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 “And now, the News.”

Dec. 5, 2010

Laffin’ Place is entered to run on Friday, Dec. 10th in the sixth race, a MSW at PARX Racing.  He drew PP# 6 of ten horses.  Top apprentice rider Rosario Montanez will be up.   This looks like a tough field of maidens to me, but we think he’s fit and we’re hoping he’ll make a good showing. 

Starliner shipped to Gulfstream and arrived in good shape.  He and Laffin’ Place are the two horses in our Big Orange Racing Partnership. 

There are five days until Laffin’ Place runs, and my heart is already beating fast.  My bet is that our sixteen partners are getting excited as well.   

Laffin’ Place’s half-brother (Seven-Ten Split, a colt) and Starliner’s half-sister (So Surprised, a filly) are the two horses in our Dynamic Duo Racing Parnterhip.  Two year-olds of 2011, they are in training at Ben D Farm in Ocala, FL.  Some shares (Units) are still available.  If you’re interested and would like more information, please return to our Home Page, highlight ‘Current Offerings,’ and select Dynamic Duo.  We’d love to have you join us. 

Dec. 1, 2010

Laffin’ Place had a really good strong-gallop yesterday, going a mile in 1.43 and change over a sort of ‘heavy’ PARX Racing surface.  Joe was really happy with the performance and said LP came out of it OK.  The plan is to work him a half or 5/8ths on Saturday or Sunday (weather will decide), then just gallop him up to the race on Friday, Dec. 10th.  That is, of course, if Laffin’ Place will permit us to do so!

Re: Starliner.  Joe and I talked this morning and decided to send him to Gulfstream Park.  He leaves in the morning.  Following are the two big reasons:  One, if we can train right along, Starliner can probably be ready to run by mid-February, but that will only happen without missing any days.  Missing days is a routine part of winter racing in the northeast, and if we stayed north he might not be ready to run for yet another month or so.  And two, Joe has come around to agreeing with me that Starliner will probably want the grass, and there won’t be any of that up north until late April or May. 

A third mini-reason is that Joe intends to send a few horses to Keeneland in April, and while I believe our colts will have to earn their way onto that van, both are registered KY-breds and eligible for nice bonuses for winning allowance or stakes races in Kentucky.  Indeed, they would have to prove to be really good to compete on that stage, but for now, who knows?  The only way we’ll find out is to train ‘em every day and see where they take us.

Note: In 1991 we started five horses at the Keeneland April meeting, all partnership-owned.  They made a combined total of seven starts, all against top company in stakes or allowance races.  Our record was three firsts, one second, and three thirds.  Plume Poppy won a conditioned-allowance sprint;  Search The Shadows won and was second in top allowance company, going long on the grass and defeating future Graded Stakes winners in the process;  January Man finished third in both the Transylvania and the Forerunner stakes – long on the grass and beaten a total of three lengths for both races combined;  Unduplicated ran third on the dirt in a maiden allowance (in June at Woodbine he broke the world record for 7/8ths on the grass around one turn – 1.20.1!!!);  and Hawkestone, a two year-old colt, broke his maiden first time out. 

Not to brag (but with apologies, I think I will!), I bet there was not another stable that made seven-or-more starts at that meeting, never ran in any claining races, and never finished out of the money.  We still have the photos and the Sterling Silver Julep Cups they award at Keeneland for winning allowance or stakes races, but more importantly, we treasure the memories of watching those fine horses carrying Mom and Dad’s colors and competing successfully in that top company.   We aspire to do that again, hopefully in the near future. 

For today, Laffin’ Place said he hopes to see you in Philadelphia on Dec. 10th!

Best regards,

Paul  

Monday, Nov. 8, 2010

Ben D Farm Manager Andy Cant doesn’t believe in ‘breaking’ horses. He ‘starts’ with them.

Andy ‘started’ with our yearling fillies a week ago. Each morning he tacked them up - slipping the bit in their mouths, pulling the bridle up over their ears, and putting the saddle on their backs. And the last couple of days he’s been laying over their backs for a little bit. Thus far there have been no protests.

This morning our three fillies were to feel the weight of a rider on their backs for the very first time.

I’ve been watching yearlings being ‘broken’ for decades. ‘Starting’ is better.

This morning Andy went into each stall and put the tack on our fillies. After letting them stand quietly for a minute, starting with Miss Waterford (All Play Ladies First, LLC), Andy went back with a two-step mounting bench and worked quietly on each side of each filly, laying over her and sliding off, and repeat. After a minute of this Andy stood on the top step of the bench, slowly slid his right leg over Miss Waterford’s back, and he was in the saddle.

Miss Waterford ‘exploded’….. with a yawn. She stood quietly. Andy nudged her with the reins and she responded by turning her head as requested. He then turned her left and right in the stall a time or two, the lesson coming to an end on that high note.

This scene was repeated with Twylight Cocktails (All Play Ladies First, LLC) and So Surprised (All Play Dynamic Duo, LLC).

Our fillies never offered resistance of any kind. Not one bucked – or even lurched. All was professional and peaceful. Good habits were formed. Good horsemanship was employed - and no tranquilizers!

I compared this to what I’ve seen so many times over the years, and in so many other places. Young horses scared out of their wits as, in an effort to save time, people forced them into situations that they’ve not been properly prepared to accept. Imagine the bad habits that will have to be dealt with as a result.

This morning I witnessed a one-of-a-kind horseman working his magic. It was wonderful.

Note: The photos attached were snapped the precise second that Andy landed on the backs of our fillies.

Sleepy-time anyone?

Sunday evening, Nov. 7, 2010

A few minutes ago at the Fasig-Tipton sale in Lexington the broodmare Little Bonnet was sold for $725,000, in foal to Bluegrass Cat. Little Bonnet is the dam of Boys At Tosconova, the colt that won the G-1 Hopeful at Saratoga and ran second in yesterday’s Breeders Cup Juvenile.

Little Bonnet is a half-sister to our mare, Retroesque, and thus, Boys At Tosconova is, in human parlance, a ‘first cousin’ to Laffin’ Place (All Play Big Orange, LLC) and Seven Ten Split (All Play Dynamic Duo, LLC).

The performance of our ‘cousin,’ Boys At Tosconova, has enhanced the value of our horses a little bit. And Laffin’ Place has shown that he has some talent, as well. Should he and/or Seven Ten Split turn out to be good-to-pretty good, there’s no telling what they could be worth someday, and if that turns out to be the case the same will be true of Retroesque. This is an active racehorse family. We and our partners are excited for the possibilities.

Always remember: Every time your horse runs his value changes, and sometimes, so does the value of every other horse in the family.

Sunday morning, Nov. 7, 2010

This morning, Laffin’ Place worked a half from the gate with two other horses.

I’m told that the clockers at Monmouth are located in a spot where they can’t see the gate, and that when they’re timing a work from the gate they pick up the work from the three-quarter pole to the 3/8ths pole, then they add 12.3. They timed Laffin’ Place in 48.2, tenth best of eighty works at the distance .

Our trainer picks up the work a couple of strides out of the gate and times it to the pole, and he says his timing of gate works is more accurate than that of the clockers. He caught the trio going a half in 47.4, out 5/8ths in 1.00.4 and three-quarters in 1.16.

Laffin’ Place was a bit antsy in the gate, but they worked with him and he settled down. When they opened the gates he broke smartly, then settled into the work nicely. He is quick, but also sensible. He’ll train at the gate a bit more and soon he’ll be standing in there like a pro.

My guess is that Laffin’ Place was a bit ‘fresh.’ It was his first gate work since his race on Aug. 2 and I’m sure he was full of anticipation. He’s very aware of what’s going on, and he loves being a racehorse. At some level we’re going to have fun with this fella.

All in all, a solid step forward this morning.

Starliner is doing very well and he should be back at Monmouth in two weeks.

Have a great day.

Oct. 16, 2010 - It just keeps getting better.

This morning Andy put the tack on Seven-Ten Split

and ‘mounted up.’

The colt looked around as if he’d been doing this all his life. Note: This was the very first time anyone had ever tried to get on board!

Andy sat on the colt and Seven couldn’t have cared less. Andy asked him to turn left. He turned left. He was asked to turn right. He turned right. Andy stayed on board and continued the lessons for another five minutes, then dismounted. Seven yawned and went to eating hay.

My bet is he’ll be on the track in a week or ten dys.

On the Filly Front, our girls are looking better than ever, but their lives are about to change. To me, they seem to sense something different is about to happen, and I’d say they’re looking forward to it.

Andy says he’ll start breaking them right after the Fasig-Tipton yearling sale in Lexington, and unless I miss my guess, they’ll be as much ladies as Seven Ten Split has been a gentleman.

Since their birth, all of our yearlings have been with Andy and Susy Cant, each of whom has spent many hours ‘messing’ with the youngsters in the paddocks and stalls. This handling and gentling builds trust, so beginning on the very day that we ask our youngsters to move up a step, we have an easier task than would be the case at most other places. The results we get are directly attributable to the outstanding horsemanship that Andy and Susy Cant bring to the table. Honestly, it just doesn’t get any better.

Incidentally, Miss Waterford

and Twylight Cocktails

are officially ‘hooked’ on peppermints. It’s become an adventure in the paddock because they behave like a couple of Springer Spaniel puppies, following me around, pulling at my shirtsleeves and begging me for a treat. Problem is they are somewhat larger than your average puppy. With seven yearling fillies in the field it seems as though it could get dicey at times. But God, I love it so.

October 10, 2010 - Joe (Orseno) called to tell me that he decided to let Laffin’ Place stretch his legs a bit this morning, so he instructed the rider to ask the colt to ‘pick it up a bit’ from the eighth pole through the wire to the seven-eighths pole.

LP ‘stretched’ the quarter in 24.2, galloped out strongly an additional 3/8ths, then pulled himself up and proceeded to bounce off the track. Hmmmm.

All indications are that Laffin’ Place lost little conditioning during his time off, and he continues to relish the training.

We’re not going to rush him but we think he could be ready to run around Thanksgiving.

October 8, 2010 - I saw something today I would not have otherwise believed. However, where Andy Cant and a foal of Retroesque’s are concerned, I shouldn’t have been the least bit surprised.

Yesterday, Andy started the ‘baby lessons’ with Seven-Ten Split, putting the bit in his mouth and the bridle over his head, and putting a saddle on him. Today, Andy went into the stall, and with no one holding Seven, Andy slipped the bit in his mouth, pulled the bridle up over the colt’s head, adjusted the ears and foretop, and buckled the strap, all with no protest from Seven.

Next, and still with no one on Seven’s head, Andy put the saddle blanket on the colt, then put the saddle over the blanket and tightened the girth. Seven never flinched!

This is a tribute to Andy’s outstanding horsemanship, and it’s an indication of the intelligence that Retroesque passes on to her foals, because Sabrejet and Laffin’ Place came to hand easily, as well.

So Surprised has grown into a certified specimen. She’s a muscular yearling Thoroughbred filly with a deep heart girth and hips that exude power. I’ve seen plenty of young horses, but when it comes to pure power-potential, So Surprised is one of the five best.

Miss Waterford and Twylight Cocktails are slick as seals and they look to be fillies that will be quick, quick, quick. Our three Ladies will start their ‘schooling’ in a week or so.

Sept 20, 2010 - Flirty led to the 3/8ths pole but was unable to sustain her bid and finished sixth. She’s a very nice filly to be around, but she seems to be unable to improve her racing performance to a level that is any higher than her work performance. I guess we’ll have to find a softer spot for her.

On the good news front, I think Silver Minted joined the party Sunday morning. Joe Orseno has spent a full month trying to figure out how fit she is, and it’s been a challenge - one that’s been holding Joe back from getting her on a solid schedule and training toward a race. After this morning’s exercise I believe we may be on that schedule.

She worked a quarter in .24.2, which is markedly faster than anything she’s showed before, but she quickly ran out of gas as she galloped out. That tells us that she is now almost a quarter-mile fit, so we have a solid place from which to start. Coming off the track she was puffing like a steam engine, but she cooled out good and ate up her feed, and she was good this morning. I’m hoping we can train her to a race in late October/early November.

Our Big Orange Partners will be happy to learn that Laffin’ Place returns to Joe Orseno’s barn at Monmouth Park tomorrow morning. He’s ready to start back to work and the Orseno barn is very excited to have him back. I’m excited as well.

Starliner has settled in well and he ‘worked’ a little quarter mile Sunday morning. Joe had him on the inside in a three-horse set. He’s a bit green and indicated that at this point his preference is ‘not on the rail, please.’ During the work the rider pulled him out of there and took him around horses, a good experience for him. He got some dirt thrown in his face and he caught some horses in the process.

They went a quarter in 25 and change and galloped out a half in 51 and change. There’s nothing to be made from the time of this work because we’re still in the learning process with him, but he looked good and handled everything well - all in all, a nice first work. (He doesn’t seem to mind being in between horses, but he’s going to have to learn to handle being down on the rail.)

Starliner looks fabulous (scroll down for pic). He’s grown to 16.1 hands (perhaps 16.2) and he has more growing to do. I can assure you that you won’t find many better-looking two year-old colts.

Here’s an idea for you. Please, take a day or a weekend and go to Monmouth Park in Oceanside, NJ. They only race on Saturday and Sunday, so why not go and check in to any of the nice places nearby and enjoy some wonderful Italian restaurants. Then, spend the morning hours watching your colts train, and the afternoon hours at one of the prettiest race tracks in the US. A few days like this will bring joy to your heart.

Sept. 15, 2010 - Our Fancy Free Fillies Members are looking for an improved performance from Mirthful Flirt when she runs in the ninth race at Parx Racing on Sunday the 19th. It’s time.

Our Big Orange Members will be thrilled to learn that Laffin’ Place will return to training at Monmouth Park on Monday, Sept 20. Danny Lopez says his shins are perfectly cold, they look normal, and he’s tearing the barn down.

I spoke with Joe Orseno and asked if he thought we were a bit premature. He said he thinks we’re in good shape because LP will just be walking and jogging for a week to ten days, and we’ll go from there. Joe also pointed out that some horses get over this sooner than others, and that LP is probably one of them. I told Joe that we wanted to proceed “with all deliberate haste.”

If things go well and we don’t have a hiccup he could run by late November.

Joe reports that Starliner is coming along nicely. He’s settled in to the action at the track, much of which was new to him.

He went to the gate this morning. He walked through with the doors open, then they stood him in there next to another horse and manually ‘sprung’ the gates. The other horse galloped out of there, but our ‘green as grass’ boy had not a clue. He hesitated, then, when he saw the other horse going (and the rider urged him), he came out OK and galloped away. Joe: “The gate didn’t bother him a bit, so three more of those and he’ll be popping out of there like a champ. I like this colt.”

Joe said that Starliner looks great (scroll down to picture), he’s a quick learner, and he has beautiful manners. This is due to the care and attention given to him by Andy and Susy Cant at Ben D Farm.

I’ll be there on Sunday morning for a teeny little breeze.

I guess you could say that today, where our Big Orange Dudes are concerned, we’re about as good as we could be.

Best,

Paul

Sept. 6, 2010 - As we pointed out not too long ago, good horses come from good families.

Today at Saratoga, Jay Em Ess Stables’ “BOYS AT TOSCONOVA” won the G-I Hopeful Stakes, completing a dominating performance in a common gallop, eased up at the wire. This performance establishes him as one of the two or three best two year-olds in the US. It’s probable that he is now the pre-book favorite for the Breeders Cup Juvenile, and perhaps the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Congratulations to owner Samantha Siegel.

Our mare, Retroesque, is a half-sister to Little Bonnet, dam of Boys At Tosconova. (For those of you unfamiliar with Thoroughbred-speak, this means that we own his ‘Aunt’ [Retroesque] and his first cousins, Laffin’ Place, Seven-Ten Split, and the unnamed weanling colt by Alphabet Soup. Also Sabrejet, whose racing career was compromised by…well, I’m not going to revisit that, but it’s a crying shame because he, too, had lots of talent.)

The performance of Boys At Tosconova has greatly enhanced this pedigree and enhanced the value of our colts. We know that Laffin’ Place has lots of talent, and if he comes back and breaks his maiden impressively, he will be a colt that carries a lot of value - far more, now that “Boys” has performed so well.

As the breeder of these horses, we’re very excited about our possibilities, and we’re particularly proud of the fact that we’ve been able to offer folks the opportunity to own Thoroughbreds with this kind of potential, at prices that are, by any description, sensible and affordable. That has been, and continues to be the basis of our game plan.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in getting involved in racing a colt from this active family, I suggest that you take a look at buying a share in our Dynamic Duo Partnership. It includes Seven Ten Split as well as So Surprised, a powerful filly by Peace Rules (she is a half-sister to Starliner of our Big Orange Partnership). These are two very nice yearlings. Shares are priced at $3,765, which is inclusive of all expenses through Dec. 31, 2010. As always, both horses are insured and there are no management fees. Details are found right here on our website. Click Dynamic Duo.

Thank you for your interest, your support, and your participation in All Play Stable. And thanks again to Boys At Tosconova for the boost!

Best regards,

Paul

Sept. 5, 2010 - Starliner is at Joe Orseno’s barn at Monmouth Park. We’re hoping to get him to a race by late October. And Here He Is!

“Starliner” - Chestnut colt, 3/22/08(KY), by Johar - Wait ‘Til Midnight, by Judge T C

Sept. 2, 2010 - If this were a ‘Dear Diary’ entry, I’d open with “Dear Diary, I’ve been ignoring you and I’m so sorry.” Seriously, no excuses for the lack of updates. Laziness on my part, perhaps.

Mirthful Flirt ran an uninspired fifth on Aug. 30 at Philadelphia Park. We have never thought of her as “Personal Ensign,’ but her lack of performance is both discouraging and baffling. Maybe she just lacks talent.

Silver Minted seems to be coming around and with luck will be ready to run by early/mid-October. She sure is a pretty filly. Long on the grass, I say

Lafin’ Place is steadily on the mend at Danny Lopez’ Joe Dan Farm in Medford, NJ. Danny is a superb horsemen and we look forward to getting Laffin’ Place back to work just as soon as he’s ready. With luck that could be by mid-December, but we won’t be rushing this nice colt.

Yankee Daddy, the horse that finished fifth behind us in our race on Aug.2, came back on Aug. 29th and impressively won a $75,000 maiden special at Monmouth. We think that moves Laffin’ Place up a bit.

Starliner will be joining Joe Orseno at Monmouth Park very soon. If we don’t have a hiccup he should be ready by Late October. He certainly is a big and beautiful colt.

In about a month we’ll start breaking the yearlings. This is our biggest crop to date and I just know there’s a runner in the group. Miss Waterford, Seven-Ten Split, Twylight Cocktails, and So Surprised. I can’t wait to get started.

This years foals include colts by Alphabet Soup - Retroesque, Congrats - Toasttofriendship, and Aragorn - Wait ‘Til Midnight, and a filly by Full Mandate - Twyla. Nice babies, all. So far, so good.

More later.

Aug. 11, 2010 - Fifty-four years ago today I asked Barbara Allen Love to ‘go steady’ with me, and she said she would. We were both fifteen and we’ve been ‘going steady’ ever since. What does this have to do with horse racing? Well, Barbie was a beautiful ‘filly’ then and she’s even more beautiful today - a Champion by any measure. I love her so.

Aug 10, 2010 - “Flirty” is on the AE for the last race of the day - Friday the thirteenth at Monmouth. We don’t think she’ll draw in so we’re looking elsewhere. BTW - Friday the thirteenth is a luck day for us.

Silver Minted continues to train well, and Starliner will be coming north at the end of the month, after Philadelphia Park reopens.

Dr. Chris Cahill and his family enjoyed watching their two year-old colt “Prideofthechapter” smoke a field of maiden allowance horses at Ellis Park on Sunday. ‘Pride’ is a half-brother to three stakes horses including Social Probation, a neat little sprinter that we raced with Chris and his son Kirt a few years ago. “Social” was second in the Amsterdam (G-II) and the Kings Bishop (G-I), important sprint races for three years old colts at Saratoga. Both ‘Social’ and ‘Pride’ race(d) in the colors of Old School Stable. There’s every reason to believe that “Pride” could be ‘one of the ones’ and we know that the Cahill family is excited with the possibilities. We wish them the very best.

Aug. 5, 2010 - Barbie and I are in Saratoga with several All Play Stable Members. It’s our annual one-week vacation. Someday soon our All Play Stable horses will ‘earn’ their way here, and we and our Members will thrill to the spectacle of winning a race (or two? three?) at this historic mecca of Thoroughbred racing.

Aug. 4, 2010 - As suspected, Laffin’ Place bucked shins in the race. We’ll take a week or two to cool out the shins, after which he’ll be pin fired. He’ll need four weeks before walking under tack, and after five weeks he might be up for some light jogging. Six/seven weeks later (mid-October) he’ll be back galloping, and with luck he may be ready to run by mid-December. As I said earlier, if your horse is going to have an injury and you get to choose what that injury is, you’d choose bucked shins every time. I’ll be looking for a good boarding farm in NJ/MD/PA where he can convalesce. He will get the best of care and this will affect the level of his talent. We have a good colt here and I’m going to do everything in my power to ‘not screw him up.’

My goal is to develop horses that as four year-olds are competing at the upper levels. In order to achieve that goal we must do our best to keep them physically sound and mentally contented while at the same time training and racing them. The bucked shins will not deter us from reaching that goal with Laffin’ Place.

Naturally I’m disappointed about the bucked shins, but if he had continued along without incident and we’d gotten two/three more starts into him, I would have stopped with him around mid-November and goven him sixty days off anyway. So he’ll be getting a bit longer ‘vacation’ than originally planned. With a good convalesence he will be a real ‘bear’ when he comes back.

On another note, Starliner will ship to Philadelphia Park around August 20th.

Aug 3, 2010 - It appears as though LP may have bucked his shins yesterday. We won’t know for sure for a day or three, but this is the way it looks today.

This is in no way career-threatening, but if it is the case we’ll need a week or two to cool out the shins, after which he’ll be pin-fired and laid up for six weeks. After that he’ll go back to training, and without further incident will be ready to run six to nine weeks later. If all goes really well the total time away from a race will be sixteen weeks and maybe a few more. I’ll have definitive info by Thursday.

If there is to be bad news with Thoroughbreds, bucked shins is the best bad news one can get. There’s only one thing to say: “That’s horse racing.”

Aug. 3, 2010 - I neglected to tell you that a post-race scope revealed that LP bled “a five on a scale of ten” during yesterday’s race. Race-induced pulmonary bleeding is not uncommon and is treated by using Lasix, which he did not have yesterday. He will race on Lasix in the future.

Philly Park is closing for two/three weeks for strip improvement, so he was shipped to Monmouth Park this morning. More later.

Aug. 2, 2010 - Laffin’ Place ‘done good’ today. He broke sharp and went with the leaders for the first part, then relaxed and let them go on. He was four back going to the turn and a hole opened along the rail.

I shouted “Be Calvin Borel” (I don’t think the rider heard me!), but the rider hesitated a bit and about the time he sent Laffin’ Place up in there the hole was closing on him. After that he had to take LP up twice before finding running room, but he finally got out and finished a game third. They went in 52.3. He has talent. I’m excited.

Hopefully he’ll come out of the race OK and we’ll be able to go on with him. We’ll know that tomorrow or Wednesday.

He’s a nice colt. If he can stay sound, and if we can keep him contented and happy, we’re going to have some fun with him.

I’m bringing Starliner up in three weeks.

July 31, 2010 - Laffin’ Place is entered to run in the fourth race at Philadelphia Park on Monday, Aug. 2, a msw going 4 1/2 furlongs. He drew #5 in a field of nine two year-olds, eight of them first-time starters.

His last work was a smooth 35.4 from the gate, so we think he’s properly prepared for his debut. We’re hoping for a fairly run race in which he closes ground and comes out of the race whole and saying, “That was just so cool. I can’t wait to do it again!”

Silver Minted has shown marked improvement in her training and with a little luck will be ready to run in about 35 days. Long on the grass, I’d say.

Starliner has been doing very well and will be heading for the racetrack before the end of August.

Following her race on Tuesday a post-race scope revealed that Mirthful Flirt had a throat full of phlegm caused by a minor lung infection. We’re treating with antibiotics and she should be OK in just a few days.

July 10, 2010 - To Our Big Orange Members - Today was ‘experience day’ for Laffin’ Place. The plan was to work him from behind horses, starting at the half-mile pole, working to the wire, and galloping out 5/8ths to the 7/8ths pole. He’s getting razor-sharp and this morning he showed it. He was a handful in the stall before being tacked up.