Trailblazing Women in Florida: Thayer, Dailey
$4.6 MILLION
INCENTIVESFlorida-bred
at Gulfstream Park 2024
$20,000 added in all S takes
added in all Stakes
$5,000 MSW, Allowance and Handicap win bonus, all ages
$5,000 MSW, Allowance and Handicap win bonus, all ages
$10,000 open MSW 2yo win bonus, plus $5,000 FSS
$10,000 open MSW 2yo win bonus, plus $5,000 FSS
SUMMER MEE T: Up to $5,000 in many overnight conditions
Florida Derby - $100,000 FL-Bred, $100,000 FSS
Gulfstream Park Oaks - $50,000 FL-Bred, $50,000 FSS
MEET: Up to in many overnight conditions Florida - FL-Bred, FSS - FL-Bred, FSS
$1.2 million Florida Sire Stakes 2yo Series
$1.2 million Florida Sire Stakes 2yo Series
September 7 - $100,000 FSS Deser t Vixen | $100,000 FSS Dr. Fager
October 19 - $200,000 FSS Susan’s Girl | $200,000 FSS Affirmed November 30 - $300,000 FSS My Dear Girl | $300,000 FSS In Reality
September 7 - $100,000 FSS Desert Vixen | $100,000 FSS Dr. Fager October 19 - FSS Susan’s Girl | FSS Affirmed November 30 - $300,000 FSS My Dear Girl | $300,000 FSS In Reality
FTBOA Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap
$150,000 F TBOA Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap November 30 - Florida-breds $100,000 plus $50,000 FSS, 3yo-and-up, 1 mile
FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT
George Isaacs
CEO & EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Lonny Taylor Powell
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
George Russell
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Francis Vanlangendonck
TREASURER
Joseph M. O’Farrell III
SECRETARY
Nick de Meric
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Valerie Dailey
DIRECTORS
T. Paul Bulmahn, Jerry D. Campbell, Marilyn Campbell, Beckie Cantrell, Brent Fernung, Laurine Fuller-Vargas, Mike Hall, Milan Kosanovich, Mary Lightner
PAST PRESIDENTS
Phil Matthews, DVM, Greg Wheeler, Don Dizney, John C. Weber, MD
ADMINISTRATIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER & ASSISTANT TREASURER
Peggy Yost
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTMEMBER SERVICES & EVENTS
Tammy A. Gantt
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTOPERATIONS
Steve Koch
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT & OFFICE MANAGER & ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Elaine K. Ansbacher
REGISTRATIONS & PAYMENTS COORDINATOR
Sheila Budden
STAFF ACCOUNTANT
Kerrie Riber
ACCOUNTING CLERK
Faith Davis
ADMINISTRATIVE/MEMBERSHIP ASSISTANT Vicki Davis
Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association
Executive Office – 801 SW 60th Avenue Ocala, Florida 34474 (352) 629-2160 • e-mail: info@ftboa.com • www.ftboa.com
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Closed 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm & Federal Holidays
FLORIDA EQUINE COMMUNICATIONS
PRESIDENT/BOARD CHAIR
George Isaacs
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
George Russell
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Francis Vanlangendonck
TREASURER
Joseph M. O’Farrell III SECRETARY
Nick de Meric
CEO & PUBLISHER
Lonny Taylor Powell
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Peggy Yost
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Brock Sheridan
ASSISTANT EDITOROPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT
Steve Koch
CONTRIBUTING EDITORSALES & INDUSTRY AFFAIRS
Tammy A. Gantt
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ADVERTISING Vicki Davis
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Nancy Moffatt
BROCK SHERIDAN Editor-in-Chief Florida Equine Communications
Arthur’s Ride Has Led the Charge Into Saratoga This Year
Like American general Benedict Arnold, who along with his army defeated the British in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, several Florida-breds have invaded upstate New York this summer and come away victorious. As of Sunday, Aug. 18, Florida-bred runners have accounted for 15 wins at The Spa, five of which have come in stakes, three graded. And like the American soldiers three centuries ago, Florida-breds have been decisive in the defeat of their adversaries. Four have won as the post-time favorite and the average winning margin has been nearly three-and-a-half lengths. More than half of the winners are by current or former Florida stallions.
Trainer Bill Mott has led the Florida invasion of Saratoga this summer with four of the 15 winners, the most prominent being Arthur’s Ride. The Helen and Joseph Barbazon and Tapit Syndicate-bred gave the Hall of Fame conditioner his first victory in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 3 with a dazzling 12 ¾-lengths thrashing of his rivals while leading from start to finish. (see full story on page 20)
Arthur’s Ride produced a 110 Beyer Speed Figure in capturing the Whitney, covering nine furlongs in 1:48.54.
The triple digit Beyer number ranks second among North American runners this year at farther than a mile according to Daily Racing Form, behind only the 111 Beyer achieved by—yes that’s right— Arthur’s Ride at Saratoga on June 7.
While this was the first victory in the Whitney for Mott, Arthur’s Ride became the eighth Floridabred winner of the notable event, joining Sultry Song (1992), Island Whirl (1983), Nearly On Time (1977), Dancing Gun (1976), Tri Jet (1974), Dr. Fager (1968) and Carry Back (1962).
Mott also saddled Florida-bred Baby Yoda to victory in the Grade 2 True North on June 8 and won an allowance race on Aug. 17 with Florida-bred Nick’s Style.
Baby Yoda added to the recent success by Floridabreds in the True North, joining Floridian winners Imperial Hint in 2018 and Firenze Fire in 2020-’21. Florida-breds Benny the Bull (2008), Shake You Down (2003), Gold Beauty (1993) and Moleolus
(1979) also won the True North.
Miller Racing’s Spirit Wind won her second consecutive stakes on July 24 with a three-quarterlength victory in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Spirit Wind was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who traveled from his base in Southern California to ride the Jacks or Better-bred mare.
The Honorable Miss is another Saratoga contest with a long list of Florida-bred winners including R Free Roll in 2014, C C’s Pal (2012), Debby d’Or (2000), Nanneri (1993) and Funistrado (1987).
Trainer Jena Antonucci, a resident of Ocala where she and business partner Katie Miranda have their horseOlogy operation based at GoldMark Farm, fired the first shot of the Sunshine State invasion on June 6 with Florida-bred Whatintheliteral. The 2-year-old filly bred by Bella Inizio Farm LLC, was impressive with a determined effort in her stakes debut, winning the $150,000 Astoria by a head after a stretch-long battle.
It was the second Florida-bred winner of the Astoria in three years after John C. Oxley’s Devious Dame won the 2022 edition.
On Aug. 10, Rigney Racing’s Halina’s Forte captured the $139,500 Galway for 3-year-old fillies going five-and-a-half furlongs. The Galway was the second added-money victory in New York for Halina’s Forte after she won the $100,000 Ruthless at Aqueduct in February. Bred in Florida by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt and Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck, Halina’s Forte put a Florida-bred bookend on the six-year history of the Galway as Florida-bred Eyeinthesky won inaugural running in 2019.
By the time you read this, there may be additional Florida-bred winners at Saratoga-whether in Grade 1 stakes or overnight races. But unlike the Battle of Saratoga during the Revolutionary War, Florida breeders and horsemen are grateful for the continued opportunities to compete in one of North America’s most prestigious arenas against some the world’s best Thoroughbreds.
And as long as there is a Saratoga Race Course, Florida-breds will keep rolling along. Huzzah! TFH
In Thoroughbred Racing, Safety Runs First
NTRA Launches Safety and Welfare Public Relations Campaign
FTom Rooney is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Prior to joining the NTRA, he served the people of Florida’s 16th and 17th Congressional districts from 2008-2018 in the U.S. House of Representatives. He lives in Tequesta, Fla. with his wife and three sons.
or decades the sport of Thoroughbred racing has put the safety and welfare of its athletes above all else. However, no matter how much safe racing happens on a daily basis, one incident has the ability to turn the narrative negative against us. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to tell the true story of the sport of horse racing and the people who live it every single day. At the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, we have been working to proactively tell the story of our sport’s commitment to safety— most recently through our PR campaign entitled Safety Runs First.
Safety Runs First is an information campaign, spanning all media platforms, to shine a light on our sport’s collective commitment to safety, welfare and integrity. Our goal is to let everyone know— from the casual racing fan, to the avid horseplayer, and everyone in between, including policy makers in Washington and in state capitals around the country—the full ecosystem of care that surrounds Thoroughbred racehorses and how we as a sport are striving to do more.
Our sport’s commitment to safety is nothing new and the building blocks were set in place more than a decade ago. These efforts have been amplified in recent years with investments in technology, track surface and veterinary protocols, the utilization of data analytics, and other key measures that improve safety. However, what the sport really needed was a uniform set of rules that every state would play by to bring horseracing into the 21st century.
That’s why it was so important that in December of 2020, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into law. Over the past four years of its implementation, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority created those new uniform, national rules by which virtually all racing jurisdictions across the country are now governed.
This year’s Triple Crown was the first time all three races were run under the authority and uniform rules of HISA, racing’s new independent regulatory body. Late spring, HISA announced a 38% decrease in racing-related fatal injuries for the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023. This encouraging statistic demonstrated that under HISA’s jurisdiction, the sport is becoming safer. While we know we still have more work to do, this year’s Triple Crown shows that our sport is delivering on our commitment to the safety of our equine and human athletes.
It is vitally important that we as an industry keep the public informed about all these safety initiatives, to help educate the public about our commitment, investment, and ongoing efforts. Through our Safety Runs First campaign, we were able to make more than 190 million impressions over a six-week time period, spreading this message far and wide.
In politics, we always say that campaigns are about storytelling and often the best storytellers are the ones that win elections. This sport and this initiative are no different. The NTRA is working to ensure this campaign remains active 365 days a year to keep the public informed as to what we as a sport are always doing to make Thoroughbred racing safer. It’s our job to constantly drive the positive narrative. We cannot do it alone and this must be an industry wide effort. The challenges and threats facing our sport are not going away. This is why HISA is so important to maintain accountability and uniformity.
I would encourage you to visit SafetyRunsFirst. com and help us to continually inform and reassure the public that horse racing today is the best and safest it has ever been, and a deep-rooted love for these magnificent Thoroughbreds is the core of the sport. TFH
TOM ROONEY
Photo by Tre Wheway
Photo by Tre Wheway
Photo by Sally Moehring Shake You Down / Photo by NYRA
FLORIDA FOCUS
Compiled by Brock Sheridan
Florida-bred Comedy Town Upsets Smile Sprint
Ten Twenty Racing and Saffie Joseph Jr.’s Comedy Town raced four-wide coming out of the far turn then went past stablemate Sibelius at the eighth pole to upset the $110,000 Smile Sprint at odds of 11-1 at Gulfstream Park on July 6. Trained by Joseph and ridden to victory by Drayden Van Dyke, Florida-bred Comedy Town earned his first black-type victory at age six in defeating six other 3-year-olds and older going six furlongs.
In addition to the $58,800 winner’s share of the purse, Comedy Town also picked up a $10,000 Florida-bred bonus presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Florida-bred Octane, the 6-5 favorite, broke on top from post four but was quickly passed to his inside by Swirvin as Comedy Town settled into fourth in the three path. After a rapid quarter mile in :22.02, Swirvin maintained a half-length lead on Octane in second between horses with Sibelius just off his outside hip in third. Comedy Town remained patient on the rail in fourth from another two lengths back.
Sibelius took a short lead passing the quarter pole when Van Dyke guided Comedy Town to the far outside to challenge and those two turned for home heads apart as Octane and Swirvin dropped out of contention.
Comedy Town went by Sibelius with a furlong to go then
extended his lead down the stretch to win by a length-and-aquarter in 1:10.03 on the fast track. Run Classic came on late to get second, a length-and-a-half in front of Sibelius in third. They were followed in order by Swirvin, Florida-bred Loco Abarrio, Legacy Isle and Octane. Florida-bred Mish was scratched.
“He broke good. Looked like a really tough race on paper,” Van Dyke said. “Saffie just said if my other horse breaks good sit off of him. If I break good, just don’t kill each other. I ended up being right behind the speed. I was able to get outside around the threeeighths pole and I was pleasantly surprised how loaded I was going into the turn. I was excited to let him do his thing down the lane and thankfully we had enough to get it done.”
It was the second consecutive win for Comedy Town after a two-length triumph against first condition, $25,000 optional claimers going six furlongs over a sloppy track at Gulfstream on June 8. The Smile Sprint was the third race for Comedy Town from the Joseph barn after being claimed for $25,000 out of a second-place finish to Cotton at Gulfstream on March 15. It was also his first race over a fast dirt track in 26 career starts.
“He was working good on dirt a week after we claimed him,” Joseph said. “He ran his first race on Tapeta and he didn’t run that good. I decided to give him a chance on the dirt. Last time when he won, it was a sloppy track. He was training well and today he was super impressive. He sat off horses, he went by some nice horses. Sibelius won a Group 1. He proved he is legit and he showed a new dimension.”
Comedy Town has now won five with five seconds and four thirds and he increased his lifetime earnings to $336,675.
Comedy Town is by Speightstown out of the Distorted Humor mare Unbridled Humor, winner of the 2011 Noble Damsel (Grade 3) and 2010 Memories of Silver. Unbridled Humor has also produced stakes-placed Wild and Funny, by Kitten’s Joy; and stakes-placed Wild Medagliad’oro, by Medaglia d’Oro. Unbridled Humor has four winners from six starters and an unraced 3-yearold filly, Winning Ballyhoo, by Into Mischief; an unraced 2-yearold filly, Souper Zesty Zest, by Laoban; a yearling colt, Souper Cha Ching, by Medaglia d’Oro and a weanling filly, Amazing Alice, by Bolt d’Oro. Comedy Town was bred in Florida by Live Oak Stud.
Comedy Town is the third consecutive Florida-bred winner of the Smile Sprint after Willy Boi in 2023 and Dean Delivers last year. Since moving to Gulfstream Park from the shuttered Calder Race Course in 2016, the Smile has also been won by Floridabreds Delta Bluesman (2016), Imperial Hint (2017) and X Y Jet (2018). First run as the Miami Beach Sprint Handicap in 1984, the Smile has been won by Florida-breds 26 times. n
Florida-bred Comedy Town | Photo by Lauren King
Florida-bred Night Cap Rallies from Last to Upset Dashing Beauty
DEA Thoroughbred Racing LLC’s Florida-bred Night Cap rallied from far back to produce a mild upset at odds of 8-1 in the $125,000 Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park July 7. The Dashing Beauty featured eight fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, who went six furlongs.
It was the first career stakes win for the 6-year-old Night Cap, who was claimed by trainer Horacio De Paz for $40,000 out of her last race—a second place finish to Goodgirl Badhabits at Pimlico on May 16.
In the Dashing Beauty, Night Cap was last, more than nine lengths behind frontrunner Goodgirl Badhabits through a first quarter mile in an honest :23.37. Goodgirl Badhabits was a length in front of Late Frost to her outside in second turning for home as Night Cap picked up pace with a ground-saving trip under jockey Flavien Prat.
Night Cap paid 18.40 to win.
Goodgirl Badhabits and Late Frost went head and head down the stretch before Night Cap appeared with a rush on the outside with less than a sixteenth of a mile to the finish. Night Cap went on to win by four-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:13.39 on the fast track. Late Frost was second, a neck ahead of Jersey Pearl in third. Goodgirl Badhabits, 8-5 favorite Olivia Darling, Fee, Red Hot Mess and Beguine completed the order of finish.
The consistent Night Cap now has won 12 of 23 career starts with a second and four thirds with earnings of $346,115.
Night Cap is by J P’s Gusto out of Midnight, by Silver Deputy and was bred in Florida by Lonnie Stokes. Midnight has produced five winners from six starters including stakes-placed Floridabred Caramel Martini, by Biondetti. n
Florida-bred Dean Delivers Wins On the Road Again in Alapocas Run
In his first 21 career races, Stonehedge LLC’s homebred Dean Delivers had one start outside his native Florida, a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt won by Elite Power last July at Saratoga.
However, after venturing out of the Sunshine State for the first time since in his last two starts, the 5-year-old gelding has a pair of stakes victories including a twoand-a-half-length score in the $125,250 Alapocas Run July 8 at Delaware Park. He also won the $104,000 Mr. Prospector by eight lengths at Monmouth Park on May 27.
Making his third start for trainer Edward Allard, Dean Delivers
took on six other 3-year-olds and older in the six-furlong Alapocas Run.
Dean Delivers and jockey Jaime Rodriguez broke on top from post seven but 6-5 favorite Super Chow sprinted through on the inside to take a one-length lead down the backstretch. Super Chow maintained that advantage on Dean Delivers in second through the first quarter mile in :22.64 but that margin began to diminish around the far turn when Dean Delivers ranged up to his right.
Super Chow and Dean Delivers hit the top of the stretch on even terms as Gordian Knot joined them on the far outside. Dean
Florida-bred Night Cap | Photo by Hoofprints Inc.
Florida-bred Dean Delivers | Photo by Hoofprints Inc.
FLORIDA FOCUS
Delivers began to get clear with a furlong to the finish and under a hand ride from Rodriguez, finished in 1:11.42 as Prince of Jericho came on late to get second. Gordian Knot was another length-andthree-quarters back in third with Super Chow fourth. American Monarch, Sir Wellington and O’Conner Sunset completed the order of finish. Ninetypercentmaddie and Seven’s Eleven were scratched.
Dean Delivers paid $7.80 to win.
It was the fourth career stakes victory for Dean Delivers, who won the Grade 3 Smile Sprint and the $90,000 Big Drama against fellow Florida-breds last year, both at Gulfstream Park. He now
OBITUARY
December 10th, 1946 - July 5th, 2024
Curtis Warren Weller passed away on July 5, 2024 in Inverness, Florida at the age of 77. He was born in Rochester, New York on December 10, 1946 to Lorrington and Thelma Wright Weller.
Curtis left home as a teenager to work with saddle horses and never looked back. He met and married Wanda Faye Knowles and had two children Tracy Weller Alderson and Kenneth Carvalis. He was a long-time horseman in Marion County. Among his many endeavors he managed Lin-Drake Farm for many years and then Rustlewood Farm prior to becoming the customer service manager for the Ocala Breeders Feed Company before retirement.
He spent his last years of retirement enjoying fishing, travelling and enjoying his family. He and Wanda lived at Lake Panasoffkee, Florida. He will be remembered as a mentor to many young people in areas of business and life in general.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Thelma Wright Weller, father Lorrington Weller and brother, Lorrington O. Weller. He is survived by his wife, Wanda Faye Weller; daughter, Tracy Alderson; son, Kenneth (Sarah) Carvalis; grandchildren, Kelsey Carvalis, Justin (Jess) Riley Carvalis, Ava Carvalis, Paige Schwartzburg and David (Carissa) J. Schwartzburg; and great-grandchildren, James Schwartzburg and Cayden Weller Carvalis.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the charity of your choice. n
has $637,660 from seven wins, eight seconds and two thirds from 23 career starts.
Dean Delivers is by Stonehedge Farm South stallion Cajun Breeze out of Slick and True, by Yes It’s True. Slick and True has five winners from seven starters with Dean Delivers as her only stakes winner. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly, J J’s True Bet, by Gentlemen’s Bet and was bred to both Lone Sailor and Strike Power in 2023. Slick and True is a third-generation mare from the Stonehedge LLC breeding program. Slick and True is out of the Florida-bred stakes-winning mare Slick Lady, who was bred by the late Gil Campbell. Campbell purchased Dean Delivers’ third dam, Beaty Sark, for $40,000 at the 1987 Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale. n
Florida-bred Stat Overpowers Soldier’s Dancer for First Stakes Victory
C2 Racing Stable LLC’s Florida-bred Stat improved his 2024 record to three wins in four starts with his first career stakes victory in the $90,000 Soldier’s Dancer at Gulfstream Park July 7. With Edgard Zayas aboard, the 5-year-old overpowered his rivals coming out of the far turn to take a clear lead in the stretch and win by a length-and-a-quarter while facing seven rivals going a mile on the turf.
Florida-bred Themanupfront and Jesus Rios took a onelength lead down the backstretch of the Soldier’s Dancer with Stat tracking him in second from a length back. Themanupfront continued to lead through a :49.81 half-mile then challenged for the lead around the far turn.
With little urging from Zayas, Stat took over at the top of
Florida-bred Stat | Photo by Lauren King
Curtis Warren Weller
Curtis Warren Weller
the stretch and maintained a clear lead under the wire to win in 1:35.93 on the firm turf. Nova Sol (Brz) was a length-andthree-quarters back in second with Bluebirds Over another length back in third. They were followed by Florida-bred Souper Energizer, Themanupfront, Eyes On the King and Florida-bred Starship Renegade. Florida-breds Sir Saffer and K. C. Chief; plus Champions Dream and Amstrong were scratched.
Stat started the year winning two of three, all against upperlevel, $62,500 optional claimers on the Gulfstream Park turf. He led from start to finish in winning by a length-and-a-half going a mile on Feb. 8 but then finished fourth behind winner J P Hellish at seven-and-a-half furlongs on March 21. The Soldier’s Dancer was his first start since winning by a head going a mile on April 27.
Stat is by Will Take Charge out of Scatmeifucan, by Scat Daddy and was bred in Florida by Rebecca Wing. Stat is the only black-type performer for Scatmeifucan, who has produced three winners from as many starters. She has an unnamed yearling filly by Connect and was bred to Practical Joke in 2023.
Stat was a $20,000 purchase by L. Jay Cuccia at the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale where he was consigned by Dynasty Thoroughbreds. n
Forever Souper Dominates Prince George’s County With Gate to Wire Victory
After coming from off the pace to finish third most recently in both the Henry Clark at Laurel Park and in the Cliff Hanger at Monmouth Park, Florida-bred Forever Souper and jockey Mychel
FTBOA Annual Meeting NOTICE
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association will hold its annual general meeting on Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Regular members receive notice by email with instructions for meeting registration. If you are a regular member and you have not provided the FTBOA with your current email address, please contact the FTBOA immediately.
For 2024, there are five director vacancies on the FTBOA board to be filled for three-year terms running until October 2027. The FTBOA bylaws allow a candidate to self-nominate by circulating a petition and obtaining 25 member signatures. No such petition was filed. As provided in the Association bylaws, because there are only five candidates for five director vacancies, members will not be required to cast ballots and five board nominated candidates will be deemed elected to office upon the presiding officer calling the FTBOA’s annual meeting to order. Biographies for these candidates will be featured in the October issue.
Florida-bred Forever Souper | Photo by Jim McCue
FLORIDA FOCUS
Sanchez switched tactics to win the $100,000 Prince George’s County on July 14 at Laurel. As the 4-5 favorite, Forever Souper led from the start before drawing off in the stretch for a nearly five-length thrashing of the mile-and-an-eighth contest for 3-yearolds and older.
“It just kind of worked out that way,” winning trainer Michael Trombetta said of the front-running tactics. “None of the other horses had a whole lot of speed and having the rail draw, I told Mychel that unless something goes wrong, he’s going to be in control. So just do the best you can with that, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Breaking from post one in the short field reduced to four after four scratches, Forever Souper and jockey Mychel Sanchez went right to the front and led 6-5 second choice Highland Chief (Ire) into the clubhouse turn.
Forever Souper kept a length on Highland Chief in second down the backstretch with Hardspun Reason another three lengths back in third. Forever Souper completed the half-mile in :48 and extended his margin around the far turn. He was four lengths in front at the top of the stretch and raced under the wire four-and-three-quarters faster than Highland Chief in second in a final time of 1:46.27 on the firm course.
The Addison Pour was a length-and-a-quarter farther back in third with Hardspun Reason fourth. Ain’t Da Beer Cold, Eldest Son, Stellar Lute and Wow Whata Summer scratched.
Forever Souper paid $3.60 to win.
“This horse has just done so good for us,” Trombetta said. “We had him last summer at Monmouth, he won a few races. Then we went to South Florida and he won a few stakes down there. He’s just held his form so good. He’s had a couple of races where he didn’t have the best of racing luck. But other than that, he’s about as genuine as could be.”
The Prince George’s County is the first stakes victory against open company for the 5-year-old gelding, who earlier this year took two stakes versus fellow Florida-breds. He won the $95,000 Sunshine Turf going nine furlongs at Gulfstream Park in January and the $100,000 ESMARK Turf Classic at a mile-and-an-eighth during Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs on March 24.
He was very unlucky in a difficult trip in the $99,000 Henry Clark won by Dataman going a mile on April 20 then could not catch that rival again in the $110,000 Cliffhanger on May 25.
Forever Souper is by American Pharoah out of Mighty Souper, by War Front and has now earned $352,255 for his owner and breeder Live Oak Plantation. He now has seven wins with one second and four thirds in 16 career starts.
Mighty Souper was campaigned throughout her multiple
stakes-placed career by Live Oak Plantation, who purchased her has a yearling at the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $275,000. Live Oak Plantation since sold her to D & D in the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
Forever Souper is the only stakes horse for Mighty Souper, who has two starters, both winners from five foals. She has an unraced 3-year-old filly, Souper Gin Can Win, by Lookin At Lucky; an unnamed 2-year-old colt by Lookin At Lucky; a yearling colt, Yo Paul, by Yaupon and an unnamed weanling filly by Ocala Stud’s Roadster. n
A Redeeming Romp by Florida-bred Mensa in Victoria
Sixth in the $247,000 Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs in his previous race, Resolute Racing’s Mensa redeemed himself with authority by taking the US$93,146 Victoria by six-and-ahalf lengths at Woodbine July 19. Originally scheduled for July 14 when Woodbine officials cancelled racing due to weather, the Victoria featured a field of six 2-year-olds going five-and-a-half furlongs on the synthetic main track.
Sent to the post as the 8-5 second choice behind stablemate Into Diamonds at 6-5, Mensa broke swiftly from post two and went straight to the front. Jockey Patrick Husbands had Mensa a length-and-a-quarter in front of Shadow Factor in second with Sol de Verano a head farther back in third on the rail as they finished the first quarter mile in :22.80. Mensa increased his lead to two lengths around the turn and was nearly four lengths clear turning
Florida-bred Mensa | Photo by Michael Burns
for home. Into Diamonds moved into second on the outside of Shadow Factor in deep stretch but could not catch Mensa, who won with ease by seven-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:04.60.
Into Diamonds was second, a nose in front of third-place finisher Shadow Factor. Empower, Your Valentino and Sol de Verano completed the order of finish.
“He was doing really well in the morning, not fast, but trying to figure out if he had to be on the lead,” Husbands said. “And every time I worked him, he showed me that he has to be on the lead, you know. But he’s showed he’s a nice little horse.”
Mensa is owned by John Stewart, who runs in the name of Resolute Racing.
“He started pulling away and I was like, ‘This is awesome,’” Stewart said. “I know there are different tactics for different horses, but he ran a great race. He really did it easy. We’re seeing some good things out of him. We’re really excited for what is next in store.”
Mensa paid $5.30 to win.
Mensa is a dark bay or brown ridgling by Complexity out of Lady Halite, by Medaglia d’Oro and was bred in Florida by Beth Bayer. He is a half-brother to multiple stakes-winning Florida-
bred Recruiter and stakes-placed Florida-bred Miss Sayley. Lady Halite was bred to Nashville in 2023.
Bayer consigned Mensa to the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale where D. J. Stable purchased him for $135,000.
Trained by Mark Casse, Mensa was authoritative in his first career start, winning by three lengths against special weight maidens going four-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream Park on April 12. He then sold to Resolute Racing for $740,000 out of a Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale on April 29 but remained in the Casse barn. Mensa disappointed in his next start in the five-furlong Kentucky Juvenile on May 2.
Mensa has now earned $102,007 in his three starts.
He is the 17th Florida-bred winner of the Victoria joining Big Drink of Water in 2018, Conquest Whiplash (2013), Madam Diaries (2010), Olredlgetcha (2009), Southern Exchange (2008), Flameco (2004), El Ruller (2002), Expected Ruler (2001), Erlton (1998), Torgan (1997), Gomtuu (1995), Dances With Fire (1992), Honey’s Answer (1984), Solo Guy (1980), Ring Francis (1966) and Bright Objects (1964). n
Continued on next page
Top Shelf Equine, LLC
P. O. Box 21754, Hot Springs, AR 71903
Office: 501-617-1658 • 502-548-7245
Larry@topshelfequine.net www.topshelfequine.net
“I feel that my barn takes every precaution to combat outbreaks of girth-itch and all other skin fungi. However, stress can trigger these outbreaks at any time...
When this happens if not prepared, most skin problems will spread through the barn from horse to horse. My barn stays prepared by keeping Fungi Fixx in the hands of every groom. Problems like scratches and girth itch and all other fungal issues are usually completely cleared up with only one or two applications of Fungi Fixx. This is really a great product.”
–– D. Wayne Lukas, Hall of Fame Trainer
“I’ve been training horses for many years and l’ve never found anything that works as well on cracked heels as Fungi Fixx.”
–– Richard Mandella, Hall of Fame Trainer
WHERE TO BUY
Ocala
• T.T. Distributors • Berrettini Feed Specialist
• Ocala Breeders Feed & Supply Dunnellon
• Dunnellon Feed & Farm Supply
Please call or email for case prices & vendor prices
Laurel Stakes Double For Stonehedge and Cajun Breeze After Dean Delivers Takes De
Francis
Florida-bred Dean Delivers had to repel longshot Five Dreams several times to win the $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park on July 28 and provide a big day for owner and breeder Marilyn Campbell’s Stonehedge LLC and stallion Cajun Breeze. Dean Delivers was the second Laurel Park stakes winner of the day for Stonehedge and Cajun Breeze after Sunny Breeze won the $99,000 Concern earlier on the card.
Dean Delivers and jockey Jaime Rodriguez went right to the front from the oustside post in the six-furlong De Francis Dash as Five Dreams and Sibelius chased from a length-and-a-half back. Five Dreams and jockey J. Torrealba challenged heading into the far turn after a :22.22 quarter mile but Dean Delivers resisted. Five Dreams came again with a quarter mile to the finish but Dean Delivers again pulled away as they straightened up for the run down the lane.
Dean Delivers took a length advantage into deep stretch when
OBITUARY
Carl Bowling
Carl Bowling passed away July 26, 2024, resulting from a motorcycle accident near Hiawassee, Ga., where he enjoyed his summers with his family in the North Georgia mountains. Carl was 84 years young, born in 1940 in Black Mountain, N.C. He was one of two boys and five girls.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joan; as well as his five adult children: Tony and his wife Dawn; Tammi, Mark, Keith, and Delaney. He was blessed with 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Carl’s love for God and sharing the blessings God has given him was his greatest passion. He was quick to tell others of God’s blessings in his life including saving his life after crashing his private plane six years ago.
Carl started in the racehorse business in 1972 when he and his family raced Quarter Horses. His Straightaway Farm and was remarkably successful on the Quarter Horse circuit with notable horses such as Passum Flight, Wranglerette, Go
Dicks Girl and many others. In 1977, Carl started the transition into Thoroughbred racing. Straightaway Farm became known extensively through his success with horses such as City Zip, Western Pride, She Says It Best and many others. He was a great horseman with a vision as well as a businessman with integrity and foresight. Carl was one of the pioneers in the pinhooking of yearlings to 2-year-olds at his farm in Ocala, Fla.
Carl was a respected horseman, known for his knowledge of horses, his foresight promoting the racing industry and his ability to choose top racing prospects. Even more than those accomplishments, Carl was always ready and willing to help others succeed in this tough industry. He was always there to help anyone that asked and enjoyed sharing his knowledge and passion of the industry. As one of the first to provide knowledge to Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company at its inception, Carl has also served on the board of directors there for many years. He retired from the board after giving up the training but was still partners with other horsemen, benefiting all involved. Carl was an icon in the industry and will be greatly missed by many.
The family requests that donations go to Ocala Farm Ministry, 489 NW 110th Ave. Ocala Fla. 34482 or www.ocalafarmministry. org in Carl’s memory. n
Carl Bowling | Family Photo
Florida-bred Dean Delivers | Photo by Jim McCue
Five Dreams made one more run nearing the finish, only to come up a half-length short in second. Dean Delivers won in 1:10.10 on the fast track. Gordian Knot was another length-and-a-quarter farther back in third followed by Prince of Jericho, Little Vic, Sibelius and Seven’s Eleven.
Dean Delivers paid $4.80 to win as the 7-5 favorite.
After starting the year with two unsuccessful efforts in the $129,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint on Feb. 24 and in the NYRA Bets Sprint against fellow Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs on March 24, Dean Delivers was sent Northeast to trainer Edward T. Allard.
Dean Delivers promptly won the $104,000 Mr. Prospector by eight lengths over a sloppy six furlongs at Monmouth Park on May 27 and the $125,000 Alopacas Run by two-and-a-half lengths at Delaware Park on July 8.
“I think the Mid-Atlantic weather has helped. He’s really blossomed up here. He’s put on some weight, he looks great, he
OBITUARY
Milton S. Hendry
Long-time Florida horseman Milton S. Hendry passed away in Crystal River, Fla., on Thursday, June 27. He was 82.
The native of Bay Springs, Ms., loved horses all his life and first became professionally involved with show horses, reining horses and barrel racing.
He later started race riding at unsanctioned meets in the South and Midwest before receiving his jockey license to ride Quarter Horses in Louisiana in 1972. Before retiring from riding in 1986, he was a leading Quarter Horse jockey at Commonwealth Race Course in Louisville, Ky., and Pompano Park Race Course in Pompano, Fla.
feels great and he’s running great,” Allard said. “The only flaw today, I was hoping there would be a little speed that we could run at and there wasn’t, so he had to kind of go wire to wire. And that made me a little nervous.”
Dean Delivers is out of Slick and True, by Yes It’s True and he now has eight wins, eight seconds and two thirds in 24 starts with earnings of $727,660.
Slick and True has five winners from seven starters with Dean Delivers as her only stakes winner. She has an unraced 2-yearold filly, J J’s True Bet, by Gentlemen’s Bet and was bred to both Lone Sailor and Strike Power in 2023. Slick and True is a thirdgeneration mare from the Stonehedge LLC breeding program. Slick and True is out of the Florida-bred stakes-winning mare Slick Lady, who was bred by the late Gil Campbell. Campbell purchased Dean Delivers’ third dam, Beaty Sark, for $40,000 at the 1987 Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale. n
Continued on next page
Hendry started training for Alec & Louise Courtelis’ Town & County Farm in Mcintosh, Fla.
In November of 1988, he started working for Fred W. Hooper, where in his 12 years of service, he broke and trained some of the best Thoroughbreds including Diplomatic Jet and Roman Envoy.
After a brief stint working for John Franks at his Franks Farm in Ocala, Fla., he worked at Arthur Appleton’s Bridlewood Farm where he broke and trained the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes-winner Smarty Jones.
Hendry and his wife, Beth of 37 years, owned Westfield
Farm in Ocala, Fla., from 2000 through 2008, where they bred their mares and sold the foals as yearlings and 2-year-olds in training.
The couple bred and sold Don’t Get Mad, who finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby and Travers and won the Indiana Derby in 2005. Hendry retired from Bridlewood Farm in 2012 to help his son, Lane, start Hendry Training.
He enjoyed travelling the United States in his motorhome visiting his favorite locations Yellowstone National Park, Niagara Falls and Redwood National and State Parks in California. He loved spending time with his family and tremendously enjoyed being a part of his grandchildren’s activities.
Hendry is survived by his wife Beth and children Katrina (Craig) Patterson, Lynn Hendry, Lane (Shantel) Hendry, Casey (Ashley) Hendry, Byron (Jennifer) Saucer; and grandchildren Ben Myers, Madi Garcia, Cassidy Stone, Tucker Hendry, Grant Saucer, Easton Hendry, Harper Saucer, Atleigh Hendry, Guy Hendry and Magnolia Hendry.
A celebration of life service was held at Gulf to Lake Church in Crystal River, Fla., on Friday, July 26. Contributions in memory of Milton can be made to Gulf to Lake Church, 1454 N. Gulf Ave, Crystal River, Fla. 34429. n
Milton S. Hendry
Sunny Breeze Remains Unbeaten With Concern Stakes Victory
THE ART OF REMI
Stonehedge LLC homebred Sunny Breeze kept his threerace record unblemished with a tenacious score in the $99,000 Concern at Laurel Park on July 28. Defeating five other 3-yearolds going seven furlongs, Florida-bred Sunny Breeze won his stakes debut under regular rider Jaime Rodriguez.
Sunny Breeze started quickly from post three but was quickly passed on his outside by 5-2 favorite El Capi. El Capi sprinted to a four-length lead on Sunny Breeze in second for the run down the backstretch and finished the first quarter-mile in :23.29. Sunny Breeze and Celtic Contender circled El Capi in the turn where Celtic Contender momentarily took a three-quarterlength advantage past the quarter-mile marker.
Sunny Breeze fought back on the inside at the top of the lane. Those two raced heads apart until Sunny Breeze separated nearing the wire. Longshot Willy D’s came with a furious late run on the outside to finish second, a head short of Sunny Breeze in a time of 1:24.30 on the fast track. Celtic Contender was third, followed by Play Harder. El Capi did not finish and Barksdale was scratched.
Sunny Breeze paid $12.60 to win.. TFH
Florida-bred Sunny Breeze | Photo by Jim McCue
Riding Tall in
Florida-bred Arthur’s Ride Wires the $1 Million Whitney
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Arthur’s Ride and jockey Junior Alvarado went right to the front from the start and never looked back in winning the $1 million Whitney (Grade 1) in wire-to-wire fashion at Saratoga Race Course on July 3. In defeating nine other older horses in his stakes debut, Arthur’s Ride became the first Floridabred since Sultry Song in 1992 to take the nine-furlong Whitney.
The victory included an automatic berth into the Grade 1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar as part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series and gave Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first triumph in the Whitney.
“It is a very important race. It is a Grade 1 and probably one of the top two or three races that they run in Saratoga. I am really glad for the [owners] Glassmans,” Mott said. “I must say everybody has done a great job with this horse. He was on a long layup last year. Barry Eisaman had him at his farm and he did a tremendous job getting him back to us in good shape. I guess there was a time when they are on the farm laid up, you never know if you’re going to see them again. I got to say, Barry did a good job with him.”
Arthur’s Ride broke sharp from post nine in the field of 10, sprinting to the front with Oaklawn Handicap (G2)-winner Skippylongstocking and jockey Jose Ortiz to his inside. Those two went into the clubhouse turn in tandem followed by odds-on favorite National Treasure on the rail and Grade 2 Alysheba-winner First Mission in fourth on the outside as they finished the first quarter mile in :23.26. Arthur’s Ride put a length on Skippylongstocking down the backstretch with National Treasure and First Mission in pursuit behind him from another length back. Arthur’s Ride stretched his lead as they continued in that order around the far turn and finished six furlongs in 1:10.28.
Alvarado gave Arthur’s Ride his cue at the top of the stretch, putting more distance on Skippylongstocking in second as National Treasure dropped back and Post Time improved to third on the rail.
Arthur’s Ride was five lengths clear past the sixteenth pole before Crupi came on late to get within two-and-a-quarter lengths under the wire and finish second. The final time on the muddy and sealed main track was 1:48.54.
Post Time was another neck back in third followed by Disarm, Skippylongstocking, National Treasure, First Mission, Bridght Future, Warrior Johny and Charge it. Il Miracolo and Tumbarumba were scratched.
Arthur’s Ride was sent to the post as the 6-1 second choice and paid $15.80 to win.
Arthur’s Ride caught the attention of many in his last race when he crushed a second condition,
Continued on page 22
Photo by
the Whitney
$62,500 optional claiming field going 10 furlongs at Saratoga on June 7. The 12 ¾-length margin was notable but the 111 Beyer Speed Figure was second this year in North America going farther than a mile on dirt according to Daily Racing Form–second to his 111 Beyer number in June.
Arthur’s Ride finished second in his first two starts against special weight maidens at Gulfstream Park in 2023 then was given five months off. He returned to Gulfstream in February and broke his maiden in his first race back then destroyed a first level, $25,000 optional claiming race by seven-and-a-half lengths going a mile at Gulfstream on March 16. His lone poor effort came at Churchill Downs on May 3 with a ninth-place performance in a second condition, $80,000 optional claiming over a sloppy mile.
The off going at Saratoga Saturday was no deterrent for Arthur’s Ride as he won for the fourth time in seven career starts with two seconds. The $550,000 payday increased his lifetime bankroll to $764,955 for owner Karl and Cathi Glassman, who race under the Glassman Racing banner.
The Whitney also provided an emotional moment for Karl Glassman, who named Arthur’s Ride for his late father.
“This horse is named after my dad. He passed a year-and-ahalf ago and he knew before he passed away that I named the
horse after him and he said, ‘you didn’t have to do that.’ I said, ‘Dad, I really did. You had a great ride.’ And he looked at me and said, ‘I have.’ He was 91 and had a great life,” Glassman said.
“To share that with my sister and my siblings, to watch it and my dad watching it [from above]—it doesn’t get better than that,” Glassman added. “To be part of Bill Mott winning his first Whitney—my goodness, we’ll wake up but I don’t know when. I almost hope we don’t.”
Bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon and Tapit Syndicate, Arthur’s Ride is by Tapit out of the graded stakeswinning mare Points of Grace, by Point Given. Points of Grace was the 2009 champion grass mare in Canada with victories in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly and River Memories, both at Woodbine. Points of Grace has also produced Florida-bred Victory to Victory, a graded stakes winner and 2016 Canadian champion 2-year-old filly by Exchange Rate. Points of Grace has six winners from six starters and seven foals with two graded stakes winners. She was bred to Verifying in 2024.
Arthur’s Ride is the eighth Florida-bred winner of the Whitney. In addition to Sultry Song, Florida-bred Whitney winners include Carry Back (1962), Dr. Fager (1968), Tri Jet (1974), Dancing Gun (1976), Nearly On Time (1977) and Island Whirl (1983). TFH
Photo by Dom Napolitano
2025 STALLION REGISTER ADVERTISING CONTRACT
Complete all information (one contract per stallion and return to The Florida Horse at: 801 S.W. 60th Avenue, Ocala, FL
Ph. (352) 732-8858 / Fax: (352)
COLOR SINGLE PAGE FORMAT
with five-cross pedigree, 2 3/4 x 3 3/4-inch color photo, complete statistical and ownership information. u Prepayment Rate - $1,150 u Regular Rate - $1,200
PHOTOGRAPHS:
Reuse photo from 2024 Stallion Register New photos will be supplied • $50.00 Production/photography charges may apply; photo(s) must be received by Oct. 31, 2024
FOALS OF RACING AGE: Check Only One 2025 is first Year at Stud First Foals arrive 2025 First Foals are yearlings of 2025 First Foals are 2 year-olds of 2025
Stallion Launchpad
BY GLENYE CAIN OAKFORD
When the young Florida sire Girvin left Ocala Stud and headed north to Kentucky for the 2023 breeding season, his relocation provided yet more evidence of the Sunshine State’s strong position as a launchpad for stallion breeding careers. With this year’s total Florida breeder and stallion awards increasing 52% to more than $8 million—including stallion awards at 20% of gross
“
It’s going to be much easier for someone to say, I’m going to consider investing a little more money in a stallion and stand him in Florida,’ because the economics are there to support the model. ”
–
Ekati colt to victory in the Risen Star (G2) and Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), the Gradys knew they had a valuable stallion prospect on their hands—and standing stallions wasn’t something they had done before. Guided by agent Jacob West, they entered a partnership with the O’Farrell family’s Ocala Stud and Kentucky’s Airdrie Stud, launching their horse’s career at the Ocala property in the hopes that his career trajectory might follow that of Kantharos.
George Isaacs
purse for Florida black-type stakes winners, up to $20,000 per race—Florida Thoroughbred industry leaders say there’s even more for both mare and stallion owners to love about the state. That likely means that the market spot—and the state’s good broodmare population—that Girvin left will quickly be filled by attractive new stallion prospects.
The road to success for a first-year stallion can be as much of a gamble as any in the Thoroughbred business. But Florida’s past-performance line for fine young sires who went on to success in the Bluegrass State is flecked with stars like Mr. Prospector, Fappiano, and Kris S., who were followed by such popular stalwarts as Stormy Atlantic, Successful Appeal, Northern Afleet, Saint Ballado, and more recently, Kantharos.
That pipeline has prompted Kentucky farms to keep a close eye on Florida—and cultivate it—as a proving ground. When Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet moved Kantharos in 2016 from Ocala Stud to Hill ’n’ Dale Farms (where he ranked 11th nationally last year by progeny earnings), Stonestreet advisor John Moynihan put it succinctly, telling Daily Racing Form, “Florida is an excellent place to stand a young horse and get him off the ground.”
When Girvin started making headlines in 2017 on the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) trail, owners Brad and Misty Grady realized they were headed into uncharted waters as Thoroughbred owners. As they cheered their Tale of
Brad Grady recalls that West and Airdrie Stud President Bret Jones proposed Florida for Girvin’s stud debut, noting that the athletic Grade 1-winning millionaire would have market appeal there, in addition to having strong mare support from Ocala Stud, Airdrie and the Gradys themselves, who had committed to buying breeding stock for the purpose.
“They presented it to me, and it makes sense, right?” Grady recalled. “It’s easy to look back now and say, ‘Wow, the bottom
Reinagel
Kantharos
Photo by Louise
accounted for and David [O’Farrell] was confident in the market in Florida where we could give him a fair shake. You know, looking back, it turned out to be a brilliant play.”
In 2023, Girvin cracked the top 10 on the national second-crop sire list, ranking seventh in the U.S. with more than $4.5 million in progeny earnings.
“Florida has been nothing but good to us in the horse business,” Grady added. “Florida was the catalyst for Girvin. From his first crop, he had a Grade 1 winner [Faiza], he had Damon’s
position, because when he goes to Kentucky that just adds value to their product.
“I think Florida is a great place to start a horse,” he added. “If they’re not a slam dunk or a highly desired stallion prospect, I think it’s a really good option. Our breeders here in Florida are very resilient, they’re very hands-on and they make good decisions.”
Having sent Girvin to the Bluegrass, would Grady consider starting his next stallion prospect in Florida?
“Florida has been nothing but good to us in the horse business. Florida was the catalyst for Girvin. ”
– Brad Grady
Mound, he had Dorth Vader, the list goes on. Without Florida, that wouldn’t have happened; Damon’s Mound and Dorth Vader are both Florida-breds.”
“We sometimes have to think outside the box here in Florida,” Ocala Stud’s David O’Farrell said, noting that while Girvin was “a very good racehorse, a very good-looking horse who ran big races and won big races,” being a son of Tale of Ekati “maybe didn’t pique a lot of people’s interest in Kentucky. But we were eager to take a shot on a horse like that.”
With Girvin, Ocala Stud burnished Florida’s record of developing stallions with under-the-radar pedigrees into successful sires with market potential in Kentucky, something O’Farrell feels also benefits the Florida breeders who offer early support with their mares.
“We accept that, you know, it’s bittersweet when you lose a horse to Kentucky.
But at the end of the day, that’s kind of the goal if it proves that the horse has done his job and we’ve done our job,”
O’Farrell said. “And the breeders who did support the horse are going to be in a good
“Absolutely,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Why indeed, especially with the allure of Florida’s all-time high breeding incentives.
“That really should help the breeding industry,” said Brent Fernung, whose Journeyman Stud has stood leading Florida sire Khozan since 2016. “You’re getting a huge kick up in breeders’ awards from what they have been in the past 10 years. That should inspire a lot of confidence in Florida breeders, because it’s an ongoing committment from the state, so it’s going to be there for the foreseeable future.”
Those incentives include the higher cap of $20,000 on stallion awards this year, as well as more money for breeder awards, which now offer a combined 20% of gross purse for Florida-bred win, place, and show finishers in Florida races.
“It’s a win-win for the racetracks, it’s a win-win for owners of horses, and it’s a win-win for breeders,” FTBOA President and Bridlewood Farm General Manager George Isaacs said. “It was a 52% increase in breeders’ and stallion awards and a 66% increase in racing incentives. All of us as horsemen know that it all trickles down from purses at the racetrack: if you have strong purses, it provides the trickle-down economics for everything to work properly and allows you to make enough money to stay in the game.”
Isaacs points to a strong broodmare base and nationally prominent auction house in the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company as key to supporting a new stallion in Florida. But there are other obvious advantages, too.
“We have really good horsemen down here, and we have all the bells and whistles—top veterinary care and clinics, all the resources you need,” O’Farrell said. “And the weather and the landscape play a vital role, too. Our climate is so horse-friendly, especially in the winter months and early spring when foals are born. I think we just raise a really good horse here in Florida.”
Now Isaacs hopes the new breeding and racing incentives package will strengthen another Florida asset that, while perhaps less obvious to a casual observer, is alluring to canny owners of young stallion prospects: a community of nationally respected
Mr. Prospector
Photo by Louise Reinagel
Florida farms that have established relationships with Kentucky’s breeding industry. That kind of network can help a young horse like Girvin get off the mark quickly with his early foals and runners, as O’Farrell noted.
“I think it builds confidence with our breeders here locally,” O’Farrell said. “It certainly helps get the stallion off to a good start. We’ve been very fortunate and blessed to have the support of some big owners that are willing to try our program and start a horse out here in Florida.”
“I think Florida is a great place to start a [stallion], Our breeders here in Florida are very resilient, they’re very hands-on and they make good decisions. ”
– David O’Farrell
“I hope we’ll see even more of that now that we have this stronger awards program back in place,” FTBOA President Isaacs noted. “It’s going to be much easier for someone to say, ‘I’m going
potentially rise through the ranks in Florida and maybe even stamp his ticket to go to Kentucky,” he added, recalling how Bridlewood’s Stormy Atlantic—managed by Isaacs for Bridlewood’s founder, the late Arthur Appleton—took that trip in 2003.
“A lot of people know that for a long time Florida has been a launching pad for making successful stallions that sometimes are important enough and breed-shaping enough to be able to get the opportunity to move to Kentucky,” Isaacs said. “It’s okay with us to stand stallions here and try to make them important and valuable enough to potentially sell them for considerable amounts of money that can make owning and running a farm more lucrative.”
But the prospects are also brighter for a young Florida stallion to follow in Khozan’s footsteps and have a long and profitable stud career without leaving the Sunshine State.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a top stallion in Florida, because the breeders’ awards are there for people who are actually owning and racing the progeny, the stallion awards let you receive some nice checks, and you have the Florida Sire Stakes series,” Isaacs said. “All of that works in concert. If you can monetize in a pretty significant way in a regional market like that, it can be very lucrative.”
Back at Journeyman Stud, where Khozan looks set to clinch his fifth title as Florida’s leading sire by earnings, owner Brent Fernung has been seeing positive signs in the state’s stallion market following the new incentive package’s approval.
“This year, it seemed to me that people were bringing better prospects into town on some of these other farms, and I can’t help but believe maybe people are looking at that program and saying, ‘You know what, if I’m trying to choose between here and New York, I think I can do about as good here as I can in New York, and I don’t have to dig my way out of a snow bank.”
And if some of those new entrants into Florida’s stallion market ultimately relocate to Kentucky, that just proves Florida’s worth as a proving ground.
“It’s like the Tampa Bay Rays,” Fernung said. “They sell off their good players and they go find new ones and remain competitive. That’s what Florida does.”
Girvin
Photo by Serita Hult
Florida-Bred
Photo by Adam Coglianese
Determined in Winning Honorable Miss
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Miller Racing LLC’s Spirit Wind won her second straight stakes with a front-running victory in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga Race Course on July 24. The 5-year-old Floridabred daughter of Double Diamond Farm stallion Bahamian Squall won her second career graded stakes while defeating four other fillies and mares going six furlongs in the $194,000 Honorable Miss.
Ridden from post four by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Spirit Wind broke sharply to take the early lead from fellow Florida-bred Munnys Gold to her outside for the run down the backstretch. Spirit Wind put a length-and-a-half on Clearly Unhinged and Munnys Gold together in second through a quarter mile in :22.22, maintaining that advantage into the turn. Munnys Gold and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. applied pressure around the bend and were nearly on even terms passing the quarter-mile marker with Clearly Unhinged just behind them in third at the top of the stretch.
Clearly Unhinged challenged again between horses as Munnys Gold remained in contention on the outside before Spirit Wind shook off those foes inside the sixteenth pole. Accede came with a late flourish on the outside but was unable to catch Spirit Wind, who crossed under the wire three-quarters of a length in front in 1:10.36 on the fast track. Accede was second, a half-length faster than Clearly Unhinged in third. Munnys Gold was fourth with Sterling Silver fifth and last. Everyoneloveslinda, Freedom Speaks and Hot Fudge were scratched.
“You know I was warming her up and she was just oozing confidence,” Smith said. “I said, ‘I ain’t going to keep her off the lead today!’ Sure enough that’s all it was, I just kept the weight on her back. [Trainer] Saffie [Joseph Jr.] and his crew did a tremendous job and I just made sure she kept on running.”
Smith explained that a full-cup blinker that covers the right eye of Spirit Wind puts an emphasis on communication between horse and rider.
“She didn’t [see Accede] but I did, that’s why I reached back and gave her a few little love reminders letting her know, ‘hey, they are out there. I know you can’t see them but they are there,’” Smith explained. “She knows that when you do that that they are probably there, so she responded. Really beat them probably even easier than what it even looked.”
Spirit Wind paid $12 to win at 5-1 odds, the second-longest price in the field.
Spirit Wind came out of a victory in the $100,000 Memorial
Day Sprint against fillies and mares at Lone Star Park on May 27 after finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff won by Vahva at Churchill Downs on May 4.
“It was a big performance. Six furlongs, I think she’s as good as any,” Joseph said. “Unfortunately, most of the races are sevenfurlongs for the fillies, so that’s kind of unfortunate for her. Today, she made the lead pretty easy. She was able to hang on and get a big win on her resume.”
Purchased privately by Miller Racing LLC after winning the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl at Gulfstream Park in December, Spirit Wind debuted for her new owners with a third to winner Red Carpet Ready in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie at Gulfstream on March 9.
Spirit Wind is out of Sacred Psalm, by Awesome of Course and was bred in Florida by Jacks or Better Farm Inc. She has now won seven of 12 career starts with two seconds and a third. Sacred Psalm has eight winners from nine starters of 12 foals including stakes-placed runners Silent Prayer, by Brooks ‘n Down; and Guardian Angel, by Jess’s Dream. She has an unraced 2-year-old colt, Lead Pipe Joe, by Brooks ‘n Down; and an unnamed yearling colt by Vino Rosso. She was bred to Army Mule in 2023.
Spirit Wind is a fourth-generation product of the longtime Florida breeding program of the late Fred Brei and his Jacks or Better Farm Inc. Jacks or Better purchased her third dam, the Honey Jay mare Nifty Fifty, for $170,000 at the 1997 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. TFH
Florida-bred Spirit Wind & Mike Smith | Photo by Susie Raisher
Legends of the Sport
“It’s important for young women to have a role model in every walk of life.”*
–Sally Ride
*condensed quote
Trailblazing women in the Florida Thoroughbred industry have been setting milestones and quietly becoming power players in the game. Their efforts and accomplishments have changed the trajectory of the sport forever. The Women Legends of the Sport features these history-making breeders, trainers and executives in Florida.
EXECUTIVES
BY GARY WEST
In November of 1986, Tampa Bay Downs was auctioned off to settle a dispute between its owners.
“I’m not a very good partner,” Stella Thayer says about the partnership that dissolved with the auction. Her words flow easily before giving way to a faint smile. It’s a knowing smile, the sort of smile that expresses appreciation for salt water taffy and irony. Smartly and distinctly dressed, she wears a matching blue blazer and skirt, with a silk blouse and a woven gold necklace. People at the track can all readily spot her, pick her out of the crowd, and at least two concession workers refer to her with respectful congeniality as “Ms. Stella.” She’ll watch a few races, stop by the box-seat area to chat with a trainer and his wife and to ask about their children. The irony stretches: It’s impossible to imagine her not being a good partner.
But her partner back there in the 1980s was George Steinbrenner, the mercurial owner of the New York Yankees. As president of the racetrack, Thayer had the final word on management decisions, but Steinbrenner, whose nickname was “The Boss,” wasn’t very receptive to any word, final or otherwise, that didn’t originate from within. Their partnership had a rather bumpy six-year ride. When Thayer fired the racetrack’s general manager without Steinbrenner’s approval, they ended up in court, even though the move was ratified by the board of directors.
Thayer must have been quite comfortable there, in court. Having earned her JD degree from Columbia, she had practiced law for years. But this dispute needed to be settled, this imbroglio allayed, for the good of racing generally and Florida racing particularly. And so at an auction that attracted several interested parties initially, but finally came down to two, according to a contemporary account in the Orlando Sentinel, Thayer and her brother, Howell Ferguson, bought out Steinbrenner in a cash deal, bidding $16.5 million for the racetrack.
And that, as the poet says, has made all the difference.
Shortly after the auction, Thayer named Lorraine King to lead her management team. A former horse owner, King started at the track when it was known as Florida Downs, in 1970, and worked her way up from office manager to controller to general manager. Her promotion marked the first time that a major racetrack was
owned by one woman and managed by another.
? @
Valerie Dailey is the kind of person who, once she has decided to get wet, jumps into the deep end of the pool. About 15 or so years ago, before Lonny Powell arrived as CEO, Dailey decided to plunge into the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
“What can I do to get on the board?” she asked a prominent member of the FTBOA’s board of directors.
“You’ll never get on the board,” he told her, as Dailey recalls the conversation.
“Why?” she asked, no doubt surprised by the certainty of his prediction and by the inflexibility of “never.”
“You’re a small breeder and nobody knows who you are,” he said, and then added, as if tossing away a used Kleenex tissue, “and you’re female. It’s not going to work.”
Not going to work? Well, at least he wasn’t totally oblivious: He noticed she was female. Dailey was more surprised than she was discouraged by her run-in with benightedness. As it turned out, “never” wasn’t a very long time, and everybody associated with Florida’s Thoroughbred industry soon knew who Dailey was. Elected to the board in 2019, she became the first female president of the FTBOA in 2021-2022.
“I certainly felt welcome on the board and didn’t encounter any kind of gender bias,” Dailey says, and then, downplaying her unprecedented election as president, she adds, “It was a wonderful opportunity, and it’s great to open the door so others might enter.”
And so Dailey and Thayer are two more pillars that support horse racing in Florida, two more reasons that the state leads the way in a trend that soon could become one of the sport’s most alluring virtues: female participation. Jena Antonucci, the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race, and Kathleen O’Connell, the all-time leading female trainer, are both based in Florida. Marilyn Campbell at Stonehedge Farm and Charlotte Weber at Live Oak Stud/Plantation are two of the top owner-breeders in the state. Along with Thayer and Dailey, they’re all pillars, strong and steadfast supports for racing.
Valerie Dailey
First Woman President of the FTBOA
Horses are the warp in the fabric of Valerie Dailey’s professional life. That is to say horses are the constant, like the fixed, vertical threads on a loom, or frame. The horizontal threads, which are known as the weft, are drawn over and under the warp, which remains stationary. Information technology, academia, real estate — they’re the moving and shifting threads that make up the weft in Dailey’s biographical fabric. But the horses are always there, from the very start.
While growing up in Sarasota, Dailey was actively involved with 4-H and horse shows. In that, she says, she always has “had a hand.” While getting her degree in economics at the University of Florida and then her master’s degree in agricultural operations management, she was active in 4-H, teaching classes and even judging horse shows.
“I kept that in the background,” she says. “I had to make a living and I had a real job.”
Real jobs of significance, in fact. She was Director of Information Technology for the College of Agriculture at the University of Florida and then had a similar position at the Health Science Center before moving on to Cox Communications, a company known for providing high-speed internet. But the horses were still there, in the background perhaps but ever present. And she was eager to bring them to the forefront.
According to her recollection of a conversation that took place more than 30 years ago, Hugh Dailey, a banker who would soon be her husband, had a suggestion for bringing horses more prominently into their lives. As she recalls, he came up with a terrific idea: He said, “If you really
want to be involved in the horse industry, you need to be in the Thoroughbred business.”
But she needed some help with that: She didn’t know anybody very well who worked in the Thoroughbred business. And so Hugh introduced her to Barbara and Francis Vanlangendonck, whose Summerfield Sales Agency was quickly becoming one of the leading consignors in the country.
Dailey and Barbara Vanlangendonck formed a partnership, bought a couple broodmares, and started breeding horses. It happened that quickly, and the warp became more vivid. Of course, she was still involved in information technology, which was very exciting and interesting—until it wasn’t, and then she introduced another thread into the weave, real
About 20 years ago, Dailey became a realtor; eight years later she became the owner of Showcase Properties of Central Florida, and throughout this circuitous weave, yes, horses remained the constant. Knowing the horse industry, its landscape and movers and shakers, augmented her real estate business. And so it should come as no surprise that she has been involved in some of the biggest real estate sales in the Marion County area—the late Arthur Appleton’s Bridlewood Farm in Ocala and, co-listed with Joan Pletcher, Satish Sanan’s Padua Farm in Summerfield. Many of the agents with Showcase also have ties to the horse
industry, including two veterinarians.
Dailey’s breeding operation peaked with about 20 horses, plenty for a small farm. And these days, she explains, she finds more joy in keeping one or two horses to race—“That’s super fun.” Most of all, though, she says she finds immense satisfaction just in being connected in a significant and meaningful way with the Thoroughbred industry.
“I love it,” she says. “I support it, and I’m very proud to be part of the FTBOA…. Sometimes I like to take people through the barn and show them the horses. Anytime you walk by a Thoroughbred, he’ll have his head out of the stall and look happy. He’ll look like he’s enjoying what he’s doing.”
Before becoming the first female president of the FTBOA, she served on the board and was chair of the Charity Committee, which, according to board member and past president Brent Fernung, she “turned around.” And as president, according to multiple observers, Dailey worked conscientiously to be inclusive.
Florida Board of Realtors; president of the Ocala and Marion County Association of Realtors; director on the board of the State of Florida 4-H Foundation; member of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership. And still the warp becomes increasingly vivid,
“We have rallied several breeders and owners and got them
to participate along with our lobbyists,” Dailey says about her work with the FTBOA board and as president of the association.
“She did a great job as president,” Fernung says. “She’s very smart, and she grasps all the issues quite readily.”
“She knows how this business works,” explains Francis Vanlangendonck, who’s also on the board and can recall how Dailey would tirelessly research pedigrees and apply “a good eye” before buying a prospect. “I think she was a great president.”
Over the years for Dailey, the accolades and honors have piled up, like the responsibilities: Realtor of the Year; member of the Marion County Value Adjustment Board; president of the
“A couple of years ago, we went to the legislature and talked about what the industry means not just to us but to the many people who support the industry in various ways. And so you rally people together, and the message gets out…. I think it’s all about the relationships you create and the hard work that’s put into letting people know about the horse industry… and all the ancillary services that go along with it. If the Thoroughbred industry fails, many people and many businesses will fail, too.
I think we’ve done a good job helping people understand that.”
Continued on next page
T. Gantt Photo
Stella Thayer
First Woman Florida Racetrack Owner
As a child of 10 or maybe 11 years old, Stella Thayer enjoyed going to the races, specifically to Sunshine Park, as it was called then. Surely she didn’t know the place’s rich history — Matt Winn of Churchill Downs fame was one of the founding partners, Babe Ruth sometimes came out to the track and during World War II the U. S. Army used Sunshine Park as a training facility. Nor was she able to enter the racetrack; minors weren’t allowed. And so she and a friend would stand atop an automobile—hopefully one that belonged to their parents—to watch the races.
One of the first things Thayer did when she became president of the racetrack was lift the ban on minors and create a play area for kids. Unlike the Sunshine Park of her childhood, Tampa Bay Downs periodically hosts family days. That’s jumping a little ahead in the story, but only to make this point: Everything at Tampa Bay Downs, everything it is today and has become, from the trackside cabanas to the Silks Poker Room to the five graded stakes races to the acclaimed turf course and the Seabiscuit exhibit—everything derives from the woman who as a little girl many years ago stood on top of an automobile to watch the races.
Her father, Chester Ferguson, put together a group of Tampa’s sporting businessmen to buy the racetrack in 1965. It was an investment, but not a very good one, as it turned out; and in the late 1970s, Ferguson and his partners were willing, even eager, to sell the property.
“I just thought that would be crazy,” Thayer says. “Of course, by then I owned a racehorse. My father said we could stay [invested] in the racetrack, but only if we had a partner. And so George Steinbrenner came in. That was in 1980, and my father died in 1983.”
Expectations initially were hopeful if not quite high. Thayer’s father believed
Steinbrenner had “the cache and the knowledge” and the resources to make it all work. But “it didn’t work,” she recalls. And so the racetrack went up for auction.
“We were somewhat surprised we ended up with it,” Thayer says, referring to her brother, Howell, and the auction where they paid $16.5 million for the racetrack. (That would be $47,298,243, when adjusted for inflation, in today’s dollars.) “It was very risky. But I loved racing, and I always thought the area had promise. We thought we could make the racetrack better, and we thought it could do better. And it has, largely because I’ve had this wonderful team of people here with me for these many years. They love racing, they’re dedicated and they’re knowledgeable; and we try to do a little better each and every year.”
In an industry that hasn’t had many of them lately, Tampa Bay Downs is a genuine success story. Once upon a time that’s not too distant, it was a backwater racetrack off a two-lane road, forced outside the Tampa boundaries to the suburb of Oldsmar. It has become an attractive venue for some of the finest horses and horsemen in the country, not to mention for bettors.
“In 1980, when I really got more involved in the racetrack, I thought it was all very interesting,” Thayer says. “But I knew nothing about the business of horse racing. My father was not really thinking that his daughter the lawyer was going to get involved. I continued to practice law. I wrote all the checks—it was an all-cash business back then. And once simulcasting became popular, the business became much more complicated.”
Thayer welcomed kids, introduced Sunday racing and began full-card simulcasting. When Tampa Bay Downs began exporting its simulcast signal on Tuesdays, a
dark day for most racetracks, it attracted a much wider audience. People in New York who had never heard of the place were suddenly fans. And when Tampa Bay Downs installed its turf course in 1997, the track suddenly attracted more horsemen and better horses than ever.
“I think Mrs. Thayer saw that a turf course would be an attraction and would improve our racing,” says Margot Flynn, the longtime vice president of marketing. “I think that was the impetus for much of the growth…. And we’re all about the horse here, about making the track and the course as safe as possible and generally making things better for the horses and the horsemen.”
That approach has proven to be remarkably successful. No other racetrack in America of comparable size and with comparable purses has been able to present such a consistently high-quality racing product. Tampa Bay Downs has been host to a stunning number of major stakes winners such as Street Sense, Always Dreaming, Tepin, Carpe Diem, Tapit Trice, Tapwrit, Super Saver, Royal Delta and World Approval, host also to many of the most prominent trainers in the country, such as Todd Pletcher, Chad Brown, Bill Mott and Mark Casse.
“We have put the emphasis on racing,” Thayer says. “Everybody who works here really cares about horse racing and about trying to provide a good racing experience. We keep trying to polish the apple each year, do a little something different, make investments here and there to improve…. You have to have something for everybody: Some people like hot dogs, and some want crab cakes.”
for the horse imbues everything she does at the racetrack. Her love of the sport and her respect for its workers are why 90% of Tampa Bay Downs’ share of the money from the recently passed Florida HB7063 , or about $5 million, went to purses. Yes, that appreciation informs and permeates every decision, and it, along with her inherent graciousness, endears Thayer to virtually everyone at Tampa Bay Downs.
In its most recent season, purses increased 35% to $246,000 a day. Handle increased 2.4%, entries were up 10%, stall applications up 25%, field size up nearly 10%—all this despite 18 turf days lost to an uncommonly rainy season and a tote shutdown on Tampa Bay Derby day that cost the track an estimated $5 million in handle.
Peter Berube, the vice president and general manager who has been at Tampa Bay Downs for 29 years, said the purse supplements will continue next season and he expects the track to continue its progress going forward. Tampa Bay Downs is one of the sport’s
A member of The Jockey Club and former president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame herself in 2023, as a Pillar of the Turf, an designation “to honor individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing in a leadership or pioneering capacity at the highest level.”
“That was quite a shock, quite a surprise,” she says, and then, with a laugh, adds, “I know I wasn’t recognized because of the horses I’ve owned.” Wonderment is the only Group 1 winner she has ever had, she points out, and she has owned horses for about 50 years. But she has seven horses in training, three here and four in France, she says happily, proving that sport’s capacity for engendering hope is never-ending.
Thayer has been a horsewoman her entire life, riding at the age of five and standing atop cars to watch races at 10. Her appreciation
gems, and Thayer and her staff polish it with devotion.
The Hall of Fame only ratified what Florida has long known. Without Stella Thayer, would Tampa Bay Downs even been there, in Oldsmar, a retreat and haven and repository for racing’s quiet, but inspirational virtues? She’s indeed a pillar of racing.
But it might be more appropriate to compare Thayer and the other five women in this series — Antonucci, O’Connell, Weber, Campbell and Dailey — to the pillars sculpted by the ancient Greeks. Strong, dauntless pillars of support sculpted into the shape of women, they were called caryatids. Recognition of irreplaceable female support stretches all the way back to the ancient world, it seems, all the way back to the Erechtheion, the temple of Athena, at the Acropolis in Athens, which was constructed nearly 2,500 years ago. It was supported by six caryatids. TFH
T. Gantt Photo
LEADING MONEY EARNERS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2024 STAKES WINS BY STATE
40 40 under
Horse Farms Forever Executive
Director Sara Fennessy was recently recognized in Ocala Magazine’s ‘40 Under 40’. This is an excerpt from that issue. Printed with permission from Ocala Magazine.
Sara Fennessy
Age: 30
Kids: 0
Occupation: Executive Director for Horse Farms Forever
My grand goal in life: To be happy and live without regret. I strive to show up every single day with intention and empathy.
When not working, I: Am riding horses or enjoying the Rainbow River with my husband, family, and friends.
What I like most about living in Ocala: The horses, of course! I love Ocala’s open spaces and beautiful places! Horses are a way of life here in Marion County. I feel so lucky to work, live, and play in the Horse Capital of the World®.
My biggest pet peeve: People who don’t understand the importance of farmland preservation. Once it’s erased, it can never be replaced. But in all seriousness… negativity and self-righteousness.
One word that summarizes my philosophy of life: Perseverance
My greatest strength is: My ability to lead with compassion and determination, as well, as my ability to adapt in highly pressurized situations.
If you could have a superhuman power, it would be: To time travel.
Community cause nearest my heart: Farmland preservation and preservation of our Springs.
A guilty pleasure of mine: The tack store… and Red Bull.
People who know me say I am: Strong-willed and fun-loving.
Personal achievement for which I am most proud: Never giving up on my dreams, having a fulfilling career, and for dedicating my time to making a positive and lasting impact in the community.
Favorite part of my profession: Getting to do what I love every single day. I am truly and deeply passionate to my core about the mission and vision of Horse Farms Forever. Protecting and preserving this way of life for future generations means everything to me.
If there is one thing I indulge too much in: Horses and the barn.
Top three things on my bucket list: Gallop a racehorse on the track, to travel often, to see things from a different point of view and skydiving. TFH
Photo by Kate Wilson
2024 LEADING FLORIDA SIRES
The
2
2024 LEADING FLORIDA SIRES - SYNTHETIC
or
or
FLORIDA-BRED FINISHERS – STAKES RACES
FLORIDA-BRED FINISHERS – ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING
FLORIDA-BRED FINISHERS – ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING
FLORIDA-BRED FINISHERS – MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT
FLORIDA-BRED FINISHERS – MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT (cont’d)
ftboa.com/wire-to-wire-digital-subscription/
COADYPHOTO
EQUINE CARE
By Heather Smith Thomas
INFLUENZA IN HORSES
Viral Influenza is one of the most common infectious respiratory tract diseases in horses, not only in the U.S but also around the world. Young horses, age one to five, are generally most susceptible. Older horses may have some immunity if they encountered the virus in the past.
INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS
Thomas Chambers, PhD, Reference Laboratory for Equine
in the U.S. for a long time. By contrast, some countries have a very different pattern. India, for example has huge outbreaks--many thousands of horses--and afterward the disease disappears for 10 years or so. Then they have another huge outbreak, followed by another long period of quiet,” Chambers said.
“They don’t routinely vaccinate in India, so probably when they have a huge outbreak, just about every horse is exposed, and develops some immunity. This ‘herd immunity’ apparently stays in place for several years after. This seems to keep the lid on the disease for a period of time, even without vaccination.” Herd immunity eventually wears off and then there’s another big outbreak.
“Here in North America we have a few low-level outbreaks–nothing dramatic. It’s only been in the last eight years that vaccines have caught up with recommendations we made in 2010—that vaccines should contain both the Clade 1 and Clade 2 strains. Since the Florida Clade 2 strains circulate elsewhere (primarily in Europe) and because there is international horse traffic, we can’t expect that we only have to worry about Clade 1,”
“Dr. Nicola Pusterla at the University of California at Davis identified some imported horses that were infected with the Clade 2. Fortunately they were quarantined, and the disease was caught before these horses could start any outbreaks in the U.S. But at some point there will probably be re-introduction of Clade 2, so owners and practitioners should use vaccines with updated virus
PREVENTING INFLUENZA
Chambers suggests testing for the virus if you have a sick horse with fever, cough and nasal discharge (typical signs of respiratory disease). “Try to get the horse swabbed [to test] as soon as possible and get the swab sent to a diagnostic laboratory. Do it as soon as you notice that the horse is sick. The longer you put it off, the poorer the sample will become. A test for the virus won’t be as sensitive.”
It’s also important to keep good vaccination records—the date when each horse is vaccinated, and with what product. “We need the specific product, not just the name of the company. The big manufacturers today market various products, not just the equine flu vaccine, but maybe five different kinds of flu vaccine, in different combinations with other vaccines. One type may
be in combination with herpes, or tetanus, or Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), and some combinations with West Nile. So record not just the date and vaccine company, but also which specific product was used.”
Vaccine is just one tool, since disease prevention is more complex than simply vaccinating. Biosecurity is also crucial, to keep disease out of a farm.
“Some biosecurity procedures are simple, such as just washing your hands. It’s also helpful to quarantine new arrivals until you are sure they are not infected. Quarantine can be your first defense against introduction of disease. Other practices like not using the same grooming tools, water buckets, etc. with multiple horses, are also helpful. Viruses, especially influenza, transmit easily from horse to horse and it doesn’t have to be direct noseto-nose contact. The virus can be passed to another horse on grooming tools, or by someone using an endoscope on multiple horses without disinfecting it in between,” Chambers said.
It is easy to transmit disease, and also easy to kill this virus by disinfecting things between horses.
“Soap and water will kill the influenza virus, as will laundry detergent, bleach, Lysol, etc. It generally doesn’t last a long time in the environment but maybe lasts longer than we originally thought. We used to think it only lasts a few hours, but now we realize it may last a few days, or in some circumstances (shielded from heat and direct sunlight) it might last weeks,” he explains.
“Maybe 90% of it is dead within a few hours, but it could take much longer to kill that last 10%.” If a sick horse coughed into the hay or bedding, and another horse came along the next day or so and noses around in that hay or bedding, there might be risk.
Aliza Simeone, VMD (Director of Biosecurity and Assistant Professor of Clinical Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center) says this disease shows up more often in winter, just as it does in other species and in people.
“It is spread by infectious droplets. When sick horses cough, they cough out a lot of the virus and it can also travel in drops of mucus or saliva. It
can be transmitted directly to another equine or spread on hands that haven’t been washed, or clothing that’s been ‘snotted’ on by a horse,” she said.
“Simple steps like washing hands or using a good alcohol-based hand sanitizer between horses are effective. Avoid having to put your hands in horses’ mouths. I did some work at Thoroughbred tracks before starting my present job, and was happy to see how much more we are doing identification with microchips so we don’t need hands in mouths all the time to check tattoos,” she said.
“I recommend routine temperature-taking, especially for horses that move around a lot or are in heavy work, or stabled at racetracks or traveling to races. The more often we check temperature (usually once or twice a day is adequate) the sooner we know if something is going on. We may not know what it is, but the start of a fever can enable us to get that horse away from the others and keep a closer eye.”
Incubation period with influenza is short—just a few days—and a horse might be already shedding virus before showing signs or before it tests positive.
TREATMENT AND RECOVERY
Most horses recover with basic supportive care.
“If they have a high fever, your veterinarian may suggest medication to reduce fever and making sure they stay hydrated, and taking them out of work (full rest) to aid recovery,” Simeone said. “The trainer shouldn’t continue working that horse when it is sick, and for several weeks after,” she says. That kind of stress will slow their recovery and won’t benefit their training if they are having trouble breathing.
“There can be cases that are very mild, with just a day or two of extra nasal discharge. In some cases the horses don’t appear sick at all, or mild signs are overlooked, but these horses are still able to spread the virus,” Simeone said.
How long a horse might shed the virus depends on that horse’s own immunity.
“Some will shed for a shorter time than others, but to stay within the window of safety we generally give a recovered horse a two-week period before it comes in contact with other horses. The recovered horse may still be coughing even after it is no longer shedding the
EQUINE CARE
Continued from page
virus.” This is similar to a person who has recovered from a cold but is still coughing and may still have decreased lung capacity, but that person is no longer contagious.
RESEARCH
“We are always interested in improving vaccines,” Chambers said. “My lab has done work on various new technologies over the years. There isn’t anything right now that will totally replace conventional vaccines; they do work, if they are given on the proper schedule. If you keep horses regularly boosted, the conventional vaccines work, and are simple,” Chambers said.
“Practitioners like the fact that they can just give a shot in the neck, and horses are fairly used to getting shot in the neck. There are alternatives, and we’ve done a lot of work on some of those alternatives (such as intranasal vaccines) and in some respects we think they work better,” he says.
“Future vaccines may be different, however. In the human field there’s been a lot of work on what is called a universal vaccine (against the basic virus itself rather than the various strains). Within a few years we may be looking at a universal influenza vaccine. We need to make sure it is effective, however,” Chambers said.
“If it works, we would not need to worry about updating the
HISA Rules
2143. Racehorse Monitoring
virus strains. A universal vaccine induces the horse to make antibodies that will neutralize the virus— but not by attacking the specific strain. The virus has a defense of always changing, and the idea is to not go after those changes, but attack the virus itself. ” he says.
VACCINES
There are several types of vaccines available—inactivated (killed virus) products administered intramuscularly, the modified live virus intranasal vaccine, and the canary pox vector vaccine which is administered intramuscularly.
“I think an influenza virus vaccine administrated by the intranasal route should be very effective because it should mimic the immune response that the actual influenza infection stimulus,” says Chambers. “In particular it should give good local protection in the nasal mucosa which is the route of entry for infection.”
An intranasal vaccine has some advantages but other vaccine types have their own advantages. “The conventional vaccines work, if you keep horses regularly boosted,” he says. It is important to follow label directions regarding administration, boosters, and vaccination schedules. TFH
(a) All Covered Horses and Pony Horses entering the Racetrack grounds directly from any location or facility other than a Designated Equine Facility or licensed racing facility within the same state as the receiving Racetrack must have a current health certificate or other health documentation sufficient for importation to the United States and approved by the USDA-APHIS representatives. Required vaccinations shall be current and recorded in the Covered Horse’s or Pony Horse’s health record. These shall include:
(1) Certificate of veterinary inspection within the prior 5 days, or fewer days if high risk situations dictate;
(2) EEE/WEE, WNV, rabies, and tetanus vaccinations within the last 365 days;
(3) Influenza and Rhinopneumonitis vaccinations within the prior 180 days, or fewer days if high risk situations dictate; and
(4) Negative equine infectious anemia (Coggins) test within the last 365 days or in a shorter period of time if high risk situations dictate.
TAMMY A. GANTT
Associate Vice President Director of Membership Services & Events
FEC Contributing Editor & FTC Industry & Community Affairs
Introduce Me
As a current member of our industry, you are the best spokesperson to recruit new members, breeders, owners, and buyers of Thoroughbred racehorses. We encourage you to invite potential industry members to your farm, the sales, or bring them to our FTBOA member days at the races. We have resources that can connect with future industry members, including digital and printed products such as our Training Centers of Florida Guidebook, Syndicates in Florida Guidebook, Farm & Service Directory, Stallion Directory and our Wire to Wire Digital Racing Digest among others. You can request these items to take directly to an interested party, or I will be happy to mail resources or meet in person to share them.
I am available to call prospective future racehorse breeders, owners, buyers and investors in farm operations. Please call 352-291-2889 or e-mail tgantt@ftboa.com with the contact information of your prospect and I will follow up and share all the industry has to offer from world class racing opportunities and incentives, to top services and products designed to increase their success in the business, plus opportunities to go behind-the-scenes at the races at one of our events or at the sales.
American Horse Publications Honors FEC
FEC took home four AHP equine media awards including a first place in the equine-related single advertisement design category by Tammy Gantt, Nancy Moffatt, and the late John Filer. FEC earned second place for Silver Charm, a commercial in the ongoing series, Florida Thoroughbred History Moments created by Gantt and produced by Kaplan Media. FEC earned third place and an honorable mention for graphic design for two features created by Brock Sheridan and Moffatt.
Upcoming Events
Sept. 26 – The UF/IFAS Extension Marion County presents the Florida Equine Institute & Allied Trade Show from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. combining seminars with hands-on demonstrations from University of Florida equine science experts. The event includes a working trade show of equine businesses. Topics include equine nutrition, tools for the job, bits, saddles, pads, and equipment, pasture management, managing health issues for Florida horses, and break-out sessions. The event will be held at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 NE Jacksonville Road in Ocala. Tickets include refreshments, a BBQ lunch, and proceedings of the event. The cost is $35 payable via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/.
Oct. 4 – Florida Thoroughbred PAC will host a golf tournament supporting the Florida Thoroughbred industry at Stone Creek Golf Club in Ocala with an afternoon shotgun start. The event includes lunch, hole promotions, a silent auction, art show, dinner and sports celebrities. The auction features art and one-of-a-kind jockey signed 150th Derby edition Woodford Reserve bottles.
Oct. 25 – The FTBOA annual membership meeting will be held via Zoom at 10 a.m. Regular members of the Association will be sent a notification via e-mail to sign up for a viewing link.
Upcoming Deadlines
Nov. 15 – The Florida Sire Stakes deadline is for yearlings whose May 15 payment was not made, it is $500. Missing this yearling deadline means a $5,000 fee on January 15. Do not assume a horse you purchased in a sale or privately has had a payment made. Sales catalogs list horses who are FSS eligible at the time of the sale because the deadline had not passed yet, meaning a payment may still be due. Go to FTBOA.com/forms to check FSS status. The two-year-old payment deadline is Jan. 15. If missed, check for additional deadlines. TFH
JOHN D. FILER PHOTO
Tammy Gantt, Nancy Moffatt and AHP President Barrie Reightler
Photo by D. De Rosa
First-crop filly NOONI,
the $1.8 MILLION OBS MARCH SALE
topper and TDN RISING STAR, remained undefeated with an impressive front-running victory in the $150,000 SORRENTO S. (G3) at Del Mar in her highly anticipated graded stakes debut.
WATCH RACE
Owner: Zedan Racing Stables Trainer: Bob Baffert
On the same day, 2YO filly WIN N YOUR IN won the $95,000 SHARP SUSAN S. by 4 ¾ lengths at Gulfstream Park.
Hat Trick (JPN)-Miss Smarty Pants, by Smarty Jones