Ivy Creek Updates

Role-Playing At the Barn
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I’m not sure how RP-ish my posts will be/get, but I wanted to have a thread to keep our (imaginary) fan club updated, so that I can have a walk down memory lane from time to time…

Today, the trainer and I hand selected the first round of 2YOs to ship to the track to begin serious training.  The rest will remain at the farm in NY under more basic training (handling, accepting a saddle, etc), but are primarily being given more time to grow up - they don’t seem quite mature yet, and we don’t like to rush things here.  This system, since we adopted it, seems to have worked well.  And I say “seems to”, because we all know how finicky those 2YOs can be on the track!

The “chosen” 2YOs are currently en-route to Belmont, our local track.  As part of their training at the farm as youngsters, they’ve all been exposed to trailering and loud noises, but the atmosphere of the racetrack will be new.  We chose to ship them early in the week while things are fairly quiet.  Normally, we make our selections earlier in the year and ship then, but this winter has been a grueling one.  It might take our 2YOs a little longer to find their purpose this year, but that’s ok.  We never go into “2YO Debut Day” (as we call it) expecting a win!  Remember how I said 2YOs are finicky?  It’s all part of the process.

The 2YOs arriving at Belmont this morning include:

-ALL LIT UP, dark bay filly bred by Edgewood Stud, (Ch. Magic Cross {S} x Light The Match {G})
-CALLA LILY, bay filly bred by Ivy Creek, (ICh. Candidate {G} x Sovereign Song {S})
-DO OR DIE, bay filly bred by Morning Star Farms, (ICh. Gunningdownromance {S} x Don’t Let Go {B})
-EL CARINO, dark bay colt bred by Ivy Creek, (Invasor x Dixie Love {G})
-EXTOL, chestnut colt bred by Ivy Creek, (WCh. What’s Debatable {S} x Highland Treasure {S})
-FINESSE, blood bay filly bred by Edgewood Stud, (Ch. Magic Cross {S} x Final Salute {B})
-FOOL’S ERRAND, bay colt bred by Ivy Creek, (FFCh. Foolhardy {P} x Ch. Kiasport {S})
-FOOLISH QUEEN, dark bay filly bred by Ivy Creek, (NCh. Bellagio {S} x Must Be Royal)
-GAISCE, chestnut colt bred by Ivy Creek, (NCh. Carrowmore x Ch. Classic Irish)
-GONEWITHTHEWIND, grey filly bred by Ivy Creek, (WCh. Gotta Go {G} x Playful Breeze)
-HYDE PARK, chestnut filly bred by Final Furlong, (GCh. Highland Laird {S} x Ch. Central Park)
-ICONIC, dark bay colt bred by Ivy Creek, (Silver Charm {B} x Ch. Keria Toon {S})
-KATE KEARNEY, dark bay filly bred by Edgewood Stud, (Ch. Magic Cross {S} x Irish Beauty {B})
-KHIONE, grey filly bred by Ivy Creek, (WCh. Nightfight {G} x Klondike Nights {S})
-LAS VEGAS STRIP, dark bay colt bred by Final Furlong, (NCh. Bellagio {S} x Native Dreams {B})
-LOVE AND HONOR, light grey filly bred by Final Furlong, (NCh. Clockstopper {B} x Ch. On My Honor)
-OEDIPUS REX, dark grey colt bred by Ivy Creek, (ICh. Unabridged x Theatrical Lady)
-PROVOCATIVE, dark grey filly bred by Final Furlong, (created)
-SPIRITOFSAINTLOUIS, dark bay colt bred by Ivy Creek, (ICh. Gilded Saint x Flying Feline)
-STORMCHASER, dark bay filly bred by Final Furlong, (FFCh. Foolhardy {P} x Ch. Flash of Lightning)
-WALKING ON AIR, grey filly bred by Final Furlong, (WCh. Express Yourself {S} x Magic Supreme)
-YOUTHFUL, dapple grey filly bred by Final Furlong, (created)

In all, 22 of our current 45 juveniles are starting real training.  The rest will be reassessed from time to time, and will join them at later dates whenever they appear to be ready.  If these youngsters live up to their pedigrees, it’s going to be an exciting season for sure!

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Today we also put in motion another one of our traditions.

About twice a year or so, we gather all our horses at the farm for a rest - usually about a month off.  We have always split it by age so that there are runners in rotation at all times.

Today, our 4YO & up racehorses from around the country are shipping back to the home farm for a vacation/reunion.  The only ones not joining us are the ones who are out of the country - but they are taking a shorter version at the boarding stable down in Australia so they can get turned out in the pastures together for some R&R.

The 3YOs will go on their break after the older ones get done with their break, aside from any who might be prepping for the TC races.  Our trainers are currently evaluating our 3YOs to assess which ones should be prepped.

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Things have been pretty hectic around the farm!  But at least it’s the enjoyable kind of hectic rather than the stressful kind.

Foaling season is well under way - we are about halfway through, and so far, everyone is staying right on track.  We have, as of today, 22 healthy babies on the ground, with 23 more to go.

Our mature 2YOs are prepping for their first races this week, while the ones remaining at the farm continue to blossom and grow.  Hopefully they’ll be able to join their counterparts at the track soon.  We’re anxious to see how the mature 2YOs, the ones that have begun their training, do in their first races.  We’ll find out soon enough - the first set of races is in two days!

The 3YOs are really starting to shine this year, with several stakes winners already this year.  Picking a Derby contender (rather than whether or not we will have one at all, like in past years) will be really tough!

Meanwhile, the 4YOs & older are enjoying their vacation at the farm.  They will remain there for another week or so before heading back out to the tracks.

Other than the foals, we haven’t had many new arrivals lately.  We already have more horses than our “ideal” number (but that number goes up each year, anyway  ::)), but sometimes there are horses we just can’t pass on.  The recent Stillwater auction proved to have several.  The following horses are joining the ICF team:

CLAIRE DE LUNE - 5yo multi-winning mare
GCh. Highland Laird {S} x GCh. Perchance to Dream {G} (x Rainbow Quest {G})
She is 1/2 to 1 MSWer so far, and has no 1/2 sisters with a breeding ranking yet.  But her pedigree is lovely!

SYDNEY ELLEN - 5yo stakes placed mare
ICh. Candidate {G} x GCh. Make An Impression {G} (x created)
She is 1/2 to 3 MSWers, 1 SWer, and  2 SPers, including the stallion, Express Yourself {S}.  Her only 1/2 sister at brood is silver ranked.

RING OF DARKNESS - 5yo stakes placed mare
ICh. Ring of Fire {S} x Ch. Highland Ebony {G} (x Highland Rogue {P})
1/2 to 5 MSWers and 3 SPers.  No 1/2 sisters have a breeding ranking yet.

INDY’S MOMENT - 4yo multi-winning mare
A.P. Indy {S} x Fleeting Moment {G} (x Count Fleet {S})
1/2 to 6 MSWers, 2 SWers, and 1 SPer, including the stallion, Fleet Street {S}.  Most of her 1/2 sisters at brood are silver, with one being platinum ranked.

All four will be joining our racing team for the season, then will most likely retire to brood next year.  They all have wonderful pedigrees, but I want to see what they’re capable of on the track first.

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Good luck with them!

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I’m really excited about their prospects, Shanthi.  Thanks for the opportunity.  :slight_smile:

Today, we put the shipping orders in for all of our 3YOs to return back to the farm, aside from those who were out of the country.  The 4YOs are getting near their 30 day mark, so will be trickling back out onto the tracks soon.  Hopefully the long R&R will have done them a noticeable amount of good.  Fingers crossed.

At the farm, foaling season continues to fill our days with lots of incredible moments.  However, the one black mark on the season so far came when one of our favorite mares, Klondike Nights, had foaling complications.  Thankfully, she and her filly managed to survive the ordeal.  We unfortunately had to make the tough call to retire her indefinitely, though, for her continued health.  She is now the only retired mare at the farm, joining our six geldings and single “stallion” who never was.  After her foal is weaned this fall, she will live out her days as a “babysitter” to the weanlings and yearlings.  Her legacy in the breeding shed will someday be carried out at Ivy Creek by her 4YO MSW daughter, GCh. Coquette (x Bellagio), and her 3YO MSW daughter, Ch. Allnighter II (x All Jazzed Up).  We also own her 2YO daughter, Khione (x Nightfight), yearling colt, To The Nines (x Formal Occasion), and her suckling filly, Klondike Finale (x Witness).  While I am sad to lose such a good producer, I am thankful for her good health.  I am glad to know that her line will carry on at Ivy Creek.  I am hoping that this tough decision means she will be around to “babysit” her future grand-foals someday.

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We had one more addition to the string.  We didn’t have anyone race this Wednesday, but couldn’t help but scan through the claimers.  I’m a sucker for a well-bred filly…

ROCKY AFFAIR - 3yo placed filly
Rock of Gibraltar {S} x ColdHeartedAffair {G} (x Dark Knight {S})
She’s 1/2 to MSW NCh. Vintage Dancer and SP My Big Dream.  At 3, I think we may be able to turn her around & get her running well…or at least I hope so!  She begins training immediately.

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After a long spell of no new additions (other than the foal crop, which we will announce in a later post when the last one FINALLY makes his/her appearance), we have the following to report:

Our first stallion, ICh. Witness, sadly had to be retired unexpectedly due to health concerns.  It was a huge loss, as Witness is only 12 years old.  We had hoped to have many more seasons with him.  We purchased him two years ago, and his get have been proving themselves ever since.  Several of his offspring are stakes winners/stakes placed, including MSWs Ch. Arctic Sister and GCh. Bear Witness (an Ivy Creek horse).

We said goodbye to a broodmare - FIZZIX (Seabiscuit {S} x Delicate Subject {S}) was sold to Marshall Creek Ranch.  She has given us five healthy foals (including stakes-placed Xcientist, a filly whom we sold), but ultimately, we didn’t feel she was a good fit for our program anymore.  Much luck to her new affiliates!

We also caved in and purchased 3 horses at auction recently:

ROBIN’S FLAME - 4yo unraced mare
NCh. Robin Hood {S} x Seamefly (x Seabiscuit {S})
Her pedigree is interesting enough that we’re hoping she can still make a good racehorse over the next two years.  She immediately joined our training program, so watch for her at the track soon.

WRAPPED AROUND - 10yo broodmare
created - in foal to Dr. Evil
What she lacks in pedigree, she makes up for with proven talent: this mare earned two speed records at age 3 over 6f turf and 8.5f turf.  Her only foal to race so far is a 2yo, unplaced in two starts…but that’s the way of 2yos.  Plus she came in foal to Dr. Evil, and all for only $1,000, so you can see why I had to take this gamble!

ICH. SLEIPNIR - 10yo stallion
NCh. Lucky Cigar {G} x NCh. You Belong {G} (x Danzig {G}
After Witness’s unexpected retirement, I was a bit bummed - I’ve been trying extra hard to find high caliber broodmares to pair with my boys (& future boys).  Still, I wasn’t expecting to purchase another stallion, because the really good ones never seem to go up for sale, and besides, I have three stud-qualified boys to bank on…eventually.  But when I saw Sleipnir listed in the mixed auction, I had to try for him.  My first foal from him, 3yo MSW Ch. Laevateinn, had been amazing, so I’m really curious to see what the future might bring for him.  Right now, his age/qualifications are similar to that of my other active stallion, V is for Victory, whom I purchased last year.  It will be fun to add a little stable rivalry between the two…