Barn Report - Sunday March 21

Beautiful day at Belmont this Sunday. Partner Vinny DiSpigno, Steve Zorn and I spent a couple of hours on the rail at the training track.

Bruce Brown stopped by and reported that Talking Blues came out of his breeze in good shape. Bruce said Talking Blues actually breezed four furlongs, but was only timed for three. Bruce wants a week of steady gallops before Talking Blues’ next breeze. After that Bruce should have a better idea when Talking Blues’ next race will be. Steve, Vinny and I also stopped by Talking Blues’ stall in Bruce’s barn to say hello.

Leah Gyarmati told us she’s very pleased with Strings and Arrows’ excellent effort the day before, when the colt finished 3^rd in a NY-bred maiden special weight. Leah said that Strings and Arrows definitely wants to go long, and probably on the turf, so she and Steve will be checking the condition book for possible turf races in April. According to NYRA, turf racing is supposed to start on April 1^st, providing the turf course is in good enough shape.

We had a report from Pat Turner down in Florida that Iguazu is doing well after his recent breeze, and that he’s been very well mannered breaking from the starting gate. No word yet on when Iguazu might be entered in a race, though it probably won’t be until Bill and Pat get back to New York in April.

We also heard from Diana McClure down on the farm in Virginia. The plan is for Diana and Mike to keep galloping Bagavond through the end of March, then send him up to Belmont in early April. The last three years, Bagavond’s first start of the season came in mid-May, so that’s what we’ll be aiming for again this year.

Steve and Bruce are in the middle of looking for a horse for the new claiming partnership. We tried to claim one last week, but lost out in a four-way “shake.”

We’re happy to report that we now have enough partners so we can look for a horse at the $25,000 level. There are still shares available in the claiming partnership, and we’d be happy to welcome additional partners..

All Castle Village Farm partners, and prospective partners, are more than welcome to join us any Sunday morning at Belmont. Just let us know and we’ll be happy to set things up for you.

Barn Report - Sunday March 14, 2010

There was so much rain in New York this weekend that there was no racing at all on Saturday, and the training track was closed on Sunday -- AND Sunday was the first day of Daylight Savings Time -- so only the really, really brave, staunch, courageous, steadfast Castle Village Farmers made it to Belmont on Sunday morning. In other words, Joe was there. And Steve wasn't. Here's Joe's report on his wet, cold, lonely Sunday morning:

Strings and Arrows galloped around the barn this morning. With the training track being sealed, Leah felt this was the best way to keep Strings and Arrows sharp. Leah and Steve will be checking the overnights, so hopefully we will be racing very soon. There’s a race for him in the condition book on Sunday, March 21, so we should be running by then at the latest.

Talking Blues was galloping on the pony track today because the training track was sealed. Bruce Brown said Talking Blues needs a couple of gallops and breezes to get himself sharp.

Meanwhile, down in the slightly warmer south, Bagavond and Iguazu each goes about his spring training. We hope to see both of them back at Belmont by the time the horses are off the inner track at Aqueduct, around the end of this month.

If you’d like to join Joe (and Steve) at the barn on Sunday mornings, or any other time, just let us know.

Barn Report - Sunday, March 7, 2010

A nice, warm, sunny spring morning at Belmont this Sunday. Now that the weather’s getting better, Steve and I are looking forward to having more partners join us on Sundays to check out our horses and enjoy the backstretch.

We watched Talking Blues gallop strongly around the training track. The exercise rider said that our boy was full of run and even had to be held back a bit. Bruce Brown said that Talking Blues is coming along well – though, in typical Blues fashion, not quick – and now needs just a steady string of gallops and some breezes to regain his sharpness. Nice weather will definitely help.

While we were at the training track, we got to see Bruce’s horsemanship and ability in action. He had to run out onto the track, practically in the path of the galloping horses, when one of trainer Pat Kelly’s horses broke down on the track, throwing the exercise rider into the rail. Bruce immediately ran out on the track, helping the NYRA outriders control the horse traffic, and tending to the injured horse (who unfortunately had to be put down on the track). Gutsy, selfless work by our trainer.

We also watched Strings and Arrows have an easy jog on the training track, with trainer Leah Gyarmati in the saddle. Leah has convinced NYRA racing secretary P J Campo to put up an extra for Strings and Arrows – NY-bred maiden special at one mile and seventy yards – for Saturday, Match 13^th. Entries will be taken on Wednesday, March 10^th.

Bagavond, our turf specialist, has been working down at Diana McClure farm in Virginia, where the snow is still on the ground, but he’s been training in their big indoor arena.

Diana emailed us on Bagavond’s progress so far:

“Bagavond is doing great, he has gone back into training and his ankles are holding up well. It is supposed to be 50 degrees today + tomorrow! We can't wait, we still have lots of snow everywhere!”

The plan is still to bring Bagavond back to New York sometime around the end of March, or the beginning of April. Steve was out at Aqueduct yesterday, and said that it didn't look as if the turf course there would be ready anytime soon, so we're most likely looking at sometime in May, at Belmont, for his first start of the season.

Our partner Peggy Rees Smith stopped by to visit Iguazu at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida. Here’s Peggy’s on-the-scene report

“Tim and I saw Iguazu this weekend. Stopped at the barn yesterday late morning, and he was firmly in his late morning nap, curled up on the floor, with lower lip drooping in relaxation, and no acknowledgment of our presence. Glad to see he is so at ease!

“This morning, I showed up early, and he was awake, alert, and with his head over the door. I was allowed to baby him - scratch him under the halter, & pull some sawdust out of his mane, then give him a carrot, and he gnawed on the wide end, pleased to get a good taste, but still spitting out the skinny end as he just couldn't get his teeth around it. I took some pictures, waited until the exercise boy took him out, and watched his gallop.

“He appears to be a healthy, happy horse, and still blooming.”

Thanks, Peggy.

The new Castle Village Farm claiming partnership is going to be even better than we’d hoped. We are now looking to claim at the $25,000 level. That should significantly expand the possibilities that we’ll be able to claim a horse with real potential. It is not too late to join this partnership. If you’d like to become a partner, give me a call at 888-989-RACE [7223] or email me at CVFSales@gmail.com.

Barn Report - Sunday February 21, 2010

Bruce Brown wasn’t at Belmont Sunday morning. He was at the christening for his new son. But Steve Zorn and I were able to have a nice chat with his assistant Maria.

Bruce thought Talking Blues might be ready to race by last Friday (Feb. 19th), and tried to aim him for that race, but it didn’t happen. Talking Blues came back very slowly from the race on January 17th. He didn’t like that heavy track, it took a lot out of him, and, as we know from past experience with him, he gets sore after he’s worked heavily, and has to take the time to get better from that (leg wraps and buckets of ice water are what do it). This time, just about when he was ready to start training seriously up to his next race, bad weather set in, forcing all the trainers to exercise their horses less (no breezes; no gallops) for a few days, and then, for two days, totally closing the training track. Unfortunately, that period was exactly when Talking Blues was finally ready for a good pre-race breeze. If he’d had it then, he’d probably have raced last Friday. But he didn’t get that breeze until the Monday before the race – and that four-day span just didn’t give him enough time to recover. Most horses need several days of jogging after a breeze, then a gallop or two, so it’s usually a week between a breeze and either another breeze or a race. For Talking Blues, it’s even longer. When we saw Talking Blues on Sunday morning, he was back in the barn after a jog; he jogged again on Monday, and galloped on Tuesday. Bruce wants to get one or two solid breezes into him, and wants to make sure he isn’t feeling sore after those, before he is ready to race. Once the horse has had a breeze or two, he’ll let Bruce know if he’s ready. Winter training is difficult for all.

Steve and I spent some quality time hanging out with Talking Blues at his stall. He seemed happy and alert, and engaged in a serious contest with Steve over Steve’s coffee cup. Luckily, Talking Blues lost that contest, so he definitely will not be testing positive for caffeine.

Next, we stopped by Leah Gyarmati’s barn, where Strings and Arrows looked a little tired, but otherwise in good shape, after Saturday’s race. (Leah said: “You should expect him to be tired today. He ran a good race.”)

Strings and Arrows had a productive race, finishing a fast-closing fourth, as he continues his development as a racehorse. Strings and Arrows was soundly bumped after the break but continued on in a very game fashion to finish fourth in a field of nine. Comments were made about Strings and Arrows’ calmness before the race and his long fluid strides down the stretch. Leah Gyamati firmly believes Strings and Arrows will get better as the distance gets longer, and she’s also looking forward to trying him on turf.

Iguazu is still in Florida, and Bill Turner said that he’s slowing down just a bit on our colt’s training, to give him the time he needs to develop physically. Iguazu comes from a late-developing family, so this is not entirely surprising, though we’re all impatiently looking forward to his return to the starting gate.

Bagavond is still on the farm in Virginia and is getting his jogging in every day, outside when the weather permits, and indoors, in the big arena, on snow days.

The Claiming Partnership is still evaluating horses. Steve and Bruce had a few possibilities, but after further review decided to pass on them. They are still looking, and there could be a new horse in the barn any day. As partners continue to join we are able to expand our search for a horse. Anyone that would like more information on this partnership can contact me at 1-888-989-7223 or email at cvfsales@gmail.com .

If anyone wants to come join us on our Sunday barn visits, just get in touch at 1-888-989-7223 or email at cvfsales@gmail.com .

Barn Report - Sunday Feb. 14th

February has been a no-races month, so far, for Castle Village Farm. The weather and the difficulty in finding races that fit our horses conditions are the main causes.

Steve Zorn and I were out at Belmont Sunday morning. Talking Blues had already been out on the training track by the time we got there, but we met up with Bruce Brown on the rail, then walked back to Bruce’s barn, where I left Bruce a VERY large bag of carrots that a restaurant owner friend of mine had given me for the horses.

Talking Blues missed a few days of training when the training track was closed for bad weather. Most important, he missed the last breeze that he needed to get set up for a race, so the decision was made not to enter Talking Blues in the race originally slated for Monday, 15 February. The race was not used by the racing office, anyway, so other trainers must have felt the same way about entering their horse. Talking Blues will have a breeze this week, then Bruce and Steve will discuss next race possibilities.

We also got to see Strings and Arrows gallop on the training track. He looked very strong, pulling his rider along. Leah Gyarmati was in Ocala for the two-year-old sale, so Herbie Castillo was in charge of the barn in her absence. We could see that Strings and Arrows is training very well, but there do not appear to be any distance races in the condition book until March. Leah will ask the racing office for a two-turn NY Bred Maiden Special Weight to be put up as an extra on the overnights. Such requests are usually granted, but then it depends on the number of entries to determine if the race will be used.

Iguazu had another significant breeze the other day in Florida, and, according to Pat Turner, came out of it just fine. A few more breezes and Bill Turner will start looking for a race for Iguazu. Bill said that he should know by the end of this week what Iguazu’s likely racing schedule will be.

Bagavond continues to be well taken care of on Diana McCLure’s farm in Virginia. Last week’s blizzard, on top of the one that came just the week before, has left more than 20 inches of snow on the ground. Diana reported that they’d been thoroughly snowed in all week, and that her husband Michael had been putting in long hours clearing the paths and driveways. At one point, just before the second blizzard, Mike had everything cleared, only to have the wind cover it all up again. By some miracle, Diana said, they didn’t lose power, so they were able to continue to keep indoor areas warm and to draw fresh water for the horses. Fortunately, they have a big indoor arena, so Bagavond was able to get some work in. Turf season can't get here soon enough.

Barn Report - Sunday, Feb. 5

Partner Paddy O'Hara came along with Steve and myself on our barn visits this past Sunday and said how enjoyable it is to see the morning workouts and to have that chance to talk informally with our trainers.

Paddy commented that there is so much more to racing than what the average fan knows. All of you are invited to join us one morning for a tour of the Belmont backstretch and conversations with CVF trainers. Sundays are the preferred choice, but we are flexible enough to arrange this for any day of the week.

Strings and Arrows had a very good untimed breeze at one mile the other
day. We’d been looking forward to racing him this Thursday, but the racing office did not use the race we were pointing him to. Instead, they used an open-company maiden special that was carded especially for Darley (which is owned by the Sheik of Dubai) and a few of the other owners who have very, very expensive horses. Leah and Steve discussed entering Strings and Arrows in an upcoming six-furlong race for NY Breds, but have decided against it, because, since his last race, Strings and Arrows has been training to run a longer distance. We are looking for a NY Bred Maiden Special Weight race at one mile or longer. There should be one soon, because it is not an uncommon race. The overnights are where we are expecting to find the race for Strings and Arrows, so, more than likely, it will be short notice to everyone for his next race. We will do a posting as soon as we have any additional information.

Talking Blues continues to train well and is ready to race again. We’d hoped he’d be in a race on Sunday, but the racing office didn’t use that one. Right now, there is a race in the condition book for Monday, February 15th (Presidents' Day). Bruce Brown and Steve are thinking of entering him in that one. The race is for NY Bred Claiming $15K at a distance of one mile and seventy yards. We’ll keep you posted on that one, and we hope to see lots of you at the track if the race goes.

Iguazu had a nice half-mile breeze on Saturday. Pat Turner reports that Iguazu came out of the breeze in excellent shape. He walked the shed row on Sunday, was back on the training track Monday for a jog, and galloped on the training track on Tuesday. Bill and Pat are hoping to keep Iguazu on a regular weekly breeze schedule and get him to a race as soon as he has sufficient conditioning. No word yet on exactly when that will be, but there's a one-mile maiden special in the Gulfstream condition book on February 27th that could be a target.

Bagavond is snowed in. The part of northern Virginia where Bagavond is spending the winter was one of the hardest-hit areas in last weekend's snowfall. The area around Berryville got almost three feet of snow.

Diana McClure reports that all the horses are fine; she and Michael have managed to dig out their driveway, and clear the paths between the barns and their house so they can feed and water the horses, but it'll be a while before the jogging track is open. Meanwhile, the local roads are still in very dicey shape, and more snow is expected tomorrow and Wednesday, so Bagavond's outdoor excursions may be limited for a few days more.

Just as an idea of the conditions in that part of the world, Althea Richards, the breeder and co-owner of Iguazu, who has a farm not too far away from Diana's, reports that she spent most of Saturday afternoon trying to brush the snow away from her satellite dishes and that "it was like trying to repair the Hubble telescope."

Because of the weather, Jean and Steve aren't sure yet whether they'll be able to get down to visit Bagavond this weekend as they’d planned. It all depends on how effective the plows are, and how much more snow falls in that area tomorrow and Wednesday. They're still hopeful, though.

The Claiming Partnership continues to grow, and Steve and Bruce continue to evaluate horses. CVF entered into an agreement with another group of NY based owners, who wanted to be involved specifically with Castle Village Farm, so we may be able to claim at a higher level than we’d first thought. Shares in the claiming partnership are still available, and we will continue to upgrade our search for a horse as more partners get involved.

Anyone who wants more information on the Claiming Partnership or any of the CVF horses please let me know. I can be reached at 1-888-989-7223 or email cvfsales@gmail.com.

Barn Report - Sunday, January 31

February is here, and Castle Village Farm is looking forward to upcoming races.

Talking Blues will not be running at a distance of a mile and one
quarter in his next race. At an extremely cold, but crowded Belmont
training track, Steve and I were able to have a fairly long discussion
with Bruce Brown this morning. Bruce thinks at this stage of his
career, Talking Blues is not ready to be trained to run the mile and one
quarter distance. Bruce feels one mile to mile and seventy yards is
best suited for Talking Blues at the present time. Steve and Bruce are
discussing an Open Claiming $10,000 race at a mile and seventy yards that is
in the condition book for Sunday, February 7th. As soon as the entry
is confirmed we will do a posting. Hopefully it will not interfere with
any Super Bowl plans and everyone will be able to attend.

Strings and Arrows is being pointed towards running in a NY Bred Maiden
Special Weight race at one mile on Thursday, February 11th. Steve and I
were able to have a good discussion with Leah Gyarmati this morning.
Leah feels Strings and Arrows will show much better of himself this time
out. No decision has been made yet on the jockey. Leah is looking to
get a jockey on Strings and Arrows for a morning workout or two.

Away from Aqueduct, Iguazu has been galloping at Palm Meadows in Florida, and we are awaiting word from Bill Turner on when Iguazu's next breeze will be.

And Bagavond continues to act like a happy horse on the farm in Virginia. Turf season can't get here soon enough.

We have had a spike in interest in the Claiming Partnership. Steve and Bruce agreed on Sunday that the claiming market is fairly thin at the moment, but they’ll continue to analyze every available race. Steve will continue to scour the pp's and keep everyone updated. With possibly additional partners joining us, we might soon be looking at higher quality horses.

I can be reached at 888-989-7223 or email cvfsales@gmail.com for anyone that would like additional information on this partnership.

Some of you may be interested in checking out www.nyra.com . Click on "Backstretch Buzz", you will be able to see interviews with two of the Castle Village Farm trainers. Leah Gyarmati gives her opinion on using a journeyman jockey as opposed to a bug boy. Bruce Brown gives his views on training horses during the winter months.

Steve and I are usually at Belmont Park every Sunday morning.
Sunny-chilly mornings are not so bad at Belmont Park. All are welcome
to join us and speak with our trainers and view morning workouts.
Anyone wishing to see behind the scenes in thoroughbred racing, please let us know.