“We've made ourselves better and stronger with the addition of these two fine gentlemen,” said board member and Del Mar CEO Joe Harper. “When you can pick up a pair of individuals who love racing and have rich histories in the game like they do, it was easy to get a unanimous vote to bring them on.”
Strauss, 65, was originally a New Yorker who had a successful financial career in Manhattan before making a coast-to-coast switch to Del Mar in 1992. There he helped found Provide Commerce, which became one of the nation's top e-commerce companies, including its popular ProFlowers.com and Shari's Berries.

He and his brother, Jeffrey, a master chef, partnered in a hugely popular restaurant they called the Pamplemousse Grille just across the street from Del Mar racetrack. They named their first horse The Pamplemousse and he became a stakes winner. Since then Bill has been a partner in such topline horses as double Breeders' Cup winner Mizdirection and $5.6 million earner Hot Rod Charlie.

“As a long-time Del Mar resident with my wife Margie, and a long time horse owner, I am honored to have been selected to serve on the prestigious Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Board of Directors,” Strauss said. “I am looking forward to working with my fellow board members to carve out a successful future for horse racing in California.”

Jones, 43, is the president of Airdrie Stud. In addition to his new role at Del Mar, he has served on the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors since 2011 and sits on the Keeneland Advisory Board, as well as the Board of Trustees for the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Foundation.

“I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity to work with the incredible leadership team at Del Mar,” Jones said. “Anyone who has ever walked through its gates knows how truly special that racetrack is, and anyone who cares about the future of our sport recognizes how vitally important its continued success is for our industry. California racing is a true lynchpin for our sport and its prosperity should be the business of all of us; whether you're from San Diego County or Woodford County, KY. I look forward to helping in any way I can and am honored to be working with an organization I so deeply respect.”

The post Bill Strauss, Bret Jones Named to DMTC Board of Directors appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Per the bylaws, Barber will be required to run in the 2023 board election, when Strauss' term would have expired.

“My passion for Thoroughbred racing is steadfast,” said Barber. “I look forward to joining the Board of the TOC and hope to make a meaningful contribution to the health and welfare of our sport and help attract a new generation of fans.”

The post Gary Barber Appointed to TOC Board appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The new scholarship recipients join the 20 students already in the program and who were given continuing grants for the current year. Those students, who are studying at such universities as Cornell, Iowa State, the University of Oklahoma, Stanford, Tulane, and UCLA, were given a total of $164,000.

During the meeting, the foundation also added longtime owner Bill Strauss to its board of directors. Strauss is probably best known for his ownership interests in Grade I winners Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Turbulent Descent (Congrats) and Mizdirection (Mizzen Mast). Professionally, Strauss has been involved with Shari's Berries and Pro Flowers, and he and his brother, Jeffrey, own the Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach, across the street from Del Mar racetrack.

The Edwin J. Gregson Foundation, named in memory of the late trainer Edwin J. Gregson, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to develop programs to benefit and enhance the quality of life of California thoroughbred horse racing's backstretch workers and their family members.

For more information please visit: www.gregsonfoundation.com.

The post Gregson Foundation Awards Five Scholarships at Annual Meeting appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Curlin, successful in 2008, and California Chrome in 2016, both arrived from the US and took in local preps before winning the big one. Now, Doug O'Neill's Hot Rod Charlie has taken the first step along the same road, winning Group 2 Maktoum Challenge Round 2 [Presented by Longines Record], over 1 3/16 miles, 100 meters short of the (1 1/4-mile) World Cup trip.

He didn't have it easy, however. Ridden by William Buick, deputizing for Flavien Prat, the son of Oxbow broke well from his post in three and made the lead, but was pushed all the way by Al Nefud, ridden by Ryan Moore. Turning for home, there was a brief moment when that rival threatened, but when asked for his effort, Hot Rod Charlie responded in spades. He eventually crossed the line, ears pricked, 5 1/4 lengths clear of Al Nefud, who made a fine Group race debut for trainer Bhupat Seemar.

“Doug and his team said he's a very versatile horse,” Buick said of Hot Rod Charlie. “He can run a mile, a mile and a quarter. He's got enough pace for a mile and he can be on the pace. He's a real joy to ride and he's a very intelligent horse. He really responds to the message you give him.

“From where we were drawn in three I thought we would be on the pace and if something wanted to go crazy then we'd let them go. But it was smooth – he ran hard and I was very happy with what he did. He's adapted very well to coming over here and obviously, the team had him in great shape.

“I was confident that he would respond for me but obviously when Al Nefud put the pressure on we turned it on. In these good dirt races you never get them handed to you that's why you need a good horse like this.” 

With part-owners Patrick O'Neill and Bill Strauss in Dubai to cheer on Hot Rod Charlie, trainer O'Neill was relieved to get the first part of the job done.

“It's been such a great journey; let's hope there are more chapters to come,” said the dual Kentucky Derby-winning handler. “We took a little different approach with him; we didn't train him too hard going into this. However, we knew we had plenty of time to get him ready for the Dubai World Cup.

“He's a horse who is just loaded with class. It was a strong field tonight, but William rode him with a ton of class and a ton of confidence.

“He wasn't really expecting to go to the front but he said he [Hot Rod Charlie] 'just pulled me there and he was comfortable doing it. The pace wasn't overly hot and he kicked on when he needed to.

“Next stop; the end of March, for sure.”

Hot Rod Charlie's win was the second of the night for O'Neill, who allayed some nerves thanks to the success of Get Back Goldie in the six-furlong Oud Metha Stakes [Presented by Longines Master Collection], on dirt.

Also ridden by Buick, the homebred son of Goldencents came with a late run from the back of the field in the 3-year-old contest, denying Little Afrodite, who looked booked for first place under Ray Dawson.

“All credit to William Buick; what a great ride he gave Get Back Goldie,” said O'Neill. “[Assistant] Leandro Mora and the rest of the crew worked hard to get the horse to settle in.”

Despite this win being over the sprint trip, O'Neill has lofty plans for the colt, for whom this was the first win on dirt.

“We're dreaming big time here. As long as the horse stays injury-free, the UAE Derby is definitely a dream target for him”, he added. “It's a little bit ambitious but he's built that way.”

It was a night to remember for Buick, who also landed the closing Group 2 Balanchine Stakes [Presented by Longines Evidenza] on Creative Flair for his regular boss, Charlie Appleby.

A Listed winner last season, the 4-year-old was making her UAE debut and was always close to the pace from her wide draw in nine. She then showed plenty of tenacity to hold off the late-closing Pevensey Bay, looking to follow up her Cape Verdi win and Dubai Love.

It was a fourth Balanchine in a row for Appleby, who was absent due to being in the UK. It was left to Buick to sum up the race, and he praised his filly's bravery.

“That was her first run for a while, but she's all heart and she deserved that,” he said.

“She's got some good form in Europe and she ran some good races in America towards the end of last year. I don't know whether going to the States again will be the plan.”

One race that didn't go Buick's way was the Jumeirah Classic, over a mile on turf. He rode the Appleby-trained New Science, sent off the hot favourite due to some strong UK form. However, it was stablemate Sovereign Prince who took the win, his second in Dubai, making the most of race fitness for a smooth length and a quarter win under James Doyle. Mr Professor, trained in the UK by Alice Haynes, was second, with New Science a non-threatening third.

“He won the trial for this race which he did nicely,” said Doyle. “It was a bit of a bunched finish, but he hadn't run for some time so he definitely stepped forward from that. Going into this race we felt he would be a better horse today than he was in the trial.”

Hot Rod Charlie might not have been the only World Cup aspirant to win on the card, as Hypothetical put forward his case with a dominant win in the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes [Presented by Longines Conquest.]

Fourth in last year's World Cup, Hypothetical was virtually pulled up on his reappearance last month but was back to his best here. Ridden by Mickael Barzalona, winning this race for a record third time, the Salem Bin Ghadayer-trained 5-year-old put up a fine front-running display and saw off the closing Strongconstitution, by 3 1/4 lengths.

“We didn't know which horse to follow so we decided to make it (the running) on our own,” said Barzalona. “I'm glad to see him going the right way again. I think he's a lot more mature now, so he could go back over ten [furlongs] but he's very professional over a mile.

“For sure, the Dubai World Cup will be a very hard race but we've first got to see how he runs on Super Saturday.”

On a brilliant night for team O'Neill, they collected another silver medal in the 1 3/16-mile Al Bastakiya Trial [Presented by Longines SaintImier], on dirt. Their Kantaro D'Oro looked like he'd made a winning move under Antonio Fresu but was passed close home by Withering, who was given a patient ride by Adrie De Vries and collected a first win at the seventh attempt.

De Vries passed the credit for the win to trainer Fawzi Nass, saying: “He wasn't the fastest away, but he jumped a little better than last week. He traveled nicely into the race. I was hands full into the turn and I was just looking for the gaps.

“All credit to Fawzi, because it was my choice to run him in a maiden and he said he would stay, he had a lot of faith in the horse. Good job.”

Unlucky there, Fresu had earlier picked up a win of his own when Rajeh ran out the convincing winner of the opening G1 Maktoum Challenge Round 1 [Presented by Longines Dolce Vita] for Purebred Arabians.

Making just his second local start after racing in Qatar, the Musabbeh Al Mheiri trainee traveled on the pace and easily dispatched the chasing Dergham Athbah.

The winner was greeted by owner Basil Masoud Sakeh Al Kasbi, who said: “When I bought this horse the plan was to bring him to Dubai with the ambition being to go for the Group 1 races. One of the goals has been achieved today and we're looking forward to more wins.

“We have a lot of hope in this horse and the Dubai Kahayla Classic is the dream.”

The Carnival resumes next Friday, February 11th, when the G2 Singspiel Stakes and G3 UAE 2000 Guineas are the features.

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Voted the winner of the Vox Populi Award for 2021 by US racing fans, the Doug O'Neill-trained 4-year-old is the headline act in G2 Maktoum Challenge R2 [Presented by The Longines Record], the feature on Friday's seven-race card.

Third in the Kentucky Derby, second in the Belmont and the winner of the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, Hot Rod Charlie warmed up for his Dubai travels with a close second, beaten a nose, in the G2 San Vincente Stakes at Santa Anita, California, on Dec. 26.

He'll have a strong supporting party to cheer him on, with Patrick O'Neill of part-owners Boat Racing in town, as well as another co-owner, Bill Strauss.

“We sat down after the Breeders' Cup meeting in November and made a plan for the horse,” said Strauss. “We decided to target Dubai and then the best way of getting to the Dubai World Cup, which was to bring him here and give him a race over the track.”

Hot Rod Charlie faces stiff opposition in the feature, with emphatic local debut winner Everfast in for Doug Watson.

“We weren't sure where to go with him [after his local debut win in December],” said Watson. “We were thinking this race or the Firebreak, but then [owner] Frankie O'Connor came into town and that helped make up our minds.

“He was second in the Preakness over this trip, so I don't think it will be a problem.”

The other Group 2 on the card is the Balanchine [Presented by Longines Evidenza] for fillies and mares on turf, over 1800 meters (9 furlongs). It sees the French-trained Pevensey Bay bidding to follow up her victory in the Cape Verdi (G2) over 200metres shorter last time out. Waiting for her in the race is Charlie Appleby's Creative Flair, who was last seen finishing fourth in the Jockey Club Oaks in New York in September.

“She has always had the Balanchine as her long-term target,” said the handler, who has won the last two editions of this race with Summer Romance and Magic Lily. “Her preparation has gone well.”

The third Thoroughbred race on the card is the G3 Firebreak Stakes [Presented by Longines Conquest] over 1600 meters (one mile) on dirt, which was won in 2021 by subsequent G2 Godolphin Mile winner Secret Ambition. It has a field of eight, with Bhupat Seemar's Tuz aiming to make it two from two this season, having won the Listed Dubai Creek Mile in December. Watson sends out Prince Eiji, an eye-catching short-head second to Kafoo on his local debut and first on dirt.

“We were thrilled and disappointed with his first run here,” said Watson of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Obaid Al Maktoum-owned 6-year-old. “He got a little leg-weary with it being his first try on dirt, but it still took a good one to beat him and it's always been the plan to run here.”

Godolphin are having another excellent Carnival and they are loaded in the turf races, in particular. Appleby's Listed winner New Science takes on Jumeirah Derby Trial winner Island Falcon in the Listed Jumeirah Classic [Presented by Longines Elegant] and the handler also runs Sovereign Prince, a winner here three weeks ago when he beat the re-opposing Sed Maarib.

Appleby has had the Carnival as the target for several months for New Science and said: “His form from the UK is rock solid but he was quick to be earmarked for a Dubai campaign and his preparation has gone well. [After this race] he'll head back to the UK for one of the Guineas Trials.”

The 3-year-olds also line up on dirt in the Al Bastakiya Trial [Presented by Longines St Imier] over 1900 meters (1 3/16 miles), in which the Watson-trained Violent Justice looks of interest following his emphatic Jebel Ali maiden win. Earlier on, a select field of six has been declared for the Oud Metha Stakes [Presented by Longines Master Collection] over 1200 meters (6 furlongs) on dirt. Leading the charge there is Rudy Trigger, a winner of three of his five starts in Argentina for trainer Maria Munoz.

The evening's action begins at 6pm with the G1 Maktoum Challenge R1 [Presented by Longines Dolce Vita] for Purebred Arabians, over 1900 meters. It welcomes back last year's winner, RB Frynchh Dude, as well as another Group 1 winner, Brraq.

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Trained by Doug O'Neill, the son of 2013 Preakness winner Oxbow is owned by Bill Strauss, Greg Helm and Roadrunner Racing, as well as Boat Racing, which is headed by the conditioner's nephew, Patrick O'Neill, and made up of five friends who met when playing football for Brown University – Dan Giovacchini, Reiley Higgins, Alex Quoyeser and Eric Armagost.

Strauss and Helm bring years of knowledge and wisdom to the table, while the youngsters from Boat Racing provide youth, energy and charisma. The difference in generation is noticeable, but they all share a passion for horse racing.

Strauss, the founder of ProFlowers.com, enjoyed top-level success as co-owner of graded stakes winners Turbulent Descent, The Pamplemousse and two-time Breeders' Cup-winner Mizdirection.

“Our backgrounds are so diverse and so different. We all come from different life experiences, but when it comes to plotting out how to campaign 'Charlie', we come to an agreement,” said Strauss, 62. “It's been great. These are friends I have for life. It's nice when you hit your 60s and you're still making new friends.”

Helm, a semi-retired ad executive, races under the Roadrunner Racing moniker with friends from San Joaquin Country Club in California. Prior to Roadrunner Racing, Helm and his wife Glenna were a part of racing syndicates on the west coast.

“It feels great. I have terrific respect for the Boat Racing guys. They're terrific people, true gentlemen and great fun to be with,” said Helm. “It's been a joy to be partnered with them and Bill, as well.”

While Strauss and Helm are seasoned veterans, the 28-year-old Patrick O'Neill and his four college friends bring fresh faces to the game.

“It's been a very fun experience. I have to give a lot of credit to Bill and Greg Helm,” O'Neill said. “They're kids at heart and they're bringing that same energy that we're bringing. It's a complementary relationship and it's been such a fun ride.”

Hot Rod Charlie, a $110,000 purchase 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, added blinkers when graduating at fourth asking in October traveling one-mile on the main track at Santa Anita. He had previously tried his luck in a pair of turf maiden special weights at Del Mar.

“We had tried different things with him, but things didn't click until his fourth start, where we went two turns on the dirt with blinkers on. That's when he sprang up and ran a different race,” Strauss said. “He was training sensationally coming out of that race. The light bulb went on.”

Hot Rod Charlie arrived at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile as the longest shot in a field of 14, going to post at 94-1 odds.

“He was competitive based on that first race he won. His numbers matched up pretty well with the rest of the field,” Strauss recalled. “He was training well and he fit numbers-wise, so we decided to take a shot. When a horse is two, they change so much from race to race, and he was changing so much in front of us day to day and week to week, but looking at the odds I was thinking 'Gosh, I hope we don't get embarrassed. I don't think I had ever had a horse in a race at 94-1.'”

Strauss and company felt the opposite of embarrassed once the race was over when Hot Rod Charlie ran a strong second to Belmont Stakes-rival Essential Quality in the Juvenile.

Hot Rod Charlie carried his effort into a close third in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis in January at Santa Anita ahead of a two-length triumph in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds Race Course, where jockey Joel Rosario sent him straight to the front and never looked back.

“After the Breeders' Cup, we gave him some time off. Young horses need time off after the big race he had run that day,” Strauss said. “Doug knows how to get it done. The goal wasn't the Bob Lewis in February, it was the Kentucky Derby in May. When we came to New Orleans, he was fitter and tighter. It was Joel's idea to send him to the front, and as you can see it worked out perfectly.”

Hot Rod Charlie did not disgrace his connections in the “Run for the Roses,” finishing a length shy of victory in third.

“We had some high expectations going into Kentucky. If you asked me six months ago if I would take third in the Kentucky Derby, I'd be thrilled,” Strauss said. “Turning for home it looked like we could win. No disappointment. Everything about the day, week and race itself surpassed my expectations. We had lots of close friends and family with us. We're going to do it all again this week and hopefully get it done on Saturday afternoon.”

Heading into Saturday's engagement, Patrick O'Neill and his college friends are soaking up every minute of action as they dive deeper into their love and appreciation of the sport.

“Patrick was always watching TVG. We'd watch it in the film room sometimes when we were supposed to be watching football stuff,” said Giovacchini. “We slowly started to ask questions and started to want to know more about it. A few years later, we were all at Del Mar and we decided why not take a shot together?”

Higgins said he's enjoying the moment.

“We bring the enthusiasm, they bring the brains. It's been an amazing experience for us all,” Higgins said. “Personally, I've been trying to soak up every second of this as have as much fun as I possibly can. I know these guys have been doing the exact same thing. We realize how lucky and blessed we are to be in this position. That's been my takeaway from this whole thing.”

Quoyeser said the team appreciates each and every part of the race-day experience.

“After spending one day with Team O'Neill at the track and getting in the winner's circle, it's hard not to have a good time,” he said. “A day at the track isn't just about the horses, it's about the people you're spending time with all day. You're just having a good time drinking, eating and gambling.

“We're enjoying every second of it,” Quoyeser added. “We're going to be doing every activity we can all week while we're here in New York. For the Kentucky Derby, we brought 160 of our closest friends and family to the track and this week we'll have dozens. We're very blessed to have the opportunity to be here, but also to share this with people we care about.”

Should Hot Rod Charlie's Belmont Stakes endeavor be successful, it won't just mean more good times for his enthusiastic owners.

“It would validate Charlie as being a great horse,” Strauss said. “He's in the top tier of the 3-year-old division. He's always right there against the best. Winning this race – an American Classic race, will memorialize him and put him on the charts and give him the recognition he deserves. It would solidify everything we think he is. Hopefully it set us up for this year and beyond.”

The post New, Old School Combine In Ownership Of Hot Rod Charlie appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“I'm an incredibly even-keel, non-emotional guy,” Strauss told the KHBPA's Jennie Rees earlier this week. “”I have a son that's 33 and a daughter that's 30, and even they were impressed by how I was 'trending' on Twitter from that interview. I don't know where that came from. I had no idea I even had that in me. People are always telling me, 'Oh, we've never seen you like that.' Well, I've never been like that.”

“We're on our way!”

Owner Bill Strauss is living out his Kentucky Derby dreams following HOT ROD CHARLIE'S victory in the Louisiana Derby! He expresses his excitement with @ScottTVG @Fairgroundsnola. #RoadtotheDerby @SpendthriftFarm @dougoneill1 pic.twitter.com/dyfioKdpum

— TVG (@TVG) March 20, 2021

The co-founder and CEO of ProFlowers.com, an online flower company, Strauss has owned a share in two Breeders' Cup winners and a total of seven Grade 1 winners. There's something entirely different about having a horse headed for the first Saturday in May.

“Before I got involved in ProFlowers, I didn't know the difference between a flower and tulip, except for the first Saturday in May,” Strauss quipped. “I knew those were roses.”

He'd attended the Kentucky Derby before, as a guest of Chris McCarron in the year 2000, but said that experience pales in comparison to this year beneath the Twin Spires in Louisville, Ky.

“It was fun to come to the Derby, and it was a good life experience,” Strauss said. “But to have a horse in it, it's a completely different level of probably anything I've ever done in my life. I've not experienced or felt anything like I do now, having a horse in the Kentucky Derby.”

The other owners in Hot Rod Charlie include Gainesway Thoroughbreds; Roadrunner Racing, operated by the retired Silicon Valley advertising executive who worked with Steve Jobs on the Apple account three days a week, Greg Helm; and Boat Racing, operated by trainer Doug O'Neill's nephew, Patrick O'Neill, a 26-year-old Brown graduate and vice president for sales and strategic partnerships at Founder Sport Group.

Roadrunner Racing is comprised of a half-dozen retired country club members and their wives from Palm Springs, Calif., and led by Helm.

Boat Racing is comprised of a group of five fraternity brothers of Theta Delta Chi at Brown University who were also teammates on the football team: Eric Armagost, Dan Giovacchini, Reiley Higgins, Patrick O'Neill, and Alex Quoyeser. The syndicate was named for a drinking game they played in college.

At Tuesday's post-position draw, in which Hot Rod Charlie drew the nine-hole, Boat Racing led the chorus of cheers after the position was announced.

“We (the trainer and his sizable contingent of owners, including five former college football players who are in their 20s) decided we were going to give it a pump no matter what post we drew,” O'Neill told Churchill publicity. “But we're delighted with the nine. It's a real good post. And the way they load this field, it means we won't be standing in the gate very long. They'll put us in, then one other and we're gone. We're really happy with it.”

Owners of Hot Rod Charlie cheer at Tuesday's post position draw

Hot Rod Charlie is a half-brother to Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Mitole, so early expectations for the son of Oxbow were for him to enjoy shorter distances. He sold for just $17,000 as a short yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale, and was pinhooked through the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling sale, at which he brought a final bid of $110,000 from bloodstock agent Dennis O'Neill, the trainer's brother.

Though it took him several starts to break his maiden for two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie did so in impressive enough fashion in his fourth race that O'Neill sent him straight to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Sent off as the longest shot in the field at 94-1, Hot Rod Charlie finished second, beaten just three-quarters of a length by Champion Essential Quality.

“We were so happy to finish second, which I've never been happy to finish second at anything in my life, but it's what it symbolizes,” Strauss explained. “It symbolized that we were a legitimate horse on the Derby trail. That's when we realized we had something there, and he could really be good, and he's continued to get better and better, and he's a happy horse.

“I tell people that it's like the first time that you're in love. It's the first thing that you think about when you wake up, it's the last thing you think about when you go to sleep, and you think about it every minute in between. Literally it's been like that since the Breeders' Cup race.”

This year, Hot Rod Charlie had a bit of a rough trip when finishing third, beaten just a neck for the victory, in the G3 Bob Lewis Stakes at his home track of Santa Anita Park in late January. O'Neill sent the colt to Fair Grounds to contest the G2 Louisiana Derby in March, and Hot Rod Charlie grabbed the lead shortly after the start and held it all the way through to the wire, earning himself the coveted spot in the starting gate for this Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

Hot Rod Charlie will get a new pilot for the Run for the Roses, Flavien Prat, who was awarded victory in the 2019 Kentucky Derby when the horse first across the wire, Maximum Security, was disqualified.

Strauss is feeling confident that Hot Rod Charlie and Team O'Neill, including Hall of Fame racehorse-turned-stable-pony Lava Man, who shipped to Louisville with the colt, are up to the task.

The “Coach,” Hall of Famer Lava Man, ponies Kentucky Derby contender Hot Rod Charlie at Churchill Downs

“If we cross that finish line first, if we're fortunate enough and lucky enough, and the horse is good enough, stay tuned,” said Strauss. “I just don't know; I've never showed that kind of emotion before, and I don't know what's ahead of me.

“I was fortunate enough to open Wall Street one time when we took our company public, and that was pretty exciting. It's far more exciting to have a $20,000 claimer cross the finish line first. It's that adrenaline rush, it's the competition… and just to be around the horses in the mornings. They all have such different personalities, and you can come feed them a carrot. There's just something very, very special about this whole game.”

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