by James Platz

When I made the choice to join Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino’s First Turn Stable in June, I did so anticipating there would be highlights and disappointments. In the span of only a few short weeks, I’ve experienced both.

Our horse, Fast Feet, collected his first win only days after I joined the group. The 3-year-old had been knocking at the door in previous starts, and finally broke through on June 5. He was rewarded by trainer Patrizio Ancora with a week off. When Fast Feet returned to action June 19, he drew post 9. That’s right, the dreaded outside post at Hoosier Park. Despite that, Trace Tetrick steered the pacer to a 1:54.2 clocking and fourth-place effort while adding $480 to Fast Feet’s seasonal bankroll.

Back in action June 26, Fast Feet had the good fortune of drawing the rail. He was also reunited with Jordan Ross, who had steered the sophomore earlier in the campaign. After watching the previous starts on RTN, this was the first chance I had to watch Fast Feet as a railbird. The experience didn’t disappoint. Many First Turn Stable members turned out for the evening, lining up along the rail prior to the night’s fifth race. Ross and Fast Feet were able to get away second and sat in the pocket throughout the mile. Buried along the pylons sixth in the stretch, the two were able to slip up the passing lane late to secure third in a time of 1:54.3. As he rallied in deep stretch, he was cheered on by many in the group. Afterward, as Ross and Fast Feet returned to the paddock, several clapped and congratulated him.

As a racing journalist, I am often focused solely on the action on the track. On this night, I stood on the apron taking in the experience as a fractional owner, observing the reactions of my fellow partners, most of whom I do not know (more on that below). The anticipation before the race, the excitement during, and the joy of a strong performance despite the loss, was fun to witness. It made me consider how much different the live racing experience could be for all if we had a few hundred railbirds that shared this kind of enthusiasm each night.

Fast Feet marked the month of June with consistent efforts, but as fate would have it, July kicked off on a sour note. Back in to race on Wednesday (July 3), the son of Freaky Feet Pete turned in his worst effort for the group. Lining up in post 7 with Ross again in the bike, the complexion of the race changed in the first turn, and the two were relegated to finishing last in the field of eight. Fast Feet paced the mile in 1:57.1, well off the pace set by race winner Possum Holler (1:53.2).

“Entering the first turn last night, Fast Feet lost a shoe,” said Ancora in a follow-up email to First Turn Stable participants. “Going that far without the shoe left Fast Feet quite sore on that foot. Additionally, we had ‘Feet’ scoped after the race and found quite a bit of mucus in his airway. It’s unfortunate that this all happened on the same night, but we are happy to have an answer on why he just wasn’t his usual self last night. We are going to give Feet a week off next week to get that foot healed back up and get him over this sickness, and hopefully we are back in business the following week!”

While it is a rough start to the month, the reality is that these things happen. It is the first time he has missed a check since being acquired by First Turn Stable. Hopefully this is just a minor bump in the road, but it is a good reminder that racing luck is great when you have it, and can make you miserable when it eludes you.

As I mentioned above, I did not know any of my fellow First Turn partners prior to attending the June 26 race. That changed when I was introduced to Matt Weyand, an entrepreneur in Muncie, IN (a short drive to Hoosier Park) that owns his own business, Matt Weyand Repairs & Renovations LLC. He is a returning member of First Turn Stable, originally joining with his wife, Laura, during the second season of the program.

“We joined the second season, and we did that just to try to meet other people that enjoyed racing and get to know them,” Matt said. “We also wanted to get a better idea of what it would be like to be horse owners and try to have a little more insight before diving in.”

Prior to the First Turn experience, Matt and his wife frequented Hoosier Park with friends, betting the races and enjoying the atmosphere and camaraderie. They joked about claiming a horse, but didn’t pursue it until after their involvement in First Turn Stable.

“If I’m being candid, we were on the path of buying a horse,” he said. “Whether we had joined the First Turn Stable or not, we were going to buy a horse.”

Joining two other partners, Matt acquired pacing mare Artini. It turned out to be a learning experience that connected them with three different trainers. Over the course of 17 starts, the J T Arturo mare hit the board three times, winning once. She is now retired and resides at his Yorktown, IN home, foaling a Palone Ranger yearling colt named Arturoranger last year.

“We knew we wanted to do the foaling process because we have a young family and wanted to have that experience,” he said of the colt, nicknamed ‘Pickles.’ “We’re going to try him as a racehorse, but if he doesn’t race, that’s not a big deal. We’re going to keep him and break him to ride. It’s about having that whole experience. If he does race and does good racing, wonderful. If he doesn’t end up being a racehorse, we wanted a foal on the property regardless.”

Through the experience with Artini, Matt was introduced to trainer Joel Smith and his wife, Paula. He is now a partner in multiple horses with the racing veterans, including Capt Midnight freshman Vel Miss Captain, a filly that has recorded a third-place effort in a pair of starts.

“It’s been horrible, if I’m being honest,” said Matt with a laugh of his returns from racing. “The first time that we got a check for a race in three years was three weeks ago. None of the horses made it for two years. This year we have a pair of 2-year-olds racing and a third hopefully.”

Matt is a poker aficionado who is analytical and likes numbers. He understands racing is a gamble, and he is prepared for the ups and downs of the game, enduring the lows of his early ownership stints hoping things will soon turn around. He is also a student of the business, soaking up as much information as he can and learning at every step.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “I don’t so much care about winning as long as we are progressing. Overall, it has been positive.”

This season he is hedging his bets, approaching racing with multiple interests and hoping at least one — if not all — will keep moving forward.