North American Trainer - summer 2021 - issue 61

ISSUE 61 – Summer 2021 $6.95 www.trainermagazine.com

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOROUGHBRED

MIKE TROMBETTA From demolishing buildings to constructing a racing stable with firm foundations SALES INCENTIVES

Perks on offer to plump up equine investments

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE

ARE HOMEBREDS A DYING BREED?

The owner-breeder pool has grown thin

TR AINERS vs. THE IRS

Qualifying losses as business deductions

| OPINION |

GILES ANDERSON PUBLISHER’S OPINION

Our trainer profile is on Mike Trombetta, a mainstay of the eastern circuit who has the philosophy: “have conditions book will travel”, which gives the best opportunities for horses in his care. Trombetta has built his stable on firm foundations, developing horses for many clients who are in the game for the long haul; they would be best described as ‘old school’ owner-breeders.

Over the years, there has been more of a bias for many breeders to sell their stock at the sales rather than race them.

In this issue, we ask, “Are owner breeders a dying breed?”

Looking at the results of the major classic races run this year, it appears that this year is one for the resurgence of the owner-breeder, they have accounted for the winners of the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Belmont Stakes and subject to the final ruling by the Kentucky stewards, this year’s running of the Kentucky Derby could also be awarded to an owner-breeder.

For those who prefer to buy stock off breeders, we examine the different incentives on offer from sales houses, states and breeders at the yearling sales season which started with a bang at Fasig-Tipton this July.

And, if you are planning on buying this summer or building your racing stable, perhaps making the jump from a part-time player to a full-time career, our legal beagle, Peter Sacopulos explains how the IRS may decide you are merely enjoying an expensive hobby, which would impact expense deductions, etc. What guidelines should you follow, and when is the law on your side?

In the latest in our series on surfaces, Ken Snyder highlights the work to produce dirt surfaces which reduces racing and training injuries.

Can improved safety stats on dirt continue? The answer is a promising one for all of Thoroughbred racing in America.

The 1.41 equine fatality rate in 2020 on all surfaces—dirt, turf and synthetic—was the lowest since the creation of the Equine Injuries Database in 2009.

Key to track safety improvements are those charged with their day-to-day care: the track superintendents. Denis Blake reports from their annual field day, held this year at Indiana Grand in June where superintendents learned more about the latest best practices in track maintenance.

Finally, I was saddened to learn of the death of one of our main writers, Denise Steffanus, this past June. Denise was never afraid to tackle assignments that others would shy away from. Thanks to her persistence in highlighting what she deemed as wrongs in the industry, she was rewarded with an Eclipse Award for her article “A Call for Common Sense in Testing,” which we published in our 2017 spring issue.

Rest in peace, Denise. and I’m sure you’ll be looking down on us and joining me in wishing all readers: Best of luck for wherever your racing takes you this summer.

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CONTRIBUTORS Editorial Director/Publisher Giles Anderson (859) 242 5025 Sub-Editor Jana Cavalier Photography Co-ordination Miranda Filmer Advert Production Miranda Filmer Circulation Miranda Filmer (1 888 659 2935) Advertising Sales Giles Anderson, Anna Alcock (859) 242 5025 Cover Photograph Eclipse Sportswire

Alan F. Balch was hired as the executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers in April 2010.

His professional career in racing began at Santa Anita in 1971, where he advanced to the position of senior vice president of marketing 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. Denis Blake is the editor and publisher of American Racehorse magazine and the editor of The Horsemen’s Journal. He’s written for Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times, America’s Horse and ESPN.com, among others, and held numerous positions in the industry after starting out as a teller at Canterbury Downs (now Canterbury Park). His favorite track is the little-known but historic Gillespie County Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Dr. Matt Coleridge is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and holds a master’s degree in veterinary science. A graduate of the of Glasgow University Veterinary School, Matt has completed his surgical training in Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. He has worked at Fethards Equine Hospital, Ire. and is currently based at Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket.

Bill Heller Bill Heller is an Eclipse Award-winning author whose 27th book, Fred Hooper – The Extraordinary Life of a Thoroughbred Legend, was published this summer. His other biographies include Hall of Fame jockeys Ron Turcotte, Randy Romero and Jose Santos. Bill and his wife Marianne live near Gulfstream Park. Bill’s son Benjamin is an accomplished marathon runner in New York.

Annie Lambert is a photojournalist based in Temecula, California. She grew up enjoying many facets of the equine industry with her veterinarian father, Dr. Willard D. Ommert, and mother, Pat North Ommert, who is an inductee of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Anne has been involved in many aspects of the Thoroughbred racing industry, rode hunters and jumpers as well as reined cow horses.

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

Jeff Lowe is a freelance writer who previously served as media director for Team Valor International for seven years. Lowe also was the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup beat writer during a nine-year stint at Thoroughbred Times. He won the 2008 Bill Leggett Writing Award for a magazine story on the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He grew up around the harness racing business as his father was the long-time general manager of the small racetrack in Delaware, Ohio, that puts on one of the sport’s most prestigious races, the Little Brown Jug. Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire runs Centaur Biomechanics and works with elite athletes in all equestrian sports, optimizing performance and marginal gains. He recently gained a PhD in equine locomotion from the Royal Veterinary College Structure & Motion Lab. Russell is co-author of more than 30 published papers on horse-saddle-rider interaction.

Professor Celia Marr is an RCVS recognized specialist in equine internal medicine based at Rossdales Equine Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Newmarket. She is also editor-in-chief of Equine Veterinary Journal, honorary professor at the University of Glasgow, and has previously worked at Cambridge University, the Royal Veterinary College, the University of Pennsylvania, and in racehorse practice in Lambourn.

Dr. Rhiannon Morgan PhD MRCVS is a lecturer in equine diagnostic imaging at the Royal Veterinary College. She holds the ECVDI diploma in large animal diagnostic imaging, is an EBVS European specialist in veterinary diagnostic imaging, an advanced veterinary practitioner and has a PhD in cellular biology as a result of research at Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool.

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, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, the Alberta Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association and the Virginia Thoroughbred Association.

Catherine Rudenko is an independent registered nutritionist with a focus on Thoroughbreds. Based in the UK, Catherine has worked in the USA, Europe and Asia with trainers and studs, creating feeds and feeding plans customized to their needs and climate. With a keen interest in education and research, Catherine works with professional bodies and universities to promote knowledge of nutrition and its importance in the management of Thoroughbreds and other breeds.

Peter J. 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.

Ken Snyder is a current turf writer for Gallop magazine, and a turf/travel-culture writer for Kentucky Monthly magazine. His work has appeared, as well, in other publications, including The Blood-Horse.

He and his wife, Cassie, reside in Kuttawa, Kentucky.

Trainer Magazine (ISSN 17580293) is published 4 times a year, February, April, July and October by Anderson & Co Publishing and distributed in the USA by Modern Litho | Brown Printing, 6009 Stertzer Road, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

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

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Trainer Magazine, Anderson & Co Publishing, PO Box 13248, Lexington, KY 40583-3248.

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BY MARK HANSEN hile bleeding from the nose in racehorses is uncommon, it is accepted that most every horse will experience some level of bleeding in their lungs. Even though this may only cause slight discomfort for the equine athlete, it is a trainer’s worst nightmare because it can lead to poor performance, lost training days, costly treatments, or worse — a very sick horse that’s banned from racing for life.

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| CONTENTS |

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CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

50 Gerald Leigh Memorial Trust

08 Mike Trombetta

Our cover profile trainer started out life in the destruction business but has now constructed a career at the highest level of the Thoroughbred industry as Bill Heller discovers.

22 Sales incentives

Annie Lambert looks at the different incentives on offer from both stallion farms and sales houses ahead of the 2021 yearling sales season.

32 Are homebreds a dying breed?

Despite a stellar run in the classic races in May and June, the pool of owner-breeders is growing thin as Jeff Lowe discovers.

38 Understanding modern dirt surfaces

Ken Snyder talks to some of the key thinkers in the quest for creating a safer dirt surface to run on.

44 Trainers vs. the IRS

Peter J. Sacopulos advises what guidelines you should follow to ensure that your racing activities are not miscategorized as a hobby and explains when the law is on your side.

@ t ra i n e r _ m a g

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The 2021 lectures discussed orthopaedic problems in young horses and the recent advances and diagnosis of ALD.

56 Grade 1 winning owners

Featuring Michael Cannon’s Smooth Like Strait, John and Diane Fradkin’s Rombauer and Nick Cosato of Slam Dunk Racing’s Maxim Rate and Drain the Clock.

64 Ulceration

Why are gastric ulcers still a significant concern for horses in training? Catherine Rudenko provides us with the answers.

06 View form the CTT Alan Balch – Reason and emotion, noses apart!

94 #Soundbites

Bill Heller ask trainers, “Are there adequate protocols and security on the backstretch to prevent outsiders from tampering with horses? If not, what would you suggest?”

72 Track Superintendents Field Day

Denis Blake attended the event held at Indiana Grand on June 14-15 and reports on what track supers learned over the two days of seminars.

80 Reducing the pressure

Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire discovers performance benefits of relieving five key pressure points under tack.

86 Fred Hooper

This summer, author Bill Heller published his latest book: Fred Hooper, The Extraordinary Life of a Thoroughbred Legend, the rags-toriches story of a true giant of the racing world.

/ t ra i n e r m a g a z i n e

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 61

R EGUL A R S

/ t ra i n e r m a g a z i n e

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| CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS |

ALAN F. BALCH

REASON AND EMOTION, NOSES APART!

Abraham Lincoln by Von Schneidau,1854

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hen Abraham Lincoln was only 28 years old, he delivered his Lyceum Speech, in Springfield, Illinois. When it was published, it was instrumental in establishing the reputation that led to his presidency decades later.

The remarkable intellect that ultimately saved the United States was already on full display. He decried “increasing disregard for law,” which he saw pervading the country, and a “growing disposition to substitute the wild and furious passions” of “savage mobs” for the “sober judgment of Courts.”

What can that possibly have to do with today’s racing?

Just this: In commenting on the November 1864 election, which returned him to office only a few months before his assassination, he famously remarked, “Human-nature will not change. In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we shall have as weak, and as strong; as silly and as wise; as bad and good.”

In short, since human nature won’t change, that’s why we need laws, and why we need the rule and process of law, and sober judgment of courts, instead of passion and emotion to define our decisions.

Over the last several years, emotion has threatened to overtake reason in the governance of racing, in several noteworthy incidents. It’s understandable, if not admirable. First, a calamity of national negative attention brought to racing by Santa Anita’s horrid and preventable spike in catastrophic injuries in 2019 brought forth a torrent of emotional reactions.

Tempered, just enough, by reason? As did the international pandemic which added enormous economic and behavioral stress to everyone. Then, just as we were beginning to return to a semblance of

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normalcy, or to hope for it, America’s highest profile professional trainer became—virtually overnight—the supposed symbol of everything cumulatively wrong about the sport.

Wild and furious passions have indeed been unleashed. Again. Will reason prevail?

Many in racing’s leadership, including some among its most elite, seem bent on stoking the fires of what Lincoln called a “mobocratic spirit,” rather than its opposite, “reason, cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason.” Passion, he had declared, is our enemy—the enemy of all free governments.

Rushing to judgment has perennially been among the preeminent weaknesses of human nature, and if Lincoln is to be believed, it will always be so. It’s why we have due process of law in this country, guaranteed (supposedly) as a constitutional right. Most of us are frustrated—always or at least occasionally—by how long it takes to decide the most critical questions, either legislatively or legally. But “due process” is there to wring as much passion of the moment as possible out of the ultimate decision. And I vividly remember a man decades ago who was finally vindicated in court, after a years-long process, who then said to the media, “Great. Now where do I go to get my reputation back?” So now, in the spirit of unimpassioned reason, let’s reflect on what’s right, valuable and praiseworthy about our last few years.

I remember one of our leaders complaining incessantly for a decade about how long it takes to enact rules in California, owing to the process required

by the Administrative Procedure Act. He failed to note that in the benchmark matter of severely curtailing the use of clenbuterol, several years back, a broad coalition of trainers, owners and regulators got that accomplished very quickly—entirely in accordance with the ponderous process required by the Act. And that was even before the more recent crises erupted.

California has also led the way in establishing many useful and productive reforms that most of us thought weren’t necessary but have proven in practice to be effective and probably long overdue, incenting better horsemanship, a more level playing field and a more pleasing sport for the public.

Was every action taken entirely rational and mandatory? No overreaching?

No emotion? Almost certainly not. But, on balance, they have presented a more defensible sport than we had before, without a doubt. More recently, as the State Legislature has seen it politically necessary to “do something,” several matters that are more logically suited for regulators or rules than for law, became statutory. Emotion nipping reason at the wire in that case?

One thing is certain: Even if we don’t think about it this way, as we should (or haven’t been taught it), our sport has proven again to be interdependent. It’s useless to debate whether that’s a strength or a weakness. It’s a fact. Every entity, every stakeholder group—whether government, breeder, owner, racing association, breed registry, trainer, veterinarian, blacksmith, vendor or participant, bettor or spectator— is dependent on every other one. We’re all necessary conditions for success. Not one is sufficient by itself. And not one is superior to the others. We each have to behave properly, in the best interest of the horse, or we have no sport.

This wisdom applies to each of us. From the lowliest to the highest. It’s human nature. When Lincoln decried mobocracy, he knew that we each share that same nature … mobs can rise from the rabble, and all the way to Park Avenue.

PROFILE

MIKE TROMBETTA

BUILDING FOUNDATIONS OF A DIFFERENT K IND F

or the first 15 years of his 31-year training career, 55-year-old Mike Trombetta split every day between the racetrack and his brother Dino’s demolition company in White Marsh, Maryland. “He would train horses in the morning and knock down buildings in the afternoon,” his long-time friend and client R. Larry Johnson laughed. Dino added, “Then he’d go back to the track in the evenings just to check on things.”

Of course he did. That’s what he, Dino and their sister Laura learned from their parents. “Our dad worked extremely hard,” Dino said. “Both him and my mom were hard workers.

That’s how we grew up. We worked hard in everything we did. That’s what it took to have success.”

Mike could still be working two jobs had he not had the good fortune to take over the training of a horse who had previously made just one start, finishing 12th by 24 lengths as a two-year-old in 2005. That horse, Sweetnorthernsaint,

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would go off the favorite in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, making a strong middle move under Ken Desormeaux before tiring to finish seventh. Sweetnorthernsaint then finished second in the Preakness Stakes. “That gave us national exposure,” Trombetta said. “That gave us a big push for sure.”

The following year, Trombetta’s starts increased from 312 to 422, his victories from 78 to 106 and his earnings from $2.7 million to $3.5 million. Trombetta abandoned his demolition career and began upward trending with his training. In 2019, he posted a career high in earnings— $4,614,509—helped by his three-year-old Win Win Win, who was ninth in the Kentucky Derby, and his two-year-old Independence Hall, who became a legitimate contender for the 2020 Kentucky Derby. Independence Hall ran into problems in 2020, but Trombetta still finished 24th in earnings with more than $4.1 million and a win percentage of 16.0. Trombetta has posted a win percentage of 20 or higher for an entire year 11 times.

Bill Heller

Eclipse Sportswire

| MIKE TROMBETTA |

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PROFILE

But the past several months have been a bit rough.

Through early June, he ranked 36th in the country in earnings with nearly $1.6 million. Yet he still is winning at a 16.4 percent rate. “We’re not doing that well,” he said on June 14. “This year, it’s been an adjustment year coming off the COVID. We were hoping at the beginning of this year things would go back to normal. Then Woodbine got delayed. It got a little weird here. We had a herpes situation in Maryland. For several months, they wouldn’t let horses come in or leave. That was a bizarre situation.

Then, at Laurel, they had to redo the track. We’re still not back to normal. It seems like something has been going on—something new to deal with. It’s hard for all of us.”

He feels the same way on the thorny issues of medication and whips. “I’m probably like a lot of other trainers,” he said. “What we’d like to have more than anything is a clear understanding of the dos and don’ts, especially in the Mid-Atlantic states. We just want to know what the rules are and how to play the game. When you turn on a football game, they all have fields of 100 yards and 15 minutes in a quarter. Horse racing is anything but that.

It’s different in every state.”

That is about to change next summer when the Horse Racing Integrity Act comes to life. Will uniform rules become the norm? “We can hope,” Trombetta said. “Time will tell. It would be great just to get everybody knowing what the game looks like. Now, in every jurisdiction, there’s something different. We want to stay out of harm’s way. This Lasix thing is a great example. Two-year-olds can use it in one state, but not in another. I just hope the powers [that] be get something that works for the whole industry so that we can follow and understand.

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THIS YEAR, IT’S BEEN AN ADJUSTMENT YEAR COMING OFF THE COVID. WE WERE HOPING AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR THINGS WOULD GO BACK TO NORMAL. THEN WOODBINE GOT DELAYED. IT GOT A LITTLE WEIRD HERE.” It’s the same thing with this whip rule. It’s different in other states. One state allows four times, one state says six; and in one state, they can’t use them at all. We’re getting further away from uniformity. Guys like us that are in this region race throughout the country for the most part. When you go through the stable gate somewhere else, it’s a different rule.”

Can the Horse Racing Integrity Act end that problem permanently? “In a perfect world, yes,” Trombetta said.

“I don’t know if they’re capable of doing it.”

This summer, Trombetta’s horses—now between 80 and 90—are stabled at Far Hill, Timonium temporarily until Laurel’s renovations are complete and in Delaware.

His horses also race in Florida in the winter and in New York in the summer when they belong. His winter stable usually numbers 60 to 70 horses.

| MIKE TROMBETTA |

“We try to take the right horses to the right place,” Trombetta said. “We work off the condition books. There are little differences in each track. Obviously, when you go to New York, you have to know your horse is capable of competing in New York. We don’t get it right all the time, but we try. Surfaces come into play: dirt, synthetic, turf. You have to figure in all of the factors. I carry six, seven condition books with me.”

Is it like being back in school? “It can be at times, because it’s constantly changing,” Trombetta said. “I’m checking those things at 6 or 7 at night to make sure I can stay on top of it— make sure I’m not missing anything.”

His ongoing success suggests he usually doesn’t miss many things. He’s proficient at preparing his young horses and knowing when to back off. “I try to give them the benefit of the doubt,” he said. “We identify the ones that need their first race.

I try to get them prepared for the first race so they don’t get exhausted. I want to see them prepared.”

He also wants to give his horses time when they need it.

“We try to, as long as owners are patient enough,” Trombetta said. “Our numbers off the layoff have been pretty good over the years. There’s no quick way to do it. It takes time. Some individuals require more time than others.”

Experience has helped him shape his program. “You learn it over time,” he said. “It’s still frustrating to this day. Sometimes you ask for one more race of a horse, and it’s one race too many. Six to eight weeks off give these guys a good break.

WE TRY TO TAKE THE RIGHT HORSES TO THE RIGHT PLACE. WE WORK OFF THE CONDITION BOOKS. THERE ARE LITTLE DIFFERENCES IN EACH TRACK. OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU GO TO NEW YORK, YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR HORSE IS CAPABLE OF COMPETING IN NEW YORK. WE DON’T GET IT RIGHT ALL THE TIME, BUT WE TRY.”

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PROFILE

We race year-round somewhere, so you have to know when it’s not too late to take them out of service for a while. By giving them time, we seem to have one ready to take his place.”

His owners have provided considerable help. “A lot of the folks I work for, Live Oak, Country Life and Larry Johnson, they all have complete facilities with training tracks, all three of those. Breeding, resting and training, they have complete facilities to get all the work that’s needed. That’s a luxury for me—to be associated with these people that have those facilities.”

Trombetta’s stable includes horses he co-owns with his brother and dad, as he races up and down the East Coast.

He, his wife, Marie, and their two of three children still in school live on their small farm in Baldwin, Maryland.

“Maria and I met in high school, and we’ve been together ever since,” Trombetta said. Their oldest child, 27-yearold Nicole, is out on her own. Their two sons, 16-year-old Michael and 14-year-old Dominic, are experiencing racing in a way their parents couldn’t have imagined when they were growing up—on the internet. “Michael follows it very easily,” Trombetta said. “Sometimes he finds out stuff before I do. They have the whole world at their fingertips.”

Trombetta’s introduction to racing was more hands-on.

“My dad, Rudy, worked construction his whole life,” Trombetta said. “He had a small construction business on his own. He was always a fan of the horses. He had a friend, and they got a few horses together.”

Trombetta began working at nearby Timonium as a teenager. “It was 20 minutes from our house in Perry Mall,” he said. “I was 14...15 years old. It seemed to be a comfortable place for me. I loved the horses, and I loved racing.”

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PROFILE

He began training in 1986 before his 20th birthday. His first winner came at Atlantic City with Amant De Cour.

Trombetta struggled early, Four years into his career, he won just 10 races in 1989. “Obviously, it wasn’t enough to derive an income, so I had to do other things on the way,” he said. “It takes a long churn to build a stable. I did everything I could. When you’re young, it’s pretty challenging.”

Which is why he worked two careers—one at the track and one with his brother’s company, “My brother worked with me a long time, up until he got Sweetnorthernsaint,” Dino said. “He would go to the track in the morning, then work with us all day long, 8 to 10 hours with me, and go back to the track in the evening.”

When Sweetnorthernsaint redirected Trombetta’s training career, he pondered giving up his life in demolition. “I told him to take some time,” Dino said. “Enjoy this opportunity.

I told him to do it and then decide. He just stayed with the horses. I was tickled to death for him because I knew that was his true passion. I lost a good employee, but I was very happy for him.”

Sweetnorthernsaint was sent to Trombetta by his former trainer, Leo Azpurua Sr., in Florida after his nightmare of a debut in his first start as a two-year-old in a maiden turf race at Colonial Downs, August 1, finishing 12th in a field of 14. “He was sent to me, and I was told point blank: ‘He’s very difficult to handle, but he’s a good horse.’” Trombetta said. “He told me he had to be gelded. He said forget that first race. I remember the conversation. He said, “‘Trust me—he’s a good horse.’”

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ABOVE: Mike Trombetta with Sweetnorthernsaint before the 132nd Kentucky Derby, 2006.

Sweetnorthernsaint lived up to his reputation when he arrived at Trombetta’s barn. “He was very difficult to handle,” Trombetta said. “He had a mean streak. He would kick you. He was more worried about being ornery than doing what he was supposed to do.”

Sweetnorthernsaint calmed down a bit after he was gelded and won his debut in a maiden $40,000 dirt claimer at Laurel, only to be disqualified and placed fourth. “He bumped another horse leaving the gate,” Trombetta said. “If it happened today, I don’t think they would have taken him down. They did me a favor. We went to New York in his second start, and he broke his maiden for twice the purse.”

| MIKE TROMBETTA |

LEFT: Previous stable star Independence Hall winning the $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, 2020.

BELOW: Mike Trombetta and Win Win Win before the 2019 Kentucky Derby.

ISSUE 61 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILE

| MIKE TROMBETTA |

I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE. I GET TO WORK FOR SOME REALLY GOOD OWNERS. IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO GET WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. THEY WANT WHAT’S BEST FOR THE HORSES. I’M BLESSED.”

Sweetnorthernsaint won that maiden race at Aqueduct by 7 ¾ lengths on and followed that with a 10-length victory in the Miracle Wood Stakes a month later, giving Trombetta his first Kentucky Derby contender.

Sweetnorthernsaint then finished third by threequarters of a length in the Gr. 3 Gotham Stakes, March 18.

Still needing more graded stakes entries to get into the Derby—before the current point system was in place—he sent Sweetnorthernsaint to the Gr. 2 Illinois Derby. He won by 9 ¼ lengths as the 6-5 favorite on April 8.

One month later, he went off as the 5-1 favorite in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, captured by the unbeaten Barbaro.

Sweetnorthernsaint normally raced on or near the lead, but he got away 12th in the 20-horse Derby. “He didn’t get away good, and he had to fight to move up,” Trombetta said. “He used a lot of energy to get back into the race.”

He had indeed, rallying to get into third at one point, before fading to seventh. He bounced back to finish second by 5 ¼ lengths to Bernardini in the Preakness and went on to earn just under $850,000 in his career.

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“Sweetnorthernsaint was a disaster at two, and he was a good horse at three,” Trombetta said. “He just needed some time.”

Trombetta is great at that, and he enjoyed the challenge.

“My enjoyment is watching a young horse mold himself to be good for everybody,” he said. “Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. They’re all individuals. If you treat every horse individually, they’ll be better off. Some take longer than others. I’ve been fortunate. I get to work for some really good owners. It takes a lot of time to get where you want to be. They want what’s best for the horses. I’m blessed.”

Actually, Johnson, who has an accounting firm in the Washington, D.C., area and Legacy Farm in Bluemont, Va., feels blessed to have his horses—many of them homebreds—trained by Trombetta. “He’s a remarkable worker, a terrific horseman, completely honest and candid,” Johnson said. “He does a marvelous job of developing young horses. Consistently. He’s been able to get and maintain terrific help. There’s no slippage; nothing gets lost between the cracks because of the people he has.”

| MIKE TROMBETTA |

PROFILE

MIKE TAKES IT REAL SERIOUS. HE PUTS HIS HEART AND SOUL INTO IT. BUT HE’S VERY LOW-KEY TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF. HE’S PURE CLASS.” DINO TROMBETTA

Johnson, who’s been with Trombetta for 21 years, met him by selling him a filly for $900 in a 1989 sale at Timonium. “Wiith crooked legs,” Johnson said. They didn’t seem to matter. That filly, Overdue Ghost, posted eight victories and two seconds in 12 starts, earning $96,510.

Johnson was duly impressed with the 23-year-old trainer. “He was just a kid, but he knew what he was doing,” Johnson said.

“Training horses is 24/7. It’s tough to do that job and construction, which is also 24/7.”

After she was done racing, Overdue Ghost’s foal, Ghostly Numbers, won 10 of 34 starts and made more than $280,000.

Another Johnson horse, Partners Due, won six of 21 starts and earned $239,345. “Then we sold her at Keeneland for $320,000,” Johnson said.

A pair of 2004 foals, Street Magician and Strike the Moon, were two more success stories. Street Magician won five of 10 starts and made $254,440. Strike the Moon posted five wins, nine seconds and five thirds in 24 starts, earning $680,170.

In 2019, Live Oak Plantation’s home-bred three-year-old Win Win Win captured the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs

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by 7 ¼ lengths, finished second in the Blue Grass Stakes, third in the Tampa Bay Derby, ninth in the Kentucky Derby and seventh in the Preakness Stakes. He then won his turf debut in the Manila Stakes at Belmont Park in July—his final start in his three-year-old season.

Trombetta had hoped Independence Hall would take him back to the Kentucky Derby in 2020 after he finished fifth by one length in the Gr. 1 Florida Derby.

Instead, he was sidelined with injuries and then his owners, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creek Racing and Kathleen and Robert Verratti, decided to switch trainers, hiring Mike McCarthy. Independence Hall returned to win an allowance race/optional $100,000 claimer last November 9. In four subsequent starts in graded stakes, he’s finished fifth, third, fourth and third.

Losing talented horses is part of horse racing. Trombetta moved on. His top horses this year include Larry Johnson’s fiveyear-old mare Never Enough Time, who’s earned more than $275,000 off five victories in 13 starts, and Three Diamond Farm’s four-year-old filly Kiss the Girl, whose four victories in 13 starts have led to more than $220,000 in earnings. Forever uncomfortable talking about himself, Trombetta said his success has happened “because we had very good horses. We had the right horses. Things fell into place.”

They have for quite a long time in his care. “Mike takes it real serious,” his brother said. “He puts his heart and soul into it. But he’s very low-key talking about himself. He’s pure class.”

Asked if he was surprised by Trombetta’s continuing success, Johnson said, “Not at all. It was inevitable. Graham Motion is a good friend of mine. I put him in the same category.”

AUTUMN MEET 2021 STAKES SCHEDULE Sunday, October 3

Friday, October 1

AMERICAN PHAROAH STAKES (GI)

ZUMA BEACH STAKES

$300,000 • 2 YO, 1 /16 M

$200,000 • 2 YO, 1 M (Turf)

Friday, October 1

Sunday, October 3

CHANDELIER STAKES (GII)

SURFER GIRL STAKES

$200,000 • F, 2 YO, 11/16 M

$200,000 • F, 2 YO, 1 M (Turf)

Friday, October 1

Sunday, October 3

SPEAKEASY STAKES

UNZIP ME STAKES

$100,000 • 2 YO, 5 F (Turf)

$75,000+ • F, 3 YO, 6 1/2 F (Turf)

Friday, October 1

Saturday, October 9

1

EDDIE D STAKES (GLL)

SWINGTIME STAKES (RESTRICTED)

$200,000 • 3&UP, 6 /2 F (Turf)

$70,000+ • F/M, 3&UP, 1 M (Turf)

Saturday, October 2

Saturday, October 16

1

RODEO DRIVE STAKES (GI)

CALIFORNIA DISTAFF HANDICAP

$300,000 • F/M, 3&UP, 1 /4 M (Turf)

$100,000 • F/M, 3&UP, CA BREDS, 6 1/2 F (Turf)

Saturday, October 2

Sunday, October 17

SA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP STAKES (GII)

CALIFORNIA FLAG HANDICAP

$200,000 • 3&UP, 6 F

$100,000 • 3&UP, CA BREDS, 6 1/2 F (Turf)

Saturday, October 2

Saturday, October 23

AWESOME AGAIN STAKES (GI)

LURE STAKES (RESTRICTED)

$300,000 • 3&UP, 11/8 M

$70,000+ • 3&UP, 1 M (Turf)

Saturday, October 2

Sunday, October 24

CITY OF HOPE MILE (GII)

ANOAKIA STAKES

$200,000 • 3&UP, 1 M (Turf)

$75,000+ • F, 2 YO, 6 F

Saturday, October 2

Saturday, October 30

JOHN HENRY TURF CHAMPIONSHIP (GII)

AUTUMN MISS STAKES (GIII)

$200,000 • 3&UP, 11/4 M (Turf)

$100,000 • F, 3 YO, 1 M (Turf)

Sunday, October 3

Sunday, October 31

1

ZENYATTA STAKES (GII)

TWILIGHT DERBY (GII)

$200,000 • F/M, 3&UP, 1 /16 M

$200,000 • 3 YO, 11/8 M (Turf)

1

Sunday, October 3

CHILLINGWORTH STAKES (GIII) $100,000 • F/M, 3&UP, 6 1/2 F

CHRIS MERZ

Director of Racing & Racing Secretary 626 574-6352 • santaanita.com

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

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*subject to change

**Michael Bye Photo

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CTHS ONTARIO

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• Four races in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario and one race in Manitoba.

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not limited to: Mare purchase programs,

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as well as a live foal program.

CTHS BRITISH COLUMBIA TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH SEPTEMBER

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TEL:

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CTHS ALBERTA

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH SEPTEMBER

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TEL:

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EMAIL:

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WEB:

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WEB:

www.cthsnational.com ISSUE 61 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| INDUSTRY |

SALES INCENTIVES ADDED VALUE

With global inflation rising, mare owners as well as sales consignors and buyers may be looking harder than ever for perks to plump up their equine investments.

Incentives like Australia’s Magic Million, the richest sales-based racing series, can make winning more lucrative.

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Annie Lambert

David Coyle, Fasig-Tipton Photos, Jamie Newell, Reed Palmer Photography

A

rguably one of the greatest promoters in history was P.T. Barnum, most remembered for creating the Barnum & Bailey circus, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Barnum grew up in 1800s America with a natural talent toward publicity and promotion.

Modern-time promotion is more likely to be called marketing. It won’t have all the bells, whistles, fireworks and grifting used by Barnum, but it still requires limitless imagination. Stallion promoters and sales companies in North America and globally have developed marketing programs to entice customers in their competitive markets.

Interested parties can choose from deals on stallion shares, buy auctioned horses with eligibility to restricted races and more.

• Advantage breeders Some breeding farms have put together attractive programs to draw the owners of quality mares to their stallions. Spendthrift Farm (Lexington, Ky.) provides two options to breeders. Their programs include Share the Upside and Safe Bet. Share the Upside has been a great program for Spendthrift Farm, according to Ned Toffey, the farm’s general manager.

“You breed a mare in each of the first two years the stallion is at stud, and once your mare has produced two live foals, and you’ve paid your stud fees in a timely manner, you have then earned a lifetime breeding right,” he explained. “After that you breed to the horse free (no charge) for the rest of his breeding career.

“Into Mischief was one of the first horses that we offered on this program, and people paid in the vicinity of $6,500, two years in a row to earn a lifetime breeding, which is now worth $1 million.” “That’s the ultimate example; not every horse is going to be a two-time leading sire,” he added with a laugh.

Toffey explained that the program has helped smaller breeders who are often priced out when stallions become Ned Toffey and Into Mischief.

OUR HOPE IS THAT, SINCE PEOPLE HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN THE HORSE’S SUCCESS, THAT THEY ARE GOING TO SUPPORT HIM WITH QUALITY MARES.” NED TOFFEY – SPENDTHRIFT FARM

successful. Share the Upside helps those breeders, who helped make the horse successful, by allowing them the opportunity to utilize the horse throughout his career.

While first-year stallions generally don’t need incentives to attract mares, the hope is that they will use that stallion in subsequent years.

Which stallions are offered in the program depends on the market economics at the time. Toffey finds that the $15,000 and under fee levels of the market appreciate, and he enjoys using the program. It is not as appealing to some of the higher-end breeders. Mares are approved for the first two paid breedings, but once owners have earned lifetime rights, they may breed any mare.

“Our hope is that, since people have a vested interest in the horse’s success, that they are going to support him with quality mares,” Toffey acknowledged. “We try to always have some Share the Upside horses for our breeders to be able to utilize.”

The stallions offered for 2022 have not been decided on yet. Spendthrift holds breeding rights in a number of horses, but it is unclear if those will be coming into stud or remain in training. It is a little early.

Spendthrift’s other program option is not geared toward freshman sires, but rather their first crop of two-year-olds. If a breeder sends a mare to the stallion the year his first offspring are two, the contract has two options.

If the stallion does not produce a graded stakes winner by the end of that calendar year, then there is no stud fee owed. If the stallion does produce a graded stakes winner by the end of the year, then the mare owner would owe the agreed upon/advertised stud fee.

“The idea is to try and incentivize breeders who may like a horse but may be apprehensive about using the horse who is unproven,” Toffey explained. “This gives them a reward for taking a chance on one of our horses. If the horse works out, then they owe a very reasonable stud fee; if the horse doesn’t have a very good year, even though he may throw some listed stakes winners, he may throw ISSUE 61 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| SALES INCENTIVES |

Runhappy and owner Jim McIngvale (ABOVE).

ABOVE: Bob Feld and Miss Temple City.

graded stakes placed horses. But if that is all he does, then there would be no stud fee owed. But once he produces a graded stakes winner, the full fee would be owed.”

Bob Feld’s Bobfeld Bloodstock took advantage of Spendthrift’s Share the Upside program and now has a lifetime breeding right to Temple City. Feld bred and campaigned Miss Temple City’s daughter of Temple City—a winner of three Gr. 1 stakes with earnings of $1,680,091. She sold at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November sale for $2.5 million.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Share the Upside has been complimented many times. The program has been tweaked to suit other farm programs and stallions but has found success in several variations.

Darby Dan Farm, also in Lexington, optimizes Share the Upside for each stallion, but it remains very similar to the Spendthrift version. Not every stallion at Darby Dan participates in the program, but Stallion Director Ryan Norton pointed out that most new stallions would be participating.

The farm has several programs in addition to Share the Upside: Profit Protection, Black-Type Bonanza and Goldmine 20/20.

“Essentially, the way [Profit Protection] works is, you don’t pay any stud fee; it all comes out of sales proceeds,” Norton said.

“You can sell an in-foal mare, or you sell the resulting weanling or yearling. The breeder receives the first $5,000 of sales proceeds, anything above that we split 50/50, but our 50 percent is capped at the advertised stud fee for the year the foal was bred. Profit Protection helps the breeders maximize returns on breeding to the stallion; they can’t get upside down.”

Black-Type Bonanza varies with each horse, but a mare that is a black-type winner and/or black-type producer would qualify for a reduced stud fee. The level of black-type achieved will determine which stallion for which she may be eligible.

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Goldmine 20/20 gives value to certain pedigrees. The farm cites the prerequisites for producing a hypo-mating that has at least two superior racehorses with a “very similar pattern.” The 20/20 matches may be eligible for special incentives.

“The 20/20 match is based on common ancestors,” said Norton.

“It qualifies you for a 20-percent discount on the stud fee.”

Crestwood Farm, another Lexington facility, stands multiple stallions, including Yorkton (Speightstown). Yorkton’s owners, Chiefswood Stables Limited, offer a $1,000,0000 breeders’ incentive program for their stallion’s 2021 foal crop. Once breeders of record (listed on Jockey Club registration) have paid the stud fee, they are eligible for bonus income.

The first 20 foals to win a North American Maiden Special Weight race for two-year-olds with a purse of $25,000 or more will receive $10,000. The first six foals to win a listed or graded, blacktype stakes in North America will receive $100,000. Each breeder is eligible to win this award only once per each individual horse.

Yorkton’s first foal to win a Gr. 1 stakes race in North America before the end of its three-year-old year will collect a $200,000 bonus.

Not all stallion programs are ultimately successful, although those promoted heavily do draw attention to the subscribed stallion.

An example was Runhappy, owned by furniture entrepreneur Jim McIngvale aka ‘Mattress Mack’ of Houston, Texas.

Runhappy’s 94 two-year-olds of 2020 were eligible to a $100,000 bonus for winning an unrestricted maiden race at the Belmont Summer meet, Kentucky Downs, Saratoga or Del Mar at first asking. The stallion, which stands at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., had no takers according to Bernie Sams, who is in charge of stallion seasons and bloodstock manager at the farm.

Duncan Taylor, president of Taylor Made Farm, noted that some programs have been successful, while many got initial attention before fading away.

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M O N . 13

-

S AT 2 5 .

| INDUSTRY |

| SALES INCENTIVES |

Keeneland Walking Ring

ABOVE: Keeneland’s Tony Lacy

ABOVE: Former Washington champion two-year-old Time For Gold benefited from the WTBOA incentives awards at Emerald Downs.

“Offering $100,000 for a maiden win is enough to get people’s attention, but most farms can’t afford to do that,” Taylor opined. “Basically, the stud fee is not great enough to be able to pay out that kind of money. There are probably two to three horses that retire every year that can withstand a stud fee of $30,000 or more, and everybody else is below that.”

• Sales perks Sales companies have often tried to market their consignments with bonuses to the buyers. Some have worked—others, not so much. The offerings that failed in the end have long been forgotten, but the sales continue to promote prospective customers—both sellers and buyers.

Keeneland Sales tried a bonus for Book 1 buyers some years back, but it was not continued after the initial year.

“It worked, but it was a little open ended,” said Tony Lacy, Keeneland’s new vice president of sales. “If you look in Europe, there are bonuses based on English-bred or Irish-bred; they have some that go through certain sales, but they are industry sponsored. Over here it would be more focused on the sales company. It’s a little more difficult to finance.

“We’ve been looking at potential options in future bonuses. Nothing has been worked out as yet, as far as the immediate future, but I’d say it is certainly something in consideration. We are looking at the feasibility of the options—how something like that would work and how it would be structured.”

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Lacy explained that there is validity to promotions, but the programs would have to be structured and sustainable.

“At Keeneland, we try to put everything back—reinvest into the game,” Lacy noted. “Promotions can become stagnant—are always a challenge; so we are looking at options and working through the numbers. For something to be enacted, it would have to have sustainability and viability for both sellers, purchasers and the sale company.”

The Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association provides bonuses for horses offered at their sales held at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash. Anne Sweet is in charge of the WTBOA Sales Incentive Program, referred to as SIP. The incentives are available to horses that sold as well as those that did not reach their reserve, RNA. Yearling sale consignors pay the first $75 of the nomination fee with their sales entry. Buyers have the option of paying the fee balance of $100, which makes the horse eligible as long as the owner is a WTBOA member.

Eligible horses are rewarded with bonus monies when breaking their maiden at Emerald Downs. Winners of Maiden Special Weight, allowance or stakes race level are rewarded with $2,500; winners of maiden claiming for $25,000 or more receive a $1,000 bonus.

“It took us a couple of years to make people aware of the program, but people are pretty on top of it now,” Sweet said. “When an eligible horse breaks their maiden, we have a big check that Emerald Downs helps get out to the winner’s circle to help promote SIP; and the announcer is good about mentioning it as well.”

Fasig-Tipton Sales are conducted all over the United States. They have offered races for sales graduates routinely for over a decade to promote upcoming sales.

The most recent example is the Fasig-Tipton Debutante and Futurity (both $100,000 purses) held at Santa Anita in front of their Two-Year-Olds in Training sale at the track last June.

“Normally when we do sponsor something, it is right in front of a sale that is happening at one of the tracks like

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| INDUSTRY |

| SALES INCENTIVES |

• It pays to breed, buy and race in Ontario

ABOVE: Fasig-Tipton’s Reed Ringler (center).

Saratoga, Gulfstream, Santa Anita and others,” confirmed Reed Ringler, owner and buyer relations manager. “We’ve also done the Fasig-Tipton Million Dollar Derby Bonus for horses that came out of the Florida [Gulfstream] Sale. We offered that big bonus if you were to graduate from the sale and win the Florida Derby. That was the year Doug O’Neill flew Nyquist out and won it the first year we offered it.”

“It was kind of hard to get it insured after that,” he added with a laugh.

Ringler suspects the incentives draw attention to their sales, but horsemen ultimately make their choices for the long haul. If the perk pays off, all the better.

“I don’t know if [incentives] really move the needle that much,” Ringler opined. “Some of the trainers attending these sales—if they know there is a bonus—might look for a horse with that in mind, but they are usually there to buy the best horse they can for the money they can. If they happen to hit a bullseye, where there is a horse eligible for something like that, it’s a bonus.”

For Ontario Breeding & Racing participants the Mare Purchase Program (MPP) has been developed to stimulate and support a strong and vibrant racing and breeding industry. The Thoroughbred MPP makes Ontario residents eligible to the program upon purchasing an infoal broodmare at declared sales in North America.

Eligible applicants receive 50 percent of the purchase price, up to the maximum of $15,000 (CDN), through the Thoroughbred Horse Improvement Program (TIP) for each mare purchased. The incentive drums up interest in buyers new to the industry as well as established breeders.

There is an added bonus of $2,500 (CDN) for every mare that is bred back to a registered Ontario sire. The MPP is capped at a maximum distribution of $50,000 (CDN) for any individual or partnership, and the minimum purchase price on any in-foal mare is $15,000 (USD).

U.S. based buyers save roughly 20% in exchange on purchases made in Canada, according to the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS), Ontario, who host their annual yearling sale on September 1st this year at their Woodbine sales complex.

On the track, Ontario-bred graduates of the CTHS sale will be racing for purses which include 20% of the purse money for a registered Ontario-bred in open races in Ontario and an additional 20% of the purse if the horse is Ontario sired. For the restricted overnight racing program, purchases are eligible to run in the restricted stakes races valued at over $6.9 million. These races feature 12 registered Canadian-bred stakes worth $3,950,000 (CDN), four sales stakes worth $600,000 (CDN), five registered Ontario-bred stakes worth $700,000 (CDN) and 10 Ontario sires stakes worth $1,000,000 (CDN).

The Ontario Sired Heritage Series has been added in 2021, which offers eight races worth $750,000 (CDN).

The Sales Credit Program, originally initiated by the CTHS has been expanded for the current year and the credits now include run races at Woodbine and Fort Erie with owners of Ontario-sired and Ontario-bred horses eligible to receive credits (to be used at the 2021 CTHS Yearling Sale or Winter Mixed Sale) for designated races.

Under the program, the owner of an Ontario-sired or Ontario-bred winner of a claiming race with a claiming price listed between $15,000 (CDN) and $20,000 (CDN) will receive a credit of $1,000 (CDN). An Ontario-sired or Ontario-bred winner of a claiming race of $14,000 (CDN) or lower will earn a $750 (CDN) credit. The program will be capped at $260,000 (CDN).

LEFT: The CTHS has multiple incentives and purchase programs for Ontario-sired and Ontario-bred horses.

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One of the Most Successful Thoroughbred Training Centers

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ISSUE 61 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| SALES INCENTIVES |

Barbara Banke (LEFT) of Stonestreet Farm and Wayne Hughes (ABOVE) of Spendthrift Farm are staunch supporters of the Australian Magic Millions program.

• Global foredeals Since its creation in 2016, the Haras de Bouquetot, ARQANA October Yearling Sale Criterium has given owners the opportunity to have a runner during the prestigious Arc weekend.

After a year of sales that was adapted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the race that has seen no less than 30 different connections win prize money will take place in 2021 under a new format. The race is now open to all two-year-olds that were offered at the 2020 yearling sales: the Select Sale, October Yearling Sale and Autumn Sale – Flat Yearlings.

The one-mile race is for two-year-old colts, geldings and fillies that were offered at the sales and will be held during the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend at Paris Longchamp. A guaranteed minimum purse of €200,000 ($237,500) is guaranteed by ARQANA. The Great British Bonus scheme seems to be drawing a lot of attention. The GBB offers lucrative bonuses to owners, breeders and connections of registered British-bred fillies and mares that win eligible races. Foals born in Britain and that are by sires standing in Britain can win up to £20,000 ($27,700); foals born in Britain, but by sires standing abroad are eligible for up to £10,000 ($13,800).

To date, 110 different owners have won a combined total of £1,609,075 ($2,229,000) in payouts, and 101 breeders have received a combined total of £501,100 ($694,000). In addition, 68 trainers have received a combined total of £185,662 ($257,000), 84 jockeys were awarded a combined total of £123,775 ($171,400), and stable staff in 68 yards divided up £61,887 ($85,700).

Buyers are stimulated to buy eligible horses at approved sales.

The program is stimulating the middle market, as intended.

Australia’s Magic Millions program has proven a global success.

The Magic Millions operates a buyer incentive program for approved purchasers, which is designed to subsidize travel costs for attending the sale, based on monies spent, region traveled from and settlement of account.

The tiered incentive program can be offered prior to established purchasers or post-sale for first time buyers. The level of incentives varies according to sale type, as to yearling or breeding stock. Two returning American buyers include Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farm and B. Wayne Hughes of Spendthrift Farm.

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“The main programs that I know the Magic Millions does are sales related,” Spendthrift’s Toffey recalled. “If a horse enters through one of their sales, then they are eligible to race in one of their lucrative races. We are fans of what they do at Magic Millions; it’s a wonderful sales company. We’ve had good success buying there and think a lot of the management. It’s that kind of innovative thinking that’s led us to do some of the [programs] we do.”

“For a while we offered a Spendthrift Stake that was modeled on the idea of the Magic Millions,” Toffey added. “We didn’t get a lot of cooperation from the racetrack or the stakes committee; they’d never award us black-type so we got away from that. It’s a shame because it was, again, trying to help the breeders.”

“The Magic Millions Race Series is the world’s first and richest sales-based incentive race series,” according to Val Hayward, marketing manager-sales. “Buyers and sellers of yearlings offered through a Magic Millions Yearling Sale are eligible to exclusively nominate the horse to the Magic Millions Race Series. The series currently comprises annual prize money of $12.895 million across 23 races, including a $10.25-million race day on the Gold Coast each January.

“The series also incorporates the ground-breaking Magic Millions Racing Women initiative. Aimed to promote ownership opportunities, the initiative offers $750,000 in bonus prize money for eligible horses 100 percent owned by women.”

The deeper one digs, the more treasure may be unearthed when it comes to stallion and sales perks offered around the world.

Unlike Barnum, horsemen don’t set up midway sideshows to attract breeders and buyers; they are more discreet. It is worth looking and possibly asking if you don’t find a “deal” on a favorite stallion. Are the marketing programs worth the trouble? Ned Toffey believes they are.

“We are trying to get things to work for the breeders, trying to allow breeders to be successful,” Toffey offered. “Both our Spendthrift programs are geared to doing that. The stallion market is competitive, and you’ve got to be creative and innovative and work hard to ensure your horses are popular. People are always coming up with various programs.”

And, as P.T. Barnum said, “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.”

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| BREEDING |

Jeff Lowe

Eclipse Sportswire, Nancy Sexton

ARE HOM E BR E D S A DY I N G BR E E D ?

Stellar Run in 2021 Classics, but the pool of owner-breeders has grown thin

W

hen Charlotte Weber settled into Ocala, Fla., in 1968 to launch a breeding establishment to fuel her fledgling racing stable, the blueprint was well-established across the major players of the game. In that era when names like Phipps, Rokeby and Whitney were synonymous with racing success, homebreds were the ticket to the winner’s circle.

Weber put a different spin on her Live Oak Stud operation with the location in central Florida, which at that point was just beginning to creep into the racing landscape. Over the last 53 years, Live Oak has been a beacon in Ocala’s expansion into a self-proclaimed perch as the “Horse Capital of the World”— in some ways as a sharp contrast to the two-year-old hub that has grown up around her now 4,500-acre property. Weber has maintained her focus on a breed-to-race model and built up a rich history of success, now with key bloodlines that have been cultivated over the course of several decades. Meanwhile, around the corner, across town and at places in between, a commercial marketplace has sprung up in Ocala and reshaped much of the racing world.

Weber and her cousin, George Strawbridge—both heirs of the Campbell Soup Co.—have charted similar courses with their individual stables. Weber’s Live Oak Plantation has laid claim to more than 30 graded stakes winners; and Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable has accounted for three champions, a long list of top horses in Flat racing and the sole position as the all-time leading owner in the National Steeplechase Association.

Breeding to race has been the standard for Weber and Strawbridge. With few exceptions, they are mostly alone in pursuing that model in 2021, even if homebreds have been on a tremendous kick in American racing this season.

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| ARE HOMEBREDS A DYING BREED? |

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FOR ME, A HOMEBRED IS CLOSER TO THE HEART BECAUSE I’VE WATCHED THEM SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN BORN—SEEN THEM AS THEY HAVE GROWN UP. I HAVE MORE OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE HORSE THAN IF I WERE TO GO BUY A YEARLING OR A TWO-YEAR-OLD.” CHARLOTTE WEBER – LIVE OAK STUD

“It’s like a lot of things in life today: I think people in racing are chasing lightning in a bottle,” Weber said. “I can’t really blame them. If you can buy a horse and get to the races quickly and are lucky enough to find some success, it makes a lot of sense. I can tell you that the economics are a whole lot different than when I got started in racing; it’s very expensive, and I say that as someone who is fortunate to have a cushion but tries to be sensible.

“For me, a homebred is closer to the heart because I’ve watched them since they have been born—seen them as they have grown up. I have more of an understanding of the horse than if I were to go buy a yearling or a two-year-old. And with some of these families I’ve had for so long, that lineage becomes something

Charlotte Weber

special. Like Win Approval [the dam of two Breeders’ Cup Mile winners, Miesque’s Approval and World Approval], she sits in a paddock out by my house, and I get to watch her all the time.

That’s just special.”

Ironically the biggest breed-to-race operation in America these days is not that long removed from a nearly ubiquitous presence in the commercial market as a leading buyer. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum has shifted much more to the breeding game in America over the last 15 years. With the banner of his Godolphin Racing stable flying high at the moment thanks to Essential Quality, the champion two-year-old male of 2020 has kept firing as a three-year-old including a classic victory in the Belmont Stakes, a few hours after the Godolphin homebred Althiqa captured the Gr. 1 Just a Game Stakes on the same card at Belmont.

Essential Quality wins the 2021 Belmont Stakes.

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| ARE HOMEBREDS A DYING BREED? |

ABOVE: Althiqa winning the Gr. 1 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park, 2021.

LEFT: Michael Banahan with Delightful Quality, dam of Essential Quality.

“That doesn’t happen very often; I don’t care who you are,” said Michael Banahan, the director of farm operations for Godolphin USA. “For us in the states, it had been a long while since we had a classic win—going back to Bernardini in the Preakness [2006]. They don’t run many classics, and they sure are hard to win. But it’s funny—depending on what happens with the Kentucky Derby with the drug positive—if Mandaloun ends up being the winner, you’ll have a sweep for the homebreds with Mandaloun, Rombauer in the Preakness and Essential Quality, not to mention Malathaat winning the Kentucky Oaks. Who knows when the last time that has happened?”

Essential Quality is a legacy horse for the Jonabell Farm wing of Godolphin’s breeding footprint in the U.S. Back in 2005, when U.S. Thoroughbred auctions were regularly seeing epic bidding duels between Sheikh Mohammed and the Coolmore associates, Sheikh Mohammed’s representative acquired Essential Quality’s second dam, Contrive, for $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“It was a bit of a slow burner,” said Banahan, who has worked for Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding entities in Europe and America for nearly 30 years. “Contrive was a Storm Cat mare—couldn’t do much better than that back then—and she was the dam of Folklore, who had just won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. It’s a family that we’ve liked and developed over time at Jonabell, but it was several years before we got a proper graded stakes winner out of it with Essential Quality. You have to play the long game with those. A lot of times you don’t get instant gratification.”

Chad Schumer, a longtime bloodstock agent based in Kentucky, is struck by how few owner-breeders are left in American racing compared to when he first started in the business; but at the same time, he can understand exactly why.

“It’s like anything else in life: if it’s cheaper to build a house, you’re going to build a house; and if it’s cheaper and more economical to buy a house, you’re going to buy a house,” Schumer said. “Economics are a big part of it. I can’t speak for everyone, but for myself, I’ve found that I can go to the sales and buy a horse that I really like. I just finished second in a stakes race with a filly that I paid a whole $15,000 for at a sale. If I can go and buy a filly like that, why in the world would you breed it?

“We had a colt on our list at the OBS spring sale last year that unfortunately we didn’t buy. We got sidetracked dealing with another horse at the time, and that colt ended up being Get Her Number, who cost $45,000 and wound up winning a Gr. 1 that fall as a two-year-old at ISSUE 61 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| ARE HOMEBREDS A DYING BREED? |

Chad Schumer with Ibrahim Rachid.

I’VE FOUND THAT I CAN GO TO THE SALES AND BUY A HORSE THAT I REALLY LIKE. I JUST FINISHED SECOND IN A STAKES RACE WITH A FILLY THAT I PAID A WHOLE $15,000 FOR AT A SALE. IF I CAN GO AND BUY A FILLY LIKE THAT, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU BREED IT?” CHAD SCHUMER – BLOODSTOCK AGENT

Rombauer

Santa Anita. If the breeder sold that horse, and he paid a $15,000 stud fee, let me assure you, that was not a successful sale. But for that buyer, it was definitely cheaper than breeding that horse and getting him to that point. Until the economics change, I can’t see how people shift to breeding to race.”

Rombauer was a wild card in the economic considerations at play in this year’s Triple Crown. His owner-breeders John and Diane Fradkin have a commercial breeding model and only retained Rombauer to race because they felt that trying to sell him amid the COVID-19 disruptions of the two-year-old sale schedule in 2020 would have been a losing proposition. The Fradkins sent Rombauer to Southern California to race with trainer Michael McCarthy with the hope that he would garner a private sale offer within his first race or two. Rombauer did his part, winning his debut at Del Mar last summer going two turns on the turf, but no offer came.

“The family had a history of winning early, so I thought it was a pretty good plan,” said John Fradkin, who got started as a breeder in the late 1990s with Rombauer’s second dam, Ultrafleet—the first yearling that he and Diane ever bought. “This horse won really impressively, and I thought there would be some big offers on him and we might sell him, but there weren’t any. Part of that reason was because the time of the race was rather poor. It was 1:38 and 3 for a mile, and it resulted in an initial Beyer number of 48. Nobody pays big money for a horse that won and received a 48 Beyer.

“Two weeks later we found out that the times were actually off at Del Mar racetrack. They had installed a new timing system,

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and it wasn’t working properly; and all the times were off. That was another lucky break because if the real time was given to the horse, he probably would have sold.”

Weber finished second the first time she ran a horse in the Kentucky Derby, in 1982 with Laser Light. She reached the Run for the Roses for the fourth time this year with Soup and Sandwich, who ran 19th.

“Maybe we’ll win it one of these years,” Weber said. “That’s one thing that hasn’t changed. It’s all about hope.”

John and Diane Fradkin with The Woodlawn Vase after Rombauer’s 2021 Preakness Stakes win.

USDAED NS LI C E E N EQ U I A M S A L P

| INDUSTRY |

THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIRT SURFACES A

sk any Thoroughbred horseman or horsewoman what the safest racetrack surface in North America is, and the response will probably be immediate: synthetic.

And they would be correct. Ask California horsemen or horsewomen the same question, and there’s a good chance the majority will have a different opinion. It’s “good old-fashioned dirt” as Dennis Moore (the noted racetrack surface consultant) calls it with understandable pride— specifically the dirt at Del Mar Racetrack where he is also track superintendent.

Overall, Jockey Club statistics show synthetics are safer than dirt with a 1.02 fatality rate per 1,000 starts and 1.49 for dirt in 2020. Del Mar’s rate of fatalities on dirt was 0.29 in 2020 with only one fatality. What’s more, the Del Mar fatality rate has been lower than those recorded for both the synthetic surfaces at Golden Gate Fields and Woodbine over the last four years.

Across North America, Del Mar was the lowest in fatalities among the major racetracks reporting statistics to The Jockey’s Club’s Equine Injury Database (EID) for last year. (Pleasanton achieved zero fatalities in 874 starts.)

Del Mar, certainly, is the “star” among U.S. dirt tracks, but it is also leading a trend for racing on “next-generation” dirt surfaces. While synthetic and turf fatality rates have moved higher and lower over the last five years, dirt tracks have experienced a steady decline in fatality rates to 2020’s all-time low.

Gone is the hue and cry for synthetics that once blanketed Del Mar, Santa Anita and the dearly departed Hollywood Park, particularly in the wake of the disastrous 2019 at Santa Anita when 19 horses died on the dirt surface. It’s not just that dirt is “back,” as evidenced by the Southern California tracks and Keeneland returning to it after synthetic surfaces, but it is evidently better than ever.

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Ken Snyder

Eclipse Sportswire, Santa Anita Park

| D I R T S U R FA C E S |

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Racing at Del Mar.

BELOW: Track consultant Dennis Moore alongside CHRB & track officials readying the Orono Biomechanical Surface Tester, a device that mimics the impact of a horse running at full speed.

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Can improved safety stats on dirt continue? The answer is a promising one for not only California but all of Thoroughbred racing in America. The 1.41 equine fatality rate in 2020 on all surfaces—dirt, turf and synthetic— was the lowest since the creation of the EID in 2009.

Mick Peterson, another noted racetrack consultant and executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, has been at the forefront of research and improvements in surfaces since 2006 along with Moore.

He likes to use the word “multi-factorial” when looking at improving safety stats over the past decades. In other words, it is not quantifiable but undeniable.

Why are dirt tracks improved and safer? The answer is in a key ingredient most in the horse industry would agree has been missing from a sport not governed by a central authority: common sense. At least regarding track surfaces, it may have had its first application, not surprisingly, at Del Mar. Historically a lot of injuries occurred in the first week or two of race meets “where the surf meets the turf ” with horses coming down from Santa Anita. When Moore took over as track superintendent at Del Mar, he immediately observed something: “This doesn’t make any sense. It’s the same horses. Why would you have a different surface [from Santa Anita]?” With a subsequent rebuild, he created consistency between the two racetracks. The base at Del Mar was overhauled to match Santa Anita’s, and banking in the turns was changed to exactly match the geometry at the Arcadia, Calif. track—roughly two hours north from Del Mar. “When you have several tracks in the same jurisdiction— if you can keep the tracks, the maintenance program and the material and structure of the material as close as you can to one another—it’s going to benefit everybody,” said Moore.

| D I R T S U R FA C E S |

Today that kind of collaboration continues with the ongoing rebuild at Laurel Park in Maryland, which has involved both Moore and Peterson. Laurel Track Superintendent Chris Bosley has also turned to Glen Kozak, who oversees the New York Racing Association’s (NYRA) facility and track operations, for input into the Laurel project. NYRA and Maryland tracks experience similar weather and more importantly, perhaps, Kozak oversaw track surfaces in Maryland before moving to New York.

California and Maryland are not the only states where racing is benefitting from collaboration. Peterson recalled a recent Kentucky Derby where an equine vet, looking at the track surface, casually remarked, “You know it seems to me like every time I come to Churchill, it looks a little bit more like Keeneland; and every time I go to Keeneland, it looks a little bit more like Churchill.” It is no accident, according to Peterson, but the product of much hard work.

California efforts at uniform consistency with racetrack surfaces preceded a Safety-from-Start-to-Finish Initiative launched by Churchill Downs Inc. in 2008 to replicate on their racetracks what had been done on the West Coast.

“The Start-to-Finish Initiative provided the funding for me to go from Calder to Arlington to Churchill Downs to the Fair Grounds to make them match,” said Peterson.

Fair Grounds Track Superintendent Pedro Zavala talks regularly with his Churchill Downs counterpart, Jamie Richardson, as horses head north from the Fair Grounds winter meet to Churchill Downs in the spring. “Now those are very different climates that aren’t like NYRA or like Del Mar and Santa Anita, but to the extent that they can make things match, Jamie and Pedro will,” Peterson said.

Neither Peterson nor Moore has forgotten that successful consistency is consistently duplicating what improves a track surface elsewhere. “There are a lot of tracks that do almost everything right, and the trick is to copy from them. And then anything they’re not doing, copy from somewhere else,” Peterson said with a laugh.

He spearheaded the development of a Maintenance Quality System (MQS) adopted by 14 major U.S. racetracks that collect and analyze data on surfaces daily. The analysis provides a data source to pinpoint possible factors with that track surface in a catastrophic incident or injury—kind of a racing “black box.”

The idea could have come from Moore, who will have been on the racetrack for 50 years next year. “I always kept my own records as far as weather and how much rain we had, how many horses and maintenance. I did it so that I could reference it. Let’s say I sealed the track three times with a roller today and I had twoand-a-half inches of rain and the track really came out great. The next time I was in the same situation, I would try the same thing.

“What Mick has done, he’s taken it to a different level. All the data is fed through his data system, and he keeps track of everything for us—speed of tractors dragging harrows, how many rounds they go, the maintenance and the water.”

Coming soon as part of the MQS is what Peterson and Moore call the “Smart Harrow”—an instrument that can not only measure cushion depth, moisture levels and compaction density of the racetrack but can do it at a time most beneficial to horse and rider.

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“Right now, we can’t do a thorough investigation of the track in between races; you just don’t have time to do it,” Moore said.

“But if we have an instrument on the harrow that can give us real-time readings as we’re harrowing out in between races, that’s going to be a huge, huge help to us.”

The benefits are obvious as weather affects track conditions during racing or morning training hours. If a track is drying out rapidly, the track superintendent will know to water the surface and how much.

The obvious positive results from building racetrack consistency and Peterson’s MQS are such that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which will take effect next summer, will have a “minimal” impact on the 14 racetracks currently using MQS, according to Peterson.

“The dramatic change is going to be all the others,” he added, referring to smaller racetracks. Just as consistency has been a target for tracks within a geographic area and even beyond, maintenance standards must also be consistent, Peterson said.

“Having different standards of care for different tracks, to me, doesn’t make any sense.

“You can pick out the track. There’s a lot of them out there where there’s going to be a big transformation,” referring again to smaller race racing venues. “They’re going to have to document what they’re doing, measure it, and if they can’t justify their decisions, they’re going to have to reassess.

“There’s one track that used to replace their surface every year. That’s just silly. That’s a waste of money. The consistency?

I don’t know how you replace a surface every year and get any consistency.”

Integrated into HISA is the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety Integrity Alliance Code of Standards that asks for electronic record keeping and measurements at specific times to verify the condition of a racetrack surface.

WHAT ABOUT SYNTHETIC RACE SURFACES? At this point, it seems to have found a niche primarily with coldweather racetracks—Turfway in Northern Kentucky that race at night in winter and Woodbine. Currently, there are calls for replacement of the dirt surface at Charles Town in West Virginia with weather similar to Turfway as well as night racing.

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ABOVE: Track testing at Santa Anita Park.

“At some point, those implementing HISA are going to have to be able to report back to the Federal Trade Commission what they are doing and what they told them what they were going to do,” Peterson said. At that point, HISA administrators will work with the racetracks or the racing commissions.

Unsaid is who will bear the cost for meeting new standards.

“Some of them [small tracks] do a great job with really limited resources. I just finished a phone call with one of the racing commissions this morning and I said, ‘It doesn’t always cost more money to do this. You just have to make sure you spend the money on the right things.’”

Or, to continue a theme, have some common sense.

If it were up to trainer Mark Casse, who probably has more combined experience on dirt and synthetic surfaces than any Thoroughbred trainer, every racetrack would have a synthetic surface.

“I believe if everybody had the synthetic tracks, that we would get so many more starts out of our horses. It’s not as tiring as a dirt track. I find that if I’m going to be competing, say, with a first-time starter or a horse coming off a long layoff that I can get them ready to run in almost half the time and half the workouts.”

Asked once about the disadvantages of training on synthetic, the amiable Casse—his tongue firmly planted in his cheek— responded, “There are no rain days. You don’t get days off because the track is bad.”

As for the perception that it causes soft-tissue hind issues, he described that as “absolutely, positively baloney,” adding that “we do our own studies, and I’ve had more soft-tissue injuries on dirt racetracks than I ever had on synthetic.” Casse even volunteers to debate any synthetic naysayers at any time and any place.

With a Racing Hall of Fame election in 2020 and over $188 million in purse earnings, Casse may be a classic example of the adage, “The person with an experience is never at the mercy of an argument.”

1/ST

SAFETY DESERVING OF EVERY HORSE. RIDING WITH PURPOSE, PASSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND INNOVATION. Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park has invested in an innovative sub-surface drainage network, all new racetrack base and a state of the art track cushion for better surface consistency during racing and training.

Paired with comprehensive backstretch renovations and a state-of-the-art turf course aeriation strategy designed to enhance course drainage, these changes reiterate our commitment to putting horse and rider safety at the forefront of everything we do.

| INDUSTRY |

Peter J. Sacopulos

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Alamy, Laura Palazzolo

As a Thoroughbred trainer, you are running an equine-related business. But the IRS may decide you are merely enjoying an expensive hobby. If that happens, the agency will deny your business expense deductions and boost your tax bill. What guidelines should you follow to ensure that your activities are not miscategorized, and when is the law on your side?

• A costly question Here is a riddle for you: When is a business not a business? Before you answer, I should tell you that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is asking, not me. And with that, as is often the case when a tax collector asks a question, the wrong answer could prove costly. So, when is a business not a business?

When the IRS says it is a hobby.

The question itself is valid. The United States Federal Tax Code taxes business income, among other things. In doing so, it allows any taxpayer who owns and runs a business to deduct all “ordinary and necessary expenses paid” during a tax year for “carrying on a trade or business.” However, the code also makes it clear that carrying on a trade or business means engaging in an activity to earn a profit, not because it is fun or enjoyable.

What does the IRS call engaging in an activity on a regular basis for the sheer pleasure of doing it? The same thing the rest of us do. “A hobby.”

Before Congress rewrote the federal tax code in 2018, some taxpayers might have been able to deduct certain hobby expenses. But they would have had to make money from the hobby, reported income and made sure their expenses qualified as miscellaneous itemized deductions under IRS rules. How many deductions does the current tax code allow for hobby-related expenses? Basically, none.

• From pleasure to profit Meanwhile, American popular culture bombards us with career advice, urging us to pursue our passion and follow our dreams. No wonder so many of us grow up fantasizing about wildly successful careers spent doing something we love. The budding guitarist dreams of becoming a rock star. The talented young artist, of selling paintings in Paris for millions. And the young man or woman with talent and skill for horses, of riding to victory in the Triple Crown. While dreams like these are longshots, they might come true. More realistically, they may lead to other careers. The grown-up guitarist teaches music lessons, for instance, while the artist works as a freelance children’s book illustrator, and the young horseman becomes a Thoroughbred trainer.

In each of these cases, the individual would be running a business that began as a hobby. Doing so might be their full time career, or a “side hustle”

that supplements income from another job or business. These individuals may enjoy what they do a great deal. But once they start doing it to make money, their operating expenses are tax deductible.

In other words, they are required to pay taxes only on their net profits (business income minus business expenses), not on the business’ gross profits (business income before the deduction of business expenses).

This means that items like the music teacher’s new amplifier, the illustrator’s new watercolor brushes and the trainer’s new tack may all be deducted, so long as the items are used for business purposes.

The same applies to all other legitimate business expenses—from cellphones to facilities. And as the owner of any Thoroughbred-related business knows, expenses can add up quickly, especially when a business is starting up or expanding.

• The tax collector’s call Unfortunately, taxpayers sometimes believe they are running a business, only to have the IRS decide they are simply spending a lot of money on a hobby. When this happens, the IRS typically rejects the taxpayer’s deductions for business expenses and invokes any number of what the agency sees as remedies. These range from insisting that an individual pay higher taxes in a single year to auditing up to six years of tax returns and demanding the payment of additional back taxes, plus interest payments and monetary penalties.

And woe unto the would-be wily tax cheat who clearly knows he is not really running a business and deliberately attempts to scam the IRS by claiming hobby costs as business expenses. Similarly honest mistakes on your taxes can be expensive. But in addition to being expensive, deliberate fraud can land the taxpayer in criminal court, and eventually prison.

If the IRS deems a taxpayer’s activities a hobby instead of a business, and the taxpayer disagrees with the agency’s determination, the taxpayer may gather their business records and other evidence and appeal to the IRS. If that fails, he or she may challenge the IRS in Tax Court. These situations can get complicated and expensive. Consider the landmark case of Merrill C. Roberts v. the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, in which a Thoroughbred operator challenged the IRS with dramatic results.

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• An expensive turn of events

• Case in point Merrill Roberts is a successful entrepreneur who owns and operates businesses in the Indianapolis, Ind. area. Roberts proved skilled at making money in businesses in which turning a profit can be difficult, including restaurants and nightclubs. He had sold most of his businesses and largely relegated himself to consulting roles by the late 1990s, when he accepted an invitation to a Thoroughbred association dinner. A dinner created to draw new participants into the racing industry.

Merrill Roberts caught the horse racing bug, big time. Within a couple of years, he owned a dozen horses, including a breeding stallion. He stabled them on his own property and employed various trainers. He passed the test to become a licensed trainer himself in 2002. Roberts also joined industry associations, eventually accepting leadership positions in two such organizations. And he lobbied for slot machines at Indiana racetracks— the proceeds of which help increase racing purses.

Immersed in his new activities, Roberts expanded his equine endeavors.

He purchased 180 acres in rural Indiana and built an impressive new training facility. In addition to breeding, racing and boarding horses, Roberts grew hay on the property and leased some of the land to local farmers. His horses may not have set the world on fire, but his stable included some solid competitors.

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Although Merrill Roberts’ horse operations created significant gross revenue, his annual expenses were high.

After making a small profit in his first year, he lost money for several more. The IRS audited Roberts’ tax returns for 2005–2008, and determined that during those tax years, his horse racing activities were a hobby and not a business. This meant that, for those years, the IRS refused to accept Roberts’ expenses for Thoroughbred activities as business deductions. Having dismissed his deductions, the IRS presented Roberts with a bill totaling over $1 million for back taxes, penalties and interest. But like many successful entrepreneurs, Merrill Roberts is no shrinking violet, and took the IRS to Tax Court. The case went to trial in 2014.

In determining whether Roberts’ horse operations constituted a business under IRS rules, the Tax Court noted several points in his favor. First, Merrill Roberts conducted his activities in a businesslike manner. Second, he relied on solid accounting methods, including the services of certified public accountants (CPAs). Third, he invested large amounts of time in horse-related activities, routinely working eight-to-twelve-hour days. Fourth, Roberts relied upon industry experts, including respected trainers and bloodstock agents. Fifth, he also gained expertise himself, learning to be a trainer and passing a state licensing test that the Tax Court itself found “rigorous.” Sixth, he purchased property and invested in suitable facilities for the conduct of his equine activities; and seventh, Roberts reasonably believed his property would appreciate in value, adding credence to his claims of a profit-driven model.

In addition to these factors, the Court noted that Merrill Roberts had a proven record of success in other business ventures. The Tax Court also noted that, although Roberts

| TRAINERS VS. THE IRS |

was wealthy, he did not appear to be so wealthy that he could view the funds spent on his horse operations dismissively. However, the Tax Court also noted that Roberts had received some income from real estate transactions and rental properties in certain years, which could have reduced the need for the horse operations to be profitable. And the court considered indications that Roberts enjoyed his Thoroughbred activities.

• Decisions, decisions At this point, you have probably decided that the IRS was clearly wrong about Merrill Roberts’ equine efforts, and the Tax Court quickly ruled in his favor. But remember, there is rarely an open-and-shut case. The Tax Court also recognized that in 2005 and 2006, Merrill Roberts attended races and on-track training sessions, indicating he enjoyed the social and recreational side of Thoroughbred activities. Even though, in 2007, Roberts had delegated those duties to an assistant trainer and spent more time at his own facilities.

The Tax Court ultimately ruled that, because Merrill Roberts received income from other business and because he enjoyed the social and recreational aspects of his horse operations, Roberts’ equine endeavors functioned as a hobby during the 2005 and 2006 tax years, but as a business during the 2007 and 2008 tax years. One could view this as a partial victory for Roberts, or a convoluted, illogical decision. Roberts saw it as the latter and took the case to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

In April 2015, the Court of Appeals issued its decision. The ruling restated the many facts in Roberts’ favor as recognized by the Tax Court.

It also noted that legitimate businesses could expect to lose money for a period of years due to start-up costs. It touched on the fact that horse racing is a business in which making a profit may prove difficult and pointed to Merrill Roberts’ various efforts to do so.

• Appealing results The Appeals Court then detailed the flaws and contradictions in the Tax Court’s ruling. It noted that the IRS had not challenged the business vs. hobby status of Roberts’ Thoroughbred activities during the years prior to 2005. This meant that, in the eyes of the IRS, Merrill Roberts’ equine activities had somehow transformed from businesses to hobbies and back to businesses in less than a decade. The Seventh Circuit judges found this absurd, especially since it eliminated start-up and expansion costs as business expenses.

The appellate judges stated that a business-like activity could not be labeled a hobby simply because the owner had other businesses that produced a profit, regardless of how much the owner enjoyed the activity in question.

Indeed, the concept of enjoyment was at the heart of the Court of Appeals decision. The Court of Appeals stated: “…obviously many businessmen derive pleasure, self-esteem, and other non monetary ‘goods’ from their businesses, and horse racing is just the kind of business that would generate such ‘goods’ for participants such as the owners and trainers (Roberts is both) of the horses….”

The court dismissed the idea that enjoying aspects of an activity could be used to determine whether that activity was a business or hobby.

The Federal Court of Appeals held that it could not be too hard on the Tax Court for its convoluted decision, because the Tax Court had been required to follow regulations that were “goofy.”

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| INDUSTRY |

| TRAINERS VS. THE IRS |

The Federal Court of Appeals proceeded to deconstruct the IRS’ longstanding “enjoyment” standard. It pointed out that “fun doesn’t convert a business to a hobby”; “a hobby is not a career”; and that “a person deciding whether to take up a hobby is not contemplating a career change.” It added that “profit goes with businesses, not hobbies” and quoted a 1972 court decision that states: “suffering has never been made a prerequisite for deductibility.”

Based on these factors and others, the court ruled in Merrill Roberts’ favor. His Thoroughbred business had always been a business. His deductions were allowed. He owed no additional taxes, penalties or interest for the years in question. It was a vindication that set new standards for the business/hobby determination.

• 9 things you must know So, how do you ensure the IRS regards your equine activities as a business and not a hobby? First, know that there are currently nine key factors the IRS expects you to consider before you report any activity as a business. Second, know that the agency uses these same nine factors to determine whether an activity is a business or a hobby. Third, know that the IRS may come to a determination by applying a single factor, all nine factors, or any combination of the factors to a particular situation.

Here are the nine factors the IRS currently uses, and expects you to use, when determining if an activity is a business or a hobby: 1.) Whether the activity is carried out in a businesslike manner and the taxpayer maintains complete and accurate books and records.

2.) Whether the time and effort the taxpayer puts into the activity show they intend to make it profitable.

3.) Whether the taxpayer depends on income from the activity for their livelihood.

4.) Whether any losses are due to circumstances beyond the taxpayer’s control or are normal for the start-up phase of their type of business.

5.) Whether the taxpayer changes methods of operation to improve profitability.

6.) Whether the taxpayer and their advisors have the knowledge needed to carry out the activity as a successful business.

7.) Whether the taxpayer was successful in making a profit in similar activities in the past.

8.) Whether the activity makes a profit in some years and how much profit it makes.

9.) Whether the taxpayers can expect to make a future profit from the appreciation of the assets used in the activity.

• Details may vary These nine factors are referred to as the “Facts and Circumstances Test.” If you have been in the business for several years, you may have noticed that some of these factors have changed since 2015, as a result, in part, of the Roberts case.

Some of the nine factors, including the number of profitable years within a certain timeframe, may vary based on the industry or type of business. Consider item number eight, regarding profitability over time. According to the IRS, activities should show a profit in at least two out of five consecutive tax years to be considered a business. But when “an activity consists in

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major part of the breeding, training, showing or racing of horses,” it should show a profit in at least two of seven consecutive tax years to be classified as a business and not a hobby. The longer timeframe is an acknowledgement of the challenges involved in making a profit in horse-related businesses.

• Be a pro, work with pros Knowing and following the “Facts and Circumstances Test” will help you stay out of trouble with the IRS. What’s more, this test will assist you in operating your business in a professional manner.

These factors may even assist in expanding your business and increase your profits.

Many horse-related businesses are relatively complex from a tax standpoint. I recommend that a CPA and/or attorney with equine knowledge and experience be consulted. These professionals may also assist with decisions such as whether you should incorporate, and what type of business entity is best suited to your business model.

The IRS will continue to keep an eye on activities where professionals and hobbyists may overlap, particularly when those activities involve large expenses that might be reported as business deductions.

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| VETERINARY |

O R T H O PA E D I C PROBLEMS IN YOUNG THOROUGHBREDS GERALD LEIGH MEMORIAL LECTURES 2021

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Matt Coleridge, Rhiannon Morgan & Celia Marr

H

elping these future athletes achieve a protective conformation is vital with respect to their welfare, athletic career and sales potential: Orthopaedic conditions have the potential to blight a promising athletic career and prevent young horses reach their full potential.

Early diagnosis and management are critical if horses are to be given the best chances of a successful and long career. And this, of course, depends on horsemen being able to pick up on problems as early as possible so they can be dealt with effectively. The Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust is a charity that aims to help disseminate knowledge in the Thoroughbred breeding and racing communities with the ultimate goal of improving horse welfare.

Each year, the charity organizes the Gerald Leigh Memorial lectures which are fantastic resources for horsemen. The lecture series is supported by the Gerald Leigh Trust in honor of Mr. Leigh’s passion for the Thoroughbred horse and its health and welfare. Most years, the lectures are presented in person in an event at the UK’s National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket; but for 2021, an in-person gathering was not possible and instead, the lectures are available online. For 2021, the charity chose the theme of orthopaedic problems, which are such a common challenge in young Thoroughbreds.

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| VETERINARY |

FIG 1

ANGULAR LIMB DEFORMITIES: EVALUATION AND TREATMENT IN FOALS AND YEARLINGS

FIG 1: Examples of valgus (left) and varus (right) ALD: A valgus deformity is a lateral deviation of the limb below the location of the deformity (e.g. toeing out) whereas a varus deformity is a medial deviation of the limb below the location of the problem (e.g. toeing in).

Dr. Matt Coleridge

SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH THE LECTURE BY DR. MATT COLERIDGE, ROSSDALES EQUINE HOSPITAL.

Recognizing, diagnosing and understanding angular limb deviations in young Thoroughbreds are critical skills for horsemen and an important part of both stud management and veterinary care. Angular limb deformities (ALD) refer to deviation of the limb in its frontal plane, or side to side when evaluating the individual from the front or back. A varus deformity is a medial deviation of the limb below the location of the problem (e.g., toeing in), whereas a valgus deformity is a lateral deviation of the limb below the location of the deformity (e.g., toeing out). Angular limb deformities must be distinguished from a flexural limb deformity, which is in the sagittal plane, i.e., from front to back when evaluating the individual from the side.

• How do ALD occur?

ALD can be both congenital and acquired. Congenital means the condition has been present from birth and causes include incomplete ossification or immaturity of the small cuboidal bones, which make up the hocks and knees as well as weakness of the ligaments supporting the joints and periarticular laxity. These issues tend to result in valgus knees and hocks. We also know that ALD can be inherited and that as a breed, Thoroughbreds tend to be varus (toe in).

Acquired ALD develop after birth and come about through overloading of the physis (growth plate), which is usually caused

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either from hard ground, an over-conditioned foal or a combination of the two. The biomechanics of equine limb lead horses to bear more weight through the inside of the leg; therefore, the inside of the growth plate, which is inhibited more than the outside and when there is overloading the net effect is that the foal will toe in.

• How do ALD impact a foal’s future career?

Carpal and fetlock injuries in racing Thoroughbreds account for a large majority of the reasons racehorses spend time out of training. Intervening while foals are growing and developing to help them achieve a protective conformation gives them the best chance of maximizing their potential and enjoying their racing career.

• Diagnosis of ALD Evaluating young stock is certainly best achieved using a team approach involving owners/managers, farriers and veterinarians. Regular evaluation from a young age is key, as is examination of the foal while static and while walking. Severe deviations should also be evaluated radiographically.

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• Treatment of ALD Conservative treatment options can include exercise restriction, corrective farriery and nutritional management.

Hoof correction and toe extensions can be extremely helpful in managing foals and yearlings with minor deviations; and farriery can often correct such issues without needing to resort to surgical treatment options.

The surgical treatment of choice for correcting ALD is the transphyseal screw. In general, it achieves the most effective and cosmetic outcome of the surgical options.

The procedure involves placing a screw across the growth plate on the side of the leg that is growing too fast. For example, for a foal that is toeing in, the screw is placed on the outside of the leg. This allows the inside of the growth plate to grow faster and so correct the deviation. The screws are placed under a short general anesthetic. The screw does need to be removed to avoid over-correction, but often they can be removed with the horse standing using a mild sedative once the desired correction is achieved.

FIG 2: Radiograph of a foal’s fetlock post surgery; a transphyseal screw was placed on the outside of a front fetlock to correct a varus (toeing in) deviation.

• Barns • Stalls • Veterinary centers

abacussports.com 800•821•4557 FIG 2

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| VETERINARY |

OSTEOCHONDROSIS – RECENT ADVANCES AND DIAGNOSIS \

SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH THE LECTURE BY DR. RHIANNON MORGAN, EQUINE DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING, ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE.

Osteochondrosis is one of the most important developmental diseases in young athletic horses. It occurs in young, large-breed horses, including Thoroughbreds, and can cause a variety of clinical signs. The age at which the disease starts to cause clinical signs varies from a young foal to horses over 10 years old. This is because lesions can remain silent and only cause clinical signs later on in life. But even in the absence of any clinical signs, the pathological lesions will have been present since the horses reached skeletal maturity.

• How does osteochondrosis affect athletes?

Osteochondrosis often starts to cause problems when the horse is put into training—when they are athletically challenged.

This age will differ for different populations, starting earlier in Thoroughbred racehorses than in Warmbloods destined for sports horse disciplines. Often the horse will be sound, or can experience different degrees of lameness and may present with joint effusion. This disease affects more than one joint in an individual in over 50% of cases, and it usually occurs in the same joint on the contralateral limb; but it can also affect multiple different joints.

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• How does osteochondrosis develop?

In foals, areas of growth cartilage within the joints will continue to ossify (become bone) after birth. When this process is complete and the animal is skeletally mature, a thin layer of normal articular cartilage will remain supported by subchondral bone.

Osteochondrosis is caused by a “failure of endochondral ossification,” which simply means the growth cartilage fails to become healthy bone. A defect, with or without a fragment, is then created in the articular surface of the bone. This dynamically changing area is susceptible to trauma or high biomechanical loads. Recent advances in research, carried out in Norway by Dr. Olstad, suggest that failure of endochondral ossification is likely caused by loss of blood supply to these areas of growth cartilage, which prevents it from ossifying. This has been linked to a heritable predisposition, among other factors such as rapid growth, dietary imbalance, exercise, environment and prior joint sepsis.

• Diagnosis of osteochondrosis Thorough clinical examination and radiography remain at the forefront of osteochondrosis diagnosis. This disease occurs at joint-specific predilection sites as a result of site-specific biomechanical forces and differences in the age at which that site becomes skeletally mature. For example, in the femoropatellar joint (pictured), the most common site of osteochondrosis is the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur. This is predilected by the thick cartilage surface, later age of maturation/ossification, and by the shear forces the patella exerts on the ridge as the stifle flexes and extends. Ultrasonography can also be very sensitive in detecting osteochondrosis in the stifle. Research performed

by Dr. Martel in Canada suggests early detection of subclinical lesions in the stifle have been found in foals aged 27-166 days old.

| O R T H O PA E D I C P R O B L E M S I N Y O U N G T H O R O U G H B R E D S |

• Conclusion Gerald Leigh was an incredibly successful Thoroughbred breeder and owner based in the UK. The 2021 lectures honoring his passion for the Thoroughbred provide a useful update on two common conditions of the young Thoroughbred and add to the contribution the charitable trust established by Mr. Leigh’s family, which continues to make in supporting the Thoroughbred industry.

FIG 3

FIG 3: The photograph on the left shows femoropatellar joint effusion of the left stifle. The radiograph on the right shows a large osteochondrosis lesion of the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur within the femoropatellar joint.

Gerald Leigh, 1930-2002.

• Management of osteochondrosis Lesions can spontaneously resolve, and the majority will have done so by 12 months old. Otherwise, management recommendations to limit lesion development include keeping horses exclusively at pasture up to 1 year old, not using rough terrain, in large group sizes (>3 brood mares) or in a large pasture size (large pasture size > 1 hectare before 2 weeks old and > 6 hectare before 2 months old). Strict box rest is discouraged, and a convalescence paddock of 33ft x 56ft (10m x 17m) for 60-90 days may help stabilize lesions.

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| PROFILES |

CANNON GRA DE 1 MICHAEL (CANNON THOROUGHBREDS) WI NN ING SMOOTH LIKE STRAIT OWNE RS M

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ichael Cannon, a multiple success in business, was in unfamiliar territory with his Thoroughbreds. “I was a failure,” he said. “I’m not lying. I was a complete failure. I took full responsibility. I bred Smooth Like Strait. Then he ran his first race and was a real disappointment. I told my wife he was our last chance of success. I was starting to undo Cannon Thoroughbreds.

I spent a lot of money, and I got very little reward. You have to know in business when to pull the plug. I was looking to get out of the business.”

Fortunately for the Cannons, Smooth Like Strait didn’t take long to show his immense talent—taking Michael, Jennifer and their four children, Cole, Chloe, Camryn and Cooper on the ride of a lifetime. His last eight starts have been in graded stakes with four victories, two seconds, a third and a fourth against elite turf company. “He turned it around,” Cannon said. “We’re back and stronger than ever.”

Bill Heller

Eclipse Sportswire

Cannon has spent most of his adult life helping companies do exactly that: getting strong. The 52-year-old president and CEO of Cannon Nevada, a venture capital firm based in Henderson, has started or acquired 22 businesses. Zero have gone bankrupt.

“I’m pretty good at cutting out the bull****, simplifying and getting down to making money,” he said. “So far, I’m always looking to share with others. I do like helping other people. It’s not all about the money. It’s really about success. I just keep trying new things. Some work, some don’t. I’m too dumb to quit. So I keep working. Fortunately, I’ve been more successful than not.”

I JUST KEEP TRYING NEW THINGS. SOME WORK, SOME DON’T. I’M TOO DUMB TO QUIT. SO I KEEP WORKING. FORTUNATELY, I’VE BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN NOT.” MICHAEL CANNON

| GRADE 1 WINNING OWNERS |

His interest in horses came at an early age. “My dad loved racing, and my mom was from Nevada. I spent a lot of time in Nevada.

I knew horses very well.”

His mother, however, didn’t let him pursue his interest in music or football. “I played trumpet, but she wouldn’t let me practice at home,” he said. “She also wouldn’t let me play football in high school. And I was fast.”

When he attended Alan Hancock Junior College in Santa Maria, Calif., he made the football team as a freshman and was a starter at wide receiver in his second season. “I was the only white receiver—a white kid with red hair—with really talented African Americans from inner cities,” he said. “They came from rough neighborhoods. I didn’t even know how to put the pads on.

They taught me everything. These guys became good friends.”

Following junior college, Cannon received a bachelor of science degree from Boston University’s School of Management, an advanced certificate in negotiation from Harvard University and an advanced certificate in mergers and acquisition from UCLA. He had an incredible experience in 1988 while doing an internship in London. He even had tea with Diana, Princess of Wales. “There was a new American Institute of Foreign Studies, and about six of us out of 300 were allowed to meet her,” he said.

“I had to take two days of classes for protocol. They take that protocol very seriously. Just learning how to shake hands took an hour. You can’t squeeze her hand. When she finally showed up, she couldn’t have been any nicer. She was prettier in person than she was in pictures. She didn’t give a damn about all that protocol. She grabbed my hand and seized it.”

The Cannon clan with Mike Smith.

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| PROFILES |

While in college, he bought his first horse—a $1,000 weanling named Achillean Spirit. “He ran at Golden Gate and tracks in Utah and Nevada and was very successful on that small circuit: Beaver City, Utah, and Ely and Elko, Nevada,” Cannon said.

Then he began syndicating horses as Sport of Kings Syndication. He did that for three years and took a hiatus from horse racing to focus on his rapidly advancing business career.

He founded and led Warehouse Las Vegas, Accurate Courier and 4Wall Entertainment before founding Cannon Nevada in 2018.

Eight years earlier, he had reconnected with Thoroughbreds, posting minimal success. He purchased Smooth Like Strait’s granddam, Beautiful Lil. She produced Smooth Like Strait’s dam, Smooth as Usual. He raced her, sold her and got her back after her racing career ended in a sale at Keeneland. She began Cannon’s small broodmare band, based at Columbiana Farm in Kentucky.

Early reports on Smooth Like Strait were incredibly positive from day one. He shared this story with Christine Oser in her October, 22, 2020, story in The Blood-Horse: “The minute he was born, Homer Rader at Columbiana said, ‘You know what?

You’ve got a good one.’ And that’s literally within 24 hours of him being born. I sent him away to be trained at Bill Wofford’s Rimroc Farm in Kentucky. He breaks them and gets them prepped for training, and then he called me up and said, ‘Smooth Like Strait—this horse is going to win you a graded stakes race.’ I’d never heard that before.”

Then Smooth Like Strait, who is trained by Mike McCarthy, made a dreadful debut, finishing ninth by 20 lengths at Del Mar on August 17, 2019. That abysmal performance was on dirt, and once Smooth Like Strait switched to grass, he became a star— flashing seven victories, three seconds and a pair of thirds in 14 starts while earning more than $900,000.

| GRADE 1 WINNING OWNERS |

He could have won a lot more, narrowly missing his first three starts in Gr. 1 stakes. He finished second by a head in the Hollywood Derby, second by a neck in the Francis Kilroe Stakes and third by a neck in the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

“When you’re coming from nothing, and you’re losing Gr. 1’s by a neck, we were proud as hell. Just to be in a graded stakes was terrific,” Cannon said.

Then Smooth Like Strait broke through, winning the Gr. 1 Shoemaker Mile by a length and a half on May 31. That prompted Cannon to conclude, “I’ve come a long way since 1991 in Beaver City, Utah.”

THE MINUTE HE WAS BORN, HOMER RADER AT COLUMBIANA SAID, ‘YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU’VE GOT A GOOD ONE.’ AND THAT’S LITERALLY WITHIN 24 HOURS OF HIM BEING BORN.” MICHAEL CANNON

Smooth Like Strait and Umberto Rispoli win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes at Santa Anita Park, California on May 31, 2021.

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| PROFILES |

NICK COSATO (SLAM DUNK RACING) DRAIN THE CLOCK & MAXIM RATE

N

ick Cosato’s unique journey through Thoroughbred racing has led him to two different partnerships with two different trainers who produced two Gr. 1 stakes victories. He earned those accomplishments.

“I’m pretty passionate about the game,” Cosato said. “You have to be. Owning horses is difficult. Running a partnership is difficult. I’ve got more than skin in the game. I’ve got bone marrow in it. I’m all in.”

Now 54, Cosato lives in Sierra Madre, Calif., two miles from Santa Anita. He was born in nearby San Gabriel. “I was pretty much born on the apron of Santa Anita,” he said. “Every Sunday, I was there with my father—like clockwork.”

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He grew up idolizing Bill Shoemaker. “I was obsessed with Shoemaker,” he said. “I wanted to be a jockey, and he was the best. Everything he wanted to do, I wanted to do. My parents would have been all right with that.”

Unfortunately, growth re-routed his dream. He guesses he was 10 or 11 when he realized he was too big to become a jockey: “I said, ‘This isn’t going to happen.’” He would grow to be 5’7” and 170 pounds.

He went to college at California Poly Pomona, majoring in animal science, while he worked in a restaurant, umpired baseball games and officiated basketball games. “I’m a sports junkie,” he said.

The sport he loved the most was horse racing. “I would always watch jockey agents from my fascination with Shoemaker,” he said. “I thought it was a very interesting job—a pretty cool job.

I was fascinated with it.”

After college, an opportunity came his way. “I knew a jockey agent, Tony Strangio, who represented an apprentice jockey, Christine Davenport,” Cosato said. “She was the first jockey he ever had. He was going to open a business. He asked me if I’d take her book. I thought it was a perfect opportunity.”

He entered his new profession with an unrealistic outlook. “I thought this was going to be easy,” he said. “I found out it wasn’t as easy as I thought. I didn’t expect to start with Eddie Arcaro,

| GRADE 1 WINNING OWNERS |

but it was difficult getting her mounts. She didn’t have a lot of business. She was struggling.”

Cosato struggled, too. “You pay your dues,” he said. “I paid, and then some.”

He survived those difficult early years to carve out a 21-year career as a jockey agent, handling Patrick Valenzuela three different times, Corey Nakatani, Garret Gomez, Victor Espinoza, Michael Baze and Aaron Gryder.

Then he walked away to invest in a medical research business in 2010. “I didn’t work on the racetrack, but it never left my heart,” he said. “About a year later, I thought I’d want to dabble owning some horses. I partnered up with a couple other people.

I thought, I’m going to start this little partnership. I liked college basketball, so I named it Slam Dunk Racing. I’d make it a fun thing. Our trainer was Peter Eurton. It rapidly began growing.

We currently have 18 partners for 75 horses.”

He hit a home run when he reached out to Ron Moquet, who was training Whitmore. “I knew Ron a bit from being a jockey agent,” Cosato said. “Whitmore won at first asking.”

Cosato wanted in. Moquet asked his partners, and they declined not to sell any interest in Whitmore—a wise decision considering he would win the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and be named Eclipse Champion Sprinter. But Cosato had another idea after he was turned down as a co-owner. “I called Ron back and I said, ‘I want to buy his mom.’ I called the owner. At first, he said no.

Two weeks later, he called me back and sold her to me. That was my foray into buying mares.”

He’s prospered ever since. Asked if being a former jockey agent gives him an edge, Cosato said, “I think it does. My whole life has been around horse racing. I have a decent amount of knowledge from the game. I majored in animal science. I know about things like feeding. I think the most important thing is placing horses.

Trainers often lean on jockey agents for upcoming races.”

Cosato said that Slam Dunk Racing owns all of its breeding stock itself. “I would say 35 to 40 percent of my race horses are owned by Slam Dunk solely,” he said.

The others are in partnerships. Slam Dunk Racing’s partners on Drain the Clock (trained by Saffie Joseph) are Sol Kumin, Marc Lore and Michael Nentwig. Slam Dunk Racing’s partners on Maxim Rate (trained by Simon Callaghan) are Doug Branham and Stable Currency.

In the span of six days, Maxim Rate won the Gr. 1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita on May 31; and Drain the Clock captured the Gr. 1 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park on the Belmont Stakes undercard on June 6.

Two Gr. 1 winners in a week? Even Bill Shoemaker would have been impressed with that.

Maxim Rate and Juan C. Hernandez win the Gr. 1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita Park, California.

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JOHN & DIANE FRADKIN ROMBAUER

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iming is everything, right? Well, for John and Diane Fradkin, mistaken timing was everything. If not for a faulty timer at Del Mar, the Fradkins might have sold their debut winning, home-bred two-year-old colt, Rombauer, last year. Instead, they kept him. Rombauer rewarded them with his stunning victory in this year’s Preakness Stakes and then a distant, but certainly respectable, third in the Belmont Stakes.

The Fradkins breed to sell, not to race; and they figured they’d be offered a huge price after Rombauer won his one-mile, grass debut by a half-length by roaring home in :22 4/5 in his final quarter-mile. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a first-time two-year-old do that,” John said.

Fradkin expected multiple offers. Instead, Rombauer was given a pedestrian Beyer Speed Figure of 48 for his victory in 1:38 1/5. “Something just didn’t feel right about that time,” Fradkin said. “The mistake was substantial. I think it was the equivalent to a full second. I think it was the difference between someone offering $250,000 and getting no offers after a maiden special weight at Del Mar in the summer. Two weeks later, there were substantial stories about the times being wrong at Del Mar. The Speed Figure was changed from 48 to 55. And I still think it should have been closer to 70.”

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ABOVE: John & Diane Fradkin celebrate with trainer Michael McCarthy and jockey Flavien Prat after Rombauer wins the Preakness Stakes on Preakness Stakes Day, 2021.

Regardless, Rombauer soon generated multiple offers. In his second start, Rombauer finished sixth in a grass stakes. Then, in his dirt debut in the Gr. 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita last September 24, Rombauer finished second by three-quarters of a length to Get Her Number, defeating highly regarded third-place finisher Spielberg by 4 ¾ lengths.

“We did take a gamble by not selling him, ever since he hit the board in the American Pharoah,” Fradkin said. “It was a gamble, and it paid off.”

Big time. And it was much appreciated.

“There are a lot of ups and a lot of downs in racing,” he said. “We’ve been in the game since ’93 and breeding since ’97. You can go many years in a row losing money.”

This won’t be one of them. “The last month has been surreal,” Fradkin said.

Fradkin, who lives in California, got his first taste of horse racing in 1970 when he spent the summer in Cherry Hill, N.J. “I was 11 years old, and we went to Delaware Park,” he said.

“I remember it was fun. I still remember a horse I bet on who won—a gray horse. He came from last and won.”

Could he have envisioned breeding and owning a Gr. 1 stakes winner? “Of course not,” he said.

Fast forward some 15 years. Fradkin was working as an institutional bond salesman, which meant keeping Wall Street hours and finishing your day at 2 p.m. A co-worker who grew up near Santa Anita convinced Fradkin to journey to the famed track. “He taught me how to read the Daily Racing Form,” Fradkin said.

“He taught me how to handicap.”

Subsequently, Fradkin figured he’d be a better handicapper if he owned a horse. He claimed a seven-year-old gelding named Ruff Hombre for $25,000 on June 24t, 1993. Ruff Hombre finished 11th that afternoon. But given nearly two months to recover from new trainer Ron Ellis, Ruff Hombre won his first start for Fradkin by three lengths in a $20,000 claimer.

Ruff Hombre, who won 18 of his 74 career starts and earned more than $230,000, never raced again; but he had kick-started his owner’s new career—breeding.

Using the money they earned from Ruff Hombre’s victory, the Fradkins went to the 1993 Keeneland September Sale, and with the help of a bloodstock agent they hired, purchased Ultrafleet for $10,500. “We gave her to Ron Ellis,” Fradkin said. Ultrafleet didn’t do well on the track, so the Fradkins decided to breed her.

She turned into a broodmare superstar.

Her stars include Cambiocorsa, who won six straight races at Santa Anita and earned more than $520,000; California Flag, who won 11 of 27 starts, including the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and earned nearly $1.3 million; and Cashmere, the dam of Rombauer.

WE DON’T HAVE KIDS. IN SOME WAYS, THE HORSES WE BREED ARE LIKE OUR KIDS. IT’S AN EMOTIONAL FEELING, PROBABLY LIKE THE ONE PARENTS GET FROM WATCHING THEIR KIDS PLAY LITTLE LEAGUE. WE KIND OF FEEL THE SAME WAY.” JOHN FRADKIN

Rombauer ended his two-year-old season by rallying from 11th to 5th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to Essential Quality, who would be named Two-Year-Old Champion. In his three-year-old debut on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields, Rombauer won by a neck, earning an all-expenses-paid entrance into the Preakness.

Trainer Mike McCarthy wanted to start Rombauer in the Kentucky Derby, but Fradkin convinced him to bring him back in the Preakness.

“When he started to range up around the turn and got into third, I felt pretty good about him hitting the board,” Fradkin said. “I told my wife, ‘He’s going to hit the board! He’s going to hit the board!’ Then I said, “He’s going to win! He’s going to win!”

He did, by 3 ½ lengths.

“It was a great feeling,” Fradkin said.

It still is.

“We don’t have kids,” Fradkin said. “In some ways, the horses we breed are like our kids. It’s an emotional feeling, probably like the one parents get from watching their kids play Little League. We kind of feel the same way.”

Thank goodness for mistaken timing.

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Catherine Rudenko

Alamy, Fiona Boyd, Caroline Norris, Georgina Preston

WHY ARE GASTRIC ULCERS STILL A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN FOR HORSES IN TRAINING? With the advances in scoping and increased awareness of gastric ulcers, along with the high prevalence found in horses in training, one may wonder: Why is this condition still such a problem? Do we not know enough to prevent this condition from recurring? he short answer is that much is known, and for certain, there are effective medications and many feeds and supplements designed to manage the condition. The underlying problem is that the factors leading to ulceration, at least the most significant ones, are fundamental to the routine and management of a horse in training. Quite simply, the environment and exercise required are conducive to development of ulcers. Horses in training will always be at risk from this condition, and it is important to manage our expectation of how much influence we can have on ulcers developing, and our ability to prevent recurrence.

T

• Clarifying gastric ulceration Before considering how and why ulcers are a recurrent problem, it is helpful to understand the different types of gastric ulceration as the term most commonly used, Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS), is an umbrella term which represents two distinct conditions.

The term EGUS came into use in 1999 and represented ulceration of the two separate locations in the stomach where ulcers are found: the squamous and glandular regions.

The two regions are functionally different, and ulceration in either location has different causative factors. This is important when considering what can be managed from a risk point of view at a racing yard. The term EGUS is now split into two categories: Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) and Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD).

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ESGD is the most commonly occurring form and the focus of dietary and management interventions. The majority of horses in training have the primary form of ESGD where the stomach functions normally. There is a secondary form that relates to a physical abnormality which causes delayed emptying of the stomach.

The condition ESGD is influenced by the training environment and time spent in training as noted by researchers looking at prevalence of horses out of training compared to those within training. In this case, 37% of untrained Thoroughbred racehorses had ESGD and this progressed to 80-100% of horses within two to three months of training. This effect is not unique to Thoroughbreds and is seen in other breeds with an “active workload”; for example, Standardbreds progress from an average of 44% ESGD in the population to 87% when in training. Such research is helpful in understanding two things: firstly, that ulcers in the squamous section can occur outside of training, and that the influence of exercise and dietary changes have a significant effect regardless of breed. Even horses in the leisure category, which are thought of as low risk or at almost no risk at all, can return surprising results in terms of prevalence.

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PREVALENCE OF SQUAMOUS GASTRIC ULCERS POPULATION

SQUAMOUS ULCER PREVALENCE OF STUDY

AUSTRALIAN TB RACEHORSES

63%

UK TB RACEHORSES

64%

DENMARK – MIXED POPULATION

86%

USA – ENDURANCE

67%

FRANCE – ENDURANCE

93%

UK LEISURE HORSES

50%

Adapted from Sykes & Joklsalo 2015.

| GASTRIC ULCERS |

• Risk factors There are multiple risk factors associated with development of ESGD, some of which are better evidenced than others, and some of which are more influential. These include:

• Pasture turnout • Having a diet high in fiber/provision of “free choice” fiber • Choice of alfalfa over other forages • Provision of straw as the only forage source • Restricted access to water • Exceeding 2g of starch per kilogram of body weight • Greater than 6 hours between meals (forage/feed) • Frequency and intensity of exercise • Duration of time spent in a stabled environment combined with exercise Of these factors, the stabled environment—which influences feeding behavior—and exercise are the most significant factors.

The influence of diet in the unexercised horse can be significant, however once removed from pasture, and a training program is entered into, ulceration will occur as these factors are more dominant. An Australian study of horses in training noted the effect of time spent in training, with an increase in risk factor of 1.7 fold for every week spent in training.

Once in training, there is some debate as to whether provision of pasture, either alone or in company, has a significant effect.

Some studies report a lower risk of ESGD when pasture in company is provided for horses in training, whereas others have found no significant effect.

The duration of access and quality of pasture involved may be part of the differences in results found. There is a distinct difference between turnout in a paddock that offers a pick of grass and a leg stretch and a paddock rich in well managed pasture. Ultimately a period of turnout while in a training program is not enough of a counter-balance to the risks of frequent and intense exercise, coupled with a need for stabled periods and higher rates of compound feeding.

• The stabled environment The act of putting a horse in a stable is enough of a risk factor for ulceration that this change alone, even without exercise and with provision of forage, can lead to ulceration within weeks. This occurs as the stabled horse, even with provision of high-quality dried forage, will experience a change in feeding behavior that is in conflict with the need of its own digestive system, particularly that of the stomach.

A large part of the horse’s daily behavior is driven by the needs of its digestive system. Eating is a fundamental need, and in the case of the horse, the normal feeding pattern consists of 10-15 distinct feeding periods within every 24 hours. During this period, the horse will have no longer than three hours resting and not grazing. This immediately presents a challenge when trying to manage the stabled horse as feeding at least 10 times a day; and ensuring intake is never greater than three hours apart is an impossible task. Provision of adlib “free choice” hay or haylage does not provide the solution as one might hope.

During daylight hours, horses spend 60-70% of their time grazing. This changes to spending 40-50% of their nighttime hours grazing.

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| GASTRIC ULCERS |

regularity of digestion. While ulcers are often the main focus for provision of fiber, such provision reduces risk of colic, encourages natural foraging behavior, which is linked to stress reduction and supports a healthy hindgut bacterial profile. The bacterial profile of a horse, much like a human, is becoming an area of significant interest as the bacterial profile is linked with immunity and predisposition to other disorders. Good forage feeding practices should be encouraged with more than ulcers in mind.

• Choice of feeding

Dried forages are high in dry matter compared to fresh pasture. This difference in dry matter is significant as it impacts the amount of time taken to satisfy appetite. Pasture is typically 14-20% dry matter compared with hay that will normally be in excess of 80% dry matter. To satisfy its appetite, a horse will eat approximately 73kg of fresh pasture a day, a process that takes a significant amount of time. Over the 10-15 feeding periods when at pasture, roughly 12-14 hours are spent chewing. In contrast, 11kg of hay can satisfy the same appetite and may take only 5-6 hours of chewing. With only half the amount of time spent chewing required, there is less regular intake over 24 hours and less production of saliva, which is part of regulation of stomach acidity.

The choice of forage given when stabled can be influential in terms of encouraging appetite and voluntary intake. The table below shows intake of straw, hay and haylage over 24 hours when stabled in a group of test horses.

Molassed alfalfa, if fed at the sole forage source, can be higher than the more common fiber sources—an intake of 3.2% of body weight with this study finding. Where a horse is prone to ulcers and has a poor appetite for the fibrous part of their diet, offering a “fiber bucket” separate to the hard feed of molassed alfalfa chaff can at least help encourage a more normal intake, which is beneficial in terms of reducing risk of colic as much as helping regulate stomach acidity.

As some horses struggle with the high dry matter content of forages, soaked sugar beet pulp is another high-fiber feed that can be used to tempt intake. While most yards will add a small amount to a bucket feed, this material can be fed by the bowl full and placed directly on top of a pile of hay or haylage fed from the floor.

While provision of forage is not enough to eliminate ulceration, as exercise is a major factor, the consistent provision of a high-quality forage and the use of alfalfa can increase intake, which is beneficial for

FORAGE TYPE

There are many low-to-moderate starch feeds now available in the market, which are often highlighted as suitable for horses with gastric ulcers or tying-up, as both conditions require a regulated starch intake. Such diets seek to eliminate one of the risk factors—a higher starch intake within one meal, which commonly occurs, especially in the evening feed.

Such feeds are not a cure for ulcers, nor can they prevent their occurrence, as they are influential for only one risk factor out of the list of many. Despite their limitation from an ulcer point of view, they are a popular choice of feed as they provide a combination of different carbohydrate sources, which itself can be an advantage. Using a blend of fibers, fat and traditional grains, they suit a wide variety of horses—both national hunt and flat—and particularly those that are highly strung or difficult to manage. They carry less risk for tying-up and are arguably better suited for the digestive system, which is not well designed for traditional high-starch grains as the sole feed.

Much like forage, choosing a low or moderate starch feed isn’t just about ulcers and will disappoint if the expectation is a cure. Choosing a lower starch feed brings benefits for other aspects of digestive function, muscle function and behavior.

BELOW: Alfalfa chaff

DRY MATTER CONTENT

AVERAGE “AS FED” INTAKE EATEN (FRESH WEIGHT)

% OF THE HORSE’S BODY WEIGHT CONSUMED ON A DRY MATTER BASIS

90% upwards

7

1.3%

Hay

80-85%

11

1.9%

Haylage

55-65%

23

2.8%

Straw

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• The significance of exercise Exercise is a significant risk factor as this physically affects the stomach and the movement of digestive acids that are associated with typical “splash back ulcers”.

Movement, even when at walk, starts to cause changes; and as the speed increases, the changes in intra-abdominal pressure increase. This causes gastric compression, pushing acidic contents into the squamous lined region of the stomach.

A small Thoroughbred study in 2002 investigated the effect of exercise on changes in the stomach and specifically changes in pH in the squamous region. These horses were kept at pasture and fed adlib hay to ensure forage intake and foraging behavior were maintained. They were fed 6kg (approx. 13 ¼ lbs) of a muesli sweet feed, split over two meals, replicating a more traditional diet. Starch intake would likely have been above the 2g per kilogram of body weight marker and so considered a risk factor. The study required such intakes of hard feed so that the impact of fed or fasted state before exercise could be considered. Horses were either fasted for 18 hours before exercise (fasted group) or food was given and removed only two hours before exercise (fed group).

The results show that regardless of whether fed or fasted, exercise induces changes in pH; although horses that were fed up to two hours before experience less severity of change. The image below shows the fed group pH changes during rest, into walk, trotting, galloping, returning to trot and finally returning to walk.

During trotting and galloping, the graph shows the severity of the pH change in the squamous region, where tissue is easily damaged by the presence of acid. Once at these speeds, acidity is found at levels as low as a pH of 1-2, which are highly acidic and injurious.

KEY

Changes in pH of the proximal (squamous) portion of the stomach during a training session of fed group horses.

w = walking t = trotting g = galloping s = stop Exercise

The table below shows the contrast between fasted and fed horses during the same exercise program. When looking at these results, it is easier to understand why dietary changes—mostly orientated around which bucket feed is chosen—can have only a limited impact on the risk of development of ulcers. The physical changes and presence of highly acidic content found in the squamous section during exercise is simply too great a risk factor, and one that is regularly occurring over prolonged periods of time.

Effect of exercise on the average pH of the proximal (squamous) portion of the stomach in fed and fasted group horses.

FED HORSES

FASTED HORSES

Before exercise

5.3

5.23

Walking

3.95

3.15

Trotting and galloping

2.25

1.07

Return to walking

2.39

0.92

PERIOD

Adapted from Lorenzo-Figueras & Merritt 2002.

As time spent in training increases, the risk factors become more established. Exercise intensity increases from the early phases of training; the effects of the stabled environment are noticeable with a matter of weeks, and the requirement for irregular meals of a high-carbohydrate content to meet calorific needs, among other nutrient requirements, all become daily occurrences. For all these reasons, we cannot therefore be surprised at the persistence of the condition and must have realistic expectations around what can or cannot be achieved through feeds or supplement changes alone.

7 6

pH

5 4 3 2 1

Time

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15 min

Reading List •G eor,J. Harris,P. Coenen,M. (2013) Equine Applied and Clinincal Nutrition.

China: Elsevier •L orenzo-Figueras,M., Merritt,A.M. (2002) Effects of exercise on gastric volume and pH in the proximal portion of the stomach of horses. American Journal of Veterinary Research (4) 13, p221-224 •L uthersson,N., Hou Nielsen,K., Harris,P., Parkin,T.D.H. (2009) Risk factors associated with equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) in 201 horses in Denmark. Equine Veterinary Journal, (7) 41, p625-630 • Sykes,B.W., Heweston,M., Hepburn,R.J., Lutherson,N. Tamzali,Y. (2015) ECEIM Consensus Statement. Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses.

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 29, p1288-1299 •S ykes,B., Jokisalo,J.M. (2015) Rethinking equine gastric ulcer syndrome: Part 3 – Equine glandular gastric ulcer syndrome (EGGUS). Equine Veterinary Education (7) 27, p372-375

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WHAT WE LEARNED AT THE

TRACK SUPERINTENDENTS FIELD DAY

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Denis Blake

Coady Photography, HBPA

Track superintendents rely on technology and gut instinct to keep horses and riders as safe as possible

T

here is no shortage of hard-working people in horse racing. The average 9-to-5 office worker probably cannot imagine the long hours put in by trainers with nary a day off or the sleepless nights breeders endure during foaling season. The work is not just long; it is hard and often requires a mixture of blood, sweat and tears. And there aren’t any days off for inclement weather. One group in racing, in particular, deals with these conditions on a daily basis—track superintendents and their crews. However, their arduous efforts at keeping horses and jockeys safe are sometimes overlooked. Track Superintendent Field Day, held June 14-15 at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, puts a spotlight on the important work of those dedicated to track maintenance and serves as a way for them to share best practices and create connections.

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More than 100 attendees representing 70 tracks, training centers and farms were at this year’s event, which was first held in 2002 when Roy Smith, now track superintendent at Indiana Grand, launched it at Philadelphia Park (now Parx Racing) after earlier gatherings, as part of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry’s Racing Symposium. The event had mostly Thoroughbred representation, but there was also a contingent from Standardbred tracks for the resumption of the conference, which was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

“We could not be more pleased with the turnout we had for this,” said Smith about the near-record attendance despite the lack of international attendees who normally make the trip. “We had some of the industry’s leaders make presentations over the past two days, and you’d have to go far and wide to find the level of expertise and experience we had in that room. These people have their finger on the pulse of this complicated industry. We all have busy schedules, so I appreciate all who attended.”

• Improving safety through technology Technology has touched every aspect of racing in recent years with computerized betting, advanced veterinary scanning capabilities and GPS race timing to name just a few; and the niche world of track maintenance is no different. While track superintendents (a.k.a. “supers”) will always rely on their own experience and instincts on how to best maintain their racetracks, they increasingly rely on technology.

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THESE PEOPLE HAVE THEIR FINGER ON THE PULSE OF THIS COMPLICATED INDUSTRY. WE ALL HAVE BUSY SCHEDULES, SO I APPRECIATE ALL WHO ATTENDED.” ROY SMITH ON THE CALIBER OF ATTENDEES

For the uninformed who might think track supers just push around dirt and add some sand here and there, the event’s first speaker, agronomist and soil scientist Michael DePew of Environmental Technical Services, made it clear just how complicated dirt and even synthetic surfaces can be to create and maintain.

“For optimum soil cushion performance, we want a soil that has moderate stability when compacted but when fluffed into a loose cushion will have low resistance that during hoof compaction will gradually compact to form a firm footing for push off,” he said.

| TRACK SUPERINTENDENTS |

The 2021 Track Superintendent Field Day, held June 14-15 at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

That’s not an easy sentence to say, so the cliché “easier said than done” doesn’t even apply, but getting it done is certainly not easy.

DePew covered the best size and shape of sand particles to achieve a suitable racing surface, and he talked about regional differences in what materials are available and how clay in one part of the country might be different than that in another area.

He explained how testing the soil of a racetrack can generate a report with a wealth of data, such as the size of the sand particles; and then actions can be taken to get those numbers into recommended target ranges.

WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL, AND THAT’S FOR EVERYONE WHO GOES TO THE TRACK TO COME BACK SAFE. THAT’S YOUR GOAL AS TRACK SUPERS, AND THAT’S OUR GOAL AS REGULATOR VETS.” DR. WILLIAM FARMER – CHURCHILL DOWNS

Dr. William Farmer, equine medical director for Churchill Downs Inc.

Dr. William Farmer, equine medical director for Churchill Downs Inc., made a presentation titled, “Consistent Equine Safety in an Inconsistent Environment.” Farmer noted that catastrophic injuries in Thoroughbred racing fell to a rate of 1.41 per 1,000 starts in 2020—the lowest recorded rate since 2009. Even so, he said that everyone has a common goal, even if it might never be 100 percent achievable.

“We all have the same goal, and that’s for everyone who goes to the track to come back safe,” he said. “That’s your goal as track supers, and that’s our goal as regulator vets.”

To that end, he talked about the importance of communication between all parties involved in the running of a race, which was echoed by others during the conference. Farmer said he regularly talks with private veterinarians and trainers to see if they are noticing any particular problems that could be related to the track surface, and then he relays that to the track super and attempts to determine whether there truly is an issue with the surface or not.

Farmer also talked about the challenges track supers have when non-racing events, such as concerts and festivals, are held at racetracks and everything from stages to trucks to thousands of people who might be on the main track or turf course.

Michael Dickinson, an accomplished trainer in the UK and the U.S.—and who now is president of Tapeta Footings— noted the precarious situation in which racing finds itself with the general public, animal rights groups, politicians and the industry itself demanding a higher standard of safety. To that ISSUE 61 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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end, he proposed nine things that could help achieve that goal, including a few that would be dramatic changes to the sport.

“Safety is our biggest obstacle,” he said. “If we don’t do better, they will shut us down. In Formula One racing, too many drivers were dying in crashes, and the public reacted; and now it’s much safer.”

The first three items on Dickinson’s list are already being seen to some extent, including jockeys using the whip for safety only, fewer medications and less dirt racing.

Being that Tapeta produces the synthetic surface used at several North American tracks and numerous training centers, Dickinson might not be an unbiased commentator on the latter suggestion, but the numbers do support his recommendation. The trainer of two-time Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr. 1) winner Da Hoss referenced the same statistics discussed by Farmer, showing that in 2020, the catastrophic injury rate on dirt was 1.49 per 1,000 starts compared to 1.27 on turf and 1.02 on synthetic.

Former trainer Michael Dickinson, now president of Tapeta Footings.

SAFETY IS OUR BIGGEST OBSTACLE. IF WE DON’T DO BETTER, THEY WILL SHUT US DOWN. IN FORMULA ONE RACING, TOO MANY DRIVERS WERE DYING IN CRASHES, AND THE PUBLIC REACTED; AND NOW IT’S MUCH SAFER.” MICHAEL DICKINSON – TAPETA FOOTINGS

Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA.

His fourth recommendation was not to roll turf courses and instead use more labor-intensive methods such as fixing divots and filling holes. Then he got into some suggestions that would represent a departure from the norm, including using significantly banked turns on turf, dirt and synthetic tracks and putting stride sensors on racehorses. The sensors, which can fit inside a saddle cloth, track the stride characteristics of horses, and in some cases, can identify at-risk horses before a catastrophic event occurs when minor variations in the stride are detected.

Dickinson also suggested the use of flexible PVC running rails and a cutaway rail entering the stretch—both of which can reduce injuries to horses and riders when contact with the rail is made.

Dickinson’s last suggestion might be the most drastic change from tradition—replacing the starting gate with a drone-operated moving screen. While that might seem like going back in time to the days when races started with the drop of a flag or horses lined up behind a rope, he did offer some compelling reasons to consider the idea. For one, the starting gate is especially dangerous for jockeys, as well as horses, not to mention a place of frustration for owners, trainers and bettors when a horse fails to break well at the start.

While some of Dickinson’s suggestions would come at a price for racetracks or possibly horsemen, he argued that a new way of starting races would save money. The cost of enormously expensive starting gates would be eliminated, and tracks could save money with reduced insurance costs and workers’ compensation claims from gate crews and less equipment needed without having to move starting gates around the track.

• Weathering challenges together Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA, addressed the group and discussed how the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act (HISA) might affect them.

“What you guys do for our industry as a whole is one of the most important aspects of horse racing,” he said. “We must make sure our tracks are safe.”

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Roy Smith, track superintendent at Indiana Grand.

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Hamelback raised several questions that need answering regarding HISA, including how track safety would be handled.

“How is safe and consistent going to be defined?” he asked. “If your track is above average on the [Equine Injury Database], does that mean your track is unsafe?

And what about the surface—if it is deemed to be unsafe?

Will the authority have the mandate and power to make you change surfaces?”

Hamelback stressed that safety elements should be guided by science and facts and not public perception.

In addition to a variety of speakers, the conference gave track supers the chance to get to know each other through a roundtable discussion and two panel discussions: one for Thoroughbred tracks and another for Standardbred facilities. Even though specific problems might not be solved in those discussions, the networking that takes place can be the key to fixing issues down the road.

“If you have a problem with your course, there’s always someone out there who had the same problem,” Smith said. “There’s no 1-800 number for track problems. When track supers come to these meetings, they are going to come away with some good information and friendly faces they can call if needed.”

Much of their work happens in the wee hours of the morning before training begins or after the races when the grandstand is empty; but their jobs have never been more important with the increased focus on safety.

Mother Nature has always been a big challenge for track supers, and many reported even greater challenges due to an uptick in extreme weather.

“We have to work by the seat of our pants sometimes and prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Smith added. “We are definitely seeing different weather patterns now that are more extreme. We had 90s in June and extreme downpours already this year. There’s a limit to what you can do to prepare for that.”

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| INDUSTRY |

The job of a track super is never done, as there’s always another weather system on the horizon and another day of racing or training on the calendar. There’s no such thing as a perfect racing surface, and even if there were, injuries will still happen. Even so, it’s clear that track supers and their crews take their job seriously and do their best to blend the latest technology with old-fashioned experience.

“This is what we all do,” Smith said. “Before we started having these meetings, we were all kind of isolated. I thought there has to be something we can do to bring us all together, and this has turned into a really close-knit group that works together.”

“Indiana Grand was a tremendous host, especially considering all the uncertainty just a few months ago about whether we’d be able to pull this off,” said Steve Andersen of title sponsor Equine Equipment, which helped organize the event and, along with the other sponsors, made it possible for track supers and staff to attend with no registration fees. “The horse industry is full of hard-working people, but I don’t think anyone works harder and longer hours than track supers, so we are happy to support this event for the greater good of the industry. Special thanks also go out to the team at Indiana Grand led by Joe Morris and Eric Halstrom, as well as moderator Nancy Holthus, who all put in a lot of work to make this possible. This event would not be possible without the broad support of the industry, including sponsors like The Stronach Group, Spendthrift, Margaux Farm, several HBPA state affiliates and many more.”

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| TRACK SUPERINTENDENTS |

The Track Superintendent Field Day also included equipment demonstrations with tractors and mowers and presentations from New Holland North America, Advanced Turf Solutions and the Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital.

FOR MORE INFORMATION SELECTED POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS FROM THE EVENT ARE AVAILABLE AT TRACKSUPERS.COM

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| TRAINING |

Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire

REDUCI NG THE

PRESSURE Scientists discover performance benefits of relieving five key pressure points under tack

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| REDUCING THE PRESSURE |

Recent scientific studies reveal how using new designs of saddle, pad, girth and bridle can significantly benefit the locomotion of the galloping racehorse.

• Saddle up

R

esearchers detected peak pressures under commonly used tack that were of a magnitude high enough to cause pain and tissue damage.

When horses have to manage this type of discomfort on a daily basis, they develop a locomotor compensatory strategy. Over time, this can lead to tension and restriction that inevitably affects performance. Physio interventions will usually ease the symptoms of tightness and soreness and, after a period of rest, performance may be restored and improved. However, this costly course of action only addresses the secondary problem. If the primary cause is still apparent—in this case pressure from badly designed or ill-fitting tack—the compensatory gait strategy will be adopted again, the tension will return, and the cycle will repeat.

Reducing the pressure that forces a horse to adopt a compensatory gait will not only improve performance, but it will also help prevent further issues which could have veterinary implications and reduce susceptibility to injury in the long term.

FIG 1

HALF-TREE: High peak pressures consistent with the end of the tree 3/4-TREE: Peak pressure on one side of the back at a time, depending on the gallop lead FULL-TREE: Peak pressure was further back NEW DESIGN: The lowest peak pressures with a more uniform distribution

HALF-TREE Half Tree

THORACIC TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE LATISSIMUS DORSI MUSCLE

When scientists tested the three most commonly used exercise saddles, they discovered every saddle in the test impinged on the area around the 10th-13th thoracic vertebrae (T10-T13)—a region at the base of the wither where there is concentrated muscle activity related to locomotion and posture. The longissimus dorsi muscle is directly involved in the control and stabilization of dynamic spinal movement and it is most active at T12 (see fig 1).

Dynamic stability is the combination of strength and suppleness—not to be confused with stiffness—and is essential for the galloping Thoroughbred. The horse’s back moves in three planes: flexion-extension, lateral bending and axial rotation—all of which can be compromised by high pressures under the saddle (see fig 7).

Studies in sport horses have shown that saddles which restrict this zone around T13 restrict muscle development and negatively influence gait. This effect is amplified in a racehorse because they train at higher speeds, and faster speeds are associated with higher forces and pressures.

In addition, gallop requires significant flexion and

3/4-TREE 3/4 Tree

FULL-TREE Full Tree

NEW Design DESIGN New

T10

T10

T10

T10

T13

T13

T13

T13

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| TRAINING | FIG 2: Improved hip flexion was recorded in the new saddle design (A) compared to a commonly used saddle (B).

FIG 2

reducing pressure, significantly outperforming gel and polyfill pads. Preliminary findings show the forces were 75% lower, and peak pressures were 65% lower under the foam pad than those recorded under the gel pad. The polyfill pad reduced the forces and peak pressures by 25% and 44%, respectively, compared to the viscose gel pad.

A pad with a midline “seam” designed to follow the contour of the horse’s back and withers performed best, maintaining position and providing spinal clearance even at speed. Flat pads without any shaping or a central seam were observed to slip down against the spine as the horse moved, even when the pads were pulled up into the saddle channel before setting off. The pressure associated with a pad drawing down on the spine under the saddle will lead to increased muscle tension, reduce elasticity of the back and could potentially alter gait. Relieving pressure at this location improves posture, movement and propulsion.

It might be assumed that using multiple pads under an exercise saddle would improve spinal clearance or comfort. However, based on studies, this is not the case. In contrast, it can lead to saddle instability, which has the potential to encourage the jockey to overtighten the girth in an attempt to keep the saddle still. The added bulk puts a feeling of distance between the horse and rider, compromising the close-contact feel and balance all jockeys strive to achieve.

• Girth up

A B extension of the horse’s spine; and if this is compromised by saddle design, it seems logical there will be an effect on the locomotor apparatus.

When girth pressures were measured in horses galloping on a treadmill at a standardised speed, pressure readings under a regular straight girth peaked out above the highest calibration point on the pressure mat: 106kPa. The exact magnitude could not be recorded, but 106kPa is three times the peak pressure reported to cause capillary damage and discomfort beneath a saddle.

FIG 3: A pad shaped to follow the contours of the back maintains better spinal clearance during gallop.

Tree length In addition, half-tree and full-tree saddles were shown to cause pressure where the end of the tree makes contact with the horse’s back during spinal extension at gallop. In the three-quarter-tree, high pressure peaks were seen every stride and either side of the spine, correlating with the horse’s gallop lead; this indicated that the saddle was unstable at speed (see fig 1).

Using a modified saddle design to achieve a more symmetrical pressure distribution, researchers saw a positive impact on spinal stability and back muscle activation. The hindlimb was shown to come under the galloping horse’s centre of mass, leading to increased hip flexion, stride length and power. A longer stride length means fewer strides are necessary to cover any given distance; and better stride efficiency brings benefits in terms of the horse’s training potential and susceptibility to injury (see compensatory strategy panel).

Pressure pad The saddle pad acts as a dampening layer between the horse and the saddle, reducing pressures and absorbing forces. In a pilot study of Thoroughbreds galloping at half speed over ground, a medical-grade foam saddle pad was shown to be superior at

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FIG 3

T13

Clearance

| REDUCING THE PRESSURE |

The girth lies over various muscles involved in respiration and locomotion, and these muscles require room to function efficiently.

The rectus abdominis and external abdominal obliques are important muscles that raise the trunk and modulate spinal movement. If their contraction is restricted by girth pressures, this is likely to compromise locomotion.

When the same horses were galloped over-ground wearing a modified girth, designed to avoid areas of peak pressures, gait analysis demonstrated a significant improvement in the horse’s movement with increased hock and knee flexion, enhanced hindlimb extension and improved impulsion.

FIG 5

And breathe Researchers also observed that pressure peaks occurred during inhalation under straight girths. However, with the modified girth, the peak pressures were not evident at any point. This is thought to be because the modified girth removes pressure on the intercostal muscles, which are responsible for inhalation, and therefore does not hinder the ribcage’s naturally occurring expansion. In addition, it’s worth noting that research has shown elastic inserts do not result in reduced pressure or more efficient breathing.

A previous study has documented a relationship between increased girth tightness and a reduced run-to-fatigue time on a treadmill: pressure limits the limbs’ full range of motion, so FIG 5: A normal girth lies over the junction of important muscles that control movement. Relieving pressure at this point improves the gallop.

A

B

C in effect the muscles have to work harder and, if required to work harder, they will fatigue sooner. Relieving girth pressure could extend gallop time before fatigue and improve comfort.

For horses that already have clinical signs of ulcers, excessively high girth pressures at gallop—combined with the irritation caused by cortisol and gastric acid—are likely to compromise health and performance. If a modified girth can remove pressurerelated discomfort, this would make the girth an effective tool in a multi-disciplinary approach for horses undergoing treatment and management of ulcers.

• On the bridle

FIG 4: The new modified design in comparison to A – anatomic girth, B – shaped girth, C – straight girth.

FIG 4

In a study of bridles commonly used on sport horses, high-pressure peaks were seen at the base of the ears in the region where the browband attaches to the headpiece. Anatomically this corresponds to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This joint is linked to the hyoid bone by small muscles and is an important location for the cranial nerves and muscles that control proprioception and balance.

Three significant muscles from the hyoid link directly to the horse’s chest, shoulders and poll, influencing the horse’s movement by means of “chains” of muscle and fascial attachments which extend to the whole body. The hyoid apparatus is also associated with the tongue and swallowing mechanism, which actively creates pressures against the bridle each time the horse swallows.

Bridle pressure can contribute towards hanging, tongue lolling and sore mouths. The same pressure-performance relationship already identified in saddles and girths is also seen with the bridle; areas of high pressures beneath the bridle have a significant effect on locomotion and cause the horse to develop a compensatory locomotor strategy (see compensatory strategy panel). Scientists were able to show that a bridle which relieves pressure at the TMJ leads to improved movement and increased joint range of motion, as well as improving straightness.

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Tongue Muscles linking the hyoid apparatus to the tongue and the jaw

FIG 6: The TMJ is an important location for muscles affecting movement; a bridle that relieves pressure here improves locomotion.

FIG 6

An additional bridle pressure zone was identified under the noseband. However, removing the noseband does not remove the problem. A cross-discipline study showed that sores in the mouth are 2.6 times more likely in horses ridden with no noseband.

Furthermore, 48% of racehorses were shown to have oral lesions— the highest percentage across all the disciplines in the study and the group where bridles without nosebands are most common.

A noseband provides stability to the bridle, and it has been shown that horses perform better when the bridle is stable. Bit stability is also likely to improve when the bridle has a noseband.

When the horse hangs its head to one side to alleviate bridle discomfort, an unstable bit can be pulled through the mouth, increasing loss of control and exacerbating discomfort.

A specially designed Mexican grackle, which sits higher on the side of the horse’s head, was found to exert the least pressure and, consequently, improve the locomotor apparatus, giving the jockey a more refined contact and helping maximise gallop efficiency.

There is no evidence to suggest that a well-fitting noseband restricts airway function or respiration; in fact, with the mouth closed and the lips sealed, nasal respiration and breathing function are thought to be optimized.

Bones of hyoid apparatus TMJ

COMPENSATORY STRATEGY

• Faster and longer

Horses experiencing pressures under their saddle, bridle or girth will still perform when asked, but they develop a compensatory locomotor strategy in an attempt to alleviate any discomfort.

Compensation strategies may manifest themselves by altering the gallop lead, excessive lateral bending away from the leading leg (hanging) or stiffening of the spine. Strategies such as these lead to asymmetric force production, and these asymmetries have a negative effect on the horse at walk, trot and canter, resulting in poor performance and potential increased risk of injury. These will be amplified when galloping. This is because forces are influenced by speed and weight and are produced when the hoof comes in contact with the ground. At racing speeds of 38 mph/61 kmph, the hoof hits the ground approximately 150 times per minute.

When asked to increase speed, a galloping horse has to increase stride frequency or increase stride length. Stride frequency is an important consideration because every stride impacts the horse’s joints, causing wear and tear. A study has suggested that horses have around 100,000 gallop strides before the structures reach failure point. Therefore, any reduction in loading cycles (number of strides) could potentially help reduce injury risk.

Fewer, longer strides is the preference for optimum training efficiency, and stride length has been demonstrated to increase when saddle and girth pressures are reduced.

FIG 7: The horse’s back moves in three planes: flexion-extension, axial rotation and lateral bending.

FIG 7

A: FLEXION - EXTENSION

A: FLEXION - EXTENSION

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B: AXIAL ROTATION

B: AXIAL ROTATION

C: LATERAL BENDING

C: LATERAL BENDING

| REDUCING THE PRESSURE |

STATE-OF-THE ART TECHNOLOGY Pliance is an industry-standard method of measuring pressure in any gait using a sensor mat between the horse’s skin and the saddle, bridle or girth. Initially the results are displayed as a moving color-coded image with areas of peak pressure showing as pink and red.

Two-dimensional biomechanical gait analysis uses markers on the horse’s key joints while the horse is photographed in motion at a rate of 300 frames a second—approximately 25 times faster than the human eye. The data quantifies any changes in joint and limb angles, allowing differences in

movement to be determined. Three-dimensional gait analysis uses inertial measuring units to show precisely how changes in saddle pressure affect the complete range of spinal movement.

‘The combination of pressure mapping and gait analysis allows scientists to see exactly what effect relieving pressure has on the horse, and it removes any subjectivity a jockey might think they can feel or that an onlooker might think they can see.

FIG 8: Pressure mapping combined with 2-D and 3-D gait analysis has led to significant advances in tack design.

FIG 8

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ISSUE 61 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM Silicone Putty

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| RACING |

FR ED HOOPER

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF A THOROUGHBRED LEGEND

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Bill Heller

Louise Reinagel, Florida TOBA, Skeet Meadors

| FRED HOOPER |

This summer, author Bill Heller publishes his latest book, Fred Hooper, The Extraordinary Life of a Thoroughbred Legend, the rags-to-riches story of a true giant of the racing world.

Excerpts from the book are published below with the full book available to purchase exclusively via trainermagazine.com/hooper red W. Hooper didn’t just survive 102 years—he lived them. Every single day until he died. As the keynote speaker at the 1981 Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductions in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on August 6, he shared part of a poem that he said reflected his philosophy of life. He was 83 years old at the time.

“I want to be thoroughly used when I leave this earth,” he said. “The harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life. Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have hold of at the moment and want to make burn as bright as I can before passing it on to future generations.”

On the morning of his last day in 2000, he called his trainer, former NFL cornerback Bill Cesare, to check about a filly they were going to race two days later. Fred’s third wife, Wanda, who was married to him for 30 years, called Bill back the next morning to tell him the sad news that Fred had passed.

He left behind a legacy of success in so many different fields that it is hard to fathom one human being doing so much.

He was: • An eighth-grade dropout who became a substitute teacher at his former grammar school, then, decades later, funded a school, Hooper Academy—still thriving 50 years later in Montgomery, Ala. • A teenage horse swapper, a daredevil at the George State Fair, a barber, a boxer, a potato farmer, a carpenter, a steel worker, a timber trader, a county commissioner, a stockyard builder and an extremely successful cattle breeder.

• A construction worker who got his first job with no previous experience and, really, no knowledge of the business, who quickly opened his own company and built roads, bridges, dams, airports and buildings all over the southeast and courses at racetracks around the country.

• A Thoroughbred owner who won the rescheduled 1945 Kentucky Derby with the first Thoroughbred yearling he bought, Hoop Jr., named for his son. Later, he fired and rehired trainers as frequently as his friend, George Steinbrenner, went through managers of the New York Yankees. Fred’s favorite horse, three-time champion filly Susan’s Girl, went through seven trainers in her illustrious career: Jimmy Picou, John Russell, Charley “Chuck” Parke, Hall of Famer Tommy “TJ” Kelly, J.L. Newman, Robert Smith and Ross Fenstermaker. “He’d fire me, hire somebody else, then hire me back,” Ross said in 2020.

Ross also trained Fred’s $3.4 million-earner, Champion Precisionist, for the bulk of his career.

• A Thoroughbred innovator and pioneer—the first owner to successfully ship his horses cross-country on airplanes to contest stakes races, designing the stalls and manufacturing the adjustable ramp to load them on and off; the first to bring three jockeys from Panama to ride in the United States and all three became Hall of Famers: Braulio Baeza, Jorge Velasquez and Laffit Pincay Jr., who collectively won more than 20,000 races, and one of the first to buy horses in South America to race and breed in the U.S. Fred also weighed his horses regularly to monitor their health.

• A Thoroughbred breeder of 115 stakes winners, literally creating his own pedigrees with his home-breds.

• A Thoroughbred gambler whose speedy Olympia won a legendary match race with a Quarter Horse, earning the $50,000 winner-take-all pot and more than $90,000 he booked in side bets. Olympia was Fred’s first airplane shipper in 1949, returned to finish sixth as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, then became an incredibly impactful sire.

• A Thoroughbred industry leader who formed the national Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders Association and the Florida Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders’ Association, serving as president in both organizations.

Along the way, he and his horses received seven Eclipse Awards, Thoroughbred racing’s highest honor.

In a beautiful Blood-Horse story after Fred passed, trainer John Russell, also a fine writer, said, “No one ever loved racing more than Mr. Hooper, and certainly no one loved his horses more than this man.”

Fred showed his love every time he drove his Cadillac around his farm’s pastures to distribute carrots to his horses. He’d hide the carrots behind his back, and each horse had to nuzzle him to get the treat.

Fred was the patriarch of a large loving family, all of whom called him Big Daddy. To this day, everybody in Thoroughbred racing still calls him Mr. Hooper—a measure of the immense respect he still generates. “He’s just one of those iconic names in our sport,” Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith said. “When you got an opportunity to ride for a man like Mr. Hooper, you knew you had made it. You knew he was such a giant in the sport.”

How did one of 13 children born on a farm in Cleveland, Ga., accomplish all that? “One of his favorite lines was ‘Look ahead. Never look back,’” Wanda said. “He always looked forward.”

Sometimes he had no other choice. That made his journey even more remarkable.

LEFT: Crozier and Fred having some fun.

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“He was a very positive man,” his daughter, Betty Hooper Green, said. “He always said, ‘Look to the future. Don’t think about mistakes you made in the past. Look to the future and make things better.’”

Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day remembers being at trainer Bill Cesare’s barn the day after Fred’s two-year-old filly won a race at Arlington Park: “We were at the barn, and somebody came by and wanted to buy the filly. He said, ‘No, I want to keep her. I’m going to watch her babies run.’”

Pat said, “I was flabbergasted. He was maybe 92 or 93. Here’s a two-year-old filly who’s going to race as a three-year-old, then maybe as a four-year-old. Then she’s going to be bred and have a baby, who wouldn’t race for at least another two years. We’re talking six or seven years. I looked at him. He was such an optimist.”

Maybe it was because of his work ethic—one likely instilled by his father, struggling to keep food on the table for their ever-growing family. Regardless, Fred earned his success. Nothing was ever handed to him, so he relied on himself to pave his way through his long life. “The harder I work, the luckier I get,” Fred told Wanda.

He worked alone. He almost always owned his horses by himself, rarely in a partnership. In Jim Bolus’ book Remembering the Derby, Fred said, “I just feel that what I have I want to own myself.

I just have always felt like that whatever I do; if it’s wrong, why then I’ll be to blame. I was in heavy construction, building roads and airports and dams over six of the southeastern states for 36 years, and I just didn’t want a partner, that’s all.”

RIGHT: Hoop Jr. is all alone as he wins the 1945 Kentucky Derby.

ABOVE: Fred and Hall of Famer Susan’s Girl.

RIGHT: Fred feeding Copelan as Susan’s Girl watches from behind.

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H

is way with horses was to keep his barns meticulous.

He paid attention to all the details, no matter how small. In a December 1, 1997 Sports Illustrated article celebrating Fred’s recent 100th birthday, Frank Lidz wrote of Fred and Wanda’s 912-acre spread in Ocala: “Throughout the estate, from breeding sheds to training gallops, all is immaculately groomed. Flowers abound. Grass is clipped.

Stables are clean and freshly painted, masonry pointed and trim, tack in order, hay baled, manure invisible.”

That required attention to detail. “They would put up posts in the ground to build a fence on his farm,” Fred’s grandson, Buddy Green, said. “He would push against the post in a pick-up truck to make sure it didn’t move. He was that type of man. I respect that. He wanted it done right.”

| FRED HOOPER |

ABOVE: Fred with Crozier.

RIGHT: Precisionist and Fred.

Fred always felt right when he was with horses, especially his own. “Horses were his children,” Buddy’s mother, Betty Green said. “He would stop on his way into town at the vegetable stand, and he’d pick up carrots and take them to his horses. They would break the car antenna. They loved it, and they all would come.”

Fred’s impact on horse racing still resonates long after he passed.

When American Pharoah ended a 37-year Triple Crown drought by sweeping the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in 2015, he carried bloodlines featuring five of Fred’s horses, Zetta Jet, Tri Jet, Crozier, Olympia and Hoop Jr. Justify, the 2018 undefeated Triple Crown Champion, and Ghostzapper, a superstar on the track and off as a stallion, both trace back to Tri Jet. When the coronavirus pandemic forced Churchill Downs to reschedule the 2020 Kentucky Derby from the first Saturday of May to the first Saturday of September, a story in the Montgomery Independent documented the first and only other time the Derby was postponed: in 1945 when Hoop Jr. won.

At Gulfstream Park on January 23, 2021, Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm’s five-year-old horse Performer won the 35th running of the $125,000 Gr3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes at one-mile on turf. The race was formally named the Tropical Park Handicap.

Later in 2021, another senior class graduated from Hooper Academy. Not bad for an eighth-grade dropout in rural Georgia.

Not bad at all.

Many times, Fred would tell people his favorite horse was three-time Champion filly Susan’s Girl. And while Hoop Jr. and Precisionist also meant the world to him, Olympia may have been the most fascinating horse he ever owned.

A sub-headline on Anne Peters’ July 3rd, 2015, Blood-Horse pedigree analysis of Olympia quoted her story’s final sentence: Without Olympia our world would be a much slower place.

Yet for all the blazing speed he showed in races and passed on to his progeny, Olympia was also the sire of 1970 Steeplechase Champion Top Bid, who won the three-mile Temple Gwathmey Stakes by four lengths at Belmont Park during his champion season at the age of six.

Fred’s trainer Ivan Parke bred Olympia, a son of Heliopolis out of Miss Dolphin by Stimulus. Parke had trained Miss Dolphin, a stakes winner who set four track records after selling for just $700 as a yearling at Saratoga in 1936.

American Classic Pedigrees described Olympia as a “small, lengthy bay horse with a Roman nose. Olympia was a blocky, powerful sprinter type who ran to his looks.”

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Almost all accounts of the match race put the figure Fred handled that fateful afternoon in side bets at $93,000.

In Frank Lidz’s 1997 story about Fred in Sports Illustrated, Fred said, “People thought I was crazy to let Olympia race a Quarter Horse at two furlongs. I knew I was crazy, all right, but Olympia was awfully fast, and I thought he could beat anybody.”

But showing great attention to detail, Fred measured the course. “The finish line was 73 feet short of a quarter-mile when the gate was put in the chute,” Fred told Ed Bowen in Legacies of the Turf, Volume 2.

“I changed the finish and made them run the full quarter. I wasn’t going to take any of the worst of it.”

Pat Farrell, the Tropical Park Racing Secretary, was given the responsibility of recording bets and making payoffs. “I never saw such action,” he told Chuck Tilley in his 1997 Florida Horse cover story on Fred.

Writing about Fred in his book Stories from Cot Campbell, Racing’s Most Interesting People, Cot Campbell said of Pat: “As he received money, he pushed it into the top right drawer of his desk and locked it. At post time, he then locked the door to the racing secretary’s office and rushed out to see the making of racing history.”

According to Fred, “Olympia and Stella Moore broke nearly even. At the eighth pole, Stella Moore was about two lengths in front, but when they got to the finish line, Olympia was there first.” Olympia had won by a head in :22 4/5.

“The finish was scary, but not nearly as scary as the settling of the bets,” Campbell continued in his book. “After pictures were taken and hands were shaken, a big crowd went back to Pat Farrell’s office for the settling-up ceremonies.

“With a big smile on his face, Pat withdrew his key from his pocket, held it up as a magician might have, and with a flourish inserted it into the lock on the drawer. He flung the drawer open for one and all to behold the absolute staggering cache of greenbacks, now belonging to Fred Hooper.

“The drawer was empty. Pat Farrell looked as if he would lose his lunch. His face was ashen, and he thrust his hand into the drawer as if he might be able to feel the money, even though he certainly could not see it! The atmosphere in the room was decidedly tense. Finally, Farrell jerked the drawer completely out of the desk. The bigger drawer beneath it was housing a truly splendid clump of greenbacks. There was the stash of cash. There was no back panel in the top drawer, so as Farrell hurriedly pushed the final batch of bills toward the back of the drawer, the dough had dropped out of sight into the bottom compartment.”

Fred collected, gave a $1,000 tip to Pat Farrell, and then, according to Lidz’s story in Sports Illustrated, came up with this classic: “I told Roberts that if he was game, I’d fetch another Thoroughbred from my stable.’ He said, ‘No thanks; I’ve got just enough money to get back home.’”

Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud, who would become close friends with Fred, shared this story with Chuck Tilley and Gene Plowden’s book This is Horse Racing: “After I looked at the match race, I went back to my barn and there was a fellow sitting on a bucket and crying; a big man he was, just sitting there crying.

Fred and Wanda with Precisionist.

Fred didn’t want his trainer owning horses, so he purchased Olympia when he was one month old while keeping Parke as his trainer.

Olympia shined as a two-year-old immediately, winning his maiden debut at Keeneland April 16, 1948, by three lengths. He went on to win the Joliet Stakes at Washington Park by 3 ½ lengths, the Primer Stakes at Arlington Park by four lengths and the Breeders’ futurity at Keeneland by a neck. He finished second in the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs, the Arlington Futurity, the George Woolf Memorial Stakes at Washington Park and in the Babylon Handicap and the Cowdin at Aqueduct. He finished his two-year-old season with four victories, six seconds and one third from 14 starts—almost all of them on the lead—earning $76,362.

As a three-year-old, he rocked the racing world.

Stella Moore, a Quarter Horse Champion owned by Quintas I. Roberts of Palatka, Fla., had beaten a speedy Thoroughbred named Fair Truckle in a California match race.

Roberts asked Fred if he’d like to have his Olympia take on Stella Moore in a match race. Fred had been the king of match races with Prince/Royal Prince and he agreed, suggesting they each put up $50,000 in a winner-take-all quarter-mile match race at Tropical Park Racetrack in Coral Gables, five miles north of Miami. Roberts countered with an offer of each owner betting $25,000, and Fred agreed. The match race would be held in between races at Tropical Park on January 5, 1949, matching freshly-turned three-year-old Thoroughbred colt Olympia against the now four-year-old Quarter Horse mare Stella More.

According to Jim Bolus in “Remembering the Derby,” Calumet Farm’s trainer Ben Jones told Ivan Parke that he was foolish to think Olympia could win. “One day, just two or three days before the match race was run, a groom from Calumet Farm’s barn came up there with $1,000 and said to Ivan Parke, ‘We want to bet on the Quarter Horse,’” Fred told Bolus. “I said, ‘Ivan, let me have that money. That’s Ben Jones’ money.’ I told the groom, ‘Go back and tell Ben to send some more money up.

I have some more left.’”

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| FRED HOOPER |

Fred at his 90th birthday party.

I went over and asked him what was the matter. He looked up at me and said, ‘I just lost an automobile agency today!’”

From then on, Olympia was the horse to beat in the Kentucky Derby. He wore the label of Derby favorite well, though the Daily Racing Form (then called the Morning Telegraph) didn’t include the match race in Olympia’s past performance lines, presumably because he had raced against a Quarter Horse.

Just two weeks after the match race, Olympia led most of the way before tiring to finish second by a half-length as the 2-5 favorite in the Hibiscus Stakes at Hialeah, January 19.

Fred then sent Olympia to California to continue his Derby preparation. In doing so, Fred pioneered what is commonplace today: flying Thoroughbreds cross-country to contest major stakes races around the country.

“Horses weren’t being flown around those days,” Fred told Ed Bowen in 1973. “Eastern Airlines leased me a DC-4, which was a nice plane, but I had fixed my own crates and everything and put the horse and the lead pony in. I fixed some canvas muzzles that had a screw in the bottom of them, so I could put two oxygen tanks in the plane, with about 30 feet of hose on each. The plane was not pressurized. Also, I fixed straps to go over their shoulders.

“I told Eastern that since I had to do everything to get the horses ready to fly, I should pick out my own pilot; so they said I could pick any pilot I wanted. I chose Dick Merrill, who was one of the greatest (and an ace pilot during World War II). We flew two horses out there, left them for 30 days for the races, then flew them back.”

There was a great picture accompanying Ed Bowen’s 1973 story in the Blood-Horse showing the interior of the plane with Fred standing next to Olympia while Dick Merrill was petting Olympia’s face and Ivan Parke looked on.

Soon Olympia and Colosal became frequent fliers. Eventually, other owners and trainers would catch up to the kid from Georgia who pioneered shipping horses by air, long before Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was celebrated for flying horses coast-tocoast for stakes races. Joe Drape wrote in a January 6, 2013, story

in the New York Times: “Back in the 1980s, when his stable was 250 strong and he flew horses all over to win the nation’s biggest races, Lukas earned the nickname ‘D. Wayne off the plane.’”

Fred did that three decades earlier.

But in 1949, not everyone thought flying horses on planes was a good idea. “He was one of the first ones to fly horses,” Fred’s nephew, Harold Campbell said. “He built an adjustable ramp for horses to use to walk into an airplane. When he first used it, it was one of the biggest things that happened in Montgomery. It was unreal. There were TVs, newspapers. One thing I will never forget is that the article on the front page of the newspaper said: “Fred W. Hooper – A man that has more dollars than cents, flying horses” Fred’s reaction? “He didn’t take to that very well,” Harold said.

“Damn right. He didn’t let them get away with it. He gave them hell. He did a lot of first-time things. He always ended coming out of it smelling like roses.”

Olympia did his part. Showing zero jet lag—actually airplane lag—Olympia made his first start at seven furlongs as Parke tried stretching out his speed. He captured the San Felipe Stakes by five lengths as the even-money favorite February 5.

Exactly two weeks later, Olympia stretched out to a mile-andan-eighth in the Santa Anita Derby. Sent off the 3-5 favorite, Olympia led most of the way, tiring late to finish second by a length and a half to Old Rockport.

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Bill Heller

| #SOUNDBITES |

#SOUNDBITES Are there adequate protocols and security on the backstretch to prevent outsiders from tampering with horses?

If not, what would you suggest?

#R alph Nicks The answer is yes. The tracks have fences around all the way—all the tracks I’ve ever been at.

# Leah Gyarmati I imagine it varies from track to track.

I can only speak about New York. In New York, it is adequate—even more so over the last year because of COVID. Everybody is being secure. Everybody is watching. They’re much more observant.

Obviously, nothing is perfect or foolproof, but they’ve done a very good job here.

# Simon Callaghan I think there is. Tracks are different.

At Santa Anita, security is tight. We’ve got a night watchman. I have people at my barn 24/7. We’ve been doing that for quite a while. It’s very important to have someone there at night.

We want to make sure that there are no problems.

# Rusty Arnold No. They could do more. We need a stable gate. We can’t prevent people from coming on the backstretch at Keeneland.

# Kevin Attard Speaking of Woodbine, I think security is pretty strict. You’re not getting past the security gate without proper credentials. Especially with the whole COVID pandemic, things are just that much more strict. Obviously, I feel pretty confident outsiders aren’t going to come in, but that doesn’t prevent other licensed personnel from getting to horses, affecting people’s careers.

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| #SOUNDBITES |

# Greg Foley

# Charlie Baker At Belmont and Aqueduct, we’ve got enough protocol coming into the track. Every now and then, someone can slip through the cracks. There’s no foolproof security. If someone is totally intent on doing something, if they want to come over the fence, they can. If they are intent on doing it, they will. At Saratoga, there’s parking on the backside, and it’s more wide open. Most of the people are fans, but it’s wide open. You have to make sure someone is around.

# Tom Amoss I believe that because of the changing environment and the stigma of getting a positive test, more needs to be done—not only increased penalties. Getting to a horse on the backstretch is very easy to do. Ninety-nine percent of the people back there would never bother a horse. What about the other one percent?

# Kathleen O’Connell I think on the backside at Gulfstream Park, people are very protective. I think we have a good network including workers in the barn. Multiple times, security makes sure badges are worn. I don’t see any strangers on the backstretch, especially the last couple years. We don’t have owners coming in and out since the whole COVID thing started.

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I don’t worry about it here at Churchill. I think their security is as good as anybody’s.

But if someone wanted to do it, it could be done. There aren’t 24-hour guards. But I’ve never worried about it.

# Eoin Harty At Santa Anita, the gates are manned. And there’s total camera surveillance. I don’t think there’s any part of the backstretch without a camera. There’s one guy in particular who is extremely diligent checking them. He does a hell of a job.

There’s no tack stolen, no equipment stolen.

It makes me feel secure.

Absolutely. And it’s a deterrent. The surveillance is great at Santa Anita.

It’s expensive, but you get what you pay for.

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