Ideas & Gadgets

I was sad to hear of the deaths of Papi Chullo and Big City Man at other blog sites around the interweb and noticed that Papi's had occurred almost two months ago. So my thinking here is that there should be a horse obituary website listing race horses when they pass away. Maybe some sort of registry maintained by a central authority (whoops I forgot there isn't one). Anyways good business idea for someone: "horseobits.com"?

The squirrels continue to be at work and I was also thinking it would be cool to have a wager calculator gadget that could calculate exotic wagers and also track your bets while at the track. I tend to keep a manual tally (when not using my ADW). So I did a little digging and couldn't exactly find a gadget, but did find several software downloads for a mobile PDA device for exotic wager calculators. Very cool and on the to-do list. I'd still like a handheld gadget to track on-track results.....

Posting has been a little light lately with the holiday weekend and I was set back with a virus on Monday and have been under the weather the past few days. This weekend is no different as the Space Clan is embarking to central PA for a wedding, some golf and in-laws time. Unfortunately I'll be missing the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie on Sunday as my re-entry into Western NY is not scheduled until later Sunday.

Good news on the MTH Survival at the Shore front, I've quietly snuck into the top 100 (81st going into today) and through the first two races I've accumulated a show (Delaware Slew $2.20) and a win ($41.40 with 11-1 Moment Sensor -woo hoo!) which should creep me up even further. Fingers crossed as the meet still has a ways to go. Funny, how my handicapping is good when I'm playing in a FREE contest....

Space Chat: Bona Venture Stables

As someone who has followed St. Bonaventure basketball through the years, and with a younger brother who is an alum, I was happy to receive an email several months ago from the managing partner of Bona Venture Stables, Dan Collins, saying he enjoyed my blog. If you know anyone who attended Bonas, you'll know they are passionate about their school and their sports teams. The Reilly Center is a place that Jim Boeheim has vowed never to visit again. Anyways, after some correspondence I convinced him to do a little interweb chat with me once I heard the story of how he started his racing stable. How small a world is it, I actually know two of his investors, one played Little League ball with me in North Syracuse and the other is a current business client and friend of mine. Who knew? So here's our little space chat for your reading pleasure.

SpaceMan: How and when did Bona Venture Stables get its start?
BVS: Bona Venture Stables started in 2003 with a small group of St. Bonaventure University friends getting together and deciding to get into the horse business. So, we each pooled a few thousand dollars and we bought a horse. We were familiar with a small stable trainer Pete Wasiluk, so he helped us purchase the filly at an Ocala winter 2 year-old sale. I can’t recall what her original name was but none of us liked it. So my daughter came up with Princessinwaiting and we changed the name. We had a horse, a trainer and we headed to the races!

Bona Venture Stables is different that some of the major racing partnerships. We were started with a bunch of guys who all went to St. Bonaventure University. Hence the name Bona Venture Stables. Today we have about 40 individuals (not everyone is a Bonaventure graduate) involved in our horses. As in all the partnerships, each horse is syndicated as a separate legal limited liability company (LLC). So some owners are owners of one horse or several horses.

What makes us different is we don’t mark up the horses to guarantee the business makes a profit. In fact, our first objective isn’t about the business making money. The idea is for the individual horse owners to make money through their investment. If you can’t make money, then we at least want to be sure you had fun and enjoyed the experience of horse racing ownership. This isn’t my full-time job. It is a passion, a dream to have fun with horse racing.

We offer shares at the actual price of the horse purchase, a small monthly maintenance fee to cover miscellaneous costs, and the monthly training, veterinarian, etc. costs. We all are on a first name basis and we often get together at the track to watch the horse run. We try to make the racing game affordable for everyone. Most of our shares (5-10%) are in the range of an initial investment of $5,000 to $15,000. This gives an owner a share in the horse and it covers all monthly costs through a full year. So write a check for the initial investment and you don’t have another cost for at least 12 months.

On occasion we’ve put a package together for St. Bonaventure University graduates or friends of the university who want to be involved. In this case we commit 10% of the horse winnings to the Bonaventure Athletic Fund and we usually name the horse around a university theme. We have had horses named Saint Bonaventure, Bonaventure Dreams, Merton’s Heart and our newest - It’s the Big Cat. It’s the Big Cat is named after the university’s greatest basketball star and NBA all-star Bob Lanier. He was known as The Big Cat when he played basketball for SBU and later the Detroit Pistons.

It’s the Big Cat will race at Saratoga this summer. He is a 2 year-old NY bred.

SpaceMan: Do you remember your first win and can you describe your emotions and what it meant to BVS?
BVS: Sure. Bona Venture Stables has always had several types of horse ownerships. We have LLC partnerships with a group of owners. We also have a few horses that are 50/50 partnerships, usually one or two owners and me. And there are a few just owned by my family. As partners we had Princessinwaiting but my family’s first horse was Striking Flames. We bought this horse at the 2002 fall Keeneland sale. She ran for the first time in the summer of 2003 and broke her maiden at Delaware Park. My daughter Claire, her friend Meryl Dann and I were present for Bona Venture Stables’ first win!

This was really very exciting. Standing in the winners circle and knowing that we had a runner. It was great! My daughter was smiling from ear to ear. After all Striking Flames was named after her soccer team – The Flames and her position on the field – striker.

SpaceMan: What is the biggest win to date for the Stable?
BVS: This is hard to say. We haven’t won a stakes race yet but our most successful horse, Undeniable Queen ran third in the NATC Futurity back in 2004 when the race was being held at Delaware Park. As the small field of 8 turned for home we thought we had a winner but our young jockey, actually a kid riding at Philadelphia Park, was really schooled by NY jockey Aaron Gryder. Unfortunately we went a bit wide on the turn and Gryder slid along the rail and pushed us further out. We lost ground and just missed 2nd. Gryder’s horse won by about 10 lengths that day.

Undeniable Queen had the most potential of any of our horses. She finished in the money in 5 of 6 races as a 2 year-old but early in her 3 year-old season she took a bad step in her only turf races and wrenched her ankle. She was never the same after that.

SpaceMan: How many horses do you currently have in training? Any broodmares or just race horses?
BVS: Bona Venture Stables has three horses currently in training in New York. A 4 year-old, Prince Dubai; a 3 year-old, Pink Freud; and our newest 2 year-old, It’s the Big Cat. We have one at Finger Lakes named Doctor Problum and we are down to only 1 horse at Delaware Park this summer – Song of Alydar. We started the season with 7 at Delaware but injuries and a rash of claiming has depleted our racing team at the moment. We also have a NY bred 2 year-old by Desert Warrior, Cowboyonthewarpath. He is at a Florida training farm. We plan to have him ready to race as a 3 year-old next winter at Tampa Bay Downs. If he is competitive we’ll shift to Belmont and Saratoga for the spring and summer meet with him.

We had two broodmares but we just retired one and the other died from colic while carrying a foal. That was very sad. She was a favorite of the team. We do have two yearlings on the farm- an absolutely gorgeous athletic-looking NY bred colt by Hook and Ladder and a Florida bred by Wekiva Springs. Both of these yearlings are from mares that once raced for Bona Venture Stables.

We do plan to have another mare or two become broodmares for us. We want to specialize in NY breds and race on the NYRA circuit as much as possible.

We haven’t made definite plans yet, but our early plan is to put several partnerships together this fall and early winter with the intent on purchasing 2 or 3 high-value NY breds at the winter sales for racing in the spring of 2010.

SpaceMan: What trainers does your stable utilize and what do you look for in a trainer?
BVS: At the moment we engage 3 trainers. Pete Wasiluk has been with us since the beginning. He trains at Tampa Bay Downs in the winter and Delaware Park in the summer. We also use Leah Gyarmati for our NY breds on the NYRA circuit. Leah is permanently stabled at Belmont Park and shifts a part of her stable to Saratoga in the summer. We also use Jeremiah Englehart at Finger Lakes Race Track.

We are a small stable and many of our investors/owners like to be very involved in the horses. So we look for trainers who are also hands-on and who don’t mind dealing with large ownership groups and answering basic questions about racing, horse training and so forth. For example, Leah works many of her own horses in the morning. Pete’s operation is family based. He rubs down the horses and can be found in the stalls at all hours. His wife is the stable pony rider. Jeremiah is a young, upcoming training at Finger Lakes who also is very involved in each horse.

Additionally we look for a trainer who has a relatively concentrated stable. We like being on a first name basis with the trainer and assistant trainer. We want to know that they are very familiar with our horses and know each horse well. We don’t want to be a number lost in a large stable.

SpaceMan: Who is the current superstar(s) of the stable right now and what’s next for him/her?
BVS: We don’t really have a superstar at the moment. But we are very excited about our newest 2 year-old, It’s the Big Cat. He is a big, strong colt by Kitten’s Joy. He is bred for the turf and he’s turned a few heads in his early training at Belmont Park. He seems to glide over the turf course in training. We originally planned to debut him in July at Belmont but it is now likely we’ll save his first race until the Saratoga meet.

Thanks Dan for spending the time to get to know ya! You can follow Bona Venture Stables on Twitter or check in at their website for more info.

Holiday Blather

Some say he was the worst Derby favorite in recent memory in 2006. The former Illinois Derby winner is entered in tomorrow's Wadsworth Memorial Handicap down the thruway in Canandaigua at Finger Lakes Race Track. Sweetnorthernsaint, becomes the second Derby entrant in the last three years to run at the track located in wine country in western New York, was made the 5-2 morning line favorite in tomorrow's $65K race. Funny Cide ran his career finale there on the 4th of July in 2007. It's still a track that I haven't been to yet, literally less than 75 miles away, but it's in the works for later this summer.

Another local bit of good news (for those who haven't obtained their passports or enhanced licenses and are devoid of an ADW account) for western New Yorkers is that the WROTB will start handling bets on Fort Erie, just in time for the prestigious Prince of Wales Stakes set for next weekend. I was in the Ridge Lea location yesterday to enter a weekly free contest on the Belmont card (picked 3 of 8 winners, 2 seconds killed me, didn't qualify) that they move around the different branches around the metro Buffalo area. Lockport Transit location's contest next Wednesday is on the radar where I'll be accompanied by my handicapping pal G squared.

Speaking of contests, still hanging in the Monmouth Survival at the Shore, currently sitting in 140th with $501.60, with 495 active players remaining. I wasn't aware of the grant of an additional life preserver, until reading it at Red Rock or Bust, so that was a bonus as I was flying naked. The contest is a brilliant marketing tool, as I have downloaded the PP's daily, I am starting to know the jockey colony and I make a daily play on a track that I normally wouldn't play in favor of the NYRA tracks.

Off to see the much ballyhooed movie, The Hangover....

Big Idea 2.0 (Giant Dork Version)

So my embattled post on the World Series of Horse Racing generated some good conversation (and some bad conversation - first registered F-bomb comment - holla) and being the giant dork that I am, agreed that there were some obvious flaws in my post, but hey I'm just a dreamer....so here are some follow up thoughts on some of the concerns and comments:

1) Maybe Christmas Day would be better....2 months after the Breeders Cup....remember folks I was just saying it was a made-for-TV exhibition to promote racing to the mainstream. (JB had a thought, that the big BC race should be moved to T'giving or Xmas...not bad). This would satisfy a lot of commenters worried about running back in 3-4 weeks. In between the two big NBA games on ABC/ESPN instead of Thanksgiving Day halftime??

2) Rename it the Grand Slam of Racing. The three classic winners and the BC Classic winner get auto-invites...real grand slam, fill the other 10 slots based on standings....hmmm....takes care of the ugly American shot by calling it "World Series" and keep it to ourselves (sticking tongue out). Or if to be politically correct invite the Canadian, Japanese, and British TC champs and really make it an international spectacle. (Apologies in advance if I missed your country and you have a triple crown). Ironically I labeled my word document Grand Slam, but used World Series because of the golf reference, but I digress.

3) Big Purse - wretch some of the dough out of the NTRA or Jockey Club coffers (waiting for those 2008 Form 990's to be filed, with bated breath...especially the salary and investments info!) and who wouldn't want to sell some advertising for the Big Event - the King of Beers for the Sport of Kings....has a nice ring to it...OK....I promise I'll let it go...but sometimes you have to dream....

More dorkdom. This is how my wacky mind thinks sometimes. Was thinking about Calvin Borel and his agent based on recent developments. Calvin Borel's initals are CB. Started thinking about CB's and what the hell happened to them and if truck drivers still use them. Started thinking that the CB radio was the twitter of the 70s ("the CB allowed people to get to know one another in a quasi-anonymous manner"). Looked up CB's on Wiki, saw that the 11 year sunspot cycle has affected them. Read that there was an overabundance "of users jamming onto frequencies during the mid-to-late 1970s and early 1980s, channels often were intolerably noisy and communication became difficult." Looked up 11 year sunspot cycle. Decided I was definitely in dork territory. Must be the squirrels again. Decided to stick to horse racing.

Have a great holiday weekend, will be checking in from all points Western and Central New York.

World Series of Horse Racing?

While checking out some of John Daly’s funky golf pants the other day, I started thinking about the Skins Game, a made-for-TV golf event, usually held around Thanksgiving which would bring together that year’s hottest names in golf. This led me to thinking about what kind of made for TV event could bring horse racing back into the mainstream again after the Triple Crown Season is put to rest. Also, in my thought process was how can we get Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra into the same race. Golf used to put together its four major winners into the World Series of Golf match that was a made-for-TV event, which is now the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. This got the gears (squirrels) spinning in my head even further. Using Ernie Munick’s idea of a race during halftime of the Thanksgiving Day Lions game, which would be the perfect time to produce my dream event called the World Series of Horse Racing, which could be held during the fall meet at Churchill Downs. Can you think of a better time slot for promoting horse racing to the masses?

Here’s how a horse would qualify:
1) Must win a Grade I over 8.5 furlongs
2) Must be at least 3 years old
3) Field limited to top 14 qualifiers based on set criteria (i.e, standings, earnings)

Based on the above criteria, here is the list of the top 20 horses through June 30th that would qualify for the WS of Horse Racing event if we used the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Standings based on a point system for graded wins:


That’s a pretty impressive list of horses vying for the national championship of racing. You’ve got the Classic winners, you’ve got the Dubai Cup winner, you’ve got Zenyatta, in addition to quality 3 year olds like I Want Revenge, Quality Road and Pioneerof the Nile and quality older horses like Einstein and Macho Again. Talk about a monster race that would generate some unbelievable chatter, not only in horse racing land, but in the main stream.

Of course there are a slew of other issues to work out like weight assignments, purse money, distance (1 3/16ths?) television rights, my vig (thought I’d slip that one in there), how it affects the Breeders Cup (too close?), etc. Of course, Wayne Lukas will probably put this out there next year as his idea anyway.

Could it work?

Halfway There....Mid Year Bests and Worsts

As we approach the midpoint of 2009 this week, I thought I'd list MY five best and worst moments in horse racing so far this year. It was fun to look back at my 2008 midpoint list and how much has changed since then. I put them in order of impact for me....let me know if you think I missed the boat on any and list any you can think of that would top these!

Best Moments in Racing - midpoint 2009

1 - Jess Jackson purchases Rachel Alexandra, spurs Filly Fever
When Jess Jackson bought Rachel Alexandra after her Kentucky Oaks romp around the Churchill oval, racing history was about to be made. Becoming the first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years places her in the record books. Any filly that can draw 13K+ at Belmont Park on a non-Belmont Stakes day must be special. She's starting to be mentioned in some circles in the same breath with horses like Secretariat and Seattle Slew. The only question that remains is how legendary will she become.

2 - Longshot Mine That Bird wins Kentucky Derby at 50-1
Talk about your David and Goliath scenario. MTB slew the monsters on Derby Day and some folks cashed some huge tickets. The little gelding and his now infamous rider captured a nation and was water cooler talk for more than a week, grabbing the first Sports Illustrated cover for horse racing in many years.

3 - Churchill Downs turns on the lights
In a brilliant marketing move, Churchill Downs erects temporary lighting for Friday night races to reenergize horse racing in the racing temple. Back to back Friday nights draws over 28K for the opening night and just less than that last week. After working out the kinks, things look bright for night racing in Louisville, introducing a younger more enthusiastic crowd. Hopefully some of them stick and becoming racing fans for the long run.

4 - Reality television meets horse racing
Back in February on Animal Planet, the new reality show Jockeys was aired for the first time. Featuring the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita leading up to the Breeders Cup championships last October, the SoCal jockey colony was front and center. Joe Talamo, Mike Smith, Chantal Sutherland and Aaron Gryder were right in your living room discussing what it's like in one of the most dangerous professions around. The series was renewed and will be back for another season.

5 - Social networking infiltrates the racing world
Boosting marketing efforts through such social networking as twitter, facebook and various web marketing ploys, horse racing is now inundated with information. Want the latest scratches - check; want to know a bridgejumping opportunity - check; need a paddock report - check; meetup spot for groups going to the track - check. Wanna know which jockeys have been out all night and maybe you shouldn't bet them the next day - check. The site that has really integrated its membership with meetups, contests, etc. is Ernie Munick's Thoroughbred Racing in New York (TRNY) facebook group.

Honorable mention: Thrilling Belmont Stakes win by Summer Bird, I Want Revenge's unbelievable comeback in the Wood, Fabulous Strike's incredible time in the True North holding off late surging Benny the Bull; Plate Trial and Queen's Plate Stakes double by Eye of the Leopard (Canadian edition only), Zenyatta dominates SoCal racing.

Worst moments in horse racing - midpoint 2009

1 - Rene Douglas' tragic spill at Arlington Park
Douglas suffered serious injury riding in the Arlington Matron aboard Born to Be, who was euthanized after the fall. Jockey Jamie Theriot was suspended 30 days for causing the accident. Theriot riding inside of Douglas, forced his way out, jostling with Douglas’ mount, and resulting in Born to Be clipping heels, throwing Douglas to the ground, and then rolling onto the fallen jockey and causing severe damage to his spine.

2 - The Paragallo travesty
Ernie Paragallo faces 22 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty following the highly publicized April 8 raid of his Center Brook Farm in upstate New York. Authorities seized 177 starving, neglected Thoroughbreds. Three horses had to be euthanized. We were fortunate enough to see one of his saved thoroughbreds arrive at Old Friends while we were there in April.

3 - Magna Entertainment files Chapter 11
In March, Magna filed voluntary petitions for reliefunder Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. This put many of the tracks owned by Magna into an aura of uncertainty. Magna owns tracks in Maryland (Pimlico and Laurel), Florida (Gulfstream) and California (Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields) to name a few.

4 - Injuries plague three major Derby hopefuls
The Pamplemousse, Quality Road and I Want Revenge left the road to Louisville before the call to post for Derby 135. All three were major players on their respective prep circuits and would have made this an even better Derby had they made it to the gate. IWR was a Derby morning scratch by his connections, leaving the field at 19 for the Run for the Roses.

5 - Trainer Mullins caught with syringe in Aqueduct detention barn
Jeff Mullins was observed attempting to administer an over-the-counter product called Air Power to Gato Go Win in the security barn. He had also apparently taken a syringe into the security barn. He was suspended two weeks for his actions by the New York State Racing & Wagering Board.

Honorable Mention: The Kentucky Slots issue, Turf writers near extinction, Past posting issues continue to plague tracks

Well, we're halfway there and Del Mar and Saratoga are about to heat up....

Easy as 1-2-3

a buh-buh buh buh-buh.

You start feeling old when those you followed as a child die at such an early age. I like to remember him more as the cartoon character I watched as a young boy and the megastar we danced to while clubbin' during our high school and early college days, rather than the freak show he became. It's ironic, he pretty much started and finished his life as a cartoon character. I sure loved his music though. Back to the matter at hand....racing.

I only wish the horse racing game was easy as 1-2-3. I'm in a bit of a slump since the Belmont and trying to avoid falling into bad habits and staying with my handicap. We all go through it, just wish it would end soon...haha. Ironically as I type this I sit alive through 3 legs of the guaranteed $100K Pick 4 at Churchill tonight (fingers crossed) and am alive in the Monmouth Survival at the Shore contest with my life preserver and sitting in 123rd place (go figure).

La Chica Rica returns tomorrow night at Charles Town after a bit of a layoff. She was entered into two turf races hoping they would go off the turf but to no avail. She will go 4 1/2 furlongs in Race 7 for Western New York's Bella Cavello Stables in a $36K allowance. The main competition looks to be Coronado's Strike and Hesogoodwithmoney. Interestingly, Chica's normal rider Deshawn Parker is aboard CS for the race. Not sure what to make of that. The real hunch play on the race is Bettin on MJ for obvious reasons!

Speaking of Charles Town, I watched Big Drama's huge win last Saturday night in the Red Legend Stakes and if you read this blog, you'll know I've been a big fan of Drama's since his Jackpot win in January at Delta Downs. He had a horrible trip, but still finished strong in the Preakness, but it looks like he could be a force in shorter races. I think the King's Bishop would be a great spot for him to point to next (and would love to see him on Travers Day). Should he go that route, then the BC Dirt Mile or Sprint would make sense to complete his campaign.

OK...time to watch that final leg...go An Heir of Magic. [Update: Heir got hooked in a speed duel and faded in stretch...the slump continues...ugh]