American Racehorse - Fall 2019

W W W. A ME RI CA NRA CEH ORSE. C OM FALL 2019

In this Issue:

F THE LEGEND OF SECRETARIAT LIVES ON F A TRUE FEEL-GOOD STORY FOR HORSE RACING F CELEBRATING THE MAJESTY OF MAJESTIC PRINCE F TRAINING PROBLEM HORSES

I A Division of Center Hills Farm

FLAT OUT

(Flatter-Cresta Lil, by Cresta Rider)

ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING NEW STALLIONS TO EVER COME TO OKLAHOMA! A superior and sound racehorse who earned more than $3.6 million with G1 wins including the Cigar Mile and Jockey Club Gold Cup (twice). His first three crops include 21 stakes horses and the earners of more than $8 million!

2020 FEE: $3,000

Nominated to the Breeders’ Cup

LIAISON

(Indian Charlie-Galloping Gal, by Victory Gallop) OKLAHOMA’S LEADING ACTIVE SIRE IN 2019!

A Grade 1 winner at 2 who in just three crops has sired nine stakes horses, including 7-time SW BRONX BEAUTY ($462,420) and $500K SW and Breeders’ Cup starter MOONLIGHT ROMANCE ($418,400).

DEN’S LEGACY

(Medaglia d’Oro-Sunshine Song, by War Chant) OKLAHOMA’S #1 STALLION

BY MARES BRED IN 2018!

Grade 3 winner by a top international sire.

Watch for his first 2yos this year!

2020 FEE: $2,500

2020 FEE: $2,000

Nominated to the Breeders’ Cup

All fees are stands and nurses All stallions are nominated to the Oklahoma Bred Program, Oklahoma Stallion Stakes, Iowa Stallion Stakes and Minnesota Stallion Stakes

Mighty Acres

675 W. 470 Rd. • Pryor, Oklahoma 74361 Phone: 918-825-4256 • Fax: 918-825-4255 • Randy Blair: 918-271-2266 www.mightyacres.com

For more information, please contact the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program.

Thoroughbred@hrc.in.gov • 317-234-2542

Knorpp Bloodstock Insurance Agency LC Do you have new foals or are you planning to buy 2-year-olds or yearlings at auction?

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THOROUGHBRED RACING ASSOCIATION OF OKLAHOMA ONE REMINGTON PLACE 405.427.8753

OKLAHOMA CITY 73111

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YOUR RACEHORSE EDUCATION DESTINATION! Asmussen Horse Center and El Primero Training Center Offer the Southwest’s Most Complete Equine Facility

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We educate young Thoroughbreds to race using our proven training program based on decades of experience combined with integrity, dedication and horsemanship to give your horse the best chance to succeed!

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Keith Asmussen, 956-763-8907

Dr. Steve Velasco, veterinarian • Dee Martinez, office manager, 956-763-7594 P.O. Box 1861 • Laredo, TX 78044 • Phone: 956-723-5436 • Fax: 956-723-5845 Email: kaasmussen@aol.com • Website: www.asmussens.com

4 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

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A FAMILY TRADITION OF RACING AND WINNING!

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We were honored to join our sons Steve and Cash as members of the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and we thank all of our clients from the past 50+ years who played a part in our success!

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Denis Blake

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AND WE ARE STILL GOING…

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Coglianese Photos/NYRA

The latest El Primero Training Center graduate to make headlines is Jackpot Farm’s BASIN, who won the Grade 1 Runhappy Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga by 6 ½ lengths to give trainer Steve Asmussen a sweep of the trifecta!

BASIN is the latest Grade 1 winner to come out of Laredo!

THE LIST KEEPS GROWING… rs

Congrats to owne Bill and Corinne d Heiligbrodt anus sen sm A trainer Steve e on winning th up C ’ s Breeder Sprint (G1) with

MITOLE!

We have produced FIVE ECLIPSE AWARD WINNERS: CASH ASMUSSEN H STEVE ASMUSSEN (TWICE) UNTAPABLE H TIGHT SPOT H DECLAN’S MOON Plus French Champion and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner SUAVE DANCER More than 300 stakes winners have come through our program, including 15 millionaires:

TIGHT SPOT • SUAVE DANCER • SEA CADET • SILVER ENDING SUAVE • OLYMPIO • ZANJERO • REAL DANDY • PYRO DAKOTA PHONE • TAPITURE • UNTAPABLE • LOOKIN AT LEE GOOD BABA • CITY STYLE Plus a Grade 1-winning sire that you might know…TAPIT!

Keith Asmussen, 956-763-8907

Dr. Steve Velasco, veterinarian • Dee Martinez, office manager, 956-763-7594 P.O. Box 1861 • Laredo, TX 78044 • Phone: 956-723-5436 • Fax: 956-723-5845 Email: kaasmussen@aol.com • Website: www.asmussens.com

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 5

ABOUT AMERICAN RACEHORSE

American Racehorse (formerly Southern Racehorse) covers Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the Southwest, Midwest and Midsouth regions. The magazine is mailed to all members of the following associations: • Alabama Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association • Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association • Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association • Georgia Horse Racing Coalition • Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association • Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association • Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association • Minnesota Thoroughbred Association • North Carolina Thoroughbred Association • Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners • Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma • South Carolina Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association • Texas Thoroughbred Association • Plus hundreds of Louisiana horsemen.

For more information or to inquire about advertising, contact Denis Blake at (512) 695-4541 or visit www.americanracehorse.com.

CONNECT WITH AMERICAN RACEHORSE HHH

Online: www.americanracehorse.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/americanracehorse • Twitter: @AmerRacehorse Email: info@americanracehorse.com Phone/Text: (512) 695-4541 • Fax: (512) 870-9324 Published by Pangaea Enterprises LLC d/b/a American Racehorse American Racehorse • P.O. Box 8645 Round Rock, TX 78683 Physical Address American Racehorse 1341 Meadowild Drive Round Rock, TX 78664 Editor/Publisher Denis Blake • info@americanracehorse.com Senior Art Director Amie Rittler • arittler3@gmail.com Graphic Designer Julie Kennedy • julie@digitalcitydesigns.com Copyeditor Judy L. Marchman Contributors Rick Capone Peter Monaco Denise Steffanus

Photographers Denis Blake Michael Burns Photography Rick Capone Coady Photography John Engelhardt Keeneland Library Featherston Collection Keeneland Library Morgan Collection Keeneland Library Thoroughbred Times Collection Dustin Orona Photography Louise Reinagel Karl Schmidt Paul – stock.adobe.com ChrisVanLennepPhoto – stock.adobe.com Cover Photo volgariver – stock.adobe.com

Copyright © 2019 American Racehorse All rights reserved. Articles may not be reprinted without permission. American Racehorse reserves the right to refuse any advertising or copy for any reason. American Racehorse makes a reasonable attempt to ensure that advertising claims are truthful but assumes no responsibility for the truth and accuracy of ads.

6 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

WHAT’S INSIDE

American RACEHORSE

Fall 2019

19

Racing’s biggest fan

25 A really big version of Big Red

Departments Letter to the Editor

8

Editor’s Letter 9 Fast Furlongs 12 State Association News

47

The Marketplace Classifieds

58

Features

32 Majestic Prince’s near Triple Crown

A True Feel-Good Story for Horse Racing The racing community has stepped up to embrace a young fan’s love of the racetrack

19

The Legend of Secretariat Lives On A larger-than-life statue races from Oklahoma to Kentucky

25

Celebrating the Majesty of Majestic Prince Five decades ago, a record-priced yearling almost made history

32

Training Problem Horses The cause of bad behavior might be a mystery, but the solution often is simple

41

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 7

Courtesy Steve Erban

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

DIVINE INSPIRATION

Whoa, Nellie! A chapel at a racetrack?

“Whoa, Nellie,” a common phrase to slow down a fast-running horse, became well known in the sports world as it was coined by the famous college football broadcaster Keith Jackson, who would finish his description of a special athletic moment with the trademark phrase.

This phrase should make you stop and think about how special athletic competition is in our society. All sports go through transitional periods, and right now the horse racing industry in the United States is going through its own “Whoa, Nellie” time for a multitude of reasons.

Now, more than ever, horsemen and racetrack workers have emotional, social and educational needs. Stop and think…a chapel at a racetrack. A major movement to meet the aforementioned needs at the racetrack was started in the 1970s with the formation of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA). In 1985, the Minnesota HBPA and Canterbury Downs supported making the RTCA part of

building a foundation for the workers on the backside.

Canterbury Downs transitioned into Canterbury Park in January 1995, and the Sampson family reopened the relationship with the RTCA. In 2005, members of the Minnesota Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing family developed a vision of providing a chapel on the backside of Canterbury. Barry and Joni Butzow, the Sampson family, Don Hoover and myself were major donors along with many other supportive donors to take this vision to a reality.

The board of directors of Canterbury Park matched the donations, and the chapel was built in 2006. The chapel was named after Canterbury Downs’ title-winning jockey Dean Kutz, who passed away in American Racehorse 2004. As a former trainer and an architect, I designed the chapel as an earth berm space set into welcomes letters to the the side of a hill by the racetrack. The site was chosen to allow the chapel to stand as a witness to editor. Letters may be all racetrack workers and owners. The earth berm concrete walls support the laminated wood beam edited for length and clarity. structure as it reaches to the sky and is topped with a skylight. The energy efficiency of the earth To submit a letter, email it to berm enables the chapel to be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. A specially designed info@americanracehorse.com. white cross was placed on the outer east side of the chapel using the roof as a background. This cross placement is visible to those driving into the racetrack and is almost touchable by the grooms as they lead their racehorses to destiny.

Canterbury Park’s nondenominational chapel is an example of providing members of the horse racing family a space for education, consultation, entertainment and fellowship. Ed Underwood, the current chaplain, oversees the everyday chapel life, which includes weekly worship, dinners, Spanish and English classes, cooking, horse care, childcare, bookkeeping and art classes. Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day and country singer Susie McEntire have entertained in the Dean Kutz Chapel. Forty-five thousand racehorses and grooms have passed by the chapel and its white cross since 2006.

If we all “Whoa, Nellie” for a moment and think of the positives that the Dean Kutz Chapel has provided our racetrack workers at Canterbury Park, maybe we move forward to solve future racing industry problems, and Old Nellie can run again.

Steve Erban Lake Elmo, Minnesota 8 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

Editor’s Letter And…we’re back! Some of you might not have noticed we left, but the spring issue was supposed to be the final issue of American Racehorse. It would have been a fitting end to the publication, as I believe it contained two of the finest articles we’ve run since this magazine started seven years ago with remarkable work done by Jonathan Stettin looking back at the true story of Ruffian and J. Keeler Johnson bringing back memories of Santa Fe Downs. I hope you enjoyed those features, and I’m happy to say we are going to bring you more of the same in the future. As evidenced by this magazine sitting in your hands (or on your computer screen), we have relaunched the publication thanks to the passage of legislation to stimulate the Texas horse racing industry and the support of the Texas Thoroughbred Association.

Having been based in Texas for more than 20 years, I’ve seen first-hand the roller coaster the industry has been on in the state. From the early struggles of some tracks right out of the gate to a period of growth that included the Breeders’ Cup coming to Lone Star Park to the downward slide in recent years, it’s been quite a ride. While it’s a bit early to know exactly how this bill will affect Texas racing, judging by the number of Texas sires in the upcoming American Racehorse Stallion Register, I would say things are off to a roaring start. You’ll get that issue in the mail soon, and in this issue you can read about the improved purses at Sam Houston Race Park and facility improvements at Lone Star Park.

Of course, this magazine has always and will continue to cover racing all around the Southwest, Midwest and Midsouth regions, and I truly think that any improvements in Texas will benefit horsemen in all the other states we cover. As I said in what originally was the obituary for this magazine in the last issue, I also want to thank the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma for their support from the very beginning

along with all of the state associations that have joined in since then.

And speaking of roller-coaster rides, it’s been a year of ups and downs for horse racing as a whole. The most recent “down” was a nearly glorious Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. No one really knows how the tragic injury suffered by Mongolian Groom in the Classic will affect racing in California and nationwide, but it is clear that we have many challenges ahead in improving safety for horses and jockeys and improving the public image of our sport.

On the Monday after the Breeders’ Cup, I, like many of you I suspect, was especially concerned about the future of horse racing, not to mention concerned about relaunching this publication. But among the press releases in my inbox from certain groups calling for an end to horse racing, I got an email from a fifth-grade teacher in New Hampshire, of all places. She explained that she had a student who was passionate about horse racing and was looking for someone to answer a few questions to help with a class project. I was, of course, more than happy to assist, even if some of the questions might be tough. It gave me some hope that things will get better.

The point of that tidbit is two-fold. First, there are still young people (or, as you pessimistic readers might be thinking, at least one young person) interested in horse racing and learning more about it. That’s good. And second, this particular person, along with the general public, has and will continue to have questions about our sport. Some of those questions will be difficult to answer, but we need to try to answer the questions that will inevitably come as we continue to work to improve horse racing. If we don’t, that young kid in New Hampshire— and countless others—might not get to grow up to love the sport as we all do.

It’s good to be back doing this magazine again, and as always I welcome any suggestions or feedback. Thank you for supporting this publication over the years.

Denis Blake Editor/Publisher

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 9

RIVER OAKS FARMS It Pays to Breed in Oklahoma!

ATREIDES

Medaglia d’Oro - Dream Rush,

by Wild Rush

New for 2020! A sensational racehorse and a proven young sire!

2020 Fee: $2,000

CALEB’S POSSE

Posse – Abbey’s Missy, by Slewacide

CHITOZ

Forest Wildcat – Wichitoz,

by Affirmed

A Breeders’ Cup-winning millionaire and a leading Oklahoma sire!

The sire of stakes winners in Minnesota and Oklahoma!

2020 Fee: $2,000

2020 Fee: $1,500

River Oaks Farms Inc. all fees are stands and nurses

3216 U.S. Hwy. 177 North • Sulphur, Oklahoma 73086 Inquiries to Lori or Francisco Bravo Ranch: (580) 622-4412 • Francisco: (940) 367-4457 • Lori: (940) 367-4380 Fax: (580) 622-4411 • Email: riveroaksfarms@aol.com

www.riveroaksthoroughbreds.com

10 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

Accredited Oklahoma Stallions • Selected Stallions Nominated to the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes, Iowa Stallion Stakes and Minnesota Stallion Stakes

RIVER OAKS FARMS It Pays to Breed in Oklahoma!

EXCAPER

Exchange Rate – Ada Ruckus, by Bold Ruckus

A G2-winning and G1-placed runner on the turf!

LATENT HEAT

Maria’s Mon – True Flare, by Capote

A perennial leading sire in Oklahoma!

2020 Fee: $2,000

2020 Fee: $2,000

SPECIAL RATE

WILBURN

Pulpit – Viviana, by Nureyev

Sire of G2 winner and G1 placed PATRONA MARGARITA! 2020 Fee: $2,000

Bernardini – Moonlight Sonata, by Carson City

Already the sire of three group/ graded stakes winners, including LOVELY BERNADETTE ($570,312)!

2020 Fee: $2,000

River Oaks Farms Inc. all fees are stands and nurses

3216 U.S. Hwy. 177 North • Sulphur, Oklahoma 73086 Inquiries to Lori or Francisco Bravo Ranch: (580) 622-4412 • Francisco: (940) 367-4457 • Lori: (940) 367-4380 Fax: (580) 622-4411 • Email: riveroaksfarms@aol.com

www.riveroaksthoroughbreds.com

Accredited Oklahoma Stallions • Selected Stallions Nominated to the Stallion Stakes • FALL 2019 11 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes, Iowa Stallion Stakes and Minnesota AMERICAN RACEHORSE

fastfurlongs Sam Houston Race Park Announces Major Purse Increase

Coady Photography

Sam Houston Race Park will feature maiden purses of $36,000 when racing returns in January.

Sam Houston Race Park will kick off its 2020 live racing season on Friday, January 10, with an expanded 39-day Thoroughbred meet continuing through Saturday, March 28. Several exciting changes are in store for the upcoming live season including a substantial boost in purses thanks to legislative action earlier this year. House Bill 2463 was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature and is expected to add $25 million annually to the Texas horse racing industry.

Sam Houston is the first of the Texas racetracks to host a live meet in 2020 and will offer overnight purses of approximately $200,000 per day with several notable purse increases: • Maiden races will be offered at $36,000, compared to $20,000 at the 2019 meet; • Claiming race purses will be approximately 80 percent higher than the 2019 meet; and • Allowance races will start at $37,000, compared to $21,000 in 2019.

12 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

The 2020 Thoroughbred stakes schedule will offer more than $1.75 million in purses, up from $1.1 million in 2019. The Houston Racing Festival will feature two graded stakes on Sunday, January 26: the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) and the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf (G3). Midnight Bisou, who won the 2019 edition of the Ladies Classic, is currently the top distaffer in North America and a leading Horse of the Year candidate.

Additional upgrades to the 2020 Sam Houston Race Park stakes schedule include: • The new $200,000 Texas Turf Mile for 3-year-olds that debuts on the Houston Racing Festival undercard.

• Texas Champions Preview Day, formerly Texas Stallions Day, scheduled for Saturday, February 22. Two stakes have been added to the card for a total of four stakes for Texas-bred or Texas-sired horses, each with a purse of $75,000.

• An additional Texas-bred stakes for Texas Champions Day on James Leatherman will serve as racing secretary for both the Saturday, March 21, for a total of seven stakes, each for a purse of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meets at Sam Houston Race Park in $75,000.

2020. The Vinton, Louisiana, native has a 29-year tenure as a racing offiFrank Hopf, Sam Houston Race Park’s senior cial in Ohio, Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico director of racing operations, acknowledged the and became Retama Park’s racing secretary in 2005.

“These are exciting times positive impact the purse increases will have for Leatherman was the racing secretary for the 2019 the upcoming meet.

Quarter Horse season at Sam Houston Race Park for the Texas horse “To be first out of the gate to begin the process and will continue to oversee the Thoroughbred and racing industry.” of improving racing in Texas is certainly an oppor- Quarter Horse meets at Retama Park as well. tunity to which we look forward,” Hopf said. “Our The Sam Houston barn area will open on new purse levels and stakes program have generated interest and enthu- Tuesday, December 3, with training hours set to commence on Friday, siasm about our 2020 live racing season. These are exciting times for the December 6. The first condition book is available at equibase.com and Texas horse racing industry.” further information about the season can be accessed at shrp.com.

Texas Horsemen Applaud Improvements at Lone Star Park

Denis Blake

The Texas Thoroughbred Association, on behalf of the owners and breeders it represents in the state, commends Lone Star Park for a number of significant improvements recently announced at the Grand Prairie track.

On November 4, Lone Star Park management and the Grand Prairie Sports Facilities and Development Corporation reached an initial agreement to share in the costs of major improvements to the track’s facilities, including items requested by horsemen. The enhancements will focus on amenities for horsemen on the backside and the safety of racehorses and jockeys.

The impetus for these projects comes from the passage of House Bill 2463 during the last Texas legislative session that directs up to $25 million annually to the state’s horse racing industry through the diversion of sales taxes on horse feed, tack and other equine-related items and services.

“With the passage of this bill, we are hopeful that Texas can once again be a leader in the horse racing industry,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “We are excited about not only raising the bar for purses and incentives for breeding and racing Accredited Texas-breds, but also raising the bar for the health and welfare of our racehorses. These improvements at Lone Star Park will go a long way in accomplishing that goal.”

The approved enhancements include the following: • A cooling down area for horses, located about 100 yards beyond the finish line, where horses can be bathed and cooled down just moments after unsaddling • Video surveillance cameras in all barns • A new state-of-the-art Duralock moveable turf rail • Construction of round pens (as space permits) for horses to spend time outdoors • Replacement of damaged stalls (to be done in phases) • Landscaping, dorm renovations and beautification (to be done in phases) “The city of Grand Prairie has been an integral part of Lone Star Park’s success from the track’s inception,” noted Scott Wells, president and general manager of Lone Star Park. “Their leadership has enabled us to make much-needed renovations on the frontside in areas open to the public,

Lone Star Park will implement major facility improvements thanks to HB 2463.

from the suites levels to the ground floor. This move toward improving conditions for horsemen and horses is just another example of our mutual commitment to keeping Lone Star Park a truly world-class facility.”

Ron Jensen, the mayor of Grand Prairie, added: “The city of Grand Prairie and Lone Star Park management have a unique and productive partnership. Thanks to the actions of the Texas Legislature this past session, horse racing in Texas is back on an upward trajectory. We want Lone Star Park to lead the way in providing the best and safest facilities for our customers, our horsemen and their horses.”

Lone Star Park’s next Thoroughbred meet, which is expected to feature a boost in purses compared to last year, will commence in the spring.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 13

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New Stallions Abound in Texas and Oklahoma when third in the 2012 With the passage of Breeders’ Cup Classic legislation in Texas that (G1). is expected to inject A member of the $25 million annually thriving Flatter branch into the racing indusof the A.P. Indy sire try, several new stallions line, Flat Out is a half came calling to make brother to Lil Indy, the Lone Star State dam of two-time Grade home. The continued 1 winner Maximum Sestrength of the Oklahocurity, who crossed the ma racing and breeding wire first in the 2019 program also attracted Kentucky Derby before new bloodlines to that being disqualified for state, in three deals brointerference. kered by Chad Schumer Atreides, a son of of Schumer Bloodstock.

Medaglia d’Oro who Following are new or won four of his five relocated stallions as of lifetime starts by press time for this issue. daylight, has been Check americanraceLouise Reinagel relocated for the 2020 horse.com for more anbreeding season to Lori nouncements in advance Flat Out, with racetrack earnings of more than $3.6 million, is among the richest stallions to ever come to the Southwest region. and Francisco Bravo’s of breeding season.

Multiple grade 1 winner Flat Out, a leading third-crop sire of 2019, River Oaks Farms in Sulphur, Oklahoma. The 8-year-old stallion will has been sold to continue his stud career at Dr. Warren Center’s Mighty stand for a fee of $2,000 as property of Mike Grossman.

Atreides broke his maiden at first asking as a 3-year-old at Gulfstream Acres near Pryor, Oklahoma. The son of Flatter will stand for $3,000.

Flat Out is North America’s leading third-crop sire of 2019 by win- Park, earning a 105 Beyer Speed Figure for a 5 1/4-length victory clocked ners thanks to 94 individual winners through October 22. His nearly in 1:08.69 for six furlongs. He followed that up with an easy allowance/ $4.2 million in progeny earnings for the year places him among the optional claiming win and then decimated the field in the one-mile leaders in that category and puts him at the top of the list among Monarchos Stakes at the Florida track, winning by 17 1/2 lengths under a Oklahoma-based stallions. hand ride with another 105 Beyer Figure. Atreides capped his 3-year-old Flat Out is already the sire of six stakes winners from his time at season with a 4 1/2-length win in Gulfstream’s Aventura Handicap.

Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky, including the successful 2-year-old Flat From two crops to race, Atreides has produced five stakes horses, Out Speed, winner of the Iowa Sorority Stakes; 4-year-old filly Pacif- including one of this year’s top 3-year-olds in Sueno, who placed in four ic Gale, who is Grade 3-placed this year; and stakes-winning sprinter consecutive graded stakes, among them the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.

Wendell Fong. In all, Flat Out is responsible for 19 black-type horses, Sueno has earned $310,440 while hitting the board in all seven of his and with a large crop of more than 100 yearlings in the pipeline, he is starts. primed for further success.

Atreides is out of Grade 1 winner and $779,364 earner Dream Rush, Flat Out also brings an outstanding race record to the Oklahoma mar- who is also the dam of Grade 1 winner and $874,500 earner Dreaming ket as the winner of nine of 29 races for $3,645,383 in earnings. His of Julia. victories included two renewals of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, “Atreides flashed a world of talent on the track to establish himself as in which he defeated the likes of Drosselmeyer, Stay Thirsty and Fort one of the top 3-year-olds of his crop, and he’s already shown that he’s Larned, plus the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, in which he defeated Private Zone passing on that talent to his offspring,” Francisco Bravo said. “We are and Verrazano. He was also Grade 1-placed eight other times, notably excited to add him to the roster at River Oaks, and we think his speed, 14 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

stamina and pedigree are going to produce some exceptional horses for the Oklahoma-bred program and around the region.”

Shakin It Up, the first horse in 40 years to pull off the Grade 1 Malibu and Grade 2 San Vicente stakes double, moves to Caines Stallion Station in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, beginning with the 2020 season.

From two crops of racing age, Shakin It Up is the sire of stakes winner B. B. Dude and the promising Japanese juvenile Koei Bakushin, a $115,000 2-year-old in training purchase who recently broke his maiden in impressive style at Hanshin. Juveniles by Shakin It Up have sold for up to $400,000 at auction.

Fast and precocious for Bob Baffert, Shakin It Up broke his maiden at 2 at Santa Anita in 1:09.45 for six furlongs.

At 3, he was the dominant winner of the San Vicente that February and returned in December to defeat Central Banker in the Malibu. In his 4-year-old debut, he took the Grade 2 Strub Stakes by more than two lengths.

Shakin It Up also placed in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes and Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes. He retired as the winner of four races for $664,982 in earnings.

A son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Midnight Lute, Shakin It Up is out of Silver Bullet Moon, a daughter of Vindication and champion and Hall of Famer Silverbulletday. He will stand for a fee of $1,000.

Tyree Wolesensky’s Leadem Farm in Gainesville, Texas, welcomes two new stallions for the 2020 breeding season with Aikenite and Leadem in Ken. Aikenite will stand for a fee of $3,000, and Leadem in Ken for $2,000 as property of Wolesensky.

Aikenite, who stood last season at the famed Calumet Farm in Kentucky, brings a race record that includes a pair of Grade 2 wins in the Commonwealth Stakes and the Churchill Downs Stakes. The son of Yes It’s True banked $875,385 in 24 starts while also earning placings in six

other graded stakes, three of them at the Grade 1 level.

Through mid-October, Aikenite has sired the earners of more than $1.2 million with four stakes horses, including multiple graded stakesplaced Pony Up. Aikenite is out of a Saint Ballado mare.

The versatile Leadem in Ken will stand his first season at stud after a racing career that included 15 wins in 40 starts and earnings of $445,203.

A winner going long and short and on the dirt and turf, the son of Sky Mesa earned his first stakes win at age 4 and then rounded out his resume with stakes wins at 8 and 9, including in his final career start in the Stonerside Sprint Stakes this past January at Sam Houston Race Park.

Bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Leadem in Ken is out of the Catienus mare Last Kitten, whose dam Kitten’s First produced multiple Grade 1 winners Precious Kitten and Kitten’s Joy, the latter being a champion grass horse and leading sire.

Tyree and Bob Wolesensky said they are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Texas breeding and racing industry and to stand two very versatile and durable stallions who had successful racing careers that spanned several seasons.

Another Texas stallion fresh off the track is Cu Rahy, who joins Texas Bling on the roster at HFT Racing Stables in Aledo. The son of Curlin retired with five wins from 28 starts with earnings of $122,794 and a pair of stakes placings.

Cu Rahy is out of the Maryland champion Richetta, a four-time stakes winner who also produced Preakness Stakes (G1) runner Concealed Identity, also a winner of four stakes with earnings of more than $460,000. Cu Rahy will stand for a $1,500 fee.

In other stallion news, Revolving, a winning son of A.P. Indy, has relocated within Texas and will now stand at Double S Thoroughbreds in Poynor. One of Texas’ leading young sires with four crops to race, Revolving is out of Grade 1 winner Circle of Life and is a half brother to Grade 1 winner Circular Quay.

Remington Park to Host 2020 Track Superintendent Field Day Remington Park in Oklahoma City has been named as the host of the 2020 Track Superintendent Field Day. The event is set for September 14-16.

The Field Day is open to all track superintendents and their staff. The independent group meets annually to discuss best practices related to track maintenance and safety and operational issues for racing and training facilities worldwide. More than 100 attendees convened at this year’s event held at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia.

“With world-class speakers covering topics like best safety practices for equine ambulances, best practices and personal growth, the 2020 event is shaping up as the best yet,” said Roy Smith, the event’s founder.

In addition, Equine Equipment has renewed as title sponsor for five more years. The company has not only been a longtime sponsor of the

event but has been instrumental in bringing more sponsors on board.

“Equine Equipment has been a great partner in bringing it all together for the superintendents, and we appreciate their efforts,” Smith said.

Thanks to a long list of sponsors, there are no registration fees for track superintendents and staff. Those attendees are only responsible for transportation and hotel expenses. A discounted hotel rate will also be announced soon. Others in the industry are welcome to attend by paying a registration fee to cover event costs.

Matt Vance, vice president of racing operations for Remington, said, “Remington Park looks forward to hosting this dedicated group of professionals in Oklahoma City, and track superintendent Bob Blackburn and the entire Remington Park family look forward to showing the superintendents Remington Park hospitality.”

Visit tracksupers.com for more information. H AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 15

TEXAS IS TRENDING UP! W ith $25 million annually being injected into the T exas racing industry , there has never been a better time to buy and sell at the

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STORY FOR HORSE RACING

T

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

here’s no official award for “horse racing’s biggest fan,” but if there were, it could certainly go to a 14-year-old kid named Dylan Kerkhoff with a strong honorable mention to his parents, Mendi and Vaughn.

A year or so ago, Dylan started popping up on social media in pictures at different racetracks. He was in photos with jockeys; he was in the winner’s circle; he was in the paddock; he was even in the announcer’s booth. The kid was just about everywhere, and he always seemed to have the same Woody (from the movie Toy Story) T-shirt on. Who was this kid, and why did he love horse racing?

With this writer’s curiosity piqued, I started asking some of my jockey friends about this young man, and they put me in touch with his mom, Mendi. It turned out to be a great story about a beautiful family and brought to light some real stars in our racing community. Some might say this is a dark and cloudy time in our sport, but this story is a beam of sunshine that just might brighten your day.

THE RACING COMMUNITY HAS STEPPED UP TO EMBRACE A YOUNG FAN’S LOVE OF THE RACETRACK •

BY PETER MONACO

AN EARLY LOVE OF RACING

Dylan and his family are originally from California, and at one time, they lived only a few blocks from Santa Anita Park.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 19

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

“AFTER HE WAS BORN, WE WOULD TAKE HIM TO SANTA ANITA FOR THE MORNING WORKOUTS AND STAY FOR THE AFTERNOON RACES.” –

Mendi Kerkhoff

“My husband and I have always enjoyed going to the racetrack, preDylan,” Mendi said. “But after he was born, we would take him to Santa Anita for the morning workouts and stay for the afternoon races.”

The family moved to Oklahoma when Dylan was about 2 years old to be near Mendi’s parents, and they would attend Will Rogers Downs regularly and Oaklawn and Remington Park a few times a year. The family also would go back to California to visit their old haunts, and while there, they would hit Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, Del Mar, Fairplex and just about any other place that looked anything like a racetrack or had horses.

Mendi and Vaughn have taken Dylan to nearly two dozen tracks in the U.S. and have spent most of their adult lives driving around in a car to put a smile on their boy’s face.

Dylan is a little person who has a common form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. He’s also borderline autistic with sensory issues and is mostly nonverbal. He’s uncomfortable around crowds, and his social skills are limited.

But his parents discovered that when Dylan entered the racetrack and came eye-to-eye with the horses and noticed other “little fellows” riding these beautiful creatures, he was perfectly in his element. He became a social butterfly of sorts, often presenting a huge smile and a big thumbs-up while allowing jockeys to put an arm around his shoulders or even give him a hug. His social skills improved tremendously, and he started to mimic track announcers and pronounce jockey’s names. The racetrack has turned out to be Dylan’s happy place, and one can only imagine the immense joy felt by his parents at their discovery. The track is the only place where he is more outgoing and seeks out interaction from others.

“He has always loved watching the horses, but I think the frequent trips started in 2015 at Remington Park,” Mendi said. “We would spend the day at Will Rogers Downs and head to Remington at night. Some special people—Walter Orona, Nikki Fopp and Jeanette Milligan—were among the first to notice Dylan’s love of racing and gave him the opportunity to visit the barns and jockeys’ room. They suited him up with silks, goggles and a whip, and he was also invited into the winner’s circle. That was the start of the unbelievable friendships.”

ALL ACCESS TO A WEALTH OF TRACK EXPERIENCES

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

20 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

At the conclusion of Remington’s meet last December, the jockeys and racetrack staff presented Dylan with an award of sorts. It was a large picture of the p posing with triple starting gate with a full field crown-winning jockey mike smith breaking, and it was signed by about 30 riders and track t meeting triple staff. The presentation was crown-winning jockey victor espinoza given by jockey Alex Birzer,

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

r with alex birzer, one of dylan’s favorite riders s with jeanette milligan,

wife of trainer allen milligan and executive director of the arkansas hbpa

r taking a selfie with

triple crown winner american pharoah

s getting some face time with california chrome

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 21

Dustin Orona Photography

DYLAN ‘ALL ACCESS.’ NOT ONLY FOR THE PLACES HE GETS INTO BUT ALSO FOR THE COUNTLESS HEARTS HE WIGGLES INTO. I’M EQUALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE BOUNDLESS DEDICATION HIS PARENTS PROVIDE HIM. DYLAN TENDS TO BRING OUT THE BEST IN EVERYONE HE MEETS. WE’RE ALL BLESSED TO HAVE HIM IN OUR LIVES.

”

– Fonner Park COO and former Remington Park TV analyst Chris Kotulak

p getting a special signed photo in the winner’s circle at remington park

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

“YEARS AGO, I NICKNAMED

p a rare racetrack appearance sans his trademark woody t-shirt, with remington park track announcer dale day (left) and former television analyst and now fonner park coo chris kotulak

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

22 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

p checking out some harness racing and meeting the drivers at hoosier park

Courtesy Mendi Kerkhoff

who had to hold back tears through the ceremony and begged Mendi not to cry either during the speech. But Birzer’s efforts to bypass the tears were unsuccessful.

“We had no idea all the jockeys and most of the staff were going to come down and do a presentation,” she said. “It made us all cry.

For them to take the time out of the races, to get the picture together and sign it, it just meant the world to all of us, and we can’t thank everyone enough.”

There are many people at so many tracks who have acknowledged this great racing family and gone out of their way to make Dylan feel like a star.

Besides Dylan’s buddies at Remington and Oaklawn, he’s also met Mike Smith and Johnny Velazquez and spent time with Victor Espinoza. He’s ridden in the starting gate vehicle for a Standardbred race at Hoosier Park, met American Pharoah and fed cookies to California Chrome. Dylan had a race at Churchill Downs named for him in honor of his 13th birthday, and he’s spent time in the announcer’s booth with Dale Day, Ed Burgart, John G. Dooley, Vic Stauffer and Pete Aiello. He’s been in the winner’s circle at most tracks, and it’s hard to imagine that there’s a jockey who has ever turned him down for a picture.

People from all segments of the horse racing industry have taken the time to brighten Dylan’s day at the track. This gift of human compassion has shown no boundaries in spanning the spectrum from racetrack management, announcers, owners, trainers and jockeys to hot walkers, parking attendants and vendors. The unselfish acts of the racing community shine like a bright light during a cloudy time in our sport and get far less publicity and attention than they should.

“There are many times my husband and I say how we can’t believe some of the things Dylan has gotten to do and how overwhelming it is for us to see the love and support Dylan gets from the entire racing community,” Mendi said.

The Kerkhoffs have gone above and beyond to provide a fun and loving world for their son, and they have no problem with the time and expense of their never-ending road trips because Dylan loves them.

“Some people take their kids to Disney World, but our family would much rather spend the day at the racetrack,” Mendi said.

You could say that Dylan and his parents, thanks in part to social media, have become ambassadors for horse racing and helped showcase the kindness of its many participants. The people involved in making a day at the track a special one for Dylan certainly merit the industry’s respect and admiration, as good deeds always seem to have a way of being contagious. The giving spirit is alive and well in the horse racing world, and Dylan’s story is just one of many that prove that.

You can follow Dylan’s adventures on Twitter @woody_tshirt or search #wheresthewoodytshirt. H

“DYLAN IS AN AMAZING

RACING FAN AND A GREAT PERSON TO BOOT. IT’S THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY WHEN I GET TO SAY ‘HI’ AND TAKE A QUICK PICTURE BETWEEN RACES. IT’S A REAL HONOR TO BE ONE OF HIS FAVORITE JOCKEYS. –

”

jockey David Cohen

“THIS LITTLE GUY AND HIS

FAMILY ARE JUST SPECIAL AND AMAZING PEOPLE. THEY’RE HERE IN THE BAD WEATHER, AND THEY’RE HERE ON THE NICE DAYS. THEY ALWAYS SUPPORT THE RIDERS AND THE STAFF, AND DYLAN PUTS A SMILE ON THE FACE OF EVERYONE HE COMES IN CONTACT WITH. HE’S A REAL TREASURE. –

”

jockey Alex Birzer

Peter Monaco is a longtime turf writer who tackles everything from historical pieces to current events and news. He is a contributor to Past the Wire, where you’ll find more of his features along with others from their team and the latest in racing news. Past the Wire is online at pastthewire.com or on Twitter @PasttheWire or Facebook at facebook.com/pastthewire.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 23

The Legend of Secretariat Lives On

Rick Capone

A larger-than-life statue races from Oklahoma to Kentucky

The 21-foot-long statue of Secretariat, which took 18 months to complete, greets traffic entering Lexington’s famed horse country.

By Rick Capone

O

n a beautiful fall day just outside of Lexington, Kentucky, artist and sculptor Jocelyn Russell was giving a finishing buff and polish to her bronze memorial statue of Secretariat, which had been unveiled a few days earlier at Keeneland. She was spending a final few moments with her creation before heading home to Friday Harbor, Washington.

For Russell, sculpting the Secretariat statue was an 18-month labor of love, and she was happy to see it finally installed at its permanent location in the heart of the “Horse Capital of the World.”

At the dedication on October 12, as part of the annual Secretariat Festival held at Keeneland this year for the first time, Russell stood in front of the statue that was covered with a sheet in the iconic blue-and-white colors of Meadow Stable. There, she thanked the 200-plus people in attendance for the support she received while creating the sculpture, a process she documented on her Facebook page, Jocelyn Russell—Secretariat Monument 2019.

“I just wanted to say that this really is not my project,” she remarked prior to the unveiling. “This project pretty much belongs to everybody because the horse and the jockey and the history of the project belong to everybody. So, I was happy to share it. It has been fun.”

The bronze becomes the sixth major monument to honor the Triple Crown champion. The other five are located at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York; the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York; two at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park; and one in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada, jockey Ron Turcotte’s hometown.

Secretariat is not Russell’s only major equine monument. She also created the Sgt. Reckless statue that stands at the Kentucky Horse Park as well as in two other locations, to honor the mare who served with the Marines in the Korean War. AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 25

Coady Photography

THE CREATION PROCESS Russell was amazed when the call came from Alex G. Campbell Jr., founder of the Triangle Foundation in Lexington, which funded the statue and the landscaping around it, asking her if she would be interested in creating an enormous memorial statue of Secretariat for the city of Lexington.

At the time she got the call, she and her husband, Michael Dubail, were on vacation, but when she was asked, she immediately said yes.

She began by doing a lot of research, something she considers very important in her creation process.

Part of her research included visits to Secretariat’s birthplace at Meadow Stable in Doswell, Virginia, and Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, where Secretariat stood at stud before dying at age 19 in 1989. She also spoke with people who were associated with Secretariat and others about Thoroughbreds to learn more about the horses.

She also visited Secretariat’s jockey, Ron Turcotte, twice to get even more details. In their conversations, Turcotte gave her insights into each of Secretariat’s Triple Crown race victories, punctuated by the iconic 31-length demolition of the field in the Belmont Stakes. According to Russell’s website, she wanted to learn as much as possible so she could make sure “every buckle on the horse’s equipment and every wrinkle in the jockey’s boots would be in their proper place.”

“When you do research, everything comes in—the sights, the sounds, the smells,” Russell said at the dedication. “When I was working on the horse, I was thinking about Ron and what he was saying. And so it literally does come out of my hands and into the piece. And I don’t really think about it; it just does.”

Artist Jocelyn Russell, at left, pulls off the sheet in the iconic blue-and-white Meadow Stable colors to reveal the Secretariat memorial statue at the dedication ceremony at Keeneland on October 12. The statue was later moved to its final destination.

Then she added a little humor about a detail she learned from Turcotte by mentioning, “Ron was very picky about where his butt was.”

In the end, Turcotte even added his signature to one of his boots on the statue.

At the start, the goal was to create the largest statue ever made of Secretariat. A decision was made to make it 1 1⁄2 times his size in a pose showing him in full stride winning the Kentucky Derby. His record time of 1:59 2⁄5 for the race still stands today.

After completing her research, Russell sketched the horse in the pose selected. Then she created a small, 10-inch clay maquette of the statue. Once satisfied with that, she made a

Coady Photography

A large group of fans at the dedication gather around the statue to get a closer look.

26 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

Courtesy The Crucible

BY THE NUMBERS Secretariat Memorial Statue by Jocelyn Russell

• Height: 11 feet, 4 inches, from the base to the top of Ron Turcotte’s helmet

• Length: 21 feet, from front hoof to rear hoof • Weight: 3,800 pounds • Thickness: Three-eighths of an inch thick and hollow inside

• Research: 4-6 months • Creation: 18-plus months Artist Jocelyn Russell with “Big Red” at The Crucible in Oklahoma

Russell thanked the people at The Crucible for “on-time delivery and flawless metal. They really did a great piece. …

You’re [the people of Lexington] are going to have a piece that will last for hundreds of years.”

Karl Schmidt

29-inch maquette version, and then, once that was completed satisfactorily, she went on to the full-size version.

According to a December 24, 2018, article by MaryJean Wall in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Russell used polyurethane foam chunks to form the full-size version of the horse and jockey.

The chunks when assembled were covered with clay and the claycovered chunks became the molds for the pouring of the bronze. As Russell was working on applying the clay, Campbell visited the artist’s temporary studio in Norman, Oklahoma, where he got the chance to apply a few artistic strokes of clay to the horse’s tail.

“He took up a brush, painted a few strokes along the tail and said, ‘I am more than pleased,’ ” Russell said.

FORGING A CHAMPION The bronzing was done at The Crucible LLC Foundry in Norman.

Founded in 1998 by Todd Papst and Mark Palmerton, today the facility encompasses 6,000 square feet and is co-owned by Mark Palmerton and his brother Steve.

Each mold was poured with bronze and the sections were reassembled into the monument’s final version.

The talented people at The Crucible Foundry in Norman, Oklahoma, where the Secretariat statue was cast in bronze, with sculptor Jocelyn Russell, from left: Production Manager Scott Adams; Conor Russell; Keaton Kilpatrick; Greg Greenfield; Nate Howe (kneeling); Aaron Tiffany; co-owner Mark Palmerton; Russell; Todd Jenkins; Russell’s assistant, Kristen Douglas-Seitz; and Russell’s husband and assistant, Michael Dubail. Not pictured are coowner Steve Palmerton, Stephanie Enouen and Tomaki Orikaa.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 27

Rick Capone

In an email interview, Mark Palmerton talked about working on the statue with Russell and what it meant to him and the people at his foundry.

“The Crucible has made some very significant monuments across this great country, and adding Jocelyn Russell’s larger-than-life Secretariat and Ronnie Turcotte sculpture to our legacy means the world to us,” he said. “This legendary horse captured millions of hearts and souls in his Triple Crown journey and will never be forgotten. Kentucky should be proud!”

The completed statue measures 21 feet in length from front hoof to back hoof and 11 feet, 4 inches in height from the base to the top of Turcotte’s helmet; weighs 3,800 pounds; and is three-eighths of an inch thick and hollow inside, as are most large bronze statues. According to Russell, it is just a little bit over “life and a half ” of the real Secretariat.

Once the bronze was completed, The statue features exquisite details of Secretariat and jockey Ron Turcotte.

Russell, Dubail and some friends riding in a small caravan drove it on a three-day trip from Oklahoma to Lexington for Frankfort Pike is considered the gateway into Lexington’s the dedication. The statue was strapped upright to a flatbed horse country. And what could be more appropriate than trailer being hauled by a 2019 Dodge Ram 3500 courtesy of being welcomed to horse country by one of the sport’s greatest the Glover Family Auto Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma. champions forever reaching for victory. H During the drive, people pulled up alongside to wave and take photos, as it’s not every day you see a larger-than-life bronze statue of a Thoroughbred legend “racing” down the highway.

Rick Capone is a freelance writer living in Versailles, Kentucky, Two days after the dedication, the statue was placed at its just down the road from Keeneland. He is also a volunteer at Old permanent location in Lexington on the traffic circle where Friends, where he is part owner, with friends Michael Blowen and Alexandria Drive and Old Frankfort Pike intersect. Old Tim Ford, of Miss Hooligan, a lovable retired mare at the farm.

americanracehorse.com

@AmerRacehorse

facebook.com/americanracehorse 28 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

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CELEBRATING the Majesty of Majestic Prince FIVE DECADES AGO, A RECORD-PRICED YEARLING ALMOST MADE RACING HISTORY

T

his year marks the 50th anniversary of Majestic Prince’s attempt to win the Triple Crown and become the first to win it while undefeated. Majestic Prince engaged in two epic battles with Arts and Letters in winning both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, but he came up short in the Belmont Stakes in what turned out to be the final race of his career.

Since that 1969 season, the undefeated Triple Crown has been accomplished by Seattle Slew and Justify, and the memories of Majestic Prince have started to fade. But those who remember seeing him run or who have studied the sport’s history still rank the son of Raise a Native as one of horse racing’s best.

32 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

Keeneland Library Morgan Collection

By Rick Capone

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 33

Majestic Prince was foaled on March 19, 1966, at Leslie Combs II’s Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. The chestnut colt was purchased for a then-record $250,000 at the 1967 Keeneland July yearling sale by Frank M. McMahon, a Calgary, Alberta, oilman.

Interestingly, according to the entry for Majestic Prince in BloodHorse’s Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, it was later learned that McMahon owned Majestic Prince’s dam, Gay Hostess, in partnership with Combs, which made him co-breeder Majestic Prince at the of the horse.

1967 Keeneland July Majestic Prince was sent to trainyearling sale, where he sold er Johnny Longden, a former jockey for a then-record price of who won the Triple Crown in 1943 $250,000. on Count Fleet and retired from riding in 1966 as the winningest jockey ever at the time.

In 1968, as a 2-year-old under Longden’s care and based in California, Majestic Prince opened his racing career by winning two races, one at Bay Meadows and the other at Santa Anita, in strong fashion.

But those races were just a glimpse of what was to come.

Majestic Prince picked up where he left off for his 3-year-old campaign. Ridden by Bill Hartack, Majestic Prince won his first race, the Los Feliz Stakes at Santa Anita on January 7, and then followed that with three more stakes wins at the same track: the San Vicente Stakes on February 6, the San Jacinto Stakes on February 27 and the biggest West Coast Kentucky Derby prep, the Santa Anita Derby, on March 29.

With those wins, Longden’s next-planned race for Majestic Prince was at Churchill Downs, where he gave his horse a “tune-up” for the Kentucky Derby in the seven-furlong Stepping Stone allowance race on Churchill’s opening day. With an easy six-length win, Majestic Prince was ready for the Run for the Roses.

While Majestic Prince remained undefeated coming from the West Coast, on the East Coast, Arts and Letters also was having a strong start to the 1969 season. The chestnut son of Ribot was bred

by Paul Mellon and raced in the name of Mellon’s Rokeby Stable.

Trained by Elliott Burch, Arts and Letters emerged as one of Florida’s top 3-year-olds with a victory in Hialeah Park’s Everglades Stakes in February and then consecutive runner-up finishes in the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah and the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. With Bill Shoemaker aboard, he earned his starting spot in the Kentucky Derby with an emphatic 15-length win in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 24.

Two other horses in the Derby conversation that year were Dike, winner of the Wood Memorial in New York, and Top Knight, the 1968 champion 2-year-old male. Still, most horse racing fans awaited the meeting between Majestic Prince and Arts and Letters—West Coast vs. East Coast—in the Kentucky Derby.

34 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

Keeneland Library Thoroughbred Times Collection

A GLIMPSE OF GREATNESS

A MAJESTIC-LOOKING HORSE One person who began to follow Majestic Prince closely at the time was Edward Bowen. Although he would later serve as editor of BloodHorse magazine and president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Bowen that year was covering his first full Triple Crown season in person as editor of Canadian Horse magazine.

When Bowen saw Majestic Prince at Churchill Downs the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby, the horse captured his attention and, ultimately, became one of his all-time favorites. He described what he saw that day during a recent interview at the Keeneland Library.

“I hadn’t seen Majestic Prince up close since he was a yearling,” he said. “I saw him walk around and I was standing by the rail, and I just was absolutely thunderstruck by how beautiful this horse was.

Over the years, my favorite Thoroughbred—the sort of typical Thoroughbred in my mind—is a bay with black legs and mane and so forth. But through the years, chestnuts have won me over too. Obviously, historically, Man o’ War was a chestnut. Then just four years after Majestic Prince, Secretariat came along as a chestnut. And then, Alydar and Affirmed were both chestnuts.

“So, while in general I love a bay Thoroughbred above all others, I’ve also been wooed by a lot of beautiful chestnuts.”

According to Bowen, Majestic Prince’s name was a perfect match for his looks.

“He just was so glamorous,” he said. “He had just a little of the dished face that you associate with the Arab breed. I don’t think that an Arab horse is more elegant than a Thoroughbred. But that head is just so beautiful, and he had a bit of that.

“Oddly, he didn’t go on to be as great a looking stallion as I expected,” he continued. “But I just was struck by his beauty, the elegance,

Keeneland Library Featherston Collection

Majestic Prince holds off Arts and Letters to win the Kentucky Derby by a neck.

A WEST VS. EAST SHOWDOWN Kentucky Derby Day began just like any other training day for Majestic Prince. In his May 10, 1969, article titled, “A $250,000 Yearling and a Bargain at the Price,” BloodHorse editor Kent Hollingsworth elegantly described the horse’s race-day preparations: “Early on [Saturday] May 3, a full moon and a naked light bulb lit the shedrow of Barn 39 at Churchill Downs when Valentino Szlot began rubbing Majestic Prince. At 5:30 a.m., Szlot saddled the colt, added a running martingale and slipped on a Sure-Win with a rubber strap to hold the bit high. Assistant trainer Mike Bao produced a tongue-tie and this—suspenders and a belt—assured that Majestic Prince would not get his tongue over the bit. Exercise boy Johnny Longden got a leg up from Bao, gave his mount a turn around the shed. Bao mounted a white lead pony and the two headed toward the track at the break of dawn. Longden galloped Majestic Prince once around the track and returned. His training job was over.”

Later that sunny afternoon in front of about 90,000 people, and with President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon in attendance, 7-5 favorite Majestic Prince, with Hartack riding, and Arts and Letters, with jockey Braulio Baeza riding after Shoemaker was injured, gave the crowd a Derby to remember.

In the race, Majestic Prince ran third down the backstretch and then began to make his move coming around the final turn. Then, in an exciting stretch duel, Majestic Prince took a small lead, but Arts and Letters fought back. When he saw his rival coming on, Majestic Prince dug in and went on to win by just a neck. Dike finished a Owner Frank McMahon leads Majestic Prince and Bill Hartack to the winner’s circle following their win in the Derby.

Keeneland Library Morgan Collection

the sense of power and the sheen of his coat. To this day, 50 years later, I’ve never seen a horse quite like him.

“Four years later, when Secretariat was, deservedly, all in people’s minds, [Pimlico general manager] Chick Lang said, ‘It’s as if God decided to create the perfect horse.’ And, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to argue with God, but I don’t mind arguing with Chick Lang. I don’t think that this horse [Secretariat] was quite as beautiful, as a sculpted Adonis, as Majestic Prince.’ ”

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 35

Rick Capone Keeneland Library Morgan Collection

After Majestic Prince won the Preakness Stakes (pictured) by a head over Arts and Letters, it set up a chance for the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes.

half-length back in third, while Top Knight ended up fifth. Majestic Prince’s time for the 1 1⁄4-mile race was 2:01 4⁄5.

“There was no way we could finish second or third,” said Hartack in a May 10, 1969, BloodHorse article. “I thought he might be a fighter, but I never knew until he tied into a good one like Arts and Letters. We ran by him, but then he wanted to relax and I had to keep into him all the way.”

Said Burch of his horse, Arts and Letters: “He couldn’t have run a better race and not won. The best horse won.”

With the win, Longden became the only person to win the Kentucky Derby as both a rider and a trainer.

Two weeks later on May 17, on another sunny day in front of more than 43,000 people at Pimlico, the two horses met up again in the Preakness and put on another memorable performance.

Once again, the favored Majestic Prince beat his rival in the race, this time by a head. He ran the 1 3⁄16 miles in 1:55 3⁄5; however, it took a while for the race to be ruled official.

According to a long-form article titled, “The Story of Majestic Prince,” which appears on twinspires.com (and in an earlier version on kentuckyderby.com), Majestic Prince broke inside of Arts and Letters and brushed against him. Then, when passing the finish line the first time, Majestic Prince came out slightly and squeezed Arts and Letters toward another horse on the outside. As a result, Baeza was forced to hold up his horse, and it took a few steps to regain his speed.

“I was not bumped, just crowded,” Baeza said, according to the article. “I thought if I did not pull up, I am going to hit one of their [another horse’s] heels.”

About the inquiry, Bowen recalled, “There was an incident at the first turn, and Baeza claimed foul. I remember it was a long time, 26 minutes, before a decision was made. It’s obvious … the longer it lived, the more you thought, ‘Gosh, they may take this horse down.

Wouldn’t that be a shame? He’s undefeated. He’s going for the Triple Crown. What if he gets disqualified?’ But, he didn’t.”

36 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

THE RACE FOR IMMORTALITY So, the stage was set. Majestic Prince was headed to the Belmont Stakes and a chance to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Citation in 1948. Said McMahon in a May 24, 1969, BloodHorse article, “There is nothing I want more than to win the Triple Crown. We better wait and see, however, how he comes out of this race [the Preakness]. He hasn’t had a break since he won his first race last November 28, and these last two have been hard races. Isn’t he a game horse, though?”

Following the Preakness, some controversy did arise over whether Majestic Prince should run in the Belmont, as Longden believed it was time to take Majestic Prince back to California for a rest.

“This horse is not a machine,” Longden said in that BloodHorse article. “You just can’t go out and buy another bolt and put it on him.”

Even so, the trainer assured everyone that his horse was OK and that they weren’t afraid of running a mile and a half, losing the race or anything of the sort.

“He’s tired, and I am tired,” he said. “He needs a little rest.”

Longden also was considering his horse’s health, as Majestic Prince had lost weight after the Derby and the Preakness.

“I checked back on it and I found that horses that had tough races in the Derby and the Preakness were never worth a damn after the Belmont,” he said.

According to the BloodHorse article, Longden was possibly thinking about Count Fleet, whom he rode to a 25-length victory in the 1943 Belmont. Count Fleet suffered an injury in that race and ultimately was retired without racing again. Also weighing on his mind could have been Tim Tam, who won the 1958 Derby and Preakness only to finish second in the Belmont with an injury. Just three years earlier, Kauai King won the Derby and Preakness and then got hurt one start after running fourth in the Belmont.

Keeneland Library Morgan Collection

Trainer Johnny Longden, left, and owners Betty and Frank McMahon give Majestic Prince a treat after he won the Preakness.

However, what Longden thought didn’t matter in the end. While McMahon at first agreed with his trainer to send his horse back to California for a rest, he soon changed his mind, and Majestic Prince was sent to New York for the final leg of the Triple Crown.

“We had a pow-wow, Johnny and I, and we agreed that the horse would go if he is in top physical condition,” said McMahon in that BloodHorse article. “If he is not, he will not run in the Belmont.”

While all of that was going on, Arts and Letters was sent to Aqueduct, where he defeated older horses in the Metropolitan Handicap on May 30. With that win, just two weeks after the Preakness and one week prior to the Belmont, Arts and Letters was ready for another date with Majestic Prince.

In the twinspires.com article, Burch explained his reasoning for running his horse in the Metropolitan Handicap: “I wanted to give him confidence. He has run second twice [to Majestic Prince], and I wanted to restore his confidence.”

It worked. On a sunny June 7 afternoon in front of 66,115 fans, Majestic Prince’s undefeated record ended, as Arts and Letters romped to a 5 1⁄2-length victory in a time of 2:28 4⁄5 for 1 1⁄2 miles.

Following the race, Longden took Majestic Prince home to the West Coast for some much deserved rest and recuperation. However, it turned out the colt had incurred an injury and was retired. Majestic Prince ended his racing career with nine wins and one second in 10 starts and $414,200 in earnings.

FINDING HIS PLACE IN HISTORY As a stallion, Majestic Prince had a modest stud career with 33 stakes winners to his credit. An interesting side story, according to Bowen, involved one of his top progeny, Coastal, the winner of the 1979 Belmont Stakes.

“It was neat that he sired the Belmont winner Coastal,” Bowen said, “and that Coastal [denied] another horse a Triple Crown.”

That horse was Spectacular Bid, who finished third in the Belmont.

And while Majestic Prince went home to California after the Belmont, Arts and Letters, following some rest, continued racing and won four consecutive stakes—the Jim Dandy, Travers, Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup—to end his 1969 season. The last two starts were against older horses.

In those races, according to an article by Charles Hatton in the 1970 American Racing Manual, “he virtually annihilated older rivals in each of these rich weight-for-age tests. His lone appearance in a handicap—the Metropolitan—also saw him outrunning older horses.”

With those victories, Arts and Letters earned 1969 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male honors over Majestic Prince. In addition, with his win in the Metropolitan Handicap between the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, he shared champion handicap horse with the older Nodouble.

No question, those honors were well deserved. But the “what ifs” concerning Majestic Prince remained unanswered. What if he had continued to race? What if he was 100 percent for the Belmont and so on?

With the passage of time, horse racing experts and fans are still debating just how good Majestic Prince was. So, how does his career stack up?

To start, he “beat” his old rival in two important post-career honors: In BloodHorse’s list of the Top 100 racehorses of the 20th century, Majestic Prince came in at No. 46 to Arts and Letters at No. 67. And Majestic Prince was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1988, while Arts and Letters had to wait until 1994.

Two writers on the BloodHorse panel that helped create the Top 100 list were Jay Hovdey, a five-time Eclipse Award winner, a member of the Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame since 2012 and former executive columnist at Daily Racing Form; and Jennie Rees, also a five-time Eclipse Award winner and Hall of Famer who was a longtime racing writer for the AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 37

Keeneland Library Featherston Collection

Louisville Courier-Journal and currently the lead public relations person for a number of tracks and organizations, such as Kentucky Downs and the National HBPA. In recent email interviews, the two accomplished turf writers could not recall the specific discussions that led to the placement of the two horses on the list, but they did have some thoughts about the careers of both.

“As to why Majestic Prince ended up ranked higher on the Top 100, I would need to review the methodology,” Hovdey noted.

“However, despite what Arts and Letters did the rest of 1969 to earn Horse of the Year, he did lose two of his three races against the Prince.

And it was widely accepted that Majestic Prince was far from at his best for the Belmont.”

According to Rees, “That [list creation] was almost 20 years ago and one of the most difficult assignments I’ve ever encountered, ranking all those horses from different eras. With Majestic Prince, I think it was not just the brilliance he’d shown but the fact that he lost the 1 ½-mile Belmont with a tendon injury for his only career defeat. It’s documented that trainer Johnny Longden did not want to run in the Belmont because Majestic Prince came out of the Preakness tired and having lost weight but that Longden was overruled by owner Frank McMahon. More telling are reports that the tendon injury happened in the Preakness and that Majestic Prince had minimal training heading into the Belmont Stakes.”

Rees went on to add: “Majestic Prince is the ultimate ‘what if?’ horse. He’s been described as a bit heavy-bodied, and I suspect he was a difficult horse to keep sound. He has to be one of the best horses 38 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

Majestic Prince being walked at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where he stood his stud career.

ever not to win a championship, if not the best. But that’s a debate for another day.”

Let’s give the last word on this Majestic Prince discussion to Hovdey. At the end of his article, “Majestic Prince came close to perfection,” which was published in Daily Racing Form on May 19, 2016, he wrote about how people had always tried to get Hartack to name the best horse he had ever ridden, but the jockey would never say.

Then, one day, while sitting in a boat fishing with a good friend, he finally gave the answer. Here’s what Hovdey wrote: Hartack, a five-time Derby winner, three-time Preakness winner and six-time national champion … spent most of his later years dodging the question of the best horse he ever rode.

“He’d always give some smart-aleck answer like, ‘You only rode one horse if it’s the best one you ever rode,’ ” said retired trainer Gary Palmisano, the jockey’s close friend. Hartack died in 2007.

“But, when we were out fishing one day, I nailed him down,” Palmisano said. “ ‘Come on,’ I said. ‘In the deepest part of your mind, which horse was the best?’ ” Out in the middle of the lake, Hartack couldn’t get away, so he decided to come clean.

“Absolutely,” he said. “It was Majestic Prince.” H Rick Capone is a freelance writer living in Versailles, Kentucky, just down the road from Keeneland. He is also a volunteer at Old Friends, where he is part owner, with friends Michael Blowen and Tim Ford, of Miss Hooligan, a lovable retired mare at the farm.

AFTERCARE IS NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S RESPONSIBILITY. As an owner, there is no stronger demonstration of responsibility to the Thoroughbred than vigorously supporting aftercare. Without it, not only do we commit the ultimate disservice to our horses, but we expose our entire industr y to well-deser ved scrutiny by the public.

Five years ago, dedicated industry organizations, breeding farms and individuals helped create the most effective aftercare initiative in the sport’s history. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has since accredited, awarded and inspected over 64 entities dedicated to aftercare.

But they remain seriously underfunded in addressing the role they were tasked to pursue for Thoroughbred racing.

Another bold step is needed for the TAA to fulfill its mission.

For our Thoroughbreds and for our sport, we cannot afford to do other wise.

Accredit | Award | Inspect

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Training Problem Horses

The cause of bad behavior might be a mystery, but the solution often is simple

By Denise Steffanus

T

he flight response is the core of equine behavior. Because horses are prey, not predators, their survival in a natural setting depends on lightning-fast reaction times and the ability to flee rapidly and sustain that run. Horses with the quickest responses and the best turn of foot were the ones that lived to pass on their athletic ability to their offspring. This genealogy produces our best racehorses.

In horse racing, the flight response is cultivated to produce outstanding runners. But sometimes that edginess also produces behavior problems, which may start as spooking at something and then turn into quirks such as bolting for the gap, spinning around (wheeling), stopping abruptly (propping) and other issues.

“If you have a horse that’s difficult, it probably shows several of those traits,” said trainer Graham Motion, whose Animal Kingdom won the 2011 Kentucky Derby (G1) and 2013 Dubai World Cup (G1). “Usually one comes with the other. If you have a horse that wants to run out the gap, it’s probably learning to do some of those other things as well.”

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 41

Paul – stock.adobe.com

While some chronic behavior problems may arise from a single incident that may not have been handled appropriately at the time, Motion believes most quirky behavior is rooted in the horse’s personality.

“Every now and then you have a horse come along that’s just not a follower and has an independent way of thinking, and they can come up with tricky quirks,” he said. “I’ve had horses that have not wanted to come out of the gate or they come out of the gate and make a left-hand turn. I think everybody deals with these kinds of issues to some degree. I don’t think it’s necessarily anything someone has done. I think it’s about the horse’s individual personality.”

TOO MANY OPTIONS Every variable in a horse’s routine presents options to react.

Some horses accept a change and go on training normally; others use it as an opportunity to display their quirks.

Motion explained that some quirky horses take advantage of the diverse environment at training centers, such as his home base at Fair Hill, Maryland.

“I think sometimes in an environment like Fair Hill, when the horses have so many options, sometimes I find the difficult horses can actually be a little trickier,” he said.

Fair Hill Training Center offers several different training options, including going to the track or exercising under a rider in a large field. A difficult horse may seize every opportunity to misbehave in reaction to a change in routine and setting.

On the other side of the coin, having the option to switch a horse from a setting that is troublesome to one where the horse can relax is a bonus.

42 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

“If I’m stabled on the racetrack and I have a horse that likes to run off, I’m kind of stuck,” Motion said. “I either have to go the right way and let him run off or go the wrong way and go real steady and let him jog. There’s no in between.

“At Fair Hill, if I have a runaway horse that likes to bolt every time he gets to the track, I don’t have to take him to the track,” he said. “I can go out back in the field. … I have several horses that very rarely see the racetrack because they’re so difficult on the track, meaning they’re almost unmanageable to gallop.”

Motion mentioned former trainee Daveron (Ger) as one such horse, saying she was a very high-strung mare who was tough to gallop. Motion didn’t need to take her to the track every day, and she was much more manageable when he took her out back in the field.

Daveron tendered her worst performance, seventh by 9 1⁄2 lengths, in the 2010 De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Her chart noted, “rank being rated, tired.” Daveron was moved to Motion’s stable after that race. Two months later, she won her next stakes appearance, the Scoot Stakes at Belmont Park, in which rider Eddie Castro was able to keep her relaxed throughout the race until he asked her to make her move at the quarter pole. Obviously, Motion’s strategy for the high-strung mare was a success.

For most horses, the racetrack’s familiar routine provides comfort and security.

“When they’re at the racetrack, they’re in a routine, they go the same way to the track every day, they do the same gallop every day,” Motion said. “Horses are very much creatures of habit, creatures of routine. So once they get in that routine, they seem to do well.”

DEALING WITH QUIRKS

ChrisVanLennepPhoto – adobe.stock.com

Young horses derive a sense of security from going in company, especially if they have a seasoned horse to teach them what is expected of them.

As herd animals, they will follow the pack rather than break from it.

“With a difficult 2-year-old, just to keep it from developing bad habits like running out the gap, it is definitely better to go in company,” Motion said.

Placing that horse on the inside of other horses while going past the gap will block it from bolting off the track.

Another solution for a difficult horse is to send it with a lead pony.

Sometimes the lead pony will simply gallop alongside the racehorse. If the exercise rider encounters a problem, the pony rider can take hold of the racehorse to help control it.

Motion said going in company may not be as effective for an older horse because it might consider another horse beside it as competition.

“They get on the muscle when they gallop together, and they end up doing more than you want them to do,” he said.

Some quirks start as spooking at the unfamiliar, and the only thing that will convince a horse it has nothing to fear is passing the same object or performing the same task each day without incident. But if the rider allows the horse to use the scenario as an excuse to misbehave, a quirk is born.

“The best riders know when to reprimand a horse and when not to,” Motion said. “I think that is so important. They can get a horse out of a habit like that just by catching him at the right moment and not letting him get away with it. I think knowing when to reprimand and when not to certainly helps resolve or prevent a problem.”

GROUND MANNERS Even horses that are well mannered under saddle can be a challenge to work with on the ground, especially colts.

Biting and kicking are the two most common vices, and while eliminating these vices entirely may not be possible, a confident groom can teach a horse respect.

“If a groom just lets a horse know who’s the boss, I think you’re much more likely to get a positive reaction from the horse, rather than a guy who comes in and cowers in the corner because he’s afraid of the horse,” Motion said. “That’s easier said than done, but it’s all about confidence. And I don’t mean going in and whacking the horse or anything like that. I just mean not being intimidated by the horse, being assertive.”

Reinforcement need not be negative. Toby’s Corner, Motion’s leading contender for the 2011 Kentucky Derby until he injured his left hind leg days before the race, was a peppermint junkie.

“Toby’s Corner was quite a tricky horse to catch sometimes in the morning, so we would often come in armed with a peppermint to encourage him to come up to us,” Motion said.

“Then once he responded, you could just put him on the wall and he was fine.”

Putting the horse on a tie strap on the wall keeps it under control in the stall and allows the groom to work around the horse safely.

Discouraging a horse from biting is challenging, Motion said. Having a groom or a hotwalker who knows how and when to properly use a chain shank is the key.

“It’s terrible when you see guys just shanking horses [too much],” he said. “Knowing when to shank a horse and when not to shank is a big part of letting them know who’s boss and teaching them they can’t be biting all the time.”

PHYSICAL PROBLEMS Motion said he always pays close attention to a horse that develops behavior problems, especially a horse that normally has been well mannered.

Horses that will not stand for the farrier, ones that are resistant to training and ones that try to bolt off the track may be in pain.

Horses that spook at everything may have vision problems.

“I think sometimes the horse is trying to tell us something,” Motion said. “It always crosses my mind—what could be making the horse not want to do this or run out the gap. I think as a trainer you have to be attuned to those things because horses can’t talk, so you have to be sensitive to their quirks.” H Denise Steffanus, a freelance writer and editor in Cynthiana, Kentucky, earned the 2017 Eclipse Award for News/Enterprise Writing, the prestigious Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award and the USA Equestrian (now the U.S. Equestrian Federation) Award for Media Excellence. She is a former licensed Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and a member of American Mensa.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 43

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and careers have been launched.

From winning Triple Crowns to running racet managing bloodstock enterprises to calling r RTIP alumni are leading the industry.

TRADITION OF SUCCESS Become a part of this legacy.

Since 1973, Race Track Industry Program graduates have been united by passion – for the horse, for racing, for making their own mark. This passion and drive connects them long after the degree has been earned and careers have been launched.

From winning Triple Crowns to running racetracks, managing bloodstock enterprises to calling races, RTIP alumni are leading the industry.

Become a part of this legacy.

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Race Track Industry Program | ua-rtip.org 46 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

STATE ASSOCIATION NEWS Portions of state association news have been condensed for the print magazine. To read complete versions of news from around the regions covered by American Racehorse, go to americanracehorse.com.

ALABAMA HORSEMEN’S BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION NEWS Reminder About New Stallions in Alabama In case you missed it last issue, two new stallions have recently come to Alabama.

Chamois, a multiple graded-placed stakes winner of $355,994, is standing at Flying P Ranch near Hope Hull. A son of two-time leading sire Smart Strike, Chamois stands for $2,000, with special consideration to approved mares. For more information, contact Flying P coowner Bobby Pruitt at mabgpruitt@bellsouth.net.

Also calling Alabama home is Mosquito, a son of multiple graded stakes winner Yes It’s True out of Fleuron, by Distant View. Mosquito stands at H and H Thoroughbreds in Andalusia. Mosquito has already been represented by his first starter, Foolish Steve, who broke his maiden in November 2018 at Delta Downs for owner-breeder Jerry Hughes. The 3-year-old Alabama-bred colt has added two more wins this year and his earnings have eclipsed $50,000. For more information about Mosquito, contact Rhett Harrelson at (205) 563-5473.

Magic City Classic Horsemen are reminded that the $40,000-guaranteed Magic City Classic will be run December 13 at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. The race is for Alabama-bred 3-year-olds and up at one mile. The nomination deadline will have passed by the time this issue is received. Look for a recap in the next issue.

The Alabama HBPA will reimburse up to $500 in travel expenses for horses that finish fourth and out. Please contact Executive Director Nancy Delony for more information at (205) 969-7048 or nancy.m.delony@ms.com.

ARKANSAS THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND HORSEMEN’S ASSOCIATION NEWS Four Million-Dollar Races Highlight 2020 Oaklawn Season Four $1 million stakes races—the Rebel Stakes (G2), Arkansas Derby (G1), Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and Apple Blossom Handicap (G1)— highlight Oaklawn’s historic 2020 stakes schedule that features 33 races worth $10.7 million.

In addition, the richest Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep series in the country just got richer with significant bumps to the Southwest Stakes (G3), Honeybee Stakes (G3) and Fantasy Stakes (G3). Overall, 15 stakes received purse increases including four Arkansas-bred stakes.

Oaklawn’s rich 3-year-old program for colts and geldings begins opening day, January 24, with the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and culminates closing day, May 2, with the $300,000 Oaklawn Invitational, which is returning to the schedule following a successful debut in 2019. In between are the $750,000 Southwest Stakes, the Presidents’ Day Monday feature that has received a $250,000 increase over 2019, and the March 14 Rebel Stakes and the April 11 Arkansas Derby.

Rebel Stakes weekend will also feature three other stakes, including the inaugural $125,000 Temperence Hill Stakes Friday, March 13, for 4-year-olds and up at 1 ½ miles. The race is named in honor of the 1980 champion 3-year-old who won the Rebel, Arkansas Derby and Belmont Stakes (G1), before returning the following year to win the Oaklawn Handicap.

Oaklawn has boosted the purses of all three races in its 3-year-old fillies series starting with a $25,000 bump to the $150,000 Martha Washington Stakes Saturday, February 1. Both the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes Saturday, March 7, and the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes Friday, April 10, received $100,000 increases.

The Racing Festival of the South kicks off April 10 with the Fantasy Stakes and is followed the next day with the Arkansas Derby and three other stakes—the $200,000 Carousel Stakes, $250,000 Oaklawn Mile and $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3). The Carousel for filly and mare sprinters received a $50,000 increase and joins the Derby Day card for the first time.

For the first time in Oaklawn history, the Racing Festival of the South continues past the Arkansas Derby and will conclude the following Saturday, April 18, with the Oaklawn Handicap for 4-year-olds and up and Apple Blossom Handicap for older fillies and mares. Both races received an increase of $250,000 over their 2019 purses to hit the million-dollar level.

Horsemen with Arkansas-bred runners will compete for bigger purses with five restricted stakes set for registered state-breds. Purses, previously at $100,000 per race, have increased to $125,000 for four of the restricted stakes. The Downthedustyroad Breeders’ Stakes (for fillies and mares) and the Nodouble Breeders’ Stakes, both for 3-year-olds and up, and the Rainbow Stakes and Rainbow Miss Stakes (for fillies) for 3-year-olds will all be run at six furlongs. The Arkansas Breeders’ Championship for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1⁄16 miles will again have a $200,000 purse.

The construction and expansions at Oaklawn should have the backside stable gate, the Arkansas HBPA, along with the HBPA’s medical clinic, and the ATBHA in their new offices and locations in early November. Everything and everyone in and around the grounds were getting excited for the horses to begin arriving November 25 and for the horsemen to get their year-end papers and registrations completed by the end of the year.

The 57-day season begins Friday, January 24, and continues through Saturday, May 2.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 47

STATE ASSOCIATION NEWS INDIANA THOROUGHBRED OWNER’S AND BREEDER’S ASSOCIATION NEWS

Coady Photography

Fireball Baby, Rooster Win ITOBA Stallion Season Stakes at Indiana Grand

Fireball Baby

Coady Photography

Indiana Grand on October 19 featured two divisions of the ITOBA Stallion Season Stakes. The one-mile races were for registered Indiana-breds by stallions that participated in the ITOBA stallion season auction. For more information about donating or bidding in this year’s auction, go to itoba.com.

The $94,500 fillies division was dedicated to the memory of Indiana trainer Julee Rodriguez, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year at Indiana Grand. Fireball Baby, a 3-year-old daughter of Noble’s Promise, earned the victory for her fourth career win in 11 starts.

Ridden by Marcelino Pedroza for trainer Philip Bauer, Fireball Baby increased her earnings to more than $250,000 for breeders Richard and Tammy Rigney’s Rigney Racing LLC. The Rigneys also campaigned Noble’s Promise, who died last year.

In the $84,000 colts and geldings division, Rooster helped deliver the first career stakes victory for apprentice jockey Kendal Sterritt.

Rooster 48 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

As the betting favorite, Rooster and Sterritt scored by 1 ½ lengths for owner-trainer Ronald Brown.

“It feels awesome,” said an excited Sterritt in the winner’s circle.

“I started crying after the wire. This means so much to me. I have to thank Team Ron Brown for having faith in me this entire meet.”

Bred by Crystal Chapple, DVM, Rooster is a 3-year-old son of City Weekend who has banked $141,413 with four wins in 16 starts.

First Runhappy Foals in Indiana Bring Sire Full Circle Eclipse Award-winning stallion Runhappy has many fans across the country, including Indiana. The popular winner of the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), Runhappy stands in Kentucky at historic Claiborne Farm. But two foals from his 2019 crop were born in Indiana and registered with the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program, a regional breeding incentive program Runhappy’s connections are excited to a part of.

Runhappy earned more than $1.4 million in his three-year race career, including the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes and Malibu Stakes for owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale. But before those victories, the colt earned his first win at 3 at Indiana Grand coming back after an injury at 2, so his foals’ participation in the state is a full circle moment.

And now, Hoosiers might start to see his name even more in the state.

“We started running our horses at Indiana Grand last year,” explains Laura Wohlers, who trains McIngvale’s horses. “We made some money and had a good time.”

Wohlers’ love of the Shelbyville track grew as they enjoyed the convenient ship-in process, since her string is based out of the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

The success discovered in 2018 led to Wohlers and McIngvale looking at partaking in the lucrative breeders’ incentive program in Indiana, and they chose a few mares for their first breeding foray into the Hoosier State.

Because Wohlers brought three mares into the state after the November 1 deadline, she was required to breed them back to a registered Indiana stallion so their 2019 foals could be registered as Indiana-breds.

“We didn’t mind the breed-back requirement because we know that 90 percent of state programs have that same rule,” Wohlers commented. “If you have a good breeders’ awards program, which Indiana does, it’s not too difficult to find the best-fitting stallion. We have foals now in Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland and Indiana. I think the state programs are something that people are looking more and more to now. I think that there is always that perception that the best horses are all in Kentucky and you need to buy a Kentucky-bred. But there really isn’t much of a Kentucky breeder incentive program available.”

Breeders of registered Indiana-breds can earn 20 percent of the gross purse for all stakes, allowance and claiming races when racing at Indiana Grand. If the Indiana-bred wins a race in another state, Puerto Rico or Canada, the breeder earns 10 percent of the winner’s share of the purse when there is no live Thoroughbred meet in progress in Indiana and for 2-year-olds winning out of state prior to July 1 (except for stakes races). Incentives are paid for races where the claiming price is more than $10,000.

“The purses are good in Indiana to begin with, and when you add the Indiana program’s money, I told Mack you could make some good money with your horses,” she continued. “If you’ve got a $30,000 purse, you’re really running for $40,000 with the added incentives. And, with the changes coming to the racinos with table games, the purses will end up being even higher. The money is going to drive people—look at the changes Oaklawn has undergone in the past 10 years!”

One of the things that also intrigued the Runhappy connections about the Indiana program was that not only does Indiana pay a 40 percent purse supplement to the open races for the Indiana-breds that are able to run there, but it also adds a 20 percent breeders’ award. A 10 percent award is also paid for out-of-state stakes when the meet is not live in Indiana.

For more information about the Indiana program, go to itoba.com or in.gov/hrc.

the years to come because horsemen will realize they can sell their Iowa-breds for good money as well as run them for good purses at Prairie Meadows.”

NBS Stable, a partnership comprised of Kansas attorney Art Neuhedel, North Dakota biotech executive John Ballantyne and Daryl Shaw of Illinois, purchased Hip 7, a gelded yearling by Tapiture, for $24,000 early in the sale and took Hip 52, an Exaggerator yearling filly, for $50,000 late in the session to finish the evening as the leading buyer

The ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale, held October 28 at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino, posted solid numbers with a yearling filly by Pass Rush topping the auction at $26,000.

Named Paloma’s Pass, the Indiana-bred was purchased by trainer Randy Klopp from the consignment of West Farms. Paloma’s Pass, who was bred by Steven West and Sharon Baker, is out of Village Voice, a Petionville mare whose family includes graded stakes performer and $523,495-earner Lenny the Lender.

Pass Rush, a two-time Indiana Horse of the Year on the track, is perennially among the state’s leading sires and stands at Swifty Farms.

All told, 47 of 71 horses sold for $265,321 with an average price of $5,645 and a median of $4,500. The buyback rate was 31.9 percent.

Last year’s auction saw 41 horses sell for an average of $5,839 and total of $239,400. The median last year was $3,900 with a 24.1 percent buyback rate.

For full results, go to itoba.com.

IOWA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS AND OWNERS ASSOCIATION NEWS ITBOA Fall All Age Sale a Big Success Even before the final gavel came down to close out the ITBOA Fall All Age Sale at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on September 5, ITBOA President Steve Renftle knew the results bode well for the future of the state’s breeding program.

Some 38 yearlings sold at this year’s sale for a total of $469,800, with NBS Stable purchasing five horses for $150,000 and popular Omaha-based owner Tom Allen grabbing the sale topper, a yearling daughter of Oklahoma stallion Liaison, for $60,000.

“It was the best sale we’ve ever had,” Renftle said. “Even though the number of horses sold and the final money total were slightly less than the 2017 sale, this one was something different.

“The sale had well-bred quality horses, active bidders, new buyers and even some longtime Quarter Horse owners getting involved,” he added. “This year’s results should boost the breeding numbers in

Courtesy ITBOA

Pass Rush Yearling Tops ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale

A Liaison yearling filly brought $60,000 to top the ITBOA Fall All Age Sale.

Neuhedel said the new NBS Stable runners departed Iowa on September 13 for Oklahoma and their eventual winter home on a New Mexico farm near Jon Arnett.

Tom Allen, who has campaigned a number of winning Iowa-breds at Prairie Meadows, purchased the sale topper from the consignment of Eagle Wings Farm, agent for breeder Allen Poindexter.

“The breeder, Allen Poindexter, encouraged me to get involved in the bidding,” Allen said. “I already own one horse in partnership with him, Allen’s Rocket, and we’re looking for big things next year from him.”

On the consignor side, Iowa State University was the leading consignor by money ($152,900) and by number sold (14). Madison County Thoroughbreds was the second-leading consignor by money ($145,000) and by number sold (10).

The full results are available at iowathoroughbred.com.

Iowa Champions Honored on Preakness Day The ITBOA and the Iowa HBPA honored the champions of 2018 during a reception in the Pavilion at Prairie Meadows throughout the live racing day on May 18, Preakness Saturday.

“We thought it was a great way to showcase our champions to a larger audience than we would have in an after-the-races setting,” said Brandi Jo Fett, ITBOA’s executive director, of the revised awards presentation format. “Everyone at the track inside and outside, and even those watching from out of town via simulcasting, saw some great video presentations of last year’s top horses prepared by the television department at Prairie Meadows.”

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 49

STATE ASSOCIATION NEWS Congratulations to the follow champions: 2-Year-Old Iowa-bred Colt: Topper T 2-Year-Old Iowa-bred Filly: Olive Oyl 3-Year-Old Iowa-bred Colt: Tin Badge 3-Year-Old Iowa-bred Filly: Tracy Racy Older Iowa-bred Colt: Itsallaboutyou Older Iowa-bred Mare: Mywomanfromtokyo Leading Iowa Stallion: Native Ruler Leading Iowa Broodmare: Des Moines ITBOA/IAHBPA Owner of the Year: Danny Caldwell IAHBPA Trainer of the Year: Karl Broberg IAHBPA Claimer of the Year: Wise Eyes ITBOA Breeder of the Year: Allen Poindexter ITBOA Iowa-bred Horse of the Year: Tin Badge IAHBPA Horse of the Year: Remembering Rita

MINNESOTA THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION NEWS Canterbury Park Hall of Fame Class of 2019 Announced Coady Photography

The Canterbury Park Hall of Fame class of 2019 was honored August 31 at the Minnesota track. The inductees were trainer Francisco Bravo; the late Ralph Strangis, who served as Minnesota Racing Commission chairman; and owners and breeders Joni and Barry Butzow. These inductees join a group of more than 40 individuals and horses that comprise the best of Francisco Bravo and daughter Natalie Minnesota racing.

Bravo’s training career began in 1992 at what was then Canterbury Downs. The track closed following that season and reopened in 1995 as Canterbury Park with Bravo training the Minnesota-bred filly Argenti to five consecutive wins, including two stakes, and Horse of the Meet honors. Bravo is in the top 10 in all-time wins, starts and earnings in the track’s history.

Strangis served twice as chairman of the MRC, from 1989 to 1992 and again from 2013 until his death in 2018. He was also an ardent racing fan and racehorse owner. He is credited by many for saving live racing in Minnesota by presiding over a vote in 1992 that would not allow Ladbroke Racing Corporation to operate simulcast racing in the state without a commitment to live racing. This led to Ladbroke’s departure, the shuttering of the track and the opportunity for Minnesota businessmen to purchase the property in 1994.

Joni and Barry Butzow are longtime racehorse owners and breeders, both locally and nationally. In addition to being well-known for their racing operation, they are also greatly appreciated and respected for their generosity and philanthropy in the racing community.

50 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

The Canterbury Park Hall of Fame was founded in 1995 to recognize people and horses that have made important and lasting contributions to the racing industry within the state. The selection committee consists of representatives of local horsemen’s organizations, local media and Canterbury Park.

MTA Yearling Sale Breaks Records A record 92 percent of the horses that passed through the September 8 MTA Yearling Sale at Canterbury Park sold to new owners, with 23 percent bringing $20,000 or more. Gross sales hit a record-setting $549,000, up 36 percent from the 2018 sale. In all, 29 separate buyers were listed in the results, with 14 of those being buyers who hadn’t purchased from the MTA sale within the past five years, if ever.

Our consignors are to be credited with the success of this year’s sale. From the careful breeding decisions made to the proper mare care provided, and from the successful delivery of a healthy foal to the moment that foal stepped into the sale ring, there has been an incredible amount of hard work, financial investment and worry put into these consignments. Our consignors stepped up and put the time and work into presenting yearlings that were well-fed, fit and looked the part. The common thread heard throughout the sale was that the pedigrees were stronger and the yearlings looked well turned out.

Congratulations go to our consignors and buyers. We look forward to seeing these babies step onto the Canterbury racetrack in the years ahead. Go to minnesotabred.com for complete sale results.

NORTH CAROLINA THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION NEWS A True Tale: Of Francine Villeneuve, Cozy Blues and Giovanna Blues By Joanne Dew In January 1997, my husband and I had been in the game for about four years and had had nothing but bad luck. Everything we had tried had gone wrong, from a bad racehorse to a lost foal, to a yearling having a pasture accident and needing to be put down. We had attempted to pinhook two weanlings to sell as yearlings but had only the one to take to the sale; we could not get her sold as a yearling and so tried again at a 2-year-olds in training sale with the same result.

Whether we wanted it or not, we had a racehorse.

The filly, named Cozy Blues, was broke and did well through training, and later ended up in New Orleans with our trainer’s second string. Being new owners and raising our horses at our farm, we always visited the backside to see the horse and talk to the trainer. We met a young woman who had been riding our horse in the mornings.

Her name was Francine Villeneuve, and we learned she was a jockey and had ridden some big horses and worked for some prominent trainers. We decided that she should ride our horse in her next race.

On a cold and wet day at the Fair Grounds in January 1997, Cozy Blues was ready to make her third start. Her first two races had been as a 2-year-old, and she was out of the money both times. Now at three, she still looked small and thin compared to the rest of the horses she was running against, and the turf race had been pulled off and was to run on the main track. In the paddock, “riders up” was called,

and our jockey was legged up. We watched her and our filly head to the track and then watched the race on the TV screen because the Fair Grounds had burned to the ground several years before and there were not many places where we could watch the race. Cozy Blues was last as she neared the far turn and then began picking up horses, going from last to fifth to second. Our filly then took the lead to win by nine lengths with Francine up.

Little did we know what that day would mean to me; my husband, Sandy; and Francine. Two starts later, Francine rode Cozy Blues to another win, on the turf this time, by seven lengths in the best time of that day. Cozy Blues’ final start at the Fair Grounds was in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Oaks on the main track and she finished third. Francine then rode Cozy Blues to a second in a stakes at Churchill Downs, and then to her first stakes win in the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico.

Stabling at Churchill Downs and trying to find a stakes for a miler on the turf was very hard to do. We opted to take Cozy Blues to California and run in the Grade 3 San Clemente Handicap. We rode Alex Solis and finished second. We stayed there to run in the Grade 2 Del Mar Oaks, again riding Solis, who had to pull her up with a broken splint bone in her back leg.

We changed trainers to be based in California, and Cozy Blues’ new trainer discovered she had EPM along with the fractured splint bone.

She went to surgery and entered rehab for the next four months before returning to racing on December 31, 1997. She ran in an allowance with a very famous jockey but did not finish in the money. We then called Francine and asked her to come to California and ride Cozy Blues in an allowance, and together, they finished second. Francine was the only female rider in California at the time, and she rode so well that she was asked to stay and two agents wanted her book.

She decided to go back to New Orleans to close out everything and bring her car back, but while there, she got on a horse that went down, and Francine broke her collar bone. It was the end of California for her and maybe a dream that was not meant to be. She had ridden Cozy Blues for the last time in that allowance race. Our filly went on to become a graded stakes winner, and she was the best horse Sandy and I ever had. Francine was never out of the money when riding Cozy Blues, and because of her, we learned what a great horse we had.

OHIO THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS AND OWNERS NEWS Ohio Stallions Continue to Trend Up The quality of the stallion ranks in the Buckeye State continues to grow, with new stallion Itsmyluckyday, a multiple graded stakes winner of more than $1.7 million. The son of Lawyer Ron is being brought to the state by reproduction specialist Robert J. Maro, DVM, and partner Gigi Chiandussi and will stand at Maro Veterinary Services in Lowellville for an introductory fee of $2,000.

John Engelhardt

Michael Burns Photography

Giovanna Blues

Time went by, nearly 15 years, when we saw Francine in Florida, where she was working as an assistant trainer. We got together with her and went to dinner, and she told us she wanted to be a trainer. Then as things often happen in this busy world, we did not stay in touch.

Cozy Blues had become a broodmare, throwing many colts and only one filly, Blues Legend. We took her to auction but decided to keep her when she did not meet her reserve. After Blues Legend’s racing career ended, we decided to breed her to Gio Ponti. The result was a filly we named Giovanna Blues. We broke her, formed a partnership and hired a trainer who raced her 18 times, winning three races, including two in Canada, and becoming Grade 3-placed. While we were in Canada on several different occasions, I learned that Francine was a trainer at Woodbine. After having the same trainer with Giovanna Blues for four years, we made a change and sent the 6-year-old mare to Francine.

Giovanna Blues entered Francine’s barn in March 2019. She has run four times, again becoming Grade 3-placed. Some 22 years since a young jockey took the reins of an unproven filly and rode her to her first stakes win, the same rider-turned-trainer took the granddaughter of Cozy Blues to her first stakes win on August 18 in the Flaming Page Stakes.

Just one example of what makes breeding and racing Thoroughbreds so enjoyable!

Itsmyluckyday hams it up in the mirror for ESPN's Michelle Beadle at Churchill Downs.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 51

STATE ASSOCIATION NEWS Itsmyluckyday won nine of his 21 career starts with eight stakes wins, highlighted by the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes. He also finished second to Oxbow in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. He set a track record of 1:41.81 for 1 1⁄16 miles in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes.

Already the sire of nearly 50 winners, Itsmyluckyday is represented by multiple stakes winner Itsmyluckycharm, 2-year-old stakes winner Zapit and stakes-placed winners Drinkatthecreek and Bebo Lucky Road.

Also proving the quality of Ohio stallions, Indy Wind continues to garner attention as the sire of Grade 1-winning millionaire Starship Jubilee. In the $600,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) at Woodbine in October, the 6-year-old mare flashed her usual speed and turned back the challenge of three European graded stakes winners in the 1 ½ mile turf test. That win pushed Starship Jubilee’s earnings to $1,225,670 in a career that has seen her win 14 of her 31 starts.

Robin Murphy, who operates Poplar Creek Horse Center in Bethel, recruited Indy Wind from Florida where he was in the top five thirdcrop sires. He had 74 percent winners from starters in his first two crops. The chestnut stallion with a prominent white blaze was a fivetime stakes winner who retired with earnings of $392,900.

Legendary Horseman and Basketball Standout James Morgan Passes at 85 Trainer James E. “Jim” Morgan, who passed away at 85 on September 29, may be the greatest conditioner you have never heard of and with one of the most interesting sports backgrounds. The first horse race he ever witnessed was when Dark Star upset the great Native Dancer in the 1953 Kentucky Derby while Morgan was working parttime as an Andy Frain usher. A native of the coal-mining region of eastern Kentucky, Morgan made a reputation on the hardwood basketball floors of Dayton, Ohio, where the 6-foot-1 All City guard led Stivers High School to be ranked No. 1 in the state in the early 1950s.

He chose the University of Louisville over the University of Dayton and went on to become a standout player. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame and his number was retired. The National Basketball Association’s Syracuse Nationals (eventually the Philadelphia ’76ers) made him their No. 1 draft pick, but he elected to return to Dayton to teach and coach high school basketball at Stebbins High School, as the salaries (believe it or not) were comparable.

“Guess I was born a few years early,” Morgan said once while discussing the subject. “It was just a few years after that NBA salaries started to skyrocket.”

After nine years, Morgan switched to coaching equine athletes and became one of the Midwest’s preeminent trainers, winning more than 300 stakes and 2,000 total races. Based primarily in Kentucky and Ohio, he trained Costly Dream, who defeated champion Susan’s Girl in the Berlo Handicap at Aqueduct; Bold Rendezvous, winner of Belmont’s Imperatrice Stakes and third in the Kentucky Oaks; and his standout Ohio-bred Brent’s Prince, who captured Arlington Park’s Round Table and the Ohio Derby at Thistledown.

In the Buckeye State, he dominated the stakes ranks by developing six Ohio horses of the year. He later served as president of the Ohio HBPA and had served as a trustee of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Health Fund since 1998.

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OTBO Members Peter Sheppell and Langsem Farm Fare Well at Keeneland Sale The Keeneland September Yearling Sale brought smiles to Peter Sheppell and his team but was met with mixed emotions by those connected with the Klosterman family’s Langsem Farm.

It’s been almost three years since Ohio Thoroughbred owner and breeder Judy Klosterman succumbed to complications from Parkinson’s disease. In passing, she left behind her husband, Ken, three children and an ever-growing family. While initial plans were made to continue breeding following her death, the family decided to disperse the remaining stock, close to 30 horses, across the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and November Breeding Stock Sale.

Klosterman was a native of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, and established Langsem Farm in the late 1980s with her husband. She was named 1992 Ohio Breeder of the Year and 1999 Midwest region Breeder of the Year by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. She bred and raced individually or in partnership two-time Ohio champion Naughty, along with stakes winners Crusie, Brushy Fork, Enticed, Heavenliness and Conjuress.

Her foundation mare, Haveaheavenlytime, earned Ohio broodmare of the year honors and is present in many of the pedigrees of Langsem-bred horses. Klosterman also has the distinction of having sold the most expensive Ohio-bred in history, multiple stakes winner Unbridled Time, who was purchased by Bob and Beverly Lewis for $1.15 million at the 1999 Keeneland September sale. At this year’s Keeneland September sale, the top price for the Langsem dispersal was $230,000 for a chestnut colt from the first crop of champion sprinter Runhappy out of Floral Park, by Forest Wildcat. Purchased

by Martin Anthony, the colt is a half brother to three stakes winners, most notably Grade 3 winner and multiple graded stakes-placed runner Heavenhasmynikki. The Klostermans have decided to keep a 2-year-old gelding by Twirling Candy out of Floral Park named Chip Chop, who will remain in training and race for the family.

“That is the one horse that the kids will hold on to and finish out his career,” said Langsem Farm manager Lindsay Scott. “The kids do enjoy racing, so they’ll hold on to that for a little while.”

Interestingly, the top seller at the Keeneland September sale for Ohio-based consignor Peter Sheppell has pedigree connections to Langsem Farm. The third dam of Sheppell’s Kantharos filly that sold for $170,000 to M & A Racing is Enticed. The multiple stakes winner, who was trained by Jim Morgan and owned by Judy Klosterman, is a half sister to Heavenliness ($343,760), Unbridled Time ($341,889), Conjuress and Hiho Heaven. Sheppell sold two other yearlings at Keeneland: a Liam’s Map filly for $130,000 to Jay Em Ess Stable and another Kantharos filly for $62,000 to Dawn Mendez.

The top Ohio foal sold was a chestnut filly by Macho Uno out of Camielee, by Ohio Horse of the Year Harlan’s Holiday. Consigned by Cross Keys Sales LLC, she brought a final bid of $250,000 from Exclusive Equine Investments.

You can filter Ohio-breds at the Keeneland September Sale at keeneland.com.

Shotgun Kowboy, Welder Win Again in the Oklahoma Classics

Dustin Orona Photography

Oklahoma Classics Day at Remington Park always includes some rising stars in the Oklahoma-bred ranks, especially in the 2-year-old races, but this year’s edition on October 18 showcased two of the state’s biggest stars as Shotgun Kowboy and Welder both added to their impressive resumes.

Shotgun Kowboy, the 7-year-old millionaire, won his fourth $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup with one of the most impressive efforts of his distinguished career.

Bred, owned and trained by C.R. Trout, Shotgun Kowboy easily pulled away with over a quarter-mile left in the 1 1⁄16-mile race to win by 6 3⁄4 lengths under jockey David Cabrera.

“He ran awful well, he’s sure been good to us,” Trout said. “I want to give this to my wife [Arletta]. She’s in the hospital. She had openheart surgery. She’s doing better. She loves this old horse, she named him and this is for her.”

The win sets a new mark as no horse has ever won the Classics Cup, the marquee event of the Oklahoma Classics series, four times. Shotgun Kowboy pulled away from a tie he had with Mr. Ross (1999–2001) and Zee Oh Six (2002, 2005–2006), who had each won the race three times.

The win is also Shotgun Kowboy’s fifth overall Classics win; he won the Classics Juvenile when he was a 2-year-old (2014) to go with his Cup victories (2015, 2017–2019). The fifth Classics win puts Shotgun Kowboy in a tie with Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer Highland Ice for most Classics triumphs.

The Classics Cup was the 14th career victory from 38 starts for Shotgun Kowboy and his ninth overall win at Remington Park. The winner of the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby in 2015, Shotgun Kowboy also picked up $105,000 for the win to push his total earnings to $1,508,241.

Welder has spent so much time in the winner’s circle at Remington Park it’s almost a given he will be there every time he competes.

However, there was some doubt that his seven-win local streak would end.

Shotgun Kowboy

The 2018 Oklahoma Horse of the Year had everyone gasping at the start of the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Sprint when the gates opened and the gray reared a bit with a hop to start his journey, spotting his six rivals a head start as he was not in his customary spot near the front. The crowd and connections then gasped again as the 6-year-old gelding turned a disadvantage into his favor, flying like a bullet from his early seventh place to the lead in about a half-mile, taking over at the top of the stretch.

Dustin Orona Photography

THOROUGHBRED RACING ASSOCIATION OF OKLAHOMA NEWS

Welder

Welder went on to win by 4 ¼ lengths with David Cabrera up for trainer Teri Luneack and owner Ra-Max Farms LLC for his second consecutive Classics Sprint victory. Bred by Center Hills Farm, the son of The Visualiser improved his record to 20 wins in 30 starts and is closing in on the millionaire’s club with earnings of nearly $930,000.

Other stakes winners on the night included Zapit in the Classics Lassie, Rowdy Yates in the Classics Juvenile, Inagoodway in the Classics Distaff, Alternative Slew in the Classics Distaff Turf, Three Chords in the Classics Distaff Sprint and Cowboy Mischief in the OKC Turf Classic.

Complete recaps of all of the Oklahoma Classics races are available at remingtonpark.com.

Lady Orchid, D Toz Capture Oklahoma Stallion Stakes Remington Park showcased some of the best Oklahoma-bred and -sired horses in training on September 13 with two divisions of the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

In the $47,800 fillies division, Lady Orchid gave her owner-breeder Lori Bravo and her trainer, Lori’s husband, Francisco, some good flashbacks. The daughter of Oratory out of Burst of Life seems to be picking up where her mother left off as a stakes winner. It was the third win in as many starts for Lady Orchid with her other wins coming at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore earlier this year.

“Yes, she sure does remind me of her mother,” Lori Bravo said in the winner’s circle. “She kind of has the same style and is a very goodminded filly.”

Burst of Life was a stakes winner and ended her career with nine victories in 14 starts and $140,355 while running for the Bravos, who also own and operate River Oaks Thoroughbreds, where they stand

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 53

STATE ASSOCIATION NEWS some of the state’s top stallions. She took the $50,000 Flashy Lady Stakes in the final race of her career.

In the $50,000 male division, D Toz became a multiple stakes winner at Remington, following up his Don McNeill Stakes win as a 2-year-old in Oklahoma City last year.

D Toz, bred by the Richter Family Trust and co-owned with B.J. Richter, is trained by Danny Pish and went over the $100,000 mark in earnings with the win.

“I think he’s better now than when he won the Don McNeill last year,” said jockey Lane Luzzi.

D Toz’s sire, Chitoz, stand at the Bravos’ River Oaks Farms in Sulphur.

Carter Sales Co.’s OKC September Sale Posts Big Jump in Average Carter Sales Company’s OKC September Sale saw a record 50 percent increase in average price, which jumped to $10,858 from $7,228 in 2018, while the median nearly doubled from $4,500 in 2018 to $7,500 this year. In addition, the 19 percent buyback rate was the lowest to date. The sale was held September 1 at the OKC State Fairgrounds Sales Arena.

The sale’s top seller at $30,000 was Hip 19, a yearling colt by Pollard’s Vision out of Kip Seville, a sister to multiple Oklahoma champion and Horse of the Year Kip Deville ($3.1 million). The colt was consigned by Mighty Acres for Center Hills Farm. Lee Young of Oklahoma City signed the ticket for Young Stables LLC. Hip 17, a yearling filly by Graydar out of the Ghostzapper mare Heavenly Ghost, commanded the second highest price at $27,000.

Mark Hixon, agent for John Barger of Grand Prairie, Texas, bought the filly from the consignment of Buena Madera.

While the sale posted records in most categories, the number of horses offered was the smallest in the sale’s 13-year history. The 42 yearlings offered represented a 46 percent drop from 78 in 2018.

“The number offered and the incredible purses for racing produced the highest median in our sale’s history, but in an industry where sales are contracting across the board, we have reason to be concerned,” said Sales Manager Terri Carter. “With two equine veterinarians in the family, we see many other types of horse sales with similar declining numbers, but we also see disciplines with recent increases.

“Like any business, we have a responsibility to fix our problems, then use our many resources to share our love for horses and the industry,” she added. “It is just too easy to be negative and that drives people away. I am a big believer that attitude is everything and the attitude and atmosphere at the sale, along with the record increases, told me we are headed in the right direction.”

The mixed session sold four of six mares for an average of $1,825 and a buyback rate of 33 percent.

Go to cartersalesco.com for complete results.

Oklahoma Derby Produces Record Handle at Remington Park The Oklahoma Derby Day program on September 29 generated a record pari-mutuel handle day for Remington Park. The 13-race pro54 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

gram featured eight stakes events including the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby and Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks.

Total handle was $3,086,572 and included money wagered ontrack, export betting and money played at Thunder Roadhouse in Oklahoma City, a Remington Park authorized off-track site. It was the first time in Remington Park history that a racing card produced total handle of more than $3 million.

A crowd of 10,610 witnessed Owendale’s win in the Oklahoma Derby and Lady Apple’s score in the Remington Park Oaks, wagering $227,384 in the process. The export handle, from all outside venues, was $2,851,667, also a new all-time high for that category. Thunder Roadhouse played $7,521 on the card.

“I want to thank our entire team whose hard work resulted in the biggest single day of wagering in the history of Remington Park,” said Matt Vance, vice president of racing operations. “Congratulations and thanks go to all the horsemen who participated and made Sunday such an incredible day. Many of the top horses in America were here for our biggest day and we appreciate all of the horseplayers who recognized the Oklahoma Derby program through their wagering.”

SOUTH CAROLINA THOROUGHBRED OWNERS AND BREEDERS ASSOCIATION NEWS South Carolina TOBA Says Goodbye to Nancy Terhune and Catherine French Nancy Lynn Terhune, 60, passed away after a long illness on August 28 at her home in Camden, South Carolina. She became a business partner in 1998 with Sandy Dubose, helping to manage her Camden Thoroughbred training center. Nancy went on to run Nancy Terhune Training Stables and was the owner of Holy Princess, a highly successful broodmare that produced multiple stakes winners Aspenglow and Silver Heart.

Nancy showed ponies as a child and her favorite was Pennant, aka “Squeaky,” a gray mare that enjoyed continued success throughout her career with multiple owners. She also showed Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen dogs and participated in bunny hunts with them.

Memorial contributions may be made to the South Carolina Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, 101 Ellenton St. SE, Aiken, SC 29803.

Another dear friend was lost with the passing of Catherine French on September 19. Catherine was well known for her many years of service as a photographer at steeplechase meets up and down the East Coast. She was always accommodating and easy to work with in the steeplechase community.

A resident of Camden, Catherine was director of the National Steeplechase Museum from 2014 to 2018. During this time, she was a great help in organizing SCTOBA’s annual awards banquet at the museum. Catherine often provided photos for our newsletter.

She also provided a concierge service during the Saratoga race meet every summer.

She was a strong advocate for the care of horses after their racing careers were over. Catherine will be missed, though her photography will perpetuate our memories of her.

Curtain Comes Down for Dogwood Stable When Pipes entered the starting gate at Saratoga on September 2, it marked the final time the green and yellow silks of Dogwood Stable will appear on the racetrack. Finishing third, Pipes was claimed out of the race. He was owned by Dogwood Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and raced in Dogwood silks.

“The association has been the ultimate honor and the industry owes Cot Campbell a debt of gratitude for forever changing the game for the better,” Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners posted on its Twitter account.

Cot Campbell moved from Atlanta and set up the Dogwood Stable banner in Aiken in 1987. The first Dogwood horses had arrived a year earlier.

Dogwood Stable won the 1990 Preakness Stakes with Summer Squall and the 2013 Belmont Stakes with Palace Malice, and raced Storm Song, a daughter of Summer Squall, to 1996 champion 2-yearold filly honors.

South Carolina Proud of Second Chance Program To quote the opening paragraph on the South Carolina Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation website: “The SC TRF at Wateree River Correctional Institution offers a place of hope and renewal … a true second chance … for both retired Thoroughbred racehorses and prison inmates. This unique partnership joins others across the country to pair these remarkable equine athletes with specially selected inmates, transforming the lives of both horses and men.”

The Second Chance program gives an inmate the chance to learn about the physiology of a horse and how to care for them. An inmate can go through the Groom Elite program and learn skills that can help them find employment in the equine industry upon their release.

TEXAS THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION NEWS Big News for Purses and Improvements at Texas Tracks Sam Houston Race Park has announced the purse structure and stakes schedule for the 2020 Thoroughbred meet starting January 10, and the impact of recent legislation can clearly be seen. Purses are expected to be approximately $200,000 per day with maiden races offered with purses as high as $36,000. The stakes schedule has been bolstered to more than $1.75 million.

Lone Star Park has announced a series of backside improvements, many of which were requested by horsemen. The enhancements will improve the comfort and safety for horses, horsemen and jockeys.

Read more about the Sam Houston meet and Lone Star improvements starting on page 12 10 of this issue.

Amber Doege Joins TTA as Accreditation Manager and Racing Coordinator The Texas Thoroughbred Association is pleased to announce the hiring of Amber Doege as accreditation manager and racing coordinator.

Doege is replacing Jennifer Gibbs, who is retiring later this year after 20 years of service at the Lone Star State’s largest breed organization.

Doege, whose father, Glenn, was a longtime trainer based in Texas, brings nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. Her previous positions in horse racing include assistant racing secretary, stakes coordinator, horse identifier, paddock judge, placing judge and claims clerk at tracks around the region such as Retama Park, Lone Star Park, Delta Downs and Fair Grounds. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Texas State University with a major in animal science.

Her responsibilities will cover the Accredited Texas-bred program, Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes and Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, as well as the two Thoroughbred sales held jointly by the TTA and Lone Star Park.

“I’m very excited to be joining the TTA team,” Doege said. “I know that I have big shoes to fill but Jennifer has spared no effort to make sure this transition is smooth.”

“I know I speak for countless TTA members in saying that we will miss the knowledge and passion that Jennifer brought to the position for many years, but we are also thrilled to welcome Amber to the team,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “She brings a wide range of experience in the industry, and she’ll do a great job serving our membership, especially now with an increase in purses and Accredited Texas-bred program funds thanks to the recent passage of legislation.”

First Texas Thoroughbred Times Digital Newsletter Now Online The new Texas Thoroughbred Times digital newsletter from the TTA is now available. This free newsletter will be delivered to you each month with updates on Texas racing, breeding and sales along with TTA deadlines and much more.

To make the newsletter as easy as possible for all to read, we are offering it in two formats: an interactive flip-book format and a tradition PDF file. Go to the TTA website at texasthoroughbred.com to view the latest issue or to sign up to receive it by email.

TTA Online Stallion Season Auction Now Open The TTA Online Stallion Season Auction is now open. Thanks to the generosity of stallion owners across the region, you have the opportunity to purchase 2020 breeding seasons while at the same time helping the TTA’s Political Action Committee, General Fund, Texas Thoroughbred Educational Fund or Paddock Foundation.

Bidding closes on November 26 at 5 p.m. CST. Other rounds of bidding will follow.

If you have a stallion season you would like to donate, contact Mary Ruyle at (512) 458-6133 or email maryr@texasthoroughbred.com.

The stallion auction can be viewed at texasthoroughbred.com.

AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019 55

STATE ASSOCIATION NEWS January 15 Deadline for Entries for Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale

Denis Blake

The 2020 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale will be held this spring at Lone Star Park, and an entry deadline of January 15 has been announced. The auction is a joint venture by the Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park.

“Our yearling and mixed sale at Lone Star Park in August had gross sales and average prices both jumping by more than 20 percent, and we expect that momentum to continue into the 2-year-old sale,” said Sales Director Tim Boyce. “The Southwest area has been strong for many years, and now with this very important legislation recently passed to boost the industry in Texas, the region will get even stronger.”

Sale graduates will be eligible for the 2020 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity to be run in divisions for fillies and colts/geldings at Lone Star in July. The estimated purse for each division is $100,000.

“With new legislation passed to enhance purse money at Texas tracks and funds for the Accredited Texas-bred program, there is a lot of optimism for 2020 and beyond,” said Mary Ruyle, TTA executive director. “We’ve already noticed an uptick in interest as breeding season approaches, so that bodes well for the future of Texas racing and breeding.”

Consignment contracts and more information are available at ttasales.com.

56 AMERICAN RACEHORSE • FALL 2019

Deadline Reminders Horsemen are reminded of the following deadlines: • December 31 is the deadline for accrediting yearlings (foals of 2018) for $200. The fee to accredit foals of 2018 after December 31 is $750 (non TTA-members add $50).

• This is the time of year to check the accreditation status of your mares in foal. If you are not certain if a mare is accredited, please check with the TTA office before she has a 2020 foal in Texas. If a mare is not accredited when she has a foal, the only way a mare owner will receive Accredited Texas-bred breeder awards on that foal is to pay the supplemental mare accreditation fee of $150 during the foal’s weanling year. If you accredit a mare before she foals, the fee is $75.

• December 31 is the deadline to nominate eligible foals of 2019 to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for $100 and to nominate eligible foals of 2018 to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for $500.

• December 31 is also the deadline to nominate foals of 2018 that are graduates of either the 2018 or the 2019 Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale; that are consigned to and pass through the ring at the 2020 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale; and Accredited Texas-bred foals of 2018 owned by original berth holders to the 2020 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity ($100,000 estimated per division).

• December 31 is also the deadline to nominate accredited stallions that will stand in Texas in 2020 to the Texas Stallion Stakes for the 2020 breeding season.

All forms are available on the TTA website at texasthoroughbred. com. Please call the TTA office with any questions at (512) 458-6133.

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Each issue features articles on horse health, second-career racehorses, horsemen and horses in the region and more, plus breeding, racing and sales news.

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IOWA’S LEADING STALLION THREE YEARS RUNNING!

ST’S E W D I THE M LLION OF TA Y TOP S PROGEN BY 2019 NINGS! EAR

STROLL Pulpit – Maid for Walking (GB), Prince Sabo (GB) • A son of the tremendous sire of sires PULPIT, STROLL was a superior racehorse who had seven wins and three seconds in 16 starts with four graded stakes victories, including the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic • Lifetime progeny earnings of nearly $15 million, with nearly $2 million in 2019 alone to put him at the top of the Iowa sire list for the third year in a row!

• STROLL has sired 29 stakes horses, including FOUR GRADED STAKES WINNERS! His newest is Grade 1 winner WET YOUR WHISTLE, who blazed six furlongs on the turf at Woodbine in 1:07.88. He is also the sire of champion VAN LEAR ROSE and six other graded stakes performers!

2020 Fee: $2,000

Standing at: Iowa State University 119 Kildee, Ames, IA 50011 Inquiries to Nikki Ferwerda Phone: (515) 290-7669 • Fax: (515) 294-0018 nikkif@iastate.edu • www.ans.iastate.edu/stallions Iowa accredited stallion • Nominated to the Iowa Stallion Stakes and Minnesota Stallion Stakes

“Probably the first time we’ve mentioned an Iowa stallion. Unbelievable what this sire does with ordinary mares. Progeny are remarkably quick and can run on all surfaces. Maybe the most potent sire to ever stand in Iowa.”

—ThoroughbredReview.com

IT MAKES “CENTS” TO BREED IN IOWA! Iowa offers one of the top breeding and racing incentive programs in the country, and Iowa State University has the stallions to help you capitalize!

FORMIDABLE Sky Mesa - Santaria, by Star de Naskra • A five-time winner and Grade 2-placed son of Grade 1 winner and top 2yo sire SKY MESA (lifetime progeny earnings of more than $50 million) • Out of the four-time graded stakesplaced STAR DE NASKRA mare SANTARIA, who also produced Grade 2 winner AIR COMMANDER and multiple graded stakes winner and successful sire MEDALLIST 2020 Fee: $1,500 Considerations for multiple mares

NEWPORT More Than Ready - Secretly,

by Secretariat • Son of Grade 1 winner and leading sire MORE THAN READY (stands for $80,000 with progeny earnings of more than $100 million) • Out of the Grade 2-placed SECRETARIAT mare SECRETLY 2020 Fee: $1,500 Considerations for multiple mares

Standing at: Iowa State University 119 Kildee, Ames, IA 50011 Inquiries to Nikki Ferwerda Phone: (515) 290-7669 • Fax: (515) 294-0018 nikkif@iastate.edu • www.ans.iastate.edu/stallions Both are Iowa accredited stallions and nominated to the Iowa Stallion Stakes

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