By JIM WELLS
The owner of Honey’s Sox Appeal visits the barn where she and two of her relatives reside for now, two and sometimes three times a day. It is fortunate that he lives a mere six miles of congestion free-highway from the stable area.
Sometimes he is there after most of the equine residents have shut down their enormous engines for the day, well past nightfall. Frequently he will take a few apples along for Honey Sox or one of her relatives, the two year old, Happy Hour Cowboy, awaiting his maiden debut, perhaps a month away, and the four-year-old, Red Hot Candy.
Bob Lindgren owns eleven horses in all, including those three, and they all share a common background.
“They are all daughters, sons or grandchildren of A Js Honey,” he said. Two of her daughters, Thunder and Honey and Happy Hour Honey are currently in foal themselves.
Although it’s not written in stone, those foals have the following names awaiting them: Happy Hour Honey’s “baby is probably going to be Happy Hour Bobby,” he said. “they are all going to be Happy Hour something.”
One big “happy” family, to borrow an adjective not unfamiliar to this bunch.
Thunder and Honey has a weanling who is likely to be named Thundering Rockstar, as a nod to his sire, MacLean’s Music.
The other members of Lindgren’s brood are all with Canterbury Hall of Fame owner Paul Knapper, at his Daylight Ranch in Kentucky.
Honey’s Sox Appeal was the morning line favorite in Wednesday night’s $50,000 Minnesota Turf Distaff. The six-year-old daughter of Successful Appeal from A J’s Honey went into the race with a career record of 9-7-3 from 22 starts and earnings of $353,370… a win and two seconds from three starts in 2019.
It was not her night, however. She tired badly on the soft turf and ran out of the money. “She didn’t like it, the soft ground,” said rider Orlando Mojica.
Trainer Mac Robertson, who also sent out the winner, First Hunter, agreed. “She just didn’t like the surface,” he said.
So, her next win will have to await another day.
Lindgren bought A Js Honey as a broodmare. She was advancing in years but Lindgren was confident she had some good breeding seasons left.
There is another element to Lindgren’s stable he emphasizes. From the day they are foaled, his horses get a “human” touch.
“When I go the barn tonight,” he said the other evening, ” I’ll give a little signal when I walk in.”
Honey Sox Appeal will respond immediately to the distinctive smooch he delivers and come to the door of her stall. “It’s something all of my horses learn,” he said. “I touch them in a certain way..hopefully they know it’s me. I always wonder if these horses really know.”
He thinks they do.
He entered the barn on one time last year, in the morning, around 8 a.m., an unusual time for him to visit. Honey Sox was out of stall and on a stroll around shed row.
“All of a sudden she stopped and swung her head around,” he said. “Like she was wondering what are you doing here, it’s 8 a.m.”
The apples, carrots and peppermints he offers her throughout the rest of the day are certain reinforcements for such responses.
In the meantime, he will continue to do as he’s doing, breeding horses that will one day have a for sale tag on them.
$50,000 MINNESOTA TURF DISTAFF
Sometimes history repeats itself in strange ways, or in this case, simply adds another chapter to an existing story several years in the making.
Twelve years ago, a horse named Hunter’s Tiger Paw was a winner at Canterbury Park, delighting the five-year-old girl (and her father, of course) who named her, Hunter Zamzow.
Wednesday night, Hunter, one of her friends and the father, Joel, watched Tiger Paw’s first foal, a six-year-old mare named First Hunter add to her mother’s legacy by winning the Turf Distaff under Jareth Loveberry, finishing 2 ½ lengths in front of Maywood Hope, who was a head in front of Some Say So, the winner of the inaugural running of this race, in 2017. The winning time was 1:30.31.
“She’s a grinder and never gives up,” said Joel Zamzow. “Jareth got her on the rail (near the 3/16ths pole) and gave her a great ride.”
Zamzow also cited another factor, the scratch of Firstmate. “With her out, there was no one left to close on (First Hunter),” he said. “That, and Jareth’s great ride when they claimed the shortest way home.”
Double Bee Sting was fourth, in front of Honey’s Sox Appeal.
Zamzow was delighted with the win, naturally. “This is why I love breeding horses,” he said. “But we’re a small operation and so we have to do things right.”
He was completely understanding of Lindgren’s role in that regard.
“Yes, he has a small operation, too. We’re not much different.”
$50,000 MINNESOTA TURF
The champ defended his crown in the third running of this race, finishing ¾ length in front of his stablemate to do so.
Hot Shot Kid, ridden by the boy of summer, Orlando Mojica, who won the Mystic Lake Derby a week ago, got to the wire in front of A P Is Loose, giving the Robertson barn a one-two finish in that race and a sweep of the Minnesota-bred stakes.
“They’re both good horses and ran well,” Robertson said, in reference to his winners.
Hot Shot took over at the head of the stretch and held off his stablemate to win this race once again as a second choice to his stablemate,who won the inaugural running of the race.
A P had a head on Twoko Bay for second.
Owned by Warren Bush, the winner finished in 1:11.94 and pushed his career earnings over $400,000
