Courtly Choice’s ownership group has decided that he will race in 2019 at age four.
“He was a fun horse to race and we are looking forward to racing him in 2019,” said Joe Thomson, Courtly Choice’s co-owner. “There are several stakes that we will be aiming for in the upcoming season.”
Courtly Choice’s trainer, Blake MacIntosh, had mixed feelings about standing him at stud. He discussed Courtly Choice’s future with each of the owners and they decided racing would be the better option.
“We decided to take the initiative to support Jeff Gural with the increase in Meadowlands purses,” said MacIntosh.
The group believes that the work Gural has done to save the Meadowlands deserves their full support.
“We are also deciding to race him at four because we are unsupportive of the New York semen transport rule,” said Thomson.
Thomson believes that mares shouldn’t have to be shipped in state to be bred. Several of the mares being booked to ‘Courtly’ were from outside the state of New York.
The ownership group collectively apologizes to breeders who have already booked their mares.
For more information, please contact Winbak Farm of New York at 845-778-5421.
(Winbak Farm of New York)
I couldn't agree more
I couldn't agree more Mike.
There are a few things the owners could do such as have an Invitational like the Pegasus Cup where they all put $50K up plus $500K from the host track. Or have eliminations at 10K (2 or 3 Divisions) and top 10 raceoff with 35K to start in final. Track kicks in $550K and probably at least 1 million race if not 1.1. That is not hard to get I wouldn't think as there are a lot of competitive horses in the older ranks the last couple years and this would keep it even more so and the money talks and breeding is just so lucrative to racing.
What we really need though is sponsorship and if it means getting wheel disk covers with company logos branding our older horses than that's what we do. we have to get the horses to race at older ages to achieve this though.
Can also get a sponsorship of a million dollar bonus type race where each start (similar to the TVG) in the championship series at multiple tracks requires a $500 starting fee that goes to the bigger added money events. This can result in a few million dollar races per year.
Lastly what is wrong with getting a deal similar to the $10 million dollar bonus they used to have in Stock car racing. I think it was $10 million and that was in the 1980's and Bill Elliot was chasing it one year and may have actually won as I was a kid. If you won X invitational races per year including starts in these 5 etc you get the Pepsi or whatever sponsor a 2 million dollar bonus. I would think companies would jump all over that as they probably get free advertising all year and don't have to fork the bonus out but it keeps people racing their horses that's for sure.
Lots of ideas but keep them racing is what we need, or to get more both breeding and racing like they do overseas for trotters.
That's great to hear! How
That's great to hear! How many other owners would have second thoughts about prematurely retiring their horses to breed if harness racing had a $1 million race for older pacers (I suggest calling it 'The Foiled Again') rather than having one at The Red Mile for 2yo trotting colts? Thoroughbred racing has the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. We already have the $1 million Yonkers International Trot. Why doesn't standardbred racing offer something similar for pacers?