Category: News and Updates

This is a short collection of videos of a set of our horses enjoying themselves at the barn at Pompano Park. Horses are: Giant Muscles, Shadow Copy and Catherine’s Bella.

Shadow Copy was third this race.  I recorded this on a 360 degree camera.

Very special day for a young horse today.  Very special day for me too.  In the fall of 2016 I purchased a nice Illinois yearling prospect from the Illini Classic sale.  As I trained her down during the winter of 2016-17 I really felt she was the nicest horse I ever owned…  then a career tragedy struck and she suffered an injury that was diagnosed as a probable career ending injury and most definitely a season ending injury.  With only a 50/50 prognosis of a return, I decided to turn her out for the summer and fall and see if nature could put her back together again.  

I started training her again the beginning of December 2017 at Pompano Park. I was aggressive with her training as I wanted to know whether I should spend the stake money for the 2018 Illinois stakes schedule.  I am really happy that tonight she completed her first qualifying race in 2:01.4.  This was the first time she saw the starting gate, the first time in a field of horses and the fastest she has ever trotted. 

Here is the 360 video of the race:

For those of my friends that don’t race horses or never trained a “trip” here is a video of my trotter Storm Winds training this morning. He hit the track twice, we call them “trips”.  The first trip is basically a warm up and I took him for a mile in 2:35.  The second trip was more of a speed workout and we went the mile in 2:15.  2:15 is about 15 seconds slower than an actual race.

I post these training videos because I have a lot of friends that are not into racing but may have a curiosity as to what is done to prep a horse for a race.  Storm Winds is a trotter. Trot races usually are raced at a mile and a trotting horse needs to trot a mile between 1:53 and 2:00.  We “train down” our horses and “Keep them tight” with training workout sessions.  We normally go two “trips” – twice on the track with a little rest between.  The first trip is a warm up and the second is the actual work where we try to condition for speed or educate them on something they have an issue with.

Today this is a bit of an education trip for Storm Winds.  He usually puts his stupid on when he sees the gate.  Instead of trotting at the start of the mile he has a history of freaking out and breaking into a wild gallop.  But this morning he was excellent and seems ready for his next race.  Hopefully next Sunday night at Hawthorne.

2 year old getting really close now….   

Good Training trip for 2 year old filly. First time at 2:20.