Saratoga, Keeneland and Appealing Freudie Anne

It’s absolutely mind-blowing to realize how quickly the summer has gone; it’s nearly October, and I haven’t shared anything with you since last year! But before I share any stories, welcome to the new Tom Morley Racing website. I am delighted with the new design and want to thank you for stopping by for a visit.

Alright then, let’s get started! This year’s Saratoga meet far exceeded Team Morley’s expectations with our horses performing better than ever and Haveyougoneaway winning two graded stakes. It’s always a busy meet with long days and even longer nights, but we knocked it out of the park like champions. The Fasig-Tipton Select and New-York-bred sales were packed with talent, and I’m happy to say we added eleven new horses to our growing stable. There might have been a night when a couple of us past Darley graduates went out on the town and acted like we were ten years younger and Maggie had to come pick us up and take us home in the middle of the night… the keyword in here is “might.” It’s all a bit blurry, but it was fun and well-earned. Also, it is notoriously tough for babies to break their maidens at Saratoga, but you better believe we had some of ours do just that! I can’t quite find the words to express how much the successes at Saratoga mean to me… it was an epic meet; enormously special and one I will never forget.

So the Saratoga meet is over and our stable has been in the process of moving around – fifteen of our horses stayed in Saratoga and 32 are back at Belmont including Haveyougoneaway, who was given some time to relax after her unbelievable performance in the Ballerina. She’ll go back to breezing in the next few days and I’ll share her plans with you soon.

 

This time of year is action packed for me. I managed to get the horses settled into Belmont in time for opening weekend and the next thing you know I’m back on a plane flying off to Lexington for the Keeneland sale. Spent a great few days in the bluegrass with my good friend Conor Foley and in between the hustle and bustle managed to stop by some of the farms, which is one of my absolute favorite things to do in Kentucky. So far, we’ve picked up some really nice horses, but the sale is yet to finish. An update to come down the road.

Now, here I am back from Keeneland spending time in NY. Yesterday was spent driving down to Maryland to appeal Freudie Anne’s DQ that occurred back in July. Unfortunately, even though I was told showing up would work in our favor, it didn’t. No change was made and it was hugely disappointing. In 90% of the states, this wouldn’t have been a problem and our horse, Freudie Anne, wouldn’t have been disqualified in the first place, but horse racing in Maryland plays by a different set of rules. It is a great example of the inconsistency of stewarding in America.

On a positive note, Sarah finished out two years with Team Morley as we rounded out the Saratoga meet. Maggie and I would like to thank Sarah for everything she has done for us and wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors. Big welcome to Mark O’Dwyer, who comes to us from Graham Motion.