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Moderator: Eric Wing
Eric Wing: Thanks indeed for joining this week's NTRA national media teleconference and, as usual, everything we say will be available in about -- at about this time tomorrow at www.ntra.com.
Well, a lot of ground to cover today. This coming Saturday, it'll be the eighth renewal of the Claiming Crown at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. Seven races, a total of $600,000 in purses honoring the blue-collar heroes, if you will, of American racing, the claiming horse, and we'll have a couple of guests on, Nat Wess and Mike Sherack, to talk about that big day at Canterbury shortly.
Also at -- on Saturday at Colonial Downs, the $1 million Virginia Derby, and Showing Up will not be back to attempt the second leg in the Jacobs Investment's Grand Slam of Grass, but that might be good news for Mike Sherack, whose IEAH Stables have Kip Deville, who was a spectacular, if you will, spectacular second in the Colonial Turf Cup, opening up a 15 length lead, and (beating them all) but showing up. He'll be back for a return go in the second leg of the series so, as I mentioned, we'll talk to Mike about both the Claiming Crown and the Virginia Derby.
And also, last but not least, the signature weekend at Calder Racecourse in Miami, the Summit of Speed and, among all the big races at Calder on Saturday, all of a truncated distance, the one horse that people have more eyes on than anyone else is Lost In the Fog, last year's Eclipse-award-winning sprinter, and he will be running in the $500,000 Smile Sprint handicap, and we'll be talking to his trainer, Greg Gilchrist, a little bit later on. Greg will also be saddling Victorina in the Azalea Breeder's Cup Stakes on the Summit of Speed Card.
But, first up, let's talk Claiming Crown, and I can think of no better man in the United States to do that with than the Claiming Crown coordinator, Nat Wess.
Nat, it's Eric in New York. How are you doing today?
Nat Wess: I'm fine, Eric, and thank you for the kind words.
Eric Wing: You're welcome, as always. And Nat, a couple of new twists this year. The distances have been changed a little bit, also a later post time, 5:00 Eastern Time, 4:00 Local Time there in the Minneapolis area. But, set the stage, if you would, for the Claiming Crown. Run through the seven events for us, and I'll ask you a couple questions about them later.
Nat Wess: I'll get to that. First, just quick reaction to what -- to the changes. The 4:00 post time looks like it might be a wonderful idea on our part. We're not certain about it at any point, but the weather, which was supposed to be mid-80s last week, was predicted as mid-80s for this week, suddenly has turned warm. We are looking at the possibility of another 95-degree day here on Saturday. But, with that 4:00 post, by the time we get started, the whole track area will be under shade, and we think that's going to be a big plus for us, and we're looking for a big crowd, and we're looking for a lot of interest in this event throughout the United States.
In any case, going to the races, the two races that are the -- that start the day normally are the -- this year were raised from 5,000 starters to $7,500 starters. One's long, one's short, and both races look like they're going to have about a dozen runners. The first one, the mile 16th, the long, Scott Lake, who has won six Claiming Crown races and who will be running five horses on Saturday in his effort to, in his own words, "get back in the game," because, after winning six races in the first four Claiming Crowns, he has been blanked in the last three. But, he's got five horses today, and he's got certainly the favorite in the Iron Horse and Distinct Vision, who has now won seven races in a row.
The next race, the Express, going six furlongs, is going to have a dozen, and that looks like possibly the day's most wide-open race. It's hard to make a solid case for me to talk about any one of the 12, but -- and quite honestly, we're very happy because about half a dozen of those are horses that have been running right here at Canterbury.
Next race on the card will be the Glass Slipper, fillies and mares going three-quarters, $75,000 purse. Two strongest horses, on paper at least, look like Funny Woman, another one of Lake's horses, who he shipped out here early and won a race with a couple weeks ago, and a horse out of California called Da Svedonya. She is -- been stakes placed in southern California, and those two look like the top in what will be probably a field of eight or nine there.
The Rapid Transit, starters for 16,000 or less going 60 -- going six furlongs, unfortunately lost the horse this morning that I thought was going to be one of the power ((inaudible)) in the race in Little Thunder. I -- quite frankly, I don't know why as yet, but it does have a nice, strong field. Crafty Schemer, who people in the East know very well, has run in stakes and, from Ben Feliciano's barn, it's got Must Win Soon, another horse of Lake's who he actually supplemented to this race, and it's got a horse called Edgerrin, who's done very well in Kentucky.
Then, you come to the two turf races. The filly and mare turf, which only had seven horses last year, all of a sudden this year looks like it's going to have 11. It's got a couple of very strong horses, one from California named Strong Faith who has won four out of her last five, including a couple minor stakes in northern California, and a filly making -- giving Todd Pletcher a presence in the Claiming Crown for the first time, a filly named Coded Princess, who has done very -- who did very well earlier this year in New York, and comes off a good second in Kentucky in her last start. But, there will be 10 or 11, maybe even 12 in that race.
The boy's turf race, the Emerald, is going to have -- looks like solid field. There will be 11, and another one of the more wide-open races of the day. It's pretty hard for me to look at it and tell you who actually is going to be the favorite.
And we finish off with the 150,000 Jewel, shortened this year from a mile and an eighth to a mile 16th. The morning line favorite is likely to be IEAH stables Sinners N Saints, just comes off a nice win. The other horses that look like the contenders in there, a horse out of Kentucky named Mining For Silver, a horse that Rick Englander supplemented to this race for $7,500 named Me My Mine, he just claimed this horse for 40,000 from Jerry Hollendorfer, and a horse out of Chicago that Mike Stidham has named Sand Burr.
And that's a rundown on the day.
Eric Wing: Well, well said, well done, Nat. I think you really didn't even bother to look at the Emerald, and you were just pretending that you hadn't -- couldn't come up with a favorite in that race.
But, be that as it may, what is it beyond the races themselves, Nat? I mean, you just described seven races, full fields and a lot of betting opportunities. What is it beyond the -- what's in the racing form itself that makes the whole day magic, from your experience running the event successfully so many times?
Nat Wess: Without question, the magic, as far as I'm concerned, and year after year it's the same, it's the people that come -- the people that have these horses, for the most part, are people that rarely have a chance to be in the spotlight, rarely have a chance to have a special -- be part of a special day for their horse. We have people that have been coming -- once they come the first time, they come back and back and back because they have such a good time here whether they win or lose.
We have other people that are coming here that say, "Well, I know my horse isn't necessarily that strong, but I hear it's great up there. I hear it's a great day, and we want to be part of it." So, I'm really proud of something that Canterbury has done, has put together an event that we think can stand up with anybody's racetrack, any day of racing anywhere.
Eric Wing: Couple more questions, Nat before we bring in Mike. First of all, I know TVG will be on-site with live coverage from the Claiming Crown. In fact, they'll be at the Summit of Speed also, so a busy weekend for TVG. But, where can people bet on the Claiming Crown? Is it going to be available most places around the country? Obviously it will be available through TVG, but how's it look ...
Nat Wess: Simulcast wagering at tracks and OTB centers and so forth. I don't have the ad in front of me, but we just produced -- got ready to produce the ad that will run in Daily Racing Form the next couple days, and it shows almost every state that conducts racing will have simulcast racing on it available on it anywhere in the United States.
Eric Wing: ... Now, you can't beat that. And like you said, a lot of those races, (when) people open up the racing form, they're going to see two or three pages worth of horses. And chances are, if they like a horse, they're going to get a decent price.
Nat Wess: I mean, the thing that makes it a little tough day, Eric, is that they're going to see horses that have started at 17 different tracks in their last starts.
Eric Wing: So, a truly national event.
Nat Wess: Absolutely.
Eric Wing: I mean, other than maybe the Triple Crown or the Breeder's Cup, one of the few situations where you get horses coming in from all points.
Lastly, Nat, I know you've got a DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship qualifier there on-site, and that is on Claiming Crown day on the Claiming Crown races, correct?
Nat Wess: That is correct. And besides qualifying for the NTRA Championship, these people are going to be shooting for a $50,000 first prize.
Eric Wing: OK, so there'll be a lot of excitement and intrigue on and off the track there at Canterbury, it sounds like, on Saturday. And again, the first post is 5:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 local Central Time, and 2:00 Pacific. So ...
Nat Wess: One other thing that we should mention, Eric, is that, besides Claiming Crown, for the first time, Canterbury is putting its one other major race of the year, the $100,000 Lady Canterbury, on that day, and we've got some nice horses shipping in for that race. It will go as the third race of the day, and the Claiming Crown races will be four through 10.
Eric Wing: OK, thanks for mentioning that, Matt -- Nat. I meant to bring it up, and neglected to.
Nat, if you would, I'd like to have you stay on the line, because -- well, first of all, let's check with -- check in with Abe and see if there are any questions specifically for Nat. We'll keep him on the line later in case anything else comes up but, Nat, if you'd go -- or Abe, if you'd go through and run the gauntlet, see if anybody has anything for Nat Wess.
We do have a couple responses. We're going first to the Sacramento Bee and Debbie Arrington.
Debbie Arrington: Hi, thank you very much for coming on today. You said that you got 17 states that are -- 17 different tracks that are sending horses to Canterbury. Which states are the largest contributors? Are there a large California contingent that's going in?
Nat Wess: There are five horses coming from California. There are seven horses coming from the mid-Atlantic region, six or seven coming from Kentucky, six or seven, maybe even eight -- I don't have all those numbers right in front of me, I'm sorry -- but, from Chicago. So, those are the major areas where the tracks are sending. But, you've got horses that have made starts in West Virginia, Illinois -- obviously I said Illinois -- Arkansas, Iowa, Colorado, I mean, you name it. As I said, there were 17 different tracks where they've made their last starts.
Debbie Arrington: Great, thank you very much.
Operator: And again, that's star one and right where you are, Rachel Blount, Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Rachel Blount: Hey, Nat, I wanted to ask you a little bit about the growth of the event. I know when you started with Claiming Crown, you were hoping one day you might reach 1,000 nominations and get the event to be a little more self-sustaining than it is. And it seems like the 200 to 300 there, the (height) of 200s is really where you've been the last few years. Has this event found the level that you think it is going to be at? Is there any possibility it could eventually grow more?
Nat Wess: Well, I speak for myself now when I say this, and I am an employee ((inaudible)), but I want you to know I do not think so. I think what has happened with this event and, while it's a wonderful event and I'm thrilled and happy to be part of it, I do believe that the trainers in North America have come to the conclusion that they know that it takes a horse that's a lot better than the claiming price level that they see, and so they're being a little selective in what they would maybe run. The first year we had 14 horses in the Jewel. We haven't had that since. And it's just that the horses -- the horses are getting better. I am -- I've been in this business more than 40 years. I never realized there were as many horses that could run for one price and, within a year, be running for three and four times that price, and being competitive.
Operator: Anything else for you, Rachel?
Rachel Blount: Great. Thanks so much.
Operator: And once again, star one and we'll just pause a couple seconds, see if there's anyone else that would like to signal. And again, please make sure you haven't muted yourself. That will block your signal.
No, Eric, no other questions at this time.
Eric Wing: OK. Well, it's funny. Nat brings up that point, and I think part of that may speak to the outstanding skills at playing the claiming game of a Scott Lake and of a Rick Dutrow. And Dutrow is the trainer who will -- whose IEAH Stables horse, Sinners N Saints, will be coming in for the Jewel.
And with that very neat segue, I'd like to bring in Mike Sherack, who's the vice president of investor relations for IEAH Stables. They'll have horses in both the $150,000 Claiming Crown Jewel, and the $1 million Virginia Derby, Sinners N Saints to do battle at Canterbury Park, and Kip Deville, the runner-up in the Colonial Turf Cup, to see action at Colonial Downs.
Mike, it's Eric Wing in New York. Welcome.
Mike Sherack: Hi, Eric. First off, I'd just like to thank you for having me on today to talk about these two horses and the two races, and thank Nat as well. Nat mentioned ((inaudible)) at Canterbury, and we've never been out that way and never have been a part of that, but very much look forward to it. And from what I've -- my dealings with Nat so far, he's done a tremendous job, a professional job, and has really made sure that we get our horse out there, our people out there. We know what's going on with the day's races, and I'd just like to thank the both of you.
Eric Wing: Well, thank you, Mike and ...
Nat Wess: Thank you.
Eric Wing: ... We certainly know that there's a lot more to putting on an event than just putting out a condition book, and people like Nat are the ones who make it happen.
Mike, before we get into your two horses, tell us about the IEAH operation, what it entails. A lot of us are familiar with the Dogwood Stables and West Point thoroughbreds of the world, and I know IEAH has some similarities, but also some key differences. What -- tell us about them.
Mike Sherack: Yes. We like to think that we give our investors and horse partners a very unique and exciting opportunity with our company, and the idea was really the great idea of Michael Iavarone, who was co-president of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc., which is the parent company that people made an investment in going back to early 2003. And at the time, the company was really not much more than a racing stable, which everybody now knows as IEAH Stables.
Over time, the company now has another subsidiary, which is IEAH Corporation, which was formed for the purpose of building, owning and operating in Equine Medical Center near Belmont Park, and we all know how sore a need that will ultimately fill in the New York area, once it is up and running.
And the company -- the investors that got involved at first were basically in for anything and everything the parent company would then do. And over time, we've developed a great relationship with a lot of these people that got behind the project, people like John Roberts, people like Sandy Robbins, Andy Cohen. The list goes on and on of people who have really backed us and been behind us in anything and everything we do. And it kind of has worked both ways for us.
People that have gotten in as investors at first have since become horse partners, and I mention (Robbins) and (Cohen) specifically. They are also partners on Sinners N Saints, and it's worked the other way, where people who have gotten to become horse partners with us have said, "Wow, you guys have a great idea, a great company, and we'd really like to learn more about the medical center and the entire project," and then get behind that entity and make an investment in that area, as well.
So, there are a number of different ways people can get involved, and when we meet people, we take that seriously, and we just try to bring them to the table in a way that they're comfortable, and in a way where we can maximize their investment.
Eric Wing: All right. And I know you -- IEAH Stables had a big win a couple of weeks back with Rebel Rebel in the Poker at Belmont, but I believe your biggest single payday was thanks to Kip Deville, when he ran second in the $1 million Colonial Turf Cup, and he'll be back looking to improve on that performance Saturday in the Virginia Derby.
Now, Mike, back in the Colonial Turf Cup, he opened up a 15-length lead doing his best Shake The Bank impersonation under Quincy Hamilton, and he held the lead safe from all except Barclay Tagg's Showing Up. Now, Saturday's race is longer, a mile and a quarter. What does Kip Deville have to do Saturday so he'll be able to stick around at the finish?
Mike Sherack: He's not a horse that we can change. He knows one gear, and that gear is go. And his last race really was amazing. If you haven't seen it yet, anybody out there, you really should try to check it out. He blasted clear early on. Quincy Hamilton put him in gear from the gate, cleared the field, and the horse just has running on its mind, and that's a beautiful thing when you have a racehorse and you know he has that type of talent. And it really was amazing, in that you watch the race and just, at plenty of times during the race, you find yourself just saying, "Wow" to yourself, and you can't believe what you're actually watching. And he turned for home, and he still had a lot of run under his hood, and he kept running, and it wasn't like he stopped. I mean, he still fought it out and held second, and ran a bunch of nice horses off their feet. And Showing Up was the only one who came and got him, and Showing Up's only loss prior came in the Kentucky Derby, and it wasn't like we were stopping in the end. Showing Up was drawing off, like the nice horse that he is, and I think Kip Deville will not really have a distance limitation. But, if he can just be rated carefully on the front end and get away from him like he did last time, we'll just have to hope that he's up to another big effort and can just keep on rolling this time.
Eric Wing: Lot of nice horses in against you. You've got Steppenwolfer trying turf for the first time, Genre, Seaside Retreat, Go Between. However, in looking at the dozen horses entered for the Virginia Turf Cup, doesn't seem like there'd be an awful lot of horses keeping Kip Deville's company this time, even if they would be fast enough to. Looks like you might have a lone speed trip again, no?
Mike Sherack: Yes, I think so, Eric. He was able to make his -- make the pace last time, and there aren't really many that can run with the horse that can go that quick, get a -- at a distance of ground on the turf. And he'll be out there to do his thing on the front end, and that's not to say (they're) certainly not going to give away $1 million, and this race will be tough.
There's a lot of talent in this field as you go from top to bottom. As you mentioned, Steppenwolfer and horses like Proudinsky from Germany and Roman Dynasty. You always have to respect that Todd Pletcher, Billy Mott's coming back again with Go Between and Seaside Retreat, a horse who won a stake easily in Canada last time. I mean, you can go from top to bottom and really make a case for most of them. so, we know we have our work cut out for us, but we're not going to shy from the challenge. We'll come out smoking and, hopefully, smoke from start to finish.
Eric Wing: Turning our sights, Mike, to the Claiming Crown, Sinners N Saints is your big hope there, and -- for the Claiming Crown Jewel, which is the day's feature event. He's won six of 12 lifetime. He comes in off a strong win in a (two-of) event at Monmouth that earned him a gaudy 102 buyer in that race.
Now, I'm sure Nat Wess has noticed this, but probably few others have. He qualifies for the Claiming Crown Jewel by having run for a 35 -- for $25,000 tag all the way back on July 15th of 2005, which is the least recent date one could possibly qualify. He used all 365 days of his 365 day allotment to get into the Claiming Crown this year, Mike. Who gets the credit for spotting this opportunity for Sinners N Saints at Canterbury?
Mike Sherack: Oh, Eric, we absolutely planned it a year ago exactly on that date that we would run for 25 just to be eligible for this race, and it's really gone according to plan. In all seriousness, he's a horse in -- and I know Nat had said before you cannot believe the horses who have run for a claiming price in the past and where some of them are today. I mean, you look at horses like Lava Man and Anew, and the list goes on and on if you look throughout the country.
And this horse -- we have a lot of higher-end horses in our stable, horses we acquire privately or at auction, and this is a horse who we actually paid $475,000 for at auction largely on his pedigree when he was a two-year-old. And he just did not pan out. He had a lot of physical problems early in his career. Nothing severe, but things that kept him from his best and just kind of necessitated time off.
And the time you speak of in 2005, he had not so far been removed from a lengthy layoff. We got away with it that day, and he just kind of found himself in the months going forward. He won easily at Monmouth that day. He got on quite a roll. He's won all four of his starts at Monmouth. He's also won over Aqueduct (at) inner track, and he's really just gotten better and better and better. And the real dilemma was whether or not we could take him out of the East Coast and take him away from Monmouth, where he's done so well, and try Canterbury. But, the chance to be a part of this event and to run for $150,000 in a nice race like this was something that we decided would really be worth the shot.
Eric Wing: And Mike, one more question before I -- we check in with the media. But, most owners, or ownership groups, in your happy predicament of running horses in two stakes on the same say at far-flung locations would be forced with making a choice as to, you know, which race to attend, maybe try to figure out which horse you had -- which race your horse had the best chance in, and go there. But, I understand you're doing whatever you can not to have to make a choice. Is that right?
Mike Sherack: Well, Michael Iavarone, who I mentioned before, is a very ambitious guy, and a guy who's got a lot of heart and a lot of desire. And he's co-president of our company, along with Richard Schiavo, who is -- fit in that same mold. And when faced with the choice of where we were going to go, the decision was made that we'd go to both. And we have a plane set up that will fly us from Long Island on the morning -- on Saturday morning down to Colonial to go enjoy the day at Colonial Downs and, if Kip Deville comes through and wins, I guess we smile for the camera, leave and go to the plane. And if he loses, we just leave and go to the plane. And then, we'll be on to Minnesota and to see Sinners N Saints and get a flavor of the Claiming Crown that same night. And then, at the end of the night, fly back to New York and just call it a day.
Eric Wing: I think Los Alamitos is running Saturday night.
Mike Sherack: Do you have anybody in?
Eric Wing: No, I don't, but I -- you know, didn't get enough action in. Well, that sounds terrific, and I hope all the travel logistics fall into line for you. And it would be quite a feat just to attend both races, let alone with both.
Well, Mike, got some media listening in with us so, at this point, I'll pipe down and turn the call over to our announcer, Abe, and he'll check in with the media to see if they have any questions for you.
Operator: Thank you, Eric. And once again, star one if you'd like to signal to ask a question; star one. And as always, please make sure you're not muted. That will block your signal. We won't see it. So again, star one and we'll go first to Darryl Slater at the Daily Press.
Darryl Slater: Hey, Eric, how are you?
Eric Wing: I'm fine, Darryl. Did you want to talk to me, or did you want to talk to Mike?
Darryl Slater: Oh, I'm sorry, Mike. Who all is going to be on you guy's plane?
Mike Sherack: Well, right now, we're still kind of juggling around who is going to go. I think we have room for nine. It will be myself, Michael Iavarone, Richard Schiavo, who I mentioned before, a couple of the partners on the horse. I'm not exactly sure who is coming yet. Everybody is kind of making plans. I believe some people will be in Virginia as well, and not necessarily making the entire trip, but getting to Virginia on their own to see the Virginia Derby, and not necessarily making Minnesota.
And in addition, we're bringing a camera crew with us to capture the entire day's events and, you know, hopefully, we have something that's really worth capturing. We're going into both races thinking we have a very good chance in both races, and along with us on the plane will also be our trainer, Richard Dutrow, who trains both horses and has really done a phenomenal job for us over the last couple of years, as well as jockey Rafael Bejarano, who will ride Kip Deville in the Virginia Derby.
And we are still even toying with the idea, and Nat is going -- is actually helping me out on this -- if Rafael Bejarano will, in fact, have time to ride in the Virginia Derby, jump on a plane with us, and then ride in the Claiming Crown that same night. And whether that's going to entail him flying in his jockey silks and getting off the plane and getting to the track as quick as possible, or whether it's just completely far-fetched and out of line is something that we're just still kind of learning about as we go.
Darryl Slater: And is that a videocamera crew you guys are going to have with you?
Mike Sherack: Yes. We're going to have a producer and a cameraman with us for the day, and try to put together a nice piece for us of them following us around and, you know, hopefully capturing what could be a -- obviously a very nice day for us.
Darryl Slater: Could you talk about the switch from Quincy to Rafael, and what went into that?
Mike Sherack: Well, it -- originally, when we went down to this first race in Virginia, we were supposed to have Edgar Prado, and that fell through. He ended up having to stay in New York. And we went to Quincy because we had confidence in him, that he had ridden the horse on a number of occasions before, had done very well. And, you know, in the Colonial Turf Cup, we certainly can't knock him. He went out there, came out smoking, and he knows the horse, and he went quick. And he'd probably be the first to say that things just did -- the pace was just a little too hot. And, you know, the horse ran a big race. We ran second for $1 million, and we can't knock that. But going forward, we felt Rafael gave us an excellent opportunity to really maximize what Kip Deville can do.
Darryl Slater: Thank you.
Mike Sherack: No problem. Thank you.
Operator: And again, that's star one. Rachel Blount, Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Rachel Blount: Hi, Mike. I'd like to ask, how many owners are involved with both Sinners N Saints and Kip Deville?
Mike Sherack: On Sinners N Saints, he's owned by IEAH Stables. Sanford Robbins, who I mentioned earlier, who's been excellent behind us, he's an investor in the company and partners on many of our horses, and really loves the game and loves to come out to the track and enjoy the entire experience. And Andy Cohen is on that horse, as well, and he's in the same mold. He is very much behind the company, has been with us since day one, loves the horses, loves the idea of our company and, little by little, it seems like Andy's waking up every morning and buying another horse. So, he's a wonderful guy to have behind us, and that's the group on Sinners N Saints.
And Kip Deville, I don't have it in front of me. I believe there are about six or seven different owners, and the same type of thing, people that have really been very loyal to us. And there is an owner on this horse, as well, who -- named Doug Robertson, who just got into the game through us, and he -- his first two horses, one of them was Kip Deville, and the other was Mrs. Anna B, who just ran second in the -- in a maiden race at Belmont. And those are the first two horses he's gotten involved with and, you know, we're hoping to get him a win now, now that he's got two second-place finishes under his belt.
Rachel Blount: Sure. How many horses in your stable? How many horses are you managing?
Mike Sherack: I believe we have about 40 right now. If you look at our horses of racing age, our breeding operation, we have some yearlings and some two-year-olds that haven't made the races yet. All the information about our horses is on www.IEAH.com, just like the stable, and you can learn more about our company, our horses and specific -- and a lot of the people behind us to -- our trainers are primarily Richard Dutrow, who trains these two, John Terranova and Dominic Schettino, and we really have some great people behind us.
And can -- you can learn all about it on the site, as well as the medical center project, which is largely spearheaded by, as I mentioned, Michael Iavarone and Richard Schiavo in conjunction with Dr. James Hunt, who's a well-known vet on the (NAIRA) circuit. And he has been behind that from day one, has done a great job with it, and he's the guy that's really the driving force behind that end of our business.
Rachel Blount: Outstanding. Thanks a lot.
Mike Sherack: Thank you.
Operator: And again, that's star one. We do have another question. John Markon at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
John Markon: Yes. I'd like to ask Mike if you were planning on returning for the Virginia Derby regardless of the plans of showing up. I think Tagg made it pretty clear after the Turf Cup that he probably would not be back. Did that impact your decision on what to do with Kip Deville in any way?
Mike Sherack: You know what? After the race he ran so incredibly well that Richard Dutrow's only concern really was that that race may have been too much for him, and that coming back in three weeks would be a concern. And obviously, it still is, but we saw the horse back at the barn after his last race, and he basically looked like he wanted to run again. And at that time, Rick decided let's -- you know, you know what? Let's leave this guy down in Virginia, and leave him with his groom and let him settle in for three weeks and see how he does. And unless he tells us otherwise, we'll take a shot at the money again in the Virginia Derby.
So, it was really a decision made on our horse and how he was doing. And, you know, we knew, as we had said earlier, that the Virginia Derby is not going to be a race they're going to give away. And obviously, it doesn't break our heart that we won't have to run against Showing up but, if he were there, we would have lined up again and, you know, may the best horse win.
John Markon: The only other question I would have is, while your horse is a definite, on form, a real frontrunner, he's never been a frontrunner in quite as spectacular fashion as he was in the Turf Cup. Would you expect anything like that again, or would you like to see him rate a little bit more and perhaps not draw off to that 15-length lead?
Mike Sherack: Yes, we'd like to have him in front by a few lengths, I think, but, you know, last time was excessive, and you're right, you probably won't see that again. And very rarely do you see that in racing, period. So, I think the key is getting him to the front and getting him comfortable on the front end. He obviously knows only one way to go, and that's to the front, and we're certainly not going to change his style. But, to be able to stay the mile and a quarter against some really nice horses, he will have to harness that speed and make best use of it over the one mile and one quarter distance, obviously.
John Markon: Thank you.
Mike Sherack: You're welcome.
Operator: And once again, that is star one; star one to signal. And again, please make sure you haven't muted yourself. That'll block your signal. We'll just pause for a couple seconds.
And Eric, I have no other questions at this time.
Eric Wing: Mike, just before I let you go, I know -- I think you answered this already but I -- but if you could just go over it one more time with me, after the Claiming Crown Jewel, are you guys spending the night in Minnesota, or are you turning around and flying back home shortly after the race?
Mike Sherack: Well, I think we're -- unless we end up going to Ruidoso to meet you for the races later that night, we are going to turn back around and come back to Long Island, and everybody can get home safe and sound at the end of a -- what promises to be a very, very long day. And we'll try to regroup as best we can until we hit Belmont on Sunday afternoon. We plan on running Dark Cheetah, who is also trained by Richard Dutrow, in the Tom Fool at Belmont Park. And it'll obviously be a tough spot, with some nice ones running in there, like Silver Train. But, Dark Cheetah's very sharp right now, a horse who's done well for us, and we'll see if we can build on what is, hopefully, some success on Saturday, on Sunday afternoon right back at them.
Eric Wing: Well, that is one heck of a road trip. And, you know, even if both your horses lose, Mike, I'm sure it's going to be a day that everybody that is part of your team in making that trip will remember for the rest of their lives. Good luck at both venues with Kip Deville at Colonial Downs and Sinners N Saints at Canterbury Park on Saturday. Appreciate you being on and, again, wish you the very best of luck in both spots.
Mike Sherack: Thank you again, Eric, and I really appreciate you having me on, and hope to catch up soon.
Eric Wing: Very good. Mike Sherack, the vice president of investor relations for IEAH Stables, and they'll have double-barreled action on Saturday for trainer Rick Dutrow who, of course, is the winner of last year's Breeder's Cup Classic powered by Dodge with St. Liam, but Dutrow looking to add a couple more entries to his resume.
And speaking of horses with long resumes, it brings us to our third and final guest on the afternoon. He will have the -- be saddling the marquis horse in Saturday's Summit Of Speed, in particular in the $500,000 Smile Sprint Handicap. I'm referring to last year's Eclipse award-winning sprinter, Lost In The Fog, and his trainer, Greg Gilchrist.
Greg, it's Eric Wing in New York. Thanks for being on the call with us today.
Greg Gilchrist: Well, thanks for having me, Eric.
Eric Wing: Greg, Lost In The Fog in the Smile Sprint Handicap, he turned in, arguably, the best performance of his career in last year's Summit Of Speed in the (Carryback) Stakes. Anything specific about the Calder surface that may suit him well, in your opinion?
Greg Gilchrist: Well, certainly that's one reason we came back here again this year is because he handled it so well last year. You know, surfaces tend to change from year to year and, certainly, this is about the only time that we do come back here. So, you know, I don't know if it will be exactly like it was last year or not. I mean, there's always the chances of weather down here and everything, but he certainly did show that he liked it last year.
Eric Wing: Last year, Greg, Lost In The Fog danced a lot of dances. He ran nine times as a three-year-old en route to that beautifully managed campaign that led to a Sprint championship. Here we are in July, though, and this will only be his third start of the year. Are you taking a different approach, hoping to ensure that you've got a fully fresh horse by the time the Breeder's Cup rolls along?
Greg Gilchrist: Yes. Well, I -- we kind of sat down at the end of last year, you know, after the Breeder's Cup, and I talked to Mr. Aleo, who owns the horse, about what he really wanted to do. And I told him that, you know, if the Breeder's Cup was, you know, the final goal that he would want this year, that we should probably come in with a little fresher horse than we did last year. That would mean, obviously, a lot less travel and a few less races. So, with that in mind, we're just trying to spot the horse along and, indeed, if he can make it there, you know, rather than come in your ninth, 10th race of the year, we'd rather have it be like his fifth or sixth race of the year.
Eric Wing: All right. Well, Greg, more I'd like to ask you later, but I want to give the media their turn. So, once again, I'll turn the call back to Abe, and we'll check in with the media to see if they have anything for you, Greg.
Greg Gilchrist: Sure.
Operator: Thank you, Eric. Again, star one to signal; star one for questions for Mr. Gilchrist.
And we do have a question for you. This is Debbie Arrington at the Sacramento Bee.
Debbie Arrington: Hi, Greg. Thank you very much for coming on this morning.
Greg Gilchrist: How are you, Debbie?
Debbie Arrington: Oh, fine, fine, you know. Well, you know, people are always excited when your horse is running. How is he doing? How is he coming up to this race? And is he as sharp this time around going to Florida as he was last year?
Greg Gilchrist: Well, yes. We are back here now.
Debbie Arrington: OK.
Greg Gilchrist: We shipped back on Saturday. So, I looked -- pretty much looked up what I had done last year, and we're trying to duplicate all that and, hopefully, the outcome of the race will be the same. So, so far, the horse has shipped well. He's trained well, and everything looks pretty good.
Debbie Arrington: And what's the weather like back there?
Greg Gilchrist: It's not cold, I can tell you that. It's pretty much like you would expect south Florida in the middle of July. But, we've been back to this ((inaudible)) now. This is our third time, and it's about the same every trip. So, I don't know. I did -- the horse was pretty much born and raised down in the Florida area, so he handles it all right.
Debbie Arrington: OK. And how's Victorina doing?
Greg Gilchrist: Victorina's doing quite well. In fact, I thought about probably stopping on that filly a couple of races ago, but she seems to be just getting better, and she's made the trip quite well and is training really nice here. I think she's going to run a real (big) race.
Debbie Arrington: Very good. Best of luck.
Greg Gilchrist: Thank you.
Operator: And we do have another question. This is Jeff Nahill at the North County Times.
Jeff Nahill: Yes, how you doing, Greg?
Greg Gilchrist: Good, Jeff, thank you.
Jeff Nahill: I'm curious. Is Lost In The Fog going to run at Del Mar? And if not, why not?
Greg Gilchrist: Well, it's possible that he might. We only take, you know, one race at a time. We never look that far up the road. We'll see what the outcome is here on Saturday and, if he runs real well, there are two or three options that we have. There is a race at Del Mar that could come up later. There's also one up in Saratoga in either late August or early September, which is a place that he ran very well last year also. So, I think we'll probably make all those decisions after Saturday, and that will probably tell us a whole lot more about what we're going to do.
Jeff Nahill: OK, thank you.
Greg Gilchrist: Thank you.
Operator: And we've got another question up, David Joseph at the Sun-Sentinel.
David Joseph: Greg, after his last race at Churchill Downs, you said that was a make-or-break race for him. I'm wondering what it was going into that race that made you say that, and if things have changed a lot with him since then.
Greg Gilchrist: Well, David, I mean, you know, when you get -- obviously, his stallion potential is up there. So, if you just go back to last year, I mean, we kind of got by the Breeder's Cup thing, and it was just not our day. I think it was probably too many races, too much traveling and, you know, the horse just got outrun, and he did not have it on that day.
Then, we came back, I don't know, I think in April of this year or something like that, at home there at Golden Gate Field, and the horse -- probably that was my fault. I think the horse come up a little short that day. However, I had made the statement to people that I didn't think that would be his best race of the year. So, after that race, now you've lost the Breeder's Cup. You've come back. You can explain away the Breeder's Cup. You've come back. You've got beat your first out of the year. So, now you can explain that away.
But, if you start putting losses together, it's certainly not helping his stallion potential at all. So, there was a race that we could have stayed at home for out there at Bay Meadows, just about the same time as the Churchill race. But, I thought that probably the best thing to do was to go to Churchill where it's pretty much the pulse of racing. And, you know, if -- my feeling was, if we won the Bay Meadows race, it was just because we were supposed to win it. If we got beat in it, then it was a catastrophe and, you know, he's no good anymore whereas, if we went to Churchill, you were pretty much facing horses from all around, and if something were to happen, if you would get beat, at least you were in a -- you know, a big arena when you did it.
So, I definitely felt that we had to win that one because, if you got beat there again, then you have to look up the road. If you get beat again, now you've got four or five losses, and it just goes on and on from there.
David Joseph: So, is it imperative that he -- as the season goes along, he's not the kind of horse that you can just run. I mean, if he doesn't put two races together well, or he doesn't at least perform well, that's something that you will consider as the year goes on again.
Greg Gilchrist: Yes. What I'm trying to say, Dave, is that, you know, a string of losses is not good. Certainly, I don't expect the horse to never lose again. I mean, you know, to -- what was he, 10 out of 11, or whatever he was when -- I don't think anybody would expect that to happen. But, to start putting, you know, three, four losses together at a time certainly would not be good for the rest of his career.
David Joseph: OK, thank you very much.
Greg Gilchrist: You bet you.
Operator: And once again, star one; another opportunity if you'd like to ask a question. And again, please check your mute button; make sure you haven't muted yourself. We'll just pause for a couple seconds.
Gentlemen, I have no other questions at this time.
Eric Wing: Greg, this is Eric again. Now that you've got the Aristides behind you at Churchill, which perhaps, not coincidentally, is the site of this year's Breeder's Cup, how are you feeling as to whether Lost In The Fog -- is he back to the high level he established for himself last year? Is he a little below that and working towards getting back there? Or, is he even better now than he was at three, in your estimation?
Greg Gilchrist: Well, in my estimation, he's fine and, yes, he's just as good. But, you know, I think you get this mystique, Eric, going when, you know, you start a string of wins like he had last year. So, is he held as high in the public perception? You know, I'd probably be the wrong guy to ask about that. But, in my mind, you know, he hasn't forgot how to run.
And obviously, you know, you've moved up now and you're running against older horses so, you know, horses come from all over at you, whereas, when you're a two-year-old and you're just running against two-year-olds or you're a three-year-old against straight three-year-olds, you pretty much know what competition is out there. I think it becomes more difficult, you know, when you get against the olders. Therefore, like I was explaining to Dave there, you know, I don't think (that) every time the horse goes out there that he is going to win, or that he has to win, because I think probably this competition becomes a little tougher.
Eric Wing: And Greg, one of the great things about the Summit Of Speed is that it's not just a showcase for the Eclipse-type horses like Lost In The Fog, but it offers generous opportunities in almost all the divisions, and that's where Victorina comes in in the three-year-old filly category. And as I look at her form, I mean, her last race going a mile at Churchill in the Dogwood, looks like she gave every indication that she wants to run all day. And yet, her great races prior to that, which are all sprints, are just as consistent as can be. Have you decided whether she's really, at heart, a sprinter, or whether she might like going longer even more later on?
Greg Gilchrist: Well, you know, Eric, the way she wound up there, first of all, is because of Lost In The Fog. I was taking him back for the Aristides, and I noticed that they happened to have a three-year-old filly race going a mile the same day. So, I thought, "Well, this filly's doing good," and I've been wanting to stretch her out, plus it was a one-turn mile, which I really liked. So, we took her along, and she gave a great performance. Yes, I kind of am concerned about dropping her back to three-quarters, but she sprinted so well that I think she'll do just fine. And, you know, she's had six weeks in between, so we've freshened her pretty good. And I am really looking forward to running her Saturday, and I think she's going to give a big performance.
Eric Wing: If she does well Saturday, Greg, is this the horse you might look at the test with, or is that coming back too quick?
Greg Gilchrist: Well, I'm really not sure how far the test is out from Saturday, what's the time limit there.
Eric Wing: I believe it's -- yes -no, it's awfully close. Never mind. It's probably two or three weeks.
Greg Gilchrist: Yes. I think that it is 2-1/2, three weeks, and I think that'd be too close.
Eric Wing: I'd forgot what point in the month it was, Greg. My apologies.
Greg Gilchrist: That's all right.
Eric Wing: I was thinking we were back in July 4th. We're already into the 11th, and it'll be the 15th by the time she runs. That's why people like me aren't running IEAH Stables, and -- can't keep the calendar straight.
But, fortunately, you can, Greg, and you've done a marvelous job, obviously, with Lost In The Fog, and now with Victorina. And we thank you very much for taking the time to spend with us for -- I understand you're in Florida already with your horses. We thank you for taking time out of your Tuesday to be with us, and we just wish you very good luck in both spots on Saturday.
Greg Gilchrist: Well, thank you for all the kind words, and thanks for having me on.
Eric Wing: My pleasure. Greg Gilchrist, trainer of Lost In The Fog, who will see action in the Smile Sprint Handicap, half-million on the line there at Calder as part of the Summit Of Speed and Victorina, a solid three-year-old filly by Delaware Township. She'll be taking part in the Azalea Breeder's Cup Stakes for three-year-old fillies on the same Summit Of Speed card Saturday.
Want to tell people, should have mentioned this earlier, forgot to, want to remind people or, in some cases, tell you for the first time, that the Virginia Derby will now be on live television. It will be on ESPN News, ESPN News, the Virginia Derby, $1 million, 5:40 approximate post time on ESPN News. Now, there's not going to be a big lead-up to the race. It's -- they're going to pretty much cut to it and go to it live. But, it will be on ESPN News, the Virginia Derby will, 5:40 Eastern on ESPN News.
Again, want to remind everybody about the transcript of what we said today, will -- which will be up about this time tomorrow at www.ntra.com, so in case you missed anything or somebody else in the media wants to check out what was said, they can do so online. Want to thank all three of our guests, Nat Wess, the Claiming Crown coordinator, Mike Sherack of IEAH Stables and, of course, Greg Gilchrist, trainer of Lost In The Fog and Victorina.
Also want to thank our producer in New York, Joan Lawrence, our announcer in Kansas City, Abe Goteiner, along with (Deanna) out there. And our next NTRA national media teleconference will be two weeks from today, July 25th, 1:00 p.m. and, at that time, we'll be taking a look at races, including the Jim Dandy Stakes, the Bing Crosby Handicap, and the Washington Park Handicap.
So, again, thanks to all our guests. Thanks for you listening in today, and we hope you can join us again two weeks from today. Thank you.
Operator: Thank you, Eric. That does conclude the call. We do appreciate your participation. At this time, you may disconnect. Thank you.
END
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 | | • NTRA Safety Alliance teleconference - Dec. 8, 2009 | | • Countdown to the Breeders' Cup - Oct. 28, 2009 | | • Countdown to the Breeders' Cup - Oct. 6, 2009 | | • Countdown to the Breeders' Cup - Sept. 29, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - September 15, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - September 1, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - August 25, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - August 18, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - August 11, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - August 3, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - July 28, 2009 | | • NTRA Summer Racing - July 22, 2009 | | • Road to the Triple Crown - May 28, 2009 | | • Road to the Triple Crown - May 7, 2009 | | • Road to the Triple Crown - April 21, 2009 | | MORE TELECONFERENCES |
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