Weekly Update
Weekly Stable Update
Peter Petrify
Pete has arrived in Minnesota and is currently settling into his new home in Nick Roland’s barn. We’ll give him a little time to adjust and get situated before he makes his Minnesota debut for the stable. We’re excited to see what this next chapter has in store for Pete and look forward to getting him back on the track soon.
Beef N Cheddar
Beef was unable to overcome the outside draw and be much of a factor at Saratoga Harness this past Saturday night. After discussions with the trainers, we have decided to make a change and relocate Beef to Delaware, where he will be joining Jamie Sullivan’s barn. We thank Amanda Kelley and her team for all of their work with Beef and look forward to seeing what this next chapter brings as he gets a change of scenery and will begin racing in Delaware soon.
Manhattan Artist
Arty turned in a much better effort his last time out despite starting from the 7 post. He flew off the wings of the starting gate and got away second before attempting a bold first-over move around the halfway point. Although he was unable to grind down the leader, he fought gamely on the outside for the remainder of the race and finished a solid fourth. Arty will now be relocating further upstate, where he will join Dance Machine in Denny “Booch” Bucceri’s barn. We’re excited to see what Booch can do with Arty and look forward to watching him begin this next chapter.
Beat Bobby Bayou
After another start at Tioga Downs, trainer Rob Harmon made the call that Bobby really should not be racing anymore. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Rob putting the horse first, and we have agreed that it is time for Bobby to move on to the next chapter of his life. We’ll never forget the run we went on with Bobby, especially his wins at Yonkers, and we’re going to make sure he finds a great new home and is put in the right hands. Bobby gave the stable some incredible memories, and we’re grateful for everything he did for us on the racetrack.
Cruzin America
Despite being listed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite, Cruzin was unable to get it done at Tioga Downs this past weekend. He got away second and enjoyed a pocket trip, where he appeared to have a great chance turning for home if he could find racing room. He attempted to come up the passing lane but just couldn’t really get going and ultimately finished fifth. After discussions with the trainers, we have decided to relocate Cruzin to Nate Alexander’s barn in Ohio. We thank Tee Wine for all of his time and work with Cruzin and appreciate everything his team has done for the horse. We look forward to seeing what this next chapter brings for Cruzin in Ohio.
Phantom Tom
Tom picked up the stable’s first-ever dead-heat victory at the Skowhegan Fair on Monday! Coming back on just four days of rest from his previous start, Tom still found a way to get it done. It was a thrilling race, and you truly could not separate the two horses at the wire. Tom has now recorded a dead-heat win, a third, and two fourth-place finishes in just his first four starts in Maine. He continues to show up and race hard and we’re excited to see what he can do next.
Dance Machine
Dance Machine took advantage of the inside draw and put together about as beautiful of a rail-trip victory as you can watch this past weekend at Batavia Downs.
He saved all the ground and went right to the early lead. When he was briefly passed, Booch didn’t settle for the pocket trip and confidently retook to regain the lead. From there, Dance Machine controlled the race, and Booch did a great job keeping him going on the front end. He didn’t face much of a challenge down the stretch and picked up an impressive victory for the stable. Dance Machine is right back in at Batavia this weekend, where he draws the 9 post and will start from the second tier. We are excited to see how he navigates this draw as he looks to make it two wins in a row.
Wonka Bar
Wonka picked up a fifth-place check this past weekend at Saratoga Harness after moving up from his usual NW1 class into the NW2 ranks. Despite being in these NW ranks, Wonka has been facing some tough competition at Saratoga. As we continue to make changes within the stable, Wonka will now relocate to join Rob Harmon’s team. We thank Gary Levine and his team for their work with Wonka and look forward to seeing how he responds to a change of scenery, racing at some different tracks, and continuing to develop under Rob’s care.
Yamaka
Yammy was unable to be much of a factor his last time out in his first fair race of the year. He has continued to draw poorly, and things simply haven’t been going his way as of late. We’ll look for Yammy to hopefully get some better luck and get back to the winning form he showed earlier this year.
RobinTheCradle
Robin finished a strong third in Race 3 on Saturday night at Scioto Downs in a $12,000 race. He has been a great addition to the stable so far, recording two wins, a third, and a fourth in just his last four starts. Robin is right back in this Saturday night at Scioto Downs, where he draws the 6 post in a $15,500 race. We’ll look for another strong effort from Robin with Cameron McCown back in the bike.
DiscoveringTheHunt
Hunt blew us away this past week with a very impressive victory at Yonkers Raceway in a $23,000 race. She took back early and settled into fourth while the horses up front battled through a fast opening quarter. The early pressure helped set the race up nicely for her. Driver Jimmy Marohn angled her out to pick up cover before tipping her three-wide, where she really began to find her gear. She was able to swoop the group to take the lead and despite facing some pressure approaching the wire, fought them off and held on for the victory. Hunt has really started heating up, and the Bako barn has had her firing as of late with two seconds and a win in her last three starts while competing in some of the highest-level mare classes at Yonkers. Hunt gets a very well-deserved week of rest this week, and we’ll await the entries for her next start as she looks to keep the hot streak going.
Besta Blue Chip
Our Chapter Seven yearling, Besta Blue Chip, returned to action this past Sunday at Tioga Downs for just his third career start. Although he finished fifth in a field of six and wasn’t able to make much of an impact, he put together his best race to date and, most importantly, stayed flat for the entirety of the mile. Driver Braxten Boyd said Besta is a good horse, but unfortunately he still seems to be dealing with some sickness and has not fully recovered yet. Besta will be heading with Wonka Bar to join Rob Harmon’s team. With the facility Rob has available in New Jersey, we’re hopeful Besta can get completely healthy, continue developing, and ultimately have the opportunity to maximize his potential. He is still a very young horse with only three career starts, so our priority is giving him the time and environment he needs to develop properly.
Top Notch Treasure
Top Notch picked up yet another victory and is now a perfect 4-for-4 to begin his career!
He was confidently handled by Stevenson once again and took advantage of the inside draw to wire the field. He faced a little more pressure approaching the wire this time around but still won impressively without appearing to be asked for a whole lot. Top Notch is right back in another Maine Sire Stakes race at the Skowhegan Fair, this time racing for a purse of $17,329 as he looks to extend his winning streak to five. He draws the 6 post and will face his toughest task yet, but we’re excited to see if he can rise to the occasion and keep his perfect record intact.
This was an extremely successful week for the LLC, highlighted by four victories: Phantom Tom’s thrilling dead-heat win, DiscoveringTheHunt popping at 7-1 at Yonkers, Top Notch Treasure remaining undefeated with another Maine Sire Stakes victory, and Dance Machine putting together an impressive winning effort at Batavia.
We are continuing to make adjustments throughout the stable, with several horses relocating to new barns and tracks. We want to thank all of the trainers who have worked with these horses for the time, effort, and care they have put into them. These decisions are never personal. As we continue to refine our strategy and long-term vision for the stable, there are times when that requires moving some pieces around, trying different tracks, or giving a horse a change of scenery. That is simply part of the process of trying to put the stable in the best possible position. We’re grateful to everyone who continues to work with us and look forward to seeing how these new chapters unfold as we continue expanding the stable.
Another exciting week in the books, and we are optimistic for what’s ahead.
