I remember a time a few years ago when we had multiple horses
actively racing. It was sometimes just a
matter of days in between races. I remember
waiting for the next race was brutal…days seemed like weeks and on race day
hours seemed like weeks. I wish I could take
a time machine back to those times and tell myself to relax and enjoy it
because when 2017 rolls around you will try your hand at the breeding game…
And…it…will…be…very…very…very…very…s..l…o…w….
The overall slowness is magnified greatly by the fact we don’t
have anything else racing. It isn’t due
to lack of effort. We’ve been trying to
buy a horse for over a year since we quickly (and wisely) parted ways with
Royal Troon. In late 2016 we bought into
a horse name Tink and Tiger and raced him on New Years Eve at the Meadowlands. Pretty exciting right? He was claimed after one start. Back to the drawing board.
Danny and I are doing our best to be selective and to date
we have done a spectacular job because outside of Tink and Tiger, we have selected
no one. Not a single race horse has
entered our stable. Prices are very high
and we are don't want to overpay.
This fact was driven home on Labor Day when we headed down to
Springfield to try and get our hands on a reasonably priced Illinois bred horse. We had about 10 to bid on and set clear
purchase price limits before we started to bid.
Over the course of about 3 hours, I was about to put my hand in the air
one time but never even got that bid in.
Back to the drawing board again.
Despite the slowness, we can at least be very thankful for
our baby boy (and are happy to share a couple of pictures!). He will always be referred
to as Mini Mo, but he now has an actual name.
As Fast As You. We found it to be
pretty fitting given he comes from an ‘underdog’ sire. Someday we dream of him lining up against
more royally bred pacers and proving that he is, in fact, as fast as you. The old Dwight Yoakum song was also a bit of
an inspiration. We've gone to visit him twice but not since June. It is crazy how fast he has grown up (the one counter to general slowness). He's a very sharp looking little guy.
These pictures are great because it shows he really does look like his old man
(horse). In about 12 months or so, we
will be able to start the process of getting him trained and ready for his 2
year old season. Given the fact we are
nearly two years away from him making his first start (hopefully), it is really
hard to imagine what it will feel like to watch him on the racetrack. Will he deliver the same excitement In Over My Head did? Will we become as attached as we did with In Over My Head? We will just have to wait and see I guess.
While we wait for Mini Mo, we aren’t giving up on finding a new horse and are heading
down to Lexington in two weeks to see if we can find something. I’m not sure we can wait two more years
before we have something racing. While
it is still fun to follow racing, it is far more fun when you have a horse in
the race (literally and figuratively).
If we end up with a four legged investment, I’ll be sure to
share some updates. Until then, wish us
luck.
