“Anthony was a great partner,” said WinStar Farm President and CEO Elliott Walden. “He had bought in on most of our racehorses over the last few years. He was a man who was never satisfied with the status quo. He always wanted to improve things. He continued to press into difficult issues and that's what I'll remember most about him. He taught me an awful lot. He was a great mentor. The interesting thing about Anthony was, that while he was in his seventies, he was more technologically savvy than most people in their thirties. He continued to look toward the future with a zeal and an energy that made everyone around him better. ”

“This is a tough one for the game,” said Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming. “He was one of the best. Anthony was officially on the Breeders' Cup Board for four years and as a member for more than that. He was always extremely supportive of the company and the business. Everyone will say that Anthony Manganaro was a visionary who had a passion for the game. That passion for the game went way above and beyond breeding and racing. He wanted to improve the sport as a whole as well as the people involved at all levels of the sport. Anthony had a passion for innovation and technology and wanted to introduce that to our sport to modernize it and make it available for new, future generations. The forward thinking he had was like nothing I have ever seen.”

Manganaro grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood just outside of Boston and attended Suffolk Downs with his father. He remained in Boston for his college career, graduating from Northeastern University.

Manganaro moved to Maryland in 1981, where he built a number of successful businesses. That list included Siena Corp., a real estate development firm, which Anthony and his son, Todd, used to turn ezStorage into one of the nation's largest regional self storage companies. Prior to that, Manganaro started and ran Boston Medical Corporation, making it one of nation's leading distributors of disposable medical supplies.

In 2007, looking for a new challenge, Anthony headed to Kentucky and found 220 acres of land in Paris on what he called a “rundown cattle farm.” Manganaro turned that tract of land into Siena Farm; a state-of-the-art boutique breeding operation that would normally have about 25 mares. His goal was nothing less than to breed the soundest and fastest race horses possible.

“Our goal at Siena Farm is simple: breed and raise superior, world-class racehorses by melding hundreds of years of traditional horsemanship with leading-edge technology,” reads a passage on the farm's website. Manganaro believed the result would be “happy, healthy horses ready to succeed in their racing and breeding careers.”

The Siena team includes General Manager Ignacio “Nacho” Patino and President David Pope.

“He was a big influence in my life and in my family's life,” Patino said. “We last talked on Friday and some of it was on business, but he was mostly asking me about my family. I was taking a bike ride the other day and for some reason I started thinking about Anthony and everything he had done for my family. He was a mentor to me and was just the type of person where you could talk to him about anything. He was always there to help you. Anything you needed, he would help you. I was shocked when I learned he had passed away. We were together here at the farm for 15 years. This is hard. You want to be able to talk to him, but you know that he is gone.”

Siena Farm hit the winner's circle almost immediately. The farm bred and owned Angela Renee (Bernardini), whose biggest win came in the GI Chandelier S. in 2014. At the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, she was sold for $3 million. A year later, the Siena homebred Isabella Sings (Eskendereya) won the GII Mrs. Revere S., one of four graded stakes she captured during her career.

Throughout his career in racing, Manganaro was always on the lookout for a good horse and didn't always rely on breeding to find them. Two weeks prior to the 2017 GI Florida Derby, Manganaro, along with Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds, bought into Always Dreaming (Bodemeister). He would go on to win both the Florida Derby and the GI Kentucky Derby.

“There was buzz about Always Dreaming all winter because his works were so impressive,” Manganaro told the TDN. “Bodemeister ran one of the gutsiest races of the modern era in the Kentucky Derby, and there's significant stamina influence on the dam's side, so we're optimistic the colt will continue to blossom as the races get longer.”

His ties to West Point, which purchased Flightline for $1 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, helped him get in on the ground floor of a horse who would go on to be regarded as one of the best to ever race. Siena Farm was one of five co-owners of the horse.

“Anthony Manganaro and his nephew Paul are great partners of mine,” bloodstock agent David Ingordo told the Daily Racing Form. “And Anthony has done things with Terry Finley at West Point on and off over the years. So Terry brought him in on [Flightline] on their end of it.”

“The only thing I thought about today was just how incredible a person he was and what a great family man he was,” Finley said. “He was big thinker, a creative thinker. I wished there were more Anthony Manganaro-like people in the world. This is a big loss. This is a tough one. He lived a full life and from what I've heard he was at the races Saturday. He lived life to the fullest and did so right up to the end.”

Siena continues to breed and race top-class horses. Along with WinStar Farm, Siena owns Emmanuel (More Than Ready), a winner of four graded stakes. Siena also bred and co-owned, along with Timothy Hamm, Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), the winner of the 2020 GI Frizette S. She would go on to be sold for $2,850,000 at Fasig-Tipton November. Other horses raced by Siena Farm alone or in partnership include Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), Bal a Bali (Brz) (Put It Back), Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman) and Queen Picasso (Kingman).

Tributes to Anthony Manganaro…

Nick D'Amore (Manganaro's Grandson and Managing Member, Cold Press Racing LLC)

“It's hard to put into words what my grandfather meant to me and those who had the privilege of meeting him. He was a problem solver and visionary always looking to solve the great puzzles in the world. He introduced me to racing when I was five and I fell in love with the horses, but he fell in love with the challenge, the challenge of breeding top-class horses with consistency. We got to share a passion for racing together and it meant the world to me. I've gotten to speak to many of those who knew him over these last 24 hours and what was clear is he made an impact on everyone he spoke to.”

Barry Weisbord, founder Thoroughbred Daily News

Last Monday I spent my morning enjoying a scheduled breakfast conversation at Anthony Manganero's newly built home in Saratoga, with just us two. He welcomed me on the porch. We shared bagels and smoked salmon (always great conversation food), and in that idyllic setting I relished all three hours of our sharing thoughts, as anyone who has had the pleasure of his company would attest. I was not prepared for that being the last meal we would share.

His family lost Anthony Sunday. The Siena Farm and Thoroughbred worlds, the Northeastern University world, and I'm sure many other worlds share this loss of a very special person, who was filled with joy, love, energy, intellect and philanthropy.

He was the most kind and caring a person could be. He was also the most interesting, inventive, and forward thinking a person could be. I'm sure the Dos Equis ad campaign of “the

most interesting man in the world” was modeled on him, beard and all. If you wanted to learn about the possible application of  AI technology to our industry, you called Anthony. He was always on chapters 4-5-6 when most had not even heard of the book.

He was about improving everything he had cared about, and about making the world a better place. He practiced his philosophy every day.

We spent the morning on a variety of subjects, as one always did with Anthony. Better organizing our industry especially from the Owner/Breeder/Horseman's perspective, possible new sources of industry revenue utilizing technology, and his computer research into predictive data in the bloodstock world, just to name a few. He had an insatiable appetite for learning that was always on display.

I am so thankful that he was a great friend to me and my family. I am so thankful that he enjoyed the Thoroughbred industry. He was truly irreplaceable. He had shoes impossible to fill. I hope some will join me in honoring his contributions by carrying on his legacies.

The post Siena Farm’s Anthony Manganaro Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“We need a champion,” he continued. “We need an undefeated horse. Someone who can go out and do this and that's Flightline.”

In those four short sentences Hronis captured the moment, the sentiment and all the reasons why Flightline needs to be brought back for a 2023 campaign. It's because the sport and everyone who loves it needs and deserves more of the magic that this very special horse delivers every time. To the owners, please put horse racing first and your bank accounts second and give the game what would be nothing less than a precious and cherished gift. Please.

Flightline can make a staggering amount next year as a stallion, far more than he ever could make on the racetrack. His five owners all say they are racing fans first, but they are also businesspeople and racing Flightline next year is just not economically practical. The insurance policy alone that they would have to take out would cost millions. He probably will be retired.

I'm trying not to be naive.

But neither will I give up hope.

The NBC cameras closed in on another owner, Terry Finley, after the race and there was a river of tears rushing down his cheeks. He was experiencing what we all hope to experience in our lives, a feeling of pure exhilaration, pure joy. I am sure the other owners, Hronis, Bill Farish, Jane Lyon and Anthony Manganaro all felt the same way. Perhaps other than the birth of a child, there is nothing else in life that can match this. It is indeed priceless.

Money is nice. Money is important. But Finley is never going to weep for joy after viewing the balance in his bank account. That feeling, those tears, what Terry Finley experienced Saturday, can be replicated maybe four or five times next year with what would no doubt be four or five more sensational performances. Does he or any of the other owners really want to let that go?

I wouldn't be saying that if this weren't a once-in-a-lifetime horse. I wouldn't have said that even with American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) or Justify (Scat Daddy). They were wonderful horses, Triple Crown winners, but Flightine has gone to a place where those horses never went. He doesn't live up to the hype. He smashes it. He makes the impossible seem ordinary.

After he won the GI Pacific Classic by 19 1/4 lengths it seemed Flightline could never surpass that performance. But he did. If ever he was going to be in a fight, this was it. The Classic was loaded and the seven opponents presented a far more difficult challenge than the one he faced out at Del Mar. But it was not a fight. It wasn't even a skirmish. Under his passenger, Flavien Prat, he couldn't have been more dominant. Flightline won by

8 1/4 lengths, turning the final two furlongs into a one-horse race. Once again, Prat never had to shift out of cruise control.

“How do you describe greatness?” trainer John Sadler said. “This is a rare horse. It happens every 20 or 30 years. One of the best American racehorses we've seen in a long, long time. And I'm talking back to Secretariat, Seattle Slew. You go through the list.”

It's hard to compare Flightline to Secretariat because they are horses from two very different eras and Flightline has raced only six times. But Secretariat, it should be remembered, lost twice after his other-worldly performance in the 1973 GI Belmont S. and none of his races after the Belmont quite matched what he did that day when he redefined greatness in the Thoroughbred. Flightline somehow seems to get better with every race.

Who is the greatest ever, Flightline or Secretariat? Let's just say this: they both belong in the conversation.

This sport can get you down. There have been the drug scandals with Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis and the rest. You have far too many groups and individuals trying to submarine the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority. The safety and well-being of the animal, both during and after their careers, remains a constant worry. The struggle to get mainstream attention for the game seems like a never-ending, losing battle. On too many days at too many racetracks the grandstands are empty.

But Saturday, it was like those problems had vanished. In the moment, this was indeed the greatest game that there is and we all remembered why we fell in love with it in the first place. Thank you, Flightline.

“This is really good for the business,” Finley said.

Exactly.

So bring him back. While you're at it, plan out a campaign that doesn't include trips to the Middle East. If this isn't going to be about the money then don't make it about money. Make 2023 a celebration and a celebration of American racing. Put the fans first. Run in the GI Pegasus World Cup, the GI Santa Anita H. Come back in the Pacific Classic. End the year back at Santa Anita in the Classic and let's see if he can win this time by a dozen lengths or more.

Then cash in and send him off to stud.

To ask the connections to run him next year is asking a lot. I understand that. It's just that I don't want to see this end and neither should his owners.

The post Please Don’t Retire This Horse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Her dam, Gottahaveadream (Indian Charlie), was a relatively large mare and had consistently thrown size and scope in her first three foals, so the Siena team had decided to pair her with Into Mischief. The resulting foal, Patino said, was better than what they had imagined.

“I loved the filly when she was born,” Siena Farm's General Manager explained. “She was a big, strong filly with the size and scope we were hoping for. I remember calling Anthony [Manganaro, Siena Farm Chairman] and telling him the mare got a beautiful Into Mischief filly.”

As spring turned to summer, Dayoutoftheoffice looked to be the prized weanling of her foal crop at Siena. But one foggy morning in September, the trajectory of her career changed entirely.

Manganaro was in town and told Patino he wanted to take a look at Gottahaveadream's filly.

“It was very foggy and the guys were bringing the weanlings closer to the gate,” Patino recalled. “We were driving up to the barn when we heard all this commotion. The horses had spooked and they took off running in the field. When the guys finally brought them into the barn, that's when we saw Dayoutoftheoffice had run into a fence. Her knee looked like somebody had taken a sledgehammer and hit her.”

Patino immediately sprang into action, loading the injured weanling onto the van and calling the clinic as soon as they were on the road.

“When one of these things happens, you pretty much know that as far as this horse becoming a racehorse, it's probably not going to happen,” he said.

But at the clinic, they discovered that there was minimal damage to the bone or the ligaments. The filly returned to the farm a few days later and for weeks, Patino diligently changed her bandage daily.'

“After three weeks, the knee looked great,” he remembered. “There was a lot of swelling, but the wound had closed. The problem was that for everything to heal, the skin had become stiff and there was no flexion in the knee.”

Dayoutoftheoffice and her dam Gottahaveadream at Siena Farm | Siena Farm

Patino and his team worked with the filly daily to get some flexibility back in the joint, using the cold-water spa and trying out other forms of therapy. When it came time for sales prep to begin, Patino decided to keep her on the same track as the other sales yearlings.

“You could see that the knee was never going to be normal, but running around in the field, she looked fine,” he said. “I think the knee was probably bothering me more than it was bothering her. I was kind of hesitant to put her on the walker or exercise her like the other yearlings, but we started sales prepping and it was a completely different horse. Everything she was doing was very easy for her and she just loved it. You didn't have to make her work, she did it on her own.”

Even as the filly flourished in her training, the veterinarians told Patino she had a 50-50 shot of seeing the racetrack. He knew she would be overlooked at any sale.

“People would take one look at the knee and turn around,” he said.

Patino and Manganaro, along with Siena's President David Pope, decided to send her to Tim Hamm, a conditioner they had shared success with in 2016 with My Dear S. winner Velvet Mood (Lonhro {Aus}).

“Tim has a program that he will work out a deal with us and for 50% equity, he will train them at no expense to us,” Pope explained. “So it was a win-win. Dayoutoftheoffice was in a group of three or four horses that we sent him and we thought she was probably the least likely [to race] because of her injury.”

But Patino said that when Hamm first saw the young filly, his eyes lit up.

“I don't think it took him two seconds to look at the filly,” he recalled. “He loved her size and the physical was there, just looking at the knee you didn't know if she would make it. I remember going to visit her in February and you could see she loved going on the track and she looked normal galloping.”

It wasn't long before Hamm was asking for a name for their juvenile. Pope and Patino discussed options back in the office at Siena.

“Her dam's name is Gottahaveadream,” Patino had reminded Pope.

“Nacho, my dream is to have a day at the beach,” Pope had replied.

They looked up the name Day at the Beach, but it was already taken.

“Well my dream is to have a day out of the office,” Patino suggested.

They tried again with Dayoutoftheoffice, and the name was available.

“We didn't even tell Anthony, we just gave her the name,” Pope recalled with a laugh. “Next thing we know, Anthony is calling us up and he hated the name. But after she won the Schuylerville, he called us and said, 'You know what? I love that name.'”

Dayoutoftheoffice made a winning debut at Gulfstream in May last year, flashing through a speedy opening quarter of :21.89 to win the 4 1/2-furlong contest by 4 3/4 lengths. She was dismissed at long odds in her next start in the GIII Schuylerville S., but bested the rest of the field by six lengths.

“I loved the fact that she was 20-1 because we made a little bit of money on that bet,” Pope said with a grin. “We were running against the big boys and it's nice when you're the underdog and you win. She made us proud. You look at the field that day and you see the top outfits in the country that we were racing against. It wasn't even a close race; she dominated.”

Dayoutoftheoffice returned several months later to remain undefeated in the GI Frizette S., besting GI Spinaway S. winner and eventual GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies champion Vequist (Nyquist) by two lengths at Belmont with over 10 lengths back to the third. She earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure in the mile-long contest.

Meanwhile, Patino proudly watched these dazzling performances back at Siena with the rest of his team, a group that was undoubtably responsible for getting the filly to the racetrack in the first place by helping her overcome her early setback.

“It kind of validates what we're trying to do here, for the guys more than anything, because every day we were trying new things with the filly and after a while, I think they probably thought we were just wasting our time,” Patino said.” We didn't know if it was going to work out or not, but we kept working with her and now she's a Grade I winner. Now they believe that any horse we're working on could be the next one.”

Patino said that for each of their star filly's races, all of “the guys” at the farm would congregate at the office to watch.

“They like to bet so of course they're betting on our filly,” he recalled. “When they would go back to work, you could see that they really enjoyed it because this horse just won a big race and now they know they're doing something special. For me, she was special because of overcoming her injury and for all the work that we had to put in to get her there.”

Dayoutoftheoffice scores a 95 Beyer in the GI Frizette S. | Sarah Andrew

Dayoutoftheoffice gave a gutsy performance to finish second to Vequist at the Breeders' Cup to cap off her juvenile season, defeating the likes of Grade I winners Simply Ravishing (Laoban) and Princess Noor (Not This Time).

She returned at three this year with a runner-up performance in the GII Eight Belles S. and a fourth-place finish in the GI Acorn S. While recording works at Thistledowns over the summer, she sustained an injury and was retired soon after.

Much thought was put into what to do with the Grade I winner, but it was ultimately decided that she would go to the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

“I come from the business side of it and I see an opportunity that we could take any funds we generate from that sale and reinvest to get multiple mares to grow our broodmare band to do bigger and better things,” Pope explained. “With her being our third Grade I winner, it's been very special and while we do approach it as a business, we also get emotionally attached to these horses. So we'll always be a fan of hers.”

Dayoutoftheoffice will sell as Hip 156 at the 'Night of the Stars' on Nov. 9 with the ELiTE consignment.

“We're excited to have Dayoutoftheoffice at the sale,” Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning said. “It's unusual to have the opportunity to sell a Grade I winner at two by Into Mischief. It's a pretty unbeatable combination from a sales perspective and it's a pretty unbeatable combination from a breeding perspective. I think what made Dayoutoftheoffice special on the racetrack was the ease in which she won. When you watch the replays, she's pretty much winning in-hand against the best in New York in some very key races. I think when you look back at that group of 2-year-olds last year, we're going to say it was a really deep group and a very talented group of horses.”

Dayoutoftheoffice's pedigree is another factor that Browning said will attract buyers at the upcoming auction.

“One of things I really love about Dayoutoftheoffice is the influence on the broodmare side of things. I think we're going to look up in 15 or 20 years from now and say Indian Charlie was a remarkable broodmare sire. He's already off to a great start, being the broodmare sire of some horses like Mitole (Eskendereya) and Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow).”

Gottahaveadream is a half-sister to GI Forego S. winner Here Comes Ben (Street Cry {Ire}). Her granddam, GISW Race the Wild Wind (Sunny's Halo), produced G1SW and sprint champion King Charlemagne (Nureyev) as well as Chasethewildwind (Forty Niner), the dam of successful young sire Daredevil and GISW Albertus Maximus (Albert the Great).

“Indian Charlie is one of the top broodmare sires out there and her pedigree has got graded stakes horses all over the page,” Pope said. “She is something that you're looking for in a broodmare. I think you'll see a lot of people in the industry focusing on Into Mischief as the next top broodmare sire, so this is a great opportunity for people. How many opportunities do you get with a Grade I-winning filly by Into Mischief coming to the marketplace?”

Take a look at our full 'Spotlight on the Night of the Stars' series here.

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Gayle Benson established GMB Racing Stables in 2014 with her husband, Tom Benson. Horses campaigned by GMB Racing include Grade 1 winner Tom's d'Etat and graded stakes winners Tom's Ready, Mo Tom, and Lone Sailor. She owns Benson Farm in Paris, Kentucky, which is active in Thoroughbred breeding and sales, having more than 20 broodmares on the farm. Benson is the only female owner to solely own an NFL and NBA franchise, providing leadership for the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and New Orleans Pelicans (NBA). Through the Tom and Gayle Benson Foundation, her sports organizations, and other business enterprises, Benson annually puts tens of millions of dollars back into the community in financial support, in-kind donation, charitable appearances, and donations of goods and services. Benson also oversees Benson Capital Partners, a multi-million dollar investment arm deploying millions to start-up businesses in the state of Louisiana and the Gulf South.

Dr. Jeffrey Berk is a past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and current chair of their Racing Committee. He began his career as an attending veterinarian at Thistledown Racetrack near Cleveland, Ohio, before starting his own practice in Ocala, Florida. He ran the practice for 19 years before merging with and becoming a partner in Ocala Equine Hospital in 2000. In 2010, he joined Equine Medical Associates PSC in Lexington, Kentucky, where, in addition to his sales work, he does pro bono work for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.

Drew Fleming is the president and chief executive officer of Breeders' Cup Limited. He spearheads the general day-to-day operations of the company, including host track relations, long-term planning and business growth, finance, sponsorships, marketing, and legal. Prior to joining the Breeders' Cup, Fleming practiced corporate law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Fleming serves on the board and executive council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, the board of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and chairs its Governance Committee, and the board of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition.

Kevin Lavin is a partner and the director of Equine Insurance at Sterling Thompson Company. He also serves as vice chairman of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. He was a past director of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Kentucky Derby Museum, Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs, Thoroughbred Club of America, Longfield Farm, and Lavin Bloodstock Services.

Anthony Manganaro founded Siena Farm, located in Paris, Kentucky, with partners Nacho Patino and David Pope. He is the founder of Siena Corporation, a real estate development company based in the Baltimore/Washington corridor, and Boston Medical, an international medical supply company based in Columbia, Maryland. Horses raced by Siena Farm alone or in partnership include Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming; Travers Stakes winner Catholic Boy; Grade 1 winners Angela Renee, Bal a Bali (BRZ), and Dayoutoftheoffice; Grade 2 winners Isabella Sings and Royal Ship (BRZ); and Grade 3 winner First Captain.

Adam Wachtel is a longtime owner and breeder, racing under Wachtel Stables. Top horses he has raced in partnership include Breeders' Cup winners Tourist and Vequist and Grade 1 winners Bolo, Channel Maker, Exaggerator, Ron the Greek, Sharla Rae, and Spiced Perfection. Outside of racing, he is involved in private equity investments.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America's Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.

The post The Jockey Club Elects Six New Members appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gayle Benson established GMB Racing Stables in 2014 with her husband, Tom Benson. Horses campaigned by GMB Racing include Grade I winner Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike) and graded stakes winners Tom's Ready (More Than Ready), Mo Tom (Uncle Mo) and Lone Sailor (Majestic Warrior). She owns Benson Farm in Paris, KY, which is active in Thoroughbred breeding and sales, having more than 20 broodmares on the farm. Benson is the only female to solely own an NFL and NBA franchise, providing leadership for the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and New Orleans Pelicans (NBA). Through the Tom and Gayle Benson Foundation, her sports organizations, and other business enterprises, Benson annually puts tens of millions of dollars back into the community in financial support, in-kind donation, charitable appearances, and donations of goods and services. Benson also oversees Benson Capital Partners, a multi-million-dollar investment arm deploying millions to start-up businesses in the state of Louisiana and the Gulf South.

Dr. Jeffrey Berk is a past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and current chair of their Racing Committee. He began his career as an attending veterinarian at Thistledown Racetrack near Cleveland, OH before starting his own practice in Ocala, FL. He ran the practice for 19 years before merging with and becoming a partner in Ocala Equine Hospital in 2000. In 2010, he joined Equine Medical Associates PSC in Lexington, KY, where, in addition to his sales work, he does pro bono work for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.

Drew Fleming is the president and chief executive officer of Breeders' Cup Limited. He spearheads the general day-to-day operations of the company, including host track relations, long-term planning and business growth, finance, sponsorships, marketing and legal. Prior to joining the Breeders' Cup, Fleming practiced corporate law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Fleming serves on the board and executive council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, the board of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and chairs its Governance Committee and the board of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition.

Kevin Lavin is a partner and the director of Equine Insurance at Sterling Thompson Company. He also serves as vice chairman of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. He was a past director of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Kentucky Derby Museum, Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs, Thoroughbred Club of America, Longfield Farm and Lavin Bloodstock Services.

Anthony Manganaro founded Siena Farm, located in Paris, KY, with partners Nacho Patino and David Pope. He is also the founder of Siena Corporation, a real estate development company based in the Baltimore/Washington corridor; and Boston Medical, an international medical supply company based in Columbia, MD. Horses raced by Siena Farm alone or in partnership include Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister); Travers winner Catholic Boy (More Than Ready); additional Grade I winners Angela Renee (Bernardini), Bal a Bali (Brz) (Put It Back) and Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief); Grade II winners Isabella Sings (Eskendereya) and Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman); and Grade III winner First Captain (Curlin).

Adam Wachtel is a longtime owner and breeder, racing under Wachtel Stables. Top horses he has raced in partnership include Breeders' Cup winners Tourist (Tiznow) and Vequist (Nyquist) and Grade I winners Bolo (Temple City), Channel Maker (English Channel), Exaggerator (Curlin), Ron the Greek (Full Mandate), Sharla Rae (Afleet Alex) and Spiced Perfection (Smiling Tiger). Outside of racing, he is involved in private equity investments.

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William S. Farish, Jr. (Lane's End Farm), Eric Gustavson (Spendthrift Farm), and Alex Solis II (Solis/Litt Bloodstock) were each elected to serve a four-year term. Mr. Farish and Mr. Solis were re-elected as Directors.

Gustavson, who joined Spendthrift in 2006, has overseen the farm's extensive growth rising from one homebred stallion to currently having the largest roster in North America. Gustavson also has led the team that brought such industry innovations as the “Share the Upside Program” and making racehorse ownership available to the masses through its investment in the micro-share start up “MyRacehorse.”

Gustavson succeeds Anthony Manganaro, who served on the Board for four years.

“Eric has a proven record as a leader and innovator in many facets of our industry,” said Fred Hertrich III, Breeders' Cup Chairman. “We look forward to Eric's conscientious and thought-provoking approach in supporting our initiatives, and enhancing our mission and vision of the Breeders' Cup as one of the most distinctive and respected brands in Thoroughbred racing.

“We also extend our sincere thanks for the contributions that Anthony Manganaro has given to our Board over the past several years. Anthony has been an important source of guidance and inspiration to the Breeders' Cup and to our sport.”

The post Farish, Gustavson, Solis Elected To Breeders’ Cup Board Of Directors appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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So, yes, the 54-year-old was beyond thrilled to saddle the first Grade 1 winner of his career with Dayoutoftheoffice in the Oct. 10 Frizette at Belmont Park, but the adjacent reality is that Hamm's program has been quietly building up to that top-level victory since he purchased his first racehorse in 1994.

An undefeated 2-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, Dayoutoftheoffice will become Hamm's first Breeders' Cup starter on Nov. 6 at Keeneland. This may be the Ohio native's first chance to show he has what it takes to compete at the World Championships, but Hamm is more excited than nervous about the opportunity.

“The thing I like most is I want our team to feel like we're getting somewhere,” Hamm said. “That's the biggest thing the Breeders' Cup means to us. Obviously, the next question will be whether you can do it again. The first time can be beginner's luck, so hopefully the entire team can buy in after this and making it to the Breeders' Cup will become a habit.”

His words might sound cocky, but Hamm doesn't mean them to be. He's simply that confident in his partners and in the program he's built from the ground up over the past 25 years.

Hamm owns Dayoutoftheoffice in partnership with Anthony Manganaro's Siena Farm, a somewhat unique business model at the upper end of the sport. It isn't all that unusual for Hamm, however; he is partnered on nearly 85 percent of the 200 or so Thoroughbreds in his care across all levels of the industry, from broodmares to stallions and from yearlings to active racehorses, and everything in between.

The partnership model may be unusual, but it has been a cornerstone of Hamm's success since the very beginning. Keeping an ownership stake in so many of his horses has allowed Hamm to both remain grounded and focus on doing what's best for the animals.

Hamm didn't grow up in a “racing family,” at least, not in the strictest definition. His father worked at General Motors during the day and trained Thoroughbreds from his Ohio farm on the side, keeping them fit via a jogging machine and shipping to tracks like Mountaineer to race on the weekends. He trained just over 100 winners through his part-time career, and taught Hamm a lot about how to make ends meet with the horses.

However, those lessons did not take root until well after college, Hamm said, laughing good-naturedly. As a young man Hamm was more focused on Saddlebred show horses. By high school, he became ensconced in football; Hamm played linebacker for Youngstown State throughout his university athletic career.

Those passions didn't leave a lot of room for Thoroughbreds in Hamm's schedule, though he'd still help out his father at the family farm when he had spare time.

After graduating with a four-year business degree in 1989, Hamm launched a construction company. He finally started to feel that pull back to the horses in the mid-1990's, and purchased his first racehorse at an OBS 2-year-olds in training sale in 1994.

Hamm spent $13,500 on a filly named Willowy Proof, but he admits he didn't know much about the racing industry back then.

“I was showing her to someone and they said to me, 'Oh, you have a Pennsylvania-bred,'” Hamm remembered. “I said, 'Okay, great. What does that mean?' And they told me there was extra money in Pennsylvania if I ran her there.

“My mom helped me get her ready, trailering her to Mountaineer to train in the mornings while I was working construction. It wasn't a business, then; I really just wanted to own a racehorse.”

When Willowy Proof made her first start at Philadelphia Park on July 25, 1994, the filly dominated a maiden special weight event by 9 1/4 lengths. Before Hamm even walked off the track, he was turning down offers of $100,000 for the filly.

“I just wanted to have fun with her,” he said.

In 1996, Hamm returned to OBS and bought four more 2-year-olds. Each of those four became a stakes winner, including Rose Colored Lady, a $20,000 daughter of Formal Dinner who would earn $139,294 on the track. That was hardly her best contribution to Hamm's future career, however.

He launched Blazing Meadows Farm in Ohio in the late 1990s to begin taking advantage of the state's breeding program when his horses were done running, and Rose Colored Lady rewarded Hamm with four stakes winners in her first four runners. Her fifth foal would be Too Much Bling, a three-time graded stakes winner who earned over $500,000 and is currently a sire in Ohio.

Hamm trained Too Much Bling through his first two starts, then sold the majority share to Stonerside Stable. Transferred to Bob Baffert, the horse made it to the Breeders' Cup Sprint in 2006 and finished sixth.

Looking back to 1998, Hamm was still operating the construction business by day and training/breeding racehorses on the side. He read an article about pinhooking, and decided he'd like give that a try.

Hamm bought two horses for $25,000 each at the Keeneland September sale. The first, a Cherokee Run filly, commanded a final bid of $250,000 at the next year's OBS Calder sale. The second, a daughter of Dehere, recorded the fastest breeze of the OBS April sale and sold for $150,000.

“I was sitting back at the construction office after turning $50,000 into $400,000, and I just thought to myself that maybe I could really make a living at this,” Hamm said. “I just remember thinking, 'Man, that's a lot of two-by-fours.'”

By 2007 Hamm was ready to make the move to the horse business full time and sold the construction company.

“I guess I always thought I might want to do it as a career, but I had to own all my own horses from the beginning,” Hamm explained. “I mean, who's going to hire a trainer who'd never trained a horse before?”

Success continued to build for Hamm over the following years, and he diversified his program from breeding to racing and sales both in Ohio and on a farm purchased in Ocala. He started several big-name runners in their careers, including multi-millionaire and champion Wait A While, but in keeping with his business roots, Hamm most often sold horses before their first graded stakes victories.

His success on the track has primarily come in Ohio, where he's trained over 25 state-bred champions and five Ohio-bred Horse of the Year title winners.

WinStar Farm noticed that success and offered Hamm the chance to partner on a group of mares and later, on a stallion in Ohio named National Flag, which has continued to snowball Hamm's efforts toward the top.

Those types of partnership deals are not particularly uncommon in the industry, especially the breeding side. The rarer success is in partnership deals on the racing side; typically, a trainer will take on a horse's expenses himself, rather than charge the owner a day rate, in exchange for a larger cut of the horse's earnings.

If the horse runs well and earns enough to pay his bills, the deal works. If the horse doesn't earn enough to cover his costs, it can quickly become a major financial burden for the trainer who made the deal.

“We've always bred some homebreds, and we did take some (tougher) deals early on,” Hamm said, explaining that even with horses in which he is not a partner, he doesn't use a day rate to make a profit, just to pay the bills; the horses' success should be the profit part of the business equation. “It allowed us to weed through clients and stick with the ones who wanted to be successful. Those people don't want a horse on the track at a low level, so you're already starting off ahead of the curve.

“From there, you have to be sincere about what you're doing and give every horse the same opportunity for success. You make those deals with people who are winners in life, then do everything right along the way.

“Is it always a gravy train? Absolutely not. When it's good, it's great; when it's not, it's not. You have to be in a position to ride out the tough times. For a lot of people who take horses on deals, they aren't able to diversify their interests enough to carry the bad years.”

Dayoutoftheoffice wins the Frizette under Junior Alvarado

Approximately six years ago, the group at WinStar mentioned Hamm's name to a co-owner of Siena Farm, David Pope. Pope reached out to Hamm and they agreed to partner on a group of yearlings.

One filly in that first group, Velvet Mood by Lonhro, would go on to win her first three races, including the My Dear Girl Stakes in Canada, so the partnership was off to a great start.

Siena does some commercial breeding as well as breeding to race, so Hamm would be given the opportunity to partner with the farm on yearlings that didn't make their reserves at auction and also on some that the farm thought might be particularly special.

The latter was the case with Dayoutoftheoffice. Out of the Indian Charlie mare Gottahaveadream, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Here Comes Ben, Dayoutoftheoffice has been an exciting prospect since the very beginning.

“I guess like anyone else, I'm partial to horses that have a lot of size and scope,” Hamm said. “Like most of the Siena horses, we got her around September and took her the farm in Ocala to start training her. Around January or February we started thinking this horse could be really special, but it was a long time away from her first start.”

Dayoutoftheoffice has won each of her three career starts and should be a strong contender for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 6. Win or lose, Hamm can't wait to get back to the Breeders' Cup and prove that a multiple leading trainer/owner/breeder from Ohio can compete with the world's best.

“You know, whenever people partner with me, I tell them sincerely: 'If you lose, you're going to be one of the few who loses with me,'” Hamm said. “I'm self-taught, and I knew business before I knew horses, but now I do everything from A to Z. … Making it to the Breeders' Cup means a lot to the whole team, for sure, but we don't want this to be a one-time thing.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Hamm’s First Grade 1 Is Not ‘Beginner’s Luck’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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He is always reluctant to “claim” credit for a particular horse, knowing that the fulfilment of its potential is always divided between so many different hands. Even so, during the past 12 days alone, Cauthen’s counsel has at least contributed to a second consecutive winner of the GIII Schuylerville S., on opening day at Saratoga; to an outsized afternoon for the boutique program of Peter Blum, who was denied a 30-minute Grade I double by a head when Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) just failed to add the Coaching Club American Oaks to the TVG.com Haskell success of Authentic (Into Mischief); and then, on Saturday, to a Grade I breakthrough by the explosive Volatile (Violence) in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.

“It was very exciting,” Cauthen says. “When Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) broke out of the gate, that was a bit of a heart attack–you’re never sure who it is, in the instant that happens, and then you’re anxious that everyone is okay before reloading. But Volatile was amazing, and kept his cool. Yes, it was a pretty manageable first quarter, but for any horse to finish off a Grade I in under :23 is pretty rare. Not many horses can do that, especially on the dirt.”

Characteristically, Cauthen plays down his role in the purchase of the new sprinting sensation. He’s an advisory board member at Three Chimneys, who co-purchased Volatile at the Keeneland September Sale of 2017, along with Phoenix Thoroughbreds. As always, Cauthen had diligently worked the catalog: he has different clients, operating at different levels and with different agendas. If asked about one at the 11th hour, he wants to be prepared. And here was one that came into play a little later that that, even.

“Goncalo [Borges Torrealba, the farm chairman] asked me what I thought about the horse shortly before he was going through,” Cauthen recalls. “Kerri Radcliffe had reached out to him, saying she was keen to get him for Phoenix. I endorsed him pretty strongly to Goncalo. He’s so good-looking, I’d think almost anybody would like him a lot. He was by a hot first-year sire out of a nice mare, and physically he was a wonderful blend of precocity, but with scope: he has length, and leverage and he’s good-sized. And those horses–the great-looking ones, with great pedigree, that move with a purpose–are always going to be expensive.

“I’d hoped he might cost around $600,000-$650,000, but he ended up at $850,000. Actually, getting him bought was mostly about Goncalo being brave and decisive at the sales. He can make a quick decision and go with it and has always seen the sense in partnering with others when you have to go ‘all-in’ to get one. Goncalo believes in quality and backs up his belief with actions. Phoenix was pretty brave too.”

Cauthen says wryly that they had a couple of years to worry about the price, but even the most-expensive son of his sire now turns out to have been well bought.

“Steve Asmussen and his team have shown tremendous patience and confidence,” he says. “As a 2-year-old, the horse had a soft tissue strain, so they never got him until he was three. When he debuted, he was impressive; and he looked special when he won at Churchill in the fall, only to have a minor setback. But through it all, Steve believed; and has handled him like the Hall of Famer that he is.”

The Cauthen Way…

Dealing with trainers, dealing with partners: this horse is typical of the way Cauthen likes to work. For the whole ethos is collaborative. Very often he’ll work in conjunction with managers or other advisers already integral to a program.

And while his surname is itself a virtual guarantee of horsemanship–his brothers Steve and Kerry having likewise carved out reputations in the industry that honor their grounding by parents Tex and Myra–it’s worth remembering that Cauthen trained as a lawyer, and indeed practiced for a while before returning to the world into which he was born. For his various patrons surely see him in a similar mold: as the diligent expert who briefs them on the strategy most likely, come judgment day, to gain a favorable verdict.

Because of the diversity of his client list, and the corresponding spectrum of roles they ask him to perform, Cauthen has a dynamic sense of the way different plates of the industry lock together; and the efficiencies available between them. So where most of us would simply admire a beautiful house, he will see through the stonework to the beams holding it all together.

He operates his consultancy as the equivalent of an asset management company.

“The difference being just that the asset is not a stock, but a horse,” he explains. “My legal background likely helps, as it introduced another layer of analytical thinking to a business that’s sometimes so rich in tradition that we never look for change. Obviously, the primary focus for anyone will be to breed and/or buy top-level horses. But how we get there is individualized, based on the client’s mares, budget and their target goals.”

Ultimately, he can boil it all down to two simple words: “added value”. It’s simply a question of applying business sense, and breadth of experience, to an ever-changing environment.

“We don’t try to reinvent the wheel, or turn operations upside down,” Cauthen says. “We just evaluate current protocols and procedures and, if and when appropriate, make suggestions or tweaks: whether to matings, or horse preparation, or sales placement, or race management, or the purchasing of mares, yearlings and 2-year-olds. But what really helps is that we don’t operate in a silo. Knowing multiple programs allows us to see what works best, and either to borrow ideas or see how different elements might work together in a fresh way.”

A Man Who Wears Many Hats..

Three Chimneys, admittedly, is a client with many different dimensions. And the action, as a result, is across the board: from Volatile to another stellar talent in ‘TDN Rising Star’ Guarana (Ghostzapper), who recently won her third Grade I in the Madison S.; from the breeding of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor, by farm stallion Palace Malice out of a mare Cauthen recommended as a 2-year-old, to Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) himself.

“Being part of recommending, negotiating, and helping the Torrealba family secure the Besilu package has proven to be exactly the kind of foundational move we all hoped,” Cauthen says of the transfusion that produced a Horse of the Year. “I’ve really enjoyed helping to build their broodmare band, and the collaboration among the program owner and other advisors–in this case, with Goncalo, with Dr. Steve Jackson, Chris Baker and Case Clay.”

The farm’s willingness to engage with others is not just confined to back-ring deals of the type that landed Volatile. Partnerships also oiled the wheels of stallion recruitment with Will Take Charge (Unbridled’s Song) and Palace Malice (Curlin)–the former with Willis Horton, the latter with Dogwood–and indeed the co-breeding of Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) or the co-owned Restless Rider (Distorted Humor). Gun Runner, of course, was raced in partnership with Ron Winchell.

But if his association with a top-class stallion farm calls on the same kind of affinity he demonstrated in helping WinStar become an industry leader, during a decade as farm president (2001-2010), Cauthen relishes working with programs at every level; and operating from every perspective.

Peter Blum’s remarkable success the previous Saturday was a perfect example: here’s a program where Cauthen has never viewed himself as more than a helpful extra cog in what was already an intelligently assembled machine. Though Blum himself has publicly thanked Cauthen for recommending the matings that produced both Authentic and Crystal Ball, that esteem is warmly reciprocated. Both men, moreover, emphasize that the backbone remains Bridie Harrison, who has long been involved with raising and selling all Blum’s stock.

“Peter has an abundance of knowledge and a proven feel for the game,” Cauthen says. “And I’ve learned a lot from him. His historical perspective of racing and breeding is so insightful, and I really appreciate and enjoy the opportunity to work with him. Peter has an innate sense of when to ‘go strong’ on a stallion, and breed as many mares as we can get to him. Several times we’ve been fortunate to ride the wave, as up-and-coming sires hit their stride: Candy Ride, Into Mischief, Quality Road, Uncle Mo. We just add eyes and ears, research, and collaboration to the process. Bridie does such a great job. It has become known as an operation that buyers trust to produce runners, because they know they are bred and raised right.”

In the same way, albeit in different directions, Cauthen feels that he has learned much from Anthony Manganaro and his Siena Farm team. Modesty aside, however, it is Cauthen who must accept credit for recommending a $50,000 claim for a 4-year-old filly named Gottahaveadream (Indian Charlie). It was the one and only time she ran for a tag, after failing to break her maiden in nine attempts. She put that straight a couple of starts later, and it was her Into Mischief filly–Dayoutoftheoffice, co-owned by trainer Tim Hamm and Siena–who followed up a debut success at Gulfstream in the Schuylerville.

“Anthony has such a zest for doing things better,” Cauthen says. “When you look at Siena’s success, you can see how he has been rewarded for consistently creating incremental improvements to the program. Again, for a smaller, boutique operation, their results are outstanding. Their motto is ‘where tradition embraces innovation’ and that couldn’t be more true. They are open to ideas, they embrace technology, and I’ve certainly learned as much as I’ve shared there.”

Point Of Honor (Curlin) and Wicked Whisper (Liam’s Map) are just the latest Grade I graduates of a program that has produced far too many stakes winners to list here )though Tesora {Scat Daddy} merits a mention, out of a mare recommended by Cauthen as an $8,000 claim at Golden Gate Fields). Again, Cauthen finds the teamwork especially fulfilling, relishing the breadth and analysis brought to the equation by farm manager Nacho Patino and president David Pope.

“It’s amazing to see the growth and development in their yearling crop from April to September each year,” he marvels. “That shows great horsemanship, great land, and a great blend of tradition and technology. Their results speak for them loud and clear.”

Maintaining and Building Relationships…

Cauthen found the Schuylerville equally enjoyable last year, when Comical (Into Mischief) enriched a long association with her breeder Bill Casner (and his wife Susan). Both men have moved on since their days at WinStar, but Casner still has a dozen mares on a farm he developed in a partnership–dissolved in 2010–with Kenny Troutt; and Cauthen assists with the matings and management of the Casner herd.

“Bill still keeps a couple of homebreds each year to race, but has become more of a commercial breeder recently,” he explains. “He’s another one who is always trying to improve every year. Collaborating with him has been a life lesson of always searching for better ways to do things. For instance, in using new medical knowledge to help horses: Bill helped pioneer the use of progressive therapies like the hyperbaric chamber, stem cells, and vibration plates, now standard across the country.”

Comical was subsequently placed twice at Grade I level, while the same crop yielded a useful colt in Texas Swing (Curlin), last seen placing in the GII Tampa Bay Derby. He was actually also purchased at auction by Cauthen for Harrell Ventures as a yearling, one of several free-lance sale orders that have resulted in graded stakes success.

Another client who goes all the way back to Cauthen’s departure from WinStar is Marie Jones, keeping up the legacy of her late husband, Aaron. Once again, Cauthen dovetails his contribution with her existing stalwarts at Taylor Made Farm, where all the mares and their progeny are boarded and raised. The program routinely produces Book I yearlings such as the Medaglia d’Oro filly out of Gloryzapper (Ghostzapper) who made $1.1 million last September; and graded stakes horses in corresponding volume. Cauthen works closely with Jones and Frank Taylor, on mare selection, matings, evaluations and even sales reserves.

“Mrs. Jones was the first outside person to call me, once Katie and I started our consulting business, and I will be forever grateful for her support over the years,” Cauthen says.

One important dividend came in the very first year of his involvement, when Speightstown’s precious dam Silken Cat (Storm Cat) was in the wars.

“She had not carried a foal the prior year, and was having chronic trouble with her feet due to a prior bout of laminitis,” Cauthen recalls. “I suggested stem cell therapy for her feet, thanks to my Bill Casner connection; Frank concurred, and it was fairly miraculous for the mare. Not only did it help thicken her hoof sole, and give her renewed mobility and great comfort, she also got in foal and produced an exceptional Tiznow filly, who sold for $1.75 million.”

Three years later, moreover, she produced a brother to that filly who became Irap, winner of nearly $1.7 million.

Familiarity with the perspectives of farms like WinStar and Three Chimneys has also helped Cauthen in yet another string to his bow: stallion placement. He worked for the Whitham family, for instance, in securing a home for McCraken (Ghostzapper) and Fort Larned (E Dubai); supervised the purchase, placement and syndication of Dialed In (Mineshaft) at Darby Dan, working with his friend (and one-time WinStar colleague) Robert Hammond; and is currently engaged in seeking a platform for Sadler’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy), once the Grade I winner of over $2.5 million retires from racing. (Cauthen also does matings work for owners Rene and Lauren Woolcott of Woodslane Farm.)

There are times, in underpinning parallel operations, when Cauthen finds they can engage quite seamlessly. Dual Grade II winner Rainha Da Bateria (Broken Vow), for instance, was a yearling purchase recommended to Three Chimneys; became a graded stakes winner/Grade I-placed; and was then sold privately, as the farm program prioritized dirt, to another cherished client, the Lael Stable of Roy and Gretchen Jackson. A “win-win”, as such, for both entities: she went on to win two more Grade IIs for Lael.

With Lael, as ever, the approach is holistic: mating advice; evaluation of young stock; a close relationship with trainer Arnaud Delacour; and, likewise, with the team at Denali (where the mares board), including another trusted old WinStar colleague in Gary Bush.

“The focus is on developing homebreds, but they do buy a few yearlings annually,” Cauthen says. “The first horse I ever bought with them was Exaggerated, a very fast Blame filly who won multiple stakes with Arnaud. In her first year as a mare, she went to Divining Rod (Tapit) in Maryland, who the Jacksons bred and raced, and now support at stud. The Pons brothers at Country Life Farm got over 100 mares to him his first year, and I’m looking forward to seeing the resulting yearlings at the sales this year.

“Chalon (Dialed In) has also been a fun one for Lael. She’s such a tenacious mare, always tries, and had the [GI] Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint won just that one jump from the wire. But until they get a few more Grade I winners to their credit, I won’t be satisfied with our efforts for the Jacksons: they are the kind of people you admire, and you only want success after success for them.”

Always A Student of the Business…

And that is Cauthen to the marrow. Fulfilment, satisfaction: these are not filtered through his own ego, but vicariously through his clients. As such, in this game of ups and downs, he remains an even, temperate presence. But that, in itself, does shed some light on what makes this discreet, understated gentleman tick. Just listen to the way Cauthen talks about working so closely with his clients’ various trainers.

“I’ve learned different things from all of them,” he says. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about the many skilled horsemen who break and do early training, or those who do lay-ups and therapy work, or all the Hall of Famers and other great trainers I’ve been fortunate to work with–you can’t help but learn something. Just by watching, and occasionally interjecting an idea or, more importantly, asking a question. You gain so much insight about how different horsemen attack different situations, different problems, in unique ways. There’s so much you can learn by observing, listening, asking relevant questions-rather than doing all the talking.”

And that, in a business where many are inclined to function in quite the reverse fashion, is surely the key to Cauthen’s success. Because from his own upbringing, at home, to his first racetrack experiences, rubbing horses for Laz Barrera and P.G. Johnson, it’s all old-school stuff. Putting the horse first; and working together; and working, period. Similarly, when brother Steve was gaining all those headlines, as the teenage rider of a Triple Crown winner and then taking Europe by storm, he was always able to keep his bearings.

“For sure,” Cauthen says. “Our parents really focused on family, and a strong work ethic. And, always, listen to the horse. What are they trying to tell us? I tend to think a lot about things; some would say, too much. But it’s part of my process. While I always want to improve, I doubt I can or should change that process; maybe I can just speed it up! The rest, I think, is just putting in the work; and taking care of the horse, which often requires patience.

“I think Bill Casner said it best. Once you’ve worked on the racetrack, everything else is easy. That’s really true. Working with horses, you understand how much work goes into every single one of them, and how many different hands touch them, for success to occur; and how lucky we are to be working with these animals we love. So it’s a win-win.”

The industry’s sense of kinship with the whole clan now extends to a day-to-day involvement, in the consultancy, of Cauthen’s wife Katie.

“She has a keen eye for horseflesh, and helps tremendously when we’re trying to look at a lot of horses at the bigger sales,” Cauthen says. “She does a small pinhooking program each year, under the DCTM banner, and picked out King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) at the September Sale last year. She also advised on the private purchase of an interest in Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller) before his first of two Grade I wins, and buys maiden mares for a client with an eye to breeding and reselling them.

“We don’t buy a high volume of horses at auction, but enough to give us reason to look at as many as humanly possible. That works out well, as we’ve said, in a case like Volatile. But it also helps us get better, every year, at identifying runners. We always look back and see what we thought of the graded runners and learn from that. It also particularly helps in doing matings, because we’ve seen so many by each stallion: we understand their strengths and weaknesses, the tendencies they throw towards.”

Just one example, this, of what Cauthen means by “added value”–the nuances and angles gleaned from charting different folds of the overall landscape.

“The cross-pollination of ideas I get and give has its genesis from all the various experiences we get to see,” Cauthen concludes. “And we keep trying to get better. I may learn or see a therapy or technology or a training technique at one operation that can, if approved, be shared with and help another. Working with a cross-section of people, in diverse settings, has sometimes opened our eyes to better ways to do things.

“So hopefully we are viewed as traditional horsemen who seek and embrace new ideas, and better ways to accomplish the ultimate goal of producing and identifying superior athletes. I’ve really enjoyed helping to develop and/or refine different programs, big or small. That’s equally true, whether we’re making every decision or just helping to tweak things with others. When it works, it’s great to celebrate with all the folks involved.”

The post Cauthen Brings Consistent Blend to Volatile World appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Since the beginning of time, humans have pigeonholed each other by race, religion, gender and wealth, which has resulted in discrimination. There are many pathways that can and must be taken to reduce systemic racism and prejudice. But I see no pathway to eliminate latent discrimination; humans will always pigeonhole.

There continues to be systemic racism in all sports and in American society. Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans and Muslims continue to bear the brunt of latent discrimination and prejudice.

In the early days of our sport every ethnicity, gender and skin color succeeded at the highest level of the sport–jockeys, trainers, breeders and owners. Ironically, our sport is less diverse today than it was in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Diversity is important. It goes hand and hand with the American Dream’s set of ideals that “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.” Diversity allows everyone an equal chance to live a life of dignity and hope. My life experiences make this fight for diversity very personal.

My dad came from Catania, Sicily. He was an intelligent, hard-working plasterer, but most importantly, he was a family man. He and my mom raised six kids in a two-bedroom flat in a blue-collar town outside Boston. I get emotional every time I think about the obstacles and indignities my parents suffered so their kids could have a better life.

My mom did her shopping at Filene’s Basement. Until I was 18, I thought “Imperfect” was a brand name.

My dog Duke and I walked to school each morning with my friends. My attendance was very spotty, but upon graduation Duke was given a perfect attendance award. I only got into Northeastern University because my high-school principal, Mr. Collins, pulled some strings. He thought I was “a diamond in the rough.” It certainly wasn’t because of my attendance record. That simple act of kindness changed my life.

I was a subway commuter, two hours each way. Yet when I graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering, I couldn’t get a good engineering job. Was it because of discrimination, or were other candidates better than me? It didn’t matter. I had to adapt and move on, first as a math teacher at $3,600 a year, then joining my brothers in starting a construction company.

As we grew, I delved into other opportunities. But when I approached one of the biggest banks in Baltimore for a loan, I was turned down. Too blue-collar and ethnic.

I found alternative financing. Years later, I was that bank’s biggest customer. I hadn’t suddenly become less “blue collar and ethnic.” Rather, the bankers understood that if they wanted to keep market share, they had to deal with me. You’ve got to scramble and find work-arounds when prejudice blocks your path.

After a while I started looking for a new challenge. My dad and his buddies were regulars at Suffolk Downs and I caught the racing bug early.

So I flew out to Lexington–the epicenter of Thoroughbred racing. Thanks to Tom Biederman, I spotted a rundown, 225-acre cattle farm in Paris, KY, and re-built the place into Siena Farm.

At Siena Farm, my partners David Pope (Polish-American), Nacho Patino (Mexican-American) and I (Italian-American), understand from our life experiences how important it is to give employees and their families hope and dignity. We’re fighting the diversity issue from the bottom up.

David’s immigrant grandparents worked in coal mines, on railroads and bottling plant lines. His dad joined the Air Force, then took factory night jobs while his mom worked at a credit union. They made sure their kids were well cared-for and well-educated. Today, his siblings earn their living as a cartographer, a teacher and an advertising/media buyer. David worked his way through the University of Akron, earning an accounting degree. He started his racing career with Airdrie Stud in Midway, KY, and has set high goals for Siena Farm.

Nacho came from Mexico, where he helped in the fields as a kid in exchange for vegetables to feed his parents and seven siblings. Their mode of transportation: horses. He slept on the floor until he was 15. The next year, Nacho set off for the U.S., and after a harrowing journey crossed the Rio Grande. Eventually, he joined his uncle in Kentucky, who got him a job on a horse farm.

Nacho started as a groom. He eventually ran a boarding and sales prep business, then served as assistant farm manager for Stonerside Farm. In 2008, he joined Siena Farm as farm manager. Within a year, he was promoted to co-owner and general manager.

All three of us are living the American Dream.

So are others on the farm. Our employees are a melting pot of hardworking men and women intent on providing a secure future for their families and raising healthy, confident children who can succeed in school, college and life. Of the seven college-age children on the farm, six are undergraduates and the seventh received a full scholarship to Eastern Kentucky University but decided to join the Navy.

Education is an important tool in the fight for diversity. Back at my alma mater, to pay back Mr. Collins’s simple act of kindness Michele and I started The Torch Scholar program which gives full scholarships to first-generation college students. Torch Scholars are “diamonds in the rough,” who come from families living on the edge. Most are minorities…African-American, Asian and Hispanic.

During the interview process, applicants are asked how they would react when, inevitably, they face discrimination, be it racial, sexual, religious or ethnic bias. We want to see if they understand that prejudice isn’t going to disappear. What counts is how you handle those uncomfortable, cringe-worthy moments. Don’t let it get you down or destroy your ambitions. Find ways to navigate around them. “Keep your eye on the prize.” Always move toward your goal.

The effects of diversity go well beyond the people directly helped. There is a ripple effect that radiates out and affects other people. Siena Farm “kids” and Torch Scholars are prime examples.
Opportunities in the equine industry are endless. As we expand diversity in our sport, the success of people drawn to our sport will be solely dependent on their tenacity, adaptability and skills. If we wait for racists to change their minds, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives. In the end, determination, smarts and peak performance are what will make all the difference in racing.

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