Anthony Granitz

Born: October 25, 1963 | Birthplace: Chicago, IL | Residence: Safety Harbor, FL; Lemont, IL

First Win: Balmoral Park, 1984 | Started Training: 1983, Illinois | Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Belterra Park

After posting a fifth-place finish in the Oldsmar standings last season with 21 winners, Granitz kept up his winning ways at Horseshoe Indianapolis by saddling 25 winners, good for seventh place. The Chicago native, who was nearing 1,400 career victories at the start of the current meet, is a regular visitor to the winner’s circle everywhere he competes. Granitz achieved a career milestone in January of 2015 at Tampa Bay Downs, notching victory No. 1,000 with the gelding Wedding Savior. He dedicated the victory to his father Chris Granitz, who introduced him to Thoroughbred racing by taking him to Arlington Park in Chicago when he was 13. The elder Granitz helped Anthony get a job at Arlington that summer, and he has been involved in the sport since. He was an assistant to his brother, Chris Granitz, Jr., before Chris took a job with the railroad and Anthony took over the stable. One of Anthony’s best horses was Indiana-bred Lady Fog Horn, who won 14 of 26 career starts and earned $824,273. Her seven stakes victories included the Grade II Falls City Handicap at Churchill Downs in 2016. Granitz sends many of his young horses to Ocala to be broken by Chad Stewart before they head to the track. Some of Granitz’s other top horses include Grade III winners False Promises and Lord Joe; multiple-stakes winner Darley Dancer; and Coni Bug, an Illinois-bred champion and winner of the 1992 Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs. Other stakes winners trained by Granitz include Mr. Mischief and Wiggins, with whom he won three consecutive stakes in 2003.