Author: Ivar Hyngstrom
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Giant Muscles
Giant Muscles is a trotting gelding added to our barn in October of 2017.
After well over three years racing for us we have retired Giant Muscles. We turned him over to Racer Placers in Wisconsing for transiton to a life after racing.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYBDHPIoBtWMz–9NJ_-x-KylSRZ0hqgL -
Shadow Copy 360 Video of NW1 Race
Shadow Copy was third this race. I recorded this on a 360 degree camera. -
Excelerated Speed wins at Pompano!
Tough first over mile in against a field of conditioned and optional $15,000 claiming mares. The mile recorded in 1:54.1 off a slow 58 second first half. -
Giant Muscles Wins at Pompano Park!
Giant Muscles wins his first race of the year at Pompano Park. Driven by Ricky Macomber, Muscles came first over to grab the lead by the 3/4 pole and held on for the win by 3/4 of a length in 1:57.4. -
Excelerated Speed wins at Pompano Park!
Excelerated Speed benefitted off a perfect pocket trip drive by Wally Hennessey to win by a length and a half off a move down the stretch in 1:54.1 -
Shadow Copy is now a “Race Horse”!
Very special day for a young horse today. Very special day for me too. In the fall of 2016 I purchased a nice Illinois yearling prospect from the Illini Classic sale. As I trained her down during the winter of 2016-17 I really felt she was the nicest horse I ever owned… then a career tragedy struck and she suffered an injury that was diagnosed as a probable career ending injury and most definitely a season ending injury. With only a 50/50 prognosis of a return, I decided to turn her out for the summer and fall and see if nature could put her back together again. I started training her again the beginning of December 2017 at Pompano Park. I was aggressive with her training as I wanted to know whether I should spend the stake money for the 2018 Illinois stakes schedule. I am really happy that tonight she completed her first qualifying race in 2:01.4. This was the first time she saw the starting gate, the first time in a field of horses and the fastest she has ever trotted. Here is the 360 video of the race: -
Storm Winds Training Session
For those of my friends that don’t race horses or never trained a “trip” here is a video of my trotter Storm Winds training this morning. He hit the track twice, we call them “trips”. The first trip is basically a warm up and I took him for a mile in 2:35. The second trip was more of a speed workout and we went the mile in 2:15. 2:15 is about 15 seconds slower than an actual race. -
Storm Winds Breaks his Pari-Mutuel Maiden at Hawthorne Race Course!
This was a long time coming and two-plus years of mostly frustration. Leaving out of the six hole last night without his normal break (for non-horse race people this means gallop which is illegal in a trot race) at the gate Stormy shot to the lead as the first quarter went in 29.3. Stormy settled and allowed Lofty , who was parked to the quarter to take the front spot.
The straightaways are where we normally find the most difficulty maintaining speed as he has a tendency to interfere quite a bit. For non-horse race people this means his front legs clobber both his back leg and knee with each step. I could see the skipping starting towards the end of the backside but he was still setting a comfortable second when the leader hit the half mile pole in 59 seconds flat.
The third quarter of the race is where we need him put in his best effort as he trots turns like a state champ. So halfway through the turn Matt Avenatti, driving him for the second time, pulled from the two hole to take on the leader and the two were head to head when they passed the 3/4 pole in 1:29.2 and hit the top of the stretch.
I was pretty certain we wouldn’t be able to handle the long Hawthorne stretch and that we would either make a break or be gobbled up by a fast closing field; but my lack of faith was unwarranted. Stormy trotted a respectable 29.3 last quarter to win by three lengths. He won at odds of nearly 30-1 returning $60 for a $2 bet. Although I did not make a bet, but I am very happy with the purse money.
He is a bit of a family pet (“pet” is a bad word for this racing business) as we bred, broke and trained him his whole life. ..and now a maiden no more… with a new lifetime mark of 1:59.1.
