Trying to Act Like We've Been Here Before

May 8th 2008

 8 comments
I was in the "news" today in harness racing. Well, not really. I didn't make news except to answer a few questions posed by Standardbred Canada about Share the Delight, a nice colt my dad, my friends, and I own. He qualified well today at the Meadowlands. The funniest part about the whole episode is that I took great pains to compliment our trainer, Linda Toscano, and the colt's driver this year, John Campbell. And, naturally, just as I was proud of my diplomacy, the SC guys edited those parts out.
 
Some of you have known for a while that my friends and I own a nice colt. Others are learning about it only today. I purposely did not share the information (no pun intended) unless I absolutely had to on Wire to Wire because in the main my involvement in the horse had nothing to do with what I was writing about. But he's now apparently a "contendah"-- as they say-- and clearly the time has come for full disclosure and a new First Over rule.
 
Whenever you read about my "coverage" or "analysis" of the Glamour Boy division you should remember that I am biased toward one particular horse. Now, if we are unlucky, and Share the Delight quickly goes south, none of this will be a problem. But if he continues to improve and is competitive among the big boys it is clear that I will have to write about races in which he is entered. I will try to be fair and not petty. I will try not to whine too much. But you have the right-- the duty-- to call me on it if I do. Right here in public. As loyal readers, you are owed nothing less.
 
This does not mean, however, that I will be a shill for the colt. I won't. I like him. Always have. He is better this year than he was last year. But he's not the next Bettor's Delight, much less the next Niatross. To pretend otherwise is to a disservice to us both. And I guess one of the lessons I am learning from this new position is that owners and trainers can talk until they are blue in the face; the only thing that matters is what happens in the races. And that, I am afraid to say, I cannot predict.
 
The good news, though, is that I think this year's campaign with Share the Delight will give us both an opportunity to communicate in a broad forum the ins and outs of a stakes season. I will write about some of the curious things that will befall us over the next few months. And I will also try to answer, as fully and as honestly as I can without giving away company secrets, any questions you have about Share the Delight or his connections. I cannot promise you "inside access" but I will promise insight if you are curious.
 
Do we have a deal? Any last minute stipulations or requests? Let me know.

Comments

Rae said...

Congrats to you, your Dad and your friends. Here's hoping for a wonderful summer.

From Andrew: Thanks Rae! Hope all is well with you and Daniel.

posted at 12:44 PM on May 9th 2008

Nick said...

When people like yourself enter this game of harness racing it must be refreshing for trainers. Every few months I sit up to the wee hours of the morning catching up on the harness racing news from the US particularly Linda as I worked for her for five years. There is no one better than Linda. It really has been a delight reading your blog and other articles that you have contributed to.

Good luck with Share the Delight, no one will deny with an attitude like yours that you don't deserve it.

From Andrew: Thank you so much Nick. I really appreciate the kind words and I know that Linda does too.

posted at 8:22 AM on May 9th 2008

Mark A said...

It's a nice situation where Linda's three year olds are bred from differing states.....they won't be killing each other in the sire stakes and other series....although from Linda's perspective it would be nice to load up those races with entries from her barn.

I'll be rooting for your colt whenever I can.

posted at 7:14 AM on May 9th 2008

Paul Siegel said...

By the way...maybe he will be the next Bettor's Delight. He was a little guy too, but tough as nails on the racetrack.

posted at 10:25 PM on May 8th 2008

Paul Siegel said...

Best of luck.

I knew something was afoot when you got so up on the bit over qualifiers last week. :-)

From Andrew: Thanks. You are right. It should be an interesting spring and summer.

posted at 9:45 PM on May 8th 2008

Mark A said...

Congrats on the nice qualifier....looks like we might be "seeing" each other at some point this year. I'm a partial owner on another Toscano 3 year old trainee....Harley D Hanover. Best of racing luck to you and your family.

From Andrew: Hey, Mark. Thanks. I am a big fan of Harley and in fact saw him at the barn a few weeks ago. Good luck to you guys too. Fortunately there are plenty of good races to go around.

posted at 9:19 PM on May 8th 2008

tim mansfield said...

Congrats on your colt's impressive efforts this morning at the Big M. I'm sure you're floating on cloud right now considering all the possibilities and pondering the right course. Psyched doesn't even come close to describing the feeling.

Enjoy the ride...its these moments that make all the hard work, disapointments, and large sums of money spent all worth it. Better yet that your success can be shared with family and friends. You're example is why we all do this....



posted at 7:12 PM on May 8th 2008

Pull the Pocket said...

Eye catching Andrew. Congrats to you at this early stage.

And on the flipside, which shows the toughness of this game, we have Duneside and Moon Beam qualifying poorly. Their owners are probably down in the dumps today, and the polar opposite of yourself with your colts fortunes.

Anyway, best luck to you. I hope you and the family have a lot of thrills with the guy this year.

posted at 6:36 PM on May 8th 2008

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