Update on Grace -- 2/1/12 | The FHF Clubhouse | Forum

A couple of positive quotes from Larry regarding our gal! ;-)

http://www.horseracingnation.c…..harper_123

Today Fairgrounds offers $339,000.00 in purses without a stakes race on it's card. Oaklawn has $293,000.00 in purses with 1/3 of that coming from a single stakes race.

Post edited 1:56 pm – February 4, 2012 by jan

Alex, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I'd have to say that to me you sound like the scorned fan who is overreacting to this issue. First of all, I'm quite sure there is more to this disagreement than a mere two pounds and be willing to bet that much communication ensued.
No doubt that Oaklawn has produced some great champions, including Grace, but that doesn't mean that the shape the track was in last year was easy on the horses ankles, legs, etc. over the long haul. Training and racing over a track are two different things and I'm quite sure that Larry and Rick have big plans for Grace outside of the Fair Grounds. ;-) Regardless, if Larry thought FG was such a bad place to train on, he'd take her to a place like Gulfstream. So, he must believe all will work out fine doing it this way.
If I were you, I'd stop listening to your web posters and sit back and watch the year unfold. If things don't turn out well, then we can second guess. But, please don't take this out on Grace, she sits in her stall as sweet as ever and oblivious to this all! ;-)

AJ said:

Can't resist the pun and the irony……….. this sounds like a 'coup de grace'!!! Ain't America great????? (Who said that, Don King?) Gotta love it!!! AJ

Maybe it was Angelo Dundee? Or a famous politician? I forget, oh well. It is just nice to live in a democracy. We all matter and we all care. Nice.

What races were Rick and Larry thinking about at Fairgrounds? (Trying to get my dates right). Jan you mentioned Gulfstream… any good early season races there for Grace? AJ

Rick said:

afleetalexforever said:

There is absolutely nothing positive about Oaklawn's surface with this quote from Larry Jones: "Last year she had some issues we had to take care of, plus we have a better track to train on"

 

Loss of respect is what you get when you make statements like this.  Again when your issue is with the racing secretary, take that up with him, dont stoop to the level of taking shots at a track or their maintenance team who continues to churn out Triple Crown Race winners and Eclipse award winners.   Now whenever we see FG begin to produce horses that actually win races of significance on a consistent basis throughout the year then its ok to make a comparison.  This whole thing seems very petty and unneeded.  If you felt the 2lbs was unfair, you should have made the decision to scratch your horse, instead you ran and got beat, get over it and move on. Are we going to be hearing Jones take shots at Oaklawn 5 years from now, when all of his horses continues to train at FG without favorable results and him tout the track and its surface, interesting to see how things progress in the future.  I will say this, I've always backed Larry Jones and found great delight in meeting and talking with him in the past at Oaklawn and at Churchill when we met, but to hold a grudge of this nature and to make the comments he has, spins a very unfavorable light on difference between people who can stay objective and differentiate the business from personal. 

 

Is it in the best interest of the horse to be training and possibly running on a new surface, NEVER has and never will be, is it in the best interest of the horse to be possibly starting the season in a race of less than zero significance, NEVER has and never will be, you might as well just line her up against a stable mate and let her gallop a strong mile.  The grandstanding and posturing has reached an epic point.  And as a fan I feel ashamed to have to hear some of the things being said and to watch the actions.  It leaves me speechless and looking for a new favorite horse to follow, that's for sure.

I think you are reading too much into some of the comments made about Havre de Grace's upcoming season. There is sportmanship involved in the sport also. Trying to look at all options and point out the pros and cons is part of the game. What is important and the only thing that is important is how her campaign plays out. Give it time. I think everyone will be happy with our choices for Havre de Grace. Look at last year. We had a pretty good schdeule and won overwhelmingly in the voting for champion of thoroughbred horse racing. We do know how to run a racing campaign and have proven it over the past 10 years. We have Havre de Grace's well being at the top of the list. Trust us. We have a proven track record. You must not have been following Fox Hill Farm and their big horses closely over the years.

Rick

Post edited 6:18 pm – February 5, 2012 by jan

Rick said:

Rick said:

afleetalexforever said:

There is absolutely nothing positive about Oaklawn's surface with this quote from Larry Jones: "Last year she had some issues we had to take care of, plus we have a better track to train on"

 

Loss of respect is what you get when you make statements like this.  Again when your issue is with the racing secretary, take that up with him, dont stoop to the level of taking shots at a track or their maintenance team who continues to churn out Triple Crown Race winners and Eclipse award winners.   Now whenever we see FG begin to produce horses that actually win races of significance on a consistent basis throughout the year then its ok to make a comparison.  This whole thing seems very petty and unneeded.  If you felt the 2lbs was unfair, you should have made the decision to scratch your horse, instead you ran and got beat, get over it and move on. Are we going to be hearing Jones take shots at Oaklawn 5 years from now, when all of his horses continues to train at FG without favorable results and him tout the track and its surface, interesting to see how things progress in the future.  I will say this, I've always backed Larry Jones and found great delight in meeting and talking with him in the past at Oaklawn and at Churchill when we met, but to hold a grudge of this nature and to make the comments he has, spins a very unfavorable light on difference between people who can stay objective and differentiate the business from personal. 

 

Is it in the best interest of the horse to be training and possibly running on a new surface, NEVER has and never will be, is it in the best interest of the horse to be possibly starting the season in a race of less than zero significance, NEVER has and never will be, you might as well just line her up against a stable mate and let her gallop a strong mile.  The grandstanding and posturing has reached an epic point.  And as a fan I feel ashamed to have to hear some of the things being said and to watch the actions.  It leaves me speechless and looking for a new favorite horse to follow, that's for sure.

I think you are reading too much into some of the comments made about Havre de Grace's upcoming season. There is sportmanship involved in the sport also. Trying to look at all options and point out the pros and cons is part of the game. What is important and the only thing that is important is how her campaign plays out. Give it time. I think everyone will be happy with our choices for Havre de Grace. Look at last year. We had a pretty good schdeule and won overwhelmingly in the voting for champion of thoroughbred horse racing. We do know how to run a racing campaign and have proven it over the past 10 years. We have Havre de Grace's well being at the top of the list. Trust us. We have a proven track record. You must not have been following Fox Hill Farm and their big horses closely over the years.

Rick

Exactly Rick! All anyone has to do is look at FHF's track record with horses and know they don't shy away or "duck" the big ones! IMO, the one's making a big deal about this are either people jealous of her HOY Award or  fans upset and disappointed she won't be going to Oaklawn — taking it personally, and hurt by the decision. People who truly care should look at the big picture, how much you respect Grace and care about her well-being, as does Larry. I know you have never ducked competition and I also know you realize this is a filly of a lifetime — one that some owners and trainers will never come close to having! Yes, you know how to run a campaign and this year I trust will be no different. Most of all, I can't tell you how glad I am that you have Grace's best interest at heart! Those that feel hurt, disappointed or scorned should realize Grace's best interest and the finish line are what matters most. No doubt, when the year's campaign is over, there will be no more question this year than there was last year about the ambitiousness of her campaign. I really think she is primed to have at least as good, if not better year than last! Fans overly concerned about where she races before the year even starts are risking losing out on all the fun that this year promises to bring! So, I say let the experts decide when and where. And FHF is the expert here who stand to lose the most if the campaign doesn't work out. They've earned our trust and faith, so I say just sit tight and enjoy the ride — it worked out darn well last year! ;-)

katrina said:

Rick said:

Rick said:

afleetalexforever said:

There is absolutely nothing positive about Oaklawn's surface with this quote from Larry Jones: "Last year she had some issues we had to take care of, plus we have a better track to train on"

 

Loss of respect is what you get when you make statements like this.  Again when your issue is with the racing secretary, take that up with him, dont stoop to the level of taking shots at a track or their maintenance team who continues to churn out Triple Crown Race winners and Eclipse award winners.   Now whenever we see FG begin to produce horses that actually win races of significance on a consistent basis throughout the year then its ok to make a comparison.  This whole thing seems very petty and unneeded.  If you felt the 2lbs was unfair, you should have made the decision to scratch your horse, instead you ran and got beat, get over it and move on. Are we going to be hearing Jones take shots at Oaklawn 5 years from now, when all of his horses continues to train at FG without favorable results and him tout the track and its surface, interesting to see how things progress in the future.  I will say this, I've always backed Larry Jones and found great delight in meeting and talking with him in the past at Oaklawn and at Churchill when we met, but to hold a grudge of this nature and to make the comments he has, spins a very unfavorable light on difference between people who can stay objective and differentiate the business from personal. 

 

Is it in the best interest of the horse to be training and possibly running on a new surface, NEVER has and never will be, is it in the best interest of the horse to be possibly starting the season in a race of less than zero significance, NEVER has and never will be, you might as well just line her up against a stable mate and let her gallop a strong mile.  The grandstanding and posturing has reached an epic point.  And as a fan I feel ashamed to have to hear some of the things being said and to watch the actions.  It leaves me speechless and looking for a new favorite horse to follow, that's for sure.

I think you are reading too much into some of the comments made about Havre de Grace's upcoming season. There is sportmanship involved in the sport also. Trying to look at all options and point out the pros and cons is part of the game. What is important and the only thing that is important is how her campaign plays out. Give it time. I think everyone will be happy with our choices for Havre de Grace. Look at last year. We had a pretty good schdeule and won overwhelmingly in the voting for champion of thoroughbred horse racing. We do know how to run a racing campaign and have proven it over the past 10 years. We have Havre de Grace's well being at the top of the list. Trust us. We have a proven track record. You must not have been following Fox Hill Farm and their big horses closely over the years.

Rick

Well said Rick! I'm with you! cannot argue with proven success!!!! keep it up!!  K.

I'm not sure how to remove the quotes so I hope this works.  Just wanted to post a link to the article from the Oaklawn website about hiring a new track super this year and to add that I think that this gives support to Larry's comments about the track.  I also hesitate to add this as I don't like to spread false information but elsewhere it was strongly hinted that Oaklawn would take up the track down to the base and repair all the bad spots and replace the top.  I don't know if that actually happened either, but I believe that others had issues with injuries from the track there but did not want to publicize it.

 

Link:  http://www.oaklawn.com/news/20…..superinte/ 

Tbrt, thank you for the link. One thing I love about Larry is his honesty without concern for being politically correct. He tells it as he sees it and that's refreshing to me! You can bet if he claims to like FG's surface better than Oaklawn's to train over, Larry means it! And I'm pretty sure if given what Larry and Rick consider to be a fair shake with the weights, FHF will strongly consider a race at Oaklawn.

tommyhewett said:

I knew this would the responce i would get. My point of view is that Oaklawn takes out a lot of money that the horsemen that keep the doors open could be running for. They  supplement the purses for these big races to get the prestige while the everyday horsemen starve to death. Fair Grounds does appear to take better care of all of it's horsemen.

Great point, but that had absolutely nothign to do with the subject matter, but wonderful that you brought that up.