Hosehead Racing LLC - Catching Fireflies
 

So I hire a new International Ops Manager and he sees my Santa Anita calendar on the wall and tells me that his former boss won the Kentucky Derby in 2010 (Animal Kingdom), and Breeders Cup and Dubai and Bev D (Euro Charlene)...I ask if I could buy the guy dinner to hear his stories.

As fate would have it, he was looking for another partner on a lightly raced Ralph Nicks-trained 4yo IL-bred turf sprinter that just beat stakes horses down at Gulfstream. Her name is Catching Fireflies, and she has 3 wins in 5 starts and she is fast.

Here are a couple vids of her last two races:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnoPbzejcJA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OagIJ-agOE

I love how she rated and battled and showed another dimension in that last race. Our jockey Edgar Prado said she refused to lose and that she has a lot of heart.

We nominated her for the $75k Turf Spring Stakes on FoY Day and I am flying down with my partner get licensed and meet her and Ralph. We are waiting to see how she looks this week before making a final decision.

Looking forward to seeing Hosehead Racing LLC on a racing program sometime soon. It is an homage to my hockey team and the bottle cap of our team beer: Rolling Rock

I may be asking some very basic questions about horse ownership on this thread and hope that you will be patient with me if they seem elementary. But I always find the best way to learn is to dive in - hopefully with someone who knows how to swim!

If anyone is down at Gulfstream FoY weekend, I'd love to buy you a beer and hear how you became such excellent handicappers and bettors (not always the same thing!). Mark and I are going to try and get a table in the paddock restaurant area on Saturday. I will also be there on Sunday, but my partner won't.

Cheers,

Otis

Her sire is Value Plus (Unbridled's Song) and dam is Saluki (Hennessey)

What I love about that is that both her grand-sires went head to head in the 1995 BC Juvy. And it was a classic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm-GP4DZCuI

O

Thanks for posting that. 2 gutsie grandsires, and Durkin calling in his prime. good luck with the horse.

Question- why Hosehead ?

Thanks, Benny!

I am the captain of the Chicago Hoseheads hockey team. We won the Hockey North America national championship last year in Toronto. The name has brought good luck and fun times to my life and hoping it carries on to the track.

Cheers

Otis

Have fun and good luck Otis. I have a Saluki (terrific dogs), so I'll be rooting for her.

Nice, Otis! Living the dream!

[quote=Benny;1015444]Unbridled Song giving Hennessey the stink eye coming down the stretch with Durkin makeing the call.....classic...G'Luck Otis, will be watching

Thanks, folks! I really appreciate all the good wishes. I am very excited to learn more about the ownership aspect of the sport.

I am sure there will highs and lows. I find it easy to shake off the lows (I'm from Buffalo -it's a necessity). It's the high points that stay with you for a lifetime.:tro:

Cheers,

Otis

Good luck Otis, and have a lot of fun at Gulfstream!

Very nice. Good luck this weekend!

(Love her name... adorable. :) )

Good luck with her and while you're down there if you have a taste for Italian food, Mama Mia's in Hollywood on the circle is excellent and as good if not better than Rosebud (and I'm talking of the one on Taylor St.)

http://www.miagrill.com/wp/

Otis..

That's great.. Very exciting. Will see you down here Saturday!

Let's not get carried away Sparky.

Mama Mia VERY good though. Bracciole when available is terrific.

:cool:

Thanks again for all the well wishes, folks! Much appreciated.

CFF worked yesterday 4f in 48:55 (6/20). Ralph said she worked good: "Look, she's a fast horse and she's going to work fast, which is exactly what she did"

Besides watching to see how she looks after the work, we still have to draw in! There are 26 nominated horses for the Turf Sprint. The priority is lifetime earnings. She has 3 wins in 5 races, but that's not enough to surpass some of the accumulated bankroll of experienced stakes mares (even though she beat them on the same track and distance last time out). Currently she ranks #22 on the list.

We'll see what happens. You never know! The good news is that she looks ready to run. We'll find a spot for her soon.

Dell: I appreciate the Restaurant recos! Grazie!

Steve: would be a thrill to meet you. I owe you at least a nice bottle of wine after tagging on to one of your P4 tickets a while back.

Cheers,

Otis

Just to clarify, I'm heading down to GP on FoY weekend. (Feb 21-22). She potentially runs on FoY day.

This weekend, I'm in St. Louis watching my son play volleyball!

Cheers,

O

Looking towards the future and being an IL bred, I'd take a long look at the Prairie State Festival at Arlington run during the middle of June. If I remember right the Purple Violet is a mile on the poly restricted to 3 year old IL bred fillies (oops just noticed she's a 4 year old) and the Isaac Murphy is 6f on poly but includes mares.

Easy $70K plus to the winner.:tro:

Nice horse and story! congratulations and good luck
in your stakes debut

You have a fine trainer there. He has done a remarkable job with that TVI horse - Speechify.

Good luck and enjoy the ride !!!

CFF drew in to the Ladies Turf Sprint. Pretty happy with the post draw (#2).

We'll be right next to the probable heavy favorite#3 Good Deed, a 6yo mare shipping in from the Fairgrounds (9 for 16 lifetime and $363k who runs Brisnet 100+ figs on the reg).

This will be quite an acid test for Flies. Her last out speed figs are 5th or 6th best depending on Brisnet or DRF, but she is still improving under Ralph Nicks' steady hand. I am hoping her first stakes race is a positive experience that she can build on.

I am nervous and excited for our filly, but know that she will go all out. That's the only way she knows how to run.

Go Flies!

Otis