{"id":8821,"date":"2011-01-13T21:50:45","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T21:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=8821"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"oldbtb_99","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/?p=8821","title":{"rendered":"Donnybeisbol and the Quest for Relevance: Chapter 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome once again to another installment of simulated schaudenfreude, also known as my personal quest to win a Grade 1 stakes or risk permanent self-imposed SIM banishment.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The source of the entertainment value of this spectacle clearly depends on your point of view (It\u2019s educational\u2026It\u2019s uplifting!<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>No\u2026 it\u2019s pathetic!) but I hope to make it useful for anyone who stumbles across these articles.<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.wordnik.com\/words\/schadenfreude<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

\n
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In Chapter 1, we introduced you to my SIM history and chronicled my overall Grade 1 futility despite other successful outcomes.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.blacktypebugler.com\/default.asp?artid=9755<\/span><\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

This week, I\u2019d like to take a look at the runners who have been performing well and are plausible candidates to \u201ctake me down to the Paradise City\u201d of SIMULATED SPORTS excellence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Of course, there have been a number of blunders along the way\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

First and foremost in my mind is the 5yo horse\u00a0DON\u2019T DROP A DEUCE(KY)<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>When shelling out a boatload of BP\u2019s to breed Giant\u2019s Causeway to my \u201cGrade C\u201d Red Ransom mare RED ROCK LASS(KY)<\/b>, the old adage that came to mind was \u201cbreed the best to the best, and hope for the best\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Of course with this being a beisbol horse, I imagined the gene pool glass as half-empty and thought \u201cI\u2019m going to be really distraught if the resultant foal is a simulated piece of crap\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Couple this with the lyric \u201cDon\u2019t turn around\u201d from the chorus of the After the Fire version of Falco\u2019s \u201cDer Kommissar\u201d\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span>http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Guvo7gUdUnE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026 which I found myself singing earlier that day during a frantic scramble for the nearest restroom, and you have the inspiration for the name of my \u201cbest horse\u201d.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=102979<\/span><\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

As you can see, he\u2019s fast.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>And as the famous simster Iant stated on the message board, I haven\u2019t actually raced him in a Grade 1 yet, which is a significant factor in him not winning any Grade 1 races.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Thank-you, Captain Obvious.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

There is a reason for that, beyond your first impulse which may be to say \u201cDonny is a moron\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>We\u2019re not going to debate that issue at the moment.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

What happened is\u2026 DDAD was a late foal, as I retired RED ROCK LASS in the middle of her 6yo campaign.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Because I knew I could quickly turn around and breed her again, I chose the option of a 3yo foal for her first time in the shed \u2013 which also brings a little price relief when breeding to an active mare.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Giant\u2019s Causeway seemed like a logical choice, both for the injection of a Northern Dancer grass influence into the pedigree, and (here\u2019s that pessimism again) a sire who is a top Dam Sire in case the foal is a flop on the racetrack.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

DDAD showed speed and talent right away, winning or running 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0as he went up in class and distance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>He didn\u2019t really exhibit a weakness until his second Graded Stakes try, where he failed to get the lead and tired badly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>He had just cranked out a 112 SP at 9 furlongs,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>so I thought that perhaps getting the lead was the issue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>With an extra 100 meters in his next race, a short field listed stake, he got the lead and opened up by 8 lengths\u2026before being caught 100 meters from the wire.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Oops.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

Being a Grade III winner at 9 furlongs, I found a similar spot at 8.5 furlongs to try\u2026 his first at that distance as he had only ran twice at 8 furlongs in allowance losses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>DDAD got the lead, ran a solid 112 SP but finished out of the money in 4th<\/sup>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>That was progress, but it sure didn\u2019t feel like it at the moment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s as if the SIM gods were telling me \u201cWow, you\u2019re\u00a0almost<\/i>\u00a0really really good.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Congratulations on achieving\u2026 nothing!\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Off to the chat room I dashed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Ok, not really \u2013 I was sitting in a desk chair eating Chili Cheese Fritos or something.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>But in the chat room, an amazing thing happened \u2013 I relayed my tales of woe (or is it, whoa!) and no one laughed at me.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, there were other people in the room at the time.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Unanimously, it was suggested that I try DDAD at a shorter distance, perhaps 1 mile.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The same one mile he had not excelled at \u2013 but that was then and this is now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>What the heck?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Why not.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>It couldn\u2019t hurt to take some advice from anonymous trainers, could it?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

and possibly this guy:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Lo and behold, in the one mile Grade II Sparkler Handicap, DDAD got the lead and held on to win with a 114 SP.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThis horse is a top-level turf miler\u201d I thought to myself without any assistance from Iant this time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m going to (cue dramatic and fateful orchestral score) win a bunch of lesser Graded races and get him eligible for the Breeder\u2019s Bowl\u201d.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The wisdom of that choice is not inherently terrible, but the execution got a little constipated, if you\u2019ll excuse the entendre.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>DDAD dropped a 115 SP in his next start, another Grade II, another victory.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I was finally ready to drop a number on a Grade 1 field, and the Breeder\u2019s Bowl mile was only 13 weeks away.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>DDAD was climbing the rankings but wasn\u2019t quite assured of a spot in the field yet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I needed some more stakes points, but I didn\u2019t want to burn him out as he had now run 3 straight races of 112 SP or more.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

It was either get the points early and try to baby him up to the race, or take it easy now and get some points in a prep race so he\u2019d be rested and sharp on the big day\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to go with the later option.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I felt that having 2 more tough races before the BB would mean 5 hard races in a row\u2026 surely he wouldn\u2019t have much left in the tank when it counted most.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I decided to rest him 8 weeks and run once before the race 5 weeks later.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Perfect.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Except that when 8 weeks came and went, DDAD wasn\u2019t sharp.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I didn\u2019t panic, he had run the 112 and the 105 without being sharp, and those were at longer distances.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Furthermore, he ended up only having 4 foes in the Grade II Walnut BB mile, presumably scaring away much of the potential competition.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The rest of the field was composed of only one former Graded Stakes Winner, a bargain-bred, a one-dimensional speed horse whom DDAD was faster than, and a former claimer who had lost three in a row and was still eligible for Allowance 3x conditions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>What could go wrong?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Exactly.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

This scenario had misfortune written all over it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>DDAD got the lead and after a half mile\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>was pulling away from the one-dimensional speed horse, who might as well have had a picture of a fork tattooed on his upper lip (this horse finished last).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Home free!\u00a0<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

But here comes misfortune.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Literally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Squirrel\u2019s former claimer, MISFORTUNE(KY)<\/b> charged like a rodent possessed, drawing off to win by 2 \u00be lengths for his first stakes victory of any kind.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>DDAD was still in second at the top of a stretch but folded like\u2026 a\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>horse who hadn\u2019t raced in 8 weeks\u2026 and finished a well-beaten 4th<\/sup>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The cruel fact that the other horses who beat him were named INEVITABILITY<\/b> and EXCELLENT DECISION<\/b> was not lost on me.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Message from SIM gods to Donny Beisbol?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

DDAD did not have enough stakes points to get into the Breeder\u2019s Bowl Mile, for which he trained Sharp, of course.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>A small consolation prize was another easy victory in the Grade III Von Bremen, a 111 SP and a\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>2 \u00be front-running victory without really breaking a sweat.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>DOOTY DA DOO(JPN)<\/b> ran a 116 SP from just off the pace in winning the Breeder\u2019s Bowl race, so I think I may have had a shot.\u00a0<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

And I don\u2019t want to say that MISFORTUNE\u2019s grand performance was a fluke, but he proceeded to run 8th<\/sup>, 10th<\/sup>, 5th<\/sup>\u00a0of 7 and 5th<\/sup>\u00a0of 5 in his following starts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Somehow I experience no schaudenfreude with the tables turned\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The Grade I King Kong Mile came up 5 weeks later, but with all the Breeder\u2019s\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Bowl stars entered and DDAD essentially racing non-stop since he was born, I decided to shelve him for the season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Another bad move, as DOOTY DA DOO did not run back to his previous effort, and a lesser-known closer named SILVER STEALTH(KY) <\/b>stole the race with a 108 SP.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>What might have been\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

On the positive side, I have a lightly raced 5yo who is very fast and is still undefeated at the Grade I level.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>He\u2019s currently ranked 36th<\/sup>\u00a0in the division, and has 10 more months to earn stakes points for the 2011 Breeder\u2019s Bowl.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ve not decided on a path for him yet \u2013 other than a nice 12-14 week break and an eventual Grade I try at a mile.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Can he overcome his greatest obstacle\u2026 his trainer?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Stay tuned.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Footnote<\/b>:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I was going to write about all the horses in my stables who are on the verge of a Grade I breakout\u2026but honestly, I could only really qualify one.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>There are several in my stables who look like they could have the talent, but I wouldn\u2019t bet afc\u2019s lunch money on them just yet.\u00a0<\/span>We\u2019ll save the analysis of those horses for Chapter 4.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Next episode<\/b>:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Shoulda, woulda, coulda:<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Horses who might have been good enough, but didn\u2019t get the job done \u2013 and other experiments gone awry.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is victory at hand? Perhaps my horse is (Knock Knock) Knockin\u2019 on Heaven\u2019s Door<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"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":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8821","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\/130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8821\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}