The New Year begins

The new year has began and we are hoping it is gonna be full of progress, winners, and profits!

Fifth of April has started back training after a short break. She has been sent to the James McMullen barn for a couple months while Richie Scherer FINALLY gets to go back to his home in Louisiana. She is schedule to breeze a couple more times and be entered in a Illinois bred NW1 race the first week of March at Hawthorne. She will stay to one turn this year after last year's two turn experiment didn't go that well. We are hopeful that she will show the same grit and tenacious attitude she showed as a two year old and that will have us running in some of the bigger races for Illinois breds.

The Cactus Ridge yearling has gotten his name. Slip Kid, which is a song by The Who, has been sent to Clear Creek Stud in Folsom, LA to start his training as a 2 year old. The people at Rea's have told us that he is a very willing individual and we are hoping to bring him into full training May 1st.

Albin has started his comeback to the races as he was also sent to Clear Creek Stud. His stomach was bothering him a little bit when he first got there but no news has been good news and he will get some miles on him there while progressing to go back to Richie in the middle of March.

Barbara Rea has continued to be impressed with how much Fashion Slave has grown into her body and become a decent looking 3 year old. There is still no idea of what to expect out of her as a racehorse but the decision to let her grow as a 2 year old (considering her early breaking, her breeding, and recommendation of Reas) has done her a world of good and hopefully we see that on the racetrack. She is also at Clear Creek to begin training and will go to Richie the middle of March.

Sweet Jane, the newly named Yes its True filly, also went on the van ride to Louisiana and she will be turned out till end of this month to continue to grow. She will then start her early training.

Gondorf has been turned out for a couple months now as we still contemplate what to do with him. The hope and goal is start off the year right with some of the other horses (April, Albin) and maybe bring him to Arlington for June and July and see what we have. Its really a risk versus reward situation right now as we have no idea if he will hold to training.

Top Royelle is due around the middle of March and we are hoping for a nice big baby. Her sire, Into Mischief, has thrown some really fast runners from his first crop, and last year he only bred to 40 mares total. That puts us in a very good situation assuming the foaling process goes well.

Both yearlings (Yes Its True colt and Desert Party filly) continue to grow at Rea's and they are eagerly awaiting spring, so they can be turned out on a consistent basis.