Diary of the Trooper – Part One

History says the Trooper7 Stable started operating on Saturday, week 229.

I’m thinking March of 1999.

I was addicted.

Immediate and subtle it was.

My best ever horse was a lucky draw.  I searched for what I knew.  I knew the sires as I had read the Bloodhorse and the Washington Thoroughbred.  I’ve known horse racing all my life. I just know about horse racing!

So.  Foolish me.

I chose sires from Washington with broodmares from well known lines. At the time, in 1999, Staff Writer rulled all th sire lists.  So I searched for all the Staff Writers.

And the Son Of Briartic’s.

And the Knight’s Choice’s

And his son, Tough Knight.

I looked for Trooper Seven and got 2 of them.

I got Writer Orange. A son of Java Gold X Staff Writer X No Excuses. Trooper 7 Stables was good right away. I didn’t do well when my first horses ran, but I remember Writer Orange going fastest of all, to finish 3rd at the end of his first race, a 6.5F MSW in Washington,

Of my other 4 horses, only Ralph’s Spaces, amounted to much. He earned less than a 100K.

Writer Orange broke his maiden in his 3rd start.  At 1 mile, he was an easy winner.

And I was hooked and addicted. This thing was pretty real for me. I got to train horses, manage jockeys and bet. It’s was just so cool.

Writer Orange won a Grade 3 stakes race in his 5th start at, of all things, a mile and 5 eights. Goofy distance, but he could run forever. So I started him in a Grade 1 in New York at a mile.  He came in 3rd to Mississippi {something or another}.

He could run with the big boys!

Yeah – Well, Writer Orange middled around.  He was a hard tryer, he was a classic money burner, if one was a betting man  He seemed to always cash a check but he just wouldn’t win.  He always seemed to run out of real estate. 

God, I loved him.

I kept him with good company at the races. I kept trying the big boys. Well, he showed me he could be there, goddamnit.

And in late summer, he won 2 Grade 1’s.