Moonshine Cate Racing @ Belmont on Sunday - Owner's Countdown

[emasie]

Our horse, Moonshine Cate - from MASIE Stable - will be racing in the 9th race on Sunday afternoon (July 10). It is a 7 Furlongs Turf Maiden Race for NY Breds - Fillies & Mares 3 and older. Purse is $70,000.

So, here are some of the Owner Countdown actions - leading up to the race and getting ready for tomorrow.

Targeting the Race: Our trainer (and farm owner) Roy Lerman targeted a race at the start of July. This was after almost 10 months off - to recover from a strained ankle - after her first race the last day of the Saratoga season last year. We didn't rush or pressure the trainer to run her - as we wanted her to fully heal and strengthen - and prep for a great 3 year old. :)


Races Sometimes Don't Fill: The race was scheduled for Saturday, July 9th - but only 5 horses entered. So, they wrote a Special and found some more fillies to enter. We were all set to go to Belmont today - but things sometimes happen - and it got moved a day.
Rain Happens - Does It Scratch: Since Moonshine is a fully turf horse, upcoming rain might mean a scratch - as we don't want to move her to the turf. So, there are plans to travel to New York City - with an eye towards the changing weather forecast.
New York, Yes! While there were races in NJ and MD, we wanted to run in New York, if possible. Purses are bigger. And, as we also the breeder (from Miss Matzo and Girolamo), there is a nice bonus payment if she comes in the money.
Jockey: Our trainer picks jockeys that he thinks are best for the race. As Franco rode her first race and liked her - and was able to push her fast at the end - it was natural to go back to him. Sometimes, our jockey of choice is already taken - and then there are conversations about alternatives. Once again, we defer (and converse) with our trainer.
Mental Prep (mine, I mean): I went to the barn this morning at 6 am in Saratoga - to say hello and wish her well. It is great to me to say hi -- and to see her before the trip to New York City. There is a truck shuttle between Saratoga track and Belmont every day - in each direction.
Trainer Conversation: Then, there is a set of conversations about the race - as the field is announced. It sets my expectations and energy.
Watch the Odds and Handicapping Comments: From the moment of the race announcement with the field, it is fun to watch different analysis come out - and the odds. So it will be 4 to 1 tomorrow - with several folks putting her 1st, 2nd or 3rd - and a few not mentioning her. This is also influenced by the performance of her half-sister, Miss Matzoball - who has won close to $200,000.
Dress for the Event: On the day of the race, always have to think about dress. In Saratoga - we dress up. For tomorrow - will still have a jacket - but no tie or hat - and will sit in the less formal dining room.
Friends and Family Want to Know: There are so many friends and family members that want to know about the race. So, we have built a mailing list and share news bits about the upcoming race.
Betting - Not Too Much: The real bets that MASIE Stable does are every day fees for each horse to be stabled and trained. That comes to about $30,000 or more each year. So, day of betting, I just do a few $5 bets - and smile.
The Paddock: It is great to head to the paddock before the race - see the horse, say hello to the jockey - and stay out of the way :)
Watching the Race: NYRA gives us a box for the day when we race - and we will head there - and watch the race with high energy and some shouting. Of course, we look towards the winner's circle - thinking about possible appearance there.
Setting Mind Sets: Honestly, the things on my mind, as an owner as the race gets ready to roll:

May the horse and jockey come out of the race safe and healthy.
May the horse perform well and perhaps better than the last race.
May the horse win some money - 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 - if possible. But that is the third on the list.

End of Race: There are 2 options at the end of the race. If we win - head over to the excitement of the winners circle - get a photo and say thanks to jockey, groom, trainer and gang. If we don't win - head over to talk with the jockey and trainer - asking "what did we learn today. And, watch a replay of the race with our tream.
Enjoying the Day: Owning awesome horses like Moonshine Cate and Miss Matzoball (and more) is an honor and fun. It is amazing to just breed a horse and have it actually race - no less at Belmont or Saratoga - for big purses. That is an honor. And, racing is a sport - so our goal is to have fun and perhaps get some money to cover expenses and pay for the next horse purchased or bred.
Horses Don't Talk: So, after all of this, we never know what Moonshine Cate is ready or ripe to do. We have done our work - trusted our trainer - selected a good jockey - picked the best race - and then showed up!
PaceAdvantage: It is fun to share some of the experiences about being MASIE Stable with our new colleagues from PaceAdvantage. Hope that it is amusing.
Wish us luck.

Elliott

Elliott Masie - MASIE Stable

[Hambletonian]

Your posts are very enjoyable, hope you have a great day!

[VeryOldMan]

Your posts are very enjoyable, hope you have a great day!
Amen.

These posts are a lot of fun to read - thanks, Elliott.

[lamboguy]

i hope you have a great time and do well. the game can be a lot of fun even though from personal experience i have seen just about all the setbacks the game has to offer.

[MOG4023]

Elliot,

Thanks for this. I will look forward to the race today paying special attention to "Cate".
Good luck.

[parlay]

Good Luck! I am excited for you. May she run well and return healthy.

[johnhannibalsmith]

... PaceAdvantage: It is fun to share some of the experiences about being MASIE Stable with our new colleagues from PaceAdvantage. Hope that it is amusing.
...

Elliott Masie - MASIE Stable

I think that you do a great thing here. Not only does it likely give people a perspective that they probably only have in a sort of abstract way, but you are probably doing more to help encourage first-time ownership (which the game desperately needs) than pretty much anyone else. You paint a pretty realistic picture and the pleasure you derive from not just the game, but the horses themselves, is apparent in your posts. :ThmbUp:

[emasie]

Thanks for the comments - it is fun to share the ride and roll of the owner

At Bellont now. Place is EMPTY!!! But that is the norm for a non special day here :(

As predicted, 3 horses have scratches from the race. They were informal MTO - horses ready to run on dirt - but the weather has cooperated and we are on the grass!!!

Horse and groom and trainer are here - and all ready to roll.

Belmont staff are already packing for the move to Sartoga in 2 weeks

Eating - connecting with friends - and enjoying a buffet lunch as we watch early races.

[whodoyoulike]

Good luck today. I hope I'll be able to watch the race. I seldom wager on mdn races.

I have a couple questions regarding Cate and MM.

:1: Why do you or your trainer feel they are turf runners? Although MM does seem and is doing well and likes turf racing.

:2: I don't have MM's pp available but I see Cate has workouts on turf which seems to be consistent with her dirt w/o's. Btw, my opinion on w/o is basically to see if the horses are working out on a regular basis. But, when you have her train on both surfaces what do you guys look for when you do that? I'm guessing the turf isn't always available for training purposes.

Thanks,

[emasie]

Hi

We look at both the works - but more importantly the exercise workouts each morning.

Miss Matzoball's moves are way better on the grass - and my trainer feels Moonshine responds to the grass better.

Matzoball would be kept in a turf to dirt race shift. Yet my trainer wants her to master the grass first.

Elliott

[emasie]

It was an interesting race for Moonshine Cate today.

Roy, our trainer, felt after the first race last year - that she was probably a longer distance runner - on the grass - and as we have seen in both races - is an amazing speedster at the end

What we saw today included:

- She was hard bumped (pinched) by two horses as she came out of the gate.
- She hung back - with her jockey's directions - and then quite deeply took off at the end. She actually traveled more distance - to come around --- and she had the FASTEST time in the last quarter of the race.
- She won real money. MASIE Stables gets $7,000 for her 3rd place finish
- The jockey felt (and Roy agreed) that this was a great experience for her - and that the next race has a opportunity for her to do better - or even win..
- By the way, she was the ONLY horse that day - who raced without LASIX - which is a diuretic medicine that makes the horses pee. Our trainer and MASIE Stable are part of a movement to move away from drugs like that -- unless medically needed.

So, what is next. We will take her to Saratoga tomorrow - and she will rest for a day - and get a full exam.

We are tentatively looking at a race. - for a longer distance - that would be Early August in Saratoga. That gives our team a month to build her up for continuing competition.

So, onward! We accomplished much of what we wanted -- and the horse is ready for next.

As an owner - you always hope you win. But glad to come in the money - with the horse healthy and learning something about her future development

Thanks for reading

[MOG4023]

Thanks for the update.

Yeah, she was certainly flying at the end.

[horses4courses]

I think that you do a great thing here. Not only does it likely give people a perspective that they probably only have in a sort of abstract way, but you are probably doing more to help encourage first-time ownership (which the game desperately needs) than pretty much anyone else. You paint a pretty realistic picture and the pleasure you derive from not just the game, but the horses themselves, is apparent in your posts. :ThmbUp:

What he said :ThmbUp:


Your posts give great insight from a unique angle,
and you have deservedly built up quite a following here.

I hope you have a very fun and successful time at the Spa.

[Hambletonian]

That was a very, very nice effort off the long layoff, exactly what I would want if I owned her. you get some money and she wasn't under any stress. I remember something that John Nerud used to remark on, horses that would come off a long layoff and get gutted first time back. He wondered what the point of the layoff was if that was what you were going to do to them.

Tartan horses all got a race or two before they were down to business for the season. Turf routers would come back sprinting on the dirt, etc. You don't see a heck of a lot of that these days.

She got a useful trip, finished strong, and should move up off the effort. Whether it was the plan or not, I am sure he would have approved :)

Hopefully she will come out of it A-OK and give you a couple of sharp efforts at the Spa.

[Si2see]

I had her bet on a $10 double and didn't realize it was your horse, but she looked like she needed the race and should run huge next time out. Congrats and keep us posted.

Jason

[lamboguy]

It was an interesting race for Moonshine Cate today.

Roy, our trainer, felt after the first race last year - that she was probably a longer distance runner - on the grass - and as we have seen in both races - is an amazing speedster at the end

What we saw today included:

- She was hard bumped (pinched) by two horses as she came out of the gate.
- She hung back - with her jockey's directions - and then quite deeply took off at the end. She actually traveled more distance - to come around --- and she had the FASTEST time in the last quarter of the race.
- She won real money. MASIE Stables gets $7,000 for her 3rd place finish
- The jockey felt (and Roy agreed) that this was a great experience for her - and that the next race has a opportunity for her to do better - or even win..
- By the way, she was the ONLY horse that day - who raced without LASIX - which is a diuretic medicine that makes the horses pee. Our trainer and MASIE Stable are part of a movement to move away from drugs like that -- unless medically needed.

So, what is next. We will take her to Saratoga tomorrow - and she will rest for a day - and get a full exam.

We are tentatively looking at a race. - for a longer distance - that would be Early August in Saratoga. That gives our team a month to build her up for continuing competition.

So, onward! We accomplished much of what we wanted -- and the horse is ready for next.

As an owner - you always hope you win. But glad to come in the money - with the horse healthy and learning something about her future development

Thanks for readingin the long run you will be much better off without the lasix. it not only drains the mucus and blood in the lungs, its drains the nutrients the horse needs to live normal. when you give horses lasix you need plenty of time between races to recover from what the lasix does to the horse. the problem is that the horses that get lasix have clear breathing passages that don't slow them down, while your horse might feel the mucus irritating. of course all that is what i personally think.

in any event congratulations on a very respectable race.

[PaceAdvantage]

I was off the grid (on vacation), so I never got a chance to thank Elliot for continuing to provide us his unique ownership insights and updates. :ThmbUp: :jump: