Trainer magazine, North American edition - Triple Crown 2018, issue 48

ISSUE 48 – TRIPLE CROWN 2018 $5.95 www.trainermagazine.com

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOROUGHBRED

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE

HAS PLENTY TO CHEER FOR AFTER ONE YEAR TRAINING

Understanding

W O R K E R S’ COMP Insurance

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|OPINION |

GI LE S AN DE RS ON PUBLISHER’S OPINION

e call this our “Triple Crown” issue as it has a shelf life from May to July. Over the years, we’ve been lucky with profiles on relevant trainers who have enjoyed success in the classic races. Planning a magazine so far in advance, there is always going to be a risk that the trainer we choose to profile ends up without a starter in any of the three big races.

At the time of writing this introduction, it is far from certain that this year’s cover profile trainer, Rodolphe Brisset, will be starting his own star colt Quip in the Kentucky Derby.

But the young French-born handler played a role in the education of two other key Derby horses of 2018, having been responsible for the early prepping of both Justify and Noble Indy before they moved to their trainers of record.

If Quip does start in the Kentucky Derby, it will be a novel fact that a trainer who saddled his first runner under his own name in just June of 2017 will have been responsible for the early education of 15% of the likely Derby field!

Brisset has come a long way since arriving as an exercise rider in the United States in 2005. His friendship with his fellow countryman Julien Leparoux has been a constant during this time, and the loyal backing he has received so far will certainly stand him in good stead for the future.

Time with the likes of Alain de Royer-Dupré and Bill Mott feature heavily on his résumé, and being supported by WinStar Farm for being a true horseman will certainly help him get access to more top drawer horses in years to come.

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For me, the filly division of three-year-olds is just as interesting as the colts this year. Our TRM Trainer of the Quarter, Brad Cox, is set to saddle both Monomoy Girl and Sassy Sienna in the Kentucky Oaks, and with the exciting Midnight Bisou added to the mix of the race, it is shaping up to be an Oaks to remember.

Since the entry points system has become the criteria for which horses get to the starting gate for both races, the opportunity to see a star filly take on the boys in the Kentucky Derby has now been pretty much eliminated. But is there a way we could make the colts and fillies meet again?

Why doesn’t racing go big and really push for a blending in of the races for the boys and girls over the Triple Crown season?

Imagine the dynamic of the Kentucky Oaks winner following up with the Black-Eyed Susan -- or even the Preakness! -- and then taking a tilt at the Belmont Stakes, where the combination of leading three-year-olds of both sexes would meet to truly determine who is the best of the crop.

Food for thought for sure during our Triple Crown season. But wherever your racing takes you during this time, good luck!

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ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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Editorial Director/Publisher Giles Anderson (1 888 218 4430) Editor Frances J. Karon (@francesjkaron) Design ATG Media Editorial/Photo Management Suzy Stephens (1 888 659 2935) Advert Production Shae Hardy Circulation/Website Anna Alcock (1 888 659 2935) Advertising Sales Giles Anderson, Oscar Yeadon 1 888 218 4430 Photo Credits: Enzina Mastrippolito, Zoe Metz, EquiSport Photos, Eclipse Sportswire, Lisa Grimm, Sarah Powell, Alastair Foote, Pieter Ramzan, Shutterstock, Frances J. Karon, Neil Bryant Cover Photograph EquiSport Photos

Trainer Magazine is published by Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd. Contact details Tel: 1 888 659 2935 Fax: 1 888 218 4206 info@trainermagazine.com www.trainermagazine.com North America PO Box 13248, Lexington, KY 40583-3248 United Kingdom 14 Berwick Courtyard, Berwick St Leonard, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 5UA

Trainer Magazine is the official magazine of the California Thoroughbred Trainers.

It is distributed to all ‘Trainer’ members of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and all members of the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association, as well as all members of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association and the Virginia Thoroughbred Association

Education Ed cati tii ! Integrity I t it Service

Alan F.Balch was hired as Executive DIrector of California Thoroughbred Trainers in April 2010. His professional career in racing began at Santa Anita in 1971, where he advanced to the position of Sr. Vice PresidentMarketing and Assistant General Manager, and was in charge of the Olympic Games Equestrian Events in Los Angeles in 1984. He retired in the early 90s to become volunteer president of the National Equestrian Federation of the USA, as well as of the National Horse Show of Madison Square Garden.

He remains president of USA Equestrian Trust, Inc. Alex Cairns is a horse racing writer and photographer. He previously worked for the KRA as English Editor and International Liaison and is now based in his native Northern Ireland.

Bill Heller. Eclipse Award-winning author Bill Heller’s 26th book, “Politics and Horses; The Fascinating Life of Howard Nolan,” was published this summer. His previous books include biographies of Hall of Fame jockeys Ron Turcotte, Randy Romero and Jose Santos. Heller’s son, Benjamin, finished 1,824th in his first Boston Marathon in April in a field of more than 27,000 runners.

Celia Marr is Editor-in- chief of Equine Veterinary Journal and also works as a Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine based at Rossdales Equine Hospital and Diagnostic Centre in Newmarket.

Denise Steffanus, 2017 Eclipse award winner, freelance writer and editor based in Cynthiana, Kentucky.

A longtime contributor editor for Thoroughbred Times, she earned the prestigious Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award and the USA Equestrian (now the U.S Equestrian Federation) Award for Media Excellence.

Steffanus, a Pittsburgh native, is a licensed Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and a member of American Mensa.

Jessie Oswald is a freelance writer residing in Louisville, Ky. and is the Secretary of the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters. Her work has appeared online and in numerous magazines and newspapers including Thoroughbred Daily News, Blood-Horse, Louisville Courier-Journal, the News and Tribune and Twinspires.com. Jessie also works as a full-time paralegal in the healthcare industry.

Linda Dougherty is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She earned an Eclipse honorable mention while with Daily Racing Form, and was a staff writer and handicapper for The Trentonian. Most recently she captured an Equine Media Award from American Horse Publications for work that appeared in Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, and she also writes for other industry publications. A New Jersey native, she is the author of a book about that state’s “golden age” of racing.

Mary Dixon Reynolds is a writer for Horse Racing Nation. Her column is The Gallop Out. She is a graduate of Guilford College and attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Peter Sacopulos is a partner in the law firm of Sacopulos, Johnson & Sacopulos in Terre Haute, Indiana where he represents clients in a wide range of equine matters. He is a member of the American College of Equine Counsel and serves on the Board of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Advisory Committee. Mr. Sacopulos has written extensively on equine law issues and is a frequent speaker at equine conferences.

Sid Fernando (@sidfernando) is president of eMatings LLC and Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc. He is the former bloodstock editor of Daily Racing Form and also blogs about racing and breeding.

Ed Golden is the author of Santa Anita’s widely acclaimed “Stable Notes,” hailed by peers as “the best in racing.” A native of Philadelphia, he earned Eclipse Award honourable mention while with the Philadelphia Daily News and has written for The Blood-Horse and USA Today.

Trainer Magazine (ISSN 17580293) is published 4 times a year, February, May, August and November by Anderson & Co Publishing and distributed in the USA

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Periodicals postage paid at Rahway, NJ and at additional mailing offices.

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 48

A DV E R T I S E M E N T

PUSHING THE LIMITS:

HOW SOME TRAINERS ARE GAINING “THE EDGE”!

BY: MARK HANSEN

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he pressure to win is so enormous that many horsemen resort to whatever it takes to get a piece of the purse or a decent sale… even if it means putting their horses’ lives in mortal danger by doping them with illegal synthetic erythropoietin (EPO) drugs to boost endurance.

Veterinarian Gary Smith said, “It’s a problem all over the industry. There is no way horses should be put on (synthetic) EPO.” So how do racers win? How do you gain a competitive edge without harming your horses or risking your livelihood? The answer may be found in a safe all-natural horse supplement that supports natural EPO function.

Why is EPO boosting so critical? Just like in people, a horse’s muscles require oxygen for fuel. Red blood cells are the body’s oxygen-carrying cells. A higher red blood cell count = more oxygen = more muscle energy. Elevated muscle energy helps the horse perform harder, faster and longer during endurance events. All horses naturally produce EPO in their kidneys to stimulate production of new red blood cells from bone marrow. In short, EPO is a natural “blood builder.”

With EPO doping, trainers try to boost the EPO effect to get a winning performance every time. They use a synthetic EPO (recombinant human EPO), even though the side effects can harm the horse. That’s one reason why it’s illegal.

Fortunately there’s another option. EPOEquine® is a safe, highly effective natural dietary supplement scientifically engineered for performance horses.

A Kentucky trainer who refused to give out his name, said, “I don’t want my competition to know about this.” He found EPO-Equine to be so effective that he’s

dead set against disclosing who he is, who his horses are, or even where he trains and races. He first started ordering a single jar of EPO-Equine® once a month. Now he’s ordering several CASES each month. And he won’t tell BRL exactly why. He said respectfully, “Sorry – no way.”

Bioengineers at U.S. based Biomedical Research Laboratories (BRL), first discovered a completely natural EPO-booster for human athletes (and it’s working miracles for top athletes and amateurs around the world).

Seeing these results, horse trainers contacted BRL and asked about using this natural formula for their animals.

That’s when the BRL team dug deeper and discovered a proprietary, horse-friendly strain of a common herb that promotes optimal blood-building results. EPOEquine® is based on the blood-boosting abilities of a certain strain of Echinacea that’s astounding researchers and trainers alike. (It’s not a strain you can find at the local health store.)

Veterinarians at the Equine Research Centre in Ontario, Canada ran a doubleblind trial investigating the blood building properties of the active ingredient in EPOEquine in healthy horses. For 42 days, one group of horses was supplemented with the active ingredient in EPO-Equine and another group of horses was given a placebo.

The supplement delivered significant blood building results, increasing red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels.

Researchers also observed improved blood quality and increased oxygen transport in the supplemented horses. Improved blood levels leads to elevated exercise physiology and performance.

The patent-pending formula in EPOEquine ® contains a dozen different herbs, antioxidants and anti-inf lammatory components combined to promote natural red blood cell production… for remarkable speed, strength and stamina right out of the gate.

Trainers find it easy to add just 1 scoop (3.2 grams) of EPO-Equine® to the horse’s daily feeding routine in the barn or on the road. Within a few weeks of daily use, you can expect to see increased red blood cell levels with no undesirable side effects.

An increase in red blood cell levels can improve muscle performance, supercharge endurance, and enhance recovery after hard exercise. Nothing else is scientifically proven to deliver these benefits in a completely safe and natural formula.

Compared to the cost of veterinarians, drugs, icing, tapping the knees, and putting the horse on Bute; or even the consequences of being banned for synthetic doping, EPO-Equine® is very affordable at the low price of just $59.95 per jar. Or save $180 if you are ready to commit to a larger trial of 12-jar case for just $539.55 with FREE shipping. EPO-Equine ® can be ordered at www.EPOEquine.com or 800-780-4331.

|CONTENTS |

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ISS S UE

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CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

52 The ongoing effort to minimize

REGULARS

Surfaces and musculoskeletal injuries,

by Celia M. Marr.

06 08

Alan F. Balch

88

The Sid Fernando Column

the rate and impact of fractures

10 Rodolphe Brisset –

The Frenchman making his mark on American racing

Jessie Oswald profiles the trainer who has left his mark on three Kentucky Derby point qualifiers in only his first year of training.

20 Voodoo Song wins many races

It may be a rarity, but running horses back on short rest is not entirely a thing of the past, by Bill Heller.

28 An elusive target

Neil Bryant on the latest in EHV-1 vaccines and detection.

36 Standing in the wings

58 Horseracing in South Korea

Alex Cairns has an inside look at the Thoroughbred industry in South Korea.

66 Rejuvenation and uncertainty The rise of Laurel Park and the uncertain future of Pimlico racecourse, by Linda Dougherty.

72 Mike Machowsky

The trainer of Caracortado in profile, by Mary Dixon Reynolds.

78 The industry in the digital age

Peter Sacopulos suggests how trainers can effectively use social media platforms.

44 Workers’ comp

82 The Top 20 Pennsylvania

Denise Steffanus on the complexities of workers’ compensation insurance that trainers are required to have.

04

breeders of 2017

It was a banner year for leading breeders of Pennsylvania racehorses, by Linda Dougherty.

/ t rai ner magaz i n e

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 48

TRM Trainer of the Quarter

in Maryland

Ed Golden on the hard-working assistants behind trainers.

@ train e r_ mag

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/ t r ai n e rmag azine

Visit trainermagazine.com to download the digital edition of this issue.

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| CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS |

“YOU NEVER KNOW...” ou never know how much you can do until you try to undo what you just did.” So proclaimed my old riding teacher, one of the world’s greatest horsemen. Constantly.

He was talking about teaching and training horses, of course, but the same wisdom applies to business, all business, and in our case, the plight of racing today in America, especially California.

We have made so many mistakes, and taken so many wrong turns; that we seem to continue to do so is of constant wonder to me. And I include myself in the “we,” since I was part of track management for so long, and for the last eight years have been leading the staff of California’s trainers’ organization. I’ve had an up-close chance to see what’s been happening since 1971, in one role or another.

I readily confess that in my early days, although I came from a horse background, I shared the prevailing management view that “the horsemen” – meaning owners and trainers combined as they were in one California organization in those days – just did not (and quite possibly could not) understand the decisionmaking process we went through in track management. In my first few years, racing at Santa Anita was threatened as it had never been before, due to a combination of circumstances. Its future was cloudy.

Return on investment from our 440acre property was grossly insufficient, especially for a publicly held company.

Our stock price was suffering. The horsemen didn’t understand the necessity for our development of about 110 acres for a regional shopping center that would provide year-round income. About 20 weeks of racing a year couldn’t carry the whole load.

That was my introduction to “analytics,” but it wasn’t called that at the time. In truth, I don’t remember what we did call it – possibly just cost-benefit analysis.

This was before pocket calculators were in significant use, long before personal computers and their spreadsheets and models. My boss, a Kansas Jayhawk engineer named Ray Rogers, always had a slide-rule in his jacket pocket that he would produce to do instantaneous

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calculations in planning meetings. Most people now don’t even know what a sliderule is. Or was.

Track owners and managers simply had to be the ones to prioritize, inform, and make the decisions, we argued, because our investment was enormous by comparison to an individual horseman’s; ours was long-term and illiquid. The business was really owned and directed by the tracks. Horsemen, particularly owners, might make major investments in bloodstock, to be sure, but they came and went. Trainers might consider their profession a livelihood, but were perceived as agents of the owners and therefore less consequential no matter how annoying (and persuasive?) their opinions might be.

California racing enjoyed a long-term relative prosperity (even a boom) from the mid-seventies to the early 1990s. In my view, that era of health was based on balanced rivalries as well as competition among the track managements throughout the state to invest in their facilities and market them aggressively. For the most part, it was a positive competition, although the various track leaderships didn’t exactly love each other. I heard plenty of grumbling about how much more money we could make if this or that particular track would just understand more sophisticated business analysis and pricing, for example.

And we were all living in a regulated environment, of course.

Ironically, our California industry wheels began to wobble when for numerous reasons the horsemen – the relatively inconsequential stakeholders, supposedly – were divided by statute into two separate organizations of owners and trainers and, due to litigation among trainers, stall limits

were banished. In addition, the owners, who also claimed “ownership” of the purse fund, were therefore provided serious statutory oversight and even approval of what theretofore had been racing association prerogatives.

That intrusion by owners, or complication for the tracks’ planning and decision-making – just as monumental threats from the proliferation of Indian gaming, simulcasting, the Internet, and telephone wagering advanced on the gaming multi-verse – caused every wheel of California’s industry to wobble even more. The economic regression of 2008 witnessed the most serious contraction of the sport in its history.

I have no doubt that leaders in the legislature, the regulator, the tracks, and the horsemen’s organizations have been well-intended. But what happened to using objective analytics prior to making critical decisions? Business is way beyond and above the slide-rule era!

Endless proliferation of exotic and hightakeout wagers, takeout adjustments themselves, reductions in minimum betting denominations, reduction or elimination of admission and parking prices, discontinuation of investments in marketing and the backstretch, simultaneous and enormous increases in prices for food and beverage and box seats – all these things and more must have sounded like good ideas to someone.

But it’s hard to believe they were based on carefully considered forecasts and costbenefit analysis, or developed by those who really understand horses and racing.

Analytics. Yes, analytics. We were almost certainly the first sport based on analytics, and at least one fortune was made on developing the analytics that enabled horseplayers to bet the races with greater and greater confidence by their publication in The Daily Telegraph and Daily Racing Form.

Is it too much to expect our leaders to apply serious analytics to the decisions made that define their future, and ours?

| EXCELLENCE IN EQUINE NUTRITION |

TRAINER OF THE QUARTER

B RA D COX The TRM Trainer of the Quarter has been won by Brad Cox. Cox and his team will receive a selection of products from the internationally acclaimed range of TRM supplements, as well as a bottle of fine Irish whiskey.

Bill Heller Eclipse Sportswire, Frances J. Karon, Enzina Mastrippolito he quote greeting visitors to the Brad Cox Racing website tells you all you need to know about the 38-year-old trainer on an unbelievable roll: “I think to be successful at this, you’ve got to be somewhat obsessed.”

How could he not be?

In the space of six days, Cox, who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, five blocks

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from Churchill Downs, realized he has two live contenders for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks: Monomoy Girl, who gave Cox his first Grade 1 stakes victory when she won the Ashland Stakes by 5½ lengths at Keeneland on April 7th; and Sassy Sienna, who rallied to take the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes by a nose at Oaklawn Park on April 13th. Monomoy Girl is now

w w w. t r m i re l a n d i n c . c o m

five-for-six, the lone miss a second by a neck in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes last year. “When she hit the wire, it was like, ‘Wow!’” Cox said. “To get a Grade 1 is something I’ll never forget. She means a lot to us.”

Cox’s success isn’t surprising to trainer Dallas Stewart, Cox’s mentor for five years before he ventured on his own in 2004.

“Brad is doing a great job,” Stewart said.

“I’m very proud of him. He works hard.

He’s doing what he should be doing. He’s knocking it out of the park.”

No lie there. In 2017, Cox posted career highs in victories and earnings for the fourth consecutive year, finishing eighth in wins (204) and ninth in earnings ($8.83 million) in North America. So far this year, he’s fifth in both categories. That’s quite a progression from winning just 52 races and $1.1 million in his first five years total.

Cox said he never wavered in his belief that he would be more successful during his lean years. “There’s no substitute for the hours you put in,” he said. “I kept telling myself, ‘You’re one of the younger guys doing it. You’ll get a break.’ I never even thought about doing something

w w w. t r m i re l a n d i n c . c o m

different. I made a commitment to myself: this is what I want to do. This is what I’m going to do. It’s a lot of work, but I do believe if you stay focused and do the right things every day, opportunity will knock.

If you stay with it, you will get a chance.”

He has made the most of his chances.

He credits the first two trainers he worked under, Burk Kessinger Jr. and Jimmy Baker, for teaching him “to take pride in horses, how to take care of a horse, and horsemanship.” He thanks Stewart, one of D. Wayne Lukas’ many assistants who have starred in their own careers, with “learning organization, how to run a large barn. It’s meant a lot to our program,” Cox said.

Cox’s stable has grown to 100 horses.

They raced at Oaklawn Park and Keeneland this spring, and will race at Churchill Downs, Belmont, Saratoga, and in Indiana. “We’re very comfortable with where we are now,” he said.

And if succeeding requires a bit of obsession, so be it. “It’s something we talk about,” Cox said. “On a daily basis, you can

| EXCELLENCE IN EQUINE NUTRITION |

work from the minute you wake up until the minute you go to bed. You can’t spend the time we do if you didn’t love it.”

Cox has loved it ever since his dad took him to Churchill Downs. “I was five or six years old,” Cox said. “I was intrigued.” He was intrigued enough to

sneak into the track after school and dream: “I always dreamed of being big in the business. I’ve dreamed of having good horses for a while.”

He has them now. The up-and-comer has just about reached the head of the class.

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PROFILE

THE FRENCHMAN MAKING HIS

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| RODOLPHE BRISSET |

MA RK ON AME RICAN RACING Jessie Oswald

EquiSport Photos, Frances J. Karon

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PROFILE

I

he calendar will show that Rodolphe Brisset passed the one-year mark as a trainer on April 1st, but he’s quickly making a name for himself with the success of Grade 2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner Quip.

Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing, the win put the Distorted Humor colt on the list for consideration for the spring classics and gave his young trainer his first graded stakes win.

“Winning that race was very rewarding and emotional, but you have to make sure you keep your feet on the ground, enjoy it for a day or two and then regroup and try to get another one,” said the humble Brisset.

Delve deeper into his record over his first year as a trainer and it becomes apparent that come the first Saturday in May, Brisset will have plenty to cheer about should either Justify or Noble Indy get their nose down in front on the wire.

Brisset may be most recognized as a former assistant trainer for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, but the French native has been working with and riding horses for much of his 34 years. Growing up in the countryside of Tours, France, Brisset and his sister spent weekends at the family vacation home about 30 miles from his parents’ restaurant and down the road from a horse ranch. With no family connection to horses, it was at the ranch that Brisset picked up the horse-riding bug, beginning lessons at age five. He took naturally to riding and progressed quickly.

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“I think I was born to be on the racehorse,” Brisset joked from his base at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. “It’s really something that feels very natural for me. I’m more comfortable on the horse than on my feet.”

As Brisset’s aptitude for horses grew, he competed in cross-country and dressage and was at the ranch most every day, even helping break their young horses. By age 10 he was riding in France’s popular pony races. At 12, representatives from the esteemed AFASEC School in Chantilly, France, approached the pre-teen after his win in a pony race that was sandwiched between races on Chantilly’s regular racing card. His future was set. Brisset enrolled in the school at age 14 and attended for two years before riding his first professional race as a jockey at age 16, the earliest he could be licensed. But with his body still growing, a career as a jockey would not last long.

“It was fun,” recalled Brisset. “But from 18 to 21, it was tough, between the weight and maybe I started to mature and realize that I was not very good as a jockey, I just started to think about something else.”

With his dreams of being a jockey coming to an end, Brisset looked for other opportunities in the industry.

Though he couldn’t ride in the afternoon races, his nearly 20 years of experience riding and working with horses made him an excellent exercise rider and horseman.

Recognized for his talents on and off the racetrack, Brisset was offered a job with one of France’s leading trainers, Alain de Royer-Dupré, where he learned how to make the transition from jockey to assistant trainer.

| RODOLPHE BRISSET |

“ IT ’S PRO B AB LY MY B I G G E S T WE APO N TO S TART M Y BUS I NE SS , T O BE A B L E T O GE T ON H ORS E S MYS E LF”

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| RODOLPHE BRISSET |

PROFILE

“IF YO U PRO VE T O PEOPLE YO U CAN D O IT, YO U ARE GO O D ENO UGH, AND YO U’ R E A HARD WO RKER, T H E Y ’ L L GIVE YO U A SH OT”

BELOW: China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, and WinStar Farm’s Derby contender Justify pretrained with Brisset at Keeneland in the fall before going to Bob Baffert

14

“It was a big change for me,” said Brisset. “He’s a very detail-oriented person. He’s the one that gave me that passion about getting your horse ready to the point that you get the best out of them for the start. I started to get on some of the horses that were diff fffiicult i in the morning and we tried to fix i them. The turn for me between being a jockey and trainer. I spent time w wiith i him and it really made me realize that this was something maybe I would be, an assistant trainer, and, maybe at some point, train.” with i de Royer-Dupré, Brisset wanted After two years wi to strengt gthen t his marketability in the industry and learn English. He put the word out that he was looking for an opening in an English-speaking country. Fellow Frenchman Julien Leparoux, a friend he’d met earlier during a summer riding races at Deauvi ville-La i Touques in Frrance, was in the U.S. working as an exercise rider for trainer Patrick Biancone, and he encouraged Biancone to bring Brisset over as an exercise rider.

Brisset arrived in the U.S. in 2005, just before Leparoux made the jump from exercise rider to apprentice jockey. The pair roomed together and developed a fast friendship, together navi vigating the opportunities in a new vig country. Twelve years later, in June 2017, when Brisset saddled his fi first fir

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wiinner w i as a trainer, Leparoux, now a multiple Eclipsewiinning w i jockey consistently ranked among the top 10 earners, was there to guide Lady Soul to her maiden wi win. i “It’s been a goal, a dream, for him to be a trainer, and for me to be one of his best friends, it’s great to be able to wi win i his first i race,” said Leparoux. “He’s been waiting for it and when we got it done, it was a great, great feeling.”

Brisset put in more than a decade of hard work to get i w wiin. i After two years wi with i Biancone, Brisset to that first moved on to an assistant trainer position wi with i Bill Mott.

Over the course of his 10 years w wiith i the Hall of Famer, Brisset had the chance to work w wiith i some of the sport’s best horses, including Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic w wiinner i Drosselmeyer, Breeders’ Cup Mile wi winner i Tourist, and multiple Eclipse-wi winning i mare Ro oyal Delta, among others. Brissset worked closely wit ith Leana Willaford, another assistant under Mott, who Brisset regards as one of the best in the business.

Mott supported Brisset in many ways, even going to battle for him when the U.S. Customs and Immigration Servi vices denied a renewal of his vi vic visa vis in 2014. His time under Mott not only taught him how to train horses, but how to run a business and how to keep working through the struggles to reach the

| RODOLPHE BRISSET |

PROFILE

milestones. Through Mott, a man Brisset has described as a father figure, he learned that success is not gained by the individual, but by the team.

“I found more a family than a job,” said Brisset. “It was teamwork and great horses. I kept progressing with him.

When I got into immigration trouble, he helped me. In the first three years with him, it was learning to work with him, learning a lot as horseman, as a person, maturing. In the last seven years, I was traveling for him, running good horses, he let me deal with the press, and he put me out in front. He really helped me in many ways to build up to the point where I decided to go on my own.”

With Mott’s blessing and encouragement from wife, Brooke, a former exercise rider for Graham Motion and Claude “Shug” McGaughey, Brisset made the leap and opened a training operation under his own name on April 1, 2017.

When he decided to leave the stability of Mott’s barn, Brisset knew he would need a good supply of horses to build his stable. He approached WinStar Farm CEO Elliott Walden, with whom he had worked during his tenure with Mott. Walden agreed to send him some older horses as well as approximately 20 of WinStar’s young two-year-olds that

“HE ’S O NLY B E E N D OI NG I T A Y EAR, B UT I T HI NK TH E SKY ’ S T HE L IM IT FO R HI M.” S E A N T UG E L 16

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 48

were ready to start the next phase in their preparation for the racetrack. Several in that group would make up some of WinStar’s current batch of Kentucky Derby hopefuls— Justify, Noble Indy, Quip—but the understanding was that Brisset was only responsible for preparing the lot for their eventual trainers, and his may not be the name listed in the program when the horse made its first start. The deal gave each partner something they needed. Brisset needed horses to fill the stalls he’d secured at Keeneland and WinStar needed a dependable trainer with access to a larger track for training. Over the long relationship WinStar had with Mott they were able to predict that this would be a winning wager.

“We already knew that he was going to be somebody you could trust to send a horse to, someone we thought would run a good operation, and the horsemanship was never a question,” said Sean Tugel, WinStar’s director of bloodstock services and assistant racing manager. “From the time Elliott and I saw him work at Bill’s, there was no question when he approached us to see if we would send him some horses, whether we would or would not. We knew that he was a very talented horseman.”

Brisset’s training style is different than many of his competitors in that he still rides and breezes his own horses. It’s an advantageous method to his training that few others share, and it allows him to not only witness his horse’s run, but control it and feel what changes may need to be made. Although many of the WinStar two-year-olds moved on — including leading three-year-olds Justify to Bob Baffert and Noble Indy to Todd Pletcher — Brisset’s unique skills and abilities proved there was no better trainer for the immature and challenging Quip.

2018 THOROUGHBRED RACING SCHEDULE

SPRING / SUMMER APRIL

AUGUST

DATE

STAKES

CONDITIONS

DIST/TURF

PURSE

4.21.18

Roar

3yo

7F

$75K

4.22.18

Game Face

3yo F

7F

$75K

4.28.18

Powder Break

3yo & up (F&M)

1 M (T)

$75K

MAY DATE

DATE

STAKES

CONDITIONS

DIST/TURF

PURSE

8.4.18

FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager Div.

2yo

6F

$100K

FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen Div

2yo F

6F

$100K

Benny the Bull

3yo & up

7F

$100K

8.25.18 STAKES

CONDITIONS

DIST/TURF

PURSE

English Channel

3yo

1 1/16 M (T)

$75K

SEPTEMBER

Honey Ryder

3yo F

1 1/16 M (T)

$75K

DATE

STAKES

CONDITIONS

DIST/TURF

PURSE

5.12.18

Big Drama

3yo & up

7F

$100K

9.1.18

2yo

7F

$200K

5.19.18

Musical Romance

3yo & up (F&M)

7F

$100K

FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Affirmed Div. FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl Div.

2yo F

7F

$200K

5.5.18

JUNE DATE

STAKES

CONDITIONS

DIST/TURF

PURSE

6.9.18

Soldier’s Dancer

3yo & up

1 1/16 M (T)

$100K

6.16.18

Ginger Punch

3yo & up (F&M)

1 1/16 M (T)

$100K

6.30.18

Princess Rooney (G2)

3yo & up (F&M)

7F

$250K

Smile Sprint (G3)

3yo & up

6F

$250K

Carry Back

3yo

7F

$75K

Azalea

3yo F

7F

$75K

Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint

3yo & up

5 F (T)

$75K

DATE

STAKES

CONDITIONS

DIST/TURF

PURSE

7.7.18

Not Surprising

3yo

1 M (T)

$100K

Martha Washington

3yo F

1 M (T)

$100K

Proud Man

2yo

7 1/2 F (T)

$100K

Sharp Susan

2yo F

7 1/2 F (T)

$100K

9.8.18

Sheer Drama

3yo & up (F&M)

7F

$100K

9.15.18

Miss Gracie

3yo F

7 1/2 F (T)

$75K

9.22.18

Bear’s Den

3yo

7 1/2 F (T)

$75K

9.29.18

FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes In Reality Div.

2yo

1 1/16 M

$400K

FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes My Dear Girl Div.

2yo F

1 1/16 M

$400K

FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Wildcat Heir Div.

3yo & up

1M

$150K

Mr. Steele

3yo & up

1 1/16 M (T)

$75K

Monroe

3yo & up (F&M)

1 1/16 M (T)

$75K

Armed Forces

2yo

1 M (T)

$75K

Our Dear Peggy

2yo F

1 M (T)

$75K

Hollywood Beach

2yo

5 F (T)

$75K

JULY

APRIL

MAY

S

M

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1

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22 23 24 25 26 27 28

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JULY S

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AU GUST T

F

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5

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19 20 21 22 23 24 25

16

29 30 31

26 27 28 29 30 31

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

19 20 21 22

30 LIVE RACING DAY

SIMULCASTING DAY

PREMIUM STAKES DAYS June 30 | Summit of Speed August 4 | FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes

September 1 | FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes September 29 | FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes

9 0 1 S F E D E R A L H I G H WAY I H A L L A N D A L E B E A C H I 9 5 4 . 4 5 4 . 7 0 0 0 I G U L F S T R E A M PA R K . C O M

| RODOLPHE BRISSET |

PROFILE

“IIt’ss probably my biggest weapon to start my business, to be able to get on horses myself,” Brisset explained. “It’s an advantage to be able to get on your own horses, exercise th hem every ry day and d buiild a rellatiionsh hip w wiith i h th he horse.””

While breezing his own horses has helped in his business, Brisset is part of the next generation of horsemen who have evolved under the eye of social media. It can be a blessing or a curse wit ith immediate praise when you fiin nd success or scru utinyy wheen you don’tt. Acctivve on Tw wit itter and d Faceb book k, Brissett seees it as anotther tooll in his arsenall and da wayy to promotte his brand d and d grow his busiiness.

“It mig ght make the job a little easier for us,,” said Briisset. “When you look k at it,, you wond der how th hose guyys did it 20 or 30 years ag go. It’’s a tooll we have to use and d it makes our job mayybe a little easiier.”

Most days you can fiin nd the mild-m mannered Brisset in the barn or on the racetrack; his dedication to his career is evid ident in his work ethic. In his fiirrst year, Brisset has built his stable to around 20 horses and his clientele to more than a dozen owners. He’ss started more than 100 races and garnered earrnings in upwards of $620,000.

He competes on the main stage, making Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Fair Grounds, and Tampa Bay his circuit. Similar to many trainers, he aspires to someday win in a Breeders’ Cup race or one of the classics of the Triple Crown. His accomplishments thus far show that he may have the ability to get there.

“I think he’s done an exceptional job maturing as a trainer,” said Tugel. “You can see by the quality of clients he’s getting into his barn that he’s done a good job promoting himself the proper way—through results.

18

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 48

He’ss progressed very well and he’ss only been doing it a year, but I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

Brisset credits all of those who have come into his life wiith w i h gettiing him to wh here he is tod day. From his tiime w wiith ih de Royer-D Dupré, his journey to the U.S S. made possible by Leparoux and Biancone, his education and apprenticeship wit ith Mott, and the support and encouragement of his wif ife, the help of those around him have not gone unnoticed.

“I kno ow a lo ot of peoplee weree exp pecting g mee to be su uccessfful,” saiid Briissett. “I putt a lott off pressure on myysellf too beccause I wantt to be prou ud off wh hat I do and d wantt the whole Mott team to be proud. It’s what makes me get up p even quiick ker in th he morniing g. I th hink k it’’s very ry imp portant in myy eyyes to mak ke th hose peop ple proud d. Noth hing g is tak ken for granted. We still have a long g wayy to go and I don’t want to get up there for two or three years. We have to keep going forward and keep our feet on the ground.”

The “A American Dream” has long been a term used to describe personal success. Brisset’s journey embodies that sentiment. At times it might seem a bit cliché, but the American Dream is about taking the opporttunities that come your way and capitalizing on your strength ths. It represents the chance to reallize your dreams and the hope that throu ugh hard work you’ll fiin nd success.

“What is beautiful about this country ry is that it doesn’t matter what is your last name, it doesn’t matter where you come from,” said Brisset. “If you prove to people you can do it, you are good enough, and you’re a hard worker, they’ll give you a shot.”

| TRAINING |

VOODOO SONG WINS MANY RACES

O

nce upon a time, Thoroughbreds raced on little rest: on consecutive days, twice in three days, three times in eight days.

Those days are long gone, but every now and then one Thoroughbred reminds us that it can be done; that while such quick-recovering horses may be an endangered species, they are not yet extinct. Of course, it only happens if a horse’s trainer believes that particular Thoroughbred can do so and can live with the result, positive or negative, for thinking outside the box.

Last summer at Saratoga, trainer Linda Rice sent out Barry Schwartz’s three-year-old colt Voodoo Song

20

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 48

Bill Heller Lisa Grimm, Eclipse Sportswire

to compete in a mile-and-three-eighth New York-bred grass allowance four days after he won an open mileand-a-sixteenth $40,000 claimer by 5¼ lengths gate-towire. Voodoo Song, who had been with Mike Hushion until the trainer’s retirement in July, opened a 16-length lead in that allowance and held on to win by threequarters of a length.

“If you’re afraid to take chances or afraid to be wrong, you’re going to be paralyzed,” Rice said. “Some people are too afraid to make mistakes or be proven wrong. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”

Boy did it work with Voodoo Song. “The more latitude the owner gives you, the better,” she said. “Barry

| R A C I N G B A C K- T O - B A C K |

was fine with the direction we took. If the horse is doing well, run him.”

According to the Daily Racing Form, Voodoo Song’s victory made Rice seven-for-her-last-eight starts with a horse returning within seven days.

But Rice wasn’t done with Voodoo Song at Saratoga.

With ample time to recover from the two races, Voodoo Song won another mile-and-a-sixteenth New York-bred allowance by one length four weeks later. Nine days after that, the colt made his stakes debut in the $300,000 Grade 3 Saranac, and he won again on the front end, by a neck over a field which included previously undefeated Bricks and Mortar. Those four victories in a single

Saratoga meet, all under Jose Lezcano, matched Native Dancer’s four-race Saratoga spree in 1952 when the meet, now 40 days long, was just 24. All four of Native Dancer’s victories were in stakes.

To match the feat of four Saratoga wins is nothing short of amazing in 2017 because Thoroughbreds have never seemed more fragile.

According to The Jockey Club, average number of starts per Thoroughbred has plummeted from 11.5 in 1960 to 9.8 in 1975 when the diuretic Lasix and analgesic butazolidin first began showing up on backsides of racetracks. By 1990, the average number of starts was 9.0.

It dropped to 6.8 in 2005 and 6.2 in 2016. Accordingly, average field size was 9.0 in 1960, 8.6 in 1975, 8.0 in 1990 and in 2005 and 7.6 in 2016.

Go further back in time and Thoroughbred racing was a different universe. Trainers raced and worked healthy horses constantly, even when they were two-yearolds. And they kept racing for years.

Imp (during the 1896 season), Princess Doreen (1923), and Zev (1924) ran on consecutive days. Imp finished first and third, Princess Doreen was first twice, and Zev won twice. Zev won his following start on one day’s rest, completing three victories in four days. Later in her career, Imp raced six times in 15 days, posting three wins, two seconds, and a fourth.

More famously, Maskette (1908) won her career debut in an allowance race against males and then the Spinaway Stakes two days later.

In 1918, a year before he became the first horse to win the races that later came to be recognized as the Triple Crown, Sir Barton began his career with a fifth, a ninth, another ninth on one day’s rest, and a seventh, all in stakes.

Man o’ War (1919) won two stakes in three days.

Seabiscuit began his career on January 19th, 1935, finishing fourth in an allowance race at Hialeah. Just three days later, he finished second in a $2,500 claimer.

Did returning quickly affect his career? Not even close.

Seabiscuit made three more starts with two days of rest and then raced on one day’s rest, finishing sixth in a stakes and third in an allowance race at Aqueduct Sept.

2nd and 4th. He went on to make 35 starts as a two-yearold, posting five wins, seven seconds, and five thirds. He would make 54 more starts and achieve stardom.

In an April 28th, 2017, story by Lenny Shulman in The BloodHorse, Bill Hirsch, a grandson of Hall of Fame trainer Max Hirsch, shared his grandfather’s training regimen with 1946 Triple Crown Champion Assault. Back then, there was only a week separating the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and after winning the Derby by eight lengths on May 4th, Assault worked three furlongs on May 8th, one mile on May 9th, then won the Preakness two days later by a neck. After shipping to Belmont Park, he worked four furlongs on May 16th; three furlongs on May 18th; four furlongs on May 20th; one mile on May 22nd; three furlongs in :35 on May 24th; a mile and a quarter in 2:05 on May 25th; four furlongs on May 28th; and, on the very next day, a mile and a half in 2:32. Three days later, he won the Belmont Stakes in 2:30 4/5. “All the top trainers conditioned their horses like that back then,” Hirsch told Shulman.

ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

21

| TRAINING |

Through the years, such outstanding horses as Beldame, Black Tie Affair, Cavalcade, Challedon, Chris Evert, Triple Crown winner Count Fleet, Discovery, Exterminator, Hermis, Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox, Lady’s Secret, Stymie, Tom Fool, Track Robbery, Twilight Tear, War Admiral, Triple Crown winner Whirlaway, and Whisk Broom II all raced on less than one week’s rest.

Several of those horses did it more than once. The results were mixed, though many won on short rest. All of them continued outstanding careers with no lasting effect from making more than one start in a week.

But when Hall of Fame Trainer Woody Stephens announced that his three-year-old colt Conquistador Cielo, who had just buried older horses by 7¼ lengths in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile on Monday, May 31st, 1982, would indeed contest the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes the following Saturday, people were wondering if the trainer had lost his mind. A mile-and-a-half Grade 1 stakes on four days’ rest? Yet Stephens remained confident in Conquistador Cielo, and a forecast of rain for Belmont Stakes Day only boosted his optimism.

In an interview I did with him several years later for my own book, Overlay, Overlay, published by Bonus Books in Chicago 1990, he explained, “I’ve spent 60 years with horses, all kinds of them, great ones, cheap ones. If I have been around a horse, I pretty much know everything about him. There are a lot of people who think they’re handicappers, but they’re not. People said I was taking a gamble with Conquistador because I’d never won a Belmont. But he was sharp enough, and I knew he loved the mud.”

All Conquistador Cielo did on a sloppy track was win by 14 lengths, the largest winning margin in the final leg of the Triple Crown since Secretariat’s 31-length tour de force in 1973. Stephens must have loved winning his first

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 48

ABOVE: Voodoo Song matched Native Dancer’s 1952 record of winning four races in a single Saratoga meet

Belmont Stakes, because he added the next four with Caveat, Swale, Creme Fraiche, and Danzig Connection.

His feat of winning five consecutive Belmont Stakes may never be matched, and it never would have started without him racing Conquistador Cielo on just four days of rest.

He also raced his champion fillies De La Rose and Heavenly Cause on less than one week’s rest. De La Rose won the Grade 3 Athenia Handicap at Belmont Park by 2¾ lengths on October 12th, 1981, then shipped to Canada and won the Grade 3 E.P. Taylor Stakes by 2½ lengths on October 17th. A year earlier, Heavenly Cause began her career by winning a maiden race at Belmont Park on July 23rd and finishing third in the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga one week later, on six days’ rest.

Stephens bucked the trend of Thoroughbreds needing more than a week to race again, but that was in the early ‘80s. Few people noticed when trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. entered James Riccio’s three-year-old gelding Willy Beamin in the seven-furlong, $125,000 Mike Lee Stakes for New York-breds on June 24th, 2012, at Belmont Park, just four days after he’d won a one-mile New Yorkbred allowance by 2¼ lengths. Willy Beamin, a former claimer, won the Mike Lee by four lengths for his fourth consecutive victory.

Then Dutrow freshened Willy Beamin, bringing him back to contest the mile-and-an-eighth $150,000 Albany Stakes for New York-breds on August 22nd at Saratoga.

Sent off the even-money favorite, Willy Beamin won by 6¼ lengths. Everybody at Saratoga noticed when Dutrow entered Willy Beamin in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes three days later. It would make just the second time Willy Beamin raced in open company following his 6¾ length victory in that $25,000 claimer in March when Dutrow and Riccio acquired him.

| R A C I N G B A C K- T O - B A C K |

Bettors sent Willy Beamin off at 11-1 in the King’s Bishop, and the gelding won by three-quarters of a length.

A story by Mike Watchmaker in the Daily Racing Form revealed that Dutrow watched both the Albany Stakes and the King’s Bishop from his favorite Chinese restaurant in Roslyn on Long Island. “When I saw him running like that (in the King’s Bishop), I was freaking out,” Dutrow told Watchmaker. “Everybody in the restaurant was freaking out. We got the thrill of a lifetime today, and tomorrow I’m going to get up and try to do it again.”

When Watchmaker asked him about bringing Willy Beamin back on short rest, Dutrow told him, “I can’t understand why it works, but we’ll just keep doing it until someone tells me to stop. It doesn’t work for all horses but it works for Willy.”

It didn’t keep working. After finishing second in both the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby and the Grade 3 Discovery Handicap, Willy Beamin raced on five days of rest in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap and finished fifth by 13½ lengths. He then ended his injuryshortened career with another fifth, a seventh, and a second. His last victory was in the King’s Bishop.

Rice, the top-earning woman trainer in history, is no stranger to success at Saratoga. It’s where she became the first woman to win a major racing meet title in 2009 when she edged perennial leading trainer Todd Pletcher despite having 60 less starts at the meet.

Currently ranked 37th all-time in earnings with $65.3 million and counting, Rice finished 21st in 2013, 16th in both 2014 and 2015, and 17th in 2016, and 13th last year.

Voodoo Song wasn’t Rice’s first graded stakes winner with multiple victories in one Saratoga season. In 1998, Things Change helped give her trainer a national presence when she won three races at Saratoga, following up on an allowance win with victories in the Adirondack and Spinaway Stakes.

In 2000, City Zip gave Rice a piece of Saratoga history when he became just the fourth horse to win Saratoga’s three stakes for two-year-olds: the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, Grade 2 Sanford, and, in a dead-heat with Yonaguska during a savage thunderstorm with frightening lightning, the Grade 1 Hopeful. Rice was originally not going to enter City Zip in the Hopeful, but he forced the issue with the way he trained after the Sanford. “I think there’s a little bit of horses for courses,” Rice said.

BELOW: Linda Rice

Voodoo Song, a son of champion turf horse English Channel, had won his lone turf try for Hushion before posting three double-digit dirt losses in sprints.

“I think your first impression of horses is very important,” Rice said. “Sometimes, fresh eyes are good.

We knew he would run long on turf like his father, and that’s what we did.”

When she entered him in an open $40,000 claimer, she noticed a New York-bred allowance race in the condition book four days later. “I felt he could run a mile and threeeighths better than a mile and a sixteenth,” Rice said. “I thought it was a great opportunity. You just don’t run a horse back on short rest unless it’s a terrific opportunity.”

Voodoo Song took advantage of that opportunity.

Rice found a perfect spot for his next start exactly four weeks later in the Saratoga condition book. “That was by design,” Rice said. “I ran him back quickly. The best way to recover after that is to give him enough time.”

Of course, Rice knew that the Saranac Stakes was nine days later. “The day he won, I entered him back in the Saranac,” Rice said. “I was so happy with his performance that I entered him again. Voodoo Song would like the two turns more than one turn. Another reason was there had been very little rain, and it was very firm turf. And he ran very well on it. I had looked at the condition book, and said, ‘Let’s see. He’s not going to get to race again at Saratoga in an allowance race.’ I went ahead and put him in the Saranac. It was just three-year-olds and a good distance. Obviously, it turned out great.”

Voodoo Song wasn’t the only multiple winning threeyear-old New York-bred grass horse Rice campaigned at Saratoga last year. Off an April 29th last start, Tic Stable’s homebred gelding New York’s Finest also began a winning streak in an open $40,000 claiming sprint by 2¾ lengths on July 30th. He returned on August 20th to take a New York-bred allowance race by 1¾ lengths and again on September 1st to win another state-bred allowance by 1¾ lengths.

Curiously, Jose Lezcano had never ridden either Voodoo Song or New York’s Finest before the Saratoga meet, and he went seven-for-seven with them, just like their trainer.

Getting seven victories with two horses in a 40-day meet at Saratoga is as old-school as it gets. “Whatever they love, go with their strength,” Rice said. She did, and she’s still smiling.

IF YOU’RE AFRAID TO TAKE CHANCES OR AFRAID TO BE WRONG, YOU’RE GOING TO BE PARALYZED,SOME PEOPLE ARE TOO AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES OR BE PROVEN WRONG. IF IT DOESN’T WORK, IT DOESN’T WORK. ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| TRAINING | Caution Federal (USA) law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.

Storage Conditions Store at 68°F – 77°F (20-25°C). Excursions between 59°F – 86°F (15-30°C) are permitted.

Indications For treatment and prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers in horses and foals 4 weeks of age and older.

Dosage Regimen For treatment of gastric ulcers, GastroGard Paste should be administered orally once-a-day for 4 weeks at the recommended dosage of 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (4 mg/kg). For the prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers, continue treatment for at least an additional 4 weeks by administering GastroGard Paste at the recommended daily maintenance dose of 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg).

Directions For Use • GastroGard Paste for horses is recommended for use in horses and foals 4 weeks of age and older. The contents of one syringe will dose a 1250 lb (568 kg) horse at the rate of 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (4 mg/kg).

For treatment of gastric ulcers, each weight marking on the syringe plunger will deliver sufficient omeprazole to treat 250 lb (114 kg) body weight. For prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers, each weight marking will deliver sufficient omeprazole to dose 500 lb (227 kg) body weight.

• To deliver GastroGard Paste at the treatment dose rate of 1.8 mg omeprazole/ lb body weight (4 mg/kg), set the syringe plunger to the appropriate weight marking according to the horse’s weight in pounds.

• To deliver GastroGard Paste at the dose rate of 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg) to prevent recurrence of ulcers, set the syringe plunger to the weight marking corresponding to half of the horse’s weight in pounds.

• To set the syringe plunger, unlock the knurled ring by rotating it 1/4 turn. Slide the knurled ring along the plunger shaft so that the side nearest the barrel is at the appropriate notch. Rotate the plunger ring 1/4 turn to lock it in place and ensure it is locked. Make sure the horse’s mouth contains no feed.

Remove the cover from the tip of the syringe, and insert the syringe into the horse’s mouth at the interdental space. Depress the plunger until stopped by the knurled ring. The dose should be deposited on the back of the tongue or deep into the cheek pouch. Care should be taken to ensure that the horse consumes the complete dose. Treated animals should be observed briefly after administration to ensure that part of the dose is not lost or rejected. If any of the dose is lost, redosing is recommended.

• If, after dosing, the syringe is not completely empty, it may be reused on following days until emptied. Replace the cap after each use.

Warning Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. In case of ingestion, contact a physician. Physicians may contact a poison control center for advice concerning accidental ingestion.

Adverse Reactions In efficacy trials, when the drug was administered at 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb (4 mg/kg) body weight daily for 28 days and 0.9 mg omeprazole/lb (2 mg/kg) body weight daily for 30 additional days, no adverse reactions were observed.

Precautions The safety of GastroGard Paste has not been determined in pregnant or lactating mares.

Efficacy • Dose Confirmation: GastroGard ® (omeprazole) Paste, administered to provide omeprazole at 1.8 mg/lb (4 mg/kg) daily for 28 days, effectively healed or reduced the severity of gastric ulcers in 92% of omeprazole-treated horses. In comparison, 32% of controls exhibited healed or less severe ulcers. Horses enrolled in this study were healthy animals confirmed to have gastric ulcers by gastroscopy. Subsequent daily administration of GastroGard Paste to provide omeprazole at 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg) for 30 days prevented recurrence of gastric ulcers in 84% of treated horses, whereas ulcers recurred or became more severe in horses removed from omeprazole treatment.

• Clinical Field Trials: GastroGard Paste administered at 1.8 mg/lb (4 mg/kg) daily for 28 days healed or reduced the severity of gastric ulcers in 99% of omeprazole-treated horses. In comparison, 32.4% of control horses had healed ulcers or ulcers which were reduced in severity. These trials included horses of various breeds and under different management conditions, and included horses in race or show training, pleasure horses, and foals as young as one month. Horses enrolled in the efficacy trials were healthy animals confirmed to have gastric ulcers by gastroscopy. In these field trials, horses readily accepted GastroGard Paste. There were no drug related adverse reactions. In the clinical trials, GastroGard Paste was used concomitantly with other therapies, which included: anthelmintics, antibiotics, non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, diuretics, tranquilizers and vaccines.

• Diagnostic and Management Considerations: The following clinical signs may be associated with gastric ulceration in adult horses:inappetence or decreased appetite, recurrent colic, intermittent loose stools or chronic diarrhea, poor hair coat, poor body condition, or poor performance. Clinical signs in foals may include: bruxism (grinding of teeth), excessive salivation, colic, cranial abdominal tenderness, anorexia, diarrhea, sternal recumbency or weakness. A more accurate diagnosis of gastric ulceration in horses and foals may be made if ulcers are visualized directly by endoscopic examination of the gastric mucosa Gastric ulcers may recur in horses if therapy to prevent recurrence is not administered after the initial treatment is completed. Use GastroGard Paste at 0.9 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (2 mg/kg) for control of gastric ulcers following treatment. The safety of administration of GastroGard Paste for longer than 91 days has not been determined. Maximal acid suppression occurs after three to five days of treatment with omeprazole.

Safety • GastroGard Paste was well tolerated in the following controlled efficacy and safety studies.

• In field trials involving 139 horses, including foals as young as one month of age, no adverse reactions attributable to omeprazole treatment were noted.

• In a placebo controlled adult horse safety study, horses received 20 mg/kg/ day omeprazole (5x the recommended dose) for 90 days. No treatment related adverse effects were observed.

• In a placebo controlled tolerance study, adult horses were treated with GastroGard Paste at a dosage of 40 mg/kg/day (10x the recommended dose) for 21 days. No treatment related adverse effects were observed.

• A placebo controlled foal safety study evaluated the safety of omeprazole at doses of 4, 12 or 20 mg/kg (1, 3 or 5x) once daily for 91 days. Foals ranged in age from 66 to 110 days at study initiation. Gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels were significantly elevated in horses treated at exaggerated doses of 20 mg/kg (5x the recommended dose). Mean stomach to body weight ratio was higher for foals in the 3x and 5x groups than for controls; however, no abnormalities of the stomach were evident on histological examination.

Reproductive Safety In a male reproductive safety study, 10 stallions received GastroGard Paste at 12 mg/kg/day (3x the recommended dose) for 70 days. No treatment related adverse effects on semen quality or breeding behavior were observed. A safety study in breeding mares has not been conducted.

For More Information Please call 1-888-637-4251 Marketed by: Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA 30096-4640, U.S.A. Made in Brazil ®GastroGard is a registered trademark of Merial, Inc. ©2016 Merial, Inc. All rights reserved. Rev. 05-2011

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RUNNING BACK – T H E H I S TO RY M A K E R S acing a Thoroughbred on less than a week’s rest may be rare in North America, but trainers in Australia and Great Britain have been doing it for decades, even in their biggest races. Two legendary Australian trainers made history doing exactly that.

Bart Cummings had already won 11 runnings of Australia’s treasured Melbourne Cup when his horse Viewed, who had finished 11th in the Group 1 Crown MacKinnon Stakes at 15-1 just three days earlier, took on 21 rivals in the 2008 Group 1 Melbourne Cup on November 4th, two weeks before Cummings’ 81st birthday.

Bettors sent Viewed off at 40-1. He won by a nose, giving Cummings his 12th Melbourne Cup, 43 years after his first win, with Light Fingers. No other trainer has won more than five. “It’s nice to win a race that everyone in Australia wants to

R

win,” he said afterwards. “Someone told me I do make a habit of winning this race, and I said it’s a good habit to get into.”

Cummings was the son of an accomplished trainer, Jim, who won the 1950 Melbourne Cup with Comic Court.

Three years later, when Cummings’ parents decided to take a once-in-a-lifetime sixmonth visit to their roots and family in Ireland, they secured Cummings’ training license with the South Australian Jockey Club and turned over the stable to him.

In 1998, a 2015 The Weekend Australian article reported that he’d said, “I was confident enough to give it a try because I had the best of teachers...My dad had a lot of experience behind him and I picked up from him by watching, listening, and keeping my mouth shut.” Years later, he added a caveat: “Dad showed and told me everything I know, but didn’t show and tell me everything he knows.”

ABOVE: Bill O’Gorman had many successes with two-year-olds running back-to-back LEFT: Bart Cummings won the Melbourne Cup with Viewed, three days after running 11th in the Crown MacKinnon Stakes

WI N N I NG d o es n’ t h a p p e n

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A C C I D E N T.

A nose. That’s all you need to see your number on top. To pay off on all those early morning workouts. The late nights planning strategy. You don’t do this to place or show. So ask yourself, does your horse have the stomach to win?

Time for a gut check. TheStomachToWin.com

Merial is now part of Boehringer Ingelheim. ®GASTROGARD is a registered trademark of Merial. ©2018 Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA. All rights reserved.

EQU-0445-EGUS0218

by Merial

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: CAUTION: Safety of GASTROGARD in pregnant or lactating mares has not been determined.

| TRAINING |

He knew enough that if he could win Australia‘s biggest race with a horse who had little rest between starts, he could do it again. So in 2010, he entered So You Think, who had won the Group 1 Tatts W.S. Cox Plate by a length-and-a-quarter at odds of 1-2 on October 23rd, 2010, in the Group 1 Longines MacKinnon Stakes one week later. Bettors believed that So You Think could win again on six days rest. Sent off at 3-5, he proved them right with a 3¾-length victory.

Besides a likely impossible-to-match 12 victories in the Melbourne Cup, Cummings also has the most triumphs in the Australian Cup (13), the VRC Oaks (9), the Newmarket Handicap (8), and the Caulfield Cup (7).

Another Australian trainer, Paul Perry, had to buck history to make history.

No Australian horse had ever raced at Royal Ascot before Perry’s Choisir, a AUD$55,000 yearling purchase whom Perry raced in partnership with longtime friend Terry Wallace and his family, arrived there to contest the 2003 Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes on June 17th.

Before Royal Ascot, Choisir had had success off short rest in Australia. He won the 2002 Group 2 Flemington Stakes five days after finishing third in the Group 3 Paris Plate on the way being named champion two-year-old colt.

British bettors weren’t impressed enough with Choisir’s Australian form and sent him off at 25-1 in the field of 20 in the King’s Stand Stakes. He won by one length.

Then Perry took a bold step, running Choisir back in the Group 1 Golden Jubilee (which was renamed the Diamond Jubilee in 2012) four days later. Sent off at 6-1 in the field of 17, Choisir won by half a length.

Many trainers would call a victory in a Group race at Royal Ascot the highlight of their careers. Perry won two in five days.

Choisir would make just one more start, finishing second in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket in England, ending his career with seven victories in 23 starts.

He then became a successful stallion for Coolmore Stud.

While not quite at the same level, Baddam won twice at Royal Ascot in 2006, taking the Ascot Stakes by five lengths at 33-1 June 20th and adding the Queen Alexandra Stakes -- neither of which was a black-type race -- by a neck at 5-2 four days later for trainer Mick Channon, Baddam’s second of three trainers in his eight-year career. Baddam won just four of his 34 career starts. That

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| R A C I N G B A C K- T O - B A C K |

So You Think won the Cox’s Plate in 2009 and 2010, then added yet another Group 1 success six days later

he got two of them in four days at Royal Ascot is rather remarkable.

Earlier in England, trainer Bill O’Gorman had uncanny success with twoyear-olds, many of them racing with a minimum of rest.

In his book, “Racing Horses -- About My Father’s Business,” O’Gorman wrote, “We should attempt to pick up as much prize money as possible.” He also advised that “No suitable opportunity should be missed.”

Four years after Sir Mark Prescott trained Spindrifter to 13 wins in 19 twoyear-old starts, O’Gorman was even bolder with Provideo, who won 16 of his 23 starts as a two-year-old in 1984. In fact, after winning his debut on March 22, Provideo won again six days later before going on to finish second on April 11th and April 14th.

Later that year, Provideo won on June 4th and on the 9th. Then O’Gorman really pushed the envelope. Provideo won on July 7th and, after a day of rest, on July 9th. Finally, Provideo earned black-type with a second in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on August 23rd and a win in the Listed Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy on August 27th.

The tally: Provideo raced on short

rest five times that year and posted four victories and a second.

Six years later, in 1990, O’Gormantrained Timeless Times won 16 of 21 starts as a two-year-old. He captured his first five starts from April 9th to May 8th; was second on May 18th, the only time that year that Alan Munro wasn’t his rider; and won his next nine races, beginning May 24th and extending to July 6th, including wins on consecutive days: June 1st at Newcastle and June 2nd at Musselburgh; and June 25th at Windsor and June 26th at Newbury.

Timeless Times received a break of about six weeks before coming back to win at Salisbury in August and, four days later, run third in the black-type Bonusprint Champion Trophy, the race O’Gorman’s Provideo had won in 1984. The Kentuckybred son of Timeless Moment had another win in two starts in England before shipping to the U.S. to contest the Grade 3 Laurel Futurity in Maryland, his final start of the year and only time in 1990 he’d run worse than third.

When it came to Provideo and Timeless Times, O’Gorman hadn’t missed a single suitable opportunity.

Provideo (left) and Timeless Times both won multiple times after very short breaks

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| VETERINARY |

EQ UIN E HER PESV IR US- 1 AN ELUSIVE TARGET Neil Bryant

I

Neil Bryant and Shutterstock

nfectious diseases are not uncommon in racehorses in training, breeding stock, and pleasure horses. Some of the more serious diseases can be financially devastating to the fin fi animal’s owners and to the equine industry on the whole. Viruses belonging to the herpesvir irus family cause some of the most well characterized equine infectious diseases, and the most problematic of these is equine herpesvir irus 1 (EHV-1; species Equid alphaherpesviirrus 1). EHV-1 is ubiquitous in most horse populations in the world. It is responsible for major economic and welfare problems causing respiratory disease, neurological disease (mainly seen in adult horses), and abortion and neonatal foal death in pregnant mares. This was

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most notably highlighted by the multiple abortion outbreak recorded in Hertfordshire, England, between February and April 2016 in fully vaccinated animals (http://ww www. www w.aht.org.uk/cms-display/interimreport16-april2.html). Studies have determined that EHV-1 is a common cause of abortion. Occasional cases have also been linked to EHV-4 infection, but this is much rarer and doesn’t account for episodes of multiple abortion, as is seen occasionally wit ith EHV-1.

The virus

EHV-1 was fi first isolated from an equine abortion in fir the U.S. in the 1930s. At the time of fi first isolation fir the vets weren’t sure what it was, but they knew it was infectious. Subsequent genetic analysis much later led to the classifi fication of the vi fic virus in vir virus (family Herpesvi vir viridae), vir the genus Varicellovi

| EQUINE HERPESVIRUS-1 |

together wiitth its close relatives equine herpesviirrus 4 (EHV-4; species Equid alphaherpesviirrus 4) and equine herpesvir irus 8 (EHV-8; species Equid alphaherpesvi virus 8). Interestingly it is grouped wi vir with, wit and is therefore genetically similar to, the human herpesvir irus responsible for chickenpox, the Varicella Zoster vir irus. Initial infection of horses was thought to occur around weaning, when vir irus-neutralizing antibodies transferred to the foal from the mare’s colostrum had declined enough to make them susceptible to infectiion. However, vir irus has been isolated from foalls as young as seven days old wit ith high antibody levels but wit ithout any signifi ficant fic clinical signs. Immunity to re-infection afft fter primary fte infection is relatively short-llived, lasting between three-six months, but it is rare for naturally infected mares to abort in consecutive pregnancies.

Disease processes

The viirrus fi first enters the horses’ body via fir ia the respiratory ry tract, usually by direct contact wi with infected wit animals, contaminated surfa faces, or equipment such as tack or veterinary ry instruments. Direct contact wi with wit infected aborte ted fetuses or placental tissues is also a major source of vi virus, which experience indicates can vir cause serious problems if they occur in open barns or large groups of horses. Once the cells in the respiratory ry tract are infected, the vir irus spreads cell-to-cell until it fi finds its way to the regional lymp fin mph nodes, where it can infect white blood cells called lym mp phocyt ytes. These yte lymp mphocyte tes circulate through the body carryyiin ing the vir irus wi with them, which is known as a “cell associated wit viraemia.” The infected lym vir vi ymphocyt ymp ytes can come into yte contact wi with and infect numerous cell typ wit ypes, including ype cells known wn as “endothelial cells,” which line the inside

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| VETERINARY |

ABOVE: Foals and youngstock are thought to be more susceptible to infection, especially around weaning

of blood vessels of the central nervous system and the pregnant uterus. With EHV-1 infection, these endothelial cells undergo an inflammatory response which can lead to bleeding, cell death, and blood clot formation, which in narrow veins disrupts blood supply. This process results in subsequent tissue damage and serious complications such as placental separation (occasionally with delivery of a virus-negative fetus) and/or leakage of virus across the separating placenta (most frequently with delivery of a virus-positive fetus). Similar mechanisms play a role in neurological disease, a condition called equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy or EHM. This condition is also sometimes referred to as an equine stroke, as it is caused by the cellular inflammatory response rather than direct virus infection of nerve cells, which occurs with some other herpesviruses. Less serious clinical signs of infection can include fever, lethargy, inappetence, enlarged lymph nodes, and profuse clear nasal discharge, although not all infected animals will display clinical signs. Recently published work from the Irish Equine Centre has identified EHV-8 as also being occasionally responsible for abortions in mares. Cases of EHV-8 abortion have also been detected retrospectively by the Animal Health Trust (AHT) among its pathology caseload, as this virus, which is genetically almost identical to EHV-1, triggers positive results in the EHV-1 tests. The frequency and clinical relevance of EHV-8 at this stage is unclear. Of 100 viruses presumed to be EHV-1 and whose genetic material were recently analyzed by the AHT, three were actually confirmed as EHV-8.

Latency

EHV-1 and its ancestor viruses have evolved alongside horses for millions of years. This has allowed them to

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| EQUINE HERPESVIRUS-1 |

become very well adapted to their host species. The majority of EHV-1 infections in horses are relatively benign. Published studies have shown that between 50-80% of horses have antibodies in their blood suggestive of exposure to EHV-1 at some point in their lives. This makes evolutionary sense, as EHV-1 relies on the horse cells for replication and subsequent dissemination, and ultimately it is not in the virus’ interest to kill off its host. Like all herpesviruses, EHV-1 is able to establish a state of dormant infection (termed “viral latency”) after the primary infection cycle, and this is the major immune evasion mechanism employed by the virus. During latency there is no viral replication and viral transmission does not occur; this may potentially last years. When in the latent state, the virus is protected from the host immune response. Up to 70% of horses in some studies have been shown to carry latent virus in their lymph nodes. However, virus in a latent state can periodically become active again, in a process known as reactivation. The dynamics of EHV-1 latency and reactivation of the virus are not well understood.

Latent virus has been identified in lymph nodes and nervous tissue, including trigeminal ganglia in the base of the brain, and specific white blood cells (leukocytes) in the blood. After reactivation, the virus can cause subclinical disease in the horse but still be shed by what are sometimes referred to as silent shedders, and these horses infect other animals with which they come into contact. The virus infection can develop and cause the serious clinical signs of abortion and/or neurological disease and is thought to be responsible for the sporadic and sometimes apparently completely spontaneous abortions that are reported internationally every year in geographically isolated populations/animals.

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| VETERINARY |

Diagnostics

Identification of EHV-1 infection in the laboratory relies on either direct virus detection or indirect detection by looking for antibodies against the virus in blood, which is suggestive of recent virus exposure and response by the horse’s immune system. As with any diagnostic test, the selection of the most appropriate sample and timing of sample collection are critical in obtaining accurate results.

The Horserace Betting Levy Board Code of Practice for EHV-1 (HBLB CoP) recommends prompt examination of aborted fetuses and placentae or dead foals by an experienced pathologist and laboratory that are used to confirming EHV-1 infection. Their investigations will look for characteristic pathological changes and demonstrate presence of virus in the tissues of cases using sensitive and specific assays such as immunohistochemistry and PCR. These same methods may be used to examine fatal cases of EHV-1 neurological disease in adult horses, confirming infection in the central nervous system. Infection may also be confirmed by detecting EHV-1 being shed from the respiratory tract on a nasopharyngeal swab, which samples the nose and throat of the horse. Virus shedding from the respiratory tract lasts between five to ten days and tends to wane with time, so swabs collected at a later date have less virus for detection and thus infections can be missed. There are also occasions when it is recommended to test blood samples for seroconversion, which is the rise in antibodies after the horse is exposed to the virus. Detection by seroconversion can be carried out using the complement fixation test (CFT). Seroconversion can be demonstrated by a fourfold or greater rise in antibody level between paired blood samples taken when signs are first noted and then again two-to-four weeks later. The CFT is particularly useful for detecting recent exposure to EHV-1 or vaccination because antibody levels rise rapidly after exposure and then drop relatively quickly

| EQUINE HERPESVIRUS-1 |

over two-to-three months to a low baseline level, when they are able to detect further infections.

Control strategies and vaccination

If EHV-1 is confirmed on a premises, the HBLB CoP recommends isolation of the infected animals, movement restrictions, and hygiene measures for at least 28 days from the date of the last EHV abortion, foal death, or case of neurological disease. On an individual horse level, control of EHV-1 infection is currently conducted by bi-annual vaccination of non-pregnant animals or in pregnant mares at five, seven, and nine months of gestation in an attempt to maintain protective immunity.

Commercially available vaccines against EHV-1 have been shown to protect against respiratory disease and reduce the amount and duration of virus shedding from the infected animal. However, they do not protect against neurological disease and only provide partial protection against abortion. There are a variety of vaccines available for EHV-1, and published data has shown that these can

VIRUS SHEDDING FROM THE RESPIRATORY TRACT LASTS BETWEEN FIVETEN DAYS AND TENDS TO WANE WITH TIME. 32

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BELOW: The EHV-1 infection can also be detected on nasopharyngeal swab

reduce the number of abortions in an experimental model of EHV-1 infection. However, abortions still occur in the horse population and there is a need for better vaccines to protect against the serious clinical signs of EHV-1 infection. Numerous experimental EHV-1 vaccines have been developed using different techniques over the last 50 years. Some of these have provided no protection, others have only induced partial protection, and no vaccine against EHV-1, experimental or commercial, has been able to completely protect against virus shedding or viraemia. There is a school of thought that the best way to induce a protective immune response against EHV-1 is to stimulate two arms of the host immune system: the humoral response (due to production of antibodies) and the cell mediated response (due to production of a type of white blood cell known as a “cytotoxic t-lymphocyte�).

One way to do this is to use live attenuated vaccines.

This technique uses a partially disabled EHV-1 virus that does not cause clinical signs yet retains the ability to induce protective immune responses in the same way that the fully virulent natural virus does after infection.

This view is reinforced by work showing that repeated infections in younger animals results in protection

| EQUINE HERPESVIRUS-1 |

LIVE ATTENUATED VACCINES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO PROTECT AGAINST HERPESVIRUSES IN OTHER SPECIES. from respiratory disease as animals get older and that vaccination is substantially more effective in horses that have experienced prior infection.

Historically, there has been a distrust of using modified live EHV-1 vaccines in equines, mainly because of some well-publicized problems with some early examples back in the 1960s. There are currently two commercially produced live attenuated vaccines in use in some parts of the world; Rhinomune in the U.S. (Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica) and Prevaccinol in Germany (MSD) are licensed for use for the prevention of respiratory disease. However, experimental studies in pregnant animals showed that both Rhinomune and Prevaccinol did not protect horses from viraemia and abortion after viral challenge.

Modern molecular biology techniques allow scientists to accurately target specific parts of the virus to attenuate it and consequently restrict the cells in which they grow, which results in much safer vaccines. Live attenuated vaccines have been developed to protect against herpesviruses in other species, including herpes zoster in humans caused by Varicella Zoster virus, Feline Herpesvirus type 1 in cats, Bovine Herpesvirus 1 in cattle, and Pseudorabies virus in pigs, and there is a lot of ongoing research into vaccines to protect humans against Herpes Simplex virus type 2.

Future work

Research groups are continuing to work towards better vaccines to protect against the serious clinical signs of EHV-1 infection. Over the last 50 or so years we have learned that making an effective vaccine to protect horses from both abortion and neurological disease caused by EHV-1 is and will continue to be technically difficult.

However, its importance to both pleasure horses and the equine racing and breeding industry means that we must continue to work towards this aim. At the Animal Health Trust we have begun work on a new industry-funded program involving both national and international collaborators to determine the amount of protection that can be achieved by using newly designed live attenuated vaccines. Candidate vaccines are being designed using specific scientific rationales based on work from world renowned experts, which will then be characterized in the laboratory and tested for their ability to provide protection. We are looking to involve commercial partners at an early stage to allow us to fully develop any effective vaccines for the benefit of the horse.

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| TRAINING |

STAN D ING IN T HE WI NGS THE ASSISTANT TRAINERS

Ed Golden Zoe Metz

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| ASSISTANT TRAINERS |

T

he term “second banana” originated in the burlesque era, which enjoyed its heyday from the 1840s to the 1940s.

There was an extremely popular comedy skit where the main comic was given a banana after delivering the punch line to a particularly funny joke. The skit and joke were so widely known that the term “top banana” was coined to refer to anyone in the top position of an organization.

The term “second banana,” referring to someone at a pejorative plateau, had a similar origin from the same skit.

There would have been no Martin without Lewis, no Abbott without Costello and no Laurel without Hardy.

Racing has its own version of second bananas, only they’re not in it for the yuks.

They’re called assistants, and it’s a serious business. i Most of the laughs come in the w wiinner’s circle, and if not outright guff fffaws, there at least have been miles of smiles for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry ry Hollendorfer and assistant Dan Ward, who spent 22 years w wiith i the late Bobby Frankel before joining Hollendorfer in 2007.

While clandestinely harboring caring emotions in their souls, on the surface,

Frankel did not suffer fools well, nor does Hollendorfer. A cynic has said Ward should have been eligible for combat pay during those tours.

But he endures, currently with one of the largest and most successful barns in the nation, 50 head at Santa Anita alone. Hollendorfer hasn’t won more than 7,400 races being lucky. It is a labor of love through dedication and scrutinization to the nth degree, leaving little or nothing to chance.

A typical day for the 71-year-old Hollendorfer and the 59-year-old Ward would challenge the workload of executives at any major corporate level.

Two-hour lunches and coffee breaks are not on their priority list.

“I get to the track before three in the morning,” Ward said, “because we starting jogging horses at 3:30. It takes about a half-hour until we get every horse outside, check their legs, jog them up and down the road, and if we see something that wi will i change our routine--the horse doesn’t look like it’s jogg ging right or if it’s got a hot foot--w we’ll adjust the schedule.

“Wee won’t send a horse to the track kw wiithout i seeing it jog.

Wee’ll watch all the horses breeeze, and if something un nexpected happens that wee have to deal w wiith, i we diaagnose it and take care of it. Meanwhile, we’re also o going over entries

DAN WARD

and the condition book, making travel arrangements and staying current on outof-town stakes and nominations.

“Each time a new condition book comes out, I go over it with Jerry, we agree on which races to run in, and then go out and try and find riders.

“I’ll ask him what claiming price we should run a horse for, but with big stakes horses, the owners have the final say.

Jerry and I usually agree on the overnight races, but in some big stakes, it might take more time deciding which horses run in what races. All this consumes most of the day, plus doing the time sheets and the payroll.”

It’s a full plate even with a shared workload, but Ward is considering flying solo should a favorable chance come his way.

“I’m hoping to go on my own,” he said.

“Right now, I’m in a very good position, but if the right opportunity comes along, or if Jerry one day decides not to train anymore, I would be qualified to take over.

In the future, however, I definitely hope to train on my own.”

Despite his workaholic demeanor, Ward has found time recently to enjoy a slice of life in the domestic domain.

“I was married for a year on March 6 and it’s been the best time,” he said. “My wife (Carol) already had two kids, and now they’re our kids, and it’s really great.”

Ward is a worldly man with diversity of thought, traits Hollendorfer sought when he brought him on board.

“In my barn, I often give the reins to my assistants,” Hollendorfer said. “I like them to make decisions, so when I hired Dan Ward I told him that I wasn’t looking for a ‘yes man’ but for somebody who would state his opinion, and if he felt strongly about it, to stand his ground.

“I make the final decisions, but I want a person who is not afraid to make decisions and lets me know what’s going on when I’m not there. There’s not a successful trainer I know of who doesn’t fully have good support back at his barn, and that’s where I’m coming from.

“EACH TIME A NEW CONDITION BOOK COMES OUT, I GO OVER IT WITH JERRY, WE AGREE ON WHICH RACES TO RUN IN, AND THEN GO OUT AND TRY AND FIND RIDERS.” ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| TRAINING |

“HE’S A PERFECTIONIST, AND KNOWS ABOUT EVERYTHING, BREEDING, WHAT HORSES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR WHICH RACES; HE’S JUST AN IDEAL ASSISTANT, AND THERE’S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND HE COULD VERY EASILY BE A TRAINER HIMSELF.” RON MCANALLY

“It’s not only Dan who makes important contributions, it’s (assistants) John Chatlos at Los Alamitos and Juan Arriaga and Janet Hollendorfer (Jerry’s wife) in Northern California. Your supporting cast of assistant trainers has to be solid, too.”

Ron McAnally, in the homestretch of a Hall of Fame career that has reaped a treasure trove of icons led by two-time Horse of the Year John Henry, is down to a dozen runners at age 85, none poised to join Bayakoa, Paseana, Northern Spur and Tight Spot on McAnally’s list of champions.

As Ron says, “I have outlived all my owners,” save for his wife, Deborah, and a handful of others.

Still, maiden or lowly claimer, thoroughbreds deserve the best of care, which any dedicated trainer readily provides, cost be damned.

His glorious past well behind him, trouper that he is, McAnally remains a regular at Santa Anita, although leaving all the heavy lifting to long-time assistant Dan Landers.

Dan was born in a racing trunk, to paraphrase an old show business lexicon.

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DAN LANDERS His late father, Dale, rode at Santa Anita the first day it opened, on Christmas Day 1934, and won the second race on a horse named Let Her Play. Dan still has a chart of the race.

“Even if I weren’t here for a few weeks, Dan would know what to do because he’s been with us a long time,” McAnally said.

“Dan really works hard, and although he’s got three or four grooms, if they don’t perform their duties as they should, he finds someone else.

“That’s the type of guy he is. He wants things done perfectly--the barn is always clean--and that’s what you look for in an assistant, someone who can take your place when you’re not there, and he’s there.

“He takes very little time off . . . he’s a perfectionist, and knows about everything, breeding, what horses are eligible for which races; he’s just an ideal assistant, and there’s no doubt in my mind he could very easily be a trainer himself.”

But barring a dramatic change of heart and mind, that won’t happen.

“I did train on my own while I worked with my dad and later Jay Robbins (trainer of the only back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Tiznow in 2000 and 2001),” Landers said, “but little good resulted.

“Ron and I do the best we can with the horses we have, but every trainer has a different way of doing things, although we all have the same goal: give the horses the best possible care and try and win races.”

Landers, 68, has been with McAnally since 1995, well past the days when John Henry was capturing national headlines and becoming a household word, yet has managed to keep the wolf away from the door.

“I’m sure money earned varies with different trainers,” Landers said, “and when a barn is winning races, a percentage trickles down to the crew. It’s a chain that goes from the trainer to the assistant to the grooms to the owners.

“But going on my own again is not an option. It’s too easy to go into debt.”

English-born Neil Drysdale and Irishborn assistant John O’Donoghue care for 30 head at their Santa Anita base, and have been a successful and unified team despite their disparate ethnic backgrounds.

“He’s an invaluable part of the operation,” said Drysdale, 70, a member of racing’s Hall of Fame since 2000, who spent four years as an assistant to legend of legends Charlie Whittingham from 1970 to 1974.

Drysdale gained proper discipline and upstanding principles from his father, Douglas, a British Royal Marine officer who also fought in Korea with the United States Marines.

“Charlie taught me everything I know, but not everything he knew,” Drysdale said, chuckling at the well-worn line.

“John and I spend a lot of time together

| ASSISTANT TRAINERS |

JOHN O’DONOGHUE in the day-to-day training operation, but when I’m traveling, it’s comforting knowing that he’s there.

“John not only makes significant contributions, he’s an enjoyable man to be around and an excellent horseman.”

Sounds like a business association made in heaven, which in essence, it is. It wouldn’t have lasted nearly three decades if it weren’t.

“I started with Neil in 1989,” said O’Donoghue, 54, a native of Limerick, Ireland. “I always sort of wanted to go on my own, but the way racing has gone the last few years, with the cost of upkeep and overhead, it’s kind of tough to break out and do that.

“Neil and I both enjoy being around the horses, and that’s obviously important on a seven day a week job. But everything goes along the same whether he’s here or not.

“On a typical day, we start at six in the morning and I work until 4 p.m. I take Tuesday afternoons off, but other than that, I’m on that schedule 6 ½ days a week.

There’s no rest, that’s true, so you have to love it, and I do.

“I have a wife (Sonya) and two grown children, and they’ve always been very understanding. My wife worked as an exercise rider, so she does recognize demands of the business.”

To boot, John has a daunting 40-mile one-way commute to Arcadia, site of Santa Anita. In Los Angeles these days,

porous borders abounding, any commute is daunting. Picture the Indy 500 with no caution flags.

“We live in El Segundo near what was Hollywood Park, because that track was our base for years,” O’Donoghue said. The Inglewood track closed in December of 2013 and since been demolished.

Jim Barnes has been in racing since just after he learned to walk. More than four decades later, he stands at the game’s pinnacle, albeit in the towering shadow of its most recognizable trainer, Bob Baffert.

Barnes has been Baffert’s assistant nearly 19 years, on a ride that has taken him around the world and enabled him to share an achievement only 11 others have in the past century: winning the Triple Crown.

“It’s been an absolutely phenomenal run, with all the big horses we’ve had since I started with Bob in 1999,” said Barnes, 58. “I thought we topped it all by winning the Triple Crown with American Pharoah in 2015, but then along comes Arrogate.

“We had many outstanding horses before American Pharoah and Arrogate, and after them I thought it can’t get any better than this, but Bob keeps buying them and developing them.”

Work days are not necessarily routine.

“We get to the barn early in the morning, establish the agenda for the horses and for Bob, prepare horses that are breezing that day and the ones that are

“JOHN AND I SPEND A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER IN THE DAY-TO-DAY TRAINING OPERATION, BUT WHEN I’M TRAVELING, IT’S COMFORTING KNOWING THAT HE’S THERE. JOHN NOT ONLY MAKES SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS, HE’S AN ENJOYABLE MAN TO BE AROUND AND AN EXCELLENT HORSEMAN.” NEIL DRYSDALE

ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| TRAINING |

racing, and try to make sure everything goes as smooth as possible, that the horses are healthy and sound before they go out to train,” Barnes said.

Barnes has worked at the track since he was nine years old, when he cleaned stalls and rode a pony. “My father (Vern) had owned horses, and I always worked for his trainer (an old-timer named Jack Scott) during the summer,” said Barnes, a native of Santa Rosa in Northern California.

“At that age, I never realized I’d achieve what I have, travelling around the world and winning races, but the older I got, I knew what I wanted to be and what direction I needed to head to reach this level, and it wasn’t Northern California, but Southern California.

| ASSISTANT TRAINERS |

“I tried to place myself at a high plateau. I’ve worked for three Hall of Fame trainers: Charlie Whittingham, Jerry Hollendorfer and Bob Baffert. I like this level of competition, although racing is racing. I get just as excited winning a maiden 20 as I do any other race, but if I’m going to do this, I want it to be at this level.

“I live for big events like the Triple Crown races, the Breeders’ Cup, the Dubai World Cup and the Pegasus World Cup. Participating in them as an assistant has given me the confidence and knowledge that I can handle various circumstances and all types of race tracks.

“Each horse is different, and you’ve got to take a good horse when you’re travelling for a big race. That’s what it really takes to win. You can’t just load one up and head on the road. You’ve got to bring a good horse.

“If you’re going to win the Triple Crown, you’re going to need a really great horse. You need a champion to complete it. We’ve had some pretty good horses going into it, and American Pharoah finally pulled it off.”

Justify could be next. Winner of his three career starts by a combined margin of 19 lengths, capped by a three-length decision over Bolt d’Oro in the Santa Anita Derby, Justify is now the favorite

to win the Kentucky Derby on May 5, with some sagacious race trackers even heralding the chestnut son of Scat Daddy as the next Triple Crown king.

McKinzie, who had been one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, will miss the race while recovering from a “twisted hock,” Baffert said. Promoted to victory through the disqualification of stablemate Solomini in the Grade I Los Alamitos Futurity last year at two, McKinzie now is being pointed to a summer campaign.

“Talk about timing,” Barnes said. “We lose McKinzie and along comes Justify, a horse that certainly has the goods. Right now, I don’t think I’d trade horses with anybody.”

Suffice it to say, this is not Jim’s first rodeo.

“I did train on my own when I was young,” he said. “I got my license when I was 18. Would I do it now? If the right deal comes along, you never know. You have to think of your future, but it would take a pretty special offer for me to leave my position today.”

Barnes is not the only member of the family to be on Baffert’s list of valued employees. Jim’s wife, Dana, has been and remains one of Baffert’s best exercise riders, going on 20 years now, working the likes of champion West Coast and venerable multi-millionaire Hoppertunity.

“I LIVE FOR BIG EVENTS LIKE THE TRIPLE CROWN RACES, THE BREEDERS’ CUP, THE DUBAI WORLD CUP, AND THE PEGASUS WORLD CUP. PARTICIPATING IN THEM AS AN ASSISTANT HAS GIVEN ME THE CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE THAT I CAN HANDLE VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES AND ALL TYPES OF RACETRACKS.”

JIMMY BARNES

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| TRAINING |

“She might continue for another year or so,” Barnes said, “but for now she’s happy and gets along with the horses well. She’s also an asset because she can go to Dubai and assist on other road trips. It’s helpful to have someone like that in your barn.”

Jim and Dana have two grown daughters, Jenee (pronounced Jen-A), 30, and Jordan, 25. Jenee is an attorney who graduated from Tulane Law School before returning to California where she passed the bar on her first try. She lives and practices in Visalia. Jordan studies music at the Los Angeles Musicians Institute.

Despite suffering a fractured pelvis and other injuries in a training mishap last year while on his pony, Barnes has recovered and is back on the beat. He has been working at ground level but plans to return to the saddle soon. Either way, he is at the ready when the call arises, although as in most long-term relationships, there have been bumps in the road.

“Bob and I get along quite well, and while there are times we butt heads a little, it’s never anything serious,” Barnes said. “He may want to lighten up on a horse’s work schedule, and I may want to work it harder, but at the end of the day, he makes all the decisions.”

Despite a glib persona given to one liners ala the late comic legend Henny Youngman (“Take my wife, please”), Baffert is a serious trainer. His record speaks for itself, and he readily admits his unprecedented success could not

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| ASSISTANT TRAIN ERS |

have been attained without selfless contributions from the likes of Jim Barnes.

“Jim is probably the most recognizable assistant in the country, mainly because of his exposure with American Pharoah,” Baffert said. “Jim was always on the road with him and practically lived with the horse.

“That allowed me to stay home and take care of things at Santa Anita. Jim knows what I want and the way I do things and how to maintain our program. I get good input from him and we learn as we go.

“We had our plan for the (2015) Triple Crown and knew exactly what we had to do. We didn’t feel extra pressure, because we’d been through it before, and having had the experience of preparing for and running in big races, our senses told us they worked.”

Barnes isn’t Baffert’s solo assistant, although he is the most popular face among the hoi polloi. Former trainer Mike Marlow oversees his operation at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California.

“He deals primarily with young horses coming in and horses arriving from the farm off a layoff, getting them ready and letting me know which ones are up to competing at Santa Anita,” said Baffert, who numbers former assistants Eoin Harty and Tim Yakteen as graduates now enjoying successful training careers of their own.

“JIM IS PROBABLY THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE ASSISTANT IN THE COUNTRY, MAINLY BECAUSE OF HIS EXPOSURE WITH AMERICAN PHAROAH, JIM WAS ALWAYS ON THE ROAD WITH HIM AND PRACTICALLY LIVED WITH THE HORSE.” BOB BAFFERT

“Marlow will let me know if we have something special at Los Al. He’s a good horseman. My assistants love racing, love coming to the track. I’ll tell Jimmy to take a week off, but he won’t because he loves being here so much. He thrives on the competition.

“Our chemistry is good and Mike puts in a lot of hours. He has a great passion for what he does.”

And that’s what it takes in a most demanding profession, one which requires being on call ‘round the clock, confined within the vast expanse of a race track backstretch, seldom escaping to the outside world with “normal people” for a trip to the mall, a day at the beach or a night at the movies.

Truth be told, trainers take better care of their horses than they do of themselves.

Training is not a civil service job. There are no time cards, no punched clocks and few who exit.

As Dan Landers put it, “That’s why they have a fence around the track.

“To keep us in.”

| BUSINESS |

WORKERS’ COMP Denise Steffanus

orkers’ compensation, like death and taxes, is a fact of life horsemen must accept. Owners and trainers are required to have workers’ comp insurance to care for their injured employees. Even freelancers, such as some exercise riders and hotwalkers, need the security of knowing they will be taken care of if they are hurt on the job.

With medical and drug costs skyrocketing, premiums have soared to a level that makes it difficult for some trainers to stay in business. Geography also comes into play.

Areas of the country where medical costs are the highest, such as New York, have the highest workers’ comp premiums, while Kentucky is among the lowest. New York has the second-highest cost of living in the nation, and Kentucky has the second lowest.

Everyone seems to have skin in the game: underwriters, insurance brokers, state insurance departments, racetrack management, claims managers, owners, trainers, and injured horsemen. The issue is so complex that whoever you call to discuss workers’ comp is likely to refer you to someone else for answers. At the end of the day, after several phone calls, you probably will be more confused than when you started.

W

The nuts and bolts of workers’ comp

The most simplistic explanation of insurance is that the total amount of premiums collected by a plan must be adequate to pay all the claims filed against it. All employers in a workers’ comp plan share the risks. The goal is for the plan to have an overall safety record so the fewest possible claims are paid out.

For a workers’ comp plan to be fair and effective, trainers must report their

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Shutterstock & Eclipse Sportswire

employee rosters accurately and honestly, and all stables in the plan must operate in the safest manner possible to reduce claims.

Insurance is a form of socialism, where everyone contributes to the premium pool but only a few reap those benefits when an adverse event happens. The more individuals who do NOT file a claim, the greater the safety rating for the plan, which results in a reduced risk and eventually lower premiums.

Before a company can offer insurance, it must have enough start-up assets (in money or collateral) to support anticipated claims until enough premiums come in to create a pool to pay claims.

The insurance company invests a portion of those premiums to increase the plan’s assets, and it may purchase insurance from a third party to protect itself against large, catastrophic claims.

Every occupation falls into a workers’ compensation class code. Codes are rated based on risk, the number and severity of on-the-job injuries the class experiences.

That rate determines the premium needed to insure that employee, based on demonstrated risk. Among racetrack occupations, exercise rider is the most dangerous, even more dangerous than jockey.

Trainer Rick Violette Jr., who served as the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association from 2008-2017, has been working on the workers’ comp situation in New York since the 1990s. Violette explained that although jockeys take significant risks while performing a perilous job, statistics show that they are less likely than exercise riders to have accidents because they work in a more controlled environment—policed by outriders, followed by an ambulance, and all the horses travel in the same direction around the track. For an exercise rider, the environment can be chaotic.

“In the morning, there might be 100-150 horses on the racetrack,” Violette said, “all with different experience, all going different speeds, going counterclockwise and clockwise on the racetrack, horses coming out of the gate. So when you look at that, it’s pretty black-and-white how the morning exercise time is much more dangerous and fraught with injury than the afternoon.”

Another problem for workers’ comp coverage is that many exercise riders aren’t employees of a particular stable, but rather get on horses for several trainers who pay them by the head, often in cash when they get off the horse. The extent of the trainer’s knowledge about the rider might be only his (or her) first name and how well he handles a horse. If that exercise rider is injured, complications can arise when he seeks to file a claim and none of his trainers have him listed on their workers’ comp policy.

New York

New York has solved this problem by including exercise riders in the New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund. The fund is supported by owners and trainers of horses racing in New York. An owner is assessed a $1,500 initial payment that Violette calls “kind of an entry fee” to race in New York. Trainers are assessed $1.60/ day per allocated stall, and an additional two percent comes off the top of purses.

For horses shipping in to race from outside the state, the initial $1,500 is divided into $300 payments to cover the first five races, and no per diem stall charge is levied.

The New York State Insurance Fund, which is the insurer of last resort for those who can’t secure a commercial insurer, managed the jockey injury fund for more than 20 years. Legislation in 2016 gave

| WORKERS’ COMP |

IT’S PRETTY BLACKAND-WHITE HOW THE MORNING EXERCISE TIME IS MUCH MORE DANGEROUS AND FRAUGHT WITH INJURY THAN THE AFTERNOON.

ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| BUSINESS |

the plan permission to seek alternate means of supporting the fund through shared risk, including self-insurance.

“The last five years, the New York State Insurance Fund turned into a nightmare,” Violette said. “Their management of claims, their closing of claims, their handling of the loss-run is schizophrenic and irresponsible at best. Because of their mismanagement, it made us totally unappealing to the commercial market.”

The jockey injury fund hired JLT Specialty Insurance and CRS Risk Management to convince a commercial carrier to take a chance on New York racing. Zurich Insurance Group stepped up to the plate. Through its partnership, premiums dropped $250,000 the first year and an additional $750,000 in 2017.

Meanwhile to further reduce premiums, the jockey injury fund began a campaign for enhanced safety measures and instituted better claims management.

“So just by promoting significant safety initiatives, that is always attractive to underwriters, insurance companies,” Violette said. “Through more aggressive claims management without being punitive or obstructionist to the injured exercise riders, we’ve been able to reduce the cost, looking at 15 percent. And when you’re talking $8 million or $9 million, 15 percent is pretty cool. And we’re hoping even to improve on that this year, and we’re also looking at a possible large-deductible program going forward that could save more money.”

With insurance giant Zurich willing to enter the horseracing market, Violette is

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| WORKERS’ COMP |

confident that more commercial insurers will follow, and competition will further reduce premiums.

While jockeys, apprentices, and exercise riders are covered by the jockey injury fund, each trainer also must carry a separate workers’ comp plan for grooms, hotwalkers, and other stable personnel.

In addition to rising health care costs driving up premiums, the weekly benefit for an employee on workers’ comp leave in New York has more than doubled in the past five years, from a cap of $400 to the present $870.

“We have to do more, because while there are some savings, it hasn’t made it so that we’re a wonderful state to do business yet. It’s still very, very costly,” Violette said.

According to the New York Compensation Insurance ance Rating Board, the current premium m rate for employees in code 8280 for “Racing ng Stable and Driver” is $21.33 for every $100 100 in wages paid. In comparison, stunt pilots lots and parachute jumpers are assessed at $6.53.

California

Workers’ comp for California alifornia racing is operated by a self-insured ured group formed and operated by the people it serves— horsemen. The original nal plan, Finish Line Self-Insurance Group, p, was the 2005 brainchild of the he late Brad McKinzie, whose namesake, the Grade 1-winning colt McKinzie, was a potential ntial

contender for this year’s Triple Crown until sidelined by a minor injury. McKinzie’s partner, Michael Lyon, and his team now administer a spinoff of the original plan established solely for Thoroughbred racing, Post Time Self-Insurance Group.

“The reason it’s been successful is because the program is operated in a business and professional fashion,” Lyon said. “The people who run the plan are racetrack people. They know what it takes and what the risks are and what the problems are. Therefore, they are able to administer the plan effectively.”

Two things must be in place to form a self-insurance group. First, legislation BELOW: Rick Violette Jr. has been working on the workers’ comp situation in New York since the 1990s

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| BUSINESS |

must be on the books that allows horsemen to self-insure; second, the group must have the startup collateral to support potential claims until the plan establishes a firm financial foothold.

California racing found itself in a bind when workers’ comp premiums soared astronomically in the mid-2000s. The best way out was to establish a selfinsurance plan, which eliminates the cut taken by commercial insurers. But that meant horsemen had to find a backer to put up the collateral. Fortunately, Dr. Edward Allred, owner of Los Alamitos Race Course, came to the rescue.

The next step was to figure out a way to keep trainers from under-reporting their payroll.

“The under-reporting of payroll is what got California in trouble,” Lyon said.

“We started Finish Line in 2005. Prior to that, trainers that accurately reported their payroll were getting charged approximately $60 per $100 of payroll.

The industry was about ready to collapse because of workers’ compensation. That’s why we went into the self-insurance model, and we took the ability to underreport out of the equation.”

Instead of paying premiums based on the number of employees and the amount of wages paid, trainers are assessed $3 per day per horse to pay for coverage for stable help, and each claim submitted carries a $500 initiation fee. Owners pay $100 per start to cover workers’ comp for jockeys.

Takeout from exotic wagers also helps pay for workers’ comp. The cost of operating the California program is $12.6 million annually. Takeout from wagers amounts to $6.5 million, leaving $6.1 million to be paid by horsemen.

Lyon said another plus of a self-insured program is that it creates watchdogs on

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| WORKERS’ COMP |

the backstretch who speak up.

“If someone is not doing something properly or is doing something unsafe on the backstretch, they’ll be inclined to say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to stop doing that. That’s not safe.

You’re jeopardizing the group. You’re going to end up having a lot of accidents.’ “ California’s solution has been successful.

“In my opinion, all the states that are having workers’ compensation issues, and I can’t think of one that isn’t, selfinsurance is the way to go, but it requires commitment and a cohesive approach by all in the industry—owners, trainers, racetrack,” Lyon said.

“First of all, you have to have an alliance—the tracks and the racing associations and the trainers have to be all aligned because it is for the betterment of the industry. There has to be a consensus that this is the way we want to go.

“Self-insurance is not something that you think, ‘Oh, I’ll give it a try and see what it’s like.’ It’s a long-term commitment, a minimum of a sevenyear commitment, because in workers’ compensation, the claims mature very slowly over a long period of time, and you have to be in for the long haul so that the ebbs and flows of the injuries even out over time. You can’t jump in and jump out of self-insuring. So there has to be a consensus among those involved in the industry that we want to do self-insured, and we’re going to be committed to it, and we’re going to support it financially.”

Florida

Trainers in Florida complain that workers’ comp in that state has reached a critical point. Commercial markets won’t touch workers’ comp for Florida trainers, so they are forced to obtain coverage from

the Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association, the stateoperated insurer of last resort.

As posted on the Joint Underwriting Association website, the current rate for workers’ comp for stable employees is $12.81 per $100 of wages paid. But there’s a catch. The minimum premium is $2,000. So even a one-man operation with no employees, because the trainer does all the work and gallops his own horses, is on the hook for at least $2,000 a year for workers’ comp.

John Unick, senior vice president and managing director of equine and selfinsured risks for the Insurance Office of America, said trainers who cheat the system are to blame for the situation.

“When you’ve under-reported payroll so badly as a class code and claims are ridiculously high, it’s a very simple actuary or numeric equation that basically says, ‘Okay, this is how much premium we took in, and this is how much losses we have based on the premium we took in, and this is what we need to charge in that class code. So the higher the rate gets, the more inclined a trainer is to under-report on payroll, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

He sees another reason trainers underreport payroll: the current crackdown on immigration.

“A lot of trainers that are knowingly under-reporting payroll are trying to hide from the government with respect to this issue,” he said.

Unick said the way to solve the problem of under-reporting is to do the same as California—take self-reporting of payroll out of the equation and base workers’ comp premiums on stall allotment.

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ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| BUSINESS |

“A very complicated subject made as brief as possible: the racetracks and the trainers need to band together to make sure that the good guys don’t pay for the bad guys,” he said. “At the end of the day, there are too many trainers cheating on payroll, and insurance companies are not interested in playing a game of 3-Card Monte.”

A Florida trainer, who asked to remain anonymous, said the tough workers’ comp requirements discourage small stables from coming into Florida’s horseracing industry. But that is not what concerns her most. She has been approached numerous times to act as a “program trainer” for stables that don’t have workers’ comp coverage. She declined. A program trainer is the trainer of record listed on the official track program for a horse ghost-trained by someone else. Typically, program trainers are paid under the table to start horses in their own name, but with that payoff comes the risk and all the consequences if the horse tests positive for a banned substance or is involved in other infractions. Further, in most jurisdictions, program trainers are banned because of the potential for ethics violations.

Tampa Bay Downs has a stricter requirement for workers’ comp than the State of Florida, which exempts employers (other than construction companies) with fewer than four employees. At Tampa Bay, all trainers must carry workers’ comp, even if they claim to have no employees.

Despite its strict requirement, Tampa Bay has done nothing to help trainers comply, nor have they met with horsemen to discuss the problem.

“That’s the trainer’s expense, and we have our expenses,” said Peter Berube, vice president and general manager of Tampa

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| WORKERS’ COMP |

Bay Downs. “So, no, we haven’t been able to come up with any plan to help them. As you know, we do not have any alternative subsidies like most of the industry does, so we run a pretty tight ship down here … It is a problem area for the industry. Believe me, we know it down here. I’m just not sure what the solution is.”

Florida trainers with employees have the option to engage a payroll company, which processes an employer’s payroll and carries a blanket workers’ comp policy to cover its clients. While this technically meets the requirement, because the

code rate for horseracing occupations is so much higher than other industries, insurance professionals are skeptical what would happen if it is challenged in court.

Unick said he has been working on Florida’s situation for 15 years. His model calls for a partially self-insured plan, reinsured for catastrophic losses, in which everybody shares in the risk.

Long-term solution

“That’s my business philosophy for a long-term solution,” Unick said. “I’m not interested in a short-term solution for trainers, I’m only interested in a long-term solution that’s going to be fair and is a proper macro-economic model, because I see this as a death-and-taxes issue.”

Unick said it takes time and money to set in place an effective plan that is fair to everyone involved. He offered this advice to any jurisdiction that is struggling with the workers’ compensation issue: “This isn’t something they can avoid and keep burying their heads in the sand,” he said. “They have to collectively get together in order to solve the problem.

I fully realize that horseracing is not necessarily great at getting together over anything, but that’s the plight of the industry and that’s ultimately an industry problem that they have to get their arms around or economically it’s going to be harder and harder to survive.”

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| VETERINARY |

T HE O N G O I N G E F F ORT T O MI NI MI ZE T HE R AT E A N D I M PAC T OF F R A C T U RE S Professor Celia M. Marr

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Sarah Powell, Alastair Foote, Pieter Ramzan

| FRACTURES |

I

n Thoroughbred racing, musculoskeletal injury is a major safety concern and is the leading reason for days lost to training. Musculoskeletal injury is the greatest reason for horse turnover in racing stables, with financial implications for the owner and the racing industry.

Injuries, particularly on race day, have an impact on public perception of racing.

Upper limb and pelvis fractures are less common than lower limb fractures, but they can lead to fatalities. Reducing the overall prevalence of fractures is critical and, at the very least, improving the rate of detection of fractures in their early stages so the horse can be withdrawn from racing with a recoverable injury will be a big step forwards in racehorse welfare. Currently, we lack information on the outcomes following fracture, and an article recently published in the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) from the veterinary team at the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) addressed this important knowledge gap.

Hong Kong Fracture Outcome Study

The HKJC veterinary team is in a unique position to carry out this work because their centralized and computerized database of clinical records, together with racing and retirement records, allows

them to document follow-up, which is all but impossible elsewhere in the world.

Dr. Leah McGlinchey, working with vets in Hong Kong and researchers from the Royal Veterinary College in London, reviewed clinical records from 2003 to 2014 to identify racehorses that suffered a fracture or fractures to the bones of the upper limb or the pelvis during training or racing, confirmed by nuclear scintigraphy, radiography, ultrasonography, or autopsy.

During these 11 racing seasons there were an average of 1468 horses in training each year, amounting to 102,785 starts over 8147 races, with 11% on dirt tracks and the rest on turf. McGlinchey found records of 108 racehorses that sustained 129 upper limb or pelvic fractures during 119 injury events. The most commonly fractured bone was the humerus at 50%, followed by the tibia at 30%. Nine horses sustained fractures that led to their immediate demise, five involving the scapula and four involving the humerus.

The majority (65%) of fractures occurred in training. The overall incidence of upper limb and pelvic fractures in Hong Kong was three per 10,000 starts, and there were very similar incidences comparing both turf and dirt surfaces. The fatality rate due to upper limb and pelvic fracture was 0.8 per 10,000 starts. Over comparable time

periods, race day upper limb and pelvic fracture rates were four per 10,000 starts in the UK, while race day fatalities were 1.8 per 10,000 starts in the UK and 1.9 per 10,000 in California; thus, rates of upper limb and pelvic fracture and fatality were lower in Hong Kong than in other racing jurisdictions. Differences in training and racing regimens, racehorse surveillance, and veterinary care will vary across these racing centers, leading to different risk profiles for horses racing in these different locations.

All horses presented with lameness but importantly, the lameness grade was not necessarily very high. Indeed, 6.7% of the horses were Grade 1 of 5 lame, and 30.3% were Grade 2 of 5 lame, highlighting how important it is to rest and investigate mild new lameness. Typically, stress fractures cause acute lameness following fast work that soon eases in severity, and incipient fracture of the upper limb and pelvis can present as mild lameness with a subtle onset, which is all too easy to overlook.

The degree of lameness associated with stress fracture is typically greatest when the scapula is involved and progressively less severe with the tibia, humerus, or radius. The diagnosis is all too obvious once severe, complete fracture has occurred. In many cases, however, a diagnosis cannot be immediately made.

ABOVE L-R: The arrow in this bone scan identifies a ‘hot spot’ indicating a humeral fracture towards the lower end of the bone, just above the elbow.

The arrow in this bone scan identifies increased radionucleotide uptake indicating a radial stress fracture.

Oblique view of the ilium of the pelvis showing a linear pattern of increased bone activity consistent with stress fracture pathology.

Arrow indicates a marked focus of increased radionucleotide uptake in the upper tibia, associated with a tibial stress fracture .

LEFT: Example of a bone scan pattern indicative of pelvic stress fracture pathology, shown from above to readily compare both sides of the pelvis.

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| VETERINARY |

ABOVE L-R: Scapular fractures are particularly catastrophic. This CT image, made during an autopsy, shows a comminuted fracture with multiple bone fragments.

This autopsy specimen shows a comminuted scapular fracture.

A close-up shows how the scapular fracture extends into shoulder joint.

Nuclear scintigraphy (also known as bone scanning) is the most sensitive method to detect stress fractures of the long bones and pelvis, although radiography and ultrasonography may also be useful.

Following fracture, all of the Hong Kong horses had a period of box rest followed by handwalking only. Threequarters of these horses returned to racing a median of 169 days after sustaining the fracture; these made numerous starts, and 45 won. In total, 59 horses had retired from training, 23 of which retired without returning to racing and, in 13 of these cases, with retirement directly attributable to the upper limb fracture.

Dr. McGlinchey’s study highlighted some important differences compared to studies from elsewhere in the world.

In the Hong Kong study, scapular fractures only occurred during racing, and of the six scapular fractures, five were catastrophic. In contrast, in a U.S. study, 55% of scapular fractures occurred during training. Additionally, in the Hong Kong study all scapular fractures occurred on the right front limb. In the US, catastrophic scapular fractures had a right forelimb predilection and horses run to the left or in an anti-clockwise direction leading, to the suggestion that the scapular fractures were the result of horses relying more on support from the right limb, as the left limb was the lead, with the banking of the track also potentially playing a role. However,

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| FRACTURES |

horses race and train in Hong Kong in a clockwise direction and the track is not banked, yet still the right fore appeared to be at increased risk. It is important not to over-interpret this observation, because the number of scapular stress fractures in the Hong Kong study was small in comparison to the US study.

Can musculoskeletal injury be prevented?

Although the Hong Kong study highlighted the low rate of mortality associated with upper limb and pelvic fractures and the high rate of return to successful racing of horses following a stress fracture of the upper limb, it did not shed any light on risk factors nor identify why some individuals developed fractures and others did not.

Expanding the Hong Kong work to follow cohorts of horses entering training and following these through to see which horses do sustain fractures and others do not might lead to the identification of specific risk factors. Prospective studies like this are the gold standard in epidemiological research. With retrospective review of clinical records, cause and effect are difficult to differentiate. Nevertheless, retrospective review can give clues about possible causative factors. In the case of stress fractures, previous studies of nuclear scintigraphy records have suggested that the surfaces over which horses are training and racing may have a substantial influence on the prevalence of stress fractures.

A recent report published in EVJ has moved this research question out of the clinic and into the hands of computer scientists. The research focused on the fetlock rather than upper limb, recognising that there is extensive research that links fetlock injury in bone, ligament, and tendon to the degree of dropping of the fetlock, known as dorsiflexion, during weight-bearing phases of the stride.

The accumulation of tissue damage that can end in catastrophic injury is affected by loading, particularly training frequency and intensity. Reductions in load frequency can reduce the accumulation of damage due to strain because training breaks can allow tissues to repair. An additional approach to reducing the incidence of injury is to find optimal surfaces to reduce the loads applied to the limbs during each gallop stride.

Joint loads and motion are related to both internal musculoskeletal structure mechanics and the external loads applied to the limb, such as ground reaction forces relating to the surface the horse is galloping on. Surface mechanics are influenced by its composition, its temperature and moisture content, and procedures in place to maintain it. However, surface mechanics are complex, and change in one aspect is likely to induce changes in others, which can have unintended consequences. For instance, synthetic surfaces intended to damp vertical hoof concussion can also increase shear strength.

In the case of stress fractures, previous studies of nuclear scintigraphy records have suggested that the surfaces over which horses are training and racing may have a substantial influence on the prevalence of stress fractures.

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55

| VETERINARY |

The virtual racehorse

There is little doubt we need better research tools to study optimal surfaces for injury prevention and performance enhancement.

Waiting to find out whether injury rates rise or fall after the installation of a new training or racing surface is installed is an expensive and unsatisfactory way to try to improve racehorse welfare. Computational models are increasingly used across science and are an economical tool to determine the effect of individual factors that may be difficult to evaluate experimentally.

Dr. Jennifer Symons and her colleagues from University of California-Davis have developed a virtual racehorse limb and surface computer model which predicts how lower limb motion can be modified, and in particular it focuses on the degree of fetlock dorsiflexion during gallop stance.

Dr. Symons’ recent EVJ report demonstrated how the model could determine how changes in surface parameters influence lower limb motion.

Surfaces are compacted each time they are struck by a hoof, and harrowing reduces this compaction. Therefore, Symons set up the virtual model to reproduce the mechanics of harrowed and consolidated dirt and synthetic race surfaces and look at how these alter the fetlock motion in the leading forelimb during gallop.

Both natural and artificial racetracks are constructed in layers. The cushion, i.e. upper layer, is often harrowed to decrease consolidation and reduce peak ground reaction forces. Dirt surfaces have deep, less stiff cushion layers compared to synthetic surfaces. The mechanics of lower layers are determined by their composition rather than harrowing. Symons modeled 25 combinations of cushion stiffness and depth over four different lower layers representing harrowed and consolidated dirt and synthetic surfaces. Because the musculoskeletal tissues of individual horses differ in their strength and flexibility, and there are differences in how horses move, the researchers also tested various tendon and ligament stiffness and heel strike positions.

| FRACTURES |

Interestingly, in Symons’ virtual horse flexion and surfaces model, fetlock dorsifl during gallop stance was influenceed less by horse limb parameters than by the surface. The depth of cushion had greatest impact in fetlock motion, with lesss depth leading to more fetlock dorsiflexion, and fetlock motion was lower on virttual surfaces with deeper, upper layers..

These differences were substantiial, and maximum fetlock dorsiflexion diff ffered by more than 10° across cushion stiff ffnesses and depths. Overall, the changes in n fetlock motion due to cushion stiffness an nd depth were similar across harroweed and consolidated dirt and synthetic virrtual lower layers, although the relationships were complex.

More compliant surfaces diminiish the efficiency of the gallop as well as saafety mechanisms within the limb. Whille extreme fetlock dorsiflexion causess injury, brations some flexion is needed to damp vib created by hoof impact. Flexion is also essential for the spring-like action of the tendons and ligaments. Therefore,, too much flexion is harmful, too little is not energy efficient, and there is an op ptimal middle ground for fetlock flexion. The model was able to look at how surfface depth and stiffness interacted and predict the optimal zone for safetyy and performance.

Although Dr. Symons’ current simulations explored the effect of differences in tendon and ligament mechanics, anatomical features such as pastern length and hoof conformation were not taken into account in this study.

Nevertheless, this virtual horse and surface model is an exciting new tool that has great promise for research on ideal surfaces to prevent musculoskeletal injuries and optimize performance.

The bottom line

A key take-home message from the Hong Kong study on upper limb and pelvic fractures was that subtle lameness warrants investigation. Nuclear

More compliant surfaces diminish the efficiency of the gallop as well as safety mechanisms within the limb.

While extreme fetlock dorsiflexion causes injury, some flexion is needed to damp vibrations created by hoof impact. Flexion is also essential for the spring-like action of the tendons and ligaments.

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ABOVE: These plots show the complex relationships between depth and stiffness of the cushion when the virtual horse gallops on surfaces laid over harrowed dirt (A), consolidated dirt (B), harrowed synthetic (C), and consolidated synthetic (D). The red zones illustrate degrees of fetlock motion in the leading forelimb that place the horse at risk of injury. Very compliant surfaces (blue zones) require the horse to exert more energy to gallop as well as reducing damping within the limbs, propagate vibrations and damage bone. Reproduced, with permission, from Equine Veterinary Journal Volume 49, Issue 5, pages 681-687, 2017 DOI: 10.1111/evj.12672.

scintigraphy is highly accurate for finding stress fractures and, if upper limb fracture is detected early, a successful return to racing is the norm.

There is still a lot to learn in designing the optimal surfaces for training and racing Thoroughbreds, but innovative and economical computer simulations are beginning to tease out the complex interactions between depth, composition, and surface maintenance and the horse’s strength and flexibility with the goal of understanding surfaces that both reduce injury and optimize performance.

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ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| SOUTH KOREA |

HOR SERACI NG IN SOUTH KOREA : A GLOBAL VISION Alex Cairns

Alex Cairns

ISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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O

n the evening of January 19, 2017, something special happened in Dubai. To the casual spectator it might have seemed like any other horse race, but to viewers in the Republic of Korea, the 1200m District One Handicap at Meydan was a watershed moment in their nation’s sporting history. The winner of this race was Main Stay, a fouryear-old colt trained by Kim Young Kwan and the first Korean-trained horse to win at a significant international meeting since Thoroughbred horse racing was established in South Korea almost 100 years ago. What is more, the winner carried the (KOR) suffix in the racecard, underlining the fact that the country is now capable of producing internationally competitive Thoroughbreds.

Yet as Main Stay crossed the line on that fateful night, even switched-on racing enthusiasts and professionals with a broad international perspective may have asked, “So they race in Korea?”

Indeed, this otherwise significant nation’s racing industry remains relatively unknown across the globe.

Recent developments have brought Korean racing into the spotlight however, and notable domestic and international expansion projects put in place by the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) could soon see it established as an influential player on the global racing scene.

Context

In sporting terms, South Korea would most commonly be associated with taekwondo, baseball, soccer, or even figure skating. Yet horseracing is in fact the country’s second most popular spectator sport after baseball, with annual attendance of over 15 million. What is more, betting turnover stands at around $6.5 billion USD per annum, the seventh-highest in the world, meaning that

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horseracing in Korea already boasts figures that some of the most celebrated racing nations can only dream of.

Despite massive obstacles such as Japanese occupation (1910-1945), partition (1945), the Korean War (195053), and an ongoing state of tension with the North, horseracing in Korea has succeeded in following the same upward trajectory taken by Korean society as a whole through the second half of the 20th Century. Admittedly, it remains relatively underdeveloped compared to other jurisdictions in certain respects, such as horsemanship and welfare, but has come a long way in a short period and continues to develop at a rapid rate.

With formalized racing having first begun in Korea in 1922, it was only in the 1980s that races were limited to Thoroughbreds and subject to regulation of an international standard. Today, Korean racing runs like a well-oiled machine, with a highly developed administration harnessing advanced infrastructure so as to offer an attractive sporting product. There are serious challenges facing the sport in Korea, too, although difficulties overcome so far suggest that these in turn will be surmounted given time.

Current state

Only flat racing takes place in the country and there are three racecourses: one in the Seoul suburb of Gwacheon, another in the southern city of Busan, and a final track based on the volcanic island of Jeju, some 50 miles to the southwest of the Korean peninsula. Racing takes place year-round, with regular fixtures at Seoul on Saturdays and Sundays, Busan on Fridays and Sundays, and Jeju on Fridays and Saturdays.

Races in Jeju are limited to an indigenous breed of pony. These stocky beasts may cause some amusement when urged to a full gallop by their seemingly over-sized riders, but pony racing in Jeju is no joke, with serious betting turnover registered and an important specialized breeding sector supporting the on-track action.

| SOUTH KOREA |

ABOVE: Horses race and train on sand-based oval tracks

The Thoroughbreds race at Seoul and Busan and are stabled and trained at the tracks, which are both sandbased ovals. Horses are limited to racing at their home track, except when it comes to some of the season’s most significant races, and there is a healthy rivalry between the two cities’ racing people.

The number of horses in training currently stands at around 3,000, with 112 registered jockeys and 86 trainers.

Trainers apply for boxes with the KRA, and 18 is a standard initial allocation. Success is rewarded with more stalls, while trainers who struggle or fall foul of regulations can see their license stripped. With the KRA holding a monopoly over Korean horseracing and all licensed trainers having to comply with strict rules, training fees must fall within a bracket set by the governing authority.

This ranges from around $1,000 per month to around $2,000, with trainers left to fix their own rate within this bracket based on their own business model.

Korean racing in fact offers the world’s third-highest prize money per race. With an average of over $77,000 up for grabs in each contest, only the U.A.E. and Hong Kong are more generous. Like many racing nations, Korea has its own ‘Triple Crown’ series, consisting of the KRA Cup Mile (1600m, Busan, April), the Korean Derby (1800m, Seoul, May), and the Minister’s Cup (2000m, Seoul, July).

The most prestigious race of the Korean calendar has historically been December’s 2300m Grand Prix at Seoul, though the establishment of richly endowed international races could see this change in coming years.

International development

One of the most significant recent developments in Korean racing has been the advent of international races. Since 2013, a select number of races have been opened up first to Japanese, then Singaporean, and subsequently international entries. In 2016, the first Korea Autumn Racing Carnival was held at Seoul Racecourse, featuring the $1 million Keeneland Korea Cup (1800m) and the $700,000 Keeneland Korea Sprint (1200m). These flagship contests, which have Grade 1 status in Korea, carry increasing weight due to the country’s 2016 promotion by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities to Part II of the

global pattern. The Sprint is now one of six Korean races recognized with black type in international catalogues. Four of these races are open to foreign-bred horses.

Horses from seven foreign nations took part in 2016’s inaugural Korea Autumn Racing Carnival, including runners from France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, the U.A.E., the U.K., and Singapore.

In 2017, a new quarantine protocol allowed U.S.trained runners to compete in Korea for the first time.

Linda Rice’s Papa Shot lined up in the 2017 Korea Cup and the Kenny McPeek-trained The Truth or Else took his chance in the Korea Sprint. Neither could match the efforts of the Japanese contenders in the end, with the Sprint falling to Graceful Leap and Yutaka Take and the Cup to London Town and Yasunari Iwata, but both ran with credit and will hopefully encourage further American participation in future.

As Korea has sought to expand and enhance its racing industry, increasing numbers of foreign professionals have come to play a role in the sport in the country.

Farriers, vets, jockey coaches, handicappers, stewards, commentators, trainers, and jockeys from around the world now contribute their skills and expertise to the betterment of the sport in Korea.

Trainers and jockeys from diverse nations including the U.K., France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Serbia, and more have plied their trade in Korea in recent years. Standard protocol is to apply for an initial short-term license, which will be awarded or denied based on past performance. This can then be renewed or extended depending on KRA approval.

Breeding & sales

Having previously relied heavily on the importation of racehorses, the KRA set up its own breeding program in the early ’90s with the aim of producing Korean-bred stock of sufficient quality and quantity to reduce the requirement for imports. It was also hoped that a vibrant domestic market could be established to increase the sport’s contribution to the economy as a whole, while also generating employment. Significant progress has since been made, particularly in the past decade, and KoreanISSUE 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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bred horses now represent approximately 80% of the racehorses in the country ry. y In an eff fffort rt to protect the Korean bloodstock industry ry, y there is a $50,000 limit on the price that can be paid for an vidual i colt or gelding import rted t into Korea. This does indivi not applly to fi fillies however, w fil wiith i h th he hope beiing th hat better quallity femalles can be raced d in Korea and d then go on to contribute to the standard of Korean stock as broodmares.

There is also no limit on the price that can be paid for stallions and broodmares importe ted into Korea.

When it comes to domestic horse sales, private trading between individ iduals has historically been the most common practice in Korea. Auctions for Thoroughbred horses commenced in 1998 and there are now fiv ive twoyear-o old sales (including two in-ttraining sales) and two sales for yearlings, two-year-olds, and three-year-olds held annually. The vast majority of racehorses in Korea that are purchased abroad wil ill be signed for by the Ownersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association of either Seoul or Busan racecourse. They wi will wil

| SOUTH KOREA |

subsequently be resold at auction in Korea, oft ftten for a much higher price than that originally paid.

Thoroughbred breeding centers around the previ viously i mentioned island of Jeju, where fllatter terrain and a less extreme climate allow for better pasture than on the mainland. Of the 205 breeding farms in the country ry, y 155 are located on Jeju Island. There are 110 active stallions in Korea and the KRA has, since 2004, been importing proven stallions of international caliber, oft ftten from the U.S. Grade 1 wi winners i such as 2011 champion two-yearold Hansen and 1999 Haskell Invi vitational i vviictor i Menifee are two names of international repute that have made a strong impact on Korean breeding. Menifee has in fact been the leading sire in Korea for the past six seasons.

As was demonstrated by Main Stay in Dubai, Koreanbred horses are now capable of competing at international level and, w wiith i continued investment being made in stock, infrastructure, and educational programs aimed at improvi ving i standards of horsemanship, we can only imagine that the (KOR) suff fffiix i wi will i soon be less of a curiosity in international racecards. There has even been bred d yearlling, siired d by th he imported d Grad de 1 a Korean-b wiinner w i Rock k Hard d Ten, selll att the Fasiig-T Tiptton Sarattoga Sale in New York. That fiillly, Rock Sapphire, was a win inner at three at Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania last year.

Challenges

From the outside looking in, the entire population of South Korea appears to be under constant threat of catastrophe due to their belligerent northern neighbor.

Horseracing is of co ourse not immune to these geopolitical circumstances, and such an ominous presence cannot but afffeect the KRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempts at both domestic and international expansion. Thankfully, no cataclysm has yet occurred and South Koreans always assure foreigners

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that, even when the rhetoric is flying, life tends to go on as normal in Korea. Let’s hope this continues to be the case.

A more pressing concern for those at the KRA is the public perception of horseracing in the country.

One of the peculiarities of Korean racing is that many owners choose not to take their own colors. This is due to an image problem that racing in Korea (and other countries, particularly in Asia) has suffered from. In fact, horseracing, gambling, and therefore racehorse ownership are seen as degenerate by a significant section of the Korean population, meaning that a substantial number of owners do not wish to be too clearly associated with goings-on at the track. This reluctance does seem to be changing due to careful image curation and positive PR from the KRA, but the majority of horses still run with jockeys sporting their own signature colors.

One means of combating this negative image is the international racing that has become such an integral part of KRA strategy. Koreans are a proud people, and the success of their athletes abroad generally has a strong impact at home. Yuna Kim, 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medallist, and Son Heung-Min, a regular starter for English Premier League soccer club Tottenham Hotspur, are heroes in their homeland and admired by a majority of the domestic population for their achievements. Via international racing and the promotion of horseracing as a sport rather than solely a betting medium, the KRA hope to improve racing’s image and therefore reach a larger and more diverse public. Only time will tell if this shift in perception can be achieved, but current policy appears to be moving in a positive direction.

On a much more practical level, before international racing can truly take off in Korea it will be necessary to

THOROUGHBRED BREEDING CENTERS AROUND THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ISLAND OF JEJU, WHERE FLATTER TERRAIN AND A LESS EXTREME CLIMATE ALLOW FOR BETTER PASTURE THAN ON THE MAINLAND.

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| SOUTH KOREA |

install a grass track at Seoul to replace the current sand surface, which can be a challenge for overseas competitors not accustomed to its unique characteristics. Just such a plan was announced in 2016 and, despite concerns over how a grass track will fare in Korea’s extreme climate (very hot in summer, very cold in winter, not much in between), it is hoped that it will be completed in 2019. The laying down of a turf track will entail its own set of issues, such as the need to breed and import turf-bred horses, as well as questions over how and where to train horses for the turf, but the KRA is nothing if not ambitious and previously defied the doubters when first announcing the planned establishment of international races.

Looking forward

Korea will host the 37th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Seoul in May 2018, welcoming thousands of delegates from across Asia and the globe. Aimed at enhancing the sport through international cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and skills, the ARC will find a most appropriate setting in Seoul, where such endeavors have become a constant concern.

From humble origins and through great adversity, Korean racing now stands on the threshold of a bright new dawn. With proper management and the hard work that seemingly comes easily to the Korean people, the remaining challenges to its efforts to establish itself as a racing nation of international significance can surely be overcome.

It was little more than 30 years ago that horseracing in Korea was brought up to international standards of administration and regulation. Imagine where it might be 30 years from now…

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RE JU VE NAT I ON A ND UN CERTA I NTY I N MA RYL AND

O

ne may be in its death throes. The other is getting a new lease on life.

Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, Maryland’s two major racetracks, are a study in contrasts.

Laurel Park, located near the affluent suburbs of northern Virginia and bustling Washington, D.C., has received a considerable facelift in the last two years by its owner, the Stronach Group. It’s come with an eye towards hosting future major events, including the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, and possibly the Preakness Stakes, second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown.

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While Laurel, which opened in 1911, has a long history, it is Pimlico, which opened in 1870 and is the nation’s secondoldest racetrack behind only Saratoga, that holds a special place in the annals of the sport. Pimlico not only hosts the Preakness, set this year for May 19, but has been the scene of such memorable events as the celebrated match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral in 1938. And despite Pimlico being surrounded by a distressed Baltimore neighborhood, the Preakness is an economic boon to both the city and state.

But for more than a few years, as attention shifts to Baltimore soon after the dust settles from the Kentucky Derby, questions have arisen as to the future of Pimlico,

| REJUVEN ATION AND UNCERTAINT Y |

Linda Dougherty Eclipse Sportswire

which has often been described as decrepit, run down, and completely devoid of the charm that is associated with Churchill Downs, or the enormous wonder of Belmont Park.

Those questions have become more pointed recently with the reduction of live racing dates at Pimlico, the shift of those dates to Laurel Park, and the absence of any serious renovations to Pimlico by the Stronach Group.

The release last year of Phase 1 of a two-phase study of Pimlico by the Maryland Stadium Authority concluded that it will require an enormous amount of money for either extensive improvements or a complete rebuilding, and has many wondering how much longer the track will remain.

The Stronach Group has indicated it is not prepared to make a major investment in Pimlico for what amounts to just a dozen racing dates per year without financial help from the city and state. The company’s focus on improvements to Laurel Park are part of a plan to land the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which it hopes to be awarded in the next few years after submitting a formal bid earlier this winter. If Laurel is successful in handling a large crowd with the attendant festivities, the Breeders’ Cup could be a precursor towards it being the new home of the Preakness Stakes, though it’s not expected to happen without a fight.

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| REJUVEN ATION AND UNCERTAINT Y |

A Glorious Past, An Uncertain Future

The 90-page Phase 1 Stadium Authority study, published February 24, 2017, examined the current condition of Pimlico, its potential future use, and the estimated costs for renovation or rebuilding.

“As host for such a large public and prominent event, Pimlico Race Course is antiquated and in need of substantial renovations,” the study stated, adding that between $248.5 and $321.7 million would be required in order for the track to become economically competitive with Churchill Downs and Belmont Park. It found no significant renovations have been made to the Pimlico clubhouse since 1960, and a portion of the grandstand is believed to be part of the old grandstand constructed in 1894.

Phase 2 of the study, expected to be released early next year, will outline a potential development strategy and identify preliminary funding sources, among other issues.

Despite Pimlico’s disrepair, business on Preakness Day continues to grow. In 2017, the Preakness set all-time records for its 142nd running when a crowd of 140,327 wagered $97,168,658, an increase of three percent over the previous year.

The race’s impact on the local and state economies was noted by the study and cited the race as a “significant economic generator.” The study published numbers compiled by the Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Research, which showed that, in 2015, direct, indirect, and induced impacts, including Preakness raceday operations, visitor spending, and state and local sales taxes, generated $18.9 million in direct spending that produced $33.7 million in total spending. That direct spending was estimated to support 480 jobs and $12.9 million in employee income.

Lawmakers were quick to voice their support for the renovation or rebuilding of Pimlico, but money was an issue.

“We’re going to do whatever is necessary to ensure the Preakness stays in Baltimore, because it creates jobs and opportunities, especially for people who live in the

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neighborhood,” said Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh, in a published report.

But how much Baltimore would be able to contribute remains a key question. The city is facing a $130 million budget shortfall for public school funding, while money is needed to combat an escalating crime rate. The Park Heights community bordering the track, for instance, has a violent crime rate 14 percent higher than the citywide rate.

Governor Larry Hogan, in a statement, said he wanted to keep the Preakness at Pimlico, and committed to working out a solution with all parties involved that preserves its history and tradition while making the best use of taxpayer dollars.

“We’re going to do what we can, but it has to make economic sense,” said Hogan.

Maryland delegate Sandy Rosenberg, in whose district Pimlico lies, said losing the Preakness would be a “devastating blow” for the city, and is prepared to fight to keep the race in Baltimore.

Rosenberg said he believes there is real potential for Pimlico, including development of other portions of the site.

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its parking availability, and there could be interest in a hotel.

Another delegate, Pat McDonough of Baltimore County, introduced legislation in January that would create a yearround “supertrack and performance center” to replace Pimlico, but it wasn’t expected to gain much traction.

“I’m not worried about riots and guns, I’m worried about the facility itself. It’s old; I’m doing what I can,” said Sal Sinatra, president and general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. “We’ve been doing roof patches and cosmetic stuff. I can’t put a lot of money into it because I don’t know what’s going to happen when Phase 2 comes out.”

Sinatra pointed to a water pressure problem that occurred during the 2015 Preakness as an example of the unpredictability of the aging facility.

“The water is an issue, the pipes are old,” he said. “We lost water pressure in the building that day from a water main break two blocks away. It becomes frightening when you have that many people in attendance. I’m scared to death every year -- I always say, ‘Please, can we just get through this day without any catastrophes.’”

Thoroughbred industry groups are taking a wait-and-see approach with Pimlico, recognizing that the track needs a substantial capital infusion for improvements, but wanting to preserve its history as well as racing dates at two separate venues. The Stronach Group has even floated the idea of building a racing museum on-site to honor that history.

“We love Pimlico and it’s steeped in tradition, but it’s depressing to see it in its current state,” said Tim Keefe, president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “I’m a Maryland guy, and don’t want to think about Pimlico going away. But the question comes down to money, and is it worth rebuilding?”

“The Stronach Group isn’t going to do it alone when it comes to putting money into Pimlico,” said Sinatra. “It’s probably going to have to be done with very little help from us. If the state or city is unwilling or unable, will they have to raise taxes? Between pensions and education shortfalls, there’s not a lot of money to go around.”

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A new day at Laurel Park

When Magna Entertainment Corp., the former name of the Stronach Group, exercised its option to acquire the remaining shares in the Maryland Jockey Club from Joseph De Francis and Karin De Francis in 2007, it took over an industry running on life support. Fast forward to 2018, and thanks to a combination of slot revenues and Stronach Group capital, business has improved markedly.

In January, it was announced that total handle on races at Laurel Park and Pimlico in 2017 exceeded $600 million for the first time since 2008.

Stronach has invested more than $30 million into Laurel, which includes new luxury viewing boxes, suites, bars, concession stands, dining and event rooms, a simulcast center, a high definition infield board, and 150-stall barns. The improvements continue at a steady pace; a 72-foot by 28-foot TV was installed in March in anticipation of sports betting, while an e-gaming area is planned for the first floor.

In addition, Howard County has started a project to improve a circa-1910 train station stop at the racetrack

ABOVE: Pimlico sits within the Park Heights neighborhood, itself an area desperate for government funding

| REJUVEN ATION AND UNCERTAINT Y |

ABOVE: Funds have been spent on upgrading facilities at Laurel Park, including the V.I.P. lounge

entrance and build a residential development, retail and office space just north of the station off Whiskey Bottom Road. A parking garage for 1,100 cars is also part of the master plan, with Laurel Park able to use the garage for patrons after 10 a.m. and on weekends.

While details are still in flux, Sinatra said he’s considering moving the walking ring and paddock from their current position facing the racetrack to behind the grandstand, near the train stop.

“You’ll pull up in the train, you’ll be looking down at the walking ring,” said Sinatra. “If nothing else, it’ll be a good view for people sitting on the train. And then we’ll use this current paddock, because it’s an historic landmark, either as a winter paddock or a restaurant, but we’ll make it grand.”

The Breeders’ Cup committee has been out several times to see the renovations. Sinatra believes Laurel has a good chance at hosting the event and is hoping for 2021, 2022, or 2023 for the opportunity. A decision is expected in early May.

If the Breeders’ Cup comes to Laurel, it would demonstrate how the track handles 50,000 to 60,000 patrons without the use of the infield. Unlike Pimlico, the Laurel infield is unsuitable as a location for a large crowd, as nearly half of it contains a small lake.

With every improvement to Laurel, Sinatra said fans have asked for the revival of the Washington DC International, which saw its first running at Laurel in 1952 and attracted the best turf horses in the world. It was discontinued in 1994 after the Breeders’ Cup began offering its turf events.

Maryland delegate Jay Walker has introduced a bill that would take $500,000 from lottery revenues to be used to bring back the race as the Maryland International, as well as $500,000 for a bonus award program for Maryland-bred or Maryland-sired horses running in the Preakness Stakes.

Sinatra said an amended version of the bill is likely to pass.

While the details of the Preakness bonus have yet to be ironed out, Sinatra said it may attract one or two additional runners for the Preakness field.

As for relocating the Preakness, Maryland law passed in 1987 states that the Preakness cannot be moved to another track in the state except in the case of “a disaster or emergency.” In that case, the law would also need to be changed by the Maryland General Assembly. Stronach Group officials have talked about moving the race to Laurel Park, but any such talk has been met with resistance by elected officials in Baltimore and the state. And Sinatra said that management is not considering moving the race to its out-of-state properties, like Gulfstream Park or Santa Anita.

“The people of Baltimore lost the Colts in the middle of the night and that’s what they fear,” he said. “Whether they bet a horse or not, it doesn’t matter, because they know Pimlico, Preakness, and want to save it and make sure it’s healthy. If the Preakness has to leave Pimlico, we want to make sure nobody loses. We’ve told them a thousand times over, it’s never going to leave Maryland.”

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PROFILE

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| MICHAEL MACHOWSKY |

MICHAEL

MACHOWSKY Mary Dixon Reynolds

I

n Southern California, the San Gabriel Mountains serve as the backdrop to Santa Anita Park, the home of many top trainers, including Michael Machowsky Stables. Machowsky has been based on this circuit for 34 years, from the time he worked as assistant trainer and stable foreman for Richard Mandella for almost six years before he went out on his own.

Recently, Hall of Famer Mandella recalled Machowsky’s early days: “Mike was a young man when he worked for me. I was a younger man, too! He was a very devoted, hard-working young person who had nothing on his mind but racing horses. I have watched him grow through the years, he’s still that way and always puts his horses first. I’m in the Hall of Fame because of people like Mike Machowsky and so many others. They have propelled me to where I am now,” Mandella said. “Machowsky has a very good feel for horses, which is innate. He proves it year after year. It’s not something you can acquire. You have it or you don’t, and Machowsky has it!”

Although Mandella was speaking in serious tones, a sense of pride was evident in his words. Machowsky credits his mentor with teaching him patience, and Mandella deflected the compliment from himself by saying, “We all learn patience from the horses.”

Patience is not all that Machowsky took away from his time with Mandella. “I learned everything from him,” he said. “Detail, leaving no stone unturned on the horses -- those traits stayed with me. Mandella taught me it’s the little things that matter.”

Zoe Metz

The Sunday after Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, Machowsky trainee Make It a Triple won a claiming race.

Machowsky’s smile was as wide as any of the people representing owner Richard Barton in the winner’s circle.

Afterwards, Machowsky celebrated his victory at the restaurant 14 Hands. The 5’ 11” trainer was sitting at a table, wearing a long-sleeved dress shirt, jeans, and the same smile from the winner’s circle. He stated, ”I always expect to win. We put everything into these horses: conditioning, proper diets, daily care. It’s my position to decide what type of race they should enter for a win. If things do not go right, I blame myself, as I should because I am with these Thoroughbreds every day and know them inside out.”

Machowsky took out his trainer’s license in 1989 and saddled his first winner, Bidadip, on New Year’s Day at Santa Anita in 1990. Almost two years later, on December 22, 1991, Native Boundary became his first stakes winner, while Dancing Rhythm, winner of the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes in 1998, was his first graded stakes winner. In 2009, he won the $900,000 Sunland Derby with Kelly Leak, over future Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in fourth.

Born September 19, 1965, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Machowsky was two when his family moved to Southern California. He became interested in horses through his physician father’s ownership of Quarter Horses and, later, Thoroughbred racehorses. When the popular, nearly white colt Vigors -- winner of the 1978 Santa Anita Handicap -- caught Machowsky’s attention, he never looked back. He knew he had found his calling and would be relentless in its pursuit.

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| MICHAEL MACHOWSKY |

He began working as a hotwalker and mucked stalls for trainer Clay Brinson after school and on weekends. At 15, he traveled to Del Mar with Brinson and stayed in a motorhome across the street from the track. He worked as a groom for trainer Henry Moreno for two years before moving to Mandella’s barn.

Machowsky lives in Monrovia, California -- about a 10-minute drive from Santa Anita -- with Dana, his wife of 17 years; two daughters; and two stepdaughters.

Besides being a real estate agent, Dana handles the business end of the stable and has always been a source of strength for her husband. As the daughter of a veterinarian, she has a unique understanding of the career she married into and is well aware of the ups and downs of the sport, and she takes each with grace.

Bedtime for Machowsky is 8 P.M. He rises at 3:45 and makes his way to the coffeemaker for his first cup of java, arriving at Barn 17, less than an hour later, ready for work. “It’s a team effort here.” He elaborated, “It does not matter if it’s a stakes horse or a claiming horse, every horse gets the same unique individual care for whatever issues they are facing.”

Most of his employees, who total nine grooms and two exercise riders, have been with him for many years. Heather Alvarado is Machowsky’s assistant and gets on horses -usually her favorite ones -- for works. Hector Rangel is the barn foreman and helps the operation run smoothly. Maria Falgione still rides Machowsky’s horses in the mornings but last August at Del Mar fulfilled an ambition to ride races. In her very first start, Machowsky legged her up for a win on Barton’s Tee Em Eye last August at Del Mar. Falgione has gone to the post eight more times, with a second and a third.

This is part of the reason Machowsky maintains such loyalty from his employees. Although the horses come first, he wants his employees to follow their dreams and will do everything in his power to make it happen. That kind of devotion commands loyalty.

Over the years, there have been an array of unconventional treatments to settle a horse or just to make the horse happier. One filly was frightened and edgy, so Machowsky purchased a goat, who has an affinity for sour apple-flavored Jolly Rancher candy. Machowsky said, “Maggie, the goat, follows our hotwalker around like a dog because he pets her often.”

Caracortado, a gelding Machowsky bred in California, had a taste for a different kind of candy, Skittles, as well as beer. Once the cheeky gelding’s many fans became aware of his love for Skittles, the stable began receiving the candy from all over the U.S. “Cara,” as Caracortado was affectionately known, got his name from a scar on his head. Machowsky had originally sent in the name “Scarface” to The Jockey Club, but it was declined because of the movie with the same name. Machowsky discovered that the Spanish word for scarface is “caracortado,” and that name was accepted.

The chestnut gelding by Cat Dreams out of Mon’s Venus is a half-brother to 2017 Smarty Jones Stakes winner and Breeders’ Cup Classic participant Pavel.

Caracortado was on the Kentucky Derby trail and raced for five years, winning the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in 2010, the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap in 2011, and the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes in 2012.

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PROFILE

ABOVE: Machowsky talks over race plans with Martin Pedroza

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It was this last win, in the Daytona contested on Santa Anita’s downhill turf course on January 8, 2012, that was arguably his most thrilling. The dazzling gelding came from out of the clouds after announcer Trevor Denman had counted him out, calling, “Caracortado did not fire today!” But Caracortado did, indeed, fire; it was estimated that the gelding ran his final sixteenth of a mile in five seconds or less.

After the Daytona, Caracortado was away from the races for a year and a half, coming back with a fourthplace finish in the Grade 3 Eddie D. Stakes before another setback saw him spend another 10 months on the sidelines. He made two more starts before retiring with a record of nine wins, two seconds, and four thirds in 22 starts, with earnings over $885,000.

Machowsky lamented of Caracortado, “He was such an unbelievable horse…he could run on any surface, short, long, and downhill, and I’d planned on running him until he was 10 or 11 years old, but he developed foot problems.

He even lost a frog on one of his front feet. We had an amazing farrier, and that is one of the main reasons he kept coming back to race. I had hoped to run the gelding for many more years but did not want to risk injury because of his foot issues.”

He began looking around for a proper home for his beloved horse who his Lo Hi Stable owned with Blahut Stables LLC, Donkey Island LLC, and Kagele Brothers Inc. He did not have to look far. One of his former exercise riders, Jacqueline Kandalaft, had begun rehabbing OTTBs. She and her girlfriend took over the next stage in Cara’s career. He excelled at jumping, then they decided to try a new discipline, dressage, and Cara has found his niche.

Machowsky occasionally drops by to see the progress his former stable star is making in his second career.

Michael Machowsky does not do this just for his stable stars, but for any of his horses at the end of their racing careers. He does his best to find a rehab facility for each of

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 48

them, knowing that for our sport to thrive, we must take care of our athletes before, during, and after they leave the track.

Before Caracortado, there was another horse, Southern Image, who put Machowsky on the national scene.

Southern Image won six-of-eight starts and, in the 2003 Malibu Stakes, provided the trainer with his first Grade 1 win. Southern Image gave Machowsky more Grade 1 success in the 2004 Santa Anita Handicap and Pimlico Special, earning more than $1.8 million along the way.

Having grown up nearby, winning the Santa Anita Handicap was quite special for Machowsky. It was a case of the local boy making good. Ironically, the two favorites going into The Big ‘Cap were Southern Image and Mandella trainee Pleasantly Perfect. The match pitted Mandella’s former assistant against his mentor. Unfortunately, Pleasantly Perfect spiked a temperature and was scratched, but Mandella still saddled a runner in Olmodavor.

That day, Machowsky’s horse won -- but perhaps the result may have been different if their paths had never crossed.

| BUSINESS |

SOCIAL MEDIA HORSE SENSE

PART II : T H E I N D U S T RY I N T H E D I G I TA L A G E

By Peter J. Sacopulos

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| SOCIAL MEDIA |

I

n 1868, the publication of the The American Stud Book sparked the establishment and phenomenal growth of organized horseracing across the United States. America’s first racetrack had opened in colonial New York in 1665, and racing was popular in various areas of the country ever since, particularly the south. But the arrival of the first U.S. Thoroughbred registry was the game changer that transformed racing into a truly national sport.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the American Stud Book’s debut, but do not expect much in the way of celebration. America’s Thoroughbred racing industry currently faces a slew of challenging issues, and the future of the sport is far from guaranteed. Another historic game changer would certainly be welcomed, but today’s problems will not likely be resolved with a single stroke.

Odds are that positive, popularity-driving change will unfold via a variety of initiatives and approaches over time.

Since these efforts will take place in the digital age, the power of social media will play a vital role in their success or failure. Proponents of racing will seek to harness social thing media to succeed. Opponentss of racing wiilll do everyytth they can to use social media to foil such eff ffforts. This dynamic has already been plaayyiing i out online for years, and we may expect it to inten nsify fy in the years ahead.

As a trainer working to buiild a business and a reputation, you may feel that dealing wi with i larger industry ry issues is someone else’s responsibility. Aft ftter all, you have plenty on your plate, and d the people addressing the industry’s problems are the exxperts on these matters, so they should be able to handlee them.

Though this line of thinkin ng is perfectly understandable, it is a mistak ke. Positive change and growth that assures a healthyy future for the industry ry increases your opportunities and helps assure your future as a trainer. Your professionaal voice on social media matters, and adding it to the chorus promoting racing is a wise investment of your tiime and energy gy. y However, before discussing ways social media may help combat industry isssues, a revi view i of the issues is in order.

American horseracing was tremendously popular in the years before World War II, when it was one of the country’s favorite sports, along with baseball and boxing. Its popularity declined after the war, but still remained high. A slowly stewing combination of factors began gnawing away at it in the 1950s and ‘60s. The appearance of three Triple Crown winners in the 1970s created a resurgence of public interest, but the renewed enthusiasm proved fleeting.

It would take a book to detail all the causes of racing’s fading popularity, but the rise of other sports and other forms of gambling and entertainment played crucial roles, as did suburbanization and repeated economic downturns. The fact that a surprisingly small number of “superstar” horses and riders have emerged over the last four decades further dampened public interest. A lack of cohesive marketing was also to blame. When racing failed to capture the imagination of the Baby Boom generation and those that followed, the industry appeared to do little to counter the loss of interest.

The Dark Side Of Racing

And then, there is the dark side of racing—a series of issues that continue to alienate the public. Fans sour on the sport and play into the hands of racing’ss and gambling’s most outspoken opponents. I am speaking of cheating and animal abuse.

Cheating involves betting scams and race fiixes, the administering of illegal perf rformance f enhancing drugs, the use of shock devi vices, i and other frauds. Illegal drugs and “buzzing” qualify fy as animal abuse, as do beatings and other punishments. Abuse also includes the reckless, inappropriate, and irresponsible use of legal drugs.

Ultimately, the most disturbing form of abuse may be the attitude that horses are disposable, meant to be used up and cast aside or destroyed, as if they are the equivalent of the tires on an Indy car rather than livi ving i creatures.

Declining Popularity

For decades, the steady declin ne of Thoroughbred racing’s popularity has been a serious challenge facing thee industry ry in the United States. It remaiins so today. Before you type a phraase such as “Popularity of horseracing in the U.S.” into your computer’s search engine, brace yourself for some very dispiritting results.

You will be presented with a list of articles with titles including “Horse Racing Fading wsweek, 2016), in Revenue, Popularity” (New “American Horse Racing Isn’t Dead–But It’s Getting Awfully Close” (The Guardian, 2015), “Horse Racing Faces Decline in Popularity” (The Sport Digest, 2016) and d “The Kentucky Derby and the Slow Death off Horse Racing” (The Atlantic, 2012).

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An Organized Approach

THERE’S NO FUTURE IN GETTING DISCOURAGED. YOU CAN BE AN AGENT OF POSITIVE CHANGE, AND SOCIAL MEDIA CAN GREATLY INCREASE YOUR ABILITY TO DO SO. The industry has failed to effectively deal with these practices for far too long. Schemes, scams, and abuse must be put to an end if the public’s confidence in the honesty and integrity of the sport are to be restored. If horseracing does not begin seriously policing itself, it is likely that sooner or later, ever more powerful government entities will. It is also likely that government action will occur after a major scandal that further alienates both fans and the general public—a scandal that would surely spread like wildfire on social media.

Other issues are playing out in local statehouses and racing commissions, the U.S. Congress, and IRS headquarters. These include health and safety regulations, immigration and guest worker policies, and various tax policies that impact the racing industry and pari-mutuel gambling winnings or losses.

A Lesson From History

It is understandable that one might feel overwhelmed by the multiple issues facing not only our industry, but you as trainers as well. Suppress that feeling; there is reason for hope. American horseracing has been declared doomed before, only to come back stronger than ever. In the early 1900s, a nationwide anti-gambling movement—bolstered by an ugly scandal involving corrupt bookies and widespread betting fraud—shuttered many of America’s tracks and succeeded in racing being banned in many states. The Jockey Club’s reform efforts and the establishment of the parimutuel betting system are credited with saving the sport.

The bottom line? There’s no future in getting discouraged. You can be an agent of positive change, and social media can greatly increase your ability to do so.

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Joining suitable professional organizations is an ideal first step to adding your voice to racing-issue-oriented social media. There are several organizations and associations devoted to horse trainers in the U.S. These include the American Horse Council, The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the American Horse Council, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of America, the American Horseman’s Association, and more.

Every effective industry organization has a website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed. These organizations may also have a YouTube channel, plus Instagram and Snapchat feeds. All offer excellent opportunities to engage in issue-related social media. Getting started is as simple as viewing content (site blogs, Facebook postings, videos, etc.) and clicking “like” on the posts you appreciate or with which you agree. You may add relevant comments, share existing links on your own social media accounts, and forward links to appropriate parties. You may also follow them on Twitter, share their content through retweeting, comment through your own tweets, and participate in active conversations by using hashtags.

Organizations also create and promote online petitions and messages that address industry issues. These make it convenient for you to make lawmakers or other decisionmakers aware of your opinion on issues. You simply sign the petition or message, and the organization handles delivering it to the appropriate parties.

| SOCIAL MEDIA |

Upping Your Game

As with using social media to promote your training business, taking your issue-oriented social media presence to higher levels requires time and effort. Creating and posting content is essential, whether you stick with brief formats like tweets or Instagram posts, or take on more serious challenges such as blogging or creating video posts.

You may also create, circulate, and promote petitions, and email or tweet politicians and other decision makers.

And as with utilizing social media to promote your business, you should observe several basic rules. Positions and the reasons for them should be well thought out and professionally presented. Avoid lecturing by way of social media. Listen to feedback. Realize that those on the opposite side of a contested issue may have valid points, and that sometimes you may change your mind or simply agree to disagree. Avoid emotionally driven responses and disrespectful forms of discussion. Do not get drawn into pointless back-and-forths with internet trolls and the stubbornly uninformed.

The Power Of One

Whether you choose to participate in industry-issue social media at a basic or high level, or somewhere in-between, remember that those who say one person cannot make a difference are wrong. Consider Virginia’s November 2017 state elections. Whether or not the Republican Party would maintain control the legislature eventually came down to a single seat. The initial vote count for that seat

Stronach’s Social Media Strategy

In May of 2016, the Stronach Group announced the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, an annual, invitation-only stakes race limited to 12 of the world’s top horses. The first running of the Pegasus World Cup was in January, 2017, at Gulfstream Park, won by the previous year’s champion three-year-old male Arrogate over Horse of the Year California Chrome, was heavily promoted by way of social media. This year’s Pegasus closed out the career of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, who took home the prize on racing’s biggest payday.

The Stronach Group’s strategy is clear: Create a singular event that raises racing’s profile, expand its audience, and attract a younger fan base. In advance of the inaugural Pegasus, the Stronach Group announced the race’s celebrity spokesman: Conor McGregor, an Irishborn, mixed-martial arts (MMA) fighting champion. Smart, tough, and funny, the charismatic McGregor is a ruthless opponent and relentless trash-talker whose energetic, obscenity-laced selfpromotion makes Muhammad Ali in his prime seem camera-shy by comparison.

McGregor had no connection to

awarded the election win to the Democratic candidate by a single vote. After review, an unclearly marked ballot was thrown out of the tally, resulting in a dead tie. In accordance with state law, the matter was ultimately decided by random drawing held in early January.

Republican David Yancey won the drawing. Had one voter marked his or her ballot more clearly, or one more person voted, the results could have been very different.

Your efforts to drive positive change may not create the level of impact that Sanders D. Bruce, author and founder of the American Stud Book, had on racing. But when it comes to industry issues and the future of our sport, your voice matters. Using social media is an effective method for being heard and bringing about positive change.

horseracing. Why, then, did the marketing professionals at Stronach select him?

Social media, is why. When the Stronach Group hired him to promote the race, McGregor boasted 9.6 million followers on Instagram, 3.22 million on Twitter, and five million Facebook “likes.”

The Stronach Group created a series of comic promotional videos starring McGregor and actor Jon Lovitz, in which McGregor decides to become a jockey and win the new race. The videos were expensive to produce, but rather than pay to air them on traditional channels like network or cable TV, The Stronach

Group posted them on Pegasus’ and McGregor’s social media platforms, YouTube, and other “free media” locations, then promoted the videos and the race via both traditional public relations and social media platforms. The final video also aired on NBC on race day.

The videos—which included scenes of McGregor in the buff, swearing a blue streak, and running the race on foot— received widespread press coverage. That coverage, combined with McGregor’s massive social media footprint, ensured millions of social media views for the Pegasus World Cup’s long-form ads.

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TOP 20 PENNSYLVANIA BREEDERS OF 2017

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| PA B R E E D E R S |

Linda Dougherty Kim Pratt.

Hank Nothhaft

LEFT: Diamond B Farms top homebred, The Man RIGHT: A yearling by Grand Prix

t was a record-setting year for Glenn E. Brok, who in 2017 collected the most Pennsylvania Breeding Fund awards in the program’s history.

Brok, who owns Diamond B Farm in Mohrsville with his wife Becky, saw his homebreds earn $374,651, while he garnered stallion awards of $75,191, for a total of $449,842. The top homebred for Brok was The Man, a son of Ecclesiastic, who formerly stood at Diamond B. He captured the Banjo Picker Sprint Stakes for Pennsylvania-breds at Parx Racing, as well as five consecutive allowance races for a perfect six-for-six season.

“The Pennsylvania breeding program has been really great for us,” Brok said. “And our program is stronger and better than other states.”

Donald L. Brown Jr. was the second-leading breeder in Pennsylvania in 2017, with his combined breeder and stallion awards totaling $326,862. His top three award winners were all sired by the stallion Messner, who stood at Penn Ridge Farms in Harrisburg before being exported. These were Ruby Bleu ($42,127), Wildcat Cartridge ($42,806) and Wildcat Combat ($41,794).

“The Pennsylvania breeder awards give you the best opportunity to recover and possibly profit from the expenses of raising a horse,” said Brown. “Further, the awards are great for Pennsylvania agriculture! I would rather see a farm and green grass than a parking lot or strip mall.”

It was sheer sire power for Northview-PA, as the Peach Bottom nursery owned by Richard Golden earned $321,053 in stallion awards. Dominating the Pennsylvania sire list in terms of stallion awards earned was Jump Start, whose progeny garnered $207,984.

Other stallions who stand or stood at the farm were Fairbanks ($54,988), Medallist ($28,836), Love of Money ($21,298), El Padrino ($7,352), and Bullsbay ($366).

Jump Start was the top sire in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2017, with total progeny earnings of more than $5.4 million. His top Pennsylvania-bred during the year was Late Breaking News, who earned more than $47,000 in awards for his breeder, Stacy McMullin Machiz.

Thanks to a pair of stakes-winning half-sisters, the Barlar LLC stable of owner/breeder Larry Karp was the fourth-leading recipient of breeders awards in 2017.

Karp’s homebreds earned $214,866 while he earned $58,431 in stallion awards from the progeny of E Dubai, for a total of $273,297. Imply, a daughter of E Dubai out of Allude, by Orientate, captured the Northern Fling Stakes at Presque Isle Downs, accruing $161,000 in breeder awards. Her younger half-sister Advert, by Lonhro, won the Malvern Rose Stakes at Presque Isle, earning $92,624 in breeder awards.

A bevy of homebreds and a slew of stallion awards combined to boost William J. Solomon VMD, owner of Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom, into fifth place of all Pennsylvania award winners last season. Solomon had 14 homebreds running at area racetracks and they earned $102,616 in breeder awards, with the top two earners being Invisible and Hygh Life. Stallion awards for horses that stand or stood at Pin Oak Lane were $162,981, for a total of $265,597, with his leading stallion being Offlee Wild ($35,159), followed by Albert the Great ($34,102).

Thanks to the success of homebreds at Pennsylvania racetracks sired by her champion Smarty Jones, Patricia L. Chapman completed 2017 as the sixth-leading breeding fund award recipient. Chapman earned $162,409 in breeder awards and $94,120 in stallion awards, for a total of $256,529. Chapman’s top homebreds were Someday Jones, a multiple allowance winner and second in the Lyman Stakes at Parx Racing, and Mama Jones, who placed in the Plum Pretty Stakes and the Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial, both at Parx.

“I’m thrilled about my top award winners,” said Chapman. “The Pennsylvania Breeders Award program has been very good to me. I am especially happy that my top winners are homebreds, by a homebred, out of my homebred mares, and that both are trained by John Servis.”

Tom Coulter’s Arrowwood Farm, Inc. was the seventhleading breeder last year, with 34 homebreds earning $245,533 in awards. Island Romance, a daughter of Petionville, collected $28,755 in awards after winning or placing 10 times from 13 starts, while Jumpmaster, a two-year-old colt by Jump Start, was never off the board in three Pennsylvania starts, breaking his maiden in a $59,870 maiden special weight at Parx in December.

Homebreds of Xanthus Farms, Inc. were extremely active at Pennsylvania ovals last year, earning $215,910 for the Gettysburg-based nursery. Xanthus had 32 homebreds running, with less than $500 separating the two top earners, Andy’s Love ($25,560) and I Am So Jealous ($25,128). Both Andy’s Love, who won or placed 13 times in 2017, and I Am So Jealous, who captured three races, were sired by the farm’s stallion Andiron, a son of A. P. Indy owned by the Tea Party Stable of Walter Downey. Overall, Andiron’s progeny earned $24,410 in stallion awards for Tea Party Stable.

The WynOaks Farm of Chip and Barbara Wheeler had an extremely profitable 2017, thanks to farm stallion Weigelia. The farm’s homebred progeny of Weigelia earned $133,824 in breeder awards, while he collected $79,419.82 in stallion awards, which placed him among the top five in the state. Total breeder awards for WynOaks was $213,244. Topping WynOaks homebreds was Disco Rose, who placed in the Mrs. Penny Stakes at

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Uptowncharlybrown collected more than $37,000 in stallion awards

Parx and earned $50,076 in breeder awards. Disco Rose’s half sister Pink Princess earned $26,422.

Michael W. Jester earned a total of $210,064 through the Pennsylvania breeding fund program last year, divided between homebreds’ earnings of $137,506 and stallion awards of $72,557. The bulk of Jester’s stallion awards came from the progeny of Cat Thief, the sire of his top two breeder award winners -- Tactical Plan ($38,063) and Grasshoppin ($35,080). Tactical Plan earned awards in eight of 13 starts in the state, while Grasshoppin placed in both the Robellino Stakes at Penn National and Roanoke Stakes at Parx.

Thomas G. McClay, a longtime participant in the Pennsylvania breeding program, had another outstanding season, with 31 homebreds earning $190,903. While a large percentage of McClay’s homebreds were sired by stallions standing outside of the state, his top two earners were by Jump Start, who stands at Northview-Pa. Gurt Boys ($23,353) won twice and placed in multiple allowance races, while Purcell won a $50,100 starter allowance at Parx en route to collecting $22,848 in breeder awards.

Henry R. “Hank” Nothhaft, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, benefitted from both breeder and stallion awards, with his total of $187,999 split nearly evenly.

Horses that Nothhaft bred earned $98,477, while he earned stallion awards of $89,521, all from the progeny

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of Silver Train, whom Nothhaft stood at Northview-Pa before the stallion’s untimely death in 2013.

“This was my best year in Pennsylvania and I was very proud to win two Pennsylvania-bred stakes races with Grand Prix,” said Nothhaft, who foals his mares at Northview-Pa. Grand Prix, a half-sister to champion Finest City (also bred by Nothhaft), captured the New Start Stakes at Penn National and the Dr. Theresa Garofalo Memorial Stakes at Parx Racing.

Blackstone Farm’s homebreds excelled not only on the national stage but at Pennsylvania racetracks, where they earned $172,079 for the Pine Grove-based enterprise.

Tom’s Ready, a graded stakes-winning son of More Than Ready, won the Leemat Stakes at Presque Isle Downs in July, in which he earned $12,000 in breeder awards. The farm’s top award winner was Tin N Lint, a daughter of Maclean’s Music who made 11 starts in the Keystone State and earned $26,262.

Charles A. Cuprill enjoyed an outstanding 2017 with a combination of homebreds and stallion progeny, earning a total of $169,419. Cuprill, who owns Woodvale Farm in Oxford with his wife Luisita, saw Campeona, a homebred daughter of farm stallion City Sharpster, win or place in six allowance events during the year, bringing home $40,988 in breeder awards. Diadema, another daughter of City Sharpster, was also an allowance winner, earning $22,576 in awards. Nearly all of the $32,766 Cuprill earned in stallion awards was collected by the progeny of City Sharpster, a son of Carson City.

While the St. Omer’s Farm of Stephen Quick is located in Maryland, the decision to foal many of its mares in Pennsylvania at nearby WynOaks Farm in Delta proved to be an extremely lucrative one. St. Omer’s Pennsylvaniabreds, all sired by the WynOaks stallion Weigelia, earned $169,411 last season. Chief earner among the eight Weigelia runners was Risque’s Diamond, whose first victory of 2017 was in a $61,470 maiden special weight at Parx Racing in March and who went on to win or place in six allowance tests. Chippewawhitechief was also a prolific breeder award earner, collecting $27,328.

The Fantasy Lane Stable of Bob Hutt reaped the rewards from the progeny of stallion Uptowncharlybrown in 2017. ‘Charly’s’ progeny dominated Fantasy Lane’s breeder awards, and collected more than $37,000 in stallion awards, for a total of $147,449.

“Making Uptowncharlybrown a stallion and standing him in Pennsylvania was a very wise decision,” said Hutt. “Moving him to Glenn and Becky Brok’s Diamond B Farm was even wiser. Without question, the Pennsylvania-bred program, with its numerous incentives, is the best in the nation.”

With just a very small broodmare band, Daniel W. McConnell, Sr. had a very profitable year as a Pennsylvania breeder, with his homebreds earning $135,760.

McConnell’s top three award winners were Flashy Kyem, a daughter of Medallist out of Flash Riot; Prince Lucky, a son of Corinthian and Lucky Notion; and Prince Lucky’s half-sister, Saint Main Event, by Redeemed.

“To be in the top 20 of Pennsylvania breeders, but only really breeding one or two horses each year, is something I could not do by myself,” said McConnell. “I give credit to the whole team – my son John McConnell, Karen Godsey at Eagle Point Farms, Tim Fazio at Northview-Pa, jockey

| PA B R E E D E R S |

TO BE IN THE TOP 20 OF PENNSYLVANIA BREEDERS, BUT ONLY REALLY BREEDING ONE OR TWO HORSES EACH YEAR, IS SOMETHING I COULD NOT DO BY MYSELF. DANIEL W. MCONNELL

Jorge Vargas, trainers Keith Nations and Larry Jones, and Larry’s assistant trainer Andre Stock.”

Judy Barrett’s Godstone Farm has had much success over the years with its homebreds and stallions. In 2007, Godstone was the state’s leading breeder, and in 2008 the second-leading breeder. For 2017, Godstone collected a total of $130,332 ($115,315 in breeder awards, $15,016 in stallion awards), ranking 18th. Sixteen Godstone homebreds earned breeders awards, topped by Nancy Pants ($20,251) as well as Golden Promise ($13,256), who was third in the Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies Stakes.

“My new stallion Well Spelled will have his first crop of 2-year-olds running in 2018,” said Barrett. “Just a handful of them, but I’m excited to see how they do. The Pennsylvania program is wonderful and enables breeders like me to make a living and stay in the business.”

The Pewter Stable of Greg and Kathleen DeMasi earned $118,211 through a combination of breeder and stallion

awards last year, which placed them among the Top 20 breeders in the state. Pewter had 14 homebreds competing at Pennsylvania tracks, topped by Superling, a daughter of Congressionalhonor, who won three races for $23,311 in breeder awards. Congressionalhonor formerly stood in Pennsylvania for Pewter, and his progeny earned $11,521 in stallion awards for them in 2017. In addition to Superling, Maximus Meridius and Merry’s Honor also represented him as Pewter homebreds.

Jim McGreevy’s Hope Hill Farm in Oxford rounded out the Top 20 breeder award winners for 2017, with homebreds earning $99,379 and his stallion Stonecoldbroke $15,401 in stallion awards, for a grand total of $114,780. Stonecoldbroke is the sire of Hope Hill’s top breeder award earner Portent, who won two races and placed three times for $24,056. Another homebred, Cowboy Mz (by Friesan Fire) captured two allowance races at Parx Racing for $23,757 in awards.

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enowned Olympic gold medallist Bode Miller, a former skier, has a dream: to return the MidAtlantic horse industry to its former glory.

“Pennsylvania and Maryland were the powerhouses of the sport 150 years ago,” Miller explained. “People think breeding is a pipe dream, but I really believe in him.”

The “him” in question is Red Vine, Miller’s stallion standing at Barbara Rickline’s Xanthus Farm in Gettysburg. He has the tools to make it as a stud: pedigree, race record, and demeanor, and those connected with him are pleased with the early results.

Trained by Christophe Clement for Jon and Sarah Kelly, Red Vine earned $775,915 on the track, and although he never obtained a signature graded stakes victory, he knocked heads with some of the best of his generation and finished in the top three 19 times from 23 starts.

He broke his maiden going a mile on the grass at Del Mar, won a turf allowance at Keeneland, and won twice on the dirt at Aqueduct before winning the Majestic Light Stakes, also on dirt, at Monmouth Park. Other notable performances for Red Vine were a behind Beholder at Del Mar in the Grade 1 TVG Pacific Classic; a second, by less than two lengths, in the

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Grade 2 Kelso Handicap at Belmont; a second in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile; and a third in a hotly contested Grade 1 Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland, all in 2015. Red Vine wrapped up his stellar season that year by narrowly missing to Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile.

Miller purchased Red Vine for $25,000 out of the 2017 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. It was the bay’s pedigree that intrigued him, as sire Candy Ride went unbeaten in six career starts and has developed into a tremendous sire. “We already know Candy Ride has great stuff,” Miller said, “and it’s been cool to see (2017 Horse of the Year) Gun Runner have great success.”

Red Vine is out of the winning Storm Creek mare Murky Waters, who has produced three winners from four starters to date. She is a half-sister to the El Prado sire Fort Prado, a multiple graded stakes winner of more than $1.2 million; and the stakeswinning Giant’s Causeway horse Cammack.

Miller himself has four broodmares, three of whom have visited Red Vine.

“That’s the part of breeding that can sink the ship,” Miller said. “I’d be in bankruptcy if I tried to support him all by myself,

but that’s the advantage of having lots of people becoming strong believers in him.”

Miller is also fond of homebred runners.

“It’s exciting because I find homebreds inspirational,” he said. “It’s different when you’ve been a part of it the whole time watching the foals grow up and develop, versus buying a horse out of the sale.”

Red Vine’s first foals are on the ground this spring, and farm owner Rickline likes what she sees. “I’ve been very pleased.

They are all well balanced, athletic, correct, and a good size. They all look nice from a variety of different kinds of mares.”

Red Vine will see between 65 and 70 mares in 2018, slightly up from his numbers in his first season. “He’s getting his mares in foal and everything has gone according to plan,” Rickline said. “We have no problems with him, because he’s real kind, easy to work with, and a fast learner.”

“Being an athlete,” Miller said, “I view horses as athletes. Red Vine’s style was so similar to that of Candy Ride. But he’s also got the intangible things that can make a stallion: attitude and personality. We’ve had good local support, and we appreciate the people that are taking a chance with him. I believe we have a really good shot to hit with Red Vine.”

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| SID FERNANDO COLUMN |

ARMY MULE EARNED O’NEILL STRIPES odd Pletcher won three consecutive graded races at Aqueduct on April 7 – the Grade 1 Carter Handicap, the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes, and the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes. Vino Rosso won the latter race for owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable and got most of the ink at the time as a well-bred Derby prospect by Curlin, but the star of the day was a four-year-old ridgling by a regional young sire.

Army Mule, by Maryland-based Friesan Fire and owned by St. Elias Stable, had won his first two races – they were nine months apart – and was making only his third career start in the Carter, against some veteran sprinters including graded winner and favorite Awesome Slew, but he won the race by six-and-a-quarter lengths in the outstanding time of 1:20.94 for seven furlongs. One race later on the card, the talented Speightstown three-year-old colt National Flag won the Bay Shore at the same distance by four lengths in fine style, but his final time of 1:23.16 only served to underline the magnitude of Army Mule’s performance.

Army Mule doesn’t have a fashionable pedigree like those of National Flag and Vino Rosso, but he was nevertheless an expensive two-year-old at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale in May. The sale topper was a $1 million Uncle Mo filly, but Army Mule, bred in Pennsylvania by Hope Hill Farm, was the next-highest price. He brought $825,000 after working a co-bullet :10 – a big lick for a second-crop son of a stallion who entered stud for $4,000 live foal and still stands for that price. Friesan Fire is at Country Life Farm and was an accomplished racehorse – he won the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and was the favorite in the 2009 Kentucky Derby – and he is by A.P. Indy, whose son Malibu Moon also started off inexpensively at the same farm. Who knows? Maybe he will become another star like Malibu Moon. But the easy way in which Army Mule breezed at Fasig-Tipton – he apparently galloped out a quarter in :21 and change – and the way he handled himself at the barn made him a star on the sales grounds.

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Jimmy “J.J.” Crupi’s Crupi’s New Castle Farm signed the ticket at the time for an “undisclosed buyer,” who ended up being Vinnie Viola – owner of St. Elias, a West Point graduate, and once tapped

by Donald Trump to fill the position of Secretary of the Army. What’s not listed in the sales results or is readily known about the Army Mule purchase is the role played by bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neill, who has an uncanny eye for a twoyear-old. If you go back and read some of the industry reportage of the sale, you’ll come across some clues – press notes of O’Neill accompanying Crupi and of O’Neill commenting after the purchase that the ridgling was headed to his brother Doug O’Neill’s barn in California. The fact is that it was O’Neill’s big recommendation of the future Grade 1 winner that prompted Viola to take the big swing that day in May. After the purchase, Army Mule was indeed sent to Doug O’Neill in California, where he was in training for 30 to 60 days until he came up with a “minor issue,” Dennis O’Neill said. “We liked the horse so much that I told Vinnie he needs about 30 to 60 days off, and Vinnie said, ‘Do what you have to do.’ We didn’t want to take any chances with him, but it was a minor issue and I don’t even remember what it was.

Maybe a shin.”

O’Neill had first met Viola at the Derby – “I think it was Nyquist’s” in 2016, he said – and they’d spoken after that, but when he ran into him by chance at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale, Viola asked him to pick out a horse for him to buy. “There’s only one horse I like,” O’Neill had said, and that was Army Mule. O’Neill had recommended the ridgling to several of his clients before

speaking to Viola, but none of them had wanted a son of Friesan Fire for the money O’Neill thought he’d bring. Viola, however, was interested and undeterred. “Jimmy went over and saw him and liked him, too, and Vinnie decided to take the big swing. I thought he’d bring $300,000 or $400,000, but Vinnie and Jimmy went until the end.”

O’Neill has an outstanding record at two-year-old-in-training sales with horses purchased for $400,000 or less, and it’s the reason why Viola had faith in his judgement. O’Neill had signed tickets in the past for Derby winners Nyquist ($400,000 Fasig-Tipton Select) and I’ll Have Another ($35,000 OBS), as well as for such Grade 1 or Grade 2 winners as Gomo ($75,000 OBS), Land Over Sea ($130,000 OBS), Mopotism ($300,000 Fasig-Tipton Select), Bond Holder ($125,000 OBS), Goldencents ($62,000 OBS), Notional ($235,000 Barretts), Stevie Wonderboy ($100,000 Fasig-Tipton Select), etc.

O’Neill said that about two weeks after Army Mule was given rest in California, Viola called and told him he didn’t have anything else out west, had invested a lot of money in the two-year-old, couldn’t keep an eye on him out there, and would be more comfortable with Army Mule recuperating at Crupi’s place. O’Neill said he completely understood, and the horse was shipped to Florida, where Viola uses Crupi for his young horses and Pletcher as his primary trainer. “That’s how Todd got the horse,” O’Neill said.

“We were cheering for him from Santa Anita when he won the Carter,” O’Neill said. “We’re happy for Vinnie, but it’s bittersweet he’s not in the barn.”

That’s how it goes sometimes.

O’NEILL HAS AN OUTSTANDING RECORD AT TWO-YEAR-OLD-IN-TRAINING SALES WITH HORSES PURCHASED FOR $400,000 OR LESS, AND IT’S THE REASON WHY VIOLA HAD FAITH IN HIS JUDGEMENT.

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