became her sire’s first stakes winner with a resounding 2 ½-length victory in the $125,000 Evening Jewel S. at Santa Anita on April 5.
Congratulations to the connections:
Owners: Jerry and Connie Baker, Michael Golovko, and Terrence Scanlan
Breeders: Jerry and Connie Baker
Trainer: Aggie Ordonez Munnings-Rare Cat, by Tabasco Cat
4-time G2 Winner/Multiple G1-placed 14 Triple Digit Beyers, 5f to 8.5f Won or placed in 17 Graded stakes Earner of nearly $1.4 million
GOLD RUSH HELPS MAKE CHAMPIONS
Santa Anita’s Gold Rush Day, to be held at the Great Race Place on Saturday, May 24, served as a preview of the 2024 California-bred champions a year ago.
Of the ve stakes that day restricted to Golden State Series-eligibles, four were won by eventual Cal-bred champs. Repeat Horse of the Year e Chosen Vron won the or’s Echo Stakes for a second consecutive year. Turf champion Kings River Knight repeated in the Crystal Water Stakes. Best 3-year-old male Shady Tiger took down the Snow Chief Stakes. And top 3-year-old female Grand Slam Smile ran o with the Melair Stakes. e Chosen Vron won’t be back for a third or’s Echo,
ADDED VALUE, STAKES
having been retired earlier this year. While his star power will be missed, his absence should encourage a more robust turnout at the entry box and betting windows for the six-furlong sprint compared to last year, when he went o at 1-20 in a eld of four.
Gold Rush Day has been a proving ground for the best Cal-breds since it was rst run in the early 2000s at the late, great Hollywood Park. It’s now one of the most popular headline draws at Santa Anita’s Spring “Hollywood Meet,” with the card featuring ve Cal-bred stakes, three of which were originally run across town and now are Santa Anita staples. e state-bred showcase o ers a total of $550,000 in purses for the quintet of Golden State Series-eligible stakes. Here’s the lineup:
$125,000 Snow Chief Stakes Presented by City National Bank
$125,000 Melair Stakes
$100,000 Thor’s Echo Stakes
AS A REFRESHER, each of the ve Gold Rush races is named after a champion Cal-bred from the past.
Preakness winner Snow Chief, bred by Carl Grinstead, owned in partnership with Ben Rochelle, and trained by Mel Stute, was the champion 3-year-old in the country in 1986. He was a three-time Cal-bred Horse of the Year, from 1985-87.
Melair, bred and owned by Marianne Millard and Bea Rous and trained by John Sadler, raced only ve times, all wins, capped by a defeat of Snow Chief when she ran the fastest mile for a female while beating the boys in the 1986 Silver Screen Handicap. She was named that season’s champion Cal-bred 3-year-old female and sprinter.
or’s Echo, bred by Fast Lane Farms, Carleton Block, and Harry Forman and trained by Doug O’Neill, was the second Cal-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race as the upset winner of the 2006 TVG Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He was voted an Eclipse Award as the nation’s champion sprinter of that season.
Crystal Water, carrying the silks of breeder/owner Connie
Ring and trained by Roger Clapp, in 1977 reeled o consecutive wins in the Santa Anita Handicap, Californian, and Hollywood Gold Cup. at fall he added the Oak Tree Invitational. Crystal Water had been named Cal-bred Horse of the Year in 1976, when his wins included the Hollywood Derby, and he repeated with another Horse of the Year title in 1977.
Fran’s Valentine was bred by owner and auto paint entrepreneur Earl Scheib (“I’ll paint any car, any color for $29.95—no ups, no extras”). Named for Scheib’s wife, Fran’s Valentine won seven stakes, including the 1985 Kentucky Oaks. But she is equally remembered for the win taken from her, the controversial inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in 1984, when she nished rst but was disquali ed and placed 10th for interference in the stretch. Fran’s Valentine, trained by Joseph Manzi, was named a Cal-bred champion for four consecutive years.
Another former Cal-bred Horse of the Year will be saluted June 21 when Los Alamitos holds the $100,000 Bertrando Stakes for Golden State Series-eligibles at one mile, won last year by None Above the Law.
DOUG BURGE
The official magazine of California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, a non-profit corporation dedicated to the production of better Thoroughbred horses for better Thoroughbred racing, published by Blood-Horse, LLC.
Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect policies of the CTBA or this magazine. Publication of any material originating herein is expressly forbidden without first obtaining written permission from California Thoroughbred. All advertising copy is submitted subject to approval. We reserve the right to reject any copy that is misleading or that does not meet with the standards set by the publication. Acknowledgment: Statistics in this publication relating to results of races in North America are compiled by the Daily Racing Form Charts by special arrangement with Daily Racing Form Inc., the copyright owners of said charts. Reproduction forbidden.
OFFICERS
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California Thoroughbred (ISSN 1092-7328) is published monthly, except for two combined issues in June/July and Aug/Sept, plus one special issue in December, in Lexington, KY by Blood-Horse LLC, 821 Corporate Dr., Lexington, KY 40503. Periodicals postage paid at Lexington, KY and at additional mailing offices.
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Linda Madsen and Johnny Alvira operate Milky Way Farm in Temecula, standing such stallions as Tizamagician, Midnight Storm, and—new this year—American eorem
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Forever Wife at Milky Way with her Midnight Storm
BIG RUNNUER
Stormy Atlantic – Elusive Luci, by Elusive Quality
Fee: $1,500 LFSN
KING OF JAZZ (ARG)
Giant’s Causeway – Kiss Me Sweet (ARG), by Lode
Fee: $1,000 LFG
ORIGINAIRE (IRE)
Zo any (IRE) - Polly Perkins (IRE) by Pivotal (GB)
Uncle Mo – Leslie’s Harmony, by Curlin Fee: $2,500 LFSN
OSCAR NOMINATED
Kittens Joy – Devine Actress, by Theatrical (IRE)
Fee: $1,500 LFSN
ROUSING SERMON
Lucky Pulpit – Rousing Again, by Awesome Again
Fee: $1,500 LFSN
A Full Service Thoroughbred Facility Centrally Located to All Southern California Racetracks OFFERING
Breeding, Boarding, Mare & Foal Care, Lay-Ups, Breaking, Training, Sales Prep, 5/8 Mile Race Track
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CAL-BRED BRINGS SIX FIGURES
A California-bred son of Max eld sold for $100,000 April 18 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s spring sale of 2-year-olds. e colt is a half brother to Straight Up G, winner of the 2022 Mine at Bird Derby and 2021 King Glorious Stakes, and Canadian stakes winner Mansetti.
Jungle Racing bred the colt, who is out of the Jungle Racing homebred unraced Sky Mesa mare Gidget Girl. Amerman Racing bought the youngster, who breezed a quarter-mile in :21.4, from consignor Hoppel LLC as agent.
BC DIRT DOZEN RETURNS
Three California stakes are part of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup program Dirt Dozen, down from five in 2024. Comprised of 12 existing graded stakes races on dirt, the Dirt Dozen can earn horses credit toward entry fees for several 2025 Breeders’ Cup races on the dirt. This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
The California races that are part of the program are the July 26 San Diego Handicap (G2), Aug. 24 Rancho Bernardo Handicap (G3), and Sept. 7 Del Mar Futurity (G1), all at Del Mar. In 2024, the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) and Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita were part of the series, but they have been moved to part of the Win & You’re In Challenge Series this year.
Owners of horses finishing first, second, or third in the Dirt Dozen races may use credits earned toward entry fees for the Breeders’ Cup races on dirt. In Dirt Dozen races within the $2 million Breeders’ Cup race divisions, the bonus tier is $30,000 for first, $15,000 for second, and $7,500 for third. In Dirt Dozen races in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup race divisions, the bonus tier is $15,000 for first, $7,500 for second, and $3,750 for third.
Santa Anita to Host Olympic Equestrian Events
As it did in 1984, Santa Anita has again been named as the venue for the Olympic equestrian events when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympics. Initially, the events were to be held at Galway Downs in Temecula, but the decision was made to switch to Santa Anita.
“Santa Anita Park will be a spectacular venue for the LA28 Olympic equestrian events,” said Ingmar De Vos, president of the Fédération Equestre Internationale, in a press release. “ e FEI has very fond memories of Santa Anita, which had hosted the equestrian events at the 1984 Olympic Games. e venue is set to o er a breathtaking stage for all the Olympic equestrian competitions.”
In 1984, Santa Anita erected grandstands around a section of the
stretch of the racetrack. Last year, the track built three horse show arenas in the in eld with state-of-the-art footing and construction that included a main show arena measuring 150’ x 300’. e arenas were used for two weeks of international competition in November for the Los Angeles National and the inaugural Santa Anita CS15*-W. e latter featured the $400,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Los Angeles CS15*-W, which o ered qualifying points for the 2025 FEI Jumping World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland. e cross-country portions of Olympic eventing in 1984 were held at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in San Diego county. LA28 (www.la28. org) has not released nal plans for the 2028 competition.
Conrad Homfeld aboard Abdullah for the U.S. won a silver individual medal during the 1984 Olympic equestrian events held at Santa Anita
Rancho San Miguel For Sale
Rancho San Miguel is for sale, owner Tom Clark told Daily Racing Form. Clark told DRF’s Steve Andersen that the 210-acre property is being o ered for $13.5 million.
Clark said he hoped the property would remain devoted to horses, and he did not rule out selling a partial interest in it. He cited his age, 70, and the challenges facing California racing as reasons for the sale.
Rancho San Miguel is a full-service facility in San Miguel that stands many of the top stallions in the state, including Sir Prancealot and Danzing Candy, sixth and 11th on the 2024 California leading sire list by money won. e other stallions standing at the farm are Bolden, Brickyard Ride, Editorial, Mo Forza, Northern Causeway, Richard’s Kid, and e Street Fighter.
NETFLIX STREAMS RACING DOCUMENTARY
A six-episode documentary series about racing premiered on Netflix April 22. The series is called “Race for the Crown” and follows horse owners and jockeys over the course of a racing season in pursuit of grade 1 victories.
Several jockeys who ride regularly in California are featured, including Umberto Rispoli, Flavien Prat, and Antonio Fresu. Many others are based in New York, including the Ortiz brothers, John Velazquez, and Javier Castellano. The colorful Frankie Dettori, the European champion jockey who has been riding in California and elsewhere in the U.S. for the past couple of years, is also part of the series.
Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup events will be major goals of those in the documentary. Many of the owners appear to be New York-based, though both Mike Repole and Michael Iavarone have raced numerous horses on the West Coast. Repole raced Stay Thirsty, now a leading sire in California, and his California-breds include stakes-winning Pushiness.
James Gay-Rees, Paul Martin, Hillary Olsen, Warren Smith, and Ian Sambor at Box to Box Films executive produced the series. The co-executive producers are Tim Stampher and Jordan Bogdonavage.
NEW EQUINE SURGEONS AT UC DAVIS
Dr. Carter Judy and Dr. Sandra Valdez have joined the sta at the University of California, Davis as clinical professors. Judy will be with the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s Equine Surgery and Lameness Service, while Valdez will be with the Equine Surgical Emergency and Critical Care Service
A surgeon at the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos for the past 22 years, Judy received his DVM from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. Following a one-year internship at Texas A&M University, he returned to UC Davis for a 3-year residency in equine surgery and one year as a clinical instructor with the Equine Emergency and Critical Care Service. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2002.
Valdez received her DVM from the University of Baja California, Mexico in 1995. She then participated in two internships in equine medicine and surgery at Chino Valley Equine Hospital and San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in California. Valdez completed an equine surgery residency at UC Davis in 2005. She is board certi ed by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. Valdez was an associate veterinary surgeon at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital from 2005-13; a locum veterinary surgeon in California, Ohio, Virginia, and Dubai from 2013-16; and an associate veterinary surgeon at the Dubai Equine Hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2016.
Judy emphasizes the importance of imaging to determine a proper diagnosis and guide any potential surgeries.
“Advanced imaging can help to resolve challenging cases and provide a clear path forward for discovering the diagnosis, creating a treatment plan, evaluating the prognosis, and providing the client and referring veterinarian a reliable rehabilitation schedule,” he said. “Advanced imaging makes surgery more precise, less invasive, and most importantly, more e ective.”
Imaging services at UC Davis will soon become more advanced and e cient with the opening of the All Species Imaging Center, a central hub of all clinical imaging activities, including the addition of the hospital’s rst standing equine CT scanner.
QUALIFYING CLAIMING LEVELS
The following claiming levels for California owners premiums and stallion awards are currently in effect:
Judy Hedrick
Judy Hedrick, who with her husband, Bill, bred and raced such good California-breds as multiple stakes winner Clovisconnection, died March 12. She was a major force in the equine community of Clovis, Calif., especially as a supporter of the Clovis Rodeo.
The Hedricks have long bred runners at their Hedrick Ranch in Sanger, and many talented horses have come from their program. Cal-bred champion Sircat Sally received her early training at the ranch. Hedrick homebreds have included Summersimage, an earner of $245,535 and winner of the 2017 Robert Dupret Derby and 2019 Oak Tree Sprint Stakes.
Clovisconnection is still going strong at age 5. The gelded son of Vronsky—La Darling, by Perfect Mandate, has earned $463,800 thus far while trained by Blaine Wright. Clovisconnection first became a stakes winner in the 2022 Golden Nugget Stakes, and the following year he strung together four stakes victories, in the Auburn Stakes, Irish Day Stakes, Robert Dupret Derby, and Harris Farms Stakes. Last year Clovisconnection added the Oak Tree Sprint Stakes, Harris Farms Stakes, and Oakland Stakes.
Judy helped support the Clovis Rodeo for more than 60 years and in 2023 served as one of the grand marshals for the event. The Clovis Roundup newspaper wrote that Judy’s “work was never about recognition—it was about preserving a way of life, ensuring that the rodeo remained a celebration of heritage, hard work, and camaraderie.”
In addition to her husband, Judy is survived by son Brett, brother Mike Spears, and grandchildren Blake and Tanner.
Gordon Jones
Longtime handicapper, turf writer, and journalism professor Gordon Jones died April 18, only four days after his 95th birthday.
For many years, Jones was the turf columnist and handicapper at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, but he was perhaps most well-known as the author of the best-selling book Gordon Jones to Win. That inspired his pre-race handicapping seminars, which were popular for decades.
A graduate of Whittier College with a master’s degree from the University of Oregon, Jones taught journalism at the University of Southern California and Arizona State University. Many students said that he was the reason they went on to successful careers as journalists, and his former students include renowned sportscaster Al Michaels.
Jones also taught his daughter, Joanne, how to handicap, beginning a long career for her in television and radio, covering races nationwide. In addition to Joanne, Jones is survived by grandson Ethan Jones, longtime partner Margaret Davis, former wife and close friend Kathy Jones, brother, Dr. Alfred Jones, sister-in-law Dr. Elyane Jones, niece Elizabeth Jones, and daughter Brienna Jones.
STALLION NEWS
■ Om Gets First Stakes Winner
Om, who stands at John Harris’ Harris Farms in Coalinga, was represented by his first stakes winner when Om N Joy captured the $126,000 Evening Jewel Stakes at Santa Anita April 5.
A son of Munnings—Rare Cat, by Tabasco Cat, Om competed from 2014-19, winning seven of 32 races, with seven seconds and six thirds, for total earnings of $1,355,082. He won four stakes, including the 2015 Del Mar Derby (G2T), Twilight Derby (G2T), and Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes (G2T).
Jerry and Connie Baker bred and race Om N Joy, a 3-year-old daughter of the Hard Spun mare Margie’s Minute. For further information on Om N Joy’s Evening Jewel Stakes, see page 20.
HISA Advisory Addresses Forelimb Fractures
e Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced April 21 the release of a new equine health advisory identifying key risk factors associated with fatal proximal forelimb fractures in oroughbreds. e advisory, which is based on data drawn from the HISA Portal, provides practical guidance for trainers and veterinarians on how to help prevent these catastrophic injuries.
e advisory’s key ndings include: Fatal proximal forelimb (humeral and scapular) fractures accounted for 15% of training fatalities reported to HISA by regulatory veterinarians in 2024; more than 40% of horses that experienced fatal proximal forelimb fractures that were reported to HISA had no recorded high-speed furlongs within the 60 days prior to the fracture occurring; on average, horses with these fractures logged only 12.3 high-speed furlongs in the 60 days prior to injury; and horses with humeral fractures averaged only 5.9 high-speed furlongs in that same timeframe.
ese ndings suggest that horses in early stages of training or those returning from an extended layo may be at higher risk for fatal proximal forelimb fractures than previously recognized. As HISA continues to collect and analyze exercise history data from across the country, it will issue additional advisories on other injury risk patterns.
“It is HISA’s goal to substantially reduce the number of these fatalities beginning in 2025,” said Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, HISA director of equine safety and welfare. “Building awareness is the rst step. is advisory re ects our commitment to data-driven safety and highlights the collective responsibility we have as an industry to intercede for atrisk horses before injuries occur.”
e full advisory has been distributed to all trainers and veterinarians registered in the HISA Portal and is also available on www.hisaus. org under the resources section.
THIS
May June
10 YEARS AGO
SPANISH QUEEN won back-to-back graded stakes during May 2015 at Santa Anita. After running second in the Providencia Stakes (G3T) in only her second start, she scored in the $201,000 Honeymoon Stakes (G2T) at 11⁄8 miles May 3 by 11⁄2 lengths in 1:47.24. Brice Blanc rode the 3-year-old filly for trainer Richard Baltas, and Blanc was back in the saddle May 30 for the $400,250 American Oaks (G1T). This time as the 7-10 favorite, Spanish Queen defeated Feathered by three-quarters of a length in 2:01.93 for 11⁄4 miles. She started only once more but was voted Cal-bred champion 3-year-old female and turf horse. Jack Nakkashian, Harry Bederian, and Harout Kamberian bred and owned the daughter of Tribal Rule—Spanish Bunny, by Unusual Heat. At that year’s Fasig-Tipton fall mixed sale, Spanish Queen sold for $500,000 to Haruya Yoshida out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.
25 YEARS AGO
California-bred PEACH FLAT
captured the $125,000 All American Handicap (G3) at Golden Gate Fields May 27, 2000. In against a field that included a two-horse odds-on entry of Boss Ego and Voice of Destiny trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Peach Flat went
to the front immediately under jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. and led at every call of the 11⁄16-mile event. Boss Ego and jockey Russell Baze closed ground and battled for the lead in the stretch, but Peach Flat held them off by a neck in 1:42.48. Alfredo Marquez trained Peach Flat for owners Ronald and Susie Anson. John Francis and Julia DeMeo bred the 6-yearold gelded son of Cari Jill Hajji—Unsaddled, by Pancho Villa. Peach Flat, who had become a stakes winner in the 1999 Pirate’s Bounty Handicap, won eight of 23 races for total earnings of $373,396.
50 YEARS AGO
JUNE’S LOVE led a California-bred Exacta in the Caballero Handicap at Hollywood Park May 10, 1975, by defeating Ancient Title, one of the top runners produced in the state. The one-mile event drew a stellar field that included another good Calbred in Against the Snow and the mare Susan’s Girl, who would go on to earn her third Eclipse Award that season. June’s Love, ridden by Jerry Lambert for trainer L.J. Sterling, trounced Ancient Title by 31⁄4 lengths in a stakes-record 1:334⁄5. Sadly, it was the last start for June’s Love, who broke a cannon bone during a workout and had to be euthanized. Vee Jay Stable owned June’s Love, who was bred by Mrs. F.M. Jones. June’s Love was by Rising Market—Quasar, by Imbros, and foaled at Rancho Los Cerritos in Murrieta. He earned a total of $124,060, with eight wins in 25 starts.
10 YEARS AGO
Trainer Ron Ellis took over as the trainer of MASOCHISTIC during 2015, and in his first two starts for the conditioner, the California-bred 5-year-old gelding won back-to-back graded races at Santa Anita. After scoring in the April 11 Kona Gold Stakes (G2), Masochistic returned in the $300,500 Triple Bend Stakes (G1) June 27. He and fellow Cal-bred San Onofre, second in the Kona Gold, alternated on the lead of the seven-furlong race. Then Masochistic put away San Onofre and coasted home by 31⁄2 lengths in 1:20.25 as Appealing Tale closed for second. Ellis trained Masochistic for Samantha Siegel’s Jay Em Ess Stable and Will Shamlian’s Los Hermanos Racing. Francoise Dupuis and Louise Julian bred Masochistic, a son of Sought After—Trotinette, by Unusual Heat. Masochistic raced through 2018, winning eight of 19 races, with three seconds, and earning $864,895.
25 YEARS AGO
California-bred THERESA’S TIZZY descended from pure California roots and raced for five seasons throughout her home state. She added the $100,000 Desert Stormer Handicap at Hollywood Park June 10, 2000. With Hall of Famer Laffit Pincay Jr. aboard, Theresa’s Tizzy led from the beginning of the six-furlong race, and as the 8-5 favorite she roared home on top by four lengths in 1:09.30. Noble Threewitt trained the 6-year-old
mare for Sam Bellestri, Doris Johnson, Julie Leach, et al. Lester Smith bred Theresa’s Tizzy out of his homebred Theresa’s Pleasure, who won the inaugural California Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes in 1990. Theresa’s Tizzy was by California sire Cee’s Tizzy. She won 15 of 35 races, with five seconds and two thirds, for earnings of $660,271. As a broodmare, Theresa’s Tizzy produced stakes winners Got the Last Laugh and Puddifoot.
50 YEARS AGO
Second in the Hollywood Gold Cup in 1974, California Horse of the Year ANCIENT TITLE wouldn’t be denied in 1975. Considered a sprinter early in his career, the 5-yearold took on the 11⁄4-mile Gold Cup and seven rivals June 21. Ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., Ancient Title drew clear early and set fractions of :232⁄5, :47, 1:103⁄5, and 1:344⁄5 He completed the distance in 1:591⁄5, 41⁄4 lengths ahead of second-placed Big Band. “He was perfect,” Pincay said. “He didn’t try to pull himself up or anything.” Keith Stucki trained Ancient Title for the Kirkland Stable. Mr. and Mrs. William Kirkland bred the son of Gummo—Hi Little Gal, by Bar Le Duc. The gelding, named to the national Hall of Fame in 2008, won a second Cal-bred Horse of the Year title in 1975 and raced through 1978, earning a total of $1,252,791.
To further assist the membership of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) and subscribers of its official publication, California Thoroughbred, this monthly editorial page provides readers with updates about the association’s current policies, latest news, and upcoming events in the Golden State.
Industry Directory Deadline
e California oroughbred Industry Directory is a great way to advertise your business. Cost for a full-page black and white ad is only $550. Be sure also to check your free directory listing to see that everything is correct and up-to-date. Deadline for inclusion is June 2.
For further information, contact Loretta Veiga at 626-445-7800, ext. 227, or Loretta@ctba.com.
DATES TO REMEMBER
SEPT. 1—2025 Report of Mares Bred due from stallion owners/farms to California oroughbred Breeders Association
SEPT. 30—California-bred/ California-sired registration deadline for foals of 2024 at $100 for CTBA members and $200 for non-members
CTBA working for you
CTBA working for you
MAY 2025
To further assist the membership of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) and subscribers of its official publication, California Thoroughbred, this monthly editorial page provides readers with updates about the association’s current policies, latest news, and upcoming events in the Golden State.
To further assist the membership of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) and subscribers of its official publication, California Thoroughbred, this monthly editorial page provides readers with updates about the association’s current policies, latest news, and upcoming events in the Golden State.
Two days after California-bred California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), another Derby winner, jockey Mario Gutierrez, was honored in Sacramento.
e Latino Spirit Awards, established in 2002, are held in conjunction with Cinco de Mayo. Gutierrez, who piloted I’ll Have Another to win the 2012 Kentucky Derby, was one of 10 honored this year by the California Senate and Assembly. California Gov. Jerry Brown attended the dinner held the night before in conjunction with the awards.
e timing couldn’t have been better, as many wanted to talk about the state’s own California Chrome. is is the rst time that the Latino Spirit Awards have honored a racing gure. Gutierrez’s photo will hang in the Capitol Rotunda for a month along with the other honorees.
Gutierrez was born in Mexico and initially began his riding career in his native country. He later was a huge success at Hastings Racecourse in Canada before switching his tack to Southern California. Paul Reddam, owner of I’ll Have Another, noticed the youngster’s ability and suggested him to trainer Doug O’Neill for I’ll Have Another in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita. Gutierrez never lost on the colt in four starts—the Lewis, Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), Kentucky Derby, and Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
GOT CHROME?
In the run-up to California Chrome’s successful victory in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association spread the word via a colorful button. With a tagline: “Got Chrome? California does! It pays to be Cal-bred” the CTBA promoted California Chrome and the California breeding industry.
People who “liked” the CTBA’s Facebook page received one of the buttons, as did some lucky fans who flocked to California Chrome’s final work at Los Alamitos April 26.
Then it was off to Kentucky, where CTBA’s Doug Burge and several board members also passed out buttons on the famed Churchill Downs backstretch. The buttons proved so popular that they also passed them out at Pimlico before the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
NEW
CTBA MEMBERS
Preakness Stakes
Syd Belzberg (Budget Stables) Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Nels Erickson Reno, NV
Thomas Glosser Whittier, CA
Mary Lou Griffin Buckley, WA
Gold Rush Day Santa Anita
Tiffany Teresi, Dawn Howe, and Mary Valente (Partnership) Acampo, CA
Chris and Jena Raymer Catoosa, OK
Charles Robin Brentwood, CA
Nor Cal Auction Bonus—$250,000
CTBA Sales is offering a “$250,000 G1 Bonus” for the Aug. 12 CTBA Northern California Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale to be held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The bonus money will be paid out to the registered owner at time of nomination according to The Jockey Club papers.
The official rules for the bonus are listed under the consignor’s contract in the entry form. To earn the bonus, a yearling must go through the sales ring and win a grade I race in North America at the age of 2, 3, or 4.
Closing date for sale entries is June 9, with a $300 entry fee, $1,000 upset price, and $500 minimum commission charge. For additional information, visit the CTBA’s web site at www.ctba.com or contact Cookie Hackworth, Sale Coordinator, at either cookie@ctba.com or (626) 445-7800, ext. 243.
CTBA FUTURE EVENTS
CTBA Northern California Yearling & Horses of Racing Age Sale Tuesday, August 12 Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton Contact Cookie Hackworth cookie@ctba.com / 800.573.2822 ext. 243
For further information, contact: Cookie Hackworth cookie@ctba.com 800.573.2822 ext. 243
Milky Way Farm
FOR LINDA MADSEN, IT’S ALL ABOUT FRIENDSHIP
BY TRACY GANTZ
Linda Madsen doesn’t think of people who keep horses at her Milky Way Farm in Temecula as clients. She thinks of them as friends.
Walk around the farm with Madsen, and she will tell you who owns each horse, inevitably followed by, “I just love them.” She means it too.
e friendship extends to her sta as well. Farm manager Johnny Alvira has become such an integral part of the operation that he is now also a partner. Dr. Celeste Martin does the veterinary work at Milky Way as well as at other facilities yet keeps an o ce on Madsen’s property. It allows for a close-knit family atmosphere that translates to happy horses.
Madsen has spent much of her life on the Milky Way property, now 100 acres devoted to oroughbreds. She moved there with her family in 1967, and at the time they bred and showed champion Arabians. Marriage to oroughbred veterinarian Larry Seeman (who died in 2008) introduced Linda to oroughbreds, and
Business partners Linda Madsen and Johnny Alvira (right) operate Milky Way Farm in Temecula
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MILKY WAY FARM
through the years the property evolved into the full-service oroughbred farm it is today.
Stallions, mares, and young horses populate most of the Milky Way acreage, but one small pasture will cause a double take. Madsen keeps a few Guernsey cows there, holdovers from when she showed them.
ey are enjoying a well-earned retirement.
e three barns give Milky Way 44 stalls, though the horses usually enjoy being outdoors. Stallions have generous pens with a cover over part of each one, and they all come quickly to Madsen or Alvira for attention.
e latest farm addition is a 15-stall mare motel, which complements the stalls and various sized pastures, most either four or 81⁄2 acres. at gives the team plenty of exibility in moving horses, such as the pasture near the foaling barn where they can keep those mares nearing their due date.
It’s a busy place. Madsen and Alvira expect to breed 225 mares in 2025. Not all remain with Milky Way year-round, resulting in the farm foaling out about 125.
While Madsen loves to watch the babies grow up, excitement builds even more as they get closer to the races. Two stallions well known to California racing fans—Tizamagician and Midnight Storm—are in that position. Tizamagician’s rst foals arrived in 2024, while Midnight Storm got his rst California-breds the same year.
John Teglia owns Tizamagician. He was part of the MyRacehorse group that campaigned him with Spendthrift Farm.
“My involvement with MyRacehorse during his racing career provided me with rsthand insight into Tizamagician’s potential as a stallion,” Teglia said.
ough bred in Kentucky, Tizamagician has California roots, being by California-bred Tiznow, the 2000 national Horse of the Year and a two-time Cal-bred Horse of the Year. Tizamagician is out of the graded stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Magic Union.
Richard Mandella trained Tizamagician, who won the 2021 Cougar II Stakes (G3) at Del Mar and Tokyo City Cup Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita. e horse placed in
Yearling prep (left) is one of the many services offered at Milky Way
seven other stakes, including a second in the 2021 Paci c Classic Stakes (G1) and Brooklyn Stakes (G2), the latter in New York. Tizamagician earned $741,851.
“When I saw Tizamagician, I felt the son of Tiznow belonged in California,” Teglia said. “It was a conviction that his bloodline deserved to continue here where his legendary sire was bred and shined as a racehorse.”
Madsen and Alvira are excited about the potential for Tizamagician’s foals.
“Tizamagician’s foals are very correct,” Alvira said. “ ey are leggy, like what a classic oroughbred looks like. ey are like Tiznow—big, leggy, with nice balance.”
Teglia has supported Tizamagician with mares of his own.
“To see him in the hands of Linda, Johnny, and Dr. Martin, it feels right,” Teglia said. “ ey’re the kind of hardworking, dedicated people that this industry needs, and I’m grateful that they’re giving Tizamagician a chance to thrive in his second career.”
Madsen said that they bred 45 mares to Tizamagician in 2024.
Midnight Storm already has runners from when he rst stood at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky. His o spring include Great Escape, a multiple stakes winner in Canada and an earner of $523,798, and Runaway Storm, winner of the Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland and an earner of $308,371.
California racing fans will remember Midnight Storm, who made all but one of his 27 starts in California. A Kentucky-bred son of Pioneerof the Nile, Midnight Storm has his own California pedigree roots, being out of the Cal-bred Bertrando mare My Tina.
Racing four seasons, from age 3-7, Midnight Storm won seven stakes, including the 2016 Shoemaker Mile (G1T), and he earned $1,783,110. He also ran third in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1T).
“Midnight Storms are all power, with big hind ends,” said Alvira, who noted that Midnight Storm had plenty of speed, which will complement long-distance mares. “Midnight Storm was very versatile.
Passion for Gold is one of the Milky Way stallions
Paddocks give the stallions ample time outdoors
Midnight Storm had his first California-bred foals arrive in 2024
Tizamagician will have his first runners reach the track in 2026
at horse had a big heart.”
“ ey’re really muscular,” added Madsen of the stallion’s foals. “We bred 82 mares to Midnight Storm last year.”
One of those was Mint Condition, who produced a Midnight Storm lly March 7. A daughter of Hard Spun out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Malibu Moon mare Malibu Mint, Mint Condition sold to Madsen through a Fasig-Tipton digital auction. Mint Condition’s 2023 colt by Army Mule brought $175,000 at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March 2-year-old sale.
Madsen has done well through digital sales. She picked up Caxambas Pass in late 2023, and the following April the mare’s colt by Omaha Beach sold for $510,000 as a 2-year-old at OBS. Named Roger Roger and trained by Chad Brown, he nished third in his rst start. Caxambas Pass this year foaled a lly by Passion for Gold.
American eorem is a newcomer to Milky Way, arriving after this year’s breeding season began. While he will be bred to some mares in 2025, including a daughter of Gun Runner and another by Quality Road, Madsen said that they will begin promoting him more fully in 2026.
By 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, American eorem is a grandson of Pioneerof the Nile. He is out of the unraced Maria’s Mon mare Mighty Renee, also the dam of stakes winners Mighty Caroline, Cyclogenisis, and Renee’s Queen.
Kretz Racing owns American eorem, and George Papaprodromou trained him. American eorem in 2022 won back-toback graded stakes—the Triple Bend Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita and Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar. He also nished second in that year’s Pat O’Brien Stakes (G2).
“ e Kretzes are just the nicest people,” Madsen said. “ ey’ve got Win the Space here too.”
Win the Space, an earner of $334,831, is by Pulpit out of the stakes-winning Mutakddim mare Teamgeist. He is a half brother to graded winner House Rules.
“Win the Space is starting to do really well and getting some winners,” Madsen said.
California leading sire Lucky Pulpit was by Pulpit. Madsen strives to pro-
vide a variety of sire lines at Milky Way.
“What we’ve tried to do with the studs is pick out ones where we like the sires the best,” Madsen said.
Moquest, owned by EAS Equine Alliance, is not only by the good sire Uncle Mo, he is an unraced full brother to Nyquist, a champion, Kentucky Derby (G1) winner, and top sire in Kentucky. Moquest’s rst foals are 2-year-olds this year.
“Several are training in California and Florida,” Madsen said. “We are hearing that they are really looking promising.”
Other sire lines represented on Milky Way’s stallion roster include Medaglia d’Oro, the sire of Passion for Gold; Scat
Daddy, the sire of Dosci cado; Giant’s Causeway, the sire of Winning Cause; Galileo, the sire of Circumference; and Unbridled’s Song, the sire of Graydar.
While breeding stallions and foaling and raising babies have been Milky Way’s primary focus, Madsen said she has just started racing a few again. Antonio Garcia trains the Milky Way runners, while Sergio Gonzalez does the early breaking and training.
Milky Way continues to sell most of its homebreds, and it is a testament to Madsen and Alvira’s belief in California that they are expanding the farm’s services.
“Johnny and I are partners, and we’re not going anywhere,” Madsen said. “We’re going to support California every single way we can.”
Two years ago, Madsen and Alvira broadened their sale operation to include outside clients. Milky Way brought large consignments to the 2025 CTBA winter mixed sale and 2024 Fasig-Tipton California yearling sale.
Madsen and Alvira acknowledge the difculty of selling in California with its many challenges. ey have oated several ideas on how to promote the sales, including creating a race series solely for sales graduates.
Madsen has been very active in the local farm managers’ association, and Milky Way has often hosted stallion tours. Some have taken place solely at Milky Way, while others have included a bus tour that encompasses other area farms.
Madsen is hoping to put together another stallion tour this fall. She often brings in speakers and encourages breeders and even fans to participate in the free events as a way of promoting the industry.
“California’s the best place in the whole world to race,” Madsen said.
“We have the two best tracks ever with Santa Anita and Del Mar.”
Added Alvira, “ at’s why we have the Breeders’ Cup so often.”
Madsen and Alvira are doing their part for the California breeding industry. ey hope that the expansion of their business model and the upcoming runners from new stallions such as Tizamagician and Midnight Storm will help spark renewal and growth.
Madsen continues to enjoy riding, such as this outing in Wyoming
American Theorem is the newest stallion addition
ANNE M. EBERHARDT
CHAMPION CONNECTIONS
STYLE CAT FOLLOWS HALF BROTHER GIVER NOT A TAKER AS STAKES WINNER
BY JACK SHINAR
J.Kirk Robison, who along with his wife, Judy, has bred and raced successfully in California for nearly two decades, says he always tries to place broodmares in the Golden State that he thinks will be “a good t.”
e El Paso, Texas, couple certainly found the right place for their broodmare Kittens Trip, the dam of Style Cat, smart winner of the $126,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for 3-year-olds April 5 at Santa Anita. Kittens Trip previously produced Style Cat’s half-brother Giver Not a Taker, the dual stakes-winning California-bred champion 2-year-old male of 2022.
e 11-year-old mare has had ve foals that have raced. All have been winners, including three stakes victors.
“I love the Cal-bred program, and I grew up on California racing,” said Robison. In addition to Giver Not a Taker, the Robisons also bred and owned Good With People, the Cal-bred 2-year-old male co-champion of 2020.
Robison acquired the unraced Kentucky-bred Kittens Trip, by Kitten’s Joy, in 2018 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Robison says he prefers to leave the racing decisions to his longtime trainer Peter Miller, but was glad to see Style Cat score a breakthrough triumph in the 61⁄2-furlong Echo Eddie. e dark bay gelding by retired sire Curlin to Mischief had been a tad unlucky in a pair of stakes tries as a 2-year-old while nishing second in the I’m Smokin Stakes and fourth in the Golden State Juvenile, both at Del Mar.
Style Cat was third to begin his 2025 campaign in January at Santa Anita, beaten a length by Shea Brennan after setting the pace when stretched out in the 11 16-mile California Chrome Cal Cup Derby. Miller next tried him on the hillside turf course, facing open company for the rst time, in the Feb. 16 Ba e Stakes. After battling on the front end into the stretch, he tired late to nish out of the money.
Returning to the main track for the Echo Eddie, Style Cat, piloted by leading rider Juan Hernandez, faced six rivals. e 5-2 favorite, I’m a Bad Boy, broke through the gate prior to the start and had to be reloaded. But he broke from the gate well, vying for the lead with early pacesetter R Heisman, while Drop Um and Style Cat,
third choice at odds of 7-2, raced up close on their outside.
Fractions were a quick :21.85 for the quarter and :44.48 for the half, as I’m a Bad Boy retreated heading into the turn and R Heisman weakened approaching the quarter pole. at left Drop Um and Style Cat to battle into the stretch. e pair dueled into the nal furlong before Style Cat ($9.80 to win) drew away to score by 21⁄4 lengths in a time of 1:16.88. Drop Um nished 91 2 lengths clear of R Heisman, who edged I’m a Bad Boy for third.
e Robisons were represented in the winner’s circle by their 25-year-old grandson Cash Carter, who was at the track with friends and family members celebrating his upcoming wedding.
“We were so excited,” Carter said of the victory. “We were looking forward to this race for quite a while, and I’m glad they got it done.”
Style Cat won for the third time in 11 lifetime starts and boosted his career bankroll to $229,990.
“ is horse always tries and runs good for me,” Hernandez said. “I could really tell he was ready in the post parade. I let the speed go and he really picked it up turning for home.”
Style Cat (left) wins Echo Eddie Stakes for owner/breeders J. Kirk and Judy Robison
The Robisons’ grandson Cash Carter accepts the trophy with jockey Juan Hernandez and trainer Peter Miller (right)
SWEET VICTORY
OM N JOY SCORES SEVERAL FIRSTS WITH STAKES WIN
BY JACK SHINAR
Jerry Baker, breeder and co-owner of Om N Joy, always knew patience was going to be the key to success for the lly. at perseverance paid o in a big way in the $126,000 Evening Jewel Stakes on Santa Anita Derby (G1) day April 5 in Arcadia.
Under Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux, the leggy chestnut burst away from the eld past midstretch of the 61⁄2-furlong Golden State Series event for 3-year-old llies. She recorded an impressive 21 2-length tally over her six rivals in a time of 1:17.85.
e Evening Jewel marked the rst black-type triumph for Om N Joy’s sire, Om, who stands at John Harris’ Harris Farms, as well as for her trainer, Aggie Ordonez.
After Om N Joy debuted last August at Del Mar, it took her eight starts to register her maiden victory. at win also came with an eye-catching late charge March 14 at Santa Anita.
“We had a lot of faith in this horse all along, and we knew that she was going to come around and she is coming around now in a big way,” said Baker, who bred Om N Joy with his wife, Connie. Congratulating Ordonez on her initial stakes triumph, he added, “We are very excited and very happy, and it is just the beginning of big things to come.”
After that ashy maiden win, it didn’t take the betting public long to catch on to Om N Joy.
From a morning line of 10-1, she went o as the 2-1 choice in the Evening Jewel. e eld was reduced to seven with a pair of scratches that included the expected favorite, America’s Mark.
Breaking from the inside post, Om N Joy trailed the eld out of the gate before settling in sixth up the backstretch as Knightwithlouis and Hot Girl Walk showed the way through a moderate half-mile in :45.52. Sticking to the rail, Desormeaux began to pick up the back markers aboard Om N Joy rounding the turn, but needed a way through as Hot Girl Walk and the stalkers Going Deep and Sunset Grazen on the outside vied for the advantage in upper stretch.
Om N Joy found room between horses approaching the eighth pole as Going
Deep weakened, and she quickly took the ght to Hot Girl Walk and Sunset Grazen. With long, e ortless strides, she drew o to victory, paying $6.20 to win. Sunset Grazen, at odds of 12-1, was second best by 11⁄4 lengths over Hot Girl Walk.
“I picked a pocket for her to jump through,” Desormeaux said. “She took o like she was going to plow through if she had to. She was very brave. She’s pretty athletic for a gira e.”
Om, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Munnings, retired in 2019 with earnings of more than $1.3 million. Twice second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1), he has had three racing crops with 20 winners so far from 43 runners.
Ordonez has been training since 2004 and has 180 career wins.
“ is meant the world to me,” Ordonez said of Om N Joy’s victory. “ is is the Great Race Place, and I am so happy to be here and be part of such a special day.”
e Bakers, who co-own the lly with Michael Golovko and Terrence J. Scanlan, bred Om N Joy from the Hard Spun mare Margie’s Minute, a multiple winner they raced in partnership. e mare has had three previous runners and two winners; Om N Joy is her rst stakes winner.
Om N Joy has come around well to score in the Evening Jewel Stakes
Trainer Aggie Ordonez (right) stands next to owner/breeders Jerry and Connie Baker, joined by co-owners Terry Scanlan and Mike Golovko (second and third from left)
NOT LONESOME
LONESOME STEW LEADS A TRIO OF GRAZENS ACROSS THE WIRE
BY TRACY GANTZ
When California-bred Lonesome Stew began his racing career in a $32,000 maiden claiming race at Del Mar in 2022, trainer Mark Glatt dropped in a claim for him on behalf of owner Linear Bannasch. A 2-year-old son of Grazen making his rst lifetime start, Lonesome Stew got away slowly, ran greenly, and nished last.
It took another unplaced e ort before Lonesome Stew began to improve. After those rst two races, he has never nished worse than third and became a stakes winner in the $101,000 Sensational Star Stakes at Santa Anita March 30.
“He was a decent-looking horse,” Glatt said. “He’s a much bigger horse now than he was at 2. He was a little gangly and
looked like he was a horse that would improve with some time. at’s really all it was—taking a shot.”
Glatt also knew that Grazen’s foals tend to improve with age. Nick Alexander, who owns Grazen and bred Lonesome Stew, agrees. In fact, three Alexander-breds by Grazen competed in the Sensational Star: 5-year-old Lonesome Stew, 5-year-old Tom Horn (still
owned by Alexander), and 7-year-old Lovesick Blues. ey nished one-twothree, speaking well for Grazen and for Alexander’s breeding program.
Tom Horn had returned from a layo of almost nine months to capture an allowance/optional claimer at Santa Anita Feb. 22 down the same hillside turf course as the Sensational Star. Bettors sent Tom Horn o as the 8-5 favorite against Kings River Knight, who hadn’t run since winning the May 25 Crystal Water Stakes and was the newly crowned Cal-bred champion turf horse of 2024.
Lonesome Stew broke slowly and came down the hill last of the seven horses.
Fast Buck, Tom Horn, and Kings River Knight battled early, and then Lovesick Blues joined in while Tom Horn backed o the rst three.
As they headed to the stretch, jockey Antonio Fresu had to swing Lonesome Stew around the entire eld. e gelding mowed down the competition and got into a three-way tussle with Tom Horn and Lovesick Blues. e three Alexander-breds came to the wire together, but Lonesome Stew posted a three-quarterlength victory in 1:11.55, with Tom Horn and Lovesick Blues a neck apart.
“ is horse always shows some speed, but today he was acting up a little bit inside the gate and he didn’t leave the gate very well,” Fresu said. “I just tried to bide my time and improvised a little bit.”
e improv worked. Fresu has ridden Lonesome Stew in ve consecutive races, getting four wins and one second.
Bannasch, who was born in Glendale but now lives in Solana Beach, came to Santa Anita to watch Lonesome Stew compete. She has had horses for 25 years, and Lonesome Stew is currently her only runner.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Bannasch said. “I didn’t think he was going to get there, but he did. Mark is the best.”
Alexander bred Lonesome Stew out of the Maria’s Mon mare Stash. Alexander claimed Stash for $25,000 in 2010 when the late Mike Mitchell trained his horses. She won one of four races for him and has produced eight winners from nine starters.
The Following Breeders Awards are being held by the CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS ASSOCIATION for the following individuals:
Greg Davis
Leigh Ann Howard Estate
Joe Stiglich, Lloyd E & Marynetta Grant Family Trust
Joe Stiglich & Lloyd Grant
Sunnyside Capital Ventures
Sunnyside Capital Ventures
Three Amigos Racing LLC
Stuart Tsujimoto
Josue & Jesus Arellano
Daphne A. Daphne
Jerry Frankel
Jack Tone Racing LLC
Bill Delia
Jane Bacharach
Greg Davis
Wiliam Berman
Harry W. Jessup & Pacific Coast Thoroughbreds, LLC
Michelle Friedman
Eric Jensen
Estate of Donald Matlock
James Weigel
Lidovina A. Wilson
Robert & Norma Moulton
Matthew Dohman
Blakes Racing LLC
Matthew Dohman
Sam Gardner, Gary Margolis & Steve Rothblum
Kretz Racing LLC
Nevada Equine LLC
Lidovina A. Wilson
Niles Dickey LLC
Double JH Stable, Inc.
BSM Stable, LMJ Investments, DeMaio Racing Venture & Tonia Piccioni
Jose Guadalupe & Saavedra Espinosa
Harry W. Jessup & Pacific Coast Thoroughbreds LLC
Nu Wave Stables LLC
George Yager & Art Sherman
Timothy Parker
Cal West Racing
DP Racing & James Cassidy
Dunn Bar Ranch LLC
Stephen R. Campbell & Irvine Reifman
Paul Dallas
Jose Diaz & Oliver Ruiz
EAS Equine Alliance, Craig Netwig & Debra Barkley
Equine Formula 1, LLC/Eric Yohan Knipe
EC Racing LLC & Steve Rothblum
T. English & M. Verge
Nels Erickson
Esembee Inc.
Eric Yohan Knipe
James Gustafson Trust
Trevor Hadfiel
Regan Wright, Perry Martin & Denise Martin
Pamela C. Ziebarth
R Cher Family Farm & Adam Kitchingman
Tom Mansor
Kevin Jacobsen
Jason Litt
Jethorse LLC
George Yager
Jim Robinson
Gus & Suzanne Rodriguez
Kenji T. Morinaga
Glyn Kelly, Freddy Desimone, Gary
Kenji T. Morinaga
Smith & Bob Nastanovic
David G. LaCroix
Jason Litt
Little Mountain Stables
Live Your Dream Racing Stable
Margaret Sherr & Martine Bellocq
Estate of Sandra Thomason
3480 Equine LLP & Brad Auger
Wachtel Stable & Gary Barber
James Weigel
Dr. David Earl Williams
The checks will be released when proper identifcation is established.
Please contact Mary Ellen Locke or Dawn Gerber 201 Colorado Place, Arcadia, CA 91077 • (800) 573-2822 • (626) 445-7800 www.ctba.com
COUPLE FINDS JOY IN BREEDING THEIR OWN RUNNERS
CONNIE AND JERRY BAKER
BY JACK SHINAR
They have made a success of their partnership in the real estate sales business and in marriage. Now Connie and Jerry Baker have embarked on a new endeavor—breeding and racing their own oroughbreds.
e Glendora couple had a rst real taste of success when a lly they bred, Om N Joy, dispatched her California-bred rivals to register a 21⁄2-length victory
for jockey Kent Desormeaux in the $126,000 Evening Jewel Stakes April 5 at Santa Anita. ey’ve been ying high since.
“We always had a lot of con dence in her, that all she needed was time to mature into that big body,” Connie said of the winning daughter of the Harris Farms stallion Om who began her career with eight consecutive losses. “I laughed afterward when Kent called her a gira e.” “Fantastic, we love it,”
Jerry said of their foray into the horse breeding business. “It’s been a hard grind. You can’t rush time. But we’ve taken things one step at a time. We banked a lot on it, and the experience has been life-changing.”
e journey began in April 2016, when trainer omas Ray Bell Jr. claimed a 5-yearold mare named Margie’s Minute on their behalf for $20,000 at Los Alamitos. By Hard Spun out of the winning Jolie’s Halo mare Halo Miss America, the bay was bred in Kentucky by John C. Oxley. She had been racing in California for Beau Greely.
Margie’s Minute was the rst horse the Bakers owned. ey were taken by her beauty and loved watching her run. In 10 races for them over the next year, she won twice and was in the money six more times.
“She had a little wear and tear on her by then, and we wanted to do what was best for her,” Connie said. “She’s a big, beautiful mare and so we thought we’d try to breed her.”
“We couldn’t let her go,” Jerry added. “We put a lot of faith in her.”
ough the Bakers are longtime racing fans, this was a rst for them. ey didn’t realize how complicated breeding a mare can be: where to keep her, which stallion to mate her with, the constant issues with vetting and care.
“It’s one thing to claim a horse and race it, but breeding one is incomparable,” Jerry said. “ ere are so many decisions to be made. It’s a long process.”
Connie and Jerry Baker visit their homebred stakes winner Om N Joy
COURTESY OF JERRY AND CONNIE BAKER
Margie’s Minute’s broodmare career started slowly. Her rst foal in 2018, Sugar Kisses, a bay lly by Smiling Tiger, was not doing too well racing in Southern California. Her trainer, Carla Gaines, suggested they transfer her to the easier circuit in the north.
While Sugar Kisses, two for 23 in her career, didn’t improve much with the move, it led the Bakers to trainer Aggie Ordonez, who now conditions all their horses.
“We knew right away that it was going to be a wonderful relationship,” Jerry said of Ordonez, who celebrated the rst stakes win of her career with Om N Joy.
“We have ve horses in training with Aggie,” Connie noted. “It’s very exciting.”
Margie’s Minute’s second foal, Zzyzx (named for a road that intersects Interstate 15 on the way to Las Vegas), also did not accomplish much on the track. A three-time winner from 24 races, the chestnut lly by Spendthrift stallion Goldencents, sire of 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan, was claimed away from the Bakers.
Next came the late-running Om N Joy, who registered four thirdplace nishes before graduating in March. Her impressive follow-up victory in the Evening Jewel suggests that more is on the horizon. Jerry said that Ordonez plans to stretch Om N Joy out for the 11⁄16-mile Melair Stakes May 24 at Santa Anita. e Bakers have two partners in Om N Joy, Terry Scanlan, their accountant, and Scanlan’s buddy, Michael Golovko.
Jerry said Scanlan was part of MyRacehorse, the popular micro-share ownership group, but wanted more involvement in horse ownership, “so he has 10%. en Michael said that if
Terry was in, he wanted in, too, so he has 10%.”
e Baker broodmare band has expanded to three, including Sugar Kisses. ey recently bred her to Om. ey also have a Twirling Candy mare, Mint Julep Ta y. Her rst foal, 3-year-old Knead the Dough, a lly by Smiling Tiger, is expected to begin her career later this year.
Jerry, who will be 75 in June, said he
has been in the real estate business in the San Gabriel Valley for 43 years. ough he grew up in Monrovia, a couple of miles from Santa Anita, he had never been to the races until he met Connie’s father, Richard, a couple of years after Jerry left the military in 1974. He was quickly hooked by the sport.
Connie said she has been going to the races since she was a little girl. She also worked for a time at Santa Anita as a pari-mutuel clerk.
“My mom would ask me, ‘Would you like to go for a picnic?’ And for years that was what going for a picnic meant to me, spending the day on the in eld at Santa Anita,” Connie said.
It was Richard who introduced Jerry to Connie, though both were married to others at the time.
Many years later, after Connie’s rst husband had died and Jerry was divorced, they got together.
Eighteen years ago, they formed the real estate agency Baker & Snyder and remain quite active in the business. ey were married 12 years ago.
“We’d both been around racing (as fans) for a long time, so getting into the business as an owner and breeder was kind of just natural,” Jerry said.
He credits Connie with managing the breeding part of their operation, studying pedigrees for the best matches, while he’s more involved with the nancial end.
“It’s a Baker team e ort,” he said. What does it mean to have bred their rst stakes winner?
“ is thing started as a dream,” Jerry said. “And now it’s a dream come true. We had no idea if this was going to work out or not. But we took it one step at a time. It’s been very exciting.”
Margie’s Minute is the Bakers’ first runner and first broodmare
Om N Joy gives the Bakers’ their biggest thrill by capturing the Evening Jewel Stakes
COURTESY OF JERRY AND CONNIE BAKER
California-Bred Incentive Awards
THE CAL-BRED INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Questions and answers concerning California-breds and California’s lucrative incentive awards program, which was responsible for breeders, owners, and stallion owners collecting over $10 million for 2024.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR THE AWARDS?
e breeders and owners of registered California-bred oroughbreds and the owners of California-based stallions.
WHAT
ARE BREEDERS AWARDS?
A monetary award that is paid to the breeder of a registered California-bred oroughbred nishing rst, second, or third in any oroughbred only race run in California and any graded stakes races conducted within the United States. Breeders will receive 75% of the remainder of the total incentive award monies after owner awards are paid, with an individual breeder receiving a pro-rated share of this breeders fund. e maximum purse considered earned in any qualifying race within this state shall be $330,000 for a win, $120,000 for a second, and $90,000 for a third-place nish. Breeder awards always are paid exclusive of nomination, entry, and starting fees.
WHAT ARE OWNERS AWARDS?
A monetary award that is paid to the owner of a registered California-bred oroughbred horse that runs in qualifying races in California. Owners can receive at least a 20% bonus on the nisher’s share for nishing rst through fth in an open allowance or overnight stake race and up to a 20% bonus for nishing rst in an open starter allowance above $15,000 and open non-maiden claiming races with a claiming price of $40,000 or greater in Southern California and $20,000 or greater in Northern California. ese levels are purposely set high to encourage the ownership of high-quality runners and to restrict the number of quali ers so that the awards will function as a major incentive. Owner awards always are paid exclusive of nomination, entry, and starting fees. ey are listed in the racing program and will be distributed at the same time as the purse by the paymaster.
WHAT IS THE MAIDEN BONUS PROGRAM?
A Maiden Bonus award will be paid to the owner of a registered California-bred or registered California-sired foal for winning a oroughbred only maiden special weight race. e bonus amount is $10,000 at Santa Anita and Del Mar and $5,000 in Northern California, Los Alamitos and at all Fair meetings throughout the state. ese awards are paid directly to the owner. Only races at 41 2 furlongs or longer will qualify. In the event of a dead heat, the bonus will be split among the owners.
WHAT ARE STALLION AWARDS?
In order to stimulate the acquisition in California of nationally prominent stallions, and retain high-caliber California stallions, monetary awards are paid annually to the owners of registered California stallions whose California-conceived or California-bred get have won a qualifying race or have nished, rst, second, or third in a stakes race in the state or any graded stakes race within the United States during the year. Qualifying races are any non-claiming races, including maiden allowance and starter allowance races, with
a purse of at least $15,000, and open non-maiden claiming races with a claiming price of $40,000 or greater in Southern California and $20,000 or greater in Northern California also qualify. Stallion awards are exclusive of nomination, entry, and starting fees. Stallions must be registered by Feb. 15 each year to be eligible for stallion awards. Stallion owners will receive 25% of the remainder of the total incentive award monies after owners awards are paid, with an individual owner of a registered California stallion (as of Dec. 31) receiving a pro-rated share of the stallion fund based on the total qualifying earnings of the get during the year. e maximum purse considered earned in any qualifying race within this state shall be $330,000 for a win, $120,000 for a second, and $90,000 for a third-place nish. e stallion must be continuously present in California from Feb. 1 to July 15, inclusive, of the year 2010 or any subsequent calendar year in which he stood at stud and fathered the participant in the race. If a sire dies in this state in the year 2010 or any subsequent year and stood his last season at stud in this state, or was standing at stud in this state on the date of his death in the year 2010 or any subsequent year, he shall thereafter continue to be considered an eligible oroughbred stallion regarding a race participant fathered by him in that season. e California oroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) will help compile data, but it is the ultimate responsibility of the stallion owner to advise that o cial registering agency, on or before Feb. 15 of any year, of any and all purses earned during the preceding year that shall be considered in determining the amount of the stallion award to which the owner is entitled.
DOES THE PROGRAM INCLUDE RACES OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA?
Yes. e breeder of a California-bred oroughbred nishing rst, second, or third in a graded stakes race outside of California, but within the United States, will be paid a pro-rated share of the breeders fund. e maximum purse considered earned in any race shall be $165,000 for a win, $60,000 for second, and $45,000 for a third-place nish. CTBA will help compile data, but it is the ultimate responsibility of the breeder to advise the o cial registering agency (CTBA), on or before Feb. 15 of any year, of any and all purses earned during the preceding year in graded stakes races outside of this state by horses bred by the breeder. Also, the owner of a registered California stallion whose California-conceived or California-bred get nished rst, second, or third in a graded stakes outside of California, but within the United States, will be paid a pro-rated share of the Stallion fund with the maximum purse considered earned the same as the breeders above.
WHEN ARE THE PREMIUMS PAID?
Owner awards are paid at the same time as the purse by the paymaster. Breeder awards are paid twice a year with a conservative advance payment of approximately 6-8% being paid around Sept. 1 and the nal payment for 2025 being paid by March 31, 2026. e stallion awards are paid prior to March 31, 2026.
California-Bred Incentive Awards
ARE THERE SPECIAL RACING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CALIFORNIA-BREDS?
Yes. Racetracks in California are required by law to o er one race per day that is restricted to California-breds. Last year, that amounted to 329 additional racing opportunities and more than $18.5 million in additional purses for California-breds. In addition, the California legislature has declared its intent that at least 10% of the total stakes purses paid at any race meeting in California be paid on stakes races restricted to registered California-breds. is amounted to almost $4 million in 2024 and will grow signi cantly through the creation of the Golden State Series. Also, in 2025, California Cup XXXV will be held at Santa Anita Park on a date to be announced. Part of the funding for California Cup XXXV will come from the incentive award category, the California-bred Race Fund. 9.5% of the total incentive award monies will be used for this category, with the monies funding the promotion of California-bred races, the supplement of purses for California-bred races, and the creation of new California-bred stakes.
WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A CALIFORNIA-BRED?
THE DEFINITION OF A CALIFORNIA-BRED IS AS FOLLOWS:
A California-bred oroughbred is a horse dropped in California after being conceived in California, or any oroughbred foal dropped by a mare in California if the mare remains in California to be next bred to a oroughbred stallion standing in the state. If the mare cannot be bred for two successive seasons, but remains in California during that period, her foal will be considered a California-bred.
WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A CALIFORNIA-SIRED HORSE?
A “California-sired horse” is a oroughbred that was conceived in California by a registered California stallion. A California-sired horse is only eligible for entry in races restricted to California-bred or Cali-
fornia-sired horses and is not eligible for any breeder or owner awards, except the maiden bonus awards.
HOW DOES ONE REGISTER A CALIFORNIA-BRED OR CALIFORNIA-SIRED HORSE?
Registration applications must be led with the CTBA. Only those horses that are both registered with e Jockey Club and ful ll all requirements as outlined in the de nition of a California-bred are eligible. e fees for registration are as follows:
1. $100.00 for CTBA members, $200.00 for non-members if applied for by Sept. 30 of the foal’s yearling year;
2. $125.00 for CTBA members. $250.00 for non-members if applied for after Sept. 30 of yearling but before Jan. 1 following; and
3. $750.00 if applied for after Jan. 1 of 2-year-old year.
If desired, application can be made in advance of receipt of Jockey Club Certi cates to escape penalty for late ling, but no actual registration will be made until certi cates are available. CTBA has representation at California tracks to help facilitate late registrations.
HOW CAN I OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION?
Contact Doug Burge or Mary Ellen Locke at the CTBA o ces across the street from the Santa Anita Park racetrack in Arcadia at the address and phone numbers listed below.
California oroughbred Breeders Association 201 Colorado Place, Arcadia, Calif. 90166-6018 www.ctba.com (626) 445-7800 or (800) 573-2822
Example of Owners Awards Program
Qualifying Claiming Purse
California-Bred Incentive Awards
TOP 20 2024 CALIFORNIA BREEDERS AWARDS RECIPIENTS
ALPHABETICAL 2024 CALIFORNIA BREEDERS AWARDS RECIPIENTS
Frank Ables ............................................................$471.31
Bob Abrams & Mitchell Dutko ......................$13,813.25
Bob Abrams, Mitch Dutko & Michael Paran.....$1,830.62
Linda Adair & Julie Adair Stack ..........................$154.42
Mike Adams ........................................................$4,632.51
Adena Springs & Richard Barton Enterprises ......$201.41
Juan R. Aguilar.......................................................$476.68
Luis Aguilar.............................................................$729.56
Frank Aldrich & Marysue Aldrich ........................$223.79
Sharon Alesia & Ciaglia Racing .......................$8,439.21
Sharon Alesia, Ciaglia Racing & Slam Dunk Stables ............................................................................$250.65
Nick Alexander ...............................................$213,249.31
Michael D. Allen ...............................................$12,069.13
Edward Allred ...................................................$14,755.53
Johnny Coito & Nicole DePalma, Rick & Joyce Osborne & Lee Treacy .................................$2,394.58 Julian Coles .........................................................$7,593.28 Melody Conlon ..................................................$5,984.22
Melody Conlon & Hector Palma .....................$6,257.91 Michael Conway.................................................$8,539.46
Charlene Davis & Running Horse Equine Training Center................................................................$391.63 Barbara De Lima ................................................$3,017.84 Ed
Clifford DeLima, Barbara DeLima & Dennis Patterson.....................................$11,129.87
Mark Devereaux & Scomar Enterprises .......$11,203.06
Felix Rondan .......................................................$1,286.81 Raul Rosas ..............................................................$756.42
Domeyko Taylor, LP, Moger Inc. & Paul Pimental
John Teglia
Eugene Tenbrink
Gene Tenbrink
Gene Tenbrink & Frank Ables
The Quarter Company
The Robert McCabe Family Trust
G. W. Thomas
Three Amigos Racing
Jim Tilton
Tiz Molly Partners
George Todaro
Tommy Hutton's Dream Stable
$1,132.39
$2,775.03
$704.95
$8,735.73
$7,000.23
$2,423.67
$805.65
$246.17
$679.21
$3,289.75
$55,695.22
$16,384.74
$9,961.00
Tommy Town Thoroughbreds $31,678.95
Robert Traynor
Robert Traynor & Lo Hi Racing Stable
Stuart Tsujimoto
Joe Turner
Donald Valpredo ................................................
$17,586.30
$1,020.49
$10,885.71
$3,024.55
$7,668.93
Mr. & Mrs. Donald Valpredo.............................$7,975.97
Victory Rose Thoroughbreds $55,876.74
Victory Rose Thoroughbreds & KMN Racing $4,130.09
Victory Rose Thoroughbreds, Jerry Martin & Margaret Martin
$3,139.81
California-Bred Incentive Awards
Victory Rose Thoroughbreds, John Pennant Jones, Donald Wollan & Tim Foley
Jim Volk
Doug Walker & Keith Fosness
Patricia Wall & Bill Delia
Eric M. Waller & Sharon J. Waller
$1,651.59
$10,003.52
$4,399.76
$2,528.86
$5,181.46
Warlock Stables, Myrick, Dougan, English, Perry and Denise Martin
Benjamin C. Warren & Sally Warren
$290.93
$10,711.27
Benjamin Warren, Sally Warren, Rainmaker Racing & Brett Lewis
Watchorn, Morrow & Fast Lane Farms
Martin Waterman
Mike Weeks, Linda Weeks & Devyn Weeks
James Weigel
West 12 Ranch
West 12 Ranch & Craig Allen
Cynthia White
Brett Wiener & Lawrence Kahlden
Wildwind Racing
Mr. & Mrs. Larry D. Williams
Mack Williams & Greg Payne
Henry Williamson
Williamson Racing
Willow Tree Farm
$35,632.70
$2,157.36
$308.84
$5,882.61
$604.24
$2,960.77
$2,282.69
$537.10
$615.43
$3,253.95
$73,749.34
$3,483.33
$2,584.79
$9,314.82
$11,100.11
Willow Tree Farm & G.W. Thomas
Dan Wilson
Lidovina A. Wilson
$6,259.48
$3,329.47
$962.30
Debbie Winick, Gregg Weeks & Mike Tannyhill
Susan Winklepleck & Victor Winklepleck
$4,632.50
$3,678.04
Charles Winner & Richard Rosenberg $3,513.54
Ken Wong & Cathy Vidas
Woodbridge Farm & Dr Dorothee Kieckhefer
Woodbridge Farm & Lilley Ranch
Woodbridge Farm, Sam Scolamieri & Ted Serna
Woodstock Racing Stable $476.68
Regan Wright, Perry Martin & Denise Martin $1,454.65
Tom Wyrick & Janis Wyrick
Tom Wyrick & Janis Wyrick & Harris Farms, Inc
Dennis Yokum & Carol Yokum
Joel Youkhanna & Joette Youkhanna $2,269.26 Sergio Zepeda $768.06
Steven Zerda $5,129.32 Pamela C. Ziebarth $2,497.52
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TOP 20 2024 CALIFORNIA STALLION AWARDS RECIPIENTS
EARNINGS 2024 CALIFORNIA STALLION AWARDS RECIPIENTS
1
n The accompanying list includes runners that are both California-foaled and California-sired winners in 2024 of all recent North American races, except straight claiming races.
n Abbreviations used for the class of race are similar to those used by Equibase: Alw–allowance; Hcp–overnight handicap; names of stakes race are spelled out, with the grade of the race, when applicable, in parentheses.
Equine infectious anemia is an incurable disease that the horse industry in the U.S. has worked diligently to control for more than 50 years. E orts have been fairly successful, until recently. e numbers of infected horses are increasing again, mainly because of certain illegal tactics in unregulated racing events.
Angela Pelzel-McCluskey, DVM, MS, is the national equine epidemiologist for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) veterinary services in Fort Collins, Colo. She has been working with this disease for many years, trying to help horse owners understand the problems it poses.
“EIA is a viral blood-borne disease of horses that we’ve been trying to control and eradicate in the U.S.,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ ere is no treatment or cure, and no vaccine. We have no way to prevent it except to try
Drawing blood is necessary to test for equine infectious anemia HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
to prevent direct transmission via blood.”
Once infected, a horse can never get rid of it and becomes a chronic carrier for life.
“It can be damaging health-wise because these horses are in a chronic state of anemia, making them more vulnerable to other problems and illnesses,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ eir immune system is continually under attack by this virus. While most horses can look clinically normal when they are chronically infected, they have other underlying problems or can more easily get sick with other diseases.”
e EIA virus is closely related to HIV in humans.
“We don’t have any drugs or treatments that can clear this virus from the horse,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ e drugs people use for treating HIV would be cost-prohibitive to put into a 1,000-pound animal, and we don’t even know if any of the human drugs would work in horses.”
Diseases that pose a serious threat to equine or livestock population in the U.S. have regulations regarding movement (and quarantine) of infected animals and must be reported when discovered. If a horse tests positive for EIA, it must be reported to state and federal animal health o cials.
“ e Coggins test was created by Dr. Leroy Coggins in the 1970s,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “Prior to that test, we didn’t have a way to diagnose this disease in horses. Once we had this test, we started nding cases and diagnosing what was wrong with these horses. State veterinarians got together with the horse industry and implemented movement controls to keep infected horses from moving interstate and exposing more horses.”
Horse owners must have proof of a recent negative Coggins test before those horses are allowed to cross state lines.
“In dealing with all the positive cases we’ve found since the 1970s, over time we were able to reduce the prevalence of EIA to low levels in this country, until recently,” Pelzel-McCluskey said.
TRANSMISSION
Biting ies are the most common cause of natural EIA transmission. But since this virus is in the blood, anything that transfers blood between horses can trans-
mit infection. Several species of biting ies (deer ies, horse ies, and some types of stable ies) have slashing mouthparts that create a big enough hole in the skin that blood oozes out for the y to lap up.
“ e bite is painful, so the horse tries to dislodge the y,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ e y leaves and goes to another horse. On its mouth there is fresh blood, and the virus. When it bites another horse, there is blood-to-blood transmission.”
Human-caused transmission, however, is currently the biggest problem.
“We call this iatrogenic transmission— via some type of medical procedure,” said Pelzel-McCluskey. is can occur when people don’t change needles between horses when giving injections or not cleaning and disinfecting surgical tools or other devices used on more than one horse that might expose blood.
Multiple-dose vials of medications can also pass blood from horse to horse
Biting flies, often when horses are at pasture, are the most common cause of natural EIA transmission
“Most people understand that a needle going into a horse will get blood on it,” Pelzel-McCluskey said, “but don’t always think about the fact there may also be blood in the syringe. If you are getting ready to give an IV injection and pull back on the syringe to make sure you are in a vein, now the syringe is also contaminated with blood. Even if you change the needle, that syringe may also transmit the virus.
“Some people also use IV tubing to infuse medication or uids and use the same set of tubing on multiple horses. Veterinarians would never do this; we use a single-use disposable apparatus and throw it away, or we clean, disinfect, and sterilize it for future use—to make sure there are no residues or microbes left in it.”
Tattooing tools can also transmit the virus if they are not properly disinfected between horses.
“Another thing people sometimes do is double-dip into multiple-dose vials of medications,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “If you have a bottle of ‘ace’ (Acepromazine) sedative and stick the needle into it to pull out a dose and then give it IV to the horse, you might be standing there waiting for the horse to get sleepy. e horse is not getting sleepy enough, so you decide to give more of the drug and dip
back into that bottle with the same needle and syringe, which is now contaminated with the blood of that horse. Now there is contaminated blood in the drug itself. e next time someone draws a dose from that bottle, they could get some of the
Most people understand that a needle going into a horse will get blood on it, but don’t always think about the fact there may also be blood in the syringe.”
—Dr. Angela Pelzel-McCluskey
contaminated blood and the virus.
“Some people are using illegal blood and plasma products from other countries. In the U.S., any biologics given to horses must undergo either USDA or FDA approval. ey must be tested, and the process for how they are created is very strict. e horses those biologics are coming from must be tested for various diseases to protect our products and our horses.
“Other countries don’t necessarily do
that, or don’t do it to our standards. If someone is importing a blood or plasma product that could be contaminated in another country and it comes here illegally and they administer it to a horse, there is potential for EIA or other pathogens.”
Another way EIA is transmitted is by blood doping.
“If you administer red blood cells to an athlete, you enhance the ability to utilize more oxygen,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ is is why we train Olympic athletes in areas like Colorado because at this high altitude their bodies create more red blood cells, to carry more oxygen and increase athletic ability. e same is true for horses.
“Some people take blood from another horse and inject it into a horse that will race this weekend—to try to give the racehorse an edge so he can run faster. is illegal practice is common in pre-race preparations for unsanctioned races.”
EIA virus can be transmitted in still other ways.
“It is present in the milk of infected mares and semen of infected stallions— not just in the blood,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “It is also transmissible from mare to foal in utero. is is why we don’t breed EIA-positive horses in the U.S.”
A rare way that EIA can be transmitted was discovered in Ireland about 15 years ago. An EIA case was undiagnosed at rst and later found to be caused by imported blood products from another country. e sick horse was bleeding out and taken to a veterinary hospital, where it died or was euthanized in the stall. When they cleaned that stall, they used a pressure washer to clean up the blood, which apparently aerosolized some blood and it went farther than that stall. ey later had additional cases of EIA at that clinic from what was believed to be inhalation of aerosolized virus from the blood.
UNSANCTIONED TRACKS
Illegal practices have been discovered to occur with unsanctioned Quarter Horse races.
“Racehorses that are not being medically monitored on sanctioned racetracks often get IV injections—with anything the owner or trainer thinks might help a horse run faster,” Pelzel-McCluskey said.
Fly eradication can reduce disease spread and make a horse more comfortable
“When people are racing under no rules, they may do a variety of things that might not be in the best interest of the horse.
“ e bush-track problem is a big issue and getting bigger, putting a big hitch in our e orts at prevention. e reason for the increase is social media platforms that participants and fans are using. Bush tracking has been around for a long time, but today it’s no longer just a couple guys having a race in the back pasture. Bush tracking has grown into huge events with lots of betting and hundreds to thousands of spectators. It has become very sophisticated; now they have starting gates, photo nishes, and videos of races are posted on the Internet and shared widely.”
Unsanctioned races usually have no rules for horse or rider safety. Pelzel-McCluskey noted that this could lead to horses racing while lame, shock devices used during the race, substances that are illegal to use at a sanctioned racetrack being administered to horses, etc.
Over a two-year period, Pelzel-McCluskey said she located 111 unsanctioned tracks in 28 states.
“ ose were just the ones I located by accident in my investigations, and there are hundreds more,” she said.
“We’ve noticed a shift in the epidemiology of EIA. Prior to 2017, looking at EIA cases found every year, we could determine a horse’s risk. Historically, the untested or under-tested populations of horses were where we found the EIA cases. We’d nd a few herds in which the horses were all positive; they had been living with it for years, transmitting it to each other via ies. No one had ever tested them, and they hadn’t gone anywhere. at was the majority of our cases.
“But by 2017, most of our cases were being found in Quarter Horse racehorses with iatrogenic transmission, and most of those cases had some involvement—at some point in their career—with bushtrack racing.
“ ose cases are all preventable. Earlier, we had fewer than 20 cases each year, and now we have over 100 per year.
“What I worry about is the horses that leave racing and go somewhere else. ey may go into another sport; they are still athletes.”
CLINICAL SIGNS
Signs of equine infectious anemia vary from horse to horse, and you might not suspect that a horse has EIA.
“A horse that is newly infected—an acute case—can be very sick,” said Dr. Angela Pelzel-McCluskey. “Anemia may be so severe that the horse might die. But most horses live through the acute phase of the disease. They may only have mild effects, and you might not notice a slight fever or the horse being a little off feed and just generally doing poorly.”
Most horses survive and become chronic carriers. At that point, they tend to look clinically normal. Most of them can continue their careers. They may be racing or in some other athletic career, and the owners might not know that they’ve become infected unless they run some bloodwork.
“A horse that has become ill— not putting on weight, not eating well—with no obvious reason or cause should be tested, especially if it hasn’t had an EIA test recently,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “Most veterinarians will clue in on this and order a test, just to rule it out as a cause of the problem or to determine whether the horse does actually have EIA.”
Pelzel-McCluskey recommended that a prospective owner have a horse tested as part of a pre-purchase exam.
TESTING IS CRUCIAL
“We need regular testing of horses,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ ere is a lot of testing in the U.S., and this has helped. Most equine events require testing in order to enter. We have interstate movement requirements, and some states also have a change of ownership requirement; when the horse changes hands a test is required. Regular testing helps make sure our horse population is clean.
“Also, biosecurity is important. Every horse owner can prevent this disease by avoiding blood transmission or blood contamination.
“We can also advise clients to make sure their horse is living in an environment
with only negative horses on the property and implementing y control. Horses are agitated by ies, especially ies with painful bites, so we don’t want them to have ies anyway. Good y control and good biosecurity—and testing—are the best ways to avoid this disease.”
It is also important to make sure that anyone who vaccinates or administers medication to your horses follows proper protocol. Pelzel-McCluskey related a situation a few years ago in Iowa in which a woman had three racehorses.
“ ey were participating in sanctioned races; she didn’t take them anywhere but to a legal local track,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “In preparation for going to a race that year, she had them Coggins tested, since they needed negative test results in order to go to the track. All three came back EIA positive, and she was astonished because those horses were negative the year before.
“ ose horses had not been taken anywhere. She stabled at a boarding facility, so we tested every horse on that property. We found three more positive horses belonging to another owner—horses that were out at pasture. e woman told us he was the person who vaccinated her horses.”
e man’s three horses had competed at unsanctioned tracks. ey had left a facility where there had been an outbreak of EIA a couple years prior.
“We didn’t know that those horses were even exposed because he’d left that facility and came to this boarding facility and turned them out at pasture,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ at year he’d told the woman that he was going to vaccinate his horses and o ered to vaccinate hers. He vaccinated all of them—using the same needle and syringe on her three that he used on his. He transmitted EIA from his horses to her horses with just an intramuscular vaccination.”
“Anyone with a syringe and needle in their hand needs to know about this disease.
“We lost all six horses because there wasn’t anything else we could do,” Pelzel-McCluskey said. “ ere is still low prevalence of this disease except in certain high-risk populations. is is why we want people to stay vigilant and protect their horses—and keep them tested.”
2025 LEADING BREEDERS IN CALIFORNIA BY EARNINGS (THRU
Leading California Sires Lists
2025 LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA BY AVERAGE EARNINGS PER RUNNER
Sire
1 Mrazek, 2013, by Square Eddie 10 5 $201,006 $20,101
2 Grazen, 2006, by Benchmark 7331$1,332,353 $18,251
3 Curlin to Mischief, 2011, by Curlin 2911$465,032 $16,036
4 I’ll Have Another, 2009, by Flower Alley 6622$969,192 $14,685
5 Jersey Town, 2006, by Speightstown 13 5 $181,780 $13,983
19 Cat Burglar, 2010, by Unbridled’s Song 2911$207,554 $3,363
20 Jack Milton, 2010, by War Front 20 2 $102,115 $3,224
21 Ministers Wild Cat, 2000, by Deputy Minister 20 4 $138,500 $3,075
2025 LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA
EARNINGS PER START
1 Grazen, 2006, by Benchmark 73179$1,332,353 $7,443
2 Curlin to Mischief, 2011, by Curlin 2986$465,032 $5,407
3 Om, 2012, by Munnings 2862$322,725 $5,205
4 Sir Prancealot (IRE), 2010, by Tamayuz (GB) 69173$896,149 $5,180
5 Clubhouse Ride, 2008, by Candy Ride (ARG) 60156$719,079 $4,609
6 Stanford, 2012, by Malibu Moon 58163$738,219 $4,529
7 Mr. Big, 2003, by Dynaformer 42106$444,783 $4,196
8 I’ll Have Another, 2009, by Flower Alley 66232$969,192 $4,178
9 Danzing Candy, 2013, by Twirling Candy 3899$384,415 $3,883
10 Vronsky, 1999, by Danzig 3176$277,741 $3,654
11 Midnight Storm, 2011, by Pioneerof the Nile 57153$543,682 $3,553
12 Acclamation, 2006, by Unusual Heat 1953$176,102 $3,323
13 Catholic Boy, 2015, by More Than Ready 70166$549,939 $3,313
14 Dads Caps, 2010, by Discreet Cat 3691$295,597 $3,248
15 Graydar, 2009, by Unbridled’s Song 2465$202,376 $3,113
16 Smiling Tiger, 2007, by Hold That Tiger 76195$553,616 $2,839
17 Cat Burglar, 2010, by Unbridled’s Song 2977$207,554 $2,696
18 Ministers Wild Cat, 2000, by Deputy Minister 2055$138,500 $2,518
19 Stay Thirsty, 2008, by Bernardini 103309$773,477 $2,503
20 Jack Milton, 2010, by War Front 2054$102,115 $1,891
21 Misremembered, 2006, by Candy Ride (ARG) 1755$93,815 $1,706
2025 LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA BY NUMBER OF WINNERS
1 Grazen, 2006, by Benchmark 732731$1,332,353
2 Stanford, 2012, by Malibu Moon 582631$738,219
3 Sir Prancealot (IRE), 2010, by Tamayuz (GB) 692225$896,149
4 I’ll Have Another, 2009, by Flower Alley 662022$969,192
5 Stay Thirsty, 2008, by Bernardini 1031921$773,477
6 Clubhouse Ride, 2008, by Candy Ride (ARG) 601722$719,079 Smiling Tiger, 2007, by Hold That Tiger 761719$553,616 Midnight Storm, 2011, by Pioneerof the Nile 571721$543,682
9 Catholic Boy, 2015, by More Than Ready 701415$549,939
Mr. Big, 2003, by Dynaformer 421213$444,783
Dads Caps, 2010, by Discreet Cat 361113$295,597 12 Curlin to Mischief, 2011, by Curlin 291011$465,032
Danzing Candy, 2013, by Twirling Candy 38 9 12$384,415 14 Vronsky, 1999, by Danzig 31 89 $277,741 15 Cat Burglar, 2010, by Unbridled’s Song 29 7 11$207,554 Acclamation, 2006, by Unusual Heat 19 78
Om, 2012, by Munnings
Majestic Harbor, 2008, by Rockport Harbor
Desert Code, 2004, by E Dubai
2025 LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA BY NUMBER OF RACES WON
1 Grazen, 2006, by Benchmark 7317931$1,332,353 Stanford, 2012, by Malibu Moon 5816331$738,219
3 Sir Prancealot (IRE), 2010, by Tamayuz (GB) 6917325$896,149
4 I’ll Have Another, 2009, by Flower Alley 6623222$969,192 Clubhouse Ride, 2008, by Candy Ride (ARG) 6015622$719,079
6 Stay Thirsty, 2008, by Bernardini 10330921$773,477 Midnight Storm, 2011, by Pioneerof the Nile 5715321$543,682
8 Smiling Tiger, 2007, by Hold That Tiger 7619519$553,616
9 Catholic Boy, 2015, by More Than Ready 7016615$549,939
10 Mr. Big, 2003, by Dynaformer 4210613$444,783 Dads Caps, 2010, by Discreet Cat 369113$295,597
12 Danzing Candy, 2013, by Twirling Candy 389912$384,415
13 Curlin to Mischief, 2011, by Curlin 298611$465,032 Cat Burglar, 2010, by Unbridled’s Song 297711$207,554
15 Vronsky, 1999, by Danzig 3176 9 $277,741
16 Acclamation, 2006, by Unusual Heat 1953 8 $176,102
17 Om, 2012, by Munnings 2862 6 $322,725 Tamarando, 2011, by Bertrando 1745 6 $216,605 Graydar, 2009, by Unbridled’s Song 2465 6 $202,376 Desert Code, 2004, by E Dubai 1443 6 $105,886
2025 LEADING LIFETIME SIRES IN CALIFORNIA
Stallion (Foreign Foaled), Year, Sire
1 Grazen, 2006, by Benchmark 1331406281-69%209-51%35-9%27-7%4-1%$28,128,799 1.391.03
2 Clubhouse Ride, 2008, by Candy Ride (ARG) 8 32259174-67%115-44%34-13%7-3%3-1%$13,986,718 1.180.92 Mr. Big, 2003, by Dynaformer 1220235173-74%114-49%27-11%12-5%3-1%$13,630,918 1.180.90
4 Bluegrass Cat, 2003, by Storm Cat 1651823688-84%472-57%125-15%37-4%6-1%$50,833,784 1.131.43
5 Stay Thirsty, 2008, by Bernardini 1072724536-74%367-51%120-17%22-3%3-0%$38,064,838 1.071.23
6 Sir Prancealot (IRE), 2010, by Tamayuz (GB) 8 60481359-75%221-46%110-23%16-3%6-1%$18,520,577 1.050.93
7 Majestic Harbor, 2008, by Rockport Harbor 6 116441-64%25-39%10-16%2-3%0-0%$3,064,267 1.040.95
8 I’ll Have Another, 2009, by Flower Alley 1047473444-94%325-69%77-16%6-1%2-0%$56,430,448 1.011.05
9 Southern Image, 2000, by Halo’s Image 1721350280-80%203-58%54-15%8-2%1-0%$16,981,666 1.001.08 Straight Fire, 2014, by Dominus 4 187039-56%33-47%15-21%4-6%0-0%$2,677,551 1.001.23
11 Jack Milton, 2010, by War Front 7 25178134-75%91-51%18-10%6-3%2-1%$8,121,804 0.981.06
12 Acclamation, 2006, by Unusual Heat 1024243165-68%108-44%15-6%7-3%1-0%$10,160,675 0.951.10 Idiot Proof, 2004, by Benchmark 1313172105-61%76-44%20-12%2-1%0-0%$6,162,597 0.950.87
14 Jersey Town, 2006, by Speightstown 1025252187-74%136-54%34-13%8-3%3-1%$11,306,103 0.940.99
15 Smiling Tiger, 2007, by Hold That Tiger 9 57517338-65%224-43%53-10%13-3%1-0%$20,337,035 0.910.96
16 Cyclotron, 2000, by Grand Slam 1511163113-69%85-52%1-1%3-2%1-1%$6,824,772 0.891.02 Midnight Storm, 2011, by Pioneerof the Nile 5 45226168-74%108-48%25-11%5-2%2-1%$8,524,227 0.891.05
18 Graydar, 2009, by Unbridled’s Song 9 42382288-75%188-49%53-14%7-2%1-0%$16,716,953 0.861.21
19 Misremembered, 2006, by Candy Ride (ARG) 1119208156-75%100-48%22-11%9-4%0-0%$8,848,178 0.841.03
20 James Street, 2007, by El Prado (IRE) 88 6532-49%14-22%2-3%1-2%0-0%$1,731,799 0.820.83
21 Passion for Gold, 2007, by Medaglia d’Oro 5 199548-51%23-24%6-6%0-0%0-0%$1,543,067 0.810.85 Tamarando, 2011, by Bertrando 6 116849-72%28-41%6-9%4-6%0-0%$2,649,988 0.811.22
23 Richard’s Kid, 2005, by Lemon Drop Kid 9 1715186-57%62-41%10-7%0-0%0-0%$4,935,569 0.800.84
24 Desert Code, 2004, by E Dubai 1315192148-77%107-56%22-11%4-2%0-0%$8,054,987 0.790.98 Slew’s Tiznow, 2005, by Tiznow 1118195125-64%91-47%23-12%8-4%1-1%$6,124,243 0.790.87
26 Danzing Candy, 2013, by Twirling Candy 5 49246150-61%89-36%22-9%2-1%1-0%$6,191,338 0.780.99
27 Big Bad Leroybrown, 2004, by Wild Again 11 5 5236-69%28-54%7-13%0-0%0-0%$2,054,513 0.771.06
28 Anthony’s Cross, 2008, by Indian Charlie 9 108654-63%36-42%5-6%2-2%0-0%$2,502,060 0.760.90
29 Surf Cat, 2002, by Sir Cat 1411152102-67%66-43%10-7%2-1%2-1%$4,770,012
30 Bold Chieftain, 2003, by Chief Seattle 111011075-68%52-47%9-8%1-1%0-0%$4,347,773
Catholic Boy, 2015, by More Than Ready 3 57172126-73%62-36%24-14%2-1%0-0%$3,705,813
32 Stanford, 2012, by Malibu Moon 5 51255161-63%104-41%30-12%2-1%0-0%$6,845,670
33 Rousing Sermon, 2009, by Lucky Pulpit 7 106944-64%28-41%8-12%0-0%0-0%$2,015,745 0.691.02
34 Smokem, 2015, by Union Rags 4 155937-63%19-32%11-19%1-2%0-0%$1,178,716
35 Cat Burglar, 2010, by Unbridled’s Song 5 2110360-58%43-42%13-13%0-0%0-0%$2,375,357 0.650.80 Empire Way, 2009, by Empire Maker 1017170143-84%92-54%35-21%3-2%0-0%$6,599,923 0.650.89
37 Dads Caps, 2010, by Discreet Cat 6 2213086-66%57-44%19-15%2-2%0-0%$3,421,476 0.640.81 Fullbridled, 2001, by Unbridled’s Song 15 7 9959-60%34-34%3-3%2-2%0-0%$2,091,471 0.640.86
39 Gig Harbor, 2008, by City Zip 9 1110058-58%38-38%4-4%0-0%0-0%$2,185,277 0.630.78
40 Merit Man, 2010, by With Distinction 69 5224-46%11-21%5-10%1-2%0-0%$861,404 0.600.83 Tom’s Tribute, 2010, by Lion Heart 7 149671-74%41-43%9-9%1-1%0-0%$2,626,759 0.600.79
42 Forest Command, 2005, by Monarchos 12 6 7642-55%25-33%3-4%0-0%0-0%$1,524,356 0.590.66 Govenor Charlie, 2010, by Midnight Lute 7 117952-66%26-33%14-18%1-1%0-0%$1,610,885 0.590.73 Many Rivers, 2005, by Storm Cat 12 8 9672-75%42-44%9-9%0-0%0-0%$2,496,809
45 Lakerville, 2008, by Unusual Heat
46 Om, 2012, by Munnings 3 3911845-38%21-18%7-6%1-1%0-0%$1,015,787 0.551.01
47 He Be Fire N Ice, 2008, by Unusual Heat 88 6344-70%22-35%5-8%0-0%0-0%$1,566,049
48
49 Conquest Farenheit, 2014, by Scat Daddy 4 155834-59%19-33%7-12%0-0%0-0%$935,430 0.490.94
50 Texas Ryano,
While every effort is made to prevent errors and omissions, California Thoroughbred cannot guarantee their
and Japan. Stakes winners and wins follow TJCIS stakes rules. Percentages are based upon number of named foals of racing age.
Stakes & Sales Dates
2025 REGIONAL RACE MEETINGS
Santa Anita Park, Arcadia Dec. 26-June 15
Los Angeles County Fair at Los Alamitos, Los Alamitos June 20-July 6
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar July 18-Sept. 7
Los Alamitos Race Course, Los Alamitos Sept. 10-23
Santa Anita Park, Arcadia Sept. 24-Oct. 28
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar Oct. 30-Nov. 30
Los Alamitos Race Course, Los Alamitos Dec. 3-16
2025 REGIONAL SALE DATES
SEPTEMBER 23
FASIG-TIPTON FALL YEARLINGS & HORSES OF RACING AGE Pomona, Calif.
(ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 7)
California-Bred/California-Sired STAKES RACES
May – July
SATURDAY, MAY 24
$125,000 Snow Chief Stakes presented by City National Bank ree-Year-Olds 11⁄8 mile (Turf)
$125,000 Melair Stakes ree-Year-Old Fillies 11⁄16 miles
$100,000 Crystal Water Stakes ree-Year-Olds & Up 1 mile (Turf)
3708 Crystal Beach Road Winter Haven, FL 33880 EVERYTHINGYOUWANTEDTO KNOWABOUT TRAINING BUT DIDN’T KNOW HOWTOASK! Read BACKYARD RACE HORSE, a comprehensive off-track program for owners and trainers. Call or write for info on Book, Newsletter and Seminars! (863) 299-8448 backyardracehorse.com NEW! TRAINING DVD! janet.delcastillo@gmail.com
By QUALITY ROAD – Sire of multiple Grade 1 winners. Out of the Multiple Stakes Winner, Graded Stakes producing mare HOT SPELL (by SALT LAKE) – A fast, durable mare from a proven family of sprinters and middle-distance horses.
HOPKINS is a Graded Stakes winner, with a brilliant racing career that demonstrates his natural talent, durability, and competitive Spirit, Speed, Stamina & Versatility – Whether sprinting or stretching out in distance. An impressive pedigree and performance on the track make him an excellent choice for California’s breeding program. Don’t miss the chance to be part of the next generation of champions—book your mare to HOPKINS today!
FINNEUS
Stay Thirsty – My Fiona, by Ghostzapper
California Two-Year-Old Champion of 2022. First crop will arrive in 2025.
2025 Fee: $4,000 LFSN
SMOKEM
Union Rags – One Smokin’ Lady, by Smoke Glacken
A Leading Sire in 2023, California’s Leading Second Crop Sire in 2022.
2025 Fee: $2,500 LFSN
STAY THIRSTY
Bernardini – Marozia, by Storm Bird
# 1 Leading Sire of Two-Year-Olds in CA. Sire of Champion Cal-bred TwoYear-Old Female – In the Air Tonight
2025 Fee: $10,000 LFG
Terry Lovingier - Cell (562) 547 9848 or email terry@lovco.com | www.lovacres.com
