Welcome to the
January New Year edition of the Hibiscus Stables Newsletter!
This issue includes updates, trivia and other news and notes. Please forward this
to friends and family members that may be interested.
Hibiscus Stables
to Expand to California
Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto said, “The quality of racing in Southern California is on par with that in New York. They’ve got a great state-bred program and, on the other end of the spectrum, they’ve got a year-round stakes program that will rival any circuit. You’ll find top quality trainers, top quality owners, and of course top quality horses. We’re excited to be getting involved in racing in that part of the country.” Hibiscus has entered into an agreement with trainer Ron Ellis who will advise us in the purchase process and then train the West Coast runners. Ron has been training for over 25 years almost exclusively on the Southern California circuit. His resume includes many graded stakes winners and two Kentucky Derby runners, each of which took fourth place in that prestigious event, and one Eclipse Award winning champion. Ron had previously trained for billionaire entrepreneur B. Wayne Hughes and currently trains for high profile owners such as Jay Em Ess Stables among others.
Mike Oliveto said, “We’re incredibly fortunate to have Ron as a member of the team. He’s extremely talented and is no stranger to success. He’s won graded stakes, he’s cashed checks in the Kentucky Derby, and he’s trained an Eclipse Award winner. It’s hard to ask for much more than that. A core philosophy of Hibiscus Stables is that to be the best you need to partner with the best. You’ll see that over and over in what we do. We run horses on leading circuits, we work with leading trainers and advisors, and we employ quality vets. In our breeding operation we consult with industry experts on matings, etc.” Continued Oliveto, “The intangible in the equation is the quality of character in the people with which we partner. All members of our team, Steve, Linda, Diane, Ron…they all exhibit impeccable integrity. Someone once said to me that, when selecting a trainer, you should look beyond the person’s race record and think about how comfortable you’d feel in having that person over to your home for dinner. If you wouldn’t want that person in your house then you don’t want them training for you. That piece of advice made a great deal of sense when I heard it. I’ve known Ron for a long time and I trust him implicitly as I do our other trainers…and believe me, in this industry, there are plenty that I don’t. I’ve met a few over the years where they shake your hand and then you have to count your fingers when they’re done. I feel very confident that we’re going to have a lot of success with Ron and our West Coast horses.” Hibiscus Stables will begin by working the two-year-old sales with Ron. Stay tuned for developments! .Salt Water Reign Returns
We’ve developed a certain fondness for Salt Water Reign. She’s the only 4-year-old in the barn right now. We have four 3-year-olds and will be adding some 2-year-olds this spring. We look at her as the “big-sister” of the Hibiscus Family and when she’s active she’s out there carrying the Hibiscus Stables flag and representing the barn proudly. Of course, there’s no real logic to this and it’s all in good fun but no one can deny that you tend to develop a certain emotional attachment to animals and Thoroughbreds are certainly no different. The partners in Salt Water Reign have certainly had to carry on with their share of patience over the course of her career while enduring two layoffs. She paid us back kindly after the first layoff with two wins in three starts and we’re optimistic that she’ll be equally productive this spring. With any luck she’ll show us what she’s capable of doing during the spring and summer ultimately give us a start or two in Saratoga in August.
One thing we all
know is that horses are not machines; they’re living
creatures and like the rest of us they have periods of time
when they’re sick or injured. Some horses are sturdy and
stay healthy for extended periods of time and can give you
many starts in a year and others can get hurt before their
debut and never race at all. With a horse like Salt Water
Reign we need to philosophically accept the layoffs and
appreciate the race days for what they are. One thing
that’s evident with our “big sister” is that she’s a gamer,
has a 57% in-the-money percentage and continues to give us
her best every time she gets into the gate.
D.A.'s Trivia Corner
1. In
the 1960s this DuPont homebred won Horse of the Year 5
successive times. See end of newsletter for answers.
- Doris Ann
Hayes, Hibiscus Stables Client Spotlight - Alan Horowitz
Although Alan and Sharon don’t have children they have a cocker spaniel named Angel who is 8 1/2 years old. According to Alan, “Angel is treated like a child. No, probably better.” Favorite charities include the ASPCA. For hobbies Alan is a serious league bowler. “I am an avid bowler, carrying about a 220 average. I enjoy league bowling, going to tournaments, and spending time with friends.” Horse racing is his other area of interest. “This interest began back in the middle 70's with horses like Forego, Affirmed and Alydar, and Seattle Slew. Together with a track buddy friend, I read all the handicapping books and we tried to apply the ideas each weekend, April to November, at the races, mostly at Belmont and Saratoga. While the days of filling notebooks with charts, self made speed figures, track biases, and trainer angles are over, my enjoyment of thoroughbred racing is still strong. I always had a fantasy of someday enjoying racing as an owner, of being on the other side of the paddock railing. After accepting that this probably wasn't going to happen, along came the Hibiscus Stables partnership experience. Over the years I've had a lot of good days at the track, but none better than last September when I toured the stable area at Belmont, visited one of my horses (Sextant) who I got to stroke and feed, chatted with trainer Linda Rice, and then watched my 2-year-old filly run in a stake race that evening at the Meadowlands. Along with cashing a big bet and going to Breakfast at Saratoga, it just doesn't get much better than that.” Alan makes it out to the track whenever one of his horses is racing…as long as school’s not in session. He takes his partnership experience seriously. We greatly enjoy having him as a partner.
Answers to
Trivia: 2. Answer: C. Secretariat. Whirlaway and Affirmed won as 3 and 4 year olds. 3. Answer: B. Bobby Frankel, he trained Empire Maker and Ghostzapper. 4. Answer: B. Jerry Bailey. Both Laffitt Pincay and Pat Day have 4 wins. Hard to believe, but Bill Shoemaker only took home the trophy one time. 5. Answer: D. Bronze. The award is a 4 inch high bronze replica of Eclipse which sits atop a rosewood base. The Horse of the Year trophy is gold-plated.
6. Answer:
D. Tiznow. He took the Classic in 2000 and 2001, but Point
Given was named Horse of the Year in 2001. |
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April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July
2007 Sept
2007
Oct 2007
Nov 2007
Dec 2007 |
Hibiscus
Stables in 2008 plans to expand its presence to the Southern
California region and stable horses enabling them to compete
at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar. We’ll begin by
attending the two-year-old sales with the specific intent of
adding at least one horse that will be stabled in
California.
Salt
Water Reign returned on Friday from a seven-month absence
and ran a very respectable race against some decent N2X
foes. She broke well and settled in behind the early
speed. She received a good ride from Channing Hill as he
refrained from having her engage in a speed duel. She raced
along behind the pace and then finished well knocking off
some decent horses and staying on for third place.
This
month’s client spotlight is Alan Horowitz. Alan and
his wife Sharon are residents of Peekskill, New
York. Alan is a Special Education teacher at Port
Chester Middle School in Port Chester, New York.
Prior to that position he worked in New York City
for three years and also at The Clearview School, a
very fine private school, for fourteen years.
Sharon is a Registered Nurse at Phelps Memorial
Hospital and works in the field of
Hibiscus Stables | Somers, NY 10589 | 1-877-WIRE-2-WIRE
Email:
info@hibiscusstables.com | Website:
www.hibiscusstables.com |
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