ALEXIA ~ BRIAR GROVE RACING
Appearing back on the scene after quite an absence, you must be eager to get back into the swing of things. Tell us how it feels to be back, and what your immediate plans are.

Eager doesn't even cover it, I am so happy to be back and hope to get back into the game fairly quickly. I have a few horses now, including 2 leases, and I am just enjoying being back. For now, I'm just going to play with what I have - I will hopefully make a few purchases in the Y18 sale and I have some yearling creates waiting to debut next year. As you may know, I've had some luck with creates in the past and hope this will continue.

What are some of your fondest memories from your past history here?

This game was always wonderful to me. I was lucky early on to get horses such as Moondance on my roster, and I brought her up from underachieving to being a well known racer. The member base was always fantastic and, of course, Paradise Island will always be my crowning moment - I could never have predicted how well she would do when I created her.

You've brought HOF Paradise Island out of the archives, will the Y12 Triple Tiara winner be making some fresh news soon?

Yes, I am happy to have Sonja back with me and she will indeed be making some fresh news. Her second foal will be a juvenile next season and I wish Frosty the greatest of luck with her and she will have a new foal in Y18 with some very exciting prospects.

Who are some of the past horses you used to own who have caught your eye. Are you proud of their accomplishments, happy where they have ended up?

Oh gosh, there are so many on this site that I used to own and I am so proud as to how far they have come. Impress The Moonlight, who I bred, was just inducted into the Hall Of Fame; Blood Of The Angel (now pensioned) has produced some amazing foals and could well be headed for the Breeding Hall Of Fame; Icarus Flight has become a really strong juvenile... To be honest, there are too many to list here. Some of my former creates will also be appearing in the Y18 sale as broodmares. I am just happy that things are going so well, and wish all the connections of my former horses luck with them.

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AURELIA ~ NIGHTWATCH RACING
One of the newer stables to join the ranks of the racing world, what has been the best experience you've had so far?

Our best moment as of yet would probably have to be Forget Me Not reaching Grade Four. It’s nothing huge, but it was a big deal for us - she’s by our stud, Footloose, and had a very tough start to her racing career. She didn’t have a juvenile season due to a small injury, and her nerves haven’t made training her any easier. A lot of people didn’t believe in her, but she ended up being our first to get to Grade Four. She finished second in her first G4 race, the Lemonade Cup, and we’re hoping for another good run for her at the Vas-y Derby this week.

What are your opinions about how your racing string is doing now?

I think our string is doing okay at the moment. I’d like to see a little more from a few of our juveniles, namely Jacques Cousteau and Miss Lieutenant, but some of them are just slow-maturing. Our three year-old string is small, but excelling - Bayahibe is steady and reliable, Shuttershock is improving quickly and setting himself up for an incredible next season, Super Cat hasn’t placed out of the money yet (knock on wood!), and Forget Me Not - you already know. Our two Grade One mares, National Treasure and Santana’s Legend, are doing great in undercards but struggling a bit in the tougher HOTY races. I can’t fully blame them, though - we don’t really know what we’re doing yet, and managing upper-level racers is a learning experience. We are very grateful that Valkyrie Stud has let us lease them.

I noticed you've been slowly building up your stock. So far you're still a small operation, do you intend to stay small, or are you hoping to expand?

I think we’re at a great size right now! Thanks to some last-minute leases from Montgomery Acres, we’ve gotten our string in a good place for Y18. This year was our time to get organized, to figure out our goals, and next year we want to really make a name for ourselves. We have seven rising juveniles, six rising three year-olds, and will have six older horses next year. I don’t want to get overwhelmed, so this is a perfect amount of horses. Now I’m focusing on increasing my future foal crops - we only have three Y17 and one Y18 baby.

Do you have any advice for new stables who are getting going, any tips or information that you found helped you starting out?

Take the horses you can get. Whether they’re unraced three year-olds, struggling juveniles, or budding superstars, take them on and learn from them. Every single horse in our string has taught our team something and prepared us for the future. In the beginning, having top-level racers can be fun, but I found it was to learn from what I had. And it’s worked out so far!

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HOLLY ~ MONTGOMERY ACRES
Big news at your stables, your big lease out! What made you come to that decision, how many have been leased, and do you think you'll get antsy having them away from home?

In total I have leased out 9 horses for the remainder of this season through the end of next season. I did it to just slim out my stock at first. But also to get my ponies out there under different hands. It will give me an opportunity to see what they can accomplish training with another stable. Also gives an opportunity to get my lines out there with all the breeding reserves coming out of the lease.

You've taken in a school horse, what are your plans for More On Tap, how is he settling in, and what would you say to stables who are considering taking in one or two but aren't quite ready to commit yet?

Tappers has settled in wonderfully at MA. He thrives to please and get the job done. I love his drive and his will to please. He is a strong soul. He just needs to mature a little. I know there are a couple members who haven't taken in school horses with fear of getting attached. I totally understand that. I have that very problem myself. I love Tappers' personality. I can see him fitting in quite well on my roster. But this is a great program. The horse is able to thrive under your training techniques and learn to become an accomplished racehorse before setting them off to a new owner. New stables can get overwhelmed taking in one of these horses right off the back. This gives a chance to see what these horses are made of and fit them into the perfect home. There are some great ponies to choose from in the program and we can bring more in if the seasoned stables just stepped up and took them in. Don't worry about the attachment issues because its going to happen. Think about the future for that particular horse.

I noticed you leased SmashDashing from Intrepid Racing. How is his training coming along? He is a grade one winner, but this season so far he's yet to clinch a victory. Are there frustrations there?

I have enjoyed having SmashDashing and would love to keep him on as my own but that just goes along with attachment issues as I have grown fondly attached to all the horses I have taken in on lease. I have tossed him into HOTY races and he just hasn't fired. His training is divine perfection. He throws in some strong workouts. He just hasn't fired for me in a race. I believe its me. I always think its my fault because this is such a high caliber horse. He has a bright future ahead as a stud. I just wish he could pull in at least a couple of wins by the end of the season.

Housing your breeding stock away from your racing division, what prompted the switch this time? Do you think this will remain this time?

My old Montgomery Stud encountered a major fire and I ended up selling the land and brought my breeding stock to Montgomery Acres. I have liked having all of my ponies under one roof, pretty much. It certainly cuts down with the driving from one place to another. But a friend pf mine told me about this old abandoned farm. When I saw it I loved how majestic it looked. I had to purchase the farm and named it Aspen Hill Farm. I will just be keeping my studs and broodmares there and keeping foals there until they are weaned. Then they will be transferred to Montgomery Acres to start their social training. This will be final. I am not going back to having just one stable for everything. I like it better having the two different properties. Driving isn't all too bad now as Aspen Hill is just two miles away as Montgomery Stud was 15 miles. So its perfect.

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LOLLY ~ HIGHGROVE THOROUGHBREDS
I noticed you were seeking some mature horses to add to your string. It's hard to find sales this time of year, were you able to acquire any?

No, unfortunately I haven't found anything to purchase. I was however offered a few really nice leases so I'll be thinking about what I have room to facilitate and making a decision asap.

How many of your mature racers will be retiring or going back to their owners after this season?

I have 11 mature-aged horses currently racing, 3 will be returning to their owners for retirement, 3 will be staying with me for retirement and 4 are likely to stay with me depending on the return of their currently inactive owner. That leaves just one 4yo rolling over to her 5yo Season - Persian Virtue.

You have some very nice quality created stock! I am definitely jealous of your success this season, do you happen to use some secret sugar or peppermints one could buy *cough*orsteal*cough?

Haha, no secret treats! Just love, training and carefully chosen starts. :-)

You only have one stud in your breeding barns, but a growing broodmare roster. Is this imbalance on purpose?

Yep! Not only are stallions a lot more work than mares, but I feel no reason to acquire untried stallion's when breeding slots to proven boys are so readily available. Mare reserves are much harder to come by, so I make sure I have enough girls to keep my foaling seasons plentiful.

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STARWALKER ~ WALK AMONG THE STARS RACING
Brand new, you've only been with us for a few weeks. How are you getting along with the racing scene?

Pretty good. I forgot to enter week 2 through so that wasn't great. I look forward to seeing what happens.

Give us some introductions to your horses! Who are they, and what are your goals for them?

Lets start with the two year olds. The first of them is Champagne known around the barn as Sam. This foundation bred is the base of my stock. She is a tiny filly standing in at 14.3 hands. She is a Mid-Pack runner in the turf 8-12 Furlong range.. Sam is a total love. She is a class clown. I hope to bring her up through the ranks as far as I can.

Next is the second of my creates Corduroy or Corry. This gray colt is foundation breed and stands at 16.3 hands high. He is a front running turf horse. He will be running in the five to nine range. Corry isn't a huge fan of other horses or people. I'm hoping he can still take to the track and be a successful race horse.

Next is my colt Golden Kingfisher or Fisher. He is out of Affirmed Gold x Kalahari. He stands at 16.1 hands. He is a stalker and will be running nine to twelve furlongs on dirt. Fisher is a gentleman. I hope to see what he can do on the tracks. I have high hopes with this one.

I bought the mare Over Time as will. I hope to keep letting her climb the ranks of racing. The final member of my racing string is ShotOCool or Sister. She is the lone three year old in my string. She is a 15 hand daughter of
Confianza x Shot Of Mocha. She runs a mix of Closer and Mid-Pack. She has found her niche in 7-10 Furlong races on dirt. I plan to race her a season or two then retire her to us to breed the next generation of race horses.

Are you hoping to get some new horses at the end of the season sale? What sort of stock are you seeking?

Yes, breeding stock, young stock, yearlings and weanlings mainly.

Do you think you'll have any particular preferences you want to focus on? Such as a dirt runners, sprinters, or a mixture of things?

A mixture of things. I'm guessing I may end up with a lot of sprinters. I also will most likely have a lot of gray horses.

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ISABELLE ~ NORTH DIAMOND MANOR
*Interview by Lolly*
The first obvious question here (and Congratulations are due!) is in relation to your recent HOF Inductee. Was Impress the Moonlight NDM's first HOF'er?

Yes! And thank you. Lily was our first HOF Inductee that we raced ourselves. We purchased HOF Everyday Hero and HOF The True Nut relatively soon after joining from an inactive sale, and we petitioned for Everyday Hero's induction into the Breeding Hall of Fame, which he was. We are so proud of Lily, we wish she could have ended her career on a better streak, but she is still the only Turf Triple Tiara champion. She'll always hold a special place at NDM, we got her just after her juvenile season began, so most her career was with us. We learned a lot from her, and hope to do even better with her future foals!

Do you have any new stallions retiring to stud next year?

Yes we do! Get Loose will be wrapping up his six year old year, we're really hoping he can get to grade two by the end of December. We purchased him this spring from NSA, and he will be a trademark stallion for NDM. Final Conquest is heading for his last races here soon, and he'll be an elite stud for NDM, with only one public foal planned at this time. Our last retiring stud is Tiger Heart, he's really flown this season! He'll be a trademark stud, fairly available to the public. (NDM recently revamped it's stables and reorganized the breeding sheds, so go have a peek if you haven't yet!)

Which of your horses this year have really surprised you with their Y17 season?

You know, I have to say this year was a bit of a conundrum for me. We started out the year with some fast success, but once spring hit we seemed to take a dive. Since then we've been battling and a little shuffled, and it really seems our created horses have had more success than our bred Thoroughbreds. Creekside and Miss Abilene for example are pushing NDM into the sprinting divisions, both juvenile fillies have made grade four. Tiger Heart is probably our current top star, and given his three year old season I really had no idea how much he'd do this year. We're hoping to send him to Breeder's! Italian Beauty is our three year old problem child, I'm sorry to say. I had such huge hopes for her this season to go into the triple tiara but she just couldn't find her ground. With her recent ALTLUTS victory I'm hoping she can spring off for a better four year old year.

With the Y18 Sale coming up, what are you hoping to purchase in order to complete your racing string?

A dirt sprinter colt! That's about all I can purchase given my full stalls, but we might take a peek at a few broodmares. I haven't seen the sales list yet, so there could be somebody fancy who catches my eye, you never know *wink wink*