The "Hibiscus Experience" is in Full Swing
Belmont outing brings together partners, old and new

In January of 2007, on the eve of Salt Water Reign making her return to racing (a race that she would ultimately win) the three Hibiscus Stables members, Mike, Al and Doris Ann, made the commitment to make an aggressive investment in the company, to expand the stable and thereby make 2007 the most exciting year in the history of the barn.  We attended the spring sales and returned with four solid New York bred horses and then waited with palpable anticipation for them to begin their racing careers.  On Thursday, July 12 the first member of Vintage 2007 made his racing debut at historic Belmont Park in New York.

Iron Curtain, our 2-year-old son of Boundary, was entered to run in Thursday’s 4^th race.  We had anxiously awaited for this day stretching back all the way to late April at the OBS sale and even farther back to January when we made the commitment to expand the stable.  Our marketing efforts for Vintage 2007 have been well received and we’ve got many new partners spread out all over the country.  In fact, Vintage 2007 is now 90% sold out (click here for an update on offerings).  We’ve had numerous races with Salt Water Reign, including two stakes appearances, and over that time we’ve managed to meet all of the partners who own shares and become friends with all of them.  Thursday marked the formal beginning of 2007 and we arrived at Belmont that morning feeling somewhat like kids on Christmas preparing to watch Iron Curtain debut and meet some of our newest partners and friends.

The Hibiscus partners gather in the paddock

As usual we reserved a table in the clubhouse restaurant and it wasn’t long before partners began to arrive.  Iron Curtain’s race was Race 4 so we barely had time to order appetizers before Race 3 was over and it was time to go down to the paddock.  But prior to that many of our new partners arrived at the table and you could cut the anticipation with a knife.  Al arrived first with his mom, Barbara.  Barbara is a huge racing fan and attends the races whenever she gets a chance.  She recently moved to Florida and rarely gets an opportunity to see Hibiscus Stables’ horses run in person so she was thrilled to be in town for this event.  She told me on the side that she and her husband Al go to Florida OTB to watch all of our horses on TV and they always wear their Hibiscus Stables shirts on race days in Florida.  We also had some brand new partners attend.  Alan and his wife made it to the race.  I was introduced to Alan at one of Salt Water Reign’s races by our 2006 partner, Doug.  Alan is an avid horseracing fan and he has shares in 3 of our new 2007 horses and it was great to see him and his wife make it to the first race.  Also new to the group was Dave, a local fellow from Yorktown Heights, NY.  Dave has shares in 2 of our new 2007 horses.  Unfortunately Dave’s wife Carol, who had planned on attending, couldn’t get out of work and was not able to make it.  We had met her a few days earlier and had hoped she could have been there.  Another new face is Roy, one of our most enthusiastic new owners.  He has shares in 2 of the new 2007 horses and has been around horses his entire life.  He’s been to a Salt Water Reign race and we expect that he won’t miss too many Hibiscus Stables races in the future. We even had our new partner Bill on hand with us.  Bill doesn’t own a share of Iron Curtain but he was there pulling for us as if he were a majority partner.  All of our new partners are regular folks and fit right in with the Hibiscus Stables family.  We’ve attended Sunset Racing at Belmont a few times this summer and we’ve hung out with Bill and his friends and we’ve all had a lot of fun.  It was great to see these new partners and friends at Belmont to kick off our Vintage 2007.  As a matter of fact, one of new fans, Martin Wilbur, a journalist for the North County News, also joined us and we hope to see him at more races.  It was a great group in attendance and everyone was energized as we headed down to the paddock before the race.

Linda Rice with Roy at Belmont

To further compound the fun for Doris Ann, Al, and me was the roster of friends that we were going to see in the paddock.  Our other trainer, Linda Rice happened to have a horse entered in this race.  Although she was the competition that day she was sweet enough to visit with our group for a few seconds.  Many of today’s partners also own a share of Sextant, our horse with Linda, and she introduced herself and chatted for a bit.  Our partner Roy is a huge Linda Rice fan and he had been hoping to meet her for some time.  Linda went out of her way to introduce herself to Roy and take a few pictures with him which probably made his day.  We also would be contending with our friend Carlos Martin who had a very nice Fusaichi Pegasus horse in this race.  We had heard that Carlos’ horse was training well and would be a handful.  We had originally met Carlos at OBS in April and Carlos is a genuinely nice person.  He stopped by to chat with us and trash-talk a bit before tending to his horse.  The group that I was most happy to be seeing was the Toscano family.  John, Jr. is a trainer and his sons John and Rob were both there as well.  We met the brothers at OBS in 2006 and instantly struck up a great friendship that will last throughout our racing careers.  John and Rob both own horses but with their day jobs we don’t get to see them as often as we like.  It was great to see them all there and be able to joke around with them before and after the race.  Their horse, Psychotic Summer, drew the post to our immediate inside and we had a lot of fun with them in the adjacent stall in the paddock.  Al shouted across, “Just make sure your horse breaks straight.  No right turns out of the gate!”  As the horses left the paddock we all wished each other luck, “I hope you take second!” and went out to the track and enjoyed the race.

Of course the perfect culmination to this exciting day would have been a win by Iron Curtain.  He wasn’t able to put it all together that day but that wasn’t going to detract from the great fun of meeting and socializing with new partners and seeing old friends.  Anyone who goes to the races expecting their horse to win all of its races is in the wrong game.  All but the elite of the elite lose more than they win.  Given time the wins will come but the important thing is to have fun and I’m thrilled to be able to say that we achieved that goal on Thursday.  Iron Curtain will break his maiden, perhaps in Saratoga, and that day will be extraordinary.  In the mean time, I look forward to meeting more of our new partners and spending time with the others.  We’ve got three more members of Vintage 2007 working their way to the races so we’ve got three more debuts ahead of us.  With any luck all four of our 2007 horses will break their maidens and we’ve got those events to look forward to as well.  The 2007 season has just begun for Hibiscus Stables.  We’ve got Saratoga right around the corner.  It just doesn’t get any better than this.

- Michael Oliveto
   Hibiscus Stables

Our Favorite Time of Year - 'Toga Time!

It is once again that time of year where all the top trainers and their horses come to the Mecca of racing. The summer is always highlighted by the legendary meet were racing's best gather for six action packed weeks up in the Adirondacks. Saratoga is just a spectacular place to visit with something to do for all who visit; whether to see the races or the numerous cultural attractions in the area. There is plenty of night life and many fabulous restaurants at which to dine in the evening.
 
As owners of race horses the excitement of racing one of your horses in Saratoga is unbeatable. There is nothing like getting to the track early in the morning as the mist is rising off the grass to watch the horses being put through their paces. You can walk to the “Lemonade Stand” to get a fresh cup of coffee and turn around to find Edgar Prado right in line behind you (he’s very nice to talk to), along with Nick Zito, Linda Rice and the list goes on and on. In the afternoon, you can picnic on the apron under beautiful elm and oak trees. Just bring your cooler and a blanket. There are multiple big-screen televisions and many bet windows. Alternatively, you can take a seat in the grandstand or in the restaurant in the clubhouse. (beware of dress codes). With the packed crowds that surround one of the prettiest paddocks in the country and knowing that you are running against some of the best horses is unbelievably exciting and needs to be experienced by every owner. Don’t forget your cameras to take photos of Sea Hero, the marvelous bronze statue that graces the paddock and of your own horse of course. Wish the other owners good luck and head out to trackside to watch the horses run. 

I think that getting to the winner’s circle in Saratoga is one of the biggest thrills an owner can have. When the race day winds down, you can join all the others at Siro's or The Horseshoe for cocktails and live music. This is just the beginning of the nightly fun. I hope this is, (and I truly believe it will be) the year that Hibiscus Stables will have its best Saratoga meet ever.

I hope all partners and friends of Hibiscus come join us at the track for an exciting day of races and a night filled with great entertainment. Look forward to seeing all.     

 - Al Schwab
   Hibiscus Stables

Saratoga Trivia

Test your knowledge of the obscure side of Saratoga with this month's trivia.

1. The Traver’s Stakes is also known as:

          A. Mid-summer Derby
          B. Mid-summer Preakness
          C. Last Chance for Fame
          D. Test of Champions

2. Saratoga was also home to the first hotel built in the U.S. Name the hotel. For extra credit what was the year?

          A. The Adelphi
          B. The Union
          C. The Coronet
          D. The Saratoga Inn

3. What else is the Spa City known for?

          A. Wettest summer in NY
          B. Largest snowfall in NY
          C. Longest drought in NY
          D. Largest hailstone in NY

4.  Although SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) is known as the summer home of the NYC Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra. What rock group attracted the largest crowd?

          A. Grateful Dead
          B. Moody Blues
          C. Whitesnake
          D. Madonna
 

5. Saratoga Springs is the birthplace of the potato chip.  In what year were they invented?

          A. 1880
          B. 1901
          C. 1776
          D. 1853


See end of newsletter for answers.

Saratoga Favorites....

Chianti tops the list as a favorite place to eat

Restaurants
 There’s a multitude of fine restaurants  in town all up and down Broadway to suit all palates. Keep in mind, most of them DO NOT take reservations on Fridays or Saturdays. Most people give their names to the maitre d' and then go to the bar to wait (sometimes up to an hour) or stroll around to the neighboring shops and then return.
DA's top 5 places to dine:

Chianti not “in town” per se, but exceptional Italian nonetheless. Expect a wait and a large bill, but well worth it. Extensive wine list.

The Wine Cellar. On Broadway towards the southern end. Their specialty is wines by the glass and tapas. A very nice place to enjoy a glass to taste with appetizers before dinner.

Panza’s on 9P. Out of town on the lake. Delicious food for a fair price with romantic ambience and live entertainment on weekends.

Longfellow’s on 9P. Close to the track and part of a hotel. They cater many weddings and other elegant affairs.  Food is very good and plentiful - try the crab dip appetizer, it is to die for.  They also have very nice duplex style rooms for overnight stays, with full breakfast buffet.

Mrs. London's Bakery and Café located at 464 Broadway is a favorite for coffee, croissants, sandwiches and salads.  With an upscale feel, this European-style cafe offers superb pastries and desserts and if you are lucky enough to snag an outside table, your slice of heaven is complete!

Hibiscus Stables Partner Spotlight: Joanne Schneider

Joanne celebrates after     Salt Water Reign Win

Happy Birthday this month to Joanne Schneider! Joanne grew up in Tarrytown and has been attending the races at Saratoga since she was a little girl. She is practically a relative here at Hibiscus as Al Schwab's mother and Joanne have worked together for many years. Joanne owns "Joanne of Briarcliff" for the past 32 years; a full service Redken salon that offers hair coloring, styling and manicures along with waxing.

 

Joanne is an avid golfer: her handicap "both arms and both legs". She loves white water rafting and swimming. Indeed, no grass grows under Joanne's feet. Oh, by the way she loves going to the casino too. She can also be found trackside with her Mom "anytime Hibiscus runs". Although she has no children of her own, she enjoys her many nieces, nephews and their children too.

 

Joanne's favorite charity is Home and Family and Future, an organization started by one of her clients that provides free housing and a step up for women who are victims of domestic violence. They also act as a bridge to financially support displaced women and their children so that they can maintain financial independence and to avoid public assistance.

 

Joanne of Briarcliff is open Tuesday through Saturday. (914) 762-1030.

Answers to Trivia: 

1) Answer: A.  The Mid-summer Derby at 11/4 miles was first run in 1864. The purse this year is $1 million

2) Answer: B.  The Union first opened in 1802

3) Answer: B. Between March 11-14, 1888 a total of 58 inches of snow buried the city.

4) Answer: A.  In 1985, 40,000+ packed the park to see the Grateful Dead

5) Answer: D.  George Crum, the chef at Moon’ Lake House in Saratoga Springs serendipitously came up with the recipe when a customer complained that his French fries were too thick in 1853
 

April 2007          May 2007          June 2007