The Challenge-Week 17

Week 17 was not the best of weeks nor was it the worse of weeks.   Four runners raced this week and the stable had some nice outcomes and some not so nice.   There will be a few changes coming to the stable this week.    Last Week, GENERAL’S STAR was sent to the auction and ended up with the CPU as there were no bidders desiring of his services.  Now on to this weeks results!

Front running LANDALUCE made his second start for the stable this week and I pressed him a bit by moving him to 8.5 furlongs in a starter allowance race.   He flew out to a quick lead and had a comfy 2+ length lead at the half.  He held the lead into the stretch and was caught by the two horses running directly behind him.  Still earned a third and notched his career best speed of 108 in the race.   Shipping costs diminished the return to only 5 BP’s but the larger 11 field earned two sire cards where a F and G card were flipped.

POUR ME ONE LIAM also made his second start and this was in a mile starter allowance.    He took favorable positioning in third in the early stages of the race and looked to be in a really good spot.  But looks quickly changed in the second half of the race as he did not respond to the jockey and dropped some 8 strides off the winner to finish 6th.   I’m going to send this one to the auction as his performance has been poor and he hasn’t had a top 3-finish since last September.  In his wake I am left with a G-card.

Making his third start for the stable, and second after being re-acquired from the auction after being claimed away from the stable, TALE OF SIX CROWNS took to a 7-furlong starter allowance race and I was able to keep him in Colorado which helps to inflate any potential BP’s earned.   Tale got into a speed dual on the lead involving five horses.  By the time  this flock hit the half way point, they were all within one length of each other.  Tale was about 3/4-length off the leader at the mid-way point and inched his way to the front and took the lead in the stretch run.  Coming down to the wire a late closer was firing hard and Tale lost by a nose on the line.    A very solid effort that brought 2 sire cards with the large field which flipped as a F and G card.  20 BP’s were also gained.

TRIP TO PLUTO wrapped up the week as I moved him from the grass to the turf to compete in a 5.5 furlong sprint in a starter allowance.   He pretty much ran mid-field throughout the race and concluded the race in fifth, never being much of a threat.  Only 2 BP’s and a G-card were the profit from the race.  Pluto ran an 87 speed in the race which matched his only other race he ran for the stable.   He can run in the 90’s and even 100’s so the speeds have been a bit lower than his capability.   I’ve been thinking of parking him at the farm for a rest but I’ve changed my mind on that and will be auctioning him.  He’s 6 years old, so he is aging but still can produce.   He now has 41 starts (the most of any horse in the stable) and that may be taking a toll on him and perhaps I should have noted that prior to adding him to the stable.

Taking the place of Trip To Pluto and Pour Me One Liam with be THE TOILET STORE and BLOODY SATURDAY.   The Toilet Store has been an underachiever and I may try him out on the turf, a surface he has not tried yet.   Bloody Saturday was acquired a while back and was scratched from a race so that I could enter a horse that was bred using sire cards.  Bloody had to be sent to the farm to make room for the new bred horse to race, which resulted in a 6-week required layoff.  He’s training and will be making his 2018 debut in a few weeks.

The stable now has 427 BP’s with the 27 earned this week.   Sire cards picked up this week included 2-F and 4-G.  This moves the totals to 1-E, 3-F and 8-G cards.  I’ve traded in a handful of G-cards which moves the F count to 4 and G count down to 3.