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Former NFL Star Playing for New Team, Texas Racing

With the end of his NFL career right around the corner, Mike Renfro was looking for something to do after his playing days were over. That's why he bought a Louisiana-bred in 1988 named Dr. Death. It couldn't have worked out any better. Dr. Death won his first start for Renfro and would go on to win six stakes races and finish third in the 1988 GI Hollywood Derby.

“It was going to be my last season and I was looking to get into the real estate business, but real estate was horrible at the time,” he said. “People were filing for bankruptcy and interest rates were 20%. I didn't know what to do until I bought this racehorse. I found my new business and haven't looked back since.”

Renfro, a wide receiver who played for the Houston Oilers from 1978 to 1983 and for the Dallas Cowboys from 1984 to 1988, would go on to serve as a longtime executive at Lone Star Park and is currently the vice president of business development for the CJ Thoroughbreds ownership group. Lately, he has turned his attention to attracting new owners in his home state of Texas.

Texas racing has endured some tough times, but that changed prior to the 2020 racing season after the state government decided to funnel $25 million annually into the sport. Purses more than doubled at the state's top two Thoroughbred tracks, Sam Houston and Lone Star Park. Realizing that the state's breeding and racing industries had a story to tell, the Texas Thoroughbred Association launched a campaign this year to try to get new owners to invest in the sport. The campaign includes radio advertising, ads on social media platforms, a revamped website and seminars.

In Renfro, the Texas Thoroughbred Association could not have found a better person to be among those spearheading the campaign. In a football-mad state, he is still known as the sure-handed receiver who was named the Cowboys' Most Valuable Player in 1985 and whose 323 receptions accounted for 4,708 career receiving yards.

“Being a professional athlete gives you opportunity in some areas to get in the door a lot easier than the average person,” he said. “It gives you a chance to have a microphone and talk to people. More so that if you are an Average Joe, people take an interest in you. I've understood that since I was a young man just starting out in football.”

Renfro, who estimates he has gotten 100 new owners into the sport since he stopped playing football, has the type of enthusiasm for racing that is infectious.

“Racing has allowed me to have a nice career after my athletic days were over,” he said. “I love to talk about the game and to promote it. I just think it is one of the most fantastic games in the world. You watch people who are 50, 60, 70 years old and when their horse turns for home they start cheering down the lane and start acting like little kids again with all the euphoria and excitement. People who are not involved are missing out on what could be a wonderful experience in their lives.”

CJ Thoroughbreds is the stable started by Corey Johnsen, the former co-owner of Kentucky Downs. Renfro worked with Johnsen when he was the president of Lone Star Park. CJ Thoroughbreds has 40 horses in training and is aiming to win at the highest levels of the sport.

“It's like being the GM of a franchise in pro sports,” Renfro said. “We are trying to win stakes races with our horses. If they can't, we'll probably move on and trade them. It's just like you would with the guy not catching enough passes or has been dropping a few. At the end of the season you may have to trade him and move on.”

It's been more than 33 years since Renfro last played in the NFL, but some things haven't changed. He's still competing, just now it's on the racetrack and not the gridiron.

“In the end,” he said, “what we're trying to do is win the game.”

The post Former NFL Star Playing for New Team, Texas Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Sally’s Curlin Tries To Regain Her Mojo In Ellis’ Groupie Doll

Even if Sally's Curlin hadn't won CJ Thoroughbreds' first graded stakes, the 5-year-old mare would hold special meaning for managing partner Corey Johnsen.

“First and foremost, she's named my daughter, Sally,” said Johnsen, who before becoming a full-time horseman was a noted racetrack operator who ran and owned part-interest in Lone Star Park and Kentucky Downs until those tracks were sold. “That's most important. Secondly, she is our first graded-stakes winner.”

Now Sally's Curlin returns off a 3 1/2-month layoff in Ellis Park's $125,000 RUNHAPPY Groupie Doll, part of Sunday's blockbuster five-stakes card at the RUNHAPPY Meet at Ellis Park that includes the $200,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Derby. Sally's Curlin has raced at Ellis Park once before, winning an entry-level allowance race at the Groupie Doll's mile distance in 2019.

“She worked like the wind Saturday,” Johnsen said by phone from Texas. “We were looking forward to a strong 5-year-old campaign from Sally. And then she just kind of lost her focus in the spring and we gave her some time off. She's coming back from that break, and the word is that she's training as good as ever.”

Said trainer Dale Romans: “It's all positive with Sally's Curlin. We gave her a little freshener, and she came back better than ever. Hopefully she jumps up and runs to her old form.”

Corey Lanerie has the mount.

Sally's Curlin — a $160,000 Keeneland yearling by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin — was among the first horses purchased by CJ Thoroughbreds when Johnsen and his son, C.J., launched the syndicate. The mare is owned in partnership with Left Turn Racing and Casner Racing.

Sally's Curlin required five starts to win, doing so the first time she ran in blinkers. Aggressively placed in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks off that victory, she beat one horse but rebounded to win at Ellis Park. That was immediately followed by a 9 1/4-length second-level allowance victory at Churchill Downs and the Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes that provided CJ Thoroughbreds its initial graded-stakes triumph. In fact, including her maiden win, Sally's Curlin is 4 for 4 at a mile on dirt.

Sally started her 4-year-old season with victory in Gulfstream Park's Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie at seven-eighths of a mile in mid-March. Then COVID hit and she didn't race until July, finishing fifth in Keeneland's Grade 1 Madison then third in Churchill Downs' delayed Grade 1 Derby City Distaff, both with exceedingly tough fields. Five disappointing races later, including her last two starts on grass, and it was time for a break and chance at a reset.

“Her 4-year-old year got messed up by COVID-19 and the race cancellations,” Johnsen said. “We had so many high hopes after that Hurricane Bertie effort, when she ran a super-good speed figure and the race of her life. And then we just couldn't run her at her favorite tracks and favorite distances for a long time. It was very disappointing. Having said that, she is Grade 1 stakes-placed, and she ran a great race that day at Churchill…. I'm hoping the old Sally will show up.”

Of course, the last time Sally ran at Ellis, it launched that her three-race win streak. Johnsen promised before the Ellis victory that if she won, he would donate $500 to the Kentuckiana Friends of V foundation that raises money for cancer research and programs. Bob Valvano and Mike Pratt happened to be broadcasting their sports-talk show on Louisville's ESPN 680 that day as part of a KFOV fund-raiser.

It turns out that KFOV is having a golf fundraiser on Monday in Louisville. Johnsen knows a good-luck charm when he experiences one, saying, “If Sally wins the Groupie Doll, we'll donate $1,000. One of the best races of her career was at Ellis Park. We're hoping that setting will create some more success for her. She is the ultimate one-turn mile horse, and that's perfect for her.”

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Miss Alacrity Gets First Stakes Win In Colleen At Monmouth

Miss Alacrity didn't win Sunday's $100,000 Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. by quite as big a margin as she did in her debut on May 20, but the Wesley Ward-trainee was nonetheless impressive once again.

Disposing of the early speed horse, Kodama, coming out of the final turn, Miss Alacrity went on to an easy 2¾-lengths victory in the 83rd edition of the Colleen Stakes for 2-year-old fillies going five furlongs on the turf.

The unbeaten daughter of Munnings won her debut by 10 lengths on the dirt. She had no problems transitioning to the grass.

“This is a very nice filly,” said winning rider Paco Lopez. “She has a lot of talent. Wesley Ward had her ready. She was a little green but she is very talented. I can feel it. I was aggressive early because that's how she likes to run but I did not have to make the lead.

“I stayed close to (Kodama) because I know that filly has a lot of speed and I wanted to make sure she didn't get too far away. But this filly was too good. She can hook horses and still have plenty left. You can tell she's a good one.”

Sent off as the 11-10 favorite in the field of seven, Miss Alacrity stayed with the early pace set by Kodama and Tizplenty through an opening quarter in :21:20. The duel came down to Kodama and Miss Alacrity after an opening half in :44.74, at which time Kodama backed out.

Miss Alacrity covered the distance in :57.23 over a turf course listed as firm.

Sail By rallied from far back to get second, 2¼ lengths ahead of Tizplenty.

Owned by CJ Thoroughbreds, Miss Alacrity paid $4.20, $2.80, and $2.40. Sail by paid $4.60 and $3.20. Tizplenty paid $3.00 to show.

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Picara Seeks Third Straight Millions Filly And Mare Turf Preview Score

P & G Stables Picara, yet to register her first victory of the year, looks to regain her winning form in a familiar spot as she goes for her third straight triumph in the $60,000 Millions Filly and Mare Turf Preview Saturday at Gulfstream Park West.

The 7 1/2-furlong Filly and Mare Turf Preview for females three and older is one of two stakes for Florida-breds on the nine-race program, along with the $60,000 Juvenile Turf for 2-year-olds going one mile. First race post time is 12:35 p.m.

Picara, a 5-year-old, won the Filly and Mare Turf Preview for the first time in November 2018 to cap her sophomore season for previous trainer Todd Pletcher. The Turbo Compressor mare returned from a five-month break last August with Gulfstream West-based Jorge Delgado to rally from off the pace to defend her title by three-quarters of a length at odds of 28-1.

“She has been training very good, she's fresh, and she seems to love this track,” Delgado said. “She seems to love the grass here, I don't know why. Maybe it's hard and she likes that. She loves the surface.

“She has won this stakes twice and this will be the third time that she can win it. She won it last time at [big odds], and she's doing better this year,” he added. “She is more mature and more focused and having a good time right now.”

Picara has four wins from six lifetime starts at Gulfstream West, and was second after setting the pace in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance Oct. 23, an off-the-turf race in what was her first start since finishing off the board in the one-mile In the Breeze Stakes July 5 at Gulfstream Park.

Starting with last year's Filly and Mare Turf Preview Picara had run in seven consecutive stakes, three coming at Gulfstream's Championship Meet last winter. She was third in the 1 1/16-mile Ginger Punch June 6.

“She has been running over her head a little bit. The stakes she ran in the beginning of the year were too tough for her, but she still showed up and she ran good. She had a break and when she came back and she had to run in the slop, and she ran a good second,” Delgado said. “We wanted to give her a preparation for this race and she couldn't run on the grass that day, but it still worked out pretty good for us because she ran good.

“She came back fresh, she gained weight and she was a different horse when she came back,” he added. “She's eating better, doing everything better and she has been training really, really well.”

Joe Bravo is named to ride Picara, who will be looking to surpass $200,000 in purse earnings, from Post 2 in an overflow field of 16 that includes main-track-only entrants Crumb Bun, R Prerogative, Sayonara Baby and Thisismytime.

CJ Thoroughbreds' Bienville Street was one of the favorites in last year's Filly and Mare Turf Preview, finishing fourth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths. The 5-year-old mare also has yet to win in 2020, coming with a neck of capturing the Monroe Stakes Sept. 7 at Gulfstream. She hasn't raced since running third in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Sept. 27.

First on the also-eligible list, Hallmarc Racing's homebred filly Centsless Drama is looking to break a string of three consecutive runner-up finishes, the last two in one-mile optional claiming allowance company Aug. 20 and Sept. 27 at Gulfstream.

Last out, Centsless Drama was 1 3/4 lengths behind Mo of the West, who also shows up in the Filly and Mare Turf Preview, and 3 1/4 lengths ahead of beaten favorite Dynatown in fifth. Both horses are trained by U.S. and Canadian Hall of Famer Mark Casse, who won his 3,000th career race Thursday at Gulfstream West.

“She's been second, second, second in really tough races. I ran her in an open allowance last time against two of Mark Casse's very nice, well-bred fillies,” trainer Carlos David said. “She's all right, and I think this definitely suits her running style. Every time she goes a mile and a sixteenth she gets beat because she's a front-runner, and she's very hard to rate. She just kind of takes the lead and she doesn't want to give it up.

“When she goes past a mile is when she struggles a little bit, but she should be able to handle the ground,” he added. “I think the distance is going to help, although there's a couple horses, sprinters, in there that are probably going to chase me around there which is not ideal, but I think she can do a good job.”

David won two stakes last weekend at Gulfstream West – the Millions Sprint Preview with Legal Deal and Juvenile Fillies Sprint with Shea D Summer.

“It was good,” he said. “I'm really happy when the horses run well for everybody. It's been kind of challenging with the weather and everything else this year.”

Hear My Prayer, winner of the Melody of Colors sprinting five furlongs on the Gulfstream turf March 21; multiple stakes-placed Starship Nala; Aizu, Amadora, High On Gin, Lookinlikeaqueen, Lovely Luvy and Sweet Hitch Hiker are also entered.

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