and subsequent break of another horse in the race (which caused a lengthy review of the stretch drive). I wonder if the roles had been reversed and a 68-1 shot had come out into Well Said while he was trying to squeeze through a hole in the final strides, would the decision have been the same. I think not.

In conclusion: Keep an eye on Hip #409 at Harrisburg (Rainmaker). His three-quarter sister Casino Nights is one of the better two year pacing fillies (won a division of the Internation Stallion Stakes in 1:52.3) and if Put On A Show is going to get beat in the Breeders Crown, she has one of the best shots.

Shes A Great Lady (sometimes)

2009-09-26T15:51:00.000-04:00

She might have been a great lady on the racetrack and her first foal might have been a great one too, but since our purchase of She's A Great Lady, it has been one headache and disappointment after another. We purchased her in the fall of 2006 and the following April she delivered a beautiful, big, Western Ideal filly. We bred her to Ponder that spring only to be disappointed with an empty uterus at the end of the breeding season. Maybe I should have realized names mean everything but I named her, She's Poison. Oops. First mistake. The following summer during yearling prep, She's Poison colicked and needed two surgeries on the same day. It took over a year from the surgeries before she was healthy enough to leave and begin training and this August she left Kentucky for New Jersey where she is in training with the man who engineered her mother's greatest victories, Joe Holloway.

Unfortunately, that's not where the story ends. After an unsuccessful attempt to be bred to Ponder, she was whisked away to New York (home of the half mile tracks --- she is STILL the world record holder for females on a half mile track) and was bred to Art Major. She delivered another beautiful horse at Blue Chip this spring. He came home to Diamond Creek Farm in July and was one of our best weanlings. Not long after his return home, he came in out of the field with a case of choke. It resolved itself before a vet could be summoned and we thought nothing of it but put him on a course of antibiotics just to be sure he didn't inhale anything into his lungs. Three days later, he was admitted to the hospital with a severe case of pneumonia and euthanized ten days later. So I am left with her continuing pregnancy to Bettors Delight (hopefully with much better results than the last couple) and She's Poison, who continues to make progress towards what we hope is a much better race career than what could have been...

For She's A Great Lady, hope springs eternal...next spring when she is due or sooner if She's Poison makes it to the races

Miscellaneous Post

2009-09-19T08:09:00.000-04:00

A handful of things to report on:

1) All foals have names except one. The Donato Hanover - Arlanda Hanover weanling is still awaiting name approval. The list of names for the foals is at the link below:

2009 Foals

2) Speaking of the foals...I couldn't be more happy with how they are growing. They look good and are healthy. At this point, I can't wait until the Fall of 2010. Our group of next year's yearlings are the best group we have so far (pedigree and conformation).

At the present time, we have three of five fields weaned and are waiting until our youngest colts and fillies reach the four-month old mark before the other two fields are weaned. September 28th is penciled in as the weaning day for the final two fields. We find the foals do very well when weaned at this age and while I can understand the complexities of weaning hundreds of foals before the yearling sales doesn't work well for large farms, this process is exceptionally efficient for us and we feel it benefits not only the staff but the horses as well. I am interested to see what everyone's opinions on the weaning process are....feel free to share.

3) I think the results of the first week of the Thoroughbred sale at Keeneland have the potential to make consignors worried for our upcoming sale. It would be hard to say that I am going into the sale with no trepidation but our industry does not face the same problems plaguing the Thoroughbred markets. For one, their stud fees are still out of control and need to be reined in. I think Week One proved that point, especially with many breeders calling for a 50% reduction in stud fees. While many of our stud fees are too high as well, the correction in our market is/will be less severe. Both New Jersey and Canada had good sales considering the hesitation many people have in spending the "big bucks". I look forward to the sales and believe in the tried-and-true philosophy that "people will pay good money for good horses."

4) Tomorrow two of last year's yearlings will be racing for $500,000 a piece. First, Casino Nights (Western Ideal x Can Du River) has the two hole in the Three Diamonds Final at Chester while Temple Of Doom (Yankee Glide x Armbro Temple) has the 7 hole at Mohawk for the William Wellwood Final. Good luck to the connections of both horses.

Do not forget that both of those two year olds have siblings selling this fall. Casino Nights has a Rocknroll Hanover brother selling at Harrisburg (Hip #409 --- Rainmaker) while Temple Of Doom has a Muscles Yankee sister selling in Lexington (Hip #88 --- Temple Of Heaven)!

Yearling Videos

2009-09-08T19:38:00.000-04:00

For those who are interested, the following link will take you to our yearling videos...ENJOY

Take a second or third look at Hip #29 and Hip #327 in Lexington....

Yearling Videos

Updates

2009-09-06T19:35:00.001-04:00

This afternoon Temple Of Doom finished third in the final of the Valley Victory earning a very respectable $54,000. Its always nice to see your yearlings earning money back for their buyers. Congratulations to Robert Rosenheim and Calvin Lasher for their purchases of Temple Of Doom and Sky High respectively. Temple of Doom was purchased for $50,000 at Harrisburg and has recouped all of his original investment and more in the early stages of his bright career ($90,325), while Sky High (Yankee Glide x Shes The Limit) has earned $44,400 for Calvin Lasher after a $15,000 price tag secured her purchase at Harrisburg. Speaking of She's The Limit, I was pouring over the first copy of our yearling videos this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to find that Boundaries (Windsongs Legacy x Shes The Limit) had an exceptional great video and is arguably the best Lexington video this year (for Diamond Creek Farm).

The Temple...

2009-09-03T07:26:00.000-04:00

Im not yet a father myself but I consider all the yearlings we sell as my babies. You see proud parents attending school functions and athletic events and I always thought the emotional outbursts were a bit too much but after attending the races or watching them on TV, I find myself rooting a little too much sometimes for some of mine. The process of choosing breedings, breeding the mares, foaling the mares, and raising their offspring is very involved and as a farm, have everything to do with their lives from the beginning until they go through the sales ring. There will always be those who disappoint and those who surprise. Temple Of Doom was one of those surprises. Anybody who came to look at our yearlings last year would never say that Temple Of Doom was a looker. A gawky teenager-type, he was lazy from the time he woke up in the morning until he went to sleep. In the equi-cizer, he would go as slow as possible without getting shocked by the electric gate. It took him two or three times as many attempts before he mastered the way he stood for guests (and at times, it looked as though he never practiced). However, it looks as though he had saved his energy for the racetrack. He has reached the finals of the NJSS, Peter Haughton, and now the Valley Victory. Without a win on his card, the future looks bright for Temple Of Doom. He drew the 5 hole for the final this Sunday and coming off his best race of his career in the elimination, I am very excited for his chances to pick up a good check or even upset the apple cart. On an even better note, he has a Muscles Yankee sister (Temple Of Heaven) to sell in Lexington and all indications are she is a much better individual in all aspects; looks, conformation, and attitude. We shot our videos on Monday August 31st and it was very exciting to see what a nice gait Temple Of Heaven had and how quickly she completed the task. A couple of trips up and back the paddock and she was quickly whisked away and back to the comfort and security of her stall. Come see all our yearlings but don't forget to ask for Hip #88. She loves the attention...

Week Five And Six

2009-08-26T09:19:00.001-04:00

I was waiting a little longer to publish this post in hopes of being able to brag about this yearling's sister (Royal Clout) and her accomplishments. Unfortunately in her last start, she made a break. So this post has to be published without the big headline of "SIRE STAKES WINNER". Sacred Saint (Chocolatier x Sister Sammy) is a black filly with a very unassuming personality. She has flown under the radar her entire life. Small and petite but yet very correct she has been without problems ever since her return from Blue Chip Farms last fall. Since the beginning of prep she has begun to blossom albeit slower than some of the others. Many yearlings take to the prep schedule immediately and begin to pack on the muscle within a few days. Others take their time and with the amount of time we give each one to come into themselves, the individuality of our prep program has worked wonders for this filly. I have seen no other Chocolatier foals except for a weanling filly we foaled this spring but others must be licking their chops in anticipation because, if our filly is any indication of what Chocolatier will produce then the yearling buyers will be in heaven.

Sister Sammy has been very good to us since we purchased her privately in the winter of 2006. We purchased her and an Andover Hall weanling from Eric Cherry for a very healthy price and although the foal she was carrying died a day after foaling, we were rewarded handsomely with a $150,000 price tag for an Andover Hall colt named Unshakeable. Although he didn't live up to his potential as a two and three year old, he is successfully competing in the Vernon Downs Opens. Her second foal for us was the aforementioned Royal Clout (a full sister to Unshakeable). Purchased last fall, she is beginning to live up to the billing (minus a miscue in her last start --- she has been in the top 3 in her first 3 starts). Sister Sammy is a large heavy-bodied Yankee Glide mare and when crossed to Andover Hall, gave us robust masculine looking foals (regardless of sex). Very sturdy and heavy boned, the first two yearlings were very light on their feet and covered the ground with an effortless efficiency. However, the goal was to dress the mare down a little bit and try to find a more refined look. Chocolatier provided that opportunity and we were rewarded when Sacred Saint was born. Unlike the other foals the mare has produced, Sacred Saint is almost entirely black (the other foals have been a reddish bay) and looks unmistakeably like a filly. Thankfully, the only resemblance she has to her brother and sister is the effortless nature she covers the ground. Look for her when you browse the yearling videos this fall and if you do come out to the farm, don't hesitate to see her move in the paddock. She makes it look effortless.