Halley

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Nicole Marie
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Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Image

Been playing for a couple real life years now, but never had a horse that I really felt a pull to give a threat in this forum, until now.

Halley is a (currently) three year old daughter of Blast Onepiece and Circus Kitten (P.T. Barnum). She is named after Halley's Comet, but specifically the song "Halley Came to Jackson" by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

I bought her mother in Y56 and it took twelve races for her to finish in the top 3 - so I was not at all expecting her to be claimed in that race. Circus Kitten does have some black type, but it's not like her page is saturated with it. $32,000 for a horse that had earned me $4,550 across multiple sim years at that point probably should have been something I considered good fortune and moved on. But despite not previously feeling attached to Circus Kitten, I thought to myself, "you have to get her back." In her very next start, I claimed her back, for a $50,000 tag, taking a loss on the claim money I'd made a couple weeks before. At that point I was determined to get her a win, so after she ran fifth in her next start, I created a maiden race and she beat three others to win it. One more fifth place finish after that and I put her into the broodmare barn, (she's formidable) and she gave me a solid progressive (wound up productive peak) filly by Beggars Anthem. I don't remember what prompted me to send her to Blast Onepiece next and it might have just been because I like the horse in real life - and she foaled Halley. At festivus, when I got one freak and two stakes gallopers, I was not in a million years expecting Circus Kitten's Blast Onepiece filly to be one of the stakes gallopers. (I was pleased, though, given that I'd lost her to a claim then had to claim her back for more, so the stakes filly almost didn't exist, at least not in my barn.)

Halley is currently 8: 2-2-2, and is a stakes winner, and her two second places finishes are stakes as well. Although before W13 last year I had planned to, I opted not to run her in the Steward's Cup as a two year old after she ran fifth in her final prep race (I talk a bit about this in an article here) because I didn't want to be overly ambitious and possibly ruin her. She's a late bloomer, and stayed stakes even after the gallop adjustment, so I think she was probably near the stakes/freak threshold initially to stay stakes (as opposed to a change to allowance the way the other stakes filly of mine did from that crop) and she could bloom back to up to high stakes or even freak, we'll see.

I don't like to get ahead of myself or too excited about a horse, so right now my goal is to get her to at least $200,000 so she can keep her name. I don't have any delusions about her blooming into a world beater, but I think realistically I can get her to that amount, especially since she hasn't bloomed yet and so I can probably race her at least one more season after this one (I am hoping for her to race through her five year old season, but I can't see her retiring before the end of her four year old year at least). I don't know still how much it's really worth, but she is also 'brave'. I haven't gotten the shed vs. longer career yet on her (because I rarely gallop her since she seems to like a heavy race schedule) but even if I got the breeding shed comment, I would still race her longer.

Her two year old half sister is unfortunately a claimer, and I used Circus Kitten's yearling as a 'balance out the filly/colt ratio' cheap breeding, but he somehow galloped solid, so maybe he can pick up a few checks next year. Halley's baby half sibling is by Lloyd's Keeping It and is the only A range hypo Circus Kitten has gotten so far (Halley, her Beggars Anthem sister Heave Away, and their yearling Red Falx sister Hoonah were all B+ nicks), so hopefully the Lloyd's Keeping It baby will wind up on the good end of the slide!

Halley races next in the Summer Battle Stakes tomorrow, and based on speed figs it's a race she could in theory win or finish last and I wouldn't be shocked at either. A few horses have hopped in and out of the race since entries opened but I don't plan to scratch her regardless of who may go in in the next few hours.
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
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Laura Ferguson
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Re: Halley

Post by Laura Ferguson »

Thanks for sharing!
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Kelly Haggerty
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Re: Halley

Post by Kelly Haggerty »

Really neat story!
Nicole Marie
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Re: Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Thank you to you both - I'm glad to know that my emotional response to losing Circus Kitten and my probably rash decision to claim her back has aged less than horribly. :lol:

Halley was fourth last night, so $7,000 closer to our current 200K goal. I am hoping she gets her speed figs back to where they were last year, especially since she hasn't peaked yet. I like the crop she's in, it seems a large handful of them are taking turns beating each other, which is always exciting to follow on both the sim and in real life.
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
Nicole Marie
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Re: Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Halley went winless in her 3yo season so I dropped her into a NW3 this week and she finally snapped that losing streak! https://www.simhorseracing.com/race.php?RaceID=2053591 She also has gone from stakes to freak, which makes her my first 'real' homebred freak, since her stablemate Notacatbutalawyer galloped freak before the gallop adjustment and has been stakes ever since. Halley galloped stakes LB both before and after the gallop adjustment and has now bloomed.
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
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Darcy McBride
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Re: Halley

Post by Darcy McBride »

Such a pretty filly! Good luck with her, Nicole! I enjoyed her story.
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DS: SINISTER MISTER/THE HELLHOUND/DARKANDSTORMYNIGHT
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Stormy Peak
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Re: Halley

Post by Stormy Peak »

I like her headshot, looks like when her racing stripe on her headgear ran out, it continued to dribble down her face to her nose.

I also love the story about her dam. I'm glad you decided to try to get her back and were able to do so. Hopefully you have a the foundations for a nice broodmare line with Circus Kitten and (crossing fingers) her stakes winning/future stakes winning offspring when they retire and become broodmares or stallions.

I also noticed all of Circus Kitten's offspring have names that start with 'H' I really like that.

I did something similar with my foundation mare, Foremost...I have So Many of her progeny where their names start with 'For, or Fore' But, there are only so many words with those starting letters. At least you didn't limit yourself in that way if you continue with the 'H' theme. You won't run out of names starting with 'H' for a long, long, time to come.

Stormy
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Nicole Marie
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Re: Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Thank you Darcy!
Stormy Peak wrote: 1 year ago I like her headshot, looks like when her racing stripe on her headgear ran out, it continued to dribble down her face to her nose.
I had requested that her stripe be very narrow, but when I saw how it looked with the gear I was just SO delighted!
Stormy Peak wrote: 1 year agoI also noticed all of Circus Kitten's offspring have names that start with 'H' I really like that.
That actually started out an accident, but once I saw that I'd named several offspring starting with H I decided to roll with it and keep that going. :lol:
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
Nicole Marie
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Re: Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Halley won another stakes race tonight (she is officially my first homebred freak now that she's bloomed) AND is one career win away from hitting the 200K mark necessary to keep her name. I don't plan to retire her right after hitting that mark though, since the threshold apparently used to be 150K, so I'll want to give her a buffer in case they raise that again. She just bloomed at the start of this year, so I should be able to get at least one more good year of racing out of her, fingers crossed.
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
Nicole Marie
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Re: Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Ran two horses in the Steward's Cup Synthetic Speed tonight. Halley and her stablemate Eloquent Sound. I expected Eloquent Sound (2nd in the Pegasus Summit earlier this year) to run the better of the two, but Halley actually finished THIRD! This was my first time running any horses in the Steward's Cup and hit the board with a homebred. :o I'm so proud of this mare. She's officially over the 200K mark that was my goal for her, but since she's longer career and just peaked this year, I'm in no rush to get her in a breeding shed.

Link to the race tonight:
https://www.simhorseracing.com/race.php?RaceID=2109086

And congratulations to Jack Meyer, Drowned Souls is an incredible mare who has now won five of her last six!
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
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Stormy Peak
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Re: Halley

Post by Stormy Peak »

Congrats!

I know some people who would be pouting over a 3rd place finish in a big race, but I also know how cool that 3rd place looks when you are just kind of hoping the horse will get some of that 4th or 5th place money....and they do better than that. So, you hit the board and get the points too! Those points can come in handy later on and keep you from being bumped for a race you really would like to see your horse run in.

I'm glad you got a homebred freak, and too, even though Eloquent Sound didn't do well in this race, she's won 1/2 a million for you! Congrats there! And Halley's story makes her success all that more sweet! And she's a lot closer to $300,000 now that she is in your goal for her of breaking the $200,000 mark : )

I hope next season they do even more for you - and I wouldn't be surprised that once you retire them, you will have 2 nice Blue Hens in your barn.

Again, Congrats!

Stormy
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Darcy McBride
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Re: Halley

Post by Darcy McBride »

Congrats, Nicole! It is always exciting when a homebred makes a mark in a SC race!
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Autumn Blackmill
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Re: Halley

Post by Autumn Blackmill »

Congrats on making your 200k goal! She tried her best, and that 3rd looks pretty good to me! Always love it when they do better than you expect, I hope she is even stronger next year.
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Nicole Marie
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Re: Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Thank you everyone!

And yes Stormy, Eloquent Sound has been fantastic for me especially that she was a $40,000 claim! I was expecting her to run better than Halley but figured she'd maybe pick up fourth or fifth. Top 3 is extra exciting but I didn't figure either had it in them. Glad this girl surprised me! I wasn't even going to listen to calls if we'd had them because I thought Em would ask why the heck I entered Halley in the race :lol:
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
Nicole Marie
Grade 2 Winner
Posts: 714
Joined: 3 years ago

Re: Halley

Post by Nicole Marie »

Hally won the Miraculous Storm last night! race

What I'm most pleased about is her career best speed fig - she hit peak last year and this speed fig makes me more confident in my current plan to race her as a 6 year old (as she's freak/longer career, I have no idea what her broodmare rating will be, and I think racing her at 6 to find out she's a star or hen would be worth it over retiring her at 5 to find out she's formidable).
Notacatbutalawyer 16: 8-3-1, earnings of $381,300 Founder Stakes, Flat Out Stakes, Lexington Race Course Stakes, Dade County Classic, Sunshine State Stakes, Distorted Reality Stakes, Midnight in the Sahara Stakes
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