Catching up: 22 new maiden-breakers so far in '11

My transition from North Carolina to life in Oklahoma in the beginning months of 2011 has interrupted this blog's progress more than I ever intended, but it's high time to start catching up.

First on the agenda: An update on 22 new winners thus far in 2011 from my juvenile sales tips of 2010, each briefly mentioned here in chronological order:

-- Reward The Lady (f. by Grand Reward-You're A Lady, by Youmadeyourpoint), Jan. 8, Parx Racing, MCL $12,500 by a half-length. I had this one as placed twice at age 2, and still have the e-mail notifications from Equibase to support that, but a Brisnet search now says she was placed just once, so she must have been disqualified from one of those runner-up efforts after the fact. Either way, she broke maiden and has earned $24,920 off a $6,000 purchase price at EASMAY, where I considered her a Priority 4 and we let her pass as Hip 1 in the entire sale.

-- Diannedoesthebooks (g. by Desert Warrior-Karakorum Kiss, by Lord Carson), Jan. 9, Aqueduct, MCL $50,000 by a length and a half. A first-out winner who was a $25,000 purchase as Hip 1200 at OBS April. A bit disconcerting that he hasn't raced since, though he has worked seven times, most recently April 3 at Belmont. Hopefully connections are just waiting for some juicy NY-bred conditions at the upcoming Belmont meet.

-- Take Me To Zuber (f. by Toccet-Valid Silk, by Valid Appeal), Jan. 20, Gulfstream Park, MCL $25,000 by 4 1/2 lengths. I pegged her at OBS April, where she sold for $28,000 as Hip 629. On March 14, she placed second in the OBS Sprint Stakes at Ocala Training Center, a restricted race open to 3-year-olds that at some point in their young lives have passed through a sales ring at Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.

-- Oh So Glittery (f. by Cetewayo-Western Glitter, by Glitterman), Jan. 25, Parx Racing, MCL $25,000 by a head. I liked this tall filly and tabbed her a Priority 2 horse at EASMAY last year, where I worked as a hired bloodstock agent for the first time. She was an RNA at $15,000, but now has earned $23,490 from five starts, including paychecks for three straight fourth-place finishes in allowance company since her maiden-breaking win. Not bad for being raced short on dirt as the daughter of a distance-running turf horse in Cetewayo, who had at least five graded wins on grass at 11f and beyond. I'd like to see her get some chances on the all-weather surface this season among PA-breds at Presque.

-- The Fed Eased (c. by Montbrook-Valid Invitation, by Take Me Out), Jan. 29, Aqueduct, MSW by 7 1/4 lengths. I recommended this colt prior to his passing through the ring at OBSFEB, where he was a $65,000 RNA. He won in his second start, then made his third Grade 3 Gotham S., in which he finished fifth, beaten 5 1/2, by Stay Thirsty. From three starts, he has a win and a place for $41,000.

-- Sniper King (c. by First Samurai-Gem Treck, by Java Gold), Jan. 30, Busan in South Korea, by 6 lengths. Colt who was an $18,000 purchase as Hip 1080 at OBSAPR has earned $35,203 from six starts in Korea, where a number of my bargain-hunting sales tips have performed quite well.

-- Wild Alley Cat (c. by Flower Alley-Winner's Ticket, by Jolie's Halo), Jan. 30, Turf Paradise, MCL $18K-$25K, by 7 lengths. Won easily at first asking when entered for $20,000 in a field of maiden-claimers. Since has been fifth and sixth in allowance company at Delta Downs after being sent to Louisiana. I labeled him a Priority 2 horse at EASMAY, where he sold for just $6,000. His win didn't earn much at Turf Paradise, where the purses aren't that generous, and he has banked just $5,670, but perhaps when dropped back in among friends he'll collect another win or two.

-- Black Tulip (f. by Rock Hard Ten-Fascinating Gal, by Theatrical), Feb. 2, Tampa Bay Downs, turf MCL $32,000 by 2 lengths. I considered her a possible second-chance deal (a horse you might see at auction later) after she failed to sell at a $50,000 bid at Keeneland April. She has a win and two other on-the-board finishes from seven starts, for $13,232, but I think has and will find a home on grass.

-- Kuhlu (f. by Ghostzapper-Golden Antigua, by Hansel), Feb. 6, Turfway Park, all-weather MCL $30,000 by 3 lengths. I considered her a possible second-chance deal from 2010 Keeneland April when she failed for sell at a bid of $22,000. She was sixth of seven in an optional claimer today at Hawthorne. Kuhlu has earned $7,330 from four starts.

-- Wrapped In Gold (f. by Touch Gold-Miss Ginalie, by Skip Away), Feb. 12, Hawthorne, MCL $7,500 by a length. I tabbed her at OBS April, where she sold for just $10,000. She has made seven starts with another third-place finish among them for $7,836.

-- Willie's Way (g. by Speightstown-Willie's Luv, by Williamstown), Feb. 16, Tampa Bay Downs, MCL $8,000, by 2 1/2 lengths. I've privately questioned the handling of this fellow, by a champion dirt sprinter and raced a number of times in his 13 lifetime starts around two turns and on turf. His dam did handle both a mile and grass, so I suppose the connections (and he's been through more than one barn) were hopeful. But short and on the dirt is where he belongs. I recommended him at OBS April, where he was an RNA for $12,000. He's now collected a win, three places and two show finishes for $15,551.

-- Lion's Reign (c. by Lion Heart-Turtle Creek, by Sky Classic), Feb. 27, Turfway Park, all-weather MSW by 3 lengths. I tabbed this one among my "steals" of the Keeneland April sale after he sold for $17,000. With an unplaced finish over an off-track as the favorite in a Mountaineer allowance today, he has a win and a place from five starts for $17,387.

-- Doasisay Notasisay (c. Delaware Township-Bonjove, by Caracolero), March 2, Parx Racing, MCL $25,000 by 4 1/4 lengths. I liked this fella rather a lot out of the OBS April catalog, where he was an RNA at just $19,000. He was second twice from four starts at 2, and is yet to finish worse than second in four starts at 3, including a runner-up finish to a heavy favorite today in a Parx starter allowance where this fella was sent off at 20/1. He has now earned $52,770 from eight starts for breeder Norman E. Casse, who might actually be glad by now that the colt didn't sell at Ocala.

-- Alstom (c. by Silver Train-Miss Special Salsa, by Mr. Greeley), March 5, Oaklawn Park, MSW by a half-length. This bargain-basement, $7,000 purchase was a Priority 2 horse on my list for a client at EASMAY. He won at first asking at a nice meeting, then proved the effort was no fluke on March 31 when he missed the break but came on, well, like a train down the lane to finish third beaten only three-quarters of a length in a one-mile allowance at Oaklawn, in a race where half the field were 4-year-olds.

-- Secondtimelove (f. by Trippi-Backtothebooks, by Notebook), March 10, Charles Town, MSW by 2 lengths. This $25,000 filly made my list at OBS April, where she was Hip 779. She didn't start at 2, but has a win, place and show from five starts at 3, for $24,700.

-- Knows How To Rock (c. by Rockport Harbor-Unchained Princess, by Clever Trick), March 14, Mountaineer Park, MSW by a neck. A Keeneland April steal at $13,000, he was unplaced in three starts at 2, but is 3-for-6 on the board at age 3. He has earned $16,509.

-- Simple Truth (f. by Tale of the Cat-Summertown, by Diesis), March 14, Turf Paradise, MCL $18,000, by 4 lengths. This one sold for a bit more than I expected at OBS April, where she went for $45,000 at a sale where I was hoping to peg almost nothing but bargains. She has earned $6,560 and has a long way to go toward repaying that purchase price.

-- Bibblesman (c. by Sharp Humor-Sparkling Forest, by Forest Wildcat), March 16, Parx Racing, MCL $40,000 by 4 3/4 lengths. This colt was a $22,000 purchase as Hip 337 at EASMAY, where I liked several of the foals by this sire, and where he made my list of 48 likely bargains for my one client as a hired bloodstock agent as a Priority 1 horse. He was unplaced in one start at 2, but has hit the board in both of his efforts at 3, having earned $40,260. Very easily could win again (and again?) among his PA-bred brethren.

-- No Biggie (g. by Consolidator-Sixy Chic, by Saratoga Six), March 17, Laurel Park, MCL $25,000 by 4 lengths. I tabbed this one as a "Priority 1" when tasked by a client to seek out the least expensive horses that still had promise among the offerings at last May's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale at Timonium, Md. I liked him in most every way, and I believe his price was held down by his height. I later wrote, "had the horse been two or three inches higher at the withers and not a degree straighter nor tick faster, the money would have been two or three times greater, I'm sure." As it was, he sold for a paltry $8,000 and now has earned $21,060, including a third place at 14/1 on Tuesday in the same Parx starter allowance (won by a 3/5 shot) in which sales-tip Doasisay Notasisay was second at 20/1.

-- Unstoppable Mick (g. by Silver Deputy-Flower Canyon, by Gulch), March 18, Turfway Park, MCL $15K-$10K by 10 1/4 lengths. I called this one a "steal" when he sold for $10,000 at KEEAPR to Connie Apostelos. New trainer Rodney C. Faulkner "stole" him for new owner Frank D. Irvin for $15,000 when Unstoppable Mick aired in this Turfway maiden-claimer as the prohibitive, 1/5 favorite. He has hit the board in four of five starts for $9,429 running at low-purse Turfway.

-- Silver Jo (f. by Silver Train-Bolsa, by Mr. Prospector), April 1, Oaklawn Park, MCL $15,000 by 3 1/4 lengths. This filly won as the heavy favorite in her third lifetime start. I recommended her in my search for bargains at OBS April, where she was purchased for $12,000. She has earned $11,670 and certainly might move forward.

-- Triple Great (f. by Greatness-Triple Top, by Topsider), today, April 5, Penn National, MCL $5,000 by 8 lengths. I picked this one at OBS April, where she was an RNA for $18,000. After placing three times in six starts, I was surprised that she went unclaimed from owners Robert Falcone and John J. Lee. The filly has now earned $14,836.

Thus, through racing of April 5, 2011, it would appear that my 187-member sales-tip class of 2010 has 140 starters (74.9 percent) and 70 winners worldwide (37.4 percent). The group has seven stakes winners and 10 other stakes-placers (nine blacktype) for 3.7 percent stakes winners and about 9 percent total stakes horses.

The group has won 99 times from 684 starts (14.5 percent) with 119 second-place finishes and another 78 thirds (31.9 percent in the exacta, 43.3 percent in the money). Total earnings have reached $4,341,616 for an average of $31,012 per starter and $6,347 per start.

Follow them all at this link.

Exotic Korea: Trio of sales-tips combine for exacta in one race, plus a daily double, at Busan

How do you spell "daily double" and "exacta" in Korean? And do they offer the same sorts of exotics as American racetracks among the betting options there?

Those two questions crossed my mind this morning when I awoke to see that two of my juvenile sales tips of 2010 won back-to-back races at BusanKeyongnam racetrack, the first of them heading a "sales-tip exacta."

Fleeting Joy came home the winner by a length and a half in Race 2 at Busan Sunday, the 5/1 third choice in a field where the three top betting interests all came off my tip-list. He was followed home in second by fellow sales-tip and 9/2 Sniper King. The betting favorite, sales-tip Sand Hi at about 7/2, finished sixth, but beaten a grand total of about three and a quarter lengths. Since the online race charts at the Korean Racing Association's Web site don't include running lines or comments, I don't know whether he could make any excuses.

About 30 minutes later, two more sales-tips went to post in Busan's Race 3. In this one, Kidari Joe was the winner by a length and a half at about 11/2 odds over race-favorite Dave's Train, who was sent off at about 3/2. The fifth sales-tip to run in Korea on this day, Myeongpumtansaeng, finished last as the longest-shot on the board in Race 2, nearly 59/1. She was one of two fillies racing against nine colts and geldings.

Both races were Class 4 events for foreign-bred horses. Korean racing has no maiden races. Rather, a horse races among Class 4 company (either foreign-bred or domestic) until he has earned enough money to advance him to Class 3; sometimes it takes more than one win to accomplish, as it did for sales-tip Viva Ace, who finished second, first and first in three Class 4 efforts before promoting.

I recommended all five horses who ran on this day among 187 juveniles I selected on this blog from several of this year's 2-year-olds in training sales.

Fleeting Joy (Kitten's Joy-Speedy Sunrise, by Cherokee Run) is a dark bay or brown colt bred in Kentucky by Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey. He sold for only $7,500 to the Korean interests as Hip 476 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. April auction of 2-year-olds in training. I recommended the colt out of the same female family as G1 winner SIBERIAN SUMMER, English champ juvenile filly PLAYFUL ACT and others, then was a bit stunned by the price he commanded. Perhaps something on the vet report troubled buyers?

"A $15K RNA as a yearling, he's by a pretty good sophomore sire, out of a $102K-earning dam, breezed a respectable 10.2, and still didn't bring any money," I wrote following the sales session.

He's done OK so far in Korea, winning in his fourth start and hitting the board in two others for $25,763. (Runner-up Sniper King has two seconds and a third from four starts for $15,187.)

Kidari Joe, a dark bay or brown colt by Tiznow-Trickle of Gold, by Formal Gold, sold later in the same auction, as Hip 595, for a lot more money -- and still only $20,000. That price surprised me a little, as well, considering he's the first registered foal out of a Grade 3-winning dam who was victorious in 10 of her 20 lifetime starts for $467,709.

He also breezed 10.2 His dam sold in November 2009 in foal to Henny Hughes for $40,000. He struck me as on the short side, but he's solid as a side of beef and has acquitted himself well among the sort of horses that populate foreign Class 4 in Korea -- a group that might be limited in talent vs. maiden special weights at a premier American track, but which also often includes 3- and 4-year-olds, leaving the juveniles at some disadvantage.

"About as cheap as you can imagine getting a Tiznow, especially from a dam who could run," I previously said of this one.

His earnings from three starts, including a second place, have reached $22,780.

The two maiden-breakers bring the total number of winners to 46. That's 24.6 percent of all selections and a pretty fair 41.1 percent of the 112 to have made at least one start thus far.

The group has won 63 of 409 combined starts, a strike rate of 15.4 percent, and with 75 seconds and 45 thirds, their in-the-money rate is 44.7 percent.

Combined earnings have reached $3,192,809. That's an average of $7,806 per start and $28,507 per starter.

Follow all 187 sales-picks -- and a few pans, two of whom are set to make their racing debuts today -- in the list at the end of this former post.

Heart & Seoul: Sales-tips and Korean racing

When a dozen of my 187 juvenile sales tips of 2010 found themselves shipped overseas to Korea, I thought their careers might be difficult to follow.

While their races won't be as easy to keep up with as if they were racing Stateside, with charts posted by Equibase some 30 to 60 minutes after each race, I've learned that it isn't all that tough to find out what and how a racehorse is doing within the confines of Korea. And this is how things work, per my understanding.

With much help from the proprietor of the Horse Racing in Korea blog, I've learned the whereabouts, connections and even training condition of 11 out of the 12 horses I tabbed this spring who were sold to Korean interests. And the first of those horses, a Forest Camp filly bought at OBSAPR and renamed Our Camp (formerly called "Off to Granny's") has made her first two starts -- one a definite learning experience, and the second an impressive near-miss.

I've also learned much about how the Koreans manage their Thoroughbred racing industry. It's terribly different from here in the States, perhaps in some refreshing ways.

From a purely racing perspective, in Korea a maiden runner cannot start in an official race until he has passed muster in a trial run under race conditions. The horse must not only behave himself sufficiently and break reasonably well from the gate, one presumes -- which is enough in the States for the animal to earn its "gate card" and start racing -- but also must achieve a certain minimum speed for the distance, in company, under the competitive conditions of the trial, in order to hopefully assure that he will be competitive when asked to race "for real."

Another striking difference between Korea and the States is that there are few races carded strictly for juveniles.

Korean racing is primarily divided into classes based on accomplishment, not age. There are four classes for foreign-bred horses, and an animal can only move up from the lowest ranks, Class 4, once it has earned a certain amount of prize money.

This means that many juveniles will first appear in "weight for age" races, facing much older horses. In her August debut, Our Camp was sent off at 50/1 odds in a race that included many 2-year-olds, several 3-year-olds, a 4-year-old, and a horse that was age 5, albeit 0-for-27 lifetime. Our Camp (pictured above walking in the paddock and also with jockey Park Byeong Yun) finished ninth of 12 in a race won by a 2-year-old, covering five furlongs in 1:03.8.

(My source at the Racing in Korea blog suggests that due to training methods in that country, a young horse like Our Camp might be running five furlongs, "five seconds slower than they would be back in the U.S.")

While juveniles are facing older horses in these races, at least they're bad older horses. And some races exclude juveniles, so the ones that don't, I'm told, are carded primarily with 2-year-olds in mind, though what are almost universally unaccomplished older horses are eligible, too.

Another visible difference between the racing industry in Korea and in the United States is in the amount of information available on each horse and its condition. The information at present is available only in Korean, but (by American standards) a jaw-dropping volume of data is at the fingertips of Korean fans and gamblers.

"Korean racing has very strict rules on transparency," I'm told. "The racing authority is terrified that at any moment, the government might shut them down, so integrity is very important."

Novel concept: "If a horse -- any horse -- visits the vet, for example, it gets recorded and published. They don't do timed works here, but all visits to the track in the morning are recorded. It's intended to mean that every punter has access to the same information and that nobody can set up a betting coup. Of course, very few people actually read it all, but you can go to a computer terminal at the track and pull up complete, up-to-date information about any horse in the country."

That is the kind of information you couldn't get in the States without going to every barn, speaking to every trainer (and vet), and usually be told to take a very long walk off a very short pier.

Meanwhile, some splendid information is maintained even in English for every horse in the country by the Korean Stud Book. Here are examples for sales-tip Fleeting Joy, a son of Kitten's Joy who debuted with a place-finish at Busan. First, his main information page, complete left-side, right-side and head-on photos, country of origin, sire and dam's names, color and current owner in Korea; then his pedigree; his complete, 25-generation sireline, showing he traces to the Darley Arabian; 15 generations of dams, dating to a British mare named Bavarian, born in 1826; and finally, his race-record, including the most basic of past-performance lines.

So, without further ado (and with much help from my source who is handling the translation from Korean), here's the current rundown on my 12 sales picks of 2010 to have reached Korean shores.

Choego Chansa: Trained at Busan by Min Jang Gi. "Working well" and participated in a race trial in August. She finished just sixth of eight, but with a time that "scraped by" as fast enough to begin entering real races. Her debut in an official race on Sept. 10 was better by competitive standards, fifth of eight, earning (if this currency converter is correct) $1,936.

Dr. Drewman: At Seoul with trainer Kim Sun Gun. No official works as of late August (remember, works aren't timed, just recorded and reported) so he might be some time away from racing. But no reported medical problems, either.

Our Camp: Training at Seoul with Ha Jae Heung. Sixth of 11 in her race trial; ninth of 12 in her debut start. But, on Sept. 12, she "closed like a train" to come up just a half-length short, placing second to a 4-year-old (who was 0-for-19 prior, but still, twice her age), earning $8,034.

Fleeting Joy: A Jang Se Han trainee at Busan. "Working well" and passed race trials Aug. 7, then came home second in his debut on Aug. 29, earning $5,180.

Sniper King: Training with Kim Chang Ok at Busan. In late August, it was reported that he hadn't worked during the week. "The vet's diagnosis at this stage is simply 'exercise fatigue.'" Before that, he was reported as working well. Qualified for competitive races with a fourth-place finish out of nine in a trial on the weekend of Aug. 7-8. Bounced back from his "fatigue" to debut on Sept. 5 at Busan, with a third-place finish from eight starters, earning $2,912.

Myeongpumtansaeng: Name is recorded in the U.S. as two words, for some reason. Training at Busan under Choi Gi Hong. Only two works in July, became a regular worker in August. Probably a few weeks away from a trial.

Hanhyeolcheonyong: Name is recorded in the states as beginning with the letter M, not H. The first bit of bad news. This horse is at Seoul with Choi Hye Sik, but was diagnosed with lymphangitis in July and is undergoing treatment. Lymphangitis in horses is an inflammation associated with the lymphatic system, most commonly caused by a bacterial infection.

Daebak Chance: In training with Kim Jeom Oh at Seoul, this horse appears to have "cut himself up pretty badly" in July and is still recovering.

Sand Kahn: With Yoo Jae Gil at Seoul, but being given time off to mature a bit. Likely to resume training sometime in September.

Sand Hi: At Busan with Lim Geum Man. "Took awhile to settle," but went into full training in mid-August and "looks to be working well so far."

Viva Ace: This gelding by Macho Uno was the last to be named. Little information was available about him before, but now that he has a moniker, that should change.

Kidari Joe: Son of Tiznow is due to debut on Sunday in Race 4 at Busan. He is the 13-horse in a field of 14 -- pretty bad break on the post-draw -- and is one of six 2-year-olds facing seven 3-year-olds and one 0-for-17 4-year-old colt. Good luck to Kidari Joe.

Oh, and before we go, how pretty is the splash page for the Korean-language version of the Korean Racing Authority's Web site? And check the title in the browser top bar, in English: "Life & Love with KRA."

Life, love, racehorses. I'm not sure anyone could paint a better picture of how I'd want to live out the rest of my own life.