Tag Archives: Ask Eddy

A Bit of Reflection

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Thanks for a great year. I have to start with that because I had a great time and it’s due, in large part, to all of you in the Club that I had the pleasure of meeting this summer and interacting with here and in person.

ASK EDDY was a helluva horse for us. When Clay called and asked me to take a look at two horses in a race the last day at Hawthorne I was torn. EDDY seemed to have more upside while the other was a consistent money earner. I gambled on EDDY and it initially looked like I lost. EDDY was a mess, but messes appear to be Clay’s specialty and between he, Juan and the grooms in the barn, EDDY was a racehorse again. He had some physical issues that prevented him from climbing the ladder, but he is as honest as the day is long and gave his best whenever he ran. EDDY won four times for us and did a nice job keeping the coffers filled.

More importantly, EDDY brought joy. That grumpy old gelding brought a lot of joy – not just in winning but in being. That first race one partner (I shall use no names here!) was in tears realizing a life-long dream to be in the paddock. Ending up in the Winners’ Circle was nearly too much to bear and she broke down in very happy tears. THAT moment alone made the summer worthwhile!

I took a flyer on MUNDY and, in hindsight, made a mistake. She was all out for 7 furlongs and needed to have the race set up just right for her to win on the front end. The Canterbury turf is a different animal than the Turf Paradise surface and I failed to take that into proper consideration. She tried hard but we couldn’t get her the trip she needed to win and lost her to her original connections (who won with her about a month ago back in AZ). I should have been more insistent on trying her over the Canterbury dirt which probably more closely mimics the turf in AZ than our turf course did! And she trained so nicely over it as well.

A couple of lessons learned with MUNDY: don’t stress so much about picking up a horse that you overlook pertinent details (or talk yourself into discounting them) and though I trust my trainers implicitly, when I have a sound reason for an action I need to be more insistent.

The backside tours, while sparsely attended compared to what the interest level seemed to be, went very well. Much thanks goes to Jeff, Jalique and Michelle for pitching in to help and, of course, to everyone on the backside that were so accommodating to us. It’s so much fun to be back there and I only wish I could you bring you all back there at the crack of dawn – it’s one of my favorite places in the world that time of day. Thanks for coming out, asking questions and making the most out of your experience.

Roughly speaking, with no bills in yet from November, it appears as if we will be down right about MUNDY’s claiming price, maybe a bit more. All in all, not a bad season at all, but I hope that we can measure it more than by dollars and cents. I hope that you all learned a lot (or some anyway) and had fun doing it. A lot goes in to racing a Thoroughbred and while the process appears to be shrouded in mystery, I hope that by pulling back the curtain a bit that process was de-mystified for you.

If any of you are interested in moving on to a smaller partnership I hope that you will include me in your deliberations. Drop me a line (ted@grevelisracing.com) and I can get you some information, add you to the email list and we can go from there.

Thank you all so very much for participating and my personal thanks to Jeff for allowing me this opportunity. Stay tuned for details for next year’s Club. One change I know is definite is that we will be closing membership 30-days earlier in order to allow more time to claim horses so keep that in mind as you look to sign up. Have a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to seeing you all at the races!

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EDDY Wins Again; Claimed

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ASK EDDY prevailed by a head at Hawthorne this afternoon under a great ride by Alex Canchari. He was also claimed out of that race by Midwest Thoroughbreds. EDDY stalked in perfect position and made his move right down the center of the racetrack but tired near the end but managed to hold on for the win.

Given the late date, it looks as if this will be the end of the road for Canterbury Racing Club 2013. It will still take until after the first of the month to close out the bills and solidify the financials but all in all a good year for the group.

Look for a recap as well as details on the 2014 Club shortly.

Thanks to partner Ryan for capturing this picture of EDDY as he nears the wire

Thanks to partner Ryan for capturing this picture of EDDY as he nears the wire

EDDY Favored at Hawthorne Thursday

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ASK EDDY has been installed as the 9/5 morning line favorite in the 6th race at Hawthorne Thursday afternoon (estimated post is 4:40 PM CT). He handily beat most of this field already and there are a couple of new foes for him to take on as well. After his last performance he rightfully the favorite here. Let’s look at the field:

1 – FANTASY MAN (Overton/Sukie) – Won some cheapies down at Fairmont and then learned that the competition is a little tougher in Chicagoland. May try and go early but probably isn’t fast enough to get there, though after a few months off he may have needed one,

2 – ASK EDDY (BRINSON/CANCHARI)

3 – SUNDAY SAINT (Retana/Slinger) – Eddy beat him by 16 last out and he never ran a lick.

4 – KERA’s KITTEN (Reavis/Colvin) – Front runner that couldn’t hang on in his last and faded badly in the stretch. There are other speedsters in here, so this will only help EDDY’s chances. He’s scored as an unlikely choice and lost at low odds, so we don’t know who’s going to show up!

5 – QUIET REBEL (Dizeo/Rose) – A nice 2nd to EDDY before finishing third last out after a great run at Fairmont. Hard to rule him out, but with the other speed it’s going to be hard.

6 – IZZY GOLDEN (Cowan/Perez) – Smoked by EDDY two starts back before rebounding to finish third over a sloppy track last out. Another that likes to be on or near the lead.

7 – AWESOME RULES (Butler/Thornton) – Stays close to the pace and made a bid in EDDY’s last race but EDDY was able to clearly outfinish him.

Just about every horse in this field wants to be close except EDDY and SUNDAY SAINT. Should the speed all wear each other out and it comes down to us and the Saint, I like our chances. We know that Alex is going to give EDDY the best chance of winning and I really like his chances in here. I will never, ever predict victory – too many things can happen in the course of a race – but EDDY is going to be tough to beat in here.

Good luck!

EDDY Returns A-Okay

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ASK EDDY came back nicely from his winning effort. Thankfully there was no bleeding again and the ankle appears just dandy. Clay feels that our boy does his best running with three to four weeks rest as opposed to trying to come back in 2 weeks so we’ll be looking at mid-November before his next race and, hopefully 2 – MAYBE 3 – more starts before the end of the group.

While we have some reservations moving him up in class, he did win with a Beyer of 76, his best effort since March of 2012 when he recorded a 91 winning a $30,000 CL race at Oaklawn (where he was claimed). We’ll see how he’s doing and make a determination on whether or not to push him up to $7500 or keep him here at $5000 and try and win a couple of more.

Here is the financial statement through the end of September. Stay tuned after the Breeders’ Cup for information on the 2014 Club.

CBY RC Running Financials – September

ASK EDDY Wins at Hawthorne

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Under a perfect ride from Alex Canchari, our EDDY stayed off a hot early pace and close steadily and rallied gamely up the outside, bucking the rail trend at Hawthorne to win the 5th!!!

Congratulations everyone! More details to follow later after I can follow up with Clay. Sweet victory, though all you heavy betters knocked the price down to 2-1!!

Way to go!!

EDDY’s First Hawthorne Start for Us

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ASK EDDY will be making his first start for us away from “home”. Thankfully he has run (and won) at Hawthorne before and we know that he’s been training very well there and appears to be fully recovered from his traumatic last race.

Here’s a breakdown of the field:

1 – Sunday Saint (Retana/Bryant) – Winner of his last, it did come at the lowly $3200 level down at Fairmont Park and scored at nearly 12-1.

2 – Don’t Bluff (Berndt/Martinez) – Claimed from the Robertson barn at CBY in a disappointing last race where he finished 4th (a length and a half in front of EDDY) after being very competitive at $7500. Interesting that Alex chose EDDY this time after riding this one last out.

3 – ASK EDDY (BRINSON/CANCHARI)

4 – Izzy Golden (Cowan/Roman) – A stalking winner last out at Arlington at this level, this is his first time racing on dirt since April (which, unfortunately for us, was a win at Hawthorne). He is deservingly the morning line favorite.

5 – Geocache (H Robertson/Thornton) – Finished 3rd in EDDY’s last race then came down to Arlington where he led half way through this level race before yielding, finishing 5th, but only beaten by 3.
6 – Vow to Wager (Childers/Rivero) – Not a lot to recommend since the claim. Don’t know if it was the change from Lone Star or the new barn, but the horse was severely outclassed twice before finishing 4th in his last, a $4000 claiming event at Fairmont.

7 – Quiet Rebel (Dezeo/Rose) – Hasn’t shown a lot in the Chicagoland area except for his maiden breaker but reeled off 3 in a row at Farimont before taking a few months off. Now he reappears up north with a desire to be on the front end and time to prove if his downstate form was unique to Fairmont or if he’s turned a corner.

8 – Awesome Rules (Butler/Slinger) – Possessed of 4 wins and 5 seconds in 14 starts this year, this guy has been very consistent, though another that seems to have shown his best stuff in the south.

The closest thing to a “monster” in this race is IZZY GOLDEN. He won last out at the more difficult Arlington Park meet and has earned Beyer Speed Figures in the 70s in his last 3 races – 2 in the significantly more difficult starter allowance level races. And what looks to be a question mark: him running on the artificial and turf there; is discounted significantly by his last start on the real dirt at Hawthorne where he won in wire to wire fashion over a field like this back in April and the 7-year old gelding has won three straight at $5000.

However it’s not like EDDY is without hope here. If he’s fully recovered from his last race (and every indication is that he is) he is going to be tough now that he’s rejoined with Alex, who seems to get the best out of him. There is also other speed in the race, as well, that could challenge IZZY and help set things up for our boy’s late charge.

His 4-1 morning line odds appear to be fair and I think we’ll get a real honest read on him this afternoon.
Good luck everybody!!

ASK EDDY Enjoying Hawthorne

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According to Clay, EDDY has settled in very nicely and recovered well from his traumatic last race. He is coming back from the track bucking and playing and Clay feels that he may be enjoying himself more than he did in Minnesota.

The plan for EDDY is to bring him up to a race in the next couple of weeks, an open $5000 claiming race going long where he should be very competitive. This week we will have the group and our 5% owner, Curt Sampson, licensed in Illinois and be ready to go.

Given how late in the year it is, I do not foresee picking up another horse since we have to make sure that the Club is dissolved by the end of 2013.

Jeff and I have also had some preliminary discussions on the design of the 2014 Club and I will share those with you once we have the details worked out.

Canterbury Closes; EDDY Moves to Chicago

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As the 2013 season sets on Canterbury Park, our ASK EDDY is resting in the Brinson barn before heading out to Chicago to take on horses at Hawthorne Park.

EDDY came back from the race a little uneven. Juan noticed that he was coughing pretty good so Clay order a scope to determine if there were any breathing issues. As it turns out, EDDY had bled through his Lasix during the race and, on a scale of 1 – 10 with 10 being the worst, EDDY’s bleeding was a six.

This doesn’t mean that EDDY is through, only that adjustments are going to need to be made for him. It also means that he showed a lot of grit, heart and determination to close the way he did under the duress he must have been under.

After some rest, EDDY’s Lasix does will be upped and he will be equipped with a figure eight bridle as well as a tongue tie to help him breathe. There are a several types of adjunct medications to go with the Lasix as well that Clay and the vet will go over to see what will be best. There is no reason that EDDY won’t be as good as new – or at least as he was!

I wish we could have won more and I especially wish that MUNDY would have worked out better than she did, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with you all live this summer and I hope that we have the opportunity to do it again next year – at least for those of you that decide to come back and not form your on groups, go out on your own or join existing partnerships (and I know someone that can help you with that!). As always, feel free to contact me at ted@grevelisracing.com with any questions that you have – about the Club or racing in general – and I’ll do what I can to answer you.

The work doesn’t end here, however. I will be working on getting our group licensed in Illinois over the next couple of weeks and we will have more races to run before the 2013 Canterbury Race Club draws to a close.

ASK EDDY in His Canterbury Finale

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EDDY will have nearly a full house to contend with when he takes to the track Friday night in the 5th race, his last in front of the hometown fans. You wouldn’t necessarily think that a $5,000 claiming group would be overly contentious for EDDY, but it has certainly come up that way. Here’s a look at the field.

1 – Peaks of Legend (Hemba/Shepherd): Was claimed 3 starts back at Prairie Meadows, came back and won going away moving into state bred company and then was 6th in his Canterbury and turf debut at $7500. Drops in at his claim price in this one.

2 – ASK EDDY (BRINSON/HERNANDEZ)

3 – Geocache (Pfeifer/Shino): Speedster rounded back into form with two starts under Denny Velasquez. With Denny out he gets Ken Shino, his 4th pilot in 5 races. He does his best running on the front end, which we would like here.

4 – Jack and Max (Scherer/ ): Minn bred moving out of a conditional $5000 claimer to an open. He’ll be closing from deep.

5 – Don’t Bluff (Robertson/Canchari): Morning line 2nd choice is dropping to his lowest level in a year after two solid efforts over the turf in $7500 claiming races. Alex chooses this guy over EDDY.

6 – Joshua’s Journey (Lund/Escobar): Another one who wants to flash some early speed, he’s tired late in his last few attempts with a running style akin to MUNDY.

7 – Seeking the Reward (Rengstorf/Ocampo): Winner of 2 in a row in $6250 (conditioned) company, he faces open company for the first time here. Another who will try and come from far back

8 – Awesome Year (Van Winkle/Barton): Winner of 3 in a row (though was DQ’d in one) and 4 of last 5, including two over ASK EDDY, he drops a class level after a win. Usually this is a sign of a problem but in this case I think they just want another win before the end of the meet. He may just get one.

9 – Magnet Cove (Hemba/Martin Jr): A nice off the pace win at Prairie Meadows two back at the unusual distance of 2 miles. His first Canterbury start this year was over the turf where he closed well but needed more distance. His only Canterbury appearance this year over the main track was a win in a $4000 conditioned claiming event in July.

10 – Syd Licious (McShane/Butler): Winner of two in a row over the Canterbury surface since coming up from Iowa, this guy will want to stay close to the pace and make a late run.

Can EDDY win here? To be honest, I’m hoping to hit the board and grab a check. This is a tough group with horses that should be moving up in class moving down and really making things difficult.

I will say, the pace is going to be honest. With Joshua’s Journey and Geocache setting the fractions, I’m hoping that the other stalkers (not us!) get burned out trying to stay close and we get to pick up the pieces at the end. What may be more likely, however, is that the field let’s those two fry each other up front and have the rest of the field play out a ‘race within a race’ waiting for the leaders to back through the field. If this happens, I do like our chances of hitting the board, but I’m much less sanguine about the possibilities of us winning.

This is a tough one to be sure. I will drop a note on here tomorrow if we have a spot in Silks for the finale.

Good luck!

July Financials

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A win per month has done us a world of good, though we still don’t have July’s vet bill in yet, we’re doing okay. Our largest monthly expense is training, as expected. Our second highest expense? Winners’ circle photos! THAT is a nice expense to have. We do get a special rate from Coady Photography but given our numbers, it still gets pricey so please remember to pick up your photos!

Take a look at financials through July here:

CBY RC Running Financials – July