Of the 15 races comprising the 2011 two-day Breeders' Cup champion races, only one race was one by a favorite, the very first stakes - the Breeders' CupJuvenile Sprint (G2) taken by unbeaten Secret Circle, who is owned in partnership by former Washingtonian Mike Pegram. Washington native Wesley Ward saddled Holdin Bullets, by Ghostzapper, to a third place finish in the two-year-old race.

  2010 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Drosselmeyer, at 14-to-one, upset in the race that was supposed to decide Horse of the Year honors, as the four-year-old son of Distorted Humor - who was bred by Eugene, Oregon, residents Aaron and Marie Jones - scored an 1 1/2-length victory over Game On Dude in the $5-million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). It marked the second Grade 1 victory for Drosselmeyer who had won the 2010 Belmont Stakes.

  2009 European champion two-year-old St Nicholas Abbey (Ire), the four-year-old son of Monjeu (Ire) who took the $3-million Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Turf-G1 with winning trainer Aiden O'Brien's 18-year-old son Joseph O'Brien aboard, is out of Leaping Water (Ire), a daughter of Sure Blade, whose dam is Group 1 winner Flamenco Wave, is a daughter of former Washington sire Desert Wine who was bred by Dan J. Agnew and Fred Sahadi's Cardiff Stud Farm.

  Former Washington trainer Mikel Harrington was on hand to watch his charge Creative Cause, a son of Giant's Causeway, finish third by only a length to Hansen and Union Rags in the $2-million Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).

  Steve Zerda and partners' three-year-old filly Turbulent Descent went off as the favorite in the $1-million Sentinent Jet Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G2), but after a troubled trip, when she got slammed in the starting gate and then had to be checked hard, the daughter of Congrats finished fifth behind winner Musical Romance. According to Zerda, the Grade 1-winning filly came out of the race fine and is now headed for a start in the December 26 La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.

  Dr. Mark Dedomenico put in the winning bid of $2.5-million to buy out his partners and take home 2010 champion filly Blind Luck from the first session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. According to Mike Puhich, who signed the ticket for the Redmond Thoroughbred owner, the $3.2-million earner will be retired from racing.

  "We're actually not in the breeding business," said Puhich, "but Mark thought 'You know what, if she goes for the right money and we can just enjoy her and what's she's done, let's do that, and we'll try to make some decisions later on.'" Puhich added, "Right now, he just wants to do what's best for the horse."

  The four-year-old daughter of Pollard's Vision-Lucky One, by Best of Luck, was the fifth highest priced broodmare/broodmare prospect sold at the Kentucky auction. 2011 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (G1) winner Royal Delta, a three-year-old daughter of Empire Maker, brought the highest price of the November auction, going for $8.5-million. 2010 Ladies Classic winner Unrivaled Belle, was purchased for $2.8-million. In the first two days of the sale, there were 21 mares and weanlings which sold for a million or more.

  Treasure Valley Racing officials announced in early November that the Idaho Racing Commission has approved a 36-day live meet for Les Bois Park in 2012. Live horse racing will begin on Wednesday, May 2, and run through Idaho Cup Day, Saturday, August 11. Races will be held on Wednesdays and Saturdays (regular post time of 5:30 p.m.) with selected live race days slated for holidays and special stakes races are planned for specific Fridays and Sunday (1:30 p.m. post time).
  "We are deeply committed to returning horse racing to its former prominence and proud of the recent success of the 15-day meet this past summer," said Jim Grigsby, a representative of the Les Bois Park Racing LLLP. "The future of horse racing is truly a partnership with the horse industry, owners and trainers, and the community."

  2008 WTBOA summer sale star City to City added her sixth graded stakes-placement, and 10th stakes placement overall, after she finished second in the $150,000 Grade 2 Las Palmas Stakes run at Santa Anita on November 8. The two-time Grade 2 winner, a four-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of City Zip-Stormbow, by Storm Cat, who races for Dr. Mark Dedomenico and Jerry Hollendorfer and was from the consignment of Nina and Ron Hagen's El Dorado Farms LLC, improved her record to 6-5-5 from 21 starts and she has earned $401,491.

  2008 WTBOA summer sale graduate and stakes winner Ebony N Ice went over the $100,000 mark when the four-year-old Washington-bred daughter of Tribunal-Last Phone Call, by Phone Order, won a mile race at Turf Paradise on November 5. Bred and consigned by Nancy and Chris Webber's Webber Crest Farm, it was the third win this year and fifth overall for the dark bay filly who has now earned $101,120.

  2009 WTBOA September sale graduate Ivanho won a six-furlongmaiden special weight race at Golden Gate on November 6. Consigned by Dr. Duane and Sue Hopp's Castlegate Farm, the new winner, a Kentucky-bred son of Broken Vow and the first foal out of stakes-placed Mybrowneyedgal, by El Prado (Ire), races for Don Hopwood and Duane Hopp in partnership and is trained by Tim McCanna.

  Patriot Noise, a $60,220 winning full brother to Grade 1 winner Cara Rafaela, will stand the 2012 breeding season at Pat Lawler's Lawler Ranches in Yakima.

  A son of leading sire Quiet American, Patriot Noise is one of nine winners produced out of the winning Spectacular Bid mare Oil Fable. In addition to Cara Rafeala, who won or placed in eight Grade 1 events en route to earnings of $884,452, Patriot Noise is a full brother to $135,426 stakes-placed Tall Story and half-brother to $307,978 two-time Grade 3 winner Abaginone (by Devil's Bag and $137,630 stakes-placed Spindletop (by Explodent).

  Cara Rafaela has gained further fame as the dam of champion and classic winner Bernardini, who won six of eight starts and earned over $3-million. The son of Horse of the Year A. P. Indy was North America's leading freshman sire in 2010 and is the leading second crop sire in 2011 with over $5-million in earnings this year. Bernardini's stud fee for 2012 was recently raised to $150,000. Among his 2011 stakes winners is Travers Stakes (G1) victor Stay Thirsty.

  A Grade 1-winning son of Fappiano, Quiet American has sired 58 stakes winners, including three champions, and the earners of over $51-million.

  A $120,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Patriot Noise raced for Sid and Jenny Craig. He recorded the first of his two wins by taking a maiden special weight at Bay Meadows by two lengths as a three-year-old.

  Dr. George Todaro and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's two-year-old filly Lady of Fifty became her freshman sire After Market's first stakes winner after she took the $50,000 Golden Gate Debutante Stakes on November 5. It was the second win in three tries for the Kentucky-bred filly out of graded stakes-placed K. D.'s Shady Lady, by Maria's Mon, and upped her earnings to $49,170.

  Al and Sandee Kirkwood's three-year-old filly Sarah's Secret finished third in the $150,000 Las Palmas Stakes (G2) won by All Star Heart at Santa Anita on November 6. The daughter of Leroidesanimaux (Brz) is trained by Kathy Walsh.

  Tice Ranch's 2009 Longacres Mile (G3) winner Assessment finished second by a nose in the $65,000 Lure Stakes after leading throughout the mile turf race run at Santa Anita on November 5. The seven-year-old son of Jump Star-Native Ghost, who is now trained by Vann Belvoir, improved his record to 9-7-7 from 40 starts and has earned $487,630..

  Mark Dedomenico LLC and Jim Fitzgerald's Gemini R N, a three-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Mineshaft out of multiple graded stakes winner Sapphire n' Silk, by Pleasant Tap, won a mile turf maiden special weight race at Golden Gate on November 5. Dedomenico, along with, Ed Bloom and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, also owns three-year-old English Royal, who won a six-furlong allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on November 6. It was the third win in eight starts for the Kentucky-bred filly by City Zip-Yes It's Royalty who has now earned $58,872.

  Cahill Chrome, a two-year-old California-bred son of the late Cahill Road out of Takes Two to Mango, by Bold Badgett, won a mile allowance race at Golden Gate on November 4 and increased his earnings to $29,062.

  Six-year-old No Brakes won for the tenth time in 33 starts, when the son of Gibson Thoroughbred Farm stallion Parker's Storm Cat took a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Charles Town Races on November 3. The Maryland-bred gelding out of All Apologies, by Mahogany Hall, has earned $152,255.

  Donthelumbertrader, a $408,315 stakes winner and Grade 3-placed son of John Casey-Miss Swiss, by Captain Courageous, sired his first stakes winner on November 5 when his two-year-old Ohio-bred daughter Swiss Miss Too, out of Darn That Image, by Darn That Alarm, took the $50,000 Glacial Princess Stakes at Beulah Park to win her first race.

  Four-year-old Arena Elvira proved an easy 6 3/4-length winner of the $100,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap (G3) run at Aqueduct on November 4. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Ghostzapper out of stakes winner Two Item Limit, by Twining, was bred by Jerre Paxton's Northwest Farms LLC. Trained by Bill Mott, Arena Elvira was winning her sixth race and has never been out of the top three in 11 starts. She has earned $274,930.

by Alayne Blickle

  A big fall "to do" is dealing with surface water that travels towards your barn and confinement area; i.e. drainage.

  Environmentally speaking, the golden rule on horse properties is to "keep clean rainwater clean" by diverting it away from paddocks, buildings, manure piles and high traffic areas. When you do this you keep nutrients and sediments (from manure and mud) out of surface water as well as reduce mud on your property-good news for winter time chore efficiency!

  First, check gutters and downspouts to make sure they are in good working order and are diverting water away from confinement areas, buildings and other high traffic spots. Good places to divert clean runoff to include areas on your property such as a grassy ditch, a dry well, rain barrel, stock watering tanks, a well-vegetated woods or an unused portion of your pasture.

  Next, when tackling drainage think "slow the flow." The best and easiest way to reduce surface water is to slow it down. Many times just slowing water down will allow it to infiltrate back into the ground--perhaps all that's needed to solve a drainage issue. This also helps recharge the natural hydrology of your property including ground water.

  Runoff from driveways, parking areas, hillsides or slopes can add significantly to the problem of managing mud in confinement areas. Last winter we discovered that roof runoff from our new guest barn was flooding the paddocks in our main barn - rain water traveled down slope across bare soil, quickly accumulating in the horses' paddocks. Ugh!!!

  Over the summer we worked on a few things to "slow the flow." To disperse runoff from the guest barn we created a grassy swale that slows water down and sends it towards the back of the property, away from paddocks and high traffic areas. We also planted trees and shrubs in this area which help use up water.

  Another thing we did was create a drainage ditch filled with round drain rock, the idea being that this ditch will intercept and catch water as it runs towards the paddocks allowing the clean water to infiltrate back into the ground.

  For more ideas on how to reroute surface water runoff check out my blog Smart Horse Keeping post and manage surface flows.

HCW is Looking for the Perfect Farm - Could It Be Yours?

  Alayne Blickle and Horses for Clean Water are setting up the King Conservation District's 2012 farm tour schedule and is on the lookout for exciting horse places to show off!  They are looking for tour sites that have excellent mud, manure and pasture management practices in place. Beyond that, we look for unique and clever places that speak to peers as far as chore-efficiency, horse keeping and "green" practices.

  If you live in King County, Washington, and think your place is ready for HCW's good horse keeping seal of approval we'd like to talk with you! E-mail Alayne@horsesforcleanwater.com to show and tell about you and your place. If it sounds like a match between our educational needs and your place, we'll set up a time to visit in person.

  We look forward to hearing from YOU!

  Over the holidays please keep HCW in mind when shopping online for gifts by using the HCW links (the ad boxes on the lower right side of the HCW home page) for Amazon.com, Cabalas, REI, Arbico and Patagonia. Clicking through these sites actually generates a small "finder's fee" that costs you nothing and goes to HCW to help fund the HCW website and other free resources. Please tell others - we appreciate your support!