TRACKSIDE
in becoming an owner as any conference I’ve seen. It was a good group there for two to three days with a cocktail party, breaks to talk with other people. It really immersed the potential new owner. I thought the whole scenario did very well to produce a comfort level.” Retired trainer Michael Dickinson didn’t need a comfort level, but he, too, was impressed with the first conference. “I enjoyed it very much,” he said. “We had so many good speakers. Gary Player was fantastic, a very neat guy. He was very motivating. He was terrific. Everything about the conference was good. All the panelists were good. If you’re a new owner in the game, it was a must. Absolutely. It made me excited, and I’ve been in the game a long time. It was excellent. It was stimulating. It shows this is a terrific game.” Mike Ryan, a bloodstock agent, owner, and breeder in Lexington, was another panelist, and he also left with a good feeling. “I thought it worked very well,” he said. “The emcee, Tom Durkin, was unbelievable with his knowledge, articulation, and wit. He was the perfect person to be the emcee of the conference. Simon Bray from TVG did an outstanding job. People were very positive about the experience.” He did offer a criticism: “I thought there was a very brief question and answer. I think other people in the audience wanted to ask questions.” Regardless, Ryan said, “It was very well run. I enjoyed it. I think it’s something that’s going to grow.” Jennifer Baron, a financial advisor in Brookhaven, New York, already owns horses in partnerships but also enjoyed the conference. “I liked the itinerary,” she said. “It’s nice to learn other people’s point of views, how things are done, meet other owners. I loved it. I thought it was great. The speakers were wonderful. It was really nice to
hear from owners across the board, trainers across the board, jockeys across the board. Everything they talked about applied to any owner, but it was geared more to the highend ownership. They didn’t talk of $25,000 claimers.” Baron loved the social events, which included visiting Stronach’s Adena Springs and Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farm. “[Adena] brought their stallions out,” she said. “Mucho Macho Man, Ghostzapper, Macho Uno, and Awesome Again. That was awesome. We went to Jess Jackson’s barn. There was a reception [at Stonestreet]. Everybody got a bottle of Curlin wine.” A golfer, Baron is still amazed that she had one of the winning bids for a celebrity round of golf at an auction for various charities. “I was extremely nervous, but we had lunch first. That helped,” she said. “We played the first nine with Chris McCarron and the second nine with Gary [Player]. Very nice man. We took pictures. The whole experience was over the top. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was something special.” Player enjoyed it, too. “It was a pleasure sharing my experience with other enthusiasts in Kentucky last year,” he said. “I am very fortunate that my golfing career has allowed me to carry out my passion for Thoroughbred racehorses. Golf and my stud farm are more interconnected than most people think. I would not have been able to breed Thoroughbred racehorses had it not been for my golfing career, but I also do not know if I would still be as active in the golfing world had I not had the stud farm to take my mind off golf.” But racing is all about the bottom line. Did the conference impact potential new owners? Michelle Davis, a 49-year-old from Dallas, Texas, and owner of The Costume Closet, an extensive dance costume and performance apparel consignment internet company she began in 1997, thought so. “I thought it was
fabulous,” she said. “I’ve already registered to go to the next one.” Though she owns a mustang, her interest in racing began with handicapping. “I started handicapping about 10 years ago,” she said. “I thought I might want to own. I wanted to educate myself for a couple of years.” So she did an internship at Lone Star Park and worked with CANTER, the horse rescue begun by Jo Anne Normile. “I want to know every aspect of it,” she said. “I’m pretty voracious. You can’t go to school for it.” A friend suggested she attend the first conference. “They did it absolutely firstclass,” Davis said. “They really took it seriously. Great speakers. They took care of us. A lot of opportunities to mix and mingle and network. The horse industry is different from other industries. Everybody was accessible to everybody. I got to gain insight. The one negative is that anybody who is already entrenched in the industry might not garner as much information as I did. I was the only person at the seminar that wasn’t already involved. That was the only negative comment from some people. I loved it. I can’t wait for the next one.” Chris Rossow, a dentist in Port Huron, Michigan, and his wife Marnie, have been planning on involving themselves and their three children, aged eight, six and two, in a family commitment to owning Thoroughbreds. They loved the conference. Marnie grew up riding horses at summer camp in Michigan. “My husband is very competitive; he played sports,” she said. “We watched the Derby every year. One year watching the Derby, we decided to go the next year. We saw Mine That Bird. We got bitten by the racing bug. We went all over to tracks.” They had to. They said their closest track is Woodbine, a 2½-hour drive. “I love the fashion that goes with it,” she said. “He likes n Continued on page 80 ISSUE 37 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM
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