OMG! They Got Me!

Being a Florida boy, the frigid cold weather still gets my full attention. Yesterday was no exception, so a couple of my buds here at Foot Fall Farm, Zman (Zavata) and Killer (Killenaule), decided to take advantage of my focus on staying warm. They had me convinced that I had been sold to a North Pole breeding farm for $1000 at the ITOBA Stallion Auction!!! They even called down to the sale on a speaker phone (where they got a cell phone, I have no idea) and simply asked what Lot #68, Spanish Steps went for and the answer was $1000. Then, they asked if the purchaser was a guy with the nickname "Santa Claus" and the answer was YES!!! OMG!!!

I'm thinking that based upon my knowledge of geography that the North Pole just might be a whole heckuva lot colder than Indiana, if that is even possible. I'm also thinking that I only sold for $1000! I was a $280,000 yearling for crying out loud. C'mon! Needless to say, I was a little bit nervous about the situation, even though I've heard about this Santa Claus guy and people seem to really like him. I was also concerned that the North Pole breeding program wasn't as lucrative as here in Indiana. What do they have up there anyway? Reindeer.

Well, when the boss mare, Jo Ann, came into the barn and heard these guys, she told Zman and Killer to knock it off. At that point, those two just started rolling in their stalls laughing. They were laughing so hard, they were crying. Because I was thinking more about the cold, I had forgotten that Saturday was the ITOBA Stallion SEASON Auction. So, I didn't sell for $1000, but a breeding to me sold for $1000, and the guy that is lovingly nicknamed Santa Claus is Don Dearth. Oh, yes, those two got me good, but pay backs are a "you know what."

Once I was let in on their little joke, and the laughing stopped, I started to get excited. (Not stallion excited though, if you know what I mean.) Another season sold means another mare will be booked to me and with Don involved you know it's going to be an Arromanches mare. (Please be a gray, please be a gray!) I love those In Reality line (gray) mares. I'm looking forward to meeting her!

Graded Stakes, Baby!!

I am one happy and proud stallion! Today, Little Mike made his graded stakes debut a winnng one by taking the Grade III(T) $100,000 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream. In a field of 11 that included 5 horses that have been in Grade I races, Mikey took them wire-to-wire finishing the mile and 1/16th in 1:40.52!!! What a great effort. Even my other stallion buddies here at Foot Fall Farm were impressed giving me hoof bumps and hoof fives all afternoon. Little Mike's win should give me bragging rights around here for a while.

You can check out the article, which includes a picture so you can see how handsome Mikey is, on bloodhorse.com at http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/60679/little-mike-12-1-hangs-on-in-ft-lauderdale.

This was Little Mike's sixth start on turf with five wins and one second in a listed stakes. The $60,000 from the win puts Mikey over $200,000 in lifetime earnings. Little Mike is out of the Wavering Monarch mare Hay Jude (Hay Jude, that name always cracks me up.) and is an A+ nick according to TrueNicks. Can't wait to see what's next for Little Mike.

Hay (get it? instead of Hey), if you haven't already, make sure you get your reservation in for the ITOBA Awards Banquet on January 22, 2011. This should be quite the soiree with the Stallion Season Auction kicking things off that afternoon where, of course, you can bid on a season to me. I'm hip #68 of the 80 seasons for sale and my season does sell with a right of return for breeding in 2012 if no live foal is produced from the 2011 breeding. T-minus 36 days and counting until the breeding season starts. Yes!