WEBextra Illinois Diary
WEBextra August/September 2007
• MAY 12—Saturday. This evening our mare Denoun N Deverb was entered in the Queen’s Equerry Handicap at Fairmount Park in Collinsville. Deverb has been our most successful horse, racing for us for the last 3 years. She has given us some beautiful trophies and countless good memories. She’s also helped us pay off our farm.
Dwight has had this mare since she was just 18 months old. He put the first rides on her and recognized that she was something special. She’s been a great blessing.
When the gates sprang open, Deverb was in good position. Coming down the homestretch, she quickly took command of the lead and never looked back.
There’s nothing like the feeling of watching your horse come thundering down the stretch and knowing that they’re going to win. When the horse made it to the winner’s circle, Wyatt was ready for his first win picture.
• MAY 19—Saturday. D’Bockel, Dwight’s 3-year-old, raced this evening. It’s been 3 weeks since he last raced, so Dwight was hoping he’d still be as sharp as he has been.
D’Bockel left the gates surprisingly well, vying for the lead right off the bat, which is unusual for him. In his previous races, he’s laid farther back and then come running at the end.
By the end of the race, he was battling gamely for the lead, but the winner just nipped him by a head. Dwight was pleased with his effort, however, and thinks that he’ll put him in a mile race next time, instead of 3/4-mile. He thinks the distance will suit him better.
• MAY 25—Friday. Dwight had a filly he’s part owner of run tonight. Her name is Deno’s Gal, and tonight was her first race. Dwight left for the track around 4:30 with her on the trailer. He’s been experimenting with running horses straight off the farm, instead of stabling them at the track. Some say that horses run better off the farm, since it’s a quieter environment. Some say they run better if they live at the track full time, because their schedule is not interrupted and there’s no need to haul them on a trailer. Dwight decided to do his own experiment, and so far he’s been having decent luck.
The only horse of Dwight’s that is not run off the farm is Denoun N Deverb. She lives at the track during the racing season, and is at the farm during her winter break.
Deno’s Gal broke very slowly from the gate, which is common for a first time starter. She soon kicked it in gear and ended up coming in third. Dwight was very pleased, as were Deno’s Gal’s other owners. They feel she has a promising future.
It’s always a gamble if a horse really has the potential to be great. The path leading up to that first race is a long one, and usually expensive and all with the hope that the horse is good. Many owners say that the good horses earn their keep. That is, they pay for their day rate to be with a trainer at the track. Many Thoroughbred owners do not have a farm or a place to keep their horse, so they must pay someone else to take care of their horse.
Dwight likens first time starters to opening a long awaited gift. All through its initial training, it’s like shaking the gift box, trying to guess what it is—in this case, a horse’s potential. Dwight says he likes the anticipation more than anything, and in Deno’s Gal’s case, he thinks the patience and training were all worth it. She may not be of Denoun N Deverb’s caliber, but she has the makings of a solid racehorse.
• MAY 26—Saturday. We had one horse, Nickajack Night, racing this evening. Dwight called after the race and said the horse had not done well. He was a first-time starter as well, and everything that could go wrong did. Dwight wasn’t especially pleased, but knows now what the horse needs work on before he can race again. Once again, we’re reminded of the gamble that’s being taken every time a horse runs.
• JUNE 2—Saturday. D’Bockel was entered in a race tonight, so Dwight went to the track around 5 p.m. The track was still a little sloppy from the rain, and when the race ended, D’Bockel was in fourth. He hadn’t run nearly as well as he had previously, and Dwight was figuring that maybe he didn’t like a sloppy track. Some horses prefer a sloppy track, but it looks like D’Bockel is a fair weather horse.
•JUNE 8—Friday. Dwight arrived around 7:30. We hired a groom to walk Come One Come All up to the paddock, and Genie took Nickajack Night up.
Nickajack got more nervous the closer he got to the paddock, and he was a little difficult to saddle. Come One Come All was a champ, however, and behaved like a much older and experienced horse.
Dwight was anxious regarding Nickajack Night, since his last out was laced with problems. But Dwight had worked with him, and his homework paid off. In a field of 8, Come One Come All came in a respectable third, and Nickajack Night ran fifth, which was a huge improvement over his last race. All in all, Dwight was pleased.
