January, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Josephine Abercrombie Passes; Pin Oak Stud Founder, Champion Breeder And Philanthropist Was 95

Josephine Abercrombie, 95, died peacefully at her home on Pin Oak Stud in Woodford County, Kentucky, on Jan. 5, just 10 days shy of her birthday.

Born Jan. 15, 1926, in Kingston, Jamaica, Josephine greeted every new day of her extraordinary life with the quest to see what came next. The only child of Texas oilman and Cameron Iron Works founder J. S. “Mr. Jim” Abercrombie and Lillie Frank Abercrombie, Josephine spent her childhood in Texas.

At the age of seven, Josephine's love of horses led her to begin showing American Saddle Horses. This was the start of an illustrious career where, as a young woman, Josephine became a record holder at Madison Square Garden for the most blue ribbons won in a single season, winning 17 out of 20 classes. She was also one of only a handful of amateurs to show a World Grand Champion.

Her passion for the sport, combined with her strong desire to support civic projects, led Josephine to join her father in creating the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show in the mid-1940s. This highly successful Houston ﬁxture on the national circuit dedicated its support to Texas Children's Hospital, which Mr. Abercrombie had played a major role in establishing.

Josephine's success on the horse show circuit eventually led her to major competitions in Louisville and Lexington, Ky., where she fell in love with the land and being surrounded by horses. In a short time, she began to turn her energies toward Thoroughbred breeding and racing. In the 1950s, she and her father purchased a nearly 4,000-acre farm, which they named Pin Oak, in Woodford County, Kentucky, and established a Thoroughbred breeding and farming operation. Josephine quickly developed a deep respect and passion for the land and all it nourishes.

After 35 years on the original Pin Oak, where they grew tobacco and bred Simmental and White-faced Hereford cattle in addition to the Thoroughbred operation, Josephine decided to move to a smaller 750-acre farm just down the road to focus solely on Thoroughbreds.

The new farm, named Pin Oak Stud, became a labor of love for Josephine. She relished the daily interactions on the farm and enjoyed the tranquility and mix of wildlife, along with the constant companionship of her beloved Weimaraner dogs. A hands-on owner, Josephine was present at many of the births of her Thoroughbreds and adored watching the young foals develop. She was active in the early schooling of young racehorses and eager to see her blue and gray racing silks, the school colors of her alma mater Rice University, in competition on the racetrack. Josephine always wanted what was best for her horses, her farm, and for all the people who cared for and were involved in their well-being.

Pin Oak's Josephine Abercrombie hugs jockey Joe Bravo after Bravo guided her homebred Synchrony to victory in the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth Park in 2018

To date, nearly 70 stakes winners have been bred or raced by Pin Oak Stud, including Classic winners in America and England and Grade 1 stakes winners in three countries. A source of great pride for Josephine was racing some special homebreds, such as Eclipse champion females like Laugh and Be Merry and Confessional as well as top colts who went on to become successful stallions, including Peaks and Valleys and Broken Vow.

For nearly 15 years, Pin Oak Stud sponsored the graded Valley View Stakes at Keeneland, which she won twice with homebreds. Recognized as the National Breeder of the Year, Josephine also has been honored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders with the Hardboot Award as well as the William T. Young Humanitarian Award. Additionally, she was inducted into the Texas Horseracing Hall of Fame. In 2018, Josephine was the Honor Guest of the Thoroughbred Club of America in appreciation for her “enduring sportsmanship, acumen and vision, and her devotion to the loftiest principles established by earlier leaders on the Turf.”

With a strong sense of responsibility to future generations, Josephine was passionate about conservation and education. She provided generous philanthropic support of civic, educational, and Thoroughbred industry projects. In addition to her generosity to her alma mater Rice University, it was the founding of The Lexington School that was perhaps her crowning achievement. There are legions of grateful parents, alumni, and students whose lives were all enriched by the educational journey sparked by this institution.

Late in her life, Josephine revisited her lifelong love of ballroom dancing and spent many years training for and competing in ballroom dancing competitions all over the country. Her zest for life and quest for new challenges never faded.

Josephine Abercrombie is survived by two sons, George Anderson Robinson IV and Jamie Abercrombie Robinson, as well as grandchildren George Anderson Robinson V and Blair Abercrombie Robinson.

Funeral arrangements are private.

For those wishing to honor Josephine Abercrombie's memory, contributions can be made to The Lexington School, attention Una McCarthy, 1050 Lane Allen Road, Lexington, KY 40504; Woodford Humane Society, attention Katie Hoffman, P.O. Box 44, Versailles, KY; or the Thoroughbred Charities of America, attention Erin Crady, P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, KY 40591.

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More about Josephine Abercrombie:

Abercrombie a Leader in Opposition to Horse Slaughter

Abercrombie's Gift Of Education Keeps On Giving…And Giving

Fighting Lady: Josephine Abercrombie Has Brought An Unlikely Presence to Boxing

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NTRA To Launch Conference, Workshop Focusing On Racing, Training, And Event Surfaces

Comprehensive, science-based discussions and demonstrations on maintaining safe racing, training and event surfaces, along with an explanation of how to participate in the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) racing surface regulations and the processes for HISA implementation and reporting, highlight the NTRA Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop to be held March 6-8, 2022 at South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas.

The Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop, which will be offered free to all registered attendees, will begin on Sunday, March 6 with an opening reception in South Point's Equestrian Center and will be followed by a day and a half of discussions and demonstrations.

The full agenda will be announced in January, but confirmed speakers and topics include:

Dennis Moore, Racetrack Consultant and Superintendent, will demonstrate the use of lasers for grade measurements and how to check grades on horse racing and arena surfaces;
The Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance, a group of university and industry professionals developing education and research for the equine sports turfgrass industry, will host a session on the development of testing methods for surface testing of cross-country courses in British and North American Eventing;
Glen Kozak, Senior Vice President of the New York Racing Association (NYRA), will lead a panel that discusses the HISA Surfaces Regulations and the process for implementation and reporting;
Oliver Hoberg, Footing Expert for the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sports, and Lars Roepstorff from the Swedish University of Agriculture, a veterinarian and equine surgeon and one of the world's leading experts on equine footing surfaces, will discuss the use of FEI criteria and practical implications for FEI 5* events and Olympic equestrian facilities;
Kaleb Dempsey, Materials Engineer at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL), will demonstrate the integrated track tester which can measure moisture and cushion depth on dirt tracks as well as monitor the condition of turf tracks; and
Mackenzie Rockefeller, Manager at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, will demonstrate the new Maintenance Quality System (MQS) database developed by The Jockey Club which will allow reporting for the HISA data to be produced automatically.

For additional information and to register for the conference, contact Danae Fryman at dfryman@NTRA.com.

About the NTRA
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the Eclipse Awards; the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC); NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com and social media.

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Rivalry Between My Boy Tate, Lobsta Continues In Saturday’s Say Florida Sandy

Lobsta and My Boy Tate, the respective one-two finishers last out in the NYSSS Thunder Rumble, will square off once more in Saturday's fifth running of the $100,000 Say Florida Sandy for New York-breds 4-years-old and up going seven furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Both Lobsta and My Boy Tate will carry 124 pounds Saturday, six more pounds than each of their four rivals in the six-horse Say Florida Sandy field.

Last out, in the seven-furlong NYSSS Thunder Rumble on Dec 5 at the Big A, the Gary Sciacca-trained Lobsta, carrying 118 pounds, took command from Post 10 and battled with stablemate and full-brother Chowda to his inside.

My Boy Tate, assigned a co-field high 124 pounds, raced along the rail down the backstretch and launched a menacing bid in upper stretch briefly capturing command. But Lobsta responded to Hall of Famer Javier Castellano's right-handed encouragement, getting the better of his foe by a half-length.

Owned by Eddie Fazzone's Eddie F's Racing, Lobsta earned three stakes placings prior to his last out victory, which came off a nearly five-month layoff.

Following a successful sophomore debut last January at a flat mile, the 4-year-old son of Emcee was a distant second to Nicky the Vest in the Gander before completing the trifecta in the Mike Lee at Belmont Park and the New York Derby at Finger Lakes.

“I thought Chowda was going to get the lead, but Lobsta dragged Castellano to the front. I couldn't believe it,” Sciacca recalled. “I was surprised Lobsta broke like he did off a layoff and come out of there like a rocket. Both runners have a lot of fight in them.”

Sciacca said his friendship with Fazzone dates back over three decades.

“He's a good friend that I've known for over 30 years,” Sciacca said. “We just became good friends along the years. Nobody loves racing more than him. He's a loyal, great guy. More owners like him would make the game easier.”

Bred in the Empire State by Fedwell Farm, Lobsta sports a consistent ledger of 8-3-1-2 with earnings of $221,400.

Castellano will pilot Lobsta once more from post 4.

My Boy Tate will seek a second non-consecutive win in the Say Florida Sandy, capturing the event in 2018. Trained, bred and co-owned by Michelle Nevin in partnership with Little Red Feather Racing, the 8-year-old son of Boys At Tosconova arrives as the most accomplished horse in the field with six stakes victories and a field-best $717,788 in earnings.

With 5-of-6 stakes wins taking place at Aqueduct, including dual victories in the Hollie Hughes [2018 and 2021], My Boy Tate will attempt an eighth career win over the Big A oval. He currently boasts a record of 14-7-3-1 when competing at Aqueduct.

Nevin, who has captured three of the four runnings of the Say Florida Sandy saddling Honor Up [2019] and Our Last Buck [2021] to respective victories, said My Boy Tate produced a game effort last out.

“He went out and ran his race. He didn't do anything wrong and he was giving it his best,” Nevin said. “Hopefully, this time he has a better day and gets the best of them. He's a determined horse. He's definitely a fun horse to have around.”

Eric Cancel, who rode My Boy Tate to victory in last year's Haynesfield, will return to the irons from post 5.

Seeking his first stakes coup since the 2020 Albany at Saratoga is Chestertown, a royally-bred son of Tapit out of Grade 1-winner Artemis Agrotera, for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Chestertown, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Chester and Mary Broman, Woodford Racing, Siena Farms and Robert Masiello, kicked off his 2021 campaign with a four-length victory in a nine-furlong allowance at Aqueduct. In his lone stakes start last season, he was a distant second in the Hudson on Oct 30 over a sloppy and sealed Belmont Park main track.

Returning pilot Jose Lezcano will ride from post 2.

Completing the field are Alpha Chi Rho [post 1, Jose Ortiz] – who arrives off two straight wins; graded-stakes placed Battle Station [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche], and five-time winner Saratoga Pal [post 6, Trevor McCarthy].

The Say Florida Sandy honors the late multiple graded stakes winner whose lengthy career saw 98 starts and spanned from 1996-2003. Say Florida Sandy earned New York-bred championship honors multiple times, including three New York champion sprinter titles and New York Horse of the Year honors in 2001-02. Following a 10-year career at stud, Say Florida Sandy was pensioned and retired to Old Friends in 2014.

The Say Florida Sandy is carded as Race 8 on Saturday's nine-race card at the Big A. First post is 12:20 p.m.

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Rowan University’s New Veterinary School To Be Focused On Both Business And Practical Education

The Rowan School of Veterinary Medicine is slated to open in the fall of 2025 in Sewell, New Jersey, on Rowan University's main campus. It will become the 34th veterinary school in the United States.

Rowan will be one of two schools to offer doctorate degrees in medicine, as well as veterinary and osteopathic medicine. In addition to undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees, the school will offer internship and residency programs. The inaugural class will have 60 students.

Founding dean Dr. Matthew Edson told WHYY that the school will be non-traditional because of its focus on producing diverse graduates who are prepared to practice the day they graduate. Education will focus on business acumen and social skills, as well as practical preparation.

The medical complex will be 100,000 square feet, with a teaching hospital, classrooms, and laboratories. In November, the New Jersey State Legislature approved $75 million for construction of the facility, which is currently in the design phase.