by James Platz

Two months have passed since my last update on the First Turn Stable experience. I wish I could devote paragraphs to recount the details from each start at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, but that won’t happen in this column. There is very little on-track action to cover from the last eight weeks, just a lot of waiting and hoping.

In my last installment, First Turn Stable was in the midst of transition. Four-year-old pacer Fast Feet had been sold via online auction site onGait.com. First Turn then claimed 7-year-old Sweet Truth on Aug. 24. Things were looking up. Trainer Patrizio Ancora sent out the veteran pacer Aug. 30 in a claiming handicap at the Anderson oval. Steered by Jordan Ross, the favorite led through a :55.1 opening half before slipping to fifth at the wire. A claim was entered, and Sweet Truth left the Ancora barn after one start.

That’s the challenge of the claiming game. Just as quickly as you acquire a horse you can lose it, claimed the next week by another outfit. Back to the drawing board. New plan. New horse. But that’s where things have gotten tricky. First Turn Stable has attempted to claim a horse multiple times, but lady luck has not been on our side.

A claim was entered on Commentariat on Sept. 19. That night the 10-year-old gelded son of Bettors Delight raced fourth in a claiming handicap for trainer Hector Herrera. Multiple claims were entered on the $300,000 winner, successfully claimed by Charlie Stewart.

First Turn Stable once again attempted to claim Commentariat, this time on Sept. 27. Entered in the third race on the card, the pacer never had a chance to line up behind the starting gate. That night, Hoosier Park management tried in vain to race as remnants from Hurricane Helene pushed their way into the Midwest. The track canceled the program after two races.

Moving into the month of October, the struggle continues to claim a horse. First Turn Stable put in yet another claim Oct. 5, this time on Always A Warrior. The 5-year-old was competing in non-winners of a race or $2,001 in the last four starts. The gelding was third that night. Two claims were entered, and First Turn Stable lost the shake. Now trained by Cristian Pacheco, Always A Warrior won his next time out and finished second in the most recent start. Claimed for $5,000, he has quickly banked $3,000 for his new connections.

Time is running out for the stable to add a new horse. Hoosier Park wraps up the 2024 meet Nov. 30, leaving only a few weeks of racing on the calendar. The chance of returning to the winner’s circle a second time this season is quickly escaping. And that’s disappointing. First Turn Stable’s campaign started with so much promise. Fast Feet made 11 starts in May, June and July, collecting one win. After his final start for First Turn on July 31, the group has had one start in the last 12 weeks. Twelve long weeks.

As I have taken this journey, I have tried to maintain what I hope is a proper perspective. First, I realize my commitment is only a couple hundred dollars. First Turn Stable hasn’t sent out a starter in two months, but it also hasn’t cost me a dime. Last weekend as I watched one yearling after another sell at the Hoosier Classic Sale, I thought about the owners that will begin accumulating bills on these young horses as early as next month. And they will pay those bills with optimism that the babies they have invested in will pay dividends next summer. If First Turn doesn’t acquire another racehorse soon, I’m still only out my initial fee. Truth be told, I may have a chance to get a small return at season’s end.

Second, I didn’t enter into this with preconceived notions of how the experience would play out. And looking back at the summer, I would have never anticipated any of this. Racing is unpredictable. Fast Feet loses a shoe racing to the quarter, drastically altering his chance of winning. You don’t prepare for that. It makes me appreciate how a lot of little things have to go right in order to reach the winner’s circle. For First Turn Stable, we’re just looking to catch a break on a claim at the moment.