Johannes began his racing career on the main track, but immediately found success on the turf where he broke his maiden by nine lengths at Santa Anita Dec. 31. He overcame a world of trouble to win the Mar. 5 Baffle S. before making his two-turn debut in the Pasadena.

“It was our very first stakes win,” Joe McCloskey, a retired businessman, said of the Baffle. “Obviously, it was fantastic and to be able to back it up with another stakes win, you talk about firsts. Cuyathy was our first horse, and this is her first foal, and now two stakes races back-to-back. There are a lot of firsts with that horse.”

Recalling his first foray into racing, McCloskey said, “We have a condo that is right across the street from Del Mar, so it was convenient to go over and watch the horses. Eventually we got hooked up with a couple of trainers and said, 'Let's give it a shot.'”

The California couple headed to Kentucky with a plan–sort of– and a dream.

“We were pretty naive back then,” McCloskey said with a chuckle. “We put a budget together of $100,000, with $50,000 for a horse. And we thought we would get one out at Keeneland and start there. We thought that was going to be plenty of money.

“So we went out to Keeneland and my wife Debby and I were wondering how we would know if it was the right horse, when will we know? So Debby put it out there and dreamt about and said, 'I know if there is a heart on the horse somehow, a heart comes into my mind, that will be our horse.' We get to our book–when you can get a horse for $50,000–and the first one comes up and the hair on the cowlick kind of looked like a heart, maybe this is it? So we bid on it, but we got outbid. Maybe there needs to be a better heart? Surprisingly when Cuyathy came by, our trainer said what do you think? And lo and behold, we look down at the chestnut and it was in the shape of the heart. And the hammer dropped at exactly $50,000. Our trainer thinks we are nuts at this point, but anyway that's how we got Cuyathy.”

The McCloskeys ended up taking another filly home from Keeneland that year, going to $8,000 to acquire a daughter of Curlin they named Reiki Baby.

Cuyathy went on to win three times in 20 starts, including a third-place effort in the 2018 Kalookan Queen S., and earn $107,923. Reiki Baby, who didn't make it to the races until she was four, was a first-out winner at Santa Anita in 2017 and twice second before being retired after four starts. Both mares, now 10, ultimately became the McCloskeys' broodmare band.

“People told us, if you think racing is tough, breeding is even worse, it's tougher,” McCloskey said. “So we looked at each other and said, 'Let's give it a shot.' We are a micro-breeders, those are the only two mares that we have. But they were our first two horses. Literally, Cuyathy was the first horse we bought and Reiki Baby was the second one.”

The breeding operation got off to a slow start when Reiki Baby's first foal, Lightheart (Blame) failed to make it to the races. But it has picked up steam thanks to Johannes, whose dam was producing her first foal by Nyquist at about the same time Reiki Baby was producing another colt by the GI Kentucky Derby winner.

“We bred both Reiki Baby and Cayathy to Nyquist,” McCloskey said. “People said we were nuts. I said, this whole game is nuts, let's just go all in, let's breed both to Nyquist and maybe one will catch.”

Johannes, along with Reiki Baby's second foal Reiquist, began his racing career back east with trainer Bill Morey, but both suffered some bad luck.

“Billy had both our horses at Churchill and in one day, I get a phone call he goes, 'Joe, Reiquist has a fracture, we have to ship him back to Rood and Riddle in Lexington. And Johannes has some chips. I said, 'You've got to be kidding–this is one phone call and my first two horses. Long story short, we brought Johannes over to Rood and Riddle, took out a few small chips and Dr. Bramlage saw a little issue on the other leg, so they took it out and we gave him time off to come back. And then Rood and Riddle repaired Reiquist's fracture and he's at Santa Anita. He just breezed three furlongs twice already and he's looking really good.”

Both horses are now in the Southern California barn of trainer Tim Yakteen, who McCloskey credits with a slow and steady approach to the races.

“Tim Yakteen is probably one of the best, most conservative trainers there are when it comes to getting your horse back in good shape,” McCloskey said. “People say you have to have patience in this business. In this business with Tim, you have to have glacial  patience. But he knows his business.”

In his first start for Yakteen, Johannes was a solid third behind Fort Warren (Curlin), subsequently third in the GII San Vicente S., and Spun Intended (Hard Spun).

“He was just coming back off a layoff and he came in third, but he really challenged Fort Warren,” McCloskey said of that effort last October. “I was sitting in a box next to Bob Baffert and Bob came down and said you've got a nice horse there. So the dirt looked really good then.”

Johannes took a step back next time out, however, finishing a well-beaten fifth at Del Mar in November.

“We brought him over to Del Mar, but we shipped him in the day before the race and he got very nervous and he was washed out and he didn't perform well there,” McCloskey said. “At that point, we decided to see what would happen if we put him on the turf because his mother had success sprinting over both Tapeta and turf.”

Of that first try on the lawn that resulted in an emphatic maiden score, McCloskey said, “Boom. We put him on the turf and it was like, I guess he likes the turf. He won by nine lengths and he wasn't even asked.”

Making his next start in the 6 1/2-furlong Baffle S., Johannes was mired in traffic down the hill and had nowhere to go turning for home, where things only got worse for the dark bay colt as he was jostled about before ultimately slicing between foes and bounding away once in the clear in the final strides (video).

“I've never seen a horse get into that much traffic, have to steady that much, and then he sliced and diced picking his path,” McCloskey recalled. “I tell you, I would have taken all my money off the table halfway through the race. I thought there was no way this horse could do anything, but he popped out and still won by 1 1/2 lengths. I went up to Umberto [Rispoli] after the race and his head was still shaking. I said, 'You got in a little trouble?' and he said, 'This horse is a freak to be able to come through there.'”

After the drama of the Baffle, Johannes's win when stretched to one mile in the Pasadena S. was somewhat ho-hum. Settled at the back of the pack, the heavy favorite powered to the lead at midstretch and sauntered clear to an easy 3 1/2-length victory (video).

The pair of stakes victories have likely earned Johannes a spot in graded-stakes company, but connections are still weighing their options.

“Right now, we are pointed towards the [GII] American S. [at Churchill Downs] on Derby Day,” McCloskey said. “We know we want to keep him with 3-year-olds at this point. So that's the race that is on screen. But because it's Derby day and because of the way he got a little nervous just shipping in to Del Mar, we might look for some other options, so maybe instead of 75,000 people, we have 10,000. We will get a couple 3-year-old races in him and from there, if he continues to do what we think he can do, we will look at the 3-and-up races. Then, in the best of all worlds, of course, you look at the Breeders' Cup in November. Do we even have a shot at that? We hope so. It's one step at a time in this business for sure.”

The McCloskeys also have plenty to look forward to from their two-horse broodmare band. Reiki Baby has a 2-year-old colt by Mendelssohn and a yearling filly by Practical Joke. Cayathy has a 2-year-old filly named Sea Dancer (Mastery) who is in training with Morey at Keeneland, as well as a yearling filly by Gun Runner. She produced a filly by Knicks Go this year and will be bred back to Mandaloun.

“We are smart enough to know that you can't make a lot of money in this business unless you are super lucky,” McCloskey said. “But with that Gun Runner filly out of Cuyathy, it's giving us cause for pause to think maybe we sell that filly–because you can't keep them all–or do you maybe say, if Reiki Baby isn't doing what we want, do we keep that filly and still have two [broodmares]. But it's not like we are going to have five or six more. We are happy with two, we get to see them, and maybe we would have one more.”

McCloskey said he and his wife have no specific goals for their racing and breeding operation, but are content to enjoy the ride.

“I've seen a lot of smart people lose a lot of money in this business,” he said. “So we will just try to keep it balanced, to have fun and, as long as we are having fun and the horses are helping pay for some of the bills, we are happy. This is a crazy business. It's just a matter of making sure that you're enjoying it every day. And we are right now.”

While they are enjoying the business, they are also very focused on paying it forward.

“We balance everything we do back on the other side,” McCloskey stressed. “We are big supporters of a place here in California called Laughing Pony Rescue, which is in Rancho Santa Fe, and we save a lot of horses there. We donate to CARMA and New Vocations, some of those people have taken our horses. We think it's important that anybody who is in this business balances it out by helping the other side of the equation, the ones that are retired.”

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Corrales tabbed 30 wins from 104 mounts–a stout 29% win clip. His mounts tallied $1,115,484 in purse earnings. Corrales' meet was highlighted by a victory in the $125,000 Prairie Bayou Stakes aboard the Lobo-trained In Love (BRZ) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}). The 26-year-old rider also won the $125,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes aboard Ready to Venture (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Corrales finished eight wins in front of Joe Ramos. Luan Machado was third with 13 victories followed by Declan Cannon (11) and Manny Esquivel (9).

In the trainer standings, Paulo Lobo, who trains many horses for OXO Equine, recorded 11 wins from 29 starters. His runners earned $531,772 in purses. Among his top performers were the aforementioned In Love, along with allowance winners Bromley (Mastery), Greyes Creek (Pioneerof the Nile), Koolhaus (Nyquist), Purple Dream (Point of Entry), Quaria Comet (Shackleford) and Querobin Dourada (Capo Bastone). Lobo recently won a $70,000 maiden special weight contest with OXO Equine's Itzos (Bolt d'Oro), a sibling to the great Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro). Lobo finished five wins clear of Doug Cowans and Mike Maker while Brad Cox, Bill Morey and Wesley Ward were tied in fourth with five victories.

OXO Equine tallied four wins at the Holiday Meet, which tied with Stanley Bergman's Brownwood Farm. OXO Equine's runners earned $205,079, nearly $29,000 more than Brownwood Farm.

“As we end 2022 OXO [Equine] had a year that saw us hit our record win mark and money won,” racing manager Don Chatlos said on Twitter (@DCHI23). “Our trainers and jockeys know they are appreciated but it's the grooms, hot walkers, exercise riders and assistants that do all the heavy lifting. So, it's a toast to them. We can't thank you enough.”

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Turfway Park's meet saw overall handle grow to $81.7 million, a $21.9 million increase from 2020. All sources handle per day was up 32.9 percent. The average field size topped 9.8 horses per race compared to 2020's 9.7 starters per race.

“We can't thank our owners, trainers, jockeys and horseplayers enough for supporting our meet,” Turfway Park's General Manager Chip Bach said. “Our team put together a competitive racing product that appealed to horseplayers nationwide. The positive feedback from the installation of our Tapeta surface was universal from trainers and jockeys. Through Churchill Downs Incorporated's continued investment to renovate Turfway Park, we are looking forward to the future of horse racing in Florence.”

Six live racing days were cancelled due to inclement weather at Turfway Park. However, five of those days were made up by adding an additional race day each week.

Jockey Gerardo Corrales (177-40-27-23—$655,831) had a 23 percent win clip during the meet and led all riders. He finished seven victories ahead of second place Rafael Bejarano, who had 33 wins. A graduate of the Laffit Pincay Jockey School, Corrales' meet was capped by a victory aboard Outadore in the $65,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes on the undercard of the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3).

Trainer Wesley Ward's victory with Like the King in the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) were among his 21 wins at the meet. He had an outstanding 38 percent win clip with purse earnings of $410,997. Ward topped the trainer standings, 21-12, nine wins in front of Bill Morey, who relocated to Kentucky in 2019 from California.

“Kentucky is the epicenter for sales and racing,” Morey said. “We had a fantastic meet at Turfway and really enjoyed running over the Tapeta surface.”

Augustin Stable led the owner standings with eight wins through 20 starts. All eight victories were ridden by jockey Chris Landeros. They finished two wins in front of Small Town Paddock, who recorded six wins through nine starts. They were one win in front of Live Oak Plantation's five wins from eight starters.

A trio of horses recorded three wins at the meet: Richard Alderson's Till Then, who won two of his races under former owner Augustin Stable and Small Town Paddock's Floroplus and Kynance (IRE).

Like the King Stamps Ticket to Kentucky Derby with Victory in Jeff Ruby Steaks

M Racing Group's Like the King stamped his spot in the starting gate for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve with his victory in the 50th running of the $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks, the premiere race of Turfway Park's meet.

Trained by Ward, Like the King earned 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for his one-length win in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Jeff Ruby Steaks day also featured a victory by Godolphin's Adventuring in the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks (Listed). She was awarded 50 points towards a spot in the April 30, $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Racing in the Commonwealth of Kentucky will shift to Keeneland on Friday for their Spring Meet, which runs through April 23. Kentucky Derby Week at Churchill Downs will begin April 24 and their Spring Meet will run through June 26.

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With jockey Santiago Gonzalez in the irons, the New York-bred broke off about five lengths behind his unraced workmate Poseidon Wrath (Super Saver) and was eight lengths clear of his company at the wire. The work went in splits of :24.40 and :36.40, with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:12.60.

“I thought he worked well,” said trainer Bill Morey.

Well-beaten when a seven-furlong main-track maiden claimer on Churchill debut Nov. 19, Hush of a Storm has since put together three in a row over the Turfway Tapeta track, including a 1 1/2-length defeat of Like the King (Palace Malice), who franked the form when taking out the Jeff Ruby.

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The Jeff Ruby Steaks, a Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series race, will be one of six stakes events carded on Saturday, March 27 at the Florence, Ky. oval. The 1 1/8-mile event over the new Tapeta synthetic surface will award the Top 4 finishers 100-40-20-10 points for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on May 1.

New for 2021, the point structure in the Jeff Ruby Steaks and its counterpart for 3-year-old fillies, the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks, were both boosted from their previously offered 10-4-2-1 points. The Bourbonette Oaks (Listed) offers the Top 4 finishers 50-20-10-5 points toward the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) on April 30.

Other stakes on the afternoon card will be the $150,000 TwinSpires.com Kentucky Cup Classic (Listed) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles; the $100,000 Rushaway for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles; the $100,000 Latonia Stakes for fillies and mares at one mile; and the $65,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs. Nominations for all six races cumulatively worth $815,000 closed Saturday and will be available at https://www.turfway.com/horsemen.

“This is the day of racing many of us in the jocks room look forward to,” said jockey Chris Landeros, who ranks second in Turfway Park's jockey standings with 26 wins. “I chose to stay home this winter to ride at Turfway and the meet has been great to us so far. I'm looking forward to ending it with a bang.”

The Jeff Ruby Steaks is likely to be featured by Hush of a Storm, who garnered 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with his victory in the Feb. 26 John Battaglia Memorial. Trained by Bill Morey, Hush of a Storm is scheduled to be joined in the starting gate by the top four finishers of the Battaglia Memorial: M Racing Group's runner-up Like the King; Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's third-place finisher Gretzky the Great; and Bourbon Lane Stable's fourth Hard Rye Guy.

Trainer Mike Maker has six wins in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, including victories in the last two editions with Somelikeithotbrown (2019) and Field Pass (2020), respectively. Maker nominated six horses to this year's Jeff Ruby Steaks including $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Fire At Will.

The Bourbonette Oaks had 57 nominations. Maker won two of the last three runnings of the Bourbonette Oaks with Go Noni Go (2018) and Queen of God (2020). He nominated four fillies to this year's race including Albert Frassetto's $65,000 Cincinnati Trophy runner-up Phantom Vision. In the 6 ½-furlong Cincinnati Trophy, the local prep for the Bourbonette Oaks, she was defeated two lengths to Hartwell Farm and SF Racing's 15-1 upset winner, and fellow Bourbonette Oaks nominee, Wait for Nairobi.

Another featured event on the day is the Kentucky Cup Classic for older horses. The 65 nominees include Crystal Racing Enterprises and Contreras Stable's back-to-back Kentucky Cup Classic winner Nun the Less. Trained by Cipriano Contreras, Nun the Less was on the sidelines since his victory in last year's event but has been training at Turfway Park for a possible three-peat attempt.

Turfway Park's 12-race daytime spectacular will be drawn Wednesday, March 24. Fans can watch and wager on Turfway Park at TwinSpires.com – the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Inc.

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Hush of a Storm tucked in along the fence towards the back as Pico d'Oro took it to Gretzky the Great through splits of :23.86 and :47.11. He advanced in between rivals heading for home, came wide for the stretch drive and continued along to hit the front in midstretch. Shifting in as he took over, Hush of a Storm appeared to trigger a chain reaction that forced Like the King to into Gretzky with Hard Rye Guy (Hard Spun) also taking up in between. After many views of a head-on replay that appeared inconclusive, the stewards let the result stand.

With the victory, Hush of a Storm earned 10 qualifying points towards the GI Kentucky Derby.

The winner is out of a full sister to pricey 2-year-old seller and MSW/MGSP Brigand (Flatter). He has a 2-year-old half-sister by Runhappy and a yearling half-brother by Mastery. Hush Now most recently visited Distorted Humor.

JOHN BATTAGLIA MEMORIAL S., $82,830, Turfway, 2-26, 3yo,
1 1/16m (AWT), 1:44.00, ft.
1–HUSH OF A STORM, 118, c, 3, by Creative Cause
                1st Dam: Hush Now, by Flatter
                2nd Dam: Silence Please, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Notice Me, by Distinctive
($60,000 Ylg '19 SARAUG; $75,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR).
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Joseph P. Morey, Jr. Revocable Trust;
B-Berkshire Stud (NY); T-William E. Morey; J-Santiago
Gonzalez. $43,710. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $65,985.
2–Like the King, 118, c, 3, Palace Malice–Like a Queen, by
Corinthian. ($28,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $170,000 Ylg '19
OBSOCT). O-M Racing Group, LLC; B-Horseshoe Racing, LLC
(KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $18,800.
3–Gretzky the Great, 124, c, 3, Nyquist–Pearl Turn, by
Bernardini. ($295,000 RNA Ylg '19 FTKOCT). O-Eclipse
Thoroughbred Partners and Barber, Gary; B-Anderson Farms
Ont. Inc. (ON); T-Mark E. Casse. $7,050.
Margins: 1HF, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 6.70, 5.20, 1.00.
Also Ran: Hard Rye Guy, Catman, Twirling Mamba, Fort Moultrie, Pico d'Oro, Notable Exception, The Predicament, Bakwena. Scratched: Kinetic Sky, Warrior in Chief. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Despite three fewer race dates compared to 2019, all-sources wagering at Turfway Park soared to $32.3 million, an $8.3 million jump and 34.6 percent increase from last year's $24.0 million. The average daily handle skyrocketed 65.6 percent from $1.5 million in 2019 to $2.48 million in 2020.

The average starters per race grew from 10.3 horses in 2019 to a strong 10.5 this year, which produced highly competitive racing over the track's newly-installed Tapeta synthetic surface. Installed during the summer of 2020, the new Tapeta surface has received positive reviews from horsemen and jockeys alike and has proven to be a fair and rewarding surface for horseplayers.

Gerardo Corrales (53-15-8-4—$226,928), who has ridden in the U.S. since 2015 after graduating from the Laffit Pincay Jockey Training Academy in his native Panama, earned his first Turfway Park riding title with 15 wins, four more than runner-up Albin Jimenez (56-11-9-4—$199,469). They were followed in the jockey standings by top money-earner Rafael Bejarano (60-10-14-10—$234,511), Chris Landeros (42-9-8-6—$219,045) and Santiago Gonzalez (35-7-5-2—$100,949).

Bill Morey (21-6-3-2—$127,900), who relocated to Kentucky from California last year, was the top trainer with six wins – one more than Wesley Ward (20-5-3-2—$101,169) – and also led all trainers in money-won. There was a five-way tie for third between Mike Maker (37-4-5-5—$97,508), Kenny McPeek (11-4-2-0—$78,879), Brad Cox (11-4-0-2—$78,430), Genaro Garcia (19-4-2-1—$58,045) and John Ortiz (11-4-0-0—$42,844).

Ten owners had two winners, including top money earner Gladys Campos' Campos Family Ventures LLC (8-2-3-0—$44,785).

Two horses won twice during the five-week stand: Prairie Bayou Stakes winner Set Piece (GB) (2-2-0-0—$41,740) and low-level claimer Drink (2-2-0-0—$12,600).

The Winter/Spring Meet at Turfway Park began Jan. 1 and will continue through March 28. Racing is conducted on a Thursday-Saturday schedule, although there is a special Wednesday, Jan. 6 program. The first race is 6:15 p.m. (all times Eastern) and most programs feature eight races. All Turfway Park races can be watched and wagered on TwinSpires.com, the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks.

With increased interest by Kentucky horsemen and Churchill Downs Incorporated's investment and redevelopment of Turfway Park to enhance winter/spring racing on the Kentucky circuit, Turfway Park's Winter/Spring Meet features a nine-race, $1.045 million stakes schedule, including four stakes that will offer points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

The $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (Grade 3) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles has been repositioned to Saturday, March 27 and will offer 170 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (Top 4 Points: 100-40-20-10). Additionally, the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial at 1 1/16 miles on Friday, Feb. 26 has been added as a “Prep Season” race (Top 4 Points: 10-4-2-1).

The $150,000 Boubonette Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on March 27 will feature 85 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (Top 4 Points: 50-20-10-5) and its prep race, the $65,000 Cincinnati Trophy at 6 ½ furlongs on Friday, Feb. 26 will be worth 17 points (Top 4 Points: 10-4-2-1).

As was the case during the Holiday Meet, Turfway Park's wagering menu will feature a 15 percent takeout 50-cent Pick 5 that starts in Race 1 each night as well as the 15 percent takeout 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot on Races 3-8. There are two 14 percent takeout 50-cent Pick 4 sequences on each card with the first offered on Races 2-5 and the second on Races 5-8.

Established in 1959 as Latonia, Turfway Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Northern Kentucky. The track hosts live racing from late fall through early spring, maintaining the winter dates for Kentucky's year-round live racing circuit, and offers simulcast wagering year-round. Turfway Park recently installed a new all-weather Tapeta synthetic racing surface in 2020 for live racing and has been home to the Jeff Ruby Steaks and Bourbonette Oaks, qualifying races for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively. Turfway Park was purchased by Churchill Downs Incorporated in October 2019.

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The Iroquois offers 17 points toward the 2021 Run for the Roses on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the top four finishers, as well as an expenses-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland in early November.

Topping the entries is Stephen Fidel's Therideofalifetime, runner-up in the Saratoga Special (GII) in his most recent start. Trained by Ignacio Correas IV, Therideofalifetime will be ridden by Florent Geroux and break from post position 10.

Trained by Bill Morey, Pico d'Oro won the Ellis Park Juvenile last month in his most recent start that served as his maiden-breaking score. Javier Castellano has the mount and will break from post position seven.

The field for the Iroquois, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Drop Anchor (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118 pounds), Sittin On Go (Corey Lanerie, 118), Super Stock (Ricardo Santana Jr., 120), Ultimate Badger (Joe Talamo, 118), Dreamer's Disease (Miguel Mena, 118), Belafonte (Declan Cannon, 118), Pico d'Oro (Castellano, 120), Midnight Bourbon (Gerardo Corrales, 118), Crazy Shot (Edgar Morales, 118) and Therideofalifetime (Geroux, 118).

The Iroquois will go as Race 10 with a post of 4:07 p.m.

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“That was my first win and it happened to be a stakes win,” Sandin, a global operations manager for Apple, said while still savoring the victory Monday afternoon. “It was a pleasant surprise–I was on a high for the second half of Sunday, it was tough to go to sleep last night.”

Sandin traces his love of racing back some three decades to time spent at Bay Meadows as a kid.

“My uncle used to work at the front gate at Bay Meadows, so before I was even of legal age, he would let me in,” Sandin recalled. “I would go watch them in the paddock, I would handicap them, learned to read the Daily Racing Form and Andy Beyer’s Speed Figures. The first time I was there at Bay Meadows and saw those horses turning for home and the thundering as they were charging down the stretch, I was hooked.”

Sandin didn’t have to look far to find a trainer when he was ready to buy a horse, even if he did eschew his longtime friend’s initial advice.

“Billy Morey and I are old friends,” Sandin said. “We grew up right around the corner from one another in the California Bay area. His dad was a [CTBA] Hall of Fame trainer [William Morey, Jr.] in Northern California. Billy and I played Little League together and I always knew that he would follow in his father’s footsteps in a training career. He always told me the best way to get involved was just to buy a piece of a horse so you could understand the operational side of this business. I never invested early on, but just last year he made the move out to Lexington and I was ready to make my initial investment as a solo operator.”

Of the decision to forego a partnership, Sandin explained, “I wanted to make sure we did it the right way. As a solo operator, you get to call all of the shots, you get to pick your races and everything else.”

The two friends traveled to Ocala in March and purchased a pair of juveniles, first going to $255,000 to acquire Pico d’Oro (hip 241) and then going to $35,000 for a daughter of Malibu Moon (hip 530) now named Luna Tigress.

By Curlin out of Michelle d’Oro (Bernardini), a daughter of multiple Grade I winner Champagne d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro), Pico d’Oro was an easy choice for Sandin.

“One of the first horses that I saw at Bay Meadows was A.P. Indy,” Sandin explained. “I saw him race there and I’ve always been enamored with the A.P. Indy bloodlines. Most of the horses that I do buy will somewhere have that bloodline in them because I’m a huge fan. With Pico especially, the cross between Curlin and a Bernardini mare, to me, is the best nick in the business.”

Pico d’Oro came in slightly under Sandin’s budget at OBS, but bidding didn’t go without some anxious moments.

“Pico came through the ring and I started bidding on him,” Sandin said. “My initial bid was $235,000 and someone got over me at $245,000 and I went to $255,000 and the announcer is saying, ‘Going once, going twice…’ and then the color commentator guy interrupts and says, ‘Folks, we have a son of Curlin here, you really ought to pay more for this horse.’ And I am thinking, ‘What are you doing? Drop the gavel! Drop the gavel!’ My heart was beating 1,000 beats a minute. Luckily, nobody bid further. I only had a budget of $300,000. So I had a little more room, but not a lot. If a couple more people had gotten interested and it quickly escalated up another $100,000, I would have been out.”

Following a troubled late-closing runner-up effort behind Medicine Tail (Kantharos) in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Ellis Park in July, Morey had picked out some potential maiden races for Pico d’Oro’s next start, but Sandin had more ambitious plans.

“Billy came up to me with the maiden special weight races that were three weeks out and fit with the timing of his recovery and when he would be ready next,” Sandin said. “I looked at him and I said, ‘OK, but what about the Ellis Juvenile? I think Pico could have run past Medicine Tail in that race when we were blocked, but I also think, given another furlong, it will be better for him.’ So we nominated him and then we saw how the field came up. Nobody was overly scary to us and I thought we had a good chance. The race seemed overloaded with speedster types and Pico stalks and pounces. I thought it set up well for us.”

Pico d’Oro got off to a slow start in the seven-furlong Juvenile and Sandin admitted he was initially worried his plans had gone awry.

“When I saw the start, I was a little nervous because he generally doesn’t drop that far back,” Sandin said. “But it was all speed, so it was our plan to relax him early and let him finish. When I saw that first quarter in :22 and change, I was like, ‘All right, they are beating each other up up front. This is going to work well for us.’ And he slowly started to make his move going into the turn and picking horses off one by one and towards the end of the turn when he swung past a wall of horses, I thought he was looking good, he was guaranteed at least second. Medicine Tail had built a three- or four-length lead going into the top of the stretch, but I thought as long as we could keep the clear room on the outside, I knew Pico would keep coming. It was a long stretch run and he really bore down there under a little left-handed urging from Joe [Talamo] and he got him in the last sixteenth and kept drawing away.”

Pico d’Oro could make his next start in the graded stakes ranks.

“We are looking forward to stretching him out another furlong,” Sandin said. “I think we are probably going to target the [GIII] Iroquois S. at Churchill on Derby Day for his next appearance.”

In addition to his two OBS March purchases, Sandin also acquired Bronze Beast (Will Take Charge) (hip 427) for $60,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale.

“Luna Tigress had a chip in her knee and had to have surgery,” Sandin said. “She is just about to start training and hopefully she will be ready to race in late September. Bronze Beast is just starting training and just like Luna we are hoping to get him out for an initial race in late September.”

Sandin doesn’t have a specific target number of horses for his racing stable, but does plan on a long-term investment in the sport. And he may be active at the upcoming yearling sales.

“I may end up going with Billy to the September yearling sales,” Sandin said. “But we are definitely look to invest every year at the 2-year-olds in training sales. I have had success with the 2-year-olds with Pico, but I like buying horses based on pedigrees more than works. For me the pedigree is what I’m looking for. Year to year, we are going to have to take a look at yearlings and 2-year-olds in training sales.”

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