Great Friends Stables Update Page
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What the Daily Racing Form is saying about Mr. Chairman |
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Streaking Mr. Chairman runs Thursday Mr. Chairman's career was in jeopardy at the end of 2006 when he trainer Doug O'Neill with the results of his comeback. Thursday at Del Mar, Mr. Chairman will try for his third win in four starts this year in a $63,000 allowance race over a mile on turf. "I think he looks good," O'Neill said. "He had an ankle injury. It was a Merv Griffin horse, and if it needed three months, Merv gave it six." After Griffin's death last year, Mr. Chairman was acquired by the Great Friends Stable syndicate. For Great Friends, Mr. Chairman won a starter allowance at Bay Meadows in April, finished third in an allowance race at Hollywood Park in May, and returned to win an allowance race for statebreds at that track on June 13. Mr. Chairman has drawn the rail in a field of 10. California Flag will set the pace. He won a six-furlong allowance race on turf for statebreds at Hollywood Park on July 2 in his first start as a gelding. Trainer Brian Koriner is hoping that California Flag can carry his speed around two turns. "He had no reason to stop in his prior races," Koriner said. "We gelded him and he didn't stop."
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Great Friends Stable: disappointment, exciting finishes and purchases |
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July 21, 2008
Great Friends,
We've had a lot of activity lately with the Great Friends Stable: disappointment, exciting finishes and purchases.
Let's start with the disappointment. Rush With Thunder was simply too fresh on Saturday and literally ran off with our jockey Martin Pedroza. Martin was unable to keep him from setting a suicidal pace and, predictably, Rush With Thunder faded to 7th. We're not giving up on this horse. We still have extremely high hopes for him and hope to run him back, perhaps in a shorter race, in a few weeks.
Sandita ran Monday, and he ran extremely well. Although he looked like the winner mid stretch, he lost by a head in an unbelievably exciting race. The good news is that he did not get claimed, so assuming that he continues to progress, we expect him to have a great chance to win next time out.
We also purchased a new horse to get us back to a stable of six. Mikey Bones is a four-year-old filly that we claimed for $12,500. She ran a great race and finished second. It appears to be a good claim. Our trainer, Doug O'Neill, wants to take a little time and put some additional weight on her, which will only increase her chances of winning.
The horse that got us our first win this year, Mr. Chairman, is running this Thursday in an allowance race for a purse of $81,900. A very big race for us. He looks like he fits and should be one of the favorites. Let's get back in the Winner's Circle.
Hopefully a lot of you can make it on Thursday.
Great Friends Management Team
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Opening Week at Del Mar 7/18 |
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July 18, 2008
Great Friends,
Rush With Thunder, is running this Sunday in the 6th race. He drew the
rail, and we are very excited about his chances. This is an important
race for the Great Friends Stable as Rush With Thunder is running for a
purse of $88,400. That would certainly pay for a few carrots. We
encourage everybody to come out and see the “big horse” in the barn,
who was victorious four times at Del Mar last summer.
Also, Sandita is running in the sixth race on Monday. He drew the #8
post in the seven furlong race. We think Sandita is poised to the best
race of his life (we tend to be optimistic). The purse for this one is
$24,000.
Hope to see you all Sunday and/or Monday. As always, let us know if you need anything.
Recent Transactions: We sold Glimmering Pete for 10,000 and claimed Mikey Bones for $12,500.
The Great Friends Stable Management Team
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We’re in! Glimmering Pete will run in the first race on Opening Day at Del Mar. We drew the #2 post position, which is excellent for the one mile distance, and we think we have a real shot to win. There is plenty of early speed in the race, so we will likely try to win it coming from behind. If he is able to get the victory, the Great Friends Stables will be the leading owners at Del Mar – well, at least for about a half hour.
The jockey we chose to use is Alonso Quinonez. The young rider had a solid season last year when he finished 9th in the very competitive Del Mar jockey colony . He is the regular jockey and exercise rider for Glimmering Pete. Alonso really likes the horse, knows him well and made a huge plea to our trainer, Doug O’Neill, to keep the mount – all very good signs. We hope to see all of you on Opening Day. One word of advice – if you’re coming, don’t get caught in traffic and miss the first race. Del Mar is expecting upwards of 40,000 as usual, and it can take a long time to get in. Shoot to arrive at noon or so, relax, have a drink and then get to the paddock early with the rest of the Great Friends to root on Glimmering Pete.
Also, we claimed another horse today at Hollywood Park for $50,000. He is a four-year-old Kentucky bred named Band of Thunder. He is going to be trained by John Sadler, and we expect him to be ready to run back in just a few weeks. After winning consistently in northern California, he shipped down to Hollywood Park and ran 4th today in a 7 ½ furlong race. We think that’s further than he really wants to go, so we’ll likely shorten him up and let him race where he is more comfortable.
Here is the list of all the Great Friends Stable horses and when we expect them to run. As always, these plans can change, so we will keep you posted.
Glimmering Pete – Wednesday, July 16, $10,000 claiming race (see above).
Rush With Thunder – Sunday, July 20, allowance / $80,000 claiming race
Sandita – Monday, July 21, $16,000 claiming race
Mr. Chairman – Thursday, July 24, allowance race
Enchanting Moment – Monday, July 28, $50,000 maiden claiming race
Band of Thunder – Just claimed. No immediate plans yet
Finally, don’t forget the cocktail party this Tuesday night -- 5pm to 7pm at Mille Fleur in downtown Rancho Santa Fe. The address is 6009 Paseo Delicias.
Looking forward to an awesome season!
Great Friends Stable Management Team
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