SHAKOPEE/ROCHESTER, MN – [EDITOR’S NOTE: Ted Grevelis, one of our co-founders, manages Breakaway Stables, owner of Magic Castle, an entry in the Minnesota Sprint Championship.  We’ll take the opportunity this week to give some insight into going in a big race from the perspective of a small claiming partnership finding itself in an unfamiliar spot. This is part three of our series.]

Magic Castle kicked off his Breakaway Stables era with a run up the track in an allowance, but we followed that up with a 6.5 furlong win in a $12,500 open optional claiming race.  We had to hold off a hard charging Kierkegaard, but Alonso Quinonez rode him masterfully and held on by a narrowing head. With the added money for Minnesota breds, our portion of the purse was just about his claiming tag.

Then it was decision time.

The plan we laid out claiming this horse was to try and run on Festival Day.  Initially Karl was opposed to it and wanted to try a probable softer spot in a state bred allowance or optional claimer.  I don’t blame him – in fact, he may very well be right.

We kicked it around within the group. Folks wanted to stay with the plan.

“As Kevin Gorg always says,” said one partner, Tim Skaar, “’You can’t win it, if you’re not in it.’ If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man, after all.  If he runs his best race, he’s right there.”

That made me feel a bit better as I knocked it around as did a text from another partner, Randy Dusich.

“For what it’s worth, I’m 100% of the opinion we run in the sprint.  I understand all of the logic against it, and realize that our chances may be slim.  However, I’m of the belief that the potential risk/reward is too high not to.  We spent $25,000 on this horse targeting that race.  He’s really done nothing to change my opinion of him, so I don’t see why we should change direction now.  I’ll defer to whatever you guys decide to do, but not running would be disappointing at this point.”

I laid out our reasons for wanting to run in the Sprint for Karl, ready to defer if he came back against it:

– he’s quick, he may be okay;

– it’s only 6F, which is better;

– if he can even hold onto 2nd, that’s more than we’ll make winning just about anything else;

– sometimes the allowances end up larger fields and tougher races than the stake, with folks afraid to take on the “big horses”.

– Castle has 4 wins, so he’s rifled through his conditions. If he’s not Mn bred stakes caliber, let’s find out. We can get more aggressive with him afterward if we know we’re okay losing him to a claim before next year. If he can win or just run really well, we can try him going long at Remington and if he can’t handle it, turn him out and point to the 10,000 Lakes in the spring.

– I found out that he was broke at three and former owners just wanted to wait until he was four to run. Nothing wrong with him.  He may have more improvement in him.

– who knows if we’ll get here again;

The last reason is the least important.  You don’t want to gut a horse running way over his head because your ego wants to run.  For a small claiming partnership, it IS unlikely that we end up in this spot again.  Still, I was ready to defer.

Karl came back with, “We’ll give it a go!”

So we’re going.  We drew post 5 and have Ezekiel Lara on board.  Interesting fact about Castle: with the exception of his maiden win at Tampa Bay Downs, he’s only won with Alonso Quinonez on his back.  Alonso, however, was committed to multiple-stakes winner Thealigatorhunter.  Leading jock Harry Hernandez was going to be on the Winchester Place Thoroughbreds’ horse, Bayou Benny. Ry Eikleberry, one of Karl’s go-to riders and a former leading rider here, was committed to the 3-year-old-phenom, Love the Nest. Karl handed the assignment to Ezekiel and I found myself elated with the choice.

(There was some discussion of flying Mike Smith in, but it was decided that was probably impractical and unlikely, but was a really fun discussion.)

Zeke is a good rider and a helluva good guy. He also booted home one of our other group’s horses, Violin Maker, to an upset win earlier in the meet.  He seems to get the most out his mounts and gives them every chance if they’re good enough.  The number of long-shot winners he’s had in the meet is astounding.  We’re hoping that Castle can give him another one.

(NEXT: We kick around the race after the draw and brace for a week of nerves)