It’s been a long while, getting from far to here. Here being the Minnesota back stretch of course. Since my last visit, many things have changed but yet everything is still very familiar. You see this is my home away from home, this Minnesota Downs. I try and come through here whenever I can. However, recently I have been kept away much to much. Since my last entry I started training as an apprentice jockey in Iowa (3765 C V D’Onofrio). Although I have notched my first win, it has not been a very active year thus far only procurring 17 mounts thus far. Even management of my own Chuckrock Conglomerate has avoided using me.<\/p>\n
I figured I had some time to stop in at Minnesota in route back to corporate headquarters in New York. I have to get back in time to watch 6th Running of The DR. REUBEN GARR MEMORIAL in New York in a few weeks. The event is hosted by fellow resident richgins and ranks amongst my favorite races every year. It is being run in week 3924 as I notice the advertising posted all around the clubhouse. Unusual for us to be advertising for another track, yes, but I know it means a lot to richgins. I never have anything good enough to actually compete there, and this year i may not even have an entry. I’ll be watching anyway. Fabman may enter the Horse of The Year, Basketball Jones, I hear.<\/p>\n
Looking at the race card for this week, I notice a disturbing trend has continued. It seems that with the new carding system, Minnesota will be without a 10th race feature again. This is the second time in two weeks. I guess this is good for the health of the entire racing industry, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’ll have to look into replacing the 10th Race Feature contest that the residency holds with something else. The highlight of this week’s card is the Came Home Sire Series race #6. I have one entered to compete there. SIRE SERII(JPN) out of Came Home – shockingly enough, has been absolutely abysmal thus far. She hasn’t even earned one dollar yet in this contest. I’d like to think with the Gulch line being represented in he pedigree, she might like the route distance on turf (10 furlongs) that this race is, but I know better than that. I have seen her train and she simply isn’t in the same class as some of her competition. I make a mental note to go check out some of that competition later today, but at the moment I better head inside and take care of any paper work that has piled up since my last visit.<\/p>\n
As expected, my mailbox is overflowing. There is no way I will be able to go through and respond to all of this stuff, I think. I look at what is on top of the stack and it is a new resident application. TVracing is our newest resident, and I had approved his status weeks ago. Why his application is just getting to me now, I have no idea. We run a very efficient club over here apparently. It seems for every resident we gain we lose two others though. Maybe I just miss those that have left so I notice them more, who knows.<\/p>\n
I head over to my personal booth at the pub. After I became resident manager I moved all of the corporate mailboxes into the pub, for no particular reason :). As I flipped through the rest of the mail I cam across a postcard picture of MINI HOUSE BAND(JPN) which was autographed by twaits001. Of course this was twaits little way of rubbing it in that his colt was destroying the competition in the Sire Series, winning 4 out 5 thus far..and mind uhm…wasn’t. Apparently the Dixieland Band x Broad Brush back end of the Came Home pedigree worked well and Mine House Band would clearly be the horse to beat throughout the last 7 races. Of course he had won two on each surface already and in both sprints and classic distances. He did come up short last race at this week’s distance on the dirt. Short, in this case was still better than 11 other horses. I might place some money on Mini House Band this week to recapture his place in the winner’s circle.<\/p>\n
Also, being race 15 on the card it means that the race is a part of the weekly pick four that Dundey holds. I believe the pot was up over 1,400 credits so I will have to really study the card and pick some winners. Becoming distracted with my visions of using 1,400 credits for breeding with some Tabasco Cat mares, I threw the rest of the pile of paperwork into my briefcase and headed out to the barns. At this point most of the residents should have this week’s entries local. Maybe I can try and see if any other Came Home’s had a chance at the upset.<\/p>\n
Looking at the card, I decided that Whirlaway’s AWA HOME(JPN) was way to well bred to be doing as badly as my entry, so I wanted to see what the story was. In the stable marked bewitch Awa Home, a beautiful brown mare, was munching on some carrots. She had only raced in 4 of the previous 5 races, skipping one of the dirt races. She should be in better condition than most of the card I thought, fresher perhaps. She hasn’t finished better than 10th though and it is hard to believe she suddenly would wake up for Whirlaway. She does have a nice War Chant x Seattle Slew backend pedigree, so if nothing else she may make a nice mare someday. I don’t really give her a chance this week though.<\/p>\n
Looking at my card again I noticed that CAME AND GONE(JPN) , teejay’s pride and joy had improved significantly last time out, even though he failed to pick up a check coming in 6th. The Testa Rossa x Ballydoyle backend certainly screamed to me turf, making me think that this just might be cause to think Came and Gone had a chance to upset here. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit the standings board finally anyway. This would be Came and Gone’s 4th race having sat out the sprints that started the contest, and he might be just rounding into form. Definitely dangerous coming out of that bentley barn, i thought.<\/p>\n
I sat down on the bench nearest Teejay’s section of the stable grounds, just to watch some of his horses train. I opened up my briefcase and pulled out a couple of more envelopes. The big manila envelope was my research into the past greats that have inhabited these grounds. I’ve been spearheading the newest addition, as yet unannounced (BTB is getting a scoop here, in other words), Minnesota Hall of Fame. I’ve had to go through the archives and locate information about the history of the residency so that I could pick five worthy candidates as the initial class. I was lucky that Theo had kept such good records and had most of it online for me to peruse at my leisure. This envelope was some printouts I had ordered from the local library about some of the very early runners, from the days before I even joined the residency. There was a nice article on Manilla Mint, the first ever Minnesota Derby winner. I had selected him to lead the class, believing that without the success of that first Minnesota Festival the residency’s most important yearly event would not have become what it is today.<\/p>\n
But I digress. It was time to move to the next entry on my race card. That was of course CAME TO WIN(JPN) in Team Doza’s Racing Stables. Came to Win has been no worse than 4th in all 5 races thus far, and was certainly a threat on any given day. I think she likes the turf slightly better than the dirt,so if she was going to pick off Mini House Band this might be the race. She came in 3rd at the distance last out so that shouldn’t be an issue. She has Giant’s Causeway x Nureyev in her pedigree…very classy indeed. In a field this big her odds will be decent and certainly worth being on the back end of any exotics. I think my biggest knock on her is that she hasn’t found a way to win against these same horses yet. I’ll be able to say that about all but two though, so if i want to find a new winner there is no better place to start.<\/p>\n
That other winner was of course MONRATHOME(JPN) . By the name she is obviously one of darnath’s. Although she won last time at this distance and currently has made 31k in the contest, it is easy to dismiss her here. Last race really cam out of no where. She finished 10th in both turf races she competed in and was 17 lengths back in the other dirt race. The Monsun x Kris S. backend pedigree suggests she should like long races but also suggests that she will prefer dirt. Alas, I don’t need to go visit her as I have convinced myself that she won’t be a factor here today.<\/p>\n
A horse that most likely will be a factor is HOME SCHOOLED(JPN) in Brando’s italst4 barn. The Came Home x Rahy x Royal Academy colt has been a factor in both of the other turf races, so this one shouldn’t be any different. Especially since he didn’t show any decline at the distance last time out,coming in 5th. He’s been at double digit odds in all four races he’s competed in, and if he is again I will likely place some buckage on him. Home Schooled really needs a win here though in order to compete in the Sire Series contest. In fact as a group, everyone must hope that Mini House Band has been taken down for good the rest of the way. I think Home Schooled will show up big here this week.<\/p>\n
As I head over to Marmac country to check out WAHNFRIED(JPN) I pulled out another envelope from my briefcase. AH, some emails about an upcoming Residency Challenge. With the Firecracker Challenge having been canceled this week, I had reached out to the Ohio Thoroughbred Racing association to see what Mr. Lucky thought about a little friendly neighborly competition. So far he had been receptive but the planning was in the very basic stages still, so I don’t want to give out too much information. Anyway, Wahnfried certainly looks ready to go this week. He has done better in the dirt races thus far, placing in all three. He ran well last out at the distance losing to Monrathome by 1 3\/4 lengths. With 40k in earnings and a pedigree of Nureyev x Deputy Minister, Marmac certainly has an outside shot of stealing the contest out from under twaits. A win here would be big, but Wahnfried hasn’t shown me enough on the grass to make me think this week would be his week to break through.<\/p>\n
TOWNHOME(JPN) a part of fredsfarm, literally, has looked best thus far in the 8 furlong turf race, where she finished 5th about 7 lengths back. If she moves forward at all here, she will certainly be in play. I think I will include her in my trifecta bets. You have to love the Carson City part of the pedigree, but as my lousy entry proved the Gulch part might not be best. Jrodneyg owned this contest last year though, so I don’t blame him for going back to the well (last year’s Sire Series used Gulch as the sire,fyi). It would be a little surprising to see Townhome win this race, but she should pay a pretty penny if she did. I might just throw a couple of pennies on her just in case.<\/p>\n
Cothill has a very sweet entry that I enjoy visiting. SWEET HOME COTC(JPN) hasn’t exactly raced well in the contest thus far, earning only 1k way back in the first race. He’s another one, though, that has a very nice pedigree with Pine Bluff x King of Kings. When you hang around Minnesota you learn not to discount anything that cothill send to the track. I’d give Sweet Home Cotc an outside shot here to move forward with the increase in distance. I’m not sure I would bet on this brown colt necessarily but I think as the contest gets into its later stages, Sweet Home Cotc probably has an upset in him somewhere.<\/p>\n
I’ll be honest, I know next to nothing about CK CANNED HEAT(JPN) from teamck’s barn. I look at his chart and I notice that he skipped the 8 furlong on turf, the race that I am looking to most to find out what to expect here. He has earned 6.5k in the contest thus far, so not recognizing him is simply my own stupidity. Too much time in the sun riding horses in Puerto Rico (3429 C Donofrio). The Cape Canaveral x A.P. Indy suggests to me that he’ll do better in the dirt races, but what do I know (not much is the correct answer here.) He was well back last race and I can see whereas he won’t like the distance this week either.<\/p>\n
I’m not seeing HOME TOWN KID(JPN) from bluehorse’s decker stable entered yet, but there is still some time left today before entries close. This race seems tailor made for the Lemon Drop Kid x Irish River in his pedigree. I know most of my Lemon Drops like the turf distance…but mine just might be oddities. Home Town Kid hasn’t earned anything yet, and seems to be in the same boat as my Sire Serii. I didn’t like the way Home Town Kid faded in the 8 furlong turf race, and maybe bluehorse has decided to keep him in shorter events. I don’t think this is the race he makes his mark in if she does decide to enter.<\/p>\n
Citation’s WELCOME BACK(JPN) was sold for $1 last week, which is exactly $1 more than he has earned on the track. This of course makes him ineligible to participate in this contest and this race. I wonder if anyone would pay anything for Sire Serii.<\/p>\n
Dundey’s CAME FROM STORMY(JPN) has also been disqualified since the last race, since she ran in a maiden claimer outside of the contest’s races. She earned $100 in that Nebraska race for Dundey and has now earned $100 in total.<\/p>\n
So I think that about wraps it up. Oh wait, I remind myself, cmd probably has an entry in here somewhere. I’m surprised to see that INSURANCE POLICY(JPN) has actually run in the last three races. I had thought that it was cmd’s plan to breed a new entry for each race until he stumbled upon a winner. This one with Arazi x Lyphard’s Ridge doesn’t seem to be that winner. In three races the best he has finished is 7th. Last race he even finished directly behind Sire Serii… and that can’t be good. I won’t bother scouting this one out since I really don’t see anything positive in his form. The best thing Insurance Policy has going for him might just be his trainer,but don’t tell cmd that I said that.<\/p>\n
Well that wraps up my coverage of the race. I have to head back to the pub to do my,uhm, research. Feel free to come by and visit me and the rest of the gang in Minnesota at http:\/\/home.comcast.net\/~mndowns\/. Happy Racing.<\/p>\n
–chuckrock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cam Home comes home again<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7385\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}