William Thomas Wins at Belmont by 7 Lengths

There’s no substitute for winning a race.  That’s beyond dispute.  But when a year’s worth of hard work all comes together it goes far beyond the thrill of the win.  If you require instant gratification then perhaps Thoroughbred ownership is not your game.  You’d be better off simply wagering on Thoroughbreds because you’d get resolution in under a minute and a half.  But if you can practice patience then owning a Thoroughbred can sometimes be one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime.

Ray Flynn, Hibiscus advisor

We acquired William Thomas out of the 2008 OBS Mach Sale and he came very highly regarded.  Our bloodstock advisor and good friend Ray Flynn put us on this horse.  Ray is very astute and he’s got a great eye for horses.  He called me twice and strongly suggested that we go see this horse.  Independently Steve Klesaris called me and he also pointed me to this horse.  Everybody was pounding the table, especially Ray, so I went to Paul Sharp’s consignment, looked at the horse, and bought him for our Vintage 2008 program. 

While in training with Paul in Ocala and then with Steve in Delaware we heard nothing but great things about his talent and professionalism.  This horse was highly touted and we passed along those words to our partners.  William Thomas sold out quickly and expectations were high.  He finally was ready for his debut in October of 2008 and he went to the gate a bit better than 2-1.  Although it’s arrogant to expect to win any race I’d have to say that we were all as close to that expectation as possible.  He showed early brilliance as he dueled with a Linda Rice horse through utterly insane fractions of 22 flat and 45.4.  Those splits are ballistic for a 2-year-old New York-bred first-time starter.  Needless to say he was done by the time he hit the ¼ pole and he ultimately went to the sidelines with an ankle.  Steve was very deliberate with the rehab not wanting to take any chances.  We kept him on the aqua-tread for months and then a long series of works.  The layoff wound up lasting for a long seven months and I personally was starting to feel the pressure.  Although there’s really no rational reason, being the Managing Partner of the group one feels responsible for the outcome.  William Thomas was so highly touted I felt that this horse had better perform when he gets back to the races. 

It’s for that reason why Saturday’s win was so fulfilling for me personally.  As soon as William Thomas crossed the finish line I felt somewhat relieved, somewhat vindicated.  The manner in which he won made it that much more sweet.  He rolled along and absolutely drilled the field in gate in wire to wire fashion.  He ran the 5 ½ furlongs in 1:03.1 and the jockey was a statue in the irons the entire trip.  He never cocked the whip and never shook the reigns.  William Thomas drew off in hand and finished the 5 ½ furlongs within a second of the track record posting a Beyer Speed Figure of 90. 

After the race I asked Ramon Dominguez if it was as easy as it looked and he simply said, “Yes”. 

Two weeks ago we had a double header at Belmont and both of our horses disappointed finishing up the track.  The low was LOW.  Saturday our 3-year-old drew off in hand in what appeared to be a public workout.  The high is HIGH.  Welcome to the world of Thoroughbred ownership.   

I have no idea what the future holds for William Thomas.  He’s an exciting son of Yonaguska and an unraced Distorted Humor mare.  He certainly has the breeding to be a thrilling horse.  As we all know with horseracing we need to take things one day at a time.  But for now the partners are basking in the glory of Saturday’s victory.  Steve’s an expert horseman and he’ll point him accordingly.  We’re all anxious to see what William Thomas has in store for us as we flip the next card off the top of the deck.

                                                                          - Mike Oliveto, CEO Hibiscus Stables

Hibiscus Vintage 2009 - Well Received
Tale of the Cat filly SOLD OUT, Grand Slam colt only 18% remaining

Prior to the 2009 2-year-old sales we made a strategic decision to concentrate less on quantity and more on quality when acquiring 2-year-olds for Vintage 2009.  To that end we attended sales such as the Fasig-Tipton Calder and the Keeneland April in search of select quality horses for our New York and California programs.  We returned with an athletic Grand Slam New York-bred colt for our east coast program with Steve Klesaris and with an exquisite Tale of the Cat filly out of an A.P. Indy mare for our California program with Ron Ellis. 

As a result of this quest for quality we expected that our partners would be more receptive; more interested in getting involved with horses of this class.  Little did we realize just how interested, however. The Tale of the Cat filly sold out in two weeks and the Grand Slam colt has only 18% shares remaining available.  We’ve never had horses sell through so quickly in the history of the stable.  We couldn’t be more pleased. 

If you’re interested in coming onboard with one of our 2-year-olds now would be a great time to take a look at the Grand Slam colt.  This athletic colt was acquired out of the Fasig-Tipton Calder sale. He's by leading international stallion Grand Slam who has sired an astounding 90 stakes performers. According to The Blood Horse stallion register Grand Slam is currently ranked #28 on the national sire list and was ranked #12 nationally in 2008. Grand Slam has sired, among many others, G1 Japan Dirt Derby winner Café Olympus ($2,244,819), G1 Breeders Cup Sprint winner Cajun Beat ($1,159,100), multiple graded stakes winner and now stallion Limehouse ($1,110,433), multiple graded stakes winner Strong Hope ($767,460), multiple graded stakes winner Fire Slam ($687,271), graded stakes winner and now stallion Alke ($619,385), and G1 Kings Bishop winner Visionaire.

Grand Slam was sired by leading stallion Gone West who has sired more than 95 stakes winners including Zafonic who was the champion 2-year-old colt in England and France, champion 3-year-old colt in France, and winner of the G1 Two Thousand Guineas. Gone West has also sired Speightstown who is a champion sprinter and winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint. Other notable offspring are Commendable, winner of the G1 Belmont Stakes, Da Hoss, twice winner of the G1 Breeders Cup Mile, G1 winner and now stallion Came Home, G1 winner and now stallion Johar, and G1 winner Lassigny among many others.

Gone West's other sons at stallion include Elusive Quality who's the sire of G1 classic winner Smarty Jones, and G1 classic placed Proud Citizen who's the sire of multiple G1 winner Proud Spell.

Our colt's dam is by Storm Creek who's a son of Storm Cat. Our colt's second dam has produced multiple graded stakes winner Feline Story ($435,265).

This colt has the pedigree of a horse that you’d expect to see racing at Keeneland, not in restricted company against New York-breds in New York. We love having the 3x3 cross of Mr. Prospector and Storm Cat. One rarely sees that in any New York-bred.

His conformation is very correct as one would expect from a Select Sale graduate and he vetted very well.

The story behind the acquisition of this colt is interesting. Trainer Steve Klesaris attended the Calder sale buying for his high-profile client Jeff Puglisi. Jeff routinely spends between $100,000 and $400,000 or more on his horses. This colt was on Steve’s list of horses to purchase for Jeff. Ultimately the horse was a last-minute withdrawal from the sale and Steve moved on to other horses and Jeff only bought one from that sale. When we saw that it was a quality New York-bred and a Calder horse we contacted the consigner and purchased the horse privately. The average price per horse sold in this year’s Calder sale was $235,000. In 2008 it was $344,000. Steve said, “To be able to acquire this horse and add him to our program, a Calder horse, it’s a no-brainer.” Being able to run this horse against New York-breds is almost not fair.

This colt has the look of a true Steve Klesaris athlete and fits our standard profile for state-bred runners. He's by an established leading open company sire and a young well-bred mare. He, in effect, is bred for open company yet is eligible for state-bred purses. He's a registered New York-bred and will run on the Belmont/Aqueduct/Saratoga circuit. He's eligible for The Breeders Cup. He is trained by 25% winning trainer Steve Klesaris.

Follow this link for more information.

                                                                          - Mike Oliveto, CEO Hibiscus Stables

D.A.'s Trivia Corner - Belmont Stakes

See below for answers.
                                                                                      - Doris Ann Hayes, Hibiscus Stables
 

Staying with this issue's Belmont Stakes trivia theme, we take a look at the official drink of the Belmont Stakes, The Belmont Breeze.

Created by New York’s premiere beverage authority Dale DeGroff, the profile of the Belmont Breeze comes from the colonial recipe: one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak.

The ingredients are:

1 1/2 ounces of a good American blended whiskey
3/4 ounces Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry
1/2 ounce of fresh lemon juice
1 ounce of simple syrup
(1 ounce of sweet and sour mix may be substituted for the lemon juice and simple syrup)
1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
1 ounce 7-Up
1 ounce Club Soda

Shake first six ingredients with ice, then top with 7-Up and club soda. Garnish with mint sprig and lemon wedge or strawberry.

The White Carnation (vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, soda, and a splash of cream) had been the official drink of the Belmont Stakes before the Belmont Breeze.

Cheers!

Answers to Trivia: 

1.   Answer: A. Count Fleet (1943) won by 25 lengths. Man O’War won by 20 in 1920.

2.   Answer: C. In 1983. (Caveat defeated Slew O’Gold). Several editions have had only 2 runners.

3.   Answer: C. Over 120,000 people saw Birdstone spoil the “Smarty Party” and cost  Smarty Jones’ chance at the Triple Crown.

4.  Answer: B. Twenty-three horses have taken the carnations from the rail. The 5th post is second with fourteen.

5.   Answer: D. He won in 1869 running for August Belmont. The permanent trophy is retained for 1 year by the winning owner. He/she also receives a silver tray.

6.   Answer: A. Big Red sired American Flag (1925), Crusader (1926) and Triple Crown Winner War Admiral (1937).

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