All in the family

           To those involved in thoroughbred racing, whether as an owner, trainer, groom, exercise rider or hotwalker, life on the backstretch can often seem like living with one big family.
           As in any family, relationships aren’t often perfect, but they are strong and lasting, through the good times and the bad.
           I have come to realize the power of a racetrack community this past week, as my husband Dennis is facing a serious health crisis.
           A 31-year veteran of the Parx Racing backside, Dennis’s life has revolved around horses and the people that work with them, and he has never had a desire to leave the racetrack since he first arrived so long ago.
           When I first met him in 1993, he was living in a dormitory room and had a pet goat named Happy, a gargantuan animal who once suffered a broken leg after being kicked by a horse at Penn National, and was sent by Dennis to the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania for treatment. Dennis would “walk” Happy every night around the perimeter of the racetrack, and Happy would follow him like a dog.
           Although many people wondered why we were together, since I was a college graduate and he was a high school dropout doing a labor-intensive job grooming thoroughbreds, I always knew it was the strong interest we both had in the sport that brought and kept us together. We were even married by Chaplain Nicholas Salios on the Parx Racing backstretch in 1994. Nearly 20 years later, we have two daughters, ages 17 and 14, both of whom love racing.
           Now that Dennis has been hospitalized, there has been an outpouring of care and concern from his racetrack brethren, with many going to visit him or calling to see how he’s doing.
           It’s a great family to have, and we are both deeply appreciative of them all.  

Dennis, Happy the Goat, and Blazing Sally, his horse, circa 1987.

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           I have to admit that I’m feeling a little bit disappointed that Rachel Alexandra, the famous filly, didn’t pick my name out of her feedtub as the winner of the “Name Rachel’s Foal” contest held by her owner, Stonestreet Stable, on July 27.  I was one of the many people who suggested the name “Jess’s Dream” for her colt by Curlin.

           While I am a bit peeved at Rachel, I am delighted that Jess’s Dream was selected for her colt. As has been written many times, it was the dream of her late owner, Jess Jackson, that his two prize thoroughbreds, Rachel and Curlin, be mated.
           Actually, I was kind of hoping that the Stonestreet folks would’ve chosen “Wild Taco” for his name, and from whence his nickname “Taco” derived. I thought “Wild Taco” was pretty funny, and so did they. He just looks like a “Taco” to me.

A bit of Pennsylvania at the Spa

The first day of the much-anticipated Saratoga Race Course meet is in the books, and it was great to see a Pennsylvania-bred filly capture the marquee race on the opening card.

So Many Ways, bred in the Keystone State by John R. Penn and John C. Penn, rolled to 1-1/2 length victory in the Gr. 3 Schuylerville Stakes for 2-year-old fillies today, covering the six furlongs in 1:11.51 for trainer Tony Dutrow.

A daughter of young sire Sightseeing, So Many Ways broke her maiden at Parx on June 9, a race I was fortunate enough to see in person. Normally, horses that break their maidens at the Bensalem oval don't usually move onward and upward at venues like Saratoga, but So Many Ways isn't your typical Parx graduate, nor is Dutrow your typical Parx trainer.

So Many Ways is owned by Maggi Moss, and hopefully we will see her at Saratoga again before the meet ends.

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Champion Royal Delta headlines the prestigious $750,000 Delaware Handicap (Gr. 2) at Delaware Park tomorrow, and this should be an interesting renewal of the Stanton oval's keystone event. Looking to give Royal Delta a run for the money are Awesome Maria, Cash for Clunkers, and Love and Pride, as well as three others, and the 1-1/4 mile test goes off at approximately 5:45 p.m. If you're in the area, stop by the beautiful Stanton racetrack to see these fine fillies and mares.





Racing's guardian angel

            I have been extremely fortunate - no, honored - over the last two years to know a woman named Deborah Jones, although I have never met her in person.
           Jones is a selfless and tireless advocate for horses of all breeds, but thoroughbreds in particular. British-born, but California-based, Jones has an amazing reach across every state in the country, and has helped rescue hundreds, if not thousands, of horses through her network of volunteers and sources.
           Many are plucked from the clutches of kill buyers, and several have even been sent back from the slaughterhouse doorstep. Others have been saved from starvation, or from bad situations at racetracks.
           I had frequent communication with Jones while doing a story about the horrific situation at Star Barn Thoroughbreds in Grantville, Pa. She was trying to help the many broodmares, horses of racing age, yearlings and weanlings that were either being sold to kill buyers or left in poor physical condition.

One of the neglected, in-foal mares at Star Barn.

           Star Barn had advertised for mares for a “pasture breeding experiment” to be funded by an agricultural grant, but after its horse population soared and the money dried up, it started to dump horses at auction. Jones was made aware of the situation and was able to intervene and save a large amount, but for some it was too late, including the farm's teaser stallion.
            The Star Barn debacle was only one of many where Jones stepped in to protect defenseless equines. I am absolutely amazed at how she is able to do it all, and she readily admits that she often doesn’t get more than four hours of sleep each night. Suffice it to say if there’s a happy ending to be found, Jones is likely to have been involved.
            To read a link about Jones’s latest success on The Paulick Report, please click here: http://www.paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/prominent-racing-family-s-mares-rescued-from-texas-slaughter-auction/

An attitude adjustment

            Way back in the early 1990’s, I used to cover a large chunk of the Saratoga meet each season for The Trentonian newspaper in Trenton, N. J.

            I came to dread the yearly trek up to the Adirondacks. My nightly stipend for a hotel was $60, forcing me miles out of town to the dreariest of dumps. There was no “up front” expense money, so to make my meager paycheck stretch, as well as my already overburdened credit card, I was compelled to find the cheapest pizza joints for my dinner.

            Aside from the major stakes races, I had to cover the annual Fasig-Tipton select yearling sale, but under the crudest of circumstances. The motel I stayed at each year was a good fit for my pocketbook, but didn’t have a phone jack that I could plug my laptop into (remember, this was way before the wireless revolution).

            I would have to write my story and then schlep the laptop to the motel office, where the only phone jack was located. Oftentimes the connection wasn’t made, and I’d have to try again and again. This was often right up against the midnight deadline, and the editors weren’t happy about it, and neither was I.

One time, upon failure of the laptop modem to connect, I had to dictate my story to a part-timer on the sports desk, who dutifully typed it into the system, but the story went to press replete with misspelled horse names.

            In short, the “August place to be” turned into the “unhappiest place for me.”  Upon the paper pulling the plug on the Saratoga trips in 2003 because of budgetary woes, I vowed only to watch and wager on Saratoga from the comfort of my living room.

            But recently, my attitude towards Saratoga Springs has softened. Both of my daughters, who are extremely interested in the sport, asked to spend a few days there in 2010, and so off we went. We had a wonderful time, and I began to see the historic city through a tourist’s eyes, and not through the eyes of someone who was being inconvenienced.

            Last year, we went back during the week of the yearling sale, but met my friend Dawn Newman, who owns Fox Tale Stud in Coopersburg, Pa. I can honestly say that it was the best vacation I’ve ever had – a whirlwind of horses, history, handicapping and yes, meals that were much better than those cut-rate pizzas downed with second-rate beer.

            We’re meeting up again this year, and instead of reluctantly packing my bags, I’m eagerly anticipating seeing the rich and famous at the Fasig-Tipton salesgrounds, and those gorgeous, million-dollar yearlings. The best part of all is that I don’t have to bring my laptop, or write a single story.

            Saratoga, here we come!

            FINISH LINES: I didn’t remember seeing this anywhere on the web, but champion Forever Together, owned during her racing days by the Augustin Stable of George Strawbridge, Jr. and trained by Jonathan Sheppard, had her first foal, a filly by Smart Strike, this spring … Rumors are flying that there may be a change in a key official position at Parx Racing soon … The fickle nature of the racing game can often drain even the most robust of bank accounts, unless one goes into the business with the wherewithal to withstand severe downturns. Recently, we’ve learned of one stallion owner/breeder/stable owner who is experiencing such a turn of fortune, leaving a mountain of unpaid bills. We wish them – and their creditors - the best.