Baseball Card Kid O/T

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Posted By: marshall barkman

My buddy and i have a horse running tonight at Charlestown called Smitons Bay out of the 9 hole. She is lazy and the first time out she just kinda loped around the track and the lights bothered her. Hopefully i will not get kicked or run over in the paddock before the race but i just love these damn animals because of their power. She may get a piece but don't bet the house.

A horse i do like is called Baseball Card Kid in the second, a friend of mine used to own the horse before it got claimed. Wheel all the horses in the first into him and pick 3's because the horse can run. If he shakes loose on the lead it's all over baby. The trainer jockey combo is deadly.

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Posted By: Fred C

Just out of curiosity, how much does the Charleston track handle per racing day? Now Marshall, please realize that I'm just kidding here but if everyone on the VBC put $2 to win on Smitons Bay would it make the horse the favorite?

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Fred....here is the deal with Charlestwon race track. They have the largest purses in regards to claiming races in the entire country period. Also there is a 25% state bred fee that kicks in if your horse is West Virginia bred.The track writes alot of races for State bred horses only. If you have a maiden that wins money at any level then the state of West Virginia pays you 25% on top of that. Having said that if your horse makes 75,000 for the year then the state of West Virginia will write you a check for 18,750.

We currently have two mares one out of Golden Missle(Seattle Slew bloodline) and the other out of Storm Cat. We won two breeds in a Kentucky charity auction, one is to Buddha and the other Albert the Great. Buddha ran his eyeballs out and has Unbidled blood which i love. Albert the Great is just the most intimidating animal i have ever stood next to. He has the fastest time at 1 1/8 for a three year old ever run at Belmont and believe me there have been some classy animals over that strip. His son Abertimus Maximus won the Breeders Cup dirt 1,000,000 race a few months back and just won a 500,000 stakes race at Gulfstream park.

I know Charlestown does not get alot of money in the pools. What you should do is bet elsewhere so to not run the odds down. Smitons Bay has a long stride and she is lazy and we are pointing her for 1 1/16 so don't bet her this evening. I'm only betting on her because it is horse racing and anything can happen. Baseball Card Kid however is a different story so 100 across the board with the bookie might not be a bad idea.

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Posted By: josh

Sounds like a great time. I will be at Santa Anita all day tomorrow. My Grandfather's horse won the Kentucky Derby in 1960, Venetian Way was the name of the horse. It is pretty cool to have that part of history in my family. Good Luck Marshall!

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Posted By: josh

I am looking at the race right now... Baseball Card Kid is currently 3-1, I like the trainer Grams Timothy. Marshall, here is what my book has it at:
9
Smitons Bay
Perez I Rose David J107.10$6,500LA12-1


Should I grab it at 12-1?

You guys got it running in the first race of the night!!

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Josh....no do not grab it. We are stretching the horse out. She is lazy and kinda just strides along so she is being pointed towards 1 1/16 to 1 1/8. I do not feel she will be anywhere close tonight but who knows. I am betting her a little but plan on betting doubles and pick 3's into baseball card kid. Good luck.

Also we have a filly out of Unbridled's Song and i think she may be good. I'll let you know more when we see how she is during training. Her name is Unbridled Skyhawk.

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Posted By: josh

Thanks Marshall, I will keep an eye out on them. My pick of the day is at Retama Park in the 2nd race. Stone Cold Kitty is 5-2 at the moment. I think this horse wins this race! It is nice to see someone else on this board that is into this as well.

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Posted By: Fred C

Marshall,

I was just having a little fun there. I'm used to Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Del Mar. Those tracks have a pretty healthy daily handle. I remember going to Evanston Park (you talk about a small track) and it was funny to see that a lot of the races didn't even have over $2K on the tote for the favorite.

I think a lot of tracks are tied together for the OTB so you'd have to be sure that the OTB isn't tied to the tracks paramutual system. I used to go to TJ to throw a few bets because they aren't tied into the OTBs. But those guys aren't stupid, they'll block the action on races where it's obvious that someone is trying to make a killing.

Josh, that's pretty cool about Venetian Way!

My best track story has to do with a trainer named Mel Stute. This happended three years in a row (back in the 80's). I'm standing in line to place a bet and I was talking to the person next to me. He said, my horse looks good today. Lots of people say "my horse" when they talk about a selection. Somebody asked me what the guy said and I told him that he said his horse looked good. The guy thanked me and said "do you know who that is?" I didn't - the guy told me it was Mel Stute. Ah, ding, ding, ding... he had a horse in that race at 13-1. I got back in line and threw $20 on it to WPS. The horse WON. It happened two more years in a row with Mel. That 13-1 was the longest odds horse though. I'll never forget it.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Josh....it is going to be freezing down there tonight but i just love being in the ring with the horses. I think what i am going to do is buy a 2-year old in training and call it Network 54. If most of these guys on here could have there heads removed from Jimmy Swaggart's ass then we could have had a syndicate where everyone owns a small piece of the horse. I'm sure the bible bangers will come out of the woodworks on that one.

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Posted By: josh

Ha, great post Marshall! I am sure it will be a great time. I am really looking forward to Santa Anita tomorrow!

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Posted By: Fred C

Hey Marshall, you could spend $20K on the 2YO and sell 1% shares for $200 to the VBC members. Now that would be fun! Put me down for a percent or two!

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Posted By: josh

Put me down for 2 or 3 percent!

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Fred...i knew you were just kidding. But in all seriousness charlestown is for real when it comes to their purses. For example a 10,000 claiming race at Santa Anita has a total purse of 13,000. At charlestown a 6,000 dollar claiming race has a total purse of 15,000. Also charlestown will have a 1,000,000 dollar race this year and there State bred stakes series is off the charts. Where you can go and buy a horse like Ghostly Thunder for 13,000 (he was West Virginia bred) and then run him exclusively in State bred races to the tune of 187,000 total purse winnings? The state then pays a check on top of that for 25% for it being a state bred.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Ok maybe what i will do is go to the Ocala 2 year old in training sale which is right around the corner. I have the truck and trailer to haul the horse back from Florida and that sale is the best. Big Brown was bought for 63,000 at the same sale. We will set a price at between 10,000 to 20,000 and see how many folks are interested in ownership. It would be great fun for the board in naming the horse and rooting for it.

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Posted By: mark s.

gentlemen-
ALL great stories...
marshall- may i suggest a horse name... Cool Arrow
fred c & josh- let's meet some day...
i EVEN love the fairplex meet!

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Monmouth isnt the place to be in the horse racing circles? I've been there plenty of times,my cousin works the window and I always go to her eventhough I've only won once off her ever. My favorite part is watching the people in front of the simulcast screens who yell at horses on the tv. In fact since then, I came up with a fool-proof plan:



1. Place bet with my cousin

2. Take seat for race

3. When the race starts, scream out "get legs!" and "put the whip to him!"

4. When my horse loses,I tear up my tickets,throw them in the air and say "Easy come easy go" over and over.

5. Repeat



I might not win any money but I seem to have fun and it scares the little kids and gives the janitors something to do.

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Posted By: josh

If anyone from NET54 is going to be at Santa Anita tomorrow let me know. We can meet up for a drink and talk cards..I have a table at The Front Runner Club, Races start at 12:30, I will be there all day. It is kids day as well there.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Well when you name a horse you send in 6 names and the Jockey's club picks one. Two of my favorite baseball players are Ty Cobb and Hal Chase so i have a name in mind. If you are at a OTB tonight then when the tv pans to the 9 hole you will see me standing there with the horse. I'm sure if the horse starts acting up it will be hilarious because people start scattering everywhere but i'll just continue to lean against the paddock wall. These hillbilly types down there just crack me up and the last time we had a horse running i told the outrider a joke and she got PISSED! What do you get when there is 36 people in a bar at West Virginia? A full set of teeth.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

John...your post was hilarious.

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Posted By: Fred C

That must be where the "tooth brush" was invented.

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Posted By: Richie

I had friend who bought into a horse. With Trainer Linda Rice. Horse actually won a race. It was such a blast. Horses name was Crafty Player. It ran in Belmont and Aqueduct and up in Saratoga. If you have extra cash its a nice experience. Sorry if i Verved off your thread. Thanks guys

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Crafty Player is a cool name. Glad to hear your friend won.

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Posted By: Fred C

Mark,

I'm now more of a Del Mar visitor. I don't make it to many other tracks anymore. When we start hearing Bing sing (after the 4th of July) I think it'd be a great place to hold a VBC brew crew meeting.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

I think tonight when i return then some more thought can go into the Network 54 horse. If a horse was purchased for say 15,000 and that left 5,000 for three months training and vet fees then what a blast it would be for some. I think shares will be 500 dollars a piece so that means there is 40 total shares available at a first come first served basis. The stable could be called Gem Mint stables LLC. We could design the colors with a T-206 baseball card in the middle of the jockey's silk. We could have a attorney on the board draw up the LLC paperwork which is simple. Also all expenses are write offs so how cool would it be to meet when the horse is running and buy and sell cards at the same time?

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Posted By: john/z28jd

I'm in only if the horses name is Peek-A-Boo Veach. Thats my favorite vintage nickname

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Posted By: mark s.

fred-
i live (what used to be in the "old days") fifty minutes from del mar, door-to-door.
nowadays, to mitigate the increased traffic, i take my bike, park in encinitas and ride the coast hiway sidestreets, stopping for lunch at alberto's prior to the customary 2 pm first post... for me, THAT is the absolute PERFECT summer day!
looking forward to meeting any & all net54 members at the 2009 del mar meet!

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Alright boys i'm off to the track and it is snowing (lol). Hopefully the races will not be cancelled. I know Baseball Card Kid is going to roll tonight. Maybe our girl will do alright but we really are trying to get her some wind before stretching her out.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

"Two of my favorite baseball players are Ty Cobb and Hal Chase so i have a name in mind."

Whoa. I think we were separated at birth....

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Posted By: Fred C

We'd have to credit John D for this name (for a horse):

"Polar Bear Johnson"

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Posted By: josh

Baseball Card Kid is a scratch! I wonder what happened??

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Posted By: leon

Good luck at the races...that was a pretty good one..

"What do you get when there is 36 people in a bar at West Virginia? A full set of teeth."

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Posted By: Rob D.

Maybe the sudden influx of hot air melted the snow and adversely affected track conditions?

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Posted By: JT Burchfield

I heard she loves the slop.

Can't believe I was the first with the Seinfeld reference.

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Posted By: Fred C

Is it in her blood? Wasn't her mother a mudder?

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Posted By: barrysloate

She was a mudder, and she ate her fodder.

Seinfeld reference, but taken almost verbatim from an Abbott and Costello routine.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

Whewwwww......what a night. The snow was flying like crazy and our girl hated it. She acted up in the paddock and threw the jock in the post parade but at least she came back sound after the race, she needs more wind and stretched out to 1 1/16. Baseball Card Kid got scratched due to the weather so i was like damn the luck. Our other filly out of Unbridled's song is working up a storm so watch out when we unleash her. Glad you liked the joke Leon but man was that gal mad when i told her that, she glared at me tonight in the paddock and i told my buddy watch out because she may run over us (lol).

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Posted By: mark s.

marshall-
what kind of breeding is "on"... never seen it before.
is it ontario, canada?
in calif we only identify the foreign country (not province) of origin.

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Posted By: mark s.

ya know, it's really quite entertaining to have you share your racing experiences & insights with us, then provide your running commentary, as of course, only YOU can!
also, you are to be commended for your vastly improved english/writing skills... your entries are considerably more enjoyable.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

You are correct"on" is ontario. In the last race last night Rodney Sodeen fell off the 2 horse and laid motionless on the track. I knew the horses would be coming around to the finish line and there was no medical help to him yet. I almost ran out on the track just to make sure he was not trampled but the outriders came up just in time. Man that had to hurt falling off in that cold weather.

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Posted By: mark s.

hey josh-
thank you so very much for the open invitation to join you today at the front runner... extremely kind of you, and what a tremendous spot to watch the sport of kings!
unfortunately, i will not be there. however, i would like to wish you & your family good luck and another great day at the races.
can you provide any additional history on sunny blue farms or john w. greathouse?
just curious (have never had a kentucky derby winner ANYWHERE in my lineage).

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Posted By: Josh

It was a good time today, although I got killed. On my Mother's side, my grandfather Isaac Blumberg owned the horse, Venetian Way that won the Kentucky Derby in 1960. I was not even born then, but since I am into racing it is pretty cool to have that in my family history. What kind of information would you like to know? I can ask for you.

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Posted By: mark s.

josh-
i see your grandfather was a miami businessman who purchased venetian way from the breeder (greathouse), tho i don't know what year or by what means (auction, claiming or private sale, etc.)...
is/was there such a place as sunny blue farms & was your grandfather an active horseman... did you know him?
is your family currently involved in the industry?
pretty cool to have a ky derby winner in your own personal bloodlines!
edited to add:
sorry to hear about your misfortune today... i know how disconcerting that feels.
it's one of the reasons i started "investing" more in babe ruth and less in para-mutual tickets!
better luck next time.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

There is a monster race today at Oaklawn in regards to Kentucky Derby. I like a longshot in the race so hopefully he will run his eyeballs out. Old Fashioned will be 3/5 or 1/1 and we shall see if he can roll.

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Posted By: Bryan Long

I am an hour away from there.

.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

You should go watch the race. It is going to be a sensational race and some of the best three year olds in the country are in it. The Derby trail starts here.

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Posted By: Anonymous

My family is not involved in the industry whatsoever now as far as I know. We are not close and are all spread out over the US. I just happen to be into Horse Racing and when I was a little kid ( born in 73) I had found out about the history we had. My Grandfather was not an active horseman at all, he was a very successful business man in Florida and then in Springfield, Illinois, that is where I am from. I now live in Santa Barbara though... I will ask the other question you had when I talk to my Mother.