Monthly Archives: June 2011

Crown the Cat Scratched

Posted on by
9
Unfortunately, Crown the Cat was scratched from her race tonight due to soreness in her right front hoof. Every morning, horses that are entered for the day’s card are inspected by state veterinarians to make sure they are fit to race. This morning the vet noticed that she was favoring her right front hoof.
This came as a surprise to everyone especially Kenny who had just brought her to the track yesterday and had her on the walker this morning. According to Kevin Lay, Kenny and the farrier took her shoe off to examine her foot and found no visible issues. Additionally, there is no swelling in the ankle and no heat was detected (heat is a sign of injury).
At this point, Kenny is speculating that she either has an abscess or a foot bruise. Unfortunately, both of these are a part of the game. Click here for more information on abscesses in horse hooves.
We’ll provide an update when we get more information.
Advertisement

Update for Thursday Race

Posted on by
2
As some of you may have already found out, Canterbury Park moved up the first post of tomorrow’s races to 6:30 in order to accommodate two additional races at the end of the card. Therefore, Crown the Cat is now scheduled to race at 8:44 p.m. in Race 6. Please see below for an updated list of the field with morning line.


Similar to her races in the past. Jeff, myself or both of us will meet the group outside of the paddock soon after the completion of Race 5 at approximately 8:20 p.m. to help guide you into the paddock.

Additionally, for those of you that ordered hats, Kate Ulrich will be down in Silks (where the group has seating reserved) to distribute and collect payment for the caps. She will be down there between 7:30 – 8:00 to get everyone taken care of. Please e-mail her at kulrich@canterburypark.com if you have any questions or to set up a different time/date.

Entering for Thursday

Posted on by
2

After reading through the club member input and consulting with Kenny and Kevin, the decision is to enter tomorrow morning for the Thursday $5,000N2L claiming race.

We never know if the race will attract enough entries and if it does not then we would enter for Friday on the turf. She will fit well at the $5,000 level and should compete well. Victory is far from guaranteed however. It is never that easy.

There is a risk she will be claimed of course but there has not been a lot of claiming here and she is pretty much what she is. Taking a horse from a race (and this is an assumption as we have not seen the field) where she looks like she could win and thus lose a condition usually is not the best idea.

Keep an eye on the entries and we will post something here when we see entries around noon.
We have a tentative committment from Ry’s agent to ride CtC.

jm

No Race for the Cat – Our Options

Posted on by
13

As a few of you have noticed, the race for Crown the Cat did not fill for Sunday. This basically leaves us with two options for her next race, neither of which are our top choices.

Option #1 – $5,000 N2L – 6 Furlongs – Thursday, Jun 30
This is the same race we have been running in, but it is a notch down the class ladder. It is most likely that we would be facing a few of the same faces in this race as we did in our last. This race is one that she should win. However, the drawbacks are that it is for slightly less purse money and there is a better chance that she could be claimed – simply because the claiming price is cheaper.
That being said, you do have to put horses in races they can win. This is certainly a race that she has a good chance of winning. She would likely be first or second choice on the morning line.
Option #2 – $25,000 N2L – 1 Mile & 1/16 Turf – Friday, July 1

This race is the other option. The pros are that it would give us a chance to run long and that it would be for a $10,500 purse. The cons are that the group is likely to be tougher and that allowance runners tend to drop into this level. Additionally, we would be trying her on a surface that she hasn’t competed on for awhile. She could be anywhere from second or third choice to fifth or sixth choice. Additionally, these races tend to draw fuller fields, so she might have to race against 8-10 other rivals.
Finally, this race is scheduled for July 1. For those that have been paying attention, it is possible that the track could be forced to close due to the government shutdown. If that were to be the case, we may not be able to run on July 1 (or for an undetermined amount of dates thereafter – click this link for more about the shutdown). In all likelihood, this could force our horse to the sidelines for another week or two until the track is able to reopen. However, we’d still be incurring expenses during that time as we’d have to keep the horse in training.
This is obviously a worst case scenario and unlike any that most other owners would be forced to consider. However, it is the reality and it is important as a horse needs to eat an exercise whether it has a race to run in or not.
The Suggestion

Our view is more or less that it makes the most sense to enter the $5,000 N2L for the following reasons:
1. We are almost guaranteed the race will fill.
2. We wouldn’t be forced to sweat out as many questions in regards to the shutdown.
3. She should win.
However, we understand that many in the group have differing opinions on what may be best for the Cat. We will discuss our options with Kenny, Kevin, et al in the coming days and will leave the final decision in the hands of the trainer.
We would like to hear your opinions as well as any questions you have in regards to the race options. Please post them below and we will continue this discourse. There is no easy answer this time folks.

Update & Shutdown Information

Posted on by
2

Crown the Cat was entered this morning in a $10,000 N2L race for Saturday, but the race was not used. The race will be coming back as an extra for Sunday. We will take entries tomorrow for that race and we will again update you following the process. Dean Butler was available to ride today and was listed as her jockey.

The plan for now is to re-enter her tomorrow and we assume that Butler will be listed as the rider. However, things change day-to-day and it is possible that he might not be available tomorrow.
Claiming Process Information
Earlier this morning we added a video to the bottom of the previous post that talks about the claiming process. Be sure to check it out!
Government Shutdown Update

There have been many questions about the potential government shutdown, how it would affect Canterbury and how it may impact Crown the Cat. In short, we’re doing everything we can to make sure we remain open even if the government shuts down. However, their are no assurances. It is our best guess that even if we are forced to close, we wouldn’t be closed for long.
That being said, this is a situation that we will be playing by ear. In the event of a shutdown, we plan on keeping the track open so that horses will still be able to train and that we will be able to resume racing as soon as possible. If it appears that a shutdown will last more than a few days, we will have to start looking at other options for Crown the Cat.
There are strong arguments to be made that Canterbury should remain open in the case of a shutdown. Here is a recent story from Fox 9.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=10473

Shutdown Fears at Canterbury Park, Running Aces: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Crown the Cat Update & The Claiming Process

Posted on by
18

We talked to Kenny and he entered Crown the Cat this morning in a one mile and seventy yard $10,000 non-winners of two races lifetime claimer. Unfortunately, the race only drew two entries, thus it was not used. Given this race’s track record this year, it is highly unlikely that it will ever find enough entries to be run.

Therefore, we’re back to our Plan B. That will be to enter on Wednesday for Saturday in the $10,000 claiming race, non-winners of two races lifetime at six furlongs. Although not our first choice, we’ll have to give her another shot in this type of race. If she does not win, we may be forced to drop her in class in an attempt to get a race going a longer distance.

More Information on Crown the Cat’s Feet

Crown the Cat had new shoes put on earlier in the week. Kenny confirmed that she lost her left hind shoe during her past race. She now has glue on shoes on both her front and back hooves in the hopes that it will help her feet stay sound. It appears that her feet are likely going to be an issue throughout the summer. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and will need to keep an eye on how her feet are doing.

Must Decide on a New Jockey

Crown the Cat’s regular rider Ry Eikleberry, was suspended 7 days (effective Monday) for his ride in Race 4 on Thursday night that resulted in a disqualification of his horse. This happens from time to time and is a part of the game. Therefore, if Crown the Cat is to run next weekend, we’ll need a different jockey. Obviously, we may not to be get our first choice, but we’re interested in hearing about who you all would prefer. What are your thoughts?

More About Claiming

Below, you’ll find more information regarding the process of claiming a horse. Tiffany Leggett and Jeff Maday walk you through the process of how to drop a claim and what happens when more than one person claim the same horse.

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

Crown the Cat – Past Performances

Posted on by
5

Kevin Lay was kind enough to send along Crown the Cat’s Past Performances that have been updated to show her last race. There are a few interesting things to note.

1. As we mentioned in an earlier comment, she earned a 53 Beyer Speed Figure, which more or less replicated the 54 Beyer she earned when she won her first race.
2. You’ll notice that she actually ran her last race in more of her preferred running style, which is from off the pace. Many of you have been commenting on her inability to get the lead early, but she has typically run from just off the pace. The chart comment says, “blocked, waited, got thru”. Thus, the chart-caller believes that she actually had a somewhat troubled trip. In watching the race replay, I would agree that she had a troubled trip, around the quarter poll Ry did have to wait for at least a couple of strides. Although not major, it is worth noting.
3. A couple of her best career Beyers have actually come at 6 and 1/2 furlongs. We’ve been talking about route races; however, if we’re really lucky, maybe we can get a race at 6 and 1/2 furlongs. These races aren’t written often, but one never knows what could come up in the condition book. That could be the perfect race for the Cat.

The Day After

Posted on by
10

I stopped by Kenny’s barn this morning. He has a couple running today as well as several that were going to the track to train so as usual it was all hustle and bustle in the barn.

Kenny told me Crown the Cat came back fine. She ate up last night and was feeling good this morning as well. She will be handwalked for a couple days and then it is back to the track.

He also told me that she lost a hind shoe in the race. While we can’t say that prevented her from winning it certainly didn’t help and may explain why Ry commented that she wasn’t traveling as smoothly as last time.

The loss of a shoe happens more often than you would think. Unless it is a high profile race where a trainer discloses the info, we never really hear about it. It can happen when a horse catches the hind shoe on a front shoe or sometimes just the torque from the start can loosen it. Andrew is planning on interviewing a farrier soon.

Always something in this game…..
JM

The June 11 Race

Posted on by
6

Third isn’t all bad. Not as exciting as winning but Crown the Cat was in contention all along. Ry rode her perfectly but she just wasn’t good enough today.

Kenny was happy with the performance. He is hoping for a bit more distance however.

We will check in early this week to see how she came out of the race. Provided all is well, there is a route scheduled for June 23 and a sprint for June 25, both at the $10,000N2L.

The purse for today’s race was $8,500 and third is worth 10% or $850. Your group gets 80% of that.

Please post any comments or observations you might have. I assume most of the group wants to try again at this level as opposed to dropping her to the $5,000 claiming level.

I hope you all enjoyed your day at the races. Finally some sunshine.
JM