February, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lynn Stone, 95, Churchill Downs President From 1970-’84, Passes

Albert Lynn Stone, who served as CEO and president of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., for 14 years from 1970-'84, passed away Monday in Lexington, Ky. He was 95.

Stone joined Churchill Downs in 1961 as resident manager, and was named the ninth president in track history in 1970 when he replaced the retiring Wathen Knebelkamp.

Stone led Churchill Downs into the 1970s and 80s. Under his leadership, a 15-year program of $10 million physical improvements to the facility was completed in 1980. The capital projects included new Skye Terraces, a press box, jockey quarters, 12 new barns, fire-resistant tack rooms, sprinkling systems in all barns, a recreation building, restroom facilities and steel, fireproof stairways in the grandstand and clubhouse.

In the early '70s, Stone jointly served several years as president of both Churchill Downs and Hialeah Park in Florida. During his tenure at Churchill Downs he also served two terms as president of the Thoroughbred Racing Association of North America.

Stone also witnessed three Triple Crown runs during his tenure as President of Churchill Downs: Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978).

Born Oct. 18, 1925, in New Orleans, Stone served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, where he spent three years including time in the South Pacific.

After his service to his country, he pursued a career in professional baseball signing with the New York Yankees and playing several years with other minor league teams. Due in part to a playing injury, his career path next moved him into professional baseball management with the then Boston, and later Milwaukee-based, Braves organization.

In 1958, he led the move of the Braves Triple-A team to Louisville, serving as general manager of the Louisville Colonels.

Following his retirement, he moved to South Florida, where he continued to serve as a consultant to Churchill Downs along with other racing and sports organizations. Throughout his professional career and during retirement he led and served on numerous professional and civic boards including the American Horse Council, Jockey Club Round Table, and Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

Survivors include his wife, Jane Stokes Stone; three sons, Michael Stone (Katharine Friel) of Versailles; Patrick (Nora) Stone of Lawrenceburg, and Steve (Leslie) Stone of Nicholasville; two step-children, Charles (Christine) Halloran of Washington, D.C., and Ann Tarter Halloran of Lexington, and; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

A public visitation was held 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 28) at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home on Harrodsburg Road in Lexington, Ky. Private funeral services will be at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home-Harrodsburg Road with private burial to follow in Camp Nelson National Cemetery.

Memorials are suggested to: American Legion Man O' War Post #8, 1230 Man O' War Place, Lexington, KY 40504, or the Alzheimer's Association, Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter – Kaden Tower, 6100 Dutchmans Lane, Ste 401, Louisville, KY 40205-3284.

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Collaborate Earns Florida Derby Shot

Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing's Collaborate (Into Mischief), tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his impressive maiden score at Gulfstream Park Saturday, has put himself on track for the Mar. 27 GI Curlin Florida Derby, trainer Saffie Joseph confirmed Sunday.

“The Florida Derby is at home and he just has to walk out of his stall,” Joseph said. “I talked to the owners briefly yesterday and it will probably be between the Florida Derby, the [GII] Wood [at Aqueduct Apr. 3] or the [GII Toyota] Blue Grass [at Keeneland Apr. 3], but the Florida Derby will be the front-runner. Off [Saturday's] race, we're probably going to take a chance somewhere. We feel like he's a Derby horse. I know we're a little behind schedule, but with the ability he has, he can probably overcome it.”

Collaborate was sixth as the beaten favorite in his troubled six-furlong debut in Hallandale Feb. 6. Going one mile Saturday, the colt broke sharply and set a measured pace under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, going in splits of :23.72 seconds, :46.57 and 1:11.12 before beginning to edge away from his 10 rivals. He hit the stretch six lengths in front and kept rolling to win by 12 1/2 and completing the mile in 1:36.35 over a fast main track (video).

“We weren't surprised. That's hard to say with a horse winning like that, but that's the horse we thought he was,” Joseph said. “The first time out, we got him beat. It hurt to get him beat first time out, because we thought he was that good, but you always have to look at the positive in each scenario and the first time I thought he gained valuable experience.”

While Collaborate has joined the Triple Crown trail, stablemate Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) will cut back in distance following his runner-up effort in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S.

“Talking to the owners briefly after the race, initially I think we're going to step back and keep him at one turn. We tried it and I think he handled the mile and a sixteenth, but I don't think we're going to try to push it,” Joseph said. “I think we have a really good horse. I feel like we have a Grade I horse and he's probably going to be best at one turn, so most likely we're going to stick to one turn.”

Trainer Butch Reid reported last year's champion juvenile filly Vequist (Nyquist) was doing well following her ninth-place effort in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S.

“We did scope her after the race and she was a little dirty,” Reid said. “She had some mucus in there and stuff that we can work with, and I think it definitely affected her performance a little bit. But, soundness-wise, she's great and is happy.”

Vequist got bumped at the start of the Davona Dale and was in range of the leaders racing in mid-pack, but never threatened and was eased to the finish by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

“I'm glad Irad took care of her the last part of it when she was hopelessly beaten, so she came back great,” Reid said. “Irad did a great job. He saw that she wasn't really getting there. He gave her a little eighth of a mile to run, but I know she's better than that. We're going to keep looking at her and keep working her and fall back and regroup a little bit, that's all.”

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Bodenheimer Named 2020 Washington Horse Of The Year

The 2020 Washington Annual Awards celebration was held via Zoom Saturday evening, February 27. Many industry members tuned in via their phones or other devices to be part of the ceremonies.

Kristin Boice and Marylou Holden's talented juvenile Bodenheimer was named horse of the year. This year the award honored the late Washington horseman Richard Wright. The son of 2020 leading sire Atta Boy Roy was a stakes winner at both Keeneland and Prairie Meadows last year. He is trained, as was his sire, by now Kentucky resident Valerie Lund. In addition Bodenheimer, who is the second stakes winner Larry Romaine bred out of the stakes-winning A. P. Indy mare Beautiful Daniele, was named champion turf horse and shared co-champion two-year-old honors with undefeated Dutton.

Dutton, who races for Rising Star Stable VIII and is trained by Howard Belvoir – who received one of three special racing achievement awards – is from the first and only crop of the late Washington champion Noosito, who was not only Washington's leading freshman sire, but also the second leading 2020 freshman sire on the West Coast.

Champion two-year-old filly honors went to Chad and Josh's Time for Gold, who was victorious in two Emerald Downs stakes. Her owners, Chad Christensen and Josh McKee, were also the state's leading owners of Washington-breds. Time for Gold was one of three progeny of Harbor the Gold who won stakes victories for the successful partnership.

2019 Washington horse of the year Baja Sur, by Smiling Tiger, added two more championship titles to his impressive total: champion older horse or gelding and champion sprinter. He races for Auburn residents John and Janene Maryanski and Gerry and Gail Schneider.

Warlock Stables, Kelly Dougan and trainer Roddina Barrett's Alittlesstalk encored her 2019 champion title with an even more impressive record in 2020 when the four-year-old daughter of Demon Warlock won two stakes and placed in two more in her seven-race skein.

Tawnja Elison's Unmachable, by Macho Uno, also took off where he had in 2019. The state's champion two-year-old added two more stakes wins, one over older runners, to earn the champion three-year-old title. His trainer, Jack McCartney, was also honored with a special training achievement award.

Glen Todd-owned and -trained Miss Prospector gave her sire Harbor the Gold his 24th state champion runner when she took champion sophomore filly honors.

Other horse honors went to Omache Kid (plater), Fortune's Freude (most improved plater), Melba Jewel (broodmare) and Winter Knight (OTTB).

The WTBOA/WHPBA Special Recognition Award was warmly given to Washington Horse Racing Commission executive secretary Doug Moore for all the work he put into getting approval for racing at Emerald Downs and holding the WTBOA August horse sale amid complex COVID-19 restrictions and protocols.

Other awards were given to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Pabst, who took their sixth leading breeder title; and to jockey Juan Gutierrez for gaining a record number of wins at Emerald Downs.

The program for the event is posted on the WTBOA website at www.washingtonthoroughbred,com.

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Tributes to Gary Lavin

Tributes continue to pour in following the death of noted veterinarian Gary Lavin, who passed away Saturday at the age of 83. Lavin is a past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Steward of The Jockey Club, trustee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the Breeders' Cup, director at Keeneland, and vice-chairman of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

BILL LANDES, General Manager Hermitage Farm and a successor KTA President to Lavin

“Oh, Gosh!” Not only was that Doc's favorite expression, but my response when asked for memories of him.

When I began at Hermitage on Nov. 1, 1977, the first person Warner Jones insisted I meet was Doc. Thank goodness for that advice for that led to a lifetime of Doc's counsel, information and friendship.

So many afternoons from 1977 to 1992, Doc returned from his Churchill vet practice to spend time in Mr. Jones's Hermitage office. He always brought with him a Racing Form for Jones, gossip and news from the Churchill Downs' backside, and usually some advice as to what changes were needed at Churchill. Sometimes Mr. Jones would heed that advice.

I know Doc identified Shug McGaughey as a young trainer to watch. Jones did heed that advice and he eventually forged a long professional and personal relationship with Shug.

A memorable day was the afternoon when Doc proudly told Mr. Jones he had bought neighboring Lasater Farm and was renaming it Longfield. I'll never forget Mr. Jones's response “Doc, now that we're neighbors, remember, 'Neither a borrower (Jones pronounced it borryer) nor lender be!'”

Life lessons I gleaned from Doc were: Despite a perceived 502/606 (Louisville/Lexington) rivalry, cultivate close relationships with Lexington competitors and friends. It served him well and has done the same for me. He also created mutually respectful friendships with both the small and the mighty. He got on with everyone.

A better example of a husband, father, grandfather, and friend can not be identified. I'll miss him.

PATRICK COOPER of BBA Ireland

'One horse wins and the rest should've.' Dr. A Gary Lavin's withering assessment of turf racing in the 1990s. Slow forward to 2017–Dockie didn't do fast–and I get a call from Kevin. Doc wants to buy a share in this new syndicate you have set up. 'Kevin, there is no dirt racing here in Ireland.' So began three years of reconnecting to a true gentleman.

A born raconteur, his stories didn't really need a beginning or end, just an audience. Time spent with the Doc was just one of life's great pleasures. We had what proved a final lunch in the sunshine on the banks of the Ohio last November. Three hours with Gary and Family Lavin talking horses and nonsense. To Betsy, Allan and Kevin, keep the table. We might not be able to talk to him any more, but we sure as hell can talk about him.

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