Rewards Reaping the Rewards

maroon silks with an encircled white “W.”

Winchell, 50, is not the type of owner to fst-pump, backslap, and scream his way from the clubhouse to the winner’s circle, calling attention to himself at every turn. He’s as quiet as a teenager tiptoeing in two hours afer curfew. He’d rather defect credit to his team of advisers than claim it for himself. Winchell calls it achieving success in his own way, learned at the elbow of his father.

Verne Winchell in 1948 opened a doughnut shop in Southern California carrying the family name, and the chain eventually grew to 170 stores in six states. He turned his prowess with dough into a thriving Toroughbred stable, campaigning outstanding runners such as Olympio, Sea Cadet, Fleet Renee, Mira Femme, On Target, and, of course, Donut King. Te elder Winchell began Mira Loma Farm in the Golden State but soon moved his operation to the Bluegrass State, eventually buying a farm on Russell Cave Pike that is still in the family and now known as Corinthia.

Ron received what you’d call an early education on the racetrack. “We have winner’s circle photos where my mother is pregnant carrying me, so you could say I’ve been around this all my life,” he noted. More importantly, he learned from his father the value of keeping a small circle of trusted advisers and giving weight to their opinions. It is a template employed successfully to this day by Winchell Toroughbreds because Verne Winchell had the foresight to elevate his son to the partnership level.

“Te horses were the thing my father and I did together,” said Ron. “We’d always go to the Keeneland September sale together, always bought and sold horses together, always talked about the upcoming 2-year-olds. I wasn’t just his son that he was bringing along; he would treat me like a partner. He valued my opinions,