All Play Fancy-Free Fillies, LLC
Sent Dec. 20, ‘09
All,
We’re still sittin’ pretty!
Flirty galloped yesterday and darned near pulled Felipe’ out of the saddle. She’s wanting to do a lot more so here’s the plan: On Tuesday she’ll breeze a ’soft’ 3/8ths, and if she comes out of it OK we’ll send her to the race track within five days. I believe she’ll be going to Kathleen O’Connell, one of the leading trainers at Tampa Bay Downs. Not sure, but probably.
Sliver is also coming on fast. She’s galloping a strong and very enthusiastic mile and she’s looking better all the time. Dr. Redman says he doesn’t need to see her for at least a month but I’ve asked Dr. Chris Cahill to go over her when he’s in Ocala on Jan. 5 or 6. He’s a good friend and a top acupuncturist and I trust his judgment above all other vets.
I’ve attached some photos for you. The first two are of the Sandhill Cranes that live at Ben D Farm, a mated pair and two babies of the year. Photo one is in a pasture field, and photo two is the cranes departing the premises.
Following that is a shot of Flirty and then a shot of Silver, both ‘at a gallop.’ Silver is going ‘the wrong way.’ England anyone?
More sooner!
Paul
Sent Dec. 22, ‘09
All,
Flirty worked a nice 3/8ths this morning. Recall that the training track is slightly more than a half-mile in circumference, meaning that her work was around two sharp turns. She went in 41.1.
Breaking into the first turn she went the first eighth in 14.2, she went down the back side eighth in 13.4, and she finished the far turn eighth in 13 flat. Perfect! She pulled up good, cooled out immediately, and put her head into a stack of sweet alfalfa hay! If tomorrow I get the word that she came out of the work OK, I’ll be en route to Tampa Bay Downs to set things up with a trainer. At this rate she could run sometime in the last ten days of January. There has still been no sign of a breathing problem that would stop her progress. Fingers crossed!
Silver Minted galloped a strong mile and a quarter today and at this rate will work a soft quarter in about ten days. She is soo light on her feet - a real ‘glider.’
We were pleased to have Partners Barbara and David Alfred and Greg Marsh with us this morning (photo attached). Lots of fun and high hopes!
We’re not sittin’ on ‘Go’ quite yet, but we are approaching it!
Best!
Paul
Sent Dec. 28, ‘09
All,
‘Flirty’ worked a very nice 3/8ths this morning, this time breaking at the top of the backstretch and working to the ‘wire.’ She went 12:4, 13, 12.3 - 38:2, around one sharp turn. She galloped out strongly and cooled out in twenty minutes. At this point there’s no sign that breathing is a problem, and today she made even less noise than she did during last week’s breeze. We’re in process of making arrangements to ship her to Gulfstream Park where she’ll be trained by Joe Orseno.
“Whoops! Paul, What did you say? Who? This is the first time I’ve heard that. What’s up?”
On Sunday morning I put in a call to a trainer at Tampa. And yesterday (Monday) I contacted Trainer Joe Orseno to learn whether Marty Digrius, Joe’s assistant trainer, had returned to Tampa this winter. Joe/Marty trained for me back in the early nineties and also in ‘04 thru ‘06 and I thought that if Tampa was to be the destination, I wanted to have a choice of trainers.
During my conversation, Joe told me that he had gotten fifteen stalls at Philadelphia Park and that he decided to leave some horses there with Marty. In our conversation he also told me that he thought the competition at Gulfstream this year was only marginally tougher than at Tampa, but that the purses were better.
This could be a long story (better told when I see y’all) but here’s the capsulated version: When one goes with a brand new trainer there is always a period of time that elapses before the lines of communication become clear, and to me, excellent communication is mandatory. While I was talking w Joe I was thinking, “If I sent ‘Flirty’ to Joe I’d get information that I know I can trust, and I’d get it earlier,” so I asked him if he’d take a filly for me. He said he’d be delighted and that he had a stall available.
I told him about the filly and what we’re trying to do with her, and I told Joe that if she worked well today and came out of the work OK, I’d send her to him. D-day is tomorrow morning, but if she’s OK she’s going to Joe. After she’s there for thirty days we will have learned most of what we need to know, and I believe if she doesn’t have a setback that she’ll run in January.
Ft. Lauderdale is beautiful this time of year!
By the way, the Tampa trainer that I called has not yet returned my call.
Sliver Minted galloped strong this morning. She’ll probably have her first 1/4-mile work next Tuesday. Pics attached - Silver jogging and galloping. I couldn’t get pics of Flirty ’cause I was busy clocking her.
$$ alert! If Flirty is at the track for January and has earned no money we’ll have to throw in $225/share to pay the trainer. We’ll need this money by Feb. 15th. I’m open for suggestions re: your preferences as to how to approach contribution of funds (if needed).
More soon!
Paul
Sent Dec. 31, ‘09
All,
Silver Minted has been galloping strong. She’ll work a little quarter on Tuesday, after which Dr. Cahill will give her an acupuncture treatment. I’ll be there to see and talk w Chris, and will have a full report on Tuesday afternoon.
‘Flirty’ is scheduled to van to Gulfstream Park on Monday morning. She’ll be stabled with Joe Orseno in Barn 19. Andy says she’s ready for the next step and I think he’s right. My hope is that she continues to train well and that Joe believes she can be competitive there. We’ll know a lot in a couple more weeks.
We’ll Raise in 2010!
Happy New Year!
Paul
