Final Turn

It Isn't Dead Yet - by Craig Bandoroff

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:01:00 GMT

If there is anyone who has worried about the health of our industry more than I have the past 20 years, I feel sorry for that person. Always, it seems, there is bad news: declining attendance, declining handle, offshore wagering issues, drug positives, reduced field size, aging fan base, high-profile breakdowns, diminished soundness of the breed.

Have I missed a few issues? I’m guessing I have. Here’s a feel-good story that maybe offers a sign of hope and cause for optimism.

I recently attended and completed the first year of a three-year program at the Harvard Business School. I am a member of OPM 39. Comprised of 160 businessmen and women from around the world, it was an impressive gathering of successful and astute people attending a rigorous and equally impressive program.

Following the first week of classes, some intense studying, and strong bonding with my fellow participants, I was destined to spend Preakness day amid my newfound friends in academia. Since our arrival at Harvard, I was often greeted upon introduction as, “Oh yeah, you’re the guy in the horse business.” Or, “you do what for a living?” And upon learning that a horse I was connected with was running in the second leg of the Triple Crown, my new friends were mistakenly convinced they were with someone special.

So at the conclusion of classes that morning, my seven hall mates from my “living group” (the group of people you spend a great deal of time with) trucked off to the Harvard Club, past performances in hand and my TVG account loaded.

After a few beers to get us into the mood, we did some serious whooping and hollering when we cashed the trifecta and more importantly watched my clients’ horse, Icabad Crane (Gallagher’s Stud the breeder and Earle Mack the owner), run a good third in the Preakness. Amid the excitement and post-race revelries, my clients’ horse quickly became my horse, his horse, and our horse as we exited the club.

That Monday morning, as I entered our meeting to prepare for the day’s classes, I was greeted with the announcement, “We want you to get us in the horse business.” My mates now want to own a racehorse and have some of the fun and excitement for themselves. Despite my attempts to convince them a horse would quickly separate them, the new fools, from their money, they were not to be discouraged. So after some unsuccessful attempts to throw cold water on their scheme, I relented. Word soon spread, and then more new fools wanted to ante up and get in.

In spite of my misgivings, I figured what was there to lose but a few bucks among a group of people who could afford it? If I could expose them to the beauty and pageantry of the sport and the wonders of the horse as an athlete, who knows what would happen.

So now 22 of my new Harvard friends and I have formed OPM39 Racing Venture, where they will learn about the business, maybe catch the bug, and have some fun. Why people from India, Nigeria, Malaysia, Dubai, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada want to join a few of us from the States and own some racehorses that will race in the U.S. I haven’t quite figured out. Certainly it is not the attraction to make money, because it was presented to them that there was no chance of that. Is it the nostalgia, the chance to bond further, the dream of having a good one? I suppose maybe all of the above. My guess is that there is something about the horse and the intrigue of the sport that kindles the flame of their entrepreneurial spirit.

Where will it lead? I have no idea. But in my new role as their racing manager, I’ll teach them something about the horse, the business, and the industry that has done so much for me.

Am I still worried about the industry? You know I am.

Is there hope and a chance it can survive despite a myriad of problems? The eight Harvard guys who bounded out of the Harvard Club on that sunny Preakness day don’t care about its troubles. Their 14 classmates from around the world who joined them in racehorse ownership don’t know and don’t care. They’re in the game.

It isn’t dead yet from what I can tell.

Subsidize or Downsize - by Robert Laurence

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:45:00 GMT

I don’t gamble. Shoot, I don’t even fill out a March Madness bracket. I do follow the games to see how the seedings play out. The win-or-go-home format makes irrelevant that great artifice of the gambler—the point-spread.

I have no high-minded, moral principle against gambling; I just never caught the bug. I recall playing golf in my college days, when someone in the foursome said, “Let’s put something in the pot to make it interesting. ”Make it interesting? How much more interesting than trying to run a 7-iron shot against a crosswind onto a summer-hard, backward sloping green? Any more interesting than that, and I’d collapse under interest-overload.

I don’t bet, but I do like to watch Thoroughbreds race, whether across the south pasture, running for the sake of running, or around an oval for a handsome purse. Has there been a better match than Curlin versus Rags to Riches, head-to-head, eye-to-eye, for the length of the stretch at Belmont? Pick your sport, any sport, and beat that. Maybe, for some, racing is more interesting if the mortgage payment is on War Pass to show, but for me, the running is enough.

I also don’t know much about Kentucky politics. I have no opinion on why Steve Beshear disappointed the horse industry. I have no idea why some Kentuckians want to amend their Constitution and others don’t.

OK, so I don’t gamble and don’t know much about Kentucky. Still, maybe the observations of such an outsider can shed some light on the failure of the Kentucky casino bill. Here goes:

Horse racing used to have a virtual monopoly on legal gambling. It still does in some states, but by and large those days are gone, never to return. For good or ill, we live in a slot-machined country. And the truth is just this plain—for the heart and the buck of the typical gambler, horse races lose out to slot machines. Don’t ask me why, but people would rather drive to Indiana and play the slots than stay in Louisville and play the horses.

Patrons at Oaklawn will sit for hours at slot machines, betting on the outcome of a previously-run horse race, and will hardly bother to walk outside and watch the live races.

And if our game loses the gamblers in a match with slots, can it win the hearts and dollars of the pure sports fan? Sadly, no. Betting aside, most Americans care about just two races in the spring. Three, if the same horse wins those two. A few will tune in to watch a day’s worth of championship racing in the fall, though getting them to watch two days’ worth is problematic.

There are many reasons for this. First, the sport is still packaged first and foremost as gamblers’ entertainment. Second, our heroes and heroines don’t stick around long enough for the fans to know them. Curlin versus “Rags” was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Real Quiet versus Victory Gallop was three times for a generation. Affirmed versus Alydar, three times for a century. It’s as if Magic and Bird had played one game against each other in 1979 and never set foot on the same court again. Or Ali and Frazier had fought once and then retired to open a restaurant together. Connors versus McEnroe, again and again? Forget it.

If I’m right, and we lose to the slots for the gamblers and to NASCAR for the racing fans (God knows why; maybe it’s the hats), then it looks like one of two things is going to happen—either we face a downsizing of the Thoroughbred industry or we need a subsidy.

The gaming industry in today’s market is so darned profitable that they can give the state a cut, subsidize the Thoroughbred industry, and still run out of places to put the money they have left. What do they get? An air of respectability, maybe, and our industry’s fabled influence with legislators. What do we get? A direct conduit from the slot machines to race purses, thence to owners, thence to trainers, jockeys, breeders, and the rest of us hangers-on. There may even be some support for the retirement operations.

So, a subsidy, or we downsize to about five or six tracks, nationwide, and maybe a thousand new foals a year. I have nothing against subsidies. Lots of industries get them, directly or indirectly. But let’s be honest enough to admit that that’s what we’re doing—getting money that, if the market were left free and unregulated, would be going elsewhere. Let’s drop the smugness and sense of entitlement. We aren’t owed a cut of the slot machine take. We’ll turn the clubhouses into casinos, and run races that will barely be noticed by the players. We’ll take some of the money poured into the slots in order to keep our industry going. And we’ll hope that it will be enough.

It would help to say “please” in advance, and “thanks” at the end.

Rooting Interest - by Lenny Shulman

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:41:00 GMT

Why do racing fans coalesce around one horse and not another? Favorability can be as simple as a catchy name (Smarty Jones) or backing an underdog (Funny Cide). Unfavorability, since horses themselves don’t usually rub us the wrong way, is tied to the animal’s human connections.

Nobody should question Big Brown's talent. Yet, other than vying for the Triple Crown, he has not captured the public’s fancy in the manner of the above-mentioned pair. In fact, some people were rooting for him to lose at Belmont, despite the fact his bust there cost the sport millions in lost marketing and advertising. So why hasn’t he become the people’s horse?

The most publicized of his connections is his trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr. Like all of us, Dutrow is an imperfect human being. Unlike many, he cares little about hiding his imperfections. He’s had issues feeding himself and his horses drugs, and talks about it. His rider throws in a clunker in the Belmont, and Dutrow wails on him. The man says what he thinks.

This trait, which I find refreshing, has been portrayed by most as a negative. Apparently, folks prefer bland and covert. If you think Dutrow is the only famous trainer who is familiar with an equine medicine cabinet, you’re wrong. The others just don’t talk about suspensions and steroids.

Dutrow is brash, abrasive. Before the Derby, he told everyone he had the best 3-year-old in the land. “Oh, he’s going to find out what a humbling experience the Derby can be,” said the provincials.

So Dutrow’s crime became being right. He does have the best 3-year-old in the country. But his media detractors kept grumbling about the guy who gave them column after column, biting the hand that fed them quotes.

Now, the owners. You don’t have to be Mother Teresa for your horse to be admired. Roy Chapman (Smarty Jones) wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy, and moved Fords for a living. But Mike Iavarone and Richard Schiavo of IEAH Stables? Too New York? Too ethnic?

Nine years ago, Iavarone was fined, censured, and suspended by securities regulators for making unauthorized stock trades. This year, he lied about his Wall Street background while attempting to cover up his history. You want to dislike him and his horses? Have at it.
But know that he and Schiavo are opening an equine hospital under the direction of the respected Dr. Patty Hogan that will save horses’ lives. He and Schiavo have donated money to the children of a New York cop shot in the line of duty. And unlike industry bureaucrats who have failed to do so, they are succeeding in bringing young professionals into this sport.

How about Big Brown’s other three owners? Paul Pompa Jr. gets up in the dark to get to his Brooklyn trucking business at 6:30 each morning. He started small in horses, and then hit a home run with Big Brown. He’s funny, unassuming, cooperative, and one of the nicest guys I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

And what of IEAH partners Andrew Cohen and Gary Tolchin? Cohen, 51, has two kids and works on Wall Street. He owned a couple of trotters, and bought into his first Thoroughbred four years ago. “I own parts of 20 now. I got a little carried away, which is a good thing.”
Cohen donned jockey silks for the winner’s circle photo after Kip Deville won at Keeneland last year. “It wasn’t the most flattering photo I’ve ever taken,” laughed the corpulent Cohen. “It was the first big race I’d won, and I got so excited I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m having the time of my life.”

Tolchin, 48, is a father of three from the Bronx. His father, Sam, worked nights, and the only time Gary and his brother saw him was weekends, when they’d go to the races.

“We didn’t have money growing up; my father would bet $2 or $4, but we had a great time at the track,” Tolchin said. “Those were special times for the three of us.”

Agreeing that life is too short, Gary’s wife gave him the OK to invest in Big Brown. “You love it; just do it,” she told him.

Sam Tolchin passed away last year. “My only regret is he’s not here for this run,” said Gary. “He might bet $6 win, $4 place on Big Brown. I’m sure he’s looking down on us now and going crazy.”

So go ahead and root against Big Brown, if it really makes you feel any better.

Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:38:00 GMT

It’s amazing that six weeks can go by so quickly, yet also seem like an eternity.

Was it just last month, or was it last year when we saw Big Brown bound past us on the Churchill Downs backstretch during a chilly morning in Louisville? Was it just a few weeks ago, or was it a couple of months ago that we witnessed a coronation off the Northern Parkway in Baltimore? We’re certain about June 7 on Long Island, witnessing the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) in sticky, steamy Elmont, N.Y.

This year’s Triple Crown run had more twists than a New York pretzel, and was twice as salty.

When looking back over the ’08 run by Big Brown, here’s hoping the industry will have moved forward on a couple of horse health-related issues.

First, with the tragic breakdown of Eight Belles following her dazzling runner-up effort in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), industry leaders must not lose sight of the need to take steps to make our sport safer for its participants. Just as the breeding industry came together back in the spring of 2001 to unravel the mysteries of mare reproductive loss syndrome, the key is communication. We must share all information, good and bad, for the betterment of the sport. The newly formed Thoroughbred Safety Committee is a good start. So, too, are the conversations and research that must continue regarding synthetic track surfaces.

The issue of steroids in racehorses must be addressed, promptly, and on a national level. I can imagine few in the game who would like to see more trainers and owners interviewed on national television discussing the pros and cons of Winstrol.

Big Brown’s disappointing run in the Belmont, for the umpteenth time giving fans a handful of feathers instead of a Triple Crown winner, teaches us just how special it is to win the Triple Crown. We don’t want to hear any talk about changing the span between races. It’s supposed to be hard to win it.

While the five weeks puts three demanding races very close together, the three weeks between the Preakness (gr. I) and Belmont can slow to a crawl. As this season’s Belmont approached, and with Big Brown’s quarter crack getting better ratings than “American Idol,” one could almost watch the bloom come off the rose of Team Brown at Barn 2 at Belmont.

The finale was the colt’s five-furlong work June 3, a minute flat, followed by a six-furlong gallop out in 1:14 2⁄5. The drill left more than a few raised eyebrows. A 14-second eighth before the Belmont? Galloping out?

Secretariat wouldn’t have done that. Big Red worked a mile in 1:34 4⁄5, then blew out a half-mile the Wednesday before the Belmont in :46 3⁄5.<->Seattle Slew worked six furlongs in 1:11 3⁄5 the Tuesday before his Belmont, and blew out three furlongs in :35 4⁄5 the morning of the race.

Big Brown, in front of a curious crowd the morning of June 6, galloped slooowly around the Belmont Park oval and then headed back to the barn. It was at that point it became questionable as to how much juice was left in the lemon. We found out the next day.
A reflective Kent Desormeaux, who 10 years ago had come within the shadow of the wire of winning the Triple Crown with Real Quiet, addressed the media following Big Brown’s defeat.

“For him it was a slow pace,” he said. “When I got outside going into the first turn, I said, ‘That’s it; the race is over.’ ”

He, like the rest of us, was confident.

“Then, when I asked him to engage, I was done. I had no horse. Fortunately, there are no popped tires; he’s just out of gas.”
He then paid the Triple Crown phenomenon quite a compliment.

“The end result is I can’t fathom what kind of freaks those 11 Triple Crown winners were,” the Hall of Fame jockey said. “It’s unfathomable to me. I won the Derby with some pressure, I won the Preakness in an armchair ride, and for whatever reason he wasn’t resilient enough today. This is unknown to me because he’s supposed to be a mile-and-a-half-horse; he’s supposed to be a distance horse.
“With that being said, these occasions for me have only made me realize how awesome those horses were.”
That’s why we’ll be back next spring.

Great Pretenders - by E.S. Lamoreaux III

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:53:00 GMT

No matter what happens in the June 7 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), the 2008 Triple Crown season will always be defined by the triumph and tragedy of the heir apparent crown prince, Big Brown, and the fallen heroine, Eight Belles. And tradition says that this Belmont, factoring in Big Brown’s pre-race hoof injury, will come up as a “hold your breath,” arduous race that’s guaranteed not to be won in a New York minute.

After a diet of mint juleps and crab cakes, there is less pomp and a heavy dose of New York grit when the racing schedule reaches Belmont. You’ll need all your fingers and half your toes to count the TC “can’t miss” favorites that didn’t make it here.

I was a CBS News television producer covering the Triple Crown of 1969 with commentator Heywood Hale “Woodie” Broun. Majestic Prince, like Seattle Slew after him and Smarty Jones after him and, yes, Big Brown, was undefeated heading into the Belmont. But “The Prince” had suffered a leg injury in the Preakness and his trainer, Johnny Longden, wasn’t sure he was sound enough to run.

With the first undefeated Thoroughbred trying to win the Triple Crown, there was enormous pressure on owner Frank McMahon to go for it. Longden and McMahon argued openly about it. Not only had there not been a TC winner since Citation in 1948, but McMahon’s wife, gossip columnist Betty Betts, wanted desperately to get into The Jockey Club, and saw Majestic Prince as her ticket. On the eve of the race, Woodie Broun interviewed McMahon, who was so nervous and perhaps hungover, that he kept referring to the TC as the “Cripple Crown.” Majestic Prince finished second and never raced again.

Fast forward two years, when Canonero II became the next pretender to the “Cripple Crown” and the last before Secretariat. Canonero was unique in that he had done all of his racing in Venezuela and became a hero to the entire Latin American world. Broun, one of America’s great wordsmiths, was on the scene once again, and wrote the following in his sports memoir Tumultuous Merriment: “The thing one notices at the Belmont…is the very New Yorkness of it. Like the old Manchu Empire, it can swallow up all the invaders that come and either absorb them or outnumber them so that they are no longer visible.

“The great exception at Belmont was the June day in 1971 when Canonero II tried for the Triple Crown. He had been bred in Kentucky to an unfashionable English sire, and because he had a gimpy leg had been sold as a yearling for something like $1,600. This modest beginning may have been the essence of his subsequent appeal. This was a price that poor people could understand.”

Broun wrote that huge numbers of Latinos descended on Belmont Park that day, “a great mass of people, many of whom had never been to the races, with nothing in common but their language and a vague sense that today they were going to show the Anglos and have a good time while they did it. Hundreds of them brought musical instruments and long before the first race, bongo drums were echoing in places where nothing was usually heard but the murmur of old horseplayers mumbling inaccurate information to each other.

“In Caracas the president of Venezuela stood ready to make a speech to the whole world about the connection between a 3-year-old horse and his country’s eminence and the drums were rattling all over Belmont Park.

“Oddly and sadly Canonero’s fourth-place finish that day was one of his bravest races. Subsequent examination showed him to have been suffering from some odd but debilitating illness, and it appeared that he ran through agony and exhaustion of such shattering intensity that he was unable to raise his head for weeks after the race. The drums stopped beating, however, and the crowd straggled home, while the president in Caracas called for his limousine and cursed racing luck, not the first head of state to discover that power ends where chance begins.”

My friend Woodie Broun wrote those words nearly 30 years ago. Funny how they resonate today in both Thoroughbred racing and American politics.

E.S. Lamoreaux III is a four-time Eclipse Award winner and the longtime executive producer of CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt.

Rule V.6. - by Gary Fenton

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:47:00 GMT

“History consists of a series of accumulated imaginative inventions.” - Voltaire

As a Thoroughbred owner, I stand on the shoulders of giants. Horse racing’s tradition and history are like no other. However, in the past 30 years, we’ve been surpassed by the major sports leagues. Being a traditionalist, I don’t blame the caretakers for this lapse. When you have more than 100 Kentucky Derbys, it’s easy to say, “Hey, we’re doing something right.”

Major League Baseball suffered the same fate. However, in the 1990s, recognizing what was happening around them, the MLB powers that be reversed course. Lights at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field and advertising on their field of dreams were only a few of the needed changes. They even sped up their “timeless” game, which was then clocking in at more than three hours. Baseball grew up. Better yet, it did so while maintaining its rich history. The last time I checked, they still observed the seventh inning stretch.

It’s time for Thoroughbred racing to follow baseball’s lead.

When Big Brown entered the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs, jockey Kent Desormeaux switched his riding helmet for a UPS Racing Team hat. Two days later, UPS and Big Brown’s connections struck a marketing deal.

We should be thrilled for this possible new revenue stream for owners, except for one small problem. It’s against the rules!

Both the name of the winner of the Run for the Roses and the ensuing marketing deal violate Section V.6. of The Jockey Club Rule Book. “Names of horses clearly having commercial significance, such as trade names, are ineligible.” The rule has a sister component adopted by most states that doesn’t allow stable names to have any commercial value either. As has been reported on multiple occasions, co-owner Paul Pompa Jr. named the horse after the freight carrier, the United Parcel Service, or UPS. We’re not sure how this one got past the excellent folks at The Jockey Club, but instead of crying equal protection, owners should look at this as an opportunity.

It’s time to repeal the entire rule.

Without going into a financial analysis of the horse racing industry, let’s assume for the sake of argument we’re in some trouble. We’ve tried almost every marketing campaign known to man, except the one staring at us in the face. With promising champions being whisked away to the breeding sheds too early, I can think of no better marketing for the sport than the advent of racing teams and names with commercial value.

Now, before everyone goes all NASCAR on me, let me say this. Our horses will not be called Miller Lite. Marketing is about creativity, trust, and understanding your fan base. If the folks at Miller brewing sponsors a team, they will want you to buy their product, not mock it. The very nature of the marketplace will demand that the traditions and pageantry remain.

In truth, I actually don’t mind a series of names centered around “taste great, less filling.” Let’s be honest, our names now aren’t much better. For some reason, I can’t name my horse “Dew It,” but “Plugmein” is acceptable. I shouldn’t have to tell you there are more T-shirts that say “Mountain Dew” than “Santa Anita Park.”

Creating new revenue for owners will have a serious trickle-down effect. More importantly, larger fan bases and connectivity with that audience will grow attendance, which will ultimately increase wagering pools. In addition, we will have also found a key component missing from the game—name recognition and staying power. Go to any Web site dedicated to a sponsored racing team and tell me you wouldn’t want to see something similar for horse racing.

I know there has been support on this issue in the past. With Big Brown making headlines and a run for the Triple Crown June 7, our fractured business finally needs to come together on this one. If California adopts it and Kentucky doesn’t, where does that get us except more infighting over the same small pie?

Apple pie, anyone?

Gary Fenton is the managing partner/CEO of Little Red Feather Racing, which is based in Los Angeles

Mr. Arbuthnot at the Races - by John McEvoy

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:49:00 GMT

Recently as I re-read some of the late humorist Frank Sullivan’s pieces, I thought what a shame it was that this gifted writer never turned his sights on horse racing, a sport he loved.

During his 40-year newspaper and New Yorker magazine career, Sullivan was widely read as he poked gentle fun at a variety of subjects in politics, sports, and life in general. He was best known for creating Mr. Arbuthnot, the so-called Cliché Expert. For example, Mr. Arbuthnot was asked what he did for exercise. He replied, “I keep the wolf from the door, let the cat out of the bag, take the bull by the horns, count my chickens before they are hatched, and see that the horse isn’t put behind the cart or stolen before I lock the barn door.”

Sullivan died in 1976, so Mr. Arbuthnot’s expertise could not be applied to contemporary American Thoroughbred racing. Following is an example of what he might have produced while interviewing a trainer today.

Q. How easily would you say your horse won?
A. Like a thief in the night. All by himself. Ears pricked. Fooling around. Trying to pull himself up.

Were you confident going into the race?
Wouldn’t have traded places with anybody. I had him trained to the minute. He was tighter than a drum, sharper than jailhouse coffee. I don’t lead ’em over there unless they’re sitting on top of a win, unless they’ve been working bullets as easy as breaking sticks, unless their ankles are ice cold even after nearly kicking their stalls down.

How did he come out of the race?
Galloped out strong. They wouldn’t have beat him if they went around again. He came back bucking and playing, kicking and squealing. Just attacked his feed tub.

Anything he wouldn’t blow out?
The proverbial match.

Going into the race, was the off-track a concern?
No way, Jose. He can win over any kind of going, running through a plowed field, over broken glass, hot coals. And if you ask me how far he’s bred to go, I’d say all day.

Were you worried about his main rival?
Not for a New York minute. That horse couldn’t go a mile and a quarter in a box car. We had him over a barrel from when the bell rang.

How did you feel about drawing the outside post position?
I wouldn’t have picked it.

You’ve praised your jockey’s sense of pace. Is there something in his head that’s useful?
A clock. They say time’s only important if you’re in jail, but not with this little race rider.

I understand he’s got something useful in his veins.
You bet—he’s got ice water.

Did your jockey say anything about the way your horse went to the lead?
Said he just exploded at the top of the lane, that he’s push-button, like driving a Mercedes.

When the foul claim was dismissed against your stakes star Saturday, where did you direct your thanks?
First and foremost to the Man Upstairs, then to my lucky stars.

Did the trainer of the runner-up tip anything to you after the race?
His hat. He was gracious in defeat, a hard-working horseman who has been flying under the radar for years, kept there by critics who are beneath contempt.

When this colt goes to stud, how do you think he’ll be?
Extremely popular. Well-priced. Probably pre-potent and a major influence on the breed, since he’s beautifully balanced, has a classic head, a great mind, wonderful temperament, and he’s been sound as a dollar. Never had a pimple on him.

Is there something that as a stallion you think he’ll do to his get?
Stamp them.

Your major owner says his stable under your care has lost money for every one of the last 22 years. How has he been about that as far as you’re concerned?
A genuine sportsman. Great for the game. Member of a dying breed. One of his well-bred fillies finally finished in the money last week, and he was over the moon and on top of the world.

John McEvoy’s third horse racing mystery novel, Close Call, was published in March.

It Just Is - by Joel Turner

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:03:00 GMT

It is what we owners and breeders fear the most. A call from a farm employee, trainer, or vet with that oddly familiar, awkward tone foretelling the bad news we have lost one of our horses. Or, perhaps even worse, in the moment of excitement and anticipation of competition, one of our horses goes down on the track or falls over a jump. The end result is the same. It is as if one’s heart is ripped from within, leaves this earth, or falls in tandem to the ground with it. The loss of a horse to injury, accident, illness, or to the ravages of old age is tough on all horse people. That persistent question comes back to taunt us: Why do we continue to breed, raise, and compete these fragile creatures?

Eight Belles’ unfortunate and untimely death in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) has led to enormous criticism of our sport. It has also reminded many of us in the Thoroughbred business of our own significant losses and the pain those losses bring. On the heels of other tragedies in racing (Ruffian, Go for Wand, and Barbaro immediately come to mind) and eventing (the Rolex three-day event at the Kentucky Horse Park the weekend before the Derby was marred by the death of two horses and the serious injury of one rider), there is growing concern for the future of equine sports. Some of us feel compelled to defend equestrian sports in general and horse racing in particular. Our critics ask: How can these losses be justified?

Many close to Larry Jones have described him as a sincere, hard-working, honest trainer who puts his horses first. Not unlike many hands-on trainers in the business, Jones gets personally involved with the day-to-day care and management of the horses in his stable. I am told he often galloped Eight Belles himself. His friends assure me he would not lead a horse to the paddock, as he personally did with Eight Belles on Derby day, unless she was fit for the demands of racing. No one needs to defend him for the decision to run her against the males in the Derby. Eight Belles earned the right, by objective standards, to participate in one of the greatest spectacles in sport.

And no one should criticize equestrian sport without understanding that losing a horse unexpectedly, in or out of competition, changes a horse person’s perspective forever. Those who criticize equestrian sport posit that, if we cannot make the sport absolutely safe, we should stop forcing horses to compete against their will. (One does not even need to address the "against their will" argument; just ask them to explain how a human is going to force a horse to do anything it does not want to do, such as run faster, jump higher, or leave a burning building. If they have the answer, they will have a new vocation with a huge following.)

We continue breeding, raising, and competing our horses because it gives us purpose and pleasure, despite the inevitable risks. It is hard to explain how rewarding it is when our horses do well and even harder to match the sense of accomplishment in any other endeavor. It gives us connection to something greater than the sum of all parts. With our involvement come enormous challenges and responsibilities, some character-building, some exceedingly joyful (watching an awkward foal turned out in a field of green grass for the first time immediately comes to mind), and some painful to the core.

We must continue to take meaningful new steps to try to make equestrian sports safer. New surfaces have been designed and installed. More restrictive race-day medication, more sophisticated drug testing and pre-race detention policies have been implemented.

Perhaps we should also consider and act upon some of the suggestions from those expressing legitimate and well-reasoned concern. It may make sense, and it may appease some of the critics, for instance, to decrease the economic incentives to breed horses primarily capable of racing short, early, and often, and increase incentives to breed horses with stamina and soundness that will be able to race well beyond a 3-year-old campaign. Even as we continue with and expand these earnest efforts to care for our equine athletes and make competition safer, injuries, some fatal to horses and riders, will happen, and we will feel the pain again. It is as inevitable as tomorrow, even with our very best efforts today. It just is.

Joel B. Turner is a breeder, owner, trainer, three-day event rider, and attorney from Louisville, Ky.

Feeling the Chill - by Evan I. Hammonds

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:47:00 GMT

Cold lies the heart of Thoroughbred racing following Eight Belles’ untimely end after Kentucky Derby 134. The dark side of the toughest game in town showed itself once again on the national stage, this time in the nation’s biggest race.

Even prior to her tragic ending as the shadows began to lengthen May 3, there seemed to be a chilly vibe to this year’s Run for the Roses in Louisville. And by chill, we don’t mean a hip coolness desired by either Churchill Downs or NBC.

Two of the better story lines to this year’s Derby were both veteran performers. The tale of 70-year-old Bennie Stutts Jr. bringing Smooth Air—his first horse to the Derby—was a gem, as was the return of the New Orleans saints—Louie Roussel III and Ronnie Lamarque, back 20 years after taking two-thirds of the Triple Crown with Risen Star. While both delivered the goods to the media, sharing with us their great stories, they are closer to hip-replacement surgery than to playing to a targeted younger audience.

The weather was a major factor to the week, as on the Tuesday before the Derby, the temperature was a bone-chilling 38 degrees as a crowd gathered on the backstretch. Standing on a wooden stand by the main gap, IEAH Stables’ principals Michael Iavarone and Richard Schiavo took in the scene at the Downs for the first time as owners. They watched as Court Vision, the colt they co-own with WinStar Farm, galloped past, Iavarone in a borrowed coat, Schiavo trying to keep warm in a windbreaker.

While Schiavo told us, “we came here unprepared for the cold,” they did come prepared for the Derby with the right horse, Big Brown, who was in Barn 22, cordoned off behind a roll of yellow police tape.

The downpour midway through the race program on Oaks day—which was expected to come at midnight—threw a wet blanket on the six-figure crowd, most of whom had dispersed by the time Proud Spell ran off with the main prize. Leaving the friendly confines following the Oaks saw traffic that could be considered normal for a Friday afternoon. The wet conditions the next morning kept the usual call to the post to the infield until much later in the afternoon. Throughout the main facility, it seemed to take a long time for the crowd to get caught up in the Derby mood.

However, it may have been much more than the weather that kept a few people from visiting the Twin Spires or the Derby city last weekend. A downturn in many sectors of the nation’s economy—call it what you will—and unprecedented fuel prices taking a chunk out of people’s discretionary income may be to blame. More than a few people noted area hotel rooms weren’t as scarce as before and local restaurants seemed a little more accessible than in years past.

Away from Churchill Downs, many online players were forced to sit chilly with their advance deposit wagering accounts, which didn’t help matters either. The fans are finding it tough to play…and perhaps tougher to watch.

With Barbaro’s breakdown in the 2006 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), followed by his eight-month agonizing struggle for life, and George Washington’s tragic demise in the middle of the stretch at Monmouth Park at last fall’s Breeders’ Cup, racing faces thousands of disenfranchised fans and stares down yet another “code red” in the public relations department. The fact the organization PETA is joining in the fray is cause for major concern.

The Cold War of synthetic surfaces versus dirt tracks continues to rage. Last year’s Derby exacta of Street Sense and Hard Spun was filled out by horses that had made their previous start on Polytrack. This year was a reversal of 180 degrees, as the superfecta was void of a horse that had ever even started on a synthetic track.

One last chilling thought on the Derby is the closest a colt could get to this year’s winner at the finish was 8 1⁄4 lengths. About 48 hours after the Run for the Roses, none of them was likely to head to Baltimore to take him on again in the May 17 Preakness.

Could an undefeated Triple Crown winner help break the ice?

Farewell to the Meadows - by Morton Cathro

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:53:00 GMT

"Memory draws from delight, ere it dies, an essence that breathes of it many a year…" — Irish bard Thomas Moore, 1779-1852

Bay Meadows, California’s pioneering racetrack, has been this aging fan’s delight for nearly my entire lifetime. Now, barring an unlikely last-minute reprieve, it is marching inexorably toward May 11, the final day of its final meeting.

Doomed by commercial real estate developers, the “track that Bill built” 74 years ago along the El Camino Real in San Mateo is to be demolished by the wrecking ball, thereby bruising the psyches of generations of faithful fans and splitting Northern California’s future racing dates into small bits and pieces.

A son of poor Irish immigrants, “Bill” was William P. Kyne of San Francisco, who abandoned plans for the priesthood to lead the 1933 campaign legalizing racing in California after its long absence. The “yes” votes on the statewide ballot hardly had been totaled before Kyne, the flamboyant trailblazer, was breaking ground at an abandoned airfield along the El Camino Real—“The King’s Highway” or “Royal Road” trod by those earlier trailblazers, the mission-building Franciscan padres.

“The Meadows” opened Nov. 3, 1934—eight weeks ahead of Santa Anita’s first meeting, many months ahead of Del Mar’s and Hollywood Park’s, and seven years before Golden Gate’s. Innovations introduced by Kyne included the enclosed stall, electric starting gate designed by Clay Puett and financed by Kyne, the electronic totalizator board, the photo-finish camera, the jockeys’ hot box, and transportation of racehorses by air.

Following are some of this fan’s memories of Bay Meadows over seven decades:
Most Historic Moment: May 21, 1939, watching Specify win the Bay Meadows Handicap on my first-ever day at a racetrack. (Specify later was to defeat Seabiscuit, who had won the race in ’37 and again in ’38.)
Most Thrilling Moment: Cashing two $2 win tickets following the three-horse blanket finish of the Thornton Stakes Nov. 11, 1939. The Thornton, a four-mile marathon, was the defining moment in a series of marathons created by Kyne, and took 7:17 3⁄5 heart-pounding minutes to negotiate. At 7-2, Anhelation came from 40 lengths back to catch two others at the wire, with legendary 12-year-old Malicious a close-up fourth. Wow!
Most Embarrassing Moment (in retrospect): Watching Cigar, a son of Palace Music and grandson of The Minstrel, finish third in a turf stakes Sept. 25, 1993, and grousing to my companions, “If he can’t win with a turf pedigree like that, he’s not going to amount to much.” True, Cigar didn’t amount to much for another year while his connections kept him on grass. In the autumn of ’94, however, Cigar switched to dirt and the result (16 straight victories) made horse racing history.
Most Festive Moment: Attending Ascot Day Oct. 23, 1983, decked out as a proper English gentleman in rented morning coat, gray-striped trousers and top hat, and with my fair lady on my arm. When guests so attired alighted from horse-drawn carriages at the finish line, they were introduced over the track’s p.a. system and escorted to an infield picnic. Almost lost amid the festivities was the American record of 1:382⁄5 for 11⁄16 miles, set that afternoon by Hoedown’s Day.
Most Poignant Moment: Grasping the hand of globetrotting English riding champion Lester Piggott when he competed in the annual International Jockey Competition in the ’80s. I thanked him for earlier making an unscheduled stop in New Zealand to ride my cousin’s horse in the Air New Zealand Stakes (NZ-I). Cousin Peter Cathro trained Arbre Chene, a miler, but never lived to see Piggott nurse the gelding to victory over the classic distance of 11⁄4 miles. Just days before the race, Peter had been killed in a freak stable accident.
Highest and Lowest Moments: Watching with John and Betty Mabee as their Event of the Year, an undefeated son of Seattle Slew, wins the 1998 El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) to become the favorite for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). Eight days before the Run for the Roses, the colt is hurt in his final Derby workout.

❖❖❖

Such is the essence of one fan’s delights and disappointments along The King’s Highway. As Britons proclaim when a monarch dies and a successor mounts the throne, “The King is dead! Long live the King!”

Sadly, Kyne the kingpin is dead, his track is dying, and no successor travels the once Royal Road.

Born and reared in Northern California, MORTON CATHRO is an award-winning newspaperman, now retired.

Affirmed Career - by Patrice Wolfson

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:41:00 GMT

Affirmed was both the focal point and cement that would bind my husband’s and my wonderful 35-year relationship. From the outset of our marriage in Miami in 1972, we dearly enjoyed driving up to spend time at Harbor View Farm near Ocala. It was there, in 1975, that we first noticed a flashy little chestnut colt that loved to show his heels to his contemporaries.

We watched, as time went by, how the colt became the leader of the pack, rough-housing with his playmates, yet coming over to the fence were we stood to gently nuzzle his admiring owners. Despite our own personal, individual good fortune previously, nothing could have prepared us for the Affirmed years!

Harbor View Farm exploded on the racing scene not long after my late husband, Lou, first entered racing by buying a handful of modest horses in 1958. Raise a Native, purchased at the 1962 Saratoga yearling sale for $39,000, went undefeated in 1963 and was named 2-year-old co-champion male despite an injury that curtailed his career after four scintilating starts and triumphs. Three years earlier, I had raced my own champion, Hail to Reason, voted 2-year-old king in 1960. To me, “Hail” was the best 2-year-old ever, but my dad told me in no uncertain terms that Raise a Native was superior, and “the best 2-year-old I have ever seen.” How ironic that years later Lou would become my husband, and the prolific Raise a Native would sire Exclusive Native, and be grandsire of Affirmed.

As Laz Barrera prepared Affirmed for his first start in a maiden special weight at Belmont May 24, 1977, he thought the rather slight, willowy, somewhat skinny colt most likely would be a quick and agile sprinter. The effortless 4 1⁄2-length victory excited us and gave the usually conservative Hall of Fame trainer a new perspective. Laz was so impressed that he ran Affirmed back in the Youthful Stakes just three weeks later. This time Affirmed demonstrated the attributes that would go on to define his future greatness: grit and determination. He battled to a hard-earned neck decision over his more seasoned foes, and also left Calumet Farm’s heralded newcomer Alydar in his wake. Seven subsequent starts brought his championship 2-year-old season to a close with a record of seven wins and two seconds, as well as a 4-2 record against Alydar, whose own future greatness would not be diminished by playing second fiddle to Affirmed, but rather serve to enhance our pride and joy.

Racing fans throughout the country eagerly awaited the continuation of the Affirmed/Alydar rivalry. (Watch video of the Affirmed/Alydar rivalry here.) The newly turned 3-year-olds’ paths diverged, as Laz took Affirmed to California while John Veitch wintered Alydar in Florida. Both colts totally dominated the opposition before they met again in the Kentucky Derby. Affirmed had filled out considerably, and we rationalized that the days missed in training due to an unusually wet winter in California may well have been a blessing in disguise. He had grown. He carried good flesh and reminded me of a young boy approaching adulthood. Then, we saw Alydar, even more robust and inpressive than the 2-year-old version that exuded power, already a mature man.

The Derby turned out to be the easiest time Affirmed would have against Alydar throughout their 10-race rivalry, save the Calumet star’s early loss in the Youthful. Both colts seemed to approach leg two, the Preakness, in splendid form; and only a neck separated them at the wire. The Belmont, three weeks hence, was a different story. John Veitch raved about Alydar’s resplendent condition. In an effort to reverse what must have been becoming a monotonous result, he made an equipment change, removing Alydar’s blinkers. Laz pretty much maintained the status quo and did not do much, since the rigors of the Derby and Preakness seemed to be taking their toll on Affirmed. The colt looked noticeably lighter to me, and I must have driven both trainer and husband crazy with my constant inquiries and obvious concern. Laz assured me Affirmed would be strong enough for the grueling final jewel. Lou was quoted as saying, “Affirmed, Affirmed, Affirmed…that’s all she’s ever talking about. I’ll be so glad when this Triple Crown is over.”

The running of “The Race of the Century” remains surreal in my mind. Yet, I am able to recall virtually every detail: from Affirmed’s cool, calm demeanor in the paddock, to Laz imparting last-minute words of wisdom and encouragement to his jock, to Lou’s being typically calm (outwardly anyway, though I know his heart had to be racing like mine), even to Stevie’s undoing Affirmed’s braided mane on the way to the post, and then to the heart-stopping final seven furlongs when the four warriors hooked up—Velasquez and Alydar, Cauthen and Affirmed—inseparable until that last-second thrust when Stevie switched his whip and hit Affirmed left-handed for the first time ever, and our pride and joy surged to the wire: the winner of the Triple Crown!

Where has the time gone?

I have great difficulty believing 30 years have passed by so swiftly. Just before the turn of this new century, my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. So many of the things we did and held in common were now mine alone. I especially remember the wonderful occasion in 2004, when Flawlessly, Affirmed’s two-time Eclipse Award-winning daughter, was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs. How I wished Lou, who was ailing, could have been there by my side as he had all those years of our marriage. There was, however, some solace the day following the memorable dedication ceremonies, as Lou and I were privileged to have the privacy of our own little tour of the Affirmed exhibit. While there, he sat, mesmerized, and watched a replay of the dramatic, pulsating Belmont finish.

Lou’s responsiveness suffered as a consequence of surgeries in 2005 and advancing Alzheimer’s, but highlighted moments from the past would continue to trigger and be a catalyst for reactions post surgery and during the last few years of his life. Though virtually incapacitated, he remained very peaceful and content. Instead of those waning months being an ordeal, they were truly a blessing, as I could be there with my best friend, who slept peacefully and comfortably nearby. He continued to enjoy sweet treats and affectionately returned my proffered daily kisses. He also became alert when our dog, Susie Q., sidled alongside; or upon hearing recognizable music, like “New York, New York,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” and Sinatra standards; watching sports on television; and, most noticeably, viewing tapes of Affirmed’s races. I will always cherish two extraordinary moments that occurred late into the disease: on seeing Laz Barrera on the television screen, he exclaimed: “I know him!”; and the priceless gem when his first great-grandchild, Alexa, was an infant and visited us in Old Westbury. Lou’s smile lit up the room, and he reached out while chirping to get her attention, much as I found myself doing to get his.

I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of personal contacts and fan support so many years later. Helping to keep the flame burning, in no small part, have been the wonderful Affirmed exhibits at the Museum of Racing, and now at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

In reflecting on the Horse Park exhibit, Lou’s son, Steve Wolfson, said: “(My father) would be very appreciative of all the glory that has been rekindled. (The Kentucky Horse Park staff) has brought it all back to life. When Patrice comes here, she’ll be very emotional. More than anything, the Triple Crown and winning the Belmont marked the resurrection of my father, who had had some difficulties in his business. He, Patrice, and the whole family rose again. Affirmed was the catalyst to the return of my father, and that’s what has meant the most to me.”

Reflecting on those glorious times, I could not help thinking how much the sport has changed. In those not-so-long-ago days, top horses danced every dance. Over the 29-month period after his initial race, Affirmed averaged one start per month, ran all distances from 5 1⁄2 furlongs to 11⁄2 miles, carried and conceded weight (as much as 132, 130, and 128 pounds). As I pored over so many winner’s circle pictures and other memorabilia, I was amazed at Affirmed’s own physical transition from a slightly built, thin 2-year-old to a blossoming 3-year-old during the Triple Crown series, to a magnificent, strong specimen on the day of his final start, a victory in the 1979 Jockey Club Gold Cup, cementing his (second) Horse-of-the-Year Eclipse Award.

Through it all, Affirmed never lost that sweet gentleness first observed when Lou and I sat on that fence watching the foals romp through the pasture at Harbor View Farm. One of my favorite pictures shows Affirmed willingly putting his head under my arm so I could give a little hug and bid him a safe journey to his stallion career in Kentucky.
As I relived all those wonderful times, the years melted away. I am contemplating a new project to memorialize and share those cherished moments with the many who relished and enjoyed the Affirmed years, perhaps by assembling the treasured collection into some format like a coffee table book, or even a video documentary.

Patrice Wolfson owned and raced Affirmed with her late husband, Louis Wolfson.

He Touched Many - by Headley Bell

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:40:00 GMT

My mother, Alice Chandler, and I were scheduled to meet with the Editor-in-Chief of The Blood-Horse April 4 to reflect on her life and the transition of our family’s Mill Ridge Farm. But it was hard that morning to also not reflect on the life of our dear friend Buddy Bishop, who had passed away the previous night after struggling with cancer for more than two years.

It is so rare that families carry on the hard work and legacy of earlier generations. Most of the time, families unravel at the seams for whatever reason. My family is fortunate to have the visible and intrinsic example established by my grandfather, Hal Price Headley, mostly through his industry leadership and through Keeneland and all that it represents. His example was the guiding light for my mother, who also shared her leadership for the betterment of the industry and has built Mill Ridge from 286 acres to represent all that anyone could ever dream. Likewise, she has been the example for me and my siblings—Reynolds, Mike, and Tish—to carry on with Mill Ridge and try to give back to the industry.

Family was an integral part of Buddy Bishop’s character as well. His father, W.T. Bishop, played such a vital role in the construction and development of Keeneland. W.T. Bishop was the first employee of the fledgling racetrack, and was hired in 1936 as its general manager. Buddy grew up on the track, and his family lived in part of what is now the Keeneland clubhouse and offices. Like so many who have the opportunity to associate with Keeneland, his pride ran deep…and his blood, “Keeneland Green.” He would grow to become its counsel, and was recognized with the highest honor of Keeneland Trustee.

One of my fondest memories of Buddy was of him sharing a letter with me from his daughter, Shannon. It was a letter that described where she was in her life and her hope for the future through law school. In it, she described what her family instilled in her and how grateful she was to Buddy and her mother in defining her values. He was so very proud, and we both shed tears of happiness knowing she was in full bloom. She is now working at Buddy’s law firm, Stoll Keenon and Ogden, providing guidance and insight to Buddy’s friends/clients, many of the most distinguished people in our industry. She has earned this opportunity with her natural talents, and the bond that grew with Buddy and his clients is easily transferred to Shannon.

The fact is, any number of people would love to share their memories of Buddy Bishop. As counsel, he represented many of the best in our industry: Keeneland, Claiborne, the Phipps family, Juddmonte, Darley, the Niarchos family, The Jockey Club, Hagyard-Davidson-McGee, Mill Ridge, the Alec Head family, and many, many others. When you worked with Buddy, it was as if no one else existed…as if all of his time was dedicated to you…as if he was your best friend, your confidant, your leader, your spokesman, your rock. He managed to make things right, no matter how complicated the situation.

Truth is, Buddy Bishop played an integral part in the life of so much in this industry, whether you realized it or not. He thread his way largely unnoticed through writing conditions of sales at Keeneland or the framework for The Jockey Club, or the latest stallion syndication, or immigration issues, or political navigation, and on and on. More recently, Stoll Keenon and Ogden donated an enormous amount of time and research toward counsel and structure of the Sales Integrity Task Force. Bishop’s regard for this industry was second to none. He associated with the best because he was the best, and his heart was always in the right place. His unselfishness was demonstrated in every walk of his life and his memory is indelible.

With the transition at Mill Ridge, my family has the gift of our mother being not only such a vital part of our past, but our future because she is active and in wonderful health.

Buddy’s family is not as fortunate and that hurts very much. Yet, Buddy and Shannon and their family shared much together, and even though he has left us way too soon, his family is one of faith. They live in thanks that he did not suffer any more than he did.

Headley Bell is the general manager of Mill Ridge Farm near Lexington.

Piece of Cake - by Joe Hickey

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:06:00 GMT

Stepping down from his Windfields jet, E.P. Taylor bounded across the tarmac into the terminal building, where he pulled up short in front of a vending machine.
“Help me, Joe. I don’t have any U.S. change.”
As I sorted through my change for quarters, the Canadian tycoon described by biographer Peter Newman as “the ultimate personification of the riches gained and power wielded,” fumed, “Never mind. Damned if I’m going to pay 75 cents for a slice of stale pound cake!”
This, in July 1974, was the only time in a quarter-century as Mr. Taylor’s point man for Maryland operations that I had ever known him to balk at price, either buying or selling.
He didn’t flinch when, a year earlier, the price for Cragwood Stable’s sire prospect Tentam was $2.2 million, a record figure for a horse in training.
He didn’t haggle when I introduced him to a neighbor who was interested in selling her farm. “Your price, madam?” When she responded, he beamed, “Good. I’ll have my Toronto office cut a check in the morning.”
As we departed, I asked Mr. Taylor if he wanted to drive through the farm, to inspect his latest acquisition. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’ve flown over this property so often I know what’s here. This exercise is mainly to protect my flank.”
When E.P. Taylor would fly in from out of the country, he had to land for customs inspection at New Castle Airport, the approach to which took him over Delaware Park, home turf to the extended du Pont sporting families. It had, however, fallen on lean times.
E.P. had a plan to buy and energize Delaware Park: concentrate on 2-year-old and turf races so that New York and New Jersey trainers could set up separate divisions for runners lacking racing opportunities on the home front.
“Let’s go see if they are ready to talk, Joe.”
As we waited in the turf club to feel out senior staff, we noted executives hunched over a small table, engaged in some sort of frenetic activity. Asked later about this, an officer replied, “Oh, that. We were playing Pac-Man.” The boss was not amused.
As it developed, the board was still hopeful of a turnaround. By the time they were ready to sell, Mr. Taylor was gravely ill. William Rickman, the elder, wound up buying Delaware Park. His enterprising son, also named William, now enjoys “slotsa” success with the Stanton oval.
The evening of the pound cake caper, Mr. Taylor, Windfields’ vice president of Thoroughbred operations Joe Thomas, and I met over dinner to discuss the purchase and syndication of the sire prospect Halo, then training forwardly at Belmont Park with MacKenzie Miller, after a $600,000 sale to Irving Allen’s Derisley Wood Stud in England had been voided because Halo was a cribber.
Undaunted that the $600,000 Halo was now priced at a million, Mr. Taylor also shook off the cribber knock. Wasn’t Kelso, just a whinny away at Woodstock Farm, a world-class cribber?
The deal was struck and the 5-year-old son of Hail to Reason—Cosmah, by Cosmic Bomb, was syndicated for $1,200,000—40 shares at $30,000 each. Shortly thereafter, Halo won the $100,000 United Nations Handicap in Windfields’ turquoise and gold.
As with so many of Windfields’ great latter-day successes, Mr. Taylor did not get to savor Halo’s. Stricken by a debilitating stroke in October 1980, the great breeder was non compos mentis while Halo reigned as leading sire of 1983, the year his son Sunny’s Halo won the Kentucky Derby.
In February 1984, Charles Taylor (who had succeeded his father as Windfields president), Joe Thomas, and I met in a Manhattan brownstone to arrange the sale of Halo to Tom Tatham (Oak Creek Breeders) and Arthur B. Hancock III (Stone Farm) for $36 million—that was some price for a 15-year-old stallion.
It was a great deal for both buyer and seller. Original shareholders who had bought in at $30,000 and had the use of the stallion for 10 years received $900,000 if the 1984 breeding right was included. Otherwise, the bounty was $700,000.
Re-syndicated in Kentucky, Halo went on to earn his second sire title (1989) on the back of his gifted Horse of the Year son, Sunday Silence.

Joe Hickey, who lives in Easton, Md., has been a publicist, writer, breeding farm administrator, and racing commissioner.

More Anna Houses - By Donna Chenkin

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:33:00 GMT

Transformation of a dream often begins with acts of imagination that elevate a starting vision of change above the intimidating presence of things as they are. When the Belmont Child Care Association was incorporated in 1998, a child care center was just such a dream. Yet, if such a dream is passionate and clear, and if it can call a great many people into its service, the dream may ultimately shape the future.

We have seen the difference made when the Belmont Child Care Association and its supporters gave attention to creating an organizational culture of collaboration and excitement about growth and development. The Belmont Child Care Association has been able to create a community of supporters and has encouraged others into activism in support of our dream, which is today a reality, Anna House.

When we first opened our doors in January 2003, we had five children. Now we are filled to capacity with a waiting list. We are now able to ensure that the children of the Belmont and Aqueduct employees have an early childhood center that is safe and full of play, adventure, and investigation. The Belmont Child Care Association has helped create a community where adults and children experience a sense of connection and new possibilities.

Before Anna House was built, the children were usually left with older siblings, who would miss school, or with adults who were insufficiently prepared for this responsibility. The unique nature of the backstretch prevented the workers from using existing child care centers. Our parents start work before sunrise, and tend to the horses seven days a week. In addition, the employees could not afford the high cost of private child care.

How did this all come about? In 1998 a group of concerned horse owners, trainers, and racetrack employees had a strong desire to give back to those who make racing possible. This group, with the support of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, started the Belmont Child Care Association. Thanks to a chance meeting at a dinner party at Suzee and Jerry Bailey’s house, a dream was to become a reality. At the party was Michael Dubb, a Long Island developer and philanthropist, who overheard the conversation about the desire for a child care center at the track and offered his support. To use his words, “It became a passion for me.” The New York Racing Association donated the land on which the 7,500-square-foot center was built. Horse owners Laura and Eugene Melnyk pledged $1 million to the project. In appreciation, the center bears the name of their then 2-year-old daughter, Anna. A strong board of directors was relentless in its determination to succeed, and ground for Anna House was broken in April 2002, and the facility opened in January 2003.

Today, 50 children, ranging in age from six weeks to five years, are cared for at Anna House. Their day starts with a nutritious breakfast, followed by educational and fun-filled activities. The children go outside to the Lemon Drop Kid Playground, donated by the late Thoroughbred owner Jeanne Vance. At mid-morning, the children have a nap, and then a hot lunch. At 1 p.m., the parents return for the children who were well taken care of while their parents worked worry free.

Since June 2004, Anna House has graduated 35 preschoolers. They are now in the local elementary school districts and reports on their progress have been rewarding. Our children feel confident about their futures, and are well prepared for their schooling.

We all know the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young child, for that is the time their character is being developed. If the children of our racing community are afforded the opportunity to develop their capacities to their fullest, if they are given the knowledge to understand the world and the wisdom to change it, then the prospects for their future are bright.

Across this great nation of ours there are many racetracks where other “Anna Houses” could be built for the children of backstretch workers. The local horsemen’s associations and other interested organizations should join together to raise funds to build and sustain these early childhood education centers. The Belmont Child Care Association would be happy to share its experiences with any parties interested in improving the lives of the children of the people who work on the backstretches of the tracks.

Donna Chenkin is the executive director of the Belmont Child Care Association, the organization that sustains Anna House.

Let's Get Fiscal - by Richard Zwirn

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:31:00 GMT

It hit hardest at the supermarket, when I noticed that a pound of carrots, our horses’ favorite treat, cost $1.49.

While not an economist, it was clear that these are difficult fiscal times. Costs for just about all goods and services have risen dramatically. A few years ago, a five-pound bag of carrots could be purchased for the same price. It seems like many in our industry, including this breeding farm owner, should be wondering if the “Sport of Kings” is beyond their means, as our sale horses certainly aren’t bringing five times what they had been over this relatively short period of time.

What’s a small farm to do?

Normal cost-cutting measures like turning off lights, shopping for the best price, lowering the thermostat, hanging the laundry, buying only what you need, carpooling, shutting out drafts, and being creative with leftovers can only do so much.

Thus, by thinking “outside the box,” we’ve thought of a few additional, slightly more inventive ideas:

• Use leaves for bedding. With straw and wood shavings so expensive, we figured there were certainly enough leaves raked annually on our property to provide serious cost savings. Turns out that the maple leaves we have are poisonous to horses.

• Barter for services. Sounds good in principle—until one has to spend a day assisting a vet or farrier repeatedly administering shots or applying shoes to a headstrong stallion or unwilling yearling.

• Put the kids to work. They are fast learners, lithe, full of energy, and eager to please. But too much time with chores might sabotage good grades—and future chances for meaningful college scholarships.

• Repair things without costly service charges. We have tried to rely on our limited technical abilities and lots of duct tape, bungee cords, instant weld, and recycled florist buckets and tires. Alas, since the day the bailing twine holding together my tractor hood caught fire, I’ve thought twice about this tactic.

• Then, there were the two goats we considered adopting…you know, to keep down the brush and weeds that are so time-consuming to rid. We soon learned that escaped goats munching in neighbors’ yards and waddling on nearby roads do not endear you within the community.

Not only were these attempts at frugality not very successful, but the idea that writing this would provide comedic relief has even proved fruitless.

The reality is that there is no easy answer. Prices for sweet feed, corn oil, fuel, hay, labor, insurance, and heating oil continue to climb. Only those in the sport with deep pockets will be unaffected. Along with the red ink, the anxiety and stress levels may only increase as well. But we love our horses, and it wouldn’t be fair to them to “cut corners.”

We must do more with less if we are to avoid becoming “horse poor.” Things such as keeping closer tabs on our horses to avoid catastrophic vet expenses, meeting equine nutritional needs without expensive supplements, negotiating smartly for stallion seasons, focusing on quality versus quantity, raking up clean hay/straw more carefully in order to re-use, and shelving the temptation to expand until we either have a veritable sale topper or horse manure becomes a viable fuel alternative in the near future.

Maybe the market will correct itself. Maybe racetrack slots will be the answer. Maybe one of our horses will turn out to be a nice one. While we aim to remain hopeful, open-minded, financially responsible, and in good humor, we work harder. Oftentimes while mucking out a stall or tacking up a horse, I hear my Great Depression-era grandparents’ voices echoing in my head: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I find this timeless adage more relevant than the current generation’s contrasting mantra, “Don’t worry, be happy.” We persevere with cautious optimism, clearly cognizant of the challenges that lie ahead.

If it gets much worse, however, we may one day be gazing out our window at our pastures, and instead of horses grazing, there will be carrots growing.