Winner Circle Stables, LLC

Owner: Bobby Sands | Born: April 4,1963 | Birthplace: New York | Residence: Danbury, CT

Tampa Trainers: Douglas Nunn, Gregory Sacco

Bobby Sands approaches the claiming game in a similar manner to his automobile business, Nations Auto. Whether he is purchasing a car for resale or claiming a horse he believes is on the verge of immediate success, he trusts in his eye – and, at the track, the acumen of his trainers – to make a higher percentage of profitable buys. In only three years, Winner Circle Stables has posted 53 victories (at press time), winning races at about a 16.9-percent clip. Winner Circle made a strong impression in its first Oldsmar season, winning 15 races to finish third in the Owner standings. In 2021, Winner Circle finished second in the Monmouth Park Leading Owner race with nine victories, trailing only Colts Neck Stables. Sands, with Douglas Nunn as his trainer, claimed 31 horses during the 2021-2022 Oldsmar meet and had 27 claimed away, constantly seeking horses they felt were primed to win while not being reluctant to drop them in class in search of victory. “If we claim a horse for $35,000 and then we don’t think it can win for $20,000, we’ll drop it in for $16,000 or $10,000, and if someone else claims it, that is part of the game,” Sands said. “I’m not a bettor. I like winning races and I like all the win pictures.” Sands, who owns about 40 horses at any given time, will keep horses at Oldsmar this season with both Nunn and Grade I-winning trainer Gregory Sacco. Sands plays an active role in re-homing his horses with retirement organizations and groups that prepare racehorses for second careers after they leave the racetrack.