Management “We basically brought three full stables out there.” Tose included large portions of the Mike Stidham and Mark Casse barns, normally based at Arlington Park in Illinois and Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada, respectively. After decades of a familiar California racing schedule, adjusting to a new calendar has been a challenge. Instead of horses stabled at Santa Anita and Hollywood most of the year, they are at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, Fairplex Park, and San Luis Rey Downs. “Te horses are so spread out that we’re having to make some adaptations,” said Tom Hubbard. “Tere’s no more shuttle truck going from Santa Anita. It’s all very new, and there are still some kinks to work out.” Jory mentioned that IRT is taking the change particularly hard because Hollywood Park boasted an accessible international quarantine area. “We are now forced to use another that is more expensive and doesn’t have handy access to supplies and shavings,” he said. While the humans juggle logistics, the equines still have to be moved.
“It’s a business with peaks and valleys,” Tom Hubbard said. “When the Del Mar or Santa Anita meets end, we know we’re going to have a large spike in horse trafc.” Pat Hubbard, Bob Hubbard’s daughter, added, “Te big sales around the country are busy for us, too. September is a busy month especially because we are vanning yearlings out of Keeneland.” When IRT brings horses over from Europe for the Breeders’ Cup, those planes regularly pick up the yearlings that overseas owners purchased at Keeneland and journey right back to Europe. “We are always busy,” Jory said. “We have four or fve fights every week, shipping everything from mares and polo ponies to Europe in the spring, show horses to the Olympics, and Juddmonte and Aidan O’Brien runners here in the fall. Save for two weeks before Christmas, when it is difcult to rent space on cargo planes, IRT is always going full tilt.” Although all transport companies try to keep their prices regular, for both planes and vans, the price of fuel is a fuctuating operating cost.
“Fuel is our number one variable,” Otteson said. “It varies greatly from airport to airport. Some locations just cost more.” A typical cross-country fight can cost between $2,900 and $5,000 per horse. “We take fuel in stride,” said Tom Hubbard. “Tere’s a federal index you use as a benchmark, and we try not to vary our prices too much. Tey fuctuate, but we try not to make changes by more than a percentage point.” “It’s just the price of doing business,” Woods said. “In the summer it goes up, in the winter it goes down, and you generally know what it will do. Fuel is an operating cost, but it’s not what hurts our business. We are hurt more by unlicensed carriers who post on websites saying they can haul horses for a fraction of the cost. Tey aren’t professional haulers, but they can still hurt business.” Traveling can be a frustrating hassle, but with communicative dispatchers, dedicated drivers, and specially trained professional fight grooms, companies ensure horses reach their destinations healthy and safe.
We’re caring for your horse through the journey, because we know you would too. To find out more about IRT and how we can help you and your horse, call +1 630 377 2300 or visit our website.
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CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED
❙ October 2014 ❙ www.ctba.com