Page 21 - September 2005 The Game
P. 21

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, September 2005 21
Best Laid Plans
It's amazing how often our best-laid plans go awry. If there is one industry that is based on planning and hoping for the future, it has to be horse racing. Let's start with the breeder: breed the best to the best and hope for the best. Of course we can't always afford the best, so we make out the best we can. Then it's either raise to sell or run. Both are a huge gamble. The percent- age of horses that simply MAKE it to the track is miniscule.
How about the owner? Bills, bills, bills. Two year olds can get sick and/or sore, older horses can get lame, lose their competitive edge and there's always bills, bills, bills. Trainers have so much overhead to be competitive, that
the chances of making a profit are
slim and/or none. These examples don't take into account
the psychological effects of pre
race hope and post race disappointment. Yet, there is that
one race where things seemingly
fall into place, when the stars
align and the heavens rejoice -
but more on that later.
Backstretch workers plan and hope for the best to happen. (Let's face it, nobody really plans for the worst, do they?) Some aspire to be trainers, some riders, some just to get off the track, yet many work hard for the here and now, for that race that comes up just right- but more on that later.
Jockeys do better than most, yet some will put time to school a horse, work a horse, etc. plan for that certain race that will pay off
for all that time and effort.only to see someone else named on in the program- but more on that later.
Trades people, blacksmiths, veterinarians, etc. depend on many of the above to do well so that when winter comes it's a little less bleak and they feel less like a banking institution. Perhaps these are the people who breathe a sigh of relief when they see a horse in at the right level with the right rider at the right distance - but more on (you know the rest!).
I'm sure many people had many plans for success on the racing card of August 19. Yet so many plans were dashed when the heavens opened and poured down not
showers of blessings, but rather showers of destruction! Races were cancelled, barns and stalls were flooded. All those best laid plans went down the drain, (after it stopped backing up), in a few hours, not because of the competitors, the track surface, the post position, but quite simply because of Mother Nature.
In the book of James it warns us of planning too much and too far ahead. James 4: 13-15 says: "13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." While there is nothing inherently wrong with planning, many of us put far too much hope in our best laid plans and are crushed when they
don't come to fruition. Fortunately, God is there when we stumble and things don't turn out just quite right. Jesus said "I will never leave you or forget you". That is something we CAN plan on.
Get Tied On
with Chaplain Shawn
Anson Graduates
SUCCESSFUL
at Sales
At Anson Stud Farm we are proud of our graduates’ recent success. The following yearlings were foaled, raised and sale prepped at Anson:
Fasig-Tipton, Kentucky Selected Yearling Sale: July 18-19, 2005:
Hip No. 535 - filly by Forest Wildcat - Miss Illusion SOLD $250,000 US$
Hip No. 605 - filly by Belong to Me - Roses at Sunset SOLD $160,000 US$
Hip No. 94 - filly by A Fleets Dancer - Far Out Lady SOLD $32,000 US$
Saratoga Premier Yearling Sale: August 11-12, 2005
Hip No. 9 - filly by Orientate - Glimmering Halo - SOLD $85,000 US$ Hip No. 91 - colt by Forestry - Showering
SOLD $80,000 US$ - Highest selling colt in sale
Hip No. 71 - Dreams On Ice filly by A Fleets Dancer - Romance On Ice SOLD $40,000 US$
Hip No. 174 - filly by Not Impossible (IRE) - Classiest Carat - SOLD $40,000 US$
Hip No. 152 - Boyz colt by A Fleets Dancer - Beldine - SOLD $21,000 US$ Hip No. 150 - A Fleets Tramp filly by A Fleets Dancer - Because of Love SOLD $15,000 US$
CTHS Alberta Summer Yearling Sale: August 20 - 21, 2005
Hip No. 35 - filly by A Fleets Dancer - Spring Holiday - SOLD $14,000 Hip No. 80 - colt by A Fleets Dancer - Call Me Krystal - SOLD $24,000 Hip No. 129 - colt by A Fleets Dancer - Halo Alfaari - SOLD $18,000 Hip No. 159 - colt by A Fleets Dancer - Little Storm - SOLD $34,000
SUCCESS IS IMPORTANT
Anson Stud Farm - Your Nursery of Choice in Ontario Call Sonja or Andy McKinnon at 905-584-4969 for stall availability email: ansonstudfarm@netscape.net
News in Review
www.horsephotos.com/NTRA
All-time leading money earning jockey, Pat Day, has retired from riding. The 51 year old jockey has said that he is retiring to focus on advancing his chaplaincy backside program and to promote Christianity.
Pat Day became the sport’s all-time leading jockey in money earned in 2002 and he retires with total earnings of $297,912,019 after winning 8,803 races, fourth best in the all-time number of wins column.
Pat Day missed his first Kentucky Derby in 21 consecu- tive years in 2005 after under- going surgery to repair cartilage in his hip. He returned to racing in June however reports said that Pat said he “wasn’t feeling the glory of winning like he used to” and decided to take a sabbatical after which he announced his retirement.


































































































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