ITSAGALTHING claimed at GG

Golden Gate Fields, Sat Jan 29-05, race five, 6f, Clm8k

ITSAGALTHING,b, f,01,[WA], (Slewdledo-ITSAGENDERTHING by FERDINAND)
set the early pace, as always, and faded to be fifth of six, as the 8-5 favorite (M/L: 8-1).

New owner: Big Bad TBs, Inc.; trainer Larry D Ross

ITSAGALTHING broke her maiden at Sacramento (27Aug-04) opening up by ten and wiring the mile field by four, under wraps, against five other maiden fillies in for an 8k tag.

She continued to flash high early foot, but did not win again until 12Nov-04 at GG, where she bested 6250 fillies (nw2L) in the mud, winning off by four, returning an overly generous 22.40 win ticket.

Clearly, if the one's turn of foot can be managed and rated, she has a bright future.

Some babies to watch

Racing was a no-go for the most part on the east coast this weekend.

Here are a couple babies to watch for in weeks ahead:

SLEWPERSONIC, b,c,02[CA], (Slewvescent-MY ISABELLA by FERDINAND),
made his racing debut at Golden Gate on Sunday, Jan 30-05, in ninth race. With services of leading jock, Russell Baze, he raced with pace, finishing a decent fourth, at odds of 6-1. A May foal, he came out in a Mdn Clm12,500 race, at five furlongs.

LYRICAL GRACE, dk b/br filly, 02 [WV] ,(VERIFICATION-Songster Judge by Judge Lex),
showed her immediate promise, missing by a neck in her debut at CT,( 4-1/2f), on 17Nov-04. She was only beaten two lengths in her next, at same distance ( 14Dec-04 ). Stretched out to 6-1/2f on 2Jan-05, she closed a little, to finish fourth, by thirteen, in a field of ten.

CAREER DANCER, dk b/br filly,02[KY], (CAT'S CAREER-She Will Dance by Forever Dancer),
showed nothing in her first race at Turfway on 11Dec-04. She raced in MdSpWt company in debut, and was entered for Md Clm15k on cancelled card Sunday.

O I RUNAWAY powers to win

CT, Jan28-05, race five, Clm10k, 6-1/2 furlongs

O I RUNAWAY, gr/ro gelding, 2May-01, [Runaway Macho-I O Z BANK by VERIFICATION], bred in WV by Marvin L Turner. Sire stands in WV, free to approved mares.

Winner snuck up the rail and drew clear, returned boxcar mutuels:

12600.... 2860.... 1180, keying gimmicks of

exacta..........1,329
triple............3,368
super...........3,085

AMERICAN GUY wins again, gets claimed

Turfway Park, Fri Jan28-05, race seven, One Mile, Clm6250

AMERICAN GUY showed his heels to a rather oldish field and came home on top by four. He paid a well-deserved 5.00 as the fave. Connections of place horse claimed him. Final time for the mile was 1:37.4.

New Owners: Cheesman, Forguites and Shupe; trainer Steve F. Cahill.

Quite a pedigree on this one: Nureyev, King Pellinore on top; EXCELLER, Banquet Table (Round Table), Our Jackie (dam of Our Native, $426k, Native Admiral), Mahmoud, Teddy-Fr,Sun Briar.

CHANNEL LOCK holds on for maiden win

Delta Downs, Jan26-05, race ten,
Maiden Claiming $10k, 6-1/2 furlongs, 4 & 5yo fillies & mares

CHANNEL LOCK, bay filly, Apr7-01,
(EXCELLER VICE-Lip Locked by Staunch Avenger),
bred in LA by Ackel TB Farm & Sam Ackel.

Assumed command early on, and just lasted by a neck; paid 31.40.

The sixth place finisher, MAMA'S ADVICE, by the winner's sire, was also bred by Sam Ackel (LA), different connections.

CONSTITUTION RIVER workout

Jan27-05 at Winding Oaks Farm (Fast)

Four furlongs, breezing, 49 seconds flat.

Results - Barretts Winter Mixed

Barretts Winter Mixed Sale, Jan 24 & 25, 2005:

#25...................OUT

#318 ....................$5,000

#330.....................$2,500

#449.....................$ 900 [RNA]

#593.....................$1,500

#647.....................$3,000

CARROTHERS claimed for thirty G's

@FAIR GROUNDS, JAN21-05, RACE FIVE, Maiden Clm30k, 6f:

CARROTHERS, g, Feb24-02, [Ky]
[CAT'S CAREER- Mary Liz by Alleged]
was claimed for $30,000 by new owner,
41 Oaks Stable; Michael Stidham, trainer.

He was the 9-10 favorite in the race; closed mildly, but too
late, to be fourth in a field of eight, beaten some 4-3/4 lengths.

RUNAMUCCA runs amok at Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Downs, Tues Jan25-05, race four,
Clm7500-6500, fillies and mares, four and up, never won two, seven furlongs:

RUNAMUCCA, chestnut mare, Feb11-00,
bred in FL by Shirley Miers,
(Montbrook-FLIRTY FERDY by FERDINAND),
a 15-1 morning line entrant, angled out in stretch to win 'going away' at odds of 57-1.

She returned 11780, 2780 and 1480 mutuels. The favorite got up for second, followed by another longshot in the show hole, generating huge exotic payoffs:

Exacta...........$320
Triple............$7,141
Superfecta............................$39,523

Her running style was somewhat reminiscent of Ferdinand's Ky. Derby.

Correction to F-T Winter Mixed catalog

I emailed Marcia T. at Fasig-Tipton's catalog dept., and she confirmed that there was indeed an incorrect sire attributed to Hip Number 211. The mare was NOT believed in foal to a son of EXCELLER, but rather to another stud of same name, but much younger. A clearly obvious error, but one that needed clarification nonetheless.

Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed, Feb13, 14-05

Don't have the catalog, but found two of interest during quick scan online.

#211, mare, Heart O'Mine (Herat-Watch Charm by My Dad George), believed pregnant to:
EXPLICIT (1984), winner of four races and $29,477,
(EXCELLER-Cornish Queen[75-91] by Cornish Prince. A bit confused on this one as sire unknown to me, and catalog states that his FIRST (?) crop will be weanlings in 2005!? A twenty-something stallion is just siring his initial crop at this advanced age? Where has he been all these years? Needs more research.

#355, SALVESTER, b, filly, 01, winner of Royal North S. [R], a record of 6-1-5 and earnings of $76,560 by CAT'S CAREER-Salween by Vernon Castle. Five wins came at age two.

Daily Required Reading

Horse news from around the world, formatted like the highly popular DRUDGE REPORT:

www.equidaily.com

Overview of the horse

Edward Willett produced a concise column tracking the evolution of the horse. Nice quick read; recommended:

http://www.edwardwillett.com/Columns/horseracing.htm

Ocala Winter Mixed Sale, Jan 20-05

Ocala Winter Mixed Sale - Day Four, January 20-05:

Hip Number 977.......................$1,300

#1054........................................Withdrawn

#1086........................................Withdrawn

CONSTITUTION RIVER workout, Jan 20-05

Jan20-05 at Winding Oaks Farm, FAST:

Four furlongs, breezing, 49.2

Ocala Winter Mixed Sale, Day-Three, Jan 19-05

Hip Number 892, SATIN N SUEDE, chestnut filly, Mar17-03[FL]

(Impeachment-SUEDEMARK by EXCELLER)

brought only a bid of $4,500, and was RNA.

Link: Common Sense Horse

A good link for horse owners, etc.:

http://www.commonsensehorse.com/

Articles on the common sense approach to musculoskeletal health of the horse, covering massage therapy, horse shoeing, muscle physiology. Has an article index. Good reading for a wintery night.

OCALA WINTER MIXED SALE, Jan17-18, 2005

The first two days of the Ocala Winter Mixed Sale have concluded, the Consignor Preferred portion. See previous blogs for hip descriptions.

Hip #41.......$25,000

#369...........$19,000 [RNA]

#424...........$80,000

#493...........$7,000

#602...........$4,000

Still to come are final two days on 19th and 20th and hip numbers 892, 977, 1054, and 1086.

Horse Slaughter Awareness

Here is a link to the EQUINE PROTECTION NETWORK and their efforts at horse slaughter awareness:

//equineprotectionnetwork.com/saveamericashorses/faqs.htm

Not for the squeamish, some photos and data may shock you, so be forewarned. It is NOT a pretty picture, but if you care at all, or are just curious, check it out. Knowledge is power.

QUICK TALKER prevails at Pimlico

Pimlico, Jan17-05, race six, Clm $16k, 1M1/16

QUICK TALKER, gr/ro horse, 12Mar-99,
(Robyn Dancer-Alwaysinterrupting (Afleet-NARROW ESCAPE by EXCELLER), bred in Florida by Farnsworth Farms.

Set slow early fractions, dueled, was all out to hold place horse safe by three-quarters. Winner paid 5.20 as second choice.

Note: NARROW ESCAPE, mare, 22Mar-83, (EXCELLER-Gantlette by Run The Gantlet) ran second in the Princeton H., and had a life record of 21 starts, 3-4-3, $72,090. Upon the death of leading owner John F. Franks, she was donated, by the estate, to Old Friends in Kentucky to live out her days.

It should also be noted that Mr. Franks, prior to his death, declared ALMATA from a pending sale and donated her to The Exceller Fund. Not any owner/breeder classier than Mr. John F. Franks.

R.I.P., J.F.F.

P.S. - For photos of Almata [ a half to Preakness winner, Aloma's Ruler], Narrow Escape, plus horses stabled at Kentucky Horse Park such as John Henry, Cigar, Da Hoss, go to:

www.finalturngallery.com/Retired-Legends/

At the bottom of page, you will see photos taken by Exceller Fund member, Kathy Vespaziani. The website is undergoing changes, and some photos may get deleted, so if you do not find them, that's why. As of today, they are still up on the site. No guarantees about tomorrow, or next week.

POWDERED WIG claimed at Gulfstream Park

GP, JAN 17-05, Race One:

POWDERED WIG, mare, 00, (Colonial Affair-ALY GLITTER [Alysheba-AUTUMN GLITTER by EXCELLER]) was claimed for $8,000 after finishing ninth of ten runners as the 7-10 favorite. She dueled for the lead, steadied in close at the quarter pole, and faded.

New owner: CD&G Sta.; trainer: Robt. P. Klesaris.

Homebred TEXAS CHILI wins at Golden Gate Fields

TEXAS CHILI, dk b/br gelding, (ROBERTO GRANDE-Speedy Dish by Fast Account), Apr13-98[CA], bred, owned and trained by Wm. J. Morey, Jr. bested $16k claimers at GG on Sunday, Jan16-05. Always prominent, he put away the favorite and slowly drew clear of that one to win off by three-quarters, in another typical Exceller style victory. Final time for the six furlongs was 1:10.1, after a half in 45.2, and 5/8 in 57.3.

The winner paid 10.00

GLENROTHES best of twelve babies

Turfway Park, 14Jan-05, Race Five, Md15k, 1Mile, muddy


GLENROTHES, chestnut colt, [Ky], 25Apr-02
bred by Mike Barnett & Diane Curry,
(Afternoon Deelites-SHANLI'S HOPE by FERDINAND)

proved best by two lengths on a muddy track in the
field of twelve. Time was a subpar 1:41.3; he went
off the 2-1 fave.

Notes from Ocala Winter Mixed Sale

OCALA WINTER MIXED SALE, Jan 17, 18 (Consignor Preferred) and Jan 19, 20, 2005:

Consignor Preferred:

#41, the 4th dam is blue hen mare, BANJA LUKA, dam of FERDINAND.

#369, filly with 2nd dam of CAVADA (VERIFICATION-Run Princess), 11 wins, 2 to 5, $489,026, Florida Oaks, etc.

#424, and # 493, 4th dam is the blue hen, TOO BALD, dam of:
EXCELLER, CAPOTE, BALDSKI, AMERICAN STANDARD, etc.

#602, the 3rd dam , TOO BALD.


Catalog Two:

#892, SATIN N SUEDE, ch filly, Mar17-03 (FL) (Impeachment-SUEDEMARK by EXCELLER)

#977, bay filly, May7-04 (KY), Adcat-AUTUMN SCENE by CAT'S CAREER). First foal from unraced mare.

#1054, filly whose 2nd dam, Tommy's Date, is the dam of recent winner, MY DATE (see previously on blog).

#1086, SAINTS REST, bay mare (95), Northern Flagship-EXCEDENT by EXCELLER. Believed to be in foal to Snuck In.

Notes from Barretts January Winter Mixed Sale

BARRETTS JANUARY WINTER MIXED SALE, Jan 24 & 25, 2005:

A few hips that are relevant:

#25, GAKKEL RIDGE, bay gelding, 00
Note: was nominated to 2003 Triple Crown
Jade Hunter-MEDINILLA (Seattle Slew-EASTLAND by EXCELLER)

#318, mare whose 3rd dam,Youthful Lady, is a half-sister to SLEW'S EXCELLER[G1]

#330, FRIENDLY PARTY, bay mare,2000, (Souvenir Copy-FRIENDLY DAME [Riverman-COMICAL CAT). COMICAL CAT is the dam of current stallion, CAT'S CAREER.

#449, mare whose 3rd dam, Six Months Long, is the dam of COMICAL CAT.

#593, filly ".................................................................................................."

#647, filly with 4th dam of Youthful Lady (see above).

//barretts.com/

TURN THE KEE breaks maiden at CT

Charles Town, Thurs Jan13-05, Maiden Special Weight, four & five yo maidens, 4-1/2 furlongs:

TURN THE KEE, bay gelding, Mar18-01 (Truckee-COUNTESS FERDINAND by FERDINAND), bred in CA by Four Quarters Corp., drew clear by 2-3/4 lengths and paid 620.

MR. CAT holds on in the slop at TP

MR. CAT, bay gelding, Feb8-00, (CAT'S CAREER-Don't Tell Maisie by General Holme), bred in Ky. by Patricia Blass, prevailed at Turfway Park on Thursday, Jan13-05 at one mile for Claiming 6250, over a sloppy track. The winner paid 7.20 as second betting choice, after being 15-1 in the morning line. He stalked the pace, took over in the stretch, and was all out to prevail by a nose.

Million dollar baby, CONSTITUTION RIVER, works

Eugene Melnyk's $1.75 million purchase, CONSTITUTION RIVER (Storm Cat-EXING[CHI] by EXCELLER), foaled Jan23-2002, worked four furlongs, breezing, at Winding Oaks Farm on January 13, 2005; the colt was clocked in 54 seconds flat.

He had a previous work at the farm on December 2, 2004; going three furlongs, breezing, in 38.2.

MY DATE rules on muddy track

MY DATE, bay mare, May29-00, (SQUAN LAKE-Tommy's Date by Tom Rolfe), bred in Ky. by John C. Davis, Jr., scored a facile victory on a muddy track at Turfway on Wed, Jan 12-2005 against five other fillies and mares at the $5,000 claiming level at one mile, for non-winners of three lifetime. MY DATE, always prominent, surged to lead in stretch, winning by 1-1/4 lengths.

The winner returned 13.20, and with the betting favorite running fifth, coupled with longest shot getting up for second money, the gimmicks were quite good:
Daily Double was only $15, however the exacta paid $212, and the superfecta was a somewhat astonishing $4,756 for such a small field of six.

Once again, the Excellers prove superior on off tracks.

AMERICAN GUY, the enigma, keeps winning

AMERICAN GUY, bay gelding, Apr11-00 (American Day-SECOND COPY by EXCELLER), bred by Jack Dempsey Burk, in California, continues to win by open daylight margins while holding sway over bottom claimers in the midwest. Brought east by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, his latest score was at Turfway Park, Sunday, Jan9-05, when he wired a field of $5,000 claimers by nine lengths. Since being brought east, he has never been claimed, which is somewhat strange, given his pedigree and current form. How they can 'cheat' with this one and avoid a claim is remarkable, given what he has done in Ohio, and now with rock-bottom claimers in northern Kentucky.

The winner returned 4.40 as the 6-5 favorite in a field of eight and ran the mile, on a muddy track, in a respectable 1:38.1 and was obviously much the best.

LABORCITA dead-heats for win on turf

LABORCITA, bay filly, May14-01, bred in Texas by Bass & Seeligson, Jr., dead-heated for the win with A Bet of Honey at Sam Houston Race Park, Sunday night, Jan9-05 in a mile race on the grass for Texas-bred fillies and mares, four and up.

LABORCITA (ZEERULER-Raven's Bride by Cherokee Colony) made her move on far turn, was blocked in upper stretch, got thru on the inside to dead-heat with a tiring A Bet of Honey, who failed to maintain her two-length lead as she drew off in the stretch.

ZEERULER stands in Texas. He has not had a lot of support from local breeders and this appears to be one of his better progeny to race, to date.

Local knowledge can pay off for sharp bettors

There is a decided advantage for a local bettor who keeps abreast of the racing stars on his circuit.

Case-in-point:

Charles Town, Thursday night, January 6, 2005, race number two, for maiden fillies and mares, four and five years old, going seven furlongs.

The winner, sent off at 39-1, LITTLE CORRIE, was a 5yo mare by the obscure sire, Double Helping, HOWEVER, her dam was sired by local legend, CORTAN.

The place horse, 4yo filly, UP AND AGAIN, was by Awesome Again, o/o the stakes winning mare, UP AN EIGHTH (FERDINAND-Hey Majesty by Majestic Light); winner of twelve races, including the Park Heights Stakes and the Very Subtle BC H., with seconds in the Barbara Fritchie H. (G2), and Garden State BC H. (G3). She banked $465k in her career racing for Bob Meyerhoff, he of Broad Brush, Concern, etc. fame.

UP AND AGAIN, sent off at the ridiculous odds of 32-1, narrowly missed getting her picture taken, due to being five-wide in deep stretch, and fell short of the winner by a mere half length. Definitely one to watch.

The resulting gimmicks were outstanding:

Daily Double....................$211;

Exacta.........................$1,254;

Triple...........................$6,261

Filly o/o Exceller mare, SUEDEMARK at OBS, Jan. 19-05

SATIN N SUEDE, a Florida-bred chestnut filly, foaled 17March-03, is selling as hip number 892, at tail end of sales day on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at Ocala Winter Mixed Sale.

She is sired by Deputy Minister's son, Impeachment, and is out of the EXCELLER mare, Suedemark (1985) [Exceller-Libby's Love by Tudor Gleeman]

www.obssales.com

PLAYFUL CAT wires field at 15-1

PLAYFUL CAT, bay colt, Apr21-01, [CAT'S CAREER-Webb's Woods by Fast Play], bred by Ancient Oaks Farms [Pa], wired a field of ten on a muddy track at Charles Town Thursday night, Jan. 6th, proving superior by 2-1/2, 'under a mild drive'; another Exceller kid, MUSIC LESSON, 6yo gelding, [VERIFICATION x John's Gold] had bad racing luck, getting off slow, plus being checked on first turn, losing any chance at a part of purse; he finished 8/10 at odds of 41-1.

The winner ran to his morning line odds of 15-1 in this 6-1/2f, $5,000 claiming race for 4yo+up which have never won three races, paying 3320 for the win, keying a daily double of $2,425; $164 exacta; $1,148 triple, and a very nice superfecta payout of $4,623.

2004 Racing Year Recap: Exceller kids' wins

Here's the unofficial tally of Exceller kids' wins for the racing year just completed, 2004:


JAN, 2004, 12 wins; one SW
FEB 17 wins;
MAR 10wins; one SW
APR 12 wins; one SW
MAY 23 wins; two SW
JUN 17 wins;
JUL 28 wins;
AUG 20 wins; two SW
SEP 14 wins; one SW
OCT 22 wins;
NOV 13 wins;
DEC 11 wins
=========================

Total Wins = 199

Stakes Won = 8