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Nancy Messineo’s Gift Will Keep On Giving: Difference Makers Presented By Avion Law

Nancy Messineo was one of those Thoroughbred owners who always looked after her horses once they left the racetrack.

And now, thanks to an extraordinary gift made public only after her passing on June 8, countless other horses will be taken care of, too.

Messineo was a residential real estate agent in the Los Angeles area who prided herself in finding homes for young, first-time buyers. She did well financially, said Bruce Sands, her close friend and longtime partner in the horse industry.

In 2015, Messineo was diagnosed with cancer, and the one thing that kept her going through all the challenges that come with the disease were the horses. She loved visiting with them in the mornings, going to Clocker's Corner at Santa Anita, then cheering them on in the afternoons with friends, whether at Santa Anita or Del Mar. But she was always concerned that her horses would have a life after racing as well.

She and Sands enjoyed good success with runners like North County Guy, Oscar Dominguez, and Magical Touch, among others.

Oscar Dominguez was an Irish-bred gelding they claimed for $40,000 in February 2019. He went on to win nearly $300,000 for Messineo and Sands. The son of Zoffany's victory in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup later that year was one of Messineo's biggest thrills.

“That was the best,” Sands recalled. “United and some other good ones were in there. Oscar was 11-1, and he just ran his race (rallying from last in the field of 10). Nancy had a blast.”

While those visits to the winner's circle and the stables provided the best medicine for Messineo, she realized the seriousness of the disease she was fighting. Not having any close relatives or heirs, she created a trust with the bulk of her estate benefiting a number of equine charities and an animal welfare organization.

Nancy Messineo was committed to caring for off-track Thoroughbreds (photo courtesy of Bruce Sands)

Sands described the trust as “seven figures” and said the California Retirement Management Account would receive the largest percentage. Better known as CARMA, the 501(c)(3) charitable organization was the brainchild of owner-breeder Madeline Auerbach and since 2008 has granted over $5.4 million to organizations that retire, retrain and re-home California-raced Thoroughbreds.

Other equine charities that will benefit from the Messineo trust are the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown, Calif.; Red Bucket Rescue in Chino Hills, Calif., and Thoroughbred Charities of America, based in Lexington, Ky. She also included the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals among the recipients.

Sands said distribution of funds from the trust should occur within 120 days of Messineo's passing and that there are no strings attached as to how the receiving charities may put the money to use.

Lucinda Lovitt, executive director for CARMA, said she had gotten no forewarning from Messineo about the gift, which is likely the largest the organization has ever received.

“It's amazing,” Lovitt said, “and we were very surprised to find out about it. If there are no specific requirements, we want to create something that would honor Nancy's passion and commitment. She was such a fan, and we want to do something to honor that.”

Oscar Dominquez winning the Hollywood Turf Cup

As for some of Messineo's former runners, Oscar Dominguez is now a trail horse for San Luis Rey equine veterinarian Dr. Lindsey Porubovich, according to Bloodhorse.com. North County Guy and Magical Touch are well cared for as well, Sands said, with one of Magical Touch's foals, Grey Magic, joining her dam after Messineo's death last month.

“Grey Magic ran in April at Santa Anita, and that was the last time Nancy was able to go to the track,” said Sands. “She wanted to have her retired, so the filly is now reunited with Magical Touch.”

Nancy Messineo was one of those people who always seemed to have a smile on her face (“My father would call it a 'Pepsodent' smile,” Sands said), even when you knew she was struggling with her health. She is a difference maker whose love of horses and extraordinary gift in support of Thoroughbred aftercare and other animal charities will be felt for years to come.

If you would like to make a difference, please consider a donation to one of the charities listed above.

Difference Makers is presented by Richard Pearson's Avion Law, a California-based firm specializing on the aviation industry. Avion Law has a “giving back” program supporting awareness campaigns and donating to charitable organizations in and outside of horse racing.

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Jason Servis In Tears As Judge Issues Four-Year Prison Sentence Over Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Trainer Jason Servis was sentenced to four years in federal prison in Manhattan July 26, three years on a felony guilty plea and one year on a misdemeanor, running consecutively. The sentence was the maximum allowed per his charges and guilty plea.

He is to serve one year of supervised release after he leaves prison. His surrender date is Nov. 1.

He made a payment in court of $311,760 in forfeiture, and was ordered to pay $$163,932 restitution and a $30,000 fine.

Invited to address the court, Servis, 66, broke down in tears, before later saying, “No words can express how remorseful and sorry I am for the decisions I've made and the hurt I caused my wife and others.”

United States District Court judge Mary Kay Vyskocil suggested she would have imposed a harsher penalty had she been able to do so.

“In my judgment, more than a 48-month sentence might be more appropriate,” she stated.

“I do accept your expression of remorse,” she later added. “Relatively speaking, you're not an old man. You will have a life after you get out of prison.”

A pre-sentencing memo issued by the prosecution last week revealed new evidence that Servis was lying to owners and hiding drugs in shampoo bottles; read more in this Paulick Report story.

Servis' attorneys, in their own pre-sentencing memos, argued that the trainer was misguided by his veterinarian. In one exchange, veterinarian Dr. Alex Chan told Servis, “I'm a stickler to the rules all the time. I came from NYRA … I know all the rules and stuff … I always look out for the best interest of my clients because I'm the one doing the work … all the horses under my care they're covered, it's all legal.”

Chan would later enter a guilty plea to a felony count of adulteration/misbranding of drugs and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

—The Thoroughbred industry's leading publications are working together to cover this key trial.

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Proxy ‘Putting Things Together As A 5-Year-Old’; Targets Include Jockey Club Gold Cup, Breeders’ Cup Classic

After a triumphant gate-to-wire score in Saturday's Grade 3 Monmouth Cup, Godolphin's Proxy will shift his focus to the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 2 going 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga Race Course. The JCGC is a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Santa Anita Park.

The 5-year-old Tapit bay emerged from only three week's rest to capture the nine-furlong Monmouth Cup at its namesake Jersey Shore oval, setting a moderate pace down the backstretch with Calibrate applying some pressure nearing the far turn and Whelen Springs joining the fray approaching the quarter pole. But Proxy kicked clear of them both to win by 2 1/2 lengths while securing a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

The winning effort followed a disappointing eighth in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on July 1 at Ellis Park, an effort that trainer Michael Stidham said was due to a speed-favoring track.

“I knew going into the Stephen Foster that the track was a conveyer belt for speed. We drew the one-hole with tons of speed outside of us,” Stidham said. “We knew we were going to get a ton of dirt in our face and on that track, it was just impossible to make up any ground. That's exactly what happened. We got checked around the first turn, got ourselves way back and were unable to make up any ground, so it was a race we just draw a line through.”

Proxy has now won three graded stakes over as many racetracks, capturing the Grade 1 Clark in November at Churchill Downs before narrowly defeating Last Samurai in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in April. During his sophomore season, he ran against Mandaloun and Midnight Bourbon in Fair Grounds Race Course's Kentucky Derby prep series, including runner up finishes in the Grade 3 Lecomte and Grade 2 Risen Star. Stidham opted to put Proxy on the shelf following that spring and brought him back for a 4-year-old season, which resulted in a 6-2-2-2 record.

“If you go back to his 3-year-old year, where we were running in some of the Derby preps, I made comments that I didn't think he was quite where he needed to be to keep pushing forward to try to make the Derby,” Stidham recalled. “So we backed off, gave him time, brought him back for his 4-year-old year which was decent. Now, he seems to really be putting things together as a 5-year-old.”

Stidham said the Monmouth Cup was not initially the plan, but that he didn't want to run Proxy in a race like the Jockey Club Gold Cup from a two-month respite.

“Now, we have almost five weeks going into the Jockey Club Gold Cup with a horse coming off a nice win,” Stidham said. “We wanted to get his confidence back up. He's doing well. He came out of that race in good shape. Now our focus is the Jockey Club Gold Cup and hoping he runs well there, and we can start thinking about Breeders' Cup Classic.”

The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be Proxy's first 10-furlong start since finishing a late-closing second to Stiletto Boy in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March.

Through an 18-6-6-2 record, Proxy boasts earnings of $2,024,970. A Kentucky homebred, Proxy is out of the dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Include mare Panty Raid. He is a half-sister to Micheline, a graded stakes winner on the grass.

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Travers-Bound Arcangelo Has ‘Definitely Come Forward’ Since Belmont Stakes Win

Blue Rose Farm's Arcangelo worked five-eighths in 1:01.23 Wednesday over the Saratoga Race Course main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers slated for August 26.

Trained by Jena Antonucci and piloted through the work by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets-winner was caught by NYRA Clockers through splits of 24 1/5 and 36 2/5 before galloping out in 1:14 2/5 and 1:27 flat.

“He was great. It was a beautiful work. Javier was very pleased,” Antonucci said.

It was the third breeze over the main track here for the Arrogate grey.

“He loves it. We're so blessed with him, he doesn't seem to care what's underneath him,” Antonucci said of the Saratoga surface. “He handles it beautifully. Facilities has done a great job of keeping it very consistent and he's thriving off of that.”

Antonucci said Arcangelo has enjoyed breezing on a 10-day schedule as opposed to the more common every seven days routine.

“You have to pay attention to your horse and understand who they are,” Antonucci said. “This horse just needs that space because with his cruising speed and how he trains, he's thrived on more of a 10-day schedule. My job is to listen and stay out of his way.”

Antonucci, who became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race, said Arcangelo maintained his weight coming out of the grueling 12-furlong “Test of the Champion” and has thrived at Saratoga.

“He held really good. He's a good doer. He definitely hasn't regressed at all. He's definitely come forward,” Antonucci said. “Everything else is there – my job is to make sure that the happy and full-of-himself horse stays there.”

The $35,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase graduated at third asking in March traveling a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park with Castellano aboard for the first time.

The talented colt stalked a sharp pace of 23.17 seconds and 45.55 set by Jonas' Dream before making a seven-wide bid in the stretch run en route to a 3 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:34.82. The winning effort garnered a then career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

He has improved his Beyer in each start since, taking the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan [97] by a head over Bishops Bay ahead of his memorable run in the 12-furlong Belmont Stakes [102], overtaking the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes-winner National Treasure at the stretch call and holding off the reigning

Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte to secure a 1 1/2-length score.

Antonucci said Arcangelo, who will breeze twice more before the Travers, should have no trouble with the turnback in distance.

“We were one of the fastest miles at Gulfstream breaking his maiden, so cruising speed is definitely not an issue with him,” Antonucci said.

Out of the Tapit mare Modeling, Arcangelo's third dam is Better Than Honour, who produced two Belmont Stakes winners in Jazil [2006] and Rags to Riches [2007].

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