Horse Racing Partnerships | Race Horse Syndicate | Racehorse Ownership | Thoroughbred

Talking Blues Back in Training at Belmont

Steve — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 23:00:11 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s four-year-old gelding Talking Blues returned to the race track last week from a well-deserved vacation. Trainer Bruce Brown reports that Talking Blues is in excellent shape for a horse coming back from the farm, and that he hopes to have our horse ready to race sometime in the second half of the Saratoga meet.

Talking Blues, a gray New York-bred by Silver Music that we purchased as a yearling at Saratoga, won his maiden on New Year’s day this year. After one more race, he started showing some signs of tiredness; he’d been at the race track for well over a year with no time off. So we sent him out to Dave and James Rintoul’s farm on eastern Long Island, where he enjoyed some well-deserved R&R. We’re delighted to have him back in training.

Castle Village Farm has solid stats at Belmont Meet

Steve — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:14:56 +0000

At roughly the half-way point in the Belmont meet, here are some very satisfying facts about our horses:

So far at Belmont, Castle Village Farm has a win and two seconds from just 4 starts. That’s a 25% win percentage, and 75% in the money. Our average earnings per start are $7,237.

Those numbers are better than ANY of the moderately-priced partnerships that have run at this Belmont meet, and comparable to some of the expensive partnerships, such as Dogwood and West Point. For example, at this meet, Dogwood is 1-1-0 from 7 starts (14% wins, 29% ITM), with average earnings of $6,838; and West Point is 2-1-2 from 9 starts (22% wins, 55% ITM), with average earnings of $7,747.

Other high-end partnerships like Centennial, Team Valor and Sovereign have better earnings per start than we do, but, remember, their horses cost 10 times or more what ours cost, and their minimum buy-in is $25,000 or more. And their win and in-the-money percentages are generally worse than ours.

Compared to the partnerships in our price range, we’re way better. Karakorum is 0-1-2 from 24 starts! (0% wins, 12.5% ITM), with pathetic per-start earnings of $1,001. Pont Street is 0-0-1 from 5 starts (0% wins, 20% ITM), average earnings of $2,439. Parting Glass is 0-2-2 from 5 starts (0% wins, 80% ITM), average earnings of $4,310. Funky Munky is 0-1-1 from 3 starts (0% wins, 67% ITM), earnings of $6,400 per start, which is inflated because one of those starts was a last-place finish in a stakes race.

For all partnerships that have started at least one horse at the meet, the figures are 11-13-19 from 111 starts (10% wins, 39% ITM), with average earnings per start of $6,362. So we’re better than average on every measure.

Castle Village Farm Launches Saratoga Claiming Partnership

Steve — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:09:06 +0000

On the heels of its success with its first claiming partnership of the year — $25,000 claim Good Law had a win and a second in two starts for Castle Village Farm before he was claimed away on June 4th — CVF has launched a new claiming group. The Castle Village Farm 2010 Saratoga Claiming Partnership will be looking for a horse at the upcoming Saratoga meet. We’re hoping to claim at the $25,000 or higher level and to have the kind of success that we’ve had with so many other claims, from our very first,Flippy Diane, through No Bad Habits, Fighting Speedy, Diligent gambler, Southern Missile and more.

All the details are available right here, on the New Partnership Opportunities page.

Good Law 2nd at Belmont

Steve — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:13:21 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s five-year-old gelding Good Law finished a strong second in the 8th race at Belmont o n Friday, June 4th. Good Law, ridden by David Cohen, was pinched back at the start, but tracked the early leaders, then split horses on the turn to move up and finish a clear second in good time for the mile. The race gave Good Law a stellar record of one win and one second in two starts in Castle Village Farm colors, with total earnings of $25,000.

The race was a New York-bred N2X allowance/optional claimer, and Good Law, entered for the claiming price of $25,000, was claimed back by trainer Tom Bush, from whom we took him back in April. We wish Tom well with Good Law, and we’ll be looking for Good Law’s successor in our 2010 claiming partnership when racing resumes at Belmont on Wednesday.

Good Law Races June 4 at Belmont

Steve — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:30:21 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s five-year-old gelding Good Law, fresh off a victory in his first race in our colors on May 5th, runs back at Belmont on Friday, June 4. He’s in the 8th race, a one-mile New York-bred allowance/optional claimer. David Cohen, who was aboard for the last win, rides back.

Good Law should be one of the favorites.

Strings and Arrows Second at Belmont

Steve — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:30:48 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s four-year-old Bowman’s band colt, Strings and Arrows, ran a strong second in the 6th race at Belmont on May 23rd. Jockey David Cohen, riding for trainer and part-owner Leah Gyarmati, positioned Strings and Arrows just off the early pace, then fought hard through the stretch to hold second in the NY-bred maiden claiming sprint. Definitely Strings and Arrows’ best race thus far.

Bagavond Retired

Steve — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:22:43 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s gallant seven-year-old gelding Bagavond has been retired. Bagavond, who won a race for us in each of the past four years, had been pointed at one more turf season this summer, but his ankles just weren’t standing up to the strain of training, after all the wear and tear of racing, and so we decided to retire him. He retires with a record of four wins, three seconds and two thirds from 27 lifetime starts, earnings of more than $154,000, and the appreciation and love of his owners. Thanks to Bill Turner for keeping Bagavond running as long as our horse was able to compete.

Good Law Wins!

Steve — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:33:53 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s newest horse, five-year-old gelding Good Law, prevailed in a long stretch drive to win Wednesday’s 3rd race, a starter allowance, at Belmont by a head. Good Law, under jockey David Cohen, sat well back off a torrid pace early, then closed well in the stretch and survived some bumping to win.

We’d claimed Good Law on April 7th, and Bruce Brown did a superb job of getting him in shape for the race. Congratulations to all involved.

Good Law Racing May 5th at Belmont

Steve — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:31:17 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s new claim, five-year-old Good Law, races Wednesday, May 5th, in the 3rd race at Belmont. It’s a starter allowance for horses that have run for a claiming price of $10,000 or less since 2008. David Cohen will ride for trainer Bruce Brown.

Bagavond has first breeze of the season

Steve — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:49:02 +0000

Castle Village Farm’s seven-year-old warrior, Bagavond, had hist first breeze of the year this morning, working a relaxed half-mile in 49.66 seconds on the Belmont training track. Bagavond, who’s won for us in each of the past four years, had the winter off, down at Diana McClure’s Carousel Farm in Virginia. We’ll be pointing him toward a turf sprint at Belmont sometime in the second half of May.