On the eve of the Grand Circuit season, I asked a few friends to share some of their insights as owners of stakes horses. Here is the first installment, courtesy of Clay Horner, one of the owners of Doonbeg and Domitian Hanover, among others great stakes horses. Here is Clay's advice:
Top Points of Owner Preparation for Grand Circuit Season
1. Enjoy the ride – this why you buy or breed yearlings – the season will fly by and seem all too short when you look back on it.
2. Expect the unexpected – the highs will be better than you anticipated and the lows will seem tough to take but remember, its just a horse race and you are fortunate to have a chance to compete at the top level.
3. Get to know the other owners and trainers of the horses with which your horse is competing. You can become a community and develop terrific friendships that will last well beyond the current campaign. After all, it is the people you meet who really affect your enjoyment of the game.
4. Try and ensure that you and your trainer are on the same wavelength in terms of objectives, race selection, driver selection and how to react and communicate about the unexpected.
5. Watch the competition closely – those are good horses and you can use them as a scouting expedition for what to look for at the sales in coming years – sisters, brothers, etc. that can also be competitive at the highest levels.
6. Be open and helpful to the media and racetrack media personnel – be candid and avoid speaking in safe clichés – on the other hand, think twice about what you say and whether you will be comfortable reading it again in a months time.
7. As with all businesses and sport at the highest levels, you will appreciate the excellence and dedication of the people who are the best at what they do – you will see how organizations fare under stress and exposure – you will come to appreciate in the starkest terms why the winners are winners and as much effective team work is required.
8. Be a gracious winner and an even more gracious loser – you can learn a lot about yourself and the people you are associated with by how they behave when we are at our happiest after a great performance or disappointed at the results of a big race.
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