Stallion Obituaries

Taken from the Thoroughbred Times :-

Grade 1 winner and sire Waquoit dies at 24

Waquoit, a multiple Grade 1 winner and Maryland sire, was euthanized on June 14 at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City due to the infirmities of old age. He was 24.

Winner of the 1987 and ’88 Brooklyn Handicaps (G1) and ’88 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), Waquoit sired Grade 1 winner Halo America among 30 stakes winners. In 16 crops of racing age, Waquoit sired 348 winners from 445 starters who have so far earned $25,319,706.

Halo America earned more than $1.4-million while winning nine stakes, including the 1997 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1). Halo America produced Grade 3 winner Quick Temper and stakes winner Marino Marini, who finished second in the 2003 Malibu Stakes (G1) and stands at Rancho San Miguel in California. Waquoit also is the broodmare sire of 2006 Illinois Derby (G2) winner Sweetnorthernsaint. The Relaunch horse out of Grey Parlo, by Grey Dawn II, stood for $5,000 in 2007.

Bred in Kentucky by Frank Mackle Jr., Waquoit was a $15,000 purchase by owner Joseph Federico in the 1984 Keeneland September yearling sale. Trained by Guido Federico, the owner’s cousin, Waquoit won 13 stakes and earned $2,225,360 in a 30-race career that he capped with a 15-length win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and a third-place finish to eventual Horse of the Year Alysheba in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Possibly the best mare to ever visit Waquoit was Pas De Nom, the dam of Danzig. The result of this union was named Binary Star and he is the father of eight of our foals, one of whom we still own.

Australian Group 1 winner Catbird euthanized

Catbird, the winner of the 1999 Sydney Turf Club's Golden Slipper Stakes (Aus-G1), was euthanized at Yarraman Park Stud in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales on 9th June due to laminitis.

Catbird, a ten-year-old Danehill horse out of the Marscay mare Fitting, reportedly injured a leg some weeks ago after becoming cast in his stall.While recovering from that injury he developed colic, and subsequently was diagnosed with laminitis.

Catbird retired to the Mitchell family's Yarraman Park Stud in 2000. From six crops, he has sired ten stakes winners, who between them have won 16 stakes races. His only Group 1 winner to date is Mount Franklin Lightly Sparkling WATC Western Australian Derby (Aus-G1) winner Cats Fun. Catechuchu, a filly trained by David Hayes, has won two Group 3 events; Collate and Diego Garcia also are group stakes winners.

Catbird, who stood for $16,222 (Aus $19,250), was Australia’s leading first crop sire by individual winners in the 2003-'04 season and was regarded as a consistent sire with 177 winners from 283 starters to date. Catbird's death “is a major loss to Yarraman Park, and I think it’s a major loss to the entire industry,” said Harry Mitchells, Yarraman Park Stud master. “He was just a lovely horse."

Catbird is a full brother to Danbird, who is the father of our 2007 foal born on 23rd May.

My time in the Sun

I signed up with sunpoker last week to play with a free $10 on offer (details on PuntersLounge) but lost it apart from ten cents after only four STTs.

I started playing on Poker770 due to a similar offer, although multiple offers there ended up at a total of $70 free, which I have since turned into over $400 so I thought I could do the same again !

Sunpoker rang me tonight inviting me to deposit $20 which they would match (no mention in the conversation of any raked hand requirement for the matching bonus, but of course there is one). So I made the deposit and tonight won the only STT I played ($5+50c), finished 54th out of 1503 in the $100 freeroll (for $0.40 !) and was lying 5th of 578 starters when the qualifier for Saturday's $250 freeroll finished with the top 50 going through.

I think they wanted me to enjoy it tonight .......

Bestest Ever !

Tonight has to go down as my best session of continual online poker play as it involved not taking a break from 7.00 pm until a bit after 11.30 pm.

A freeroll started at 7.00 pm on Ladbrokes, supposedly exclusive to readers of Poker Player magazine with the winner getting a $6500 package to one of the supporting tournaments at the currently ongoing World Series of Poker in Las Vegas (ie. not the main event). I came across a player from Sweden though who wouldn't admit where he got the password from and there were comments that a few in the last 20 didn't know what the prize was !

Then at 7.30 pm a $5000 freeroll started on Bet Direct which is the same software as Ladbrokes but (unusually) I could play both at the same time on the same computer. The weekly V-points freeroll on Virgin also started at 7.30 pm so I played that on my laptop but it didn't distract me for long !

I qualified for the $5k freeroll by playing in two $10+$1 MTTs on Bet Direct during the week (one was sufficient to qualify) and I was the second one out in one and I think fifth one out in the other !

Anyway, it basically helped that both tournaments were on the same software as I didn't have to switch screens and look for the fold (or raise) button in different places. Having said that I did once put in a big raise on Bet Direct with 45os and a board of AK4 (which was rightly called and punished) when I should have been putting in a big raise on Ladbrokes because I had flopped three Queens (I did get there and win the hand in the end !).

At one point I noticed I was lying 5th of 25 left in on Ladbrokes and 5th of 21 left in on Bet Direct. My highest position on Ladbrokes was to be third as I eventually went out in 19th. I don't think I could have taken up the Las Vegas trip but there was a share of $1000 for 2nd-9th so was disappointed not to make the final table.

Having gone out on Ladbrokes I could concentrate on Bet Direct and I think I hit the final table in 4th or 5th. Had a couple of reverses, including an A4 v AQ when the AQ asked his mate viewing if he should play it, thus announcing his hand whilst others were still to act - tut tut. He then got upset a little later when I took him out with 68clubs on a flop of 68T because he had minimum raised 20k pre-flop with ATos - he seem to think any raise should have been enough even though I had about 3x the chips he had !

That started a good run of cards which saw me take out the finishers in 6th - 3rd inclusive and had about a 5-1 lead going in heads up, which was soon back to something like my 600k in chips versus his 500k. I am now on the small blind with A rag (A5 I think) and go all-in to be called (not surprisingly) by his KK. Then the miracle A on either the flop or the turn, I forget which, and the first prize of $1209 is mine !!!!!

It was the most solid I have ever played, beating even the two Goa freerolls in which I finished second and first. Long may it continue ........

Spot the Difference !

I've been playing a series of weekly freerolls on Pacific Poker / 888.com exclusive to readers of Poker Player magazine. Not been doing particularly well in them as they always seem to take second fiddle to another game and suffer as a result.

There were 1291 entries tonight and I went out in exactly 200th place. With 109 left in exactly 100 were blonde males wearing blue shirts and sunglasses !

For anyone who knows me personally, I accept that my avatar (bottom left hand corner) looks nothing like me but at least I have been bothered to change it from the one you are automatically given initially by the site - can you guess which one ?

I think they call it Variance

Tonight's post was going to be all about how the cards were against me tonight. You know, rubbish about folding winning hands and getting sucked out on the river on hands I did play.

Then I read a post on Punters Lounge where someone had folded quad aces post flop (a bit like I folded quad fives post flop in error last month) but in his case because his laptop mousepad would not respond and he got timed out !

So then I was going to take a screen print to include here as evidence that his bad luck put my so called bad luck into perspective.

But when filing the screen print I found the three above that I had taken on 12th May that I had intended to post on here but never did - and it is evidence that if luck is anything it is temporary and changeable .........

In the order they were taken I had called them "Didn't Fold 1", "Didn't Fold 2" and "Did Fold 1". (it is too small to see but in the example "did fold" I was holding 8 10).

.

There are always going to be days where I will be rubbish regardless of the hands I am dealt and I have to learn to stop blaming everyone else but me. As it turned out tonight I won the last two STTs I played which got me back to within a couple of buy-ins of being level on the night so things are never quite as bad as they seem.

Not this year Part 2

Played in the 20 seat PL exclusive qualifier on Virgin tonight to win a seat at the Scottish Poker Championships in Edinburgh at the end of June.

Was one of those nights when little went right on the hands I played but I was flopping full houses and straights on the hands I folded ! I finished 18th.

The evening wasn't completely wasted however. I continue to win more than I lose on DTD (DuskTilDawn) Poker ...... oh and I mowed the lawn !

Not this year

Had a good weekend in London playing in the Full Tilt Horse series final, with the winner earning a seat in the final event of the WSOP - and for a long while I thought it might be me !

I really enjoyed the game but of course it helps if the cards are being kind. The starting stack was 10,000 and one hour blinds (later on they were half hour with antes). I played very tight for a level and a half until my QQ held up against AQ to get me to 15k.

Not much later I got the action I wanted with AA because an opponent (unfortunately Fenners of PL) held KK and by the lunch break I reckon I was chip leader with around 34k. At this stage I started getting maximum respect from the table so a series of minimum raises with A rag kept bringing the blinds my way.

I remember flopping two pair a couple of times, once with 10 2 from the SB which I didn't bet into enough (the BB had top pair with A kicker so he flat called 1k each time) and then with 34os from the BB which I probably bet into too much when reraising all-in to a bet of 3k, to be met with a fold. Not long after another QQ beat JJ and I peaked at 64k (out of 290k).

Then the cards were less kind. Just before the second break a third QQ lost to AK, and not long after with 10 7 from the SB I flopped top pair but lost to a flush (admittedly on the turn). Anyway, I made the final table of nine with about 30k but went out in 7th when my 44 was beaten by the chipleader's K9d (K on the flop). Fenners said later that he had seen some of her cards and she was pushing with a lot less than that so I'm claiming I was unlucky !

Punters Lounge was represented by four of the nine players on the final table and it was a bit disappointing we finished 7th, 6th, 5th and 4th ! - but it was good to share the day and evening with friends.

523

When I posted on 31st May it had been a gap of about about three weeks. The counter showed 523 and still shows 523 today.

Either the counter has stopped working or I am talking to myself - mind you haven't I always known that ? !

ouch

I should have mentioned on Thursday that during the PL live game last weekend I won with KK v AA (both all-in pre-flop) - although it was the 'honest' way with a K on the flop or turn and not by a sly flush on the river as happened against me in Goa. Anyway, if I can remember, I hope never to complain about losing with Aces versus Kings again. Preferably because it never happens again, although .....

Saw AA v KK three times tonight on three different sites. The score was 2-1 to KK, including one against me and the one above.

The game when I lost with AA took me down to 240 chips but I came back to win. I was playing a $20+$2 6 seat STT on Sporting Index Poker with a free token they had given me because it was a while since I played there - so all the sweeter !

20th Century Boy

definitely not 21st Century !

Testing this still works - and it only did if I didn't add any comments !

This takes me back !