The Road to the Kentucky Derby makes a lucrative stop at Oaklawn Park this Saturday for the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile event known for producing Kentucky Derby winners such as
Month: February 2023
Kirkpatrick & Co. Presents In Their Care: U.S. Quickly Became Home Sweet Home For Irish Transplant Simon Harris
Oct. 17, 1992.
Simon Harris, a long-time exercise rider and valet on the New York circuit, remembers the day as if it was yesterday.
It was a day of roiling emotions – sadness, anxiety, excitement. He was 24 years young and was leaving behind friends and family in Dublin, Ireland, for Ocala, Fla. He knew he had a job there with breeder and trainer Noel Hickey. Nothing else was certain.
Was he making the right move? Among others, he was leaving behind a girlfriend and a loving relationship that had lasted for a decade. It had been the saddest of goodbyes.
“It was hard to leave home,” he said simply.
Perhaps harder than anyone can imagine. And yet he never looked back. He was first struck by the warmth of the Florida air – and then by the warmth of those he met.
“I love the way people are here,” said Harris, now 55. “If you work hard, people give you a shot.”
The husband-and-wife training team of John and Tonya Terranova head the list of people who gave him a shot. The 5-6, 135-pound Harris began galloping horses for them in 1993 and was instrumental in the development of Gander, a star gelding. He continues to be a key figure in their operation.
“He's like family to us,” said Tonya. “He's like a brother to me.”
He interacts with the horses in the barn almost as well. “It's very rare that there is one he can't get along with,” Tonya said. “It's not just a job for him. He really has dedication and a love for the animal.”
The Terranovas count on Harris to breeze their horses. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert frequently sends top runners to them from his West Coast base ahead of scheduled starts in major New York stakes. Harris is a major reason why. Harris ranks Point Given, Baffert's 2001 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner, among the best he has ever climbed aboard despite the horse's headstrong nature.
When Baffert was considering retiring Indian Blessing at the end of the 2009 campaign, he left the deciding vote to Harris. Indian Blessing had been champion 2-year-old filly in 2007 and the nation's leading female sprinter in 2008.
“She's still good,” Harris told Baffert after hopping off. “She's not the same.”
Baffert had suspected as much. “She's done,” Baffert told him before the retirement was made official.
When trainer Tom Albertrani sensed he had a gem in Bernardini, he turned to Harris to help prepare the colt. Harris still ranks the winner of the Preakness, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2006 as the best horse he has ever ridden.
“He had everything. He had a great mind. He knew what he was,” Harris said. “When he went on the track, he had such a presence about him. He just looked special.”
According to Harris, much of his success has to do with demeanor. “The better exercise riders have a way about them that is calm,” he said. “They do things a little bit slower.”
He establishes relationships with his mounts almost immediately. “Horses have different personalities. They can tell right away that they can do whatever they want with you or they can't,” the rider said. “They know.”
Harris got his shot as a full-time valet in 1996. He continues to hurry to the jockeys' room as soon as his morning work is done. The jockeys' room is a world unlike any other. Opposing teams cool off in separate locker rooms. Opposing jockeys may sit beside one another.
“You're trying to win a race and something happens,” Harris said. “You're going back to a place where you're going to see that person right away.” It is not uncommon for valets to jump in as peacemakers.
Harris has worked for numerous riders, with Hall of Famers Jerry Bailey and Gary Stevens most prominent among them. He views Bailey as the greatest he has ever been around for his ability to anticipate the moves of his rivals.
“What made Bailey different from other riders I've taken care of, he was like a poker player,” Harris said. “He knew you. He knew your tendencies.”
Harris currently assists future Hall of Famer Flavien Prat and Jaime Torres, a promising youngster from Puerto Rico.
As far as tales from the jockeys' room, do not expect to hear any of those. “What goes in there,” he said, “stays in there.”
Harris is a divorced father of two daughters. Brianna, 22, and Eva, 20, live in England. Many family members remain in Ireland. But he stopped feeling as though he was a foreigner in a foreign land long ago.
Tom Pedulla, 2022 recipient of the Walter Haight Award from the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, wrote for USA Today from 1995-2012 and has been a contributor to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Blood-Horse, America's Best Racing and other publications.
If you wish to suggest someone as a potential subject for In Their Care, please send an email to info @ paulickreport.com that includes the person's name and contact information in addition to a brief description of the individual's background.
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Asian Racing Conference Concludes: ‘We Have Seen Racing’s Future And We Must Embrace It’
The 39th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) closed in Melbourne, Australia on Friday, with Asian Racing Federation (ARF) Chairman Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges describing the conference as a “huge success.”
Praising the “exceptional job” of conference host Racing Victoria and the ARC Organising Committee, Engelbrecht-Bresges said the ARC had been a “real eye-opener” after more than 700 delegates from 35 countries attended 11 business program sessions covering a variety of topics vital to horseracing's future.
“What an inspiring and thought-provoking week we have had,” Engelbrecht Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer, said at the closing ceremony crowned by the official handover of the ARC flag to the Japan Racing Association, who will host the 40th ARC in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 2024.
“On Wednesday, I spoke about racing's landscape and the nine key challenges we face as industry, ranging from industry fragmentation to ageing customer base sustainability and human resources.
“There is no doubt we have significant challenges and we have to break barriers. We have to overcome industry fragmentation, we have to collaborate more, we have to use a different perspective to become customer-centric by having an outside-in than an inside-out view to grow our sport for a sustainable future.
“Our objective for this conference was to be an eye-opener, to be thought-provoking, to be inspiring and to be engaging. We wanted to identify what we have to urgently address in the short terms, what we can do to grow the business of racing and what we have to look at which could be game changers, especially when it comes to securing our future.”
Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said some of the conference speakers had “opened our eyes to what many of us probably never thought possible in terms of what racing can offer its fans. But now we have seen racing's future and we must embrace it. We must lean in. And we must act now,” he said.
“NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and Web 3 can be an absolute game-changer for racing. This technology could open up racing to a whole new audience of all ages, from all countries, which can only help grow the sport globally.
“It will never replace the excitement of watching a horse fly down the home straight. But it will add to the experience of racing and make it more accessible for all; especially for Gen Z it is a necessary condition to be relevant at all. And that can only be a good thing.
“Our eyes have also been opened to a world of possibilities for growing the ownership base and enhancing the experience owners receive. And while that means bringing new and younger people in to share in the thrill of racing, we shouldn't forget about our existing owners who will be our sport's biggest promoters to future generations.”
Addressing mental health issues, Engelbrect-Bresges said: “Much like our thinking on horse welfare being a lifetime proposition, racing must also change its approach to looking after its people.
“Glen Boss gave us a harrowing example of what can happen if we don't get it right. We must all make a commitment to improve in this space – to ensure the mental and emotional wellbeing of our participants at all stages of their careers.”
Marking the first ARC since Cape Town in 2020, the conference featured a string of world-class speakers and panelists over the past three days, drawing praise from Engelbrecht-Bresges for conference host Racing Victoria and the ARC Organizing Committee.
“Having talked to many of you, this conference has been a huge success and has been seen as extremely important in the eyes of the participants. None of this would have been possible without the exceptional work done by our host, Racing Victoria (and) the ARC Organizing Committee,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
“I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of our 50 speakers. They have given us their time and shared with us such fascinating and thought-provoking insights. Now we must run with them,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
“And I am sure you will join with me in expressing our collective appreciation to David Eades for his skilful and good-humoured moderation of the conference over the last three days.
“It has been a great pleasure to see you all here in Melbourne, and to be part of this extraordinary Asian Racing Conference.”
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Prairie Meadows Purses Increased $1,000 Across The Board; First Condition Book, Stakes Schedule Released
Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel has announced the release of condition book #1 with a Quarter Horse preview section, stakes schedules for Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse breeds, and additional information for owners, trainers, jockeys, and industry participants planning to race in Iowa.
Prairie Meadows' 2023 live racing season will begin on Friday, May 12, and will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 30. The final race day of the season will feature the Iowa Classic event with an all-Iowa bred race card. A total of 80 racing days will be scheduled with both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing offered. The season begins with 20 days of Thoroughbred-only racing from May 12 – June 17 and continues with a mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule of 60 race days from June 18 – September 30.
Live racing will be offered on a Friday – Monday schedule except for opening week of racing which will feature racing on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13, only. Standard post times for Friday and Saturday programs will be 6:00 p.m. while post times for Sunday and Monday programs will begin at 4:00 p.m. As of release date of this communication, the only post time exception is Saturday, Sept. 30, with a special post time of 4:00 p.m. for the Iowa Classic.
Prairie Meadows Condition Book #1 is now available online and features the first 14 days of racing for Thoroughbreds only along with a preview section starting on page 66 for Quarter Horses with the first 10 days of racing from June 18 – July 3.
“Overnight purses on the Thoroughbred side have been increased by $1,000 across the board for the upcoming 2023 season,” noted Quarter Horse Racing Secretary Chad Keller. “The Quarter Horse purse structure for the most part remains similar to last year with minor adjustments, however we should reach nearly $13,000 for an average open overnight purse in 2023 – our highest level since 2008,” Keller explained.
Stakes schedules for both breeds have also been released for 2023.
“The Thoroughbred stakes schedule will follow a similar format to last year with the only change being four Iowa-bred stakes receiving purse increases from $65,000 to $75,000,” Keller stated. “The Quarter Horse stakes schedule has a few minor changes for 2023. We have dropped the Prairie Sprint stakes race and moved the Keokuk and Prairie Dash to different times on the schedule. We've also reallocated monies to a few stakes, shortened the Two Rivers distance to 400 yards, and added a few more days between trial and final dates for 400-yard Derbies.”
Additional information released by Prairie Meadows Racing Department:
- Barn Area Opens for Horses on Friday, April 14, 2023 at 8:00 a.m.
- Training begins on Sunday, April 16, 2023 (weather permitting)
- Stall applications for both breeds are due to the Racing Office by Tuesday, April 4, 2023
- Quarter Horse Futurity & Derby nomination forms are available online at Prairie Meadows website https://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing/horsemens-info/quarter-horse-racing and payment schedules start March 1 for some races.
- Horse health requirements for both breeds and ponies are available online, on the stall application form, or on page 6 in the condition book.
- Seasonal jobs are available. Apply online here https://www.prairiemeadows.com/about-us/careers Click on Job Openings and search for General Application (2023 Live Racing) to view all positions available in Racing.
Any additional details on the 2023 live racing season will be posted at https://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing as they become available.
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