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From Blazing Trails to Changing Lives

Long before Shannon Arvin made headlines as the first female president and CEO of Keeneland and Jessica Paquette was named the first female full-time announcer at a major racetrack, Jenine Sahadi was breaking barriers as the first female trainer to win the Breeders' Cup. However, unlike the others, Sahadi made her mark and stepped away at the peak of her career. She now devotes herself to making a difference on the backstretch as the president of the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation.

More than two decades into her time with the organization, Sahadi and the Foundation are so intertwined it's impossible to separate the two.

“It's been so long since I've trained a horse and my focus is now the Foundation,” said Sahadi. “This has been 22 years of my life. We started it with nothing and now we're getting to the place where we are flush enough to be able to jump in and help the second we need to.”

Sahadi is modest about her part, but the Foundation literally changes the lives of backside workers in California. Best known for granting scholarships–more on that in a moment–the Foundation does everything from help with childcare, assist with taxes, take backside kids on fishing trips and to Dodger games, organize soccer tournaments, provide Christmas presents for children, and more. A pilot program this past year involved summer daycare assistance at Del Mar for workers whose extended families had to stay behind at Santa Anita. The Foundation steps in wherever needed, whether it's the fostering of community or arranging babysitting so parents can do their jobs caring for the horses.

“It's the little things that no one knows about that I love,” said Sahadi. “You know, every year we have people sit at the track and do tax preparation. It's the kind of program that encourages everybody to get their taxes done and I think it encourages responsible behavior. It's a win-win for everybody. But it's things like that, the nitty-gritty boots-on-the-ground work, that you wouldn't normally think of that are the types of programs we're super proud of.”

Education is the Foundation's main focus and the most visible one. Since 2001, Sahadi and her cohorts have raised over $6.5 million and have provided scholarships to 281 individual children.

“There have been 742 grants provided,” explained Sahadi. “The kids do an application very similar to many college applications; their parents must work on the backside.

“I think everybody deserves an education. It's invaluable. It's very important for kids to be able to learn and walk away with something, some sense of pride. I think a degree is probably the biggest sense of pride that you can find.”

While there are plenty of wildly successful stories among the Foundation's graduates and plenty who knew what they wanted to accomplish from the start, it might be the ones who need a little extra guidance who are closest to Sahadi's heart and harken back to her training days the most.

“Some take longer to find their way than others,” said Sahadi. “I always say horses are just like people: you've got to treat each one individually and they'll get there in the end when they can explore what they're capable of. Sometimes they have no idea. It's just remarkable.”

Lit de Justice won the 1996 Breeders' Cup Sprint | Horsephotos

Sahadi and the Foundation team treat every backside kid on a case-by-base basis according to their needs and work with them to attain their educational goals. Some have gone on to vet school or pursued higher education; one became a dental hygienist, one is an architect, another works at Ford as a mechanic, yet another is currently at Tulane in medical school.

“They run the gamut,” said Sahadi, “and they seem to be making really wise decisions, following their hearts. Once we identify what their need is, the goal is to try to eliminate the burden of debt as much as we can for them. We try to be very helpful in applying for federal and state grants. We have situations where maybe the kids are not sure what they want to do yet, so we'll help them go to a community college for a year or two and then transfer into a university once they have a better idea. We'll offset book costs, laptop costs, whatever else is needed. We are willing to make some fast decisions and do what is needed. Who wants a kid to lose an experience or struggle?”

The Foundation got its start as an idea under the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), but blossomed after the death of trainer Edwin J. “Eddie” Gregson in 2000 as his colleagues sought a way to honor him. Gregson is best known publicly for winning the 1982 GI Kentucky Derby with Gato Del Sol, but was better known among his friends and family members as being willing to give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. His wife, Gail, is still on the board.

“It really came to fruition after Eddie passed away and as time went on, we morphed as we figured out a way to honor Eddie's legacy,” explained Sahadi. “He was very philanthropic and big on education. He was just a very generous guy. If somebody walked up to him and said, 'Can I borrow 20 bucks?' he'd give you 40. That's just the kind of guy he was.”

Sahadi serves at one of the Foundation's annual Christmas parties for backside workers | Courtesy Gregson Foundation

Sahadi was named president of the then-fledgling Foundation in 2001, a full decade before she would leave the training ranks and devote herself to the organization. No one could have imagined how it would grow in the more than 20 years since that time and how many lives would be impacted for the better. It started with the broad vision of enhancing “the quality of life of California Thoroughbred horse racing's backstretch workers and their families” and has developed into a vital part of California racing.

“It's a game changer and I just love it,” said Sahadi. “Every year as we've gotten a little bit more of a cushion, we've been upping the amounts of help [we can give]. It's been almost $1.9 million in scholarships alone since we started. It took a long time before we got rolling, but we're very proud of all these kids who have gone through the program.”

Sahadi practically grew up at the racetrack herself. Her parents, Fred and Helen Sahadi, began claiming horses in the 1960s and built Cardiff Stud Farm, which they would eventually sell to the late Alex Trebek of “Jeopardy” fame. Her father founded Barretts Equine Ltd., the auction company so prominent in California for so many years. And Sahadi herself was mentored by the late Charlie Whittingham, as well as Ron McAnally, with whom she is still close. Out of college, she worked first for seven years on the frontside at Hollywood Park.

She began training in 1993 and quickly broke through on a major stage, becoming the first female trainer to hoist a Breeders' Cup trophy when Lit de Justice won the Sprint in 1996. The next year, she did it again, with Elmhurst giving her back-to-back Sprint wins.

A handful of other women trainers have followed her in the Breeders' Cup's winner's circle, including Laura De Seroux with Azeri's Distaff in 2002 and Kathy Ritvo with Mucho Macho Man's Classic in 2013, yet not only was Sahadi the first female trainer to win the Breeders' Cup, she remains the only one to win more than once.

During her 18 years as a trainer, Sahadi's 441 wins included 86 black-type victories and 45 graded wins. Among the additional Grade I winners she developed were Grand Flotilla, Fastness, Rainbow Dancer (Fr), The Deputy (Ire), and Golden Ballet. And then, at the height of her career, she stepped away.

The Deputy's 2000 Santa Anita Derby win, making Sahadi the only female trainer to win the race | Horsephotos

“I loved it, but it's a lot and the game is different now,” said Sahadi. “I was always very vocal, very political, president of the CTT for many years. I didn't really love the direction that racing was going. Regardless of what the achievements were or whatever, for me it was always just about taking care of the horse and being bluntly honest, sometimes to my own detriment. I always just tried to be a purist and never had a drug positive ever.

“Now we're in this sort of new realm where even a therapeutic medication is maybe not legal,' continued Sahadi. “If we as an industry are going to keep conflating legal therapeutic overages with PEDs and dopers, I think it's really dangerous and bad for the overall health of the industry. I hate it because I feel like we all need to be loyal to the game and to take care of it.”

The loss of Sahadi to the training ranks is the backside workers' gain. The Foundation has changed and grown since she took the helm more than two decades ago, but the legacy is secure. Not only have hundreds of lives already been impacted for the better, but the Foundation is poised to continue evolving with the needs of the backside.

Foundation secretary Angie Carmona and Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza with Sahadi | Courtesy Gregson Foundation

“We want to keep doing what we're doing, try to pivot and jump in and help. Since we're the bricks and mortar, boots-on-the-ground kind of people, the Foundation jumps in the second that we need to if there's a problem that arises that we weren't expecting. We will hopefully keep improving and reinventing programs. Our board is just phenomenal. Everybody sort of has their role.

“We are just trying our best to make a big difference and not make a big deal about it,” said Sahadi. “I don't think anyone on the board is looking for a pat on the back. That's not really what our motivation is, even though I personally am so grateful to so many of them. If somebody needs something, we're going to try our best to figure out how to get it done as much as we can.”

Sahadi is quick to point out the Foundation is not just her.

“I'm just kind of the mouthpiece. I'm so grateful for everyone who has been loyal to this Foundation. They've made the difference; it really has nothing to do with me. It's the board. [Foundation secretary] Angie Carmona is a saint. She is invaluable. None of this would be possible without Angie. She knows all the backstretch workers by name. I can help raise money, but she is the one that really does the day to day.”

As the Foundation's board quietly goes about serving backstretch workers, Sahadi says she doesn't mind that other non-profits in racing are far more visible.

“I love any philanthropy that goes on in horse racing,” said Sahadi. “With all the aftercare and everything, it's almost overwhelming. There's so many to pick and choose from.”

For the backstretch workers in California though, likely nothing beats the Gregson Foundation. Sahadi agrees.

“You get a little weepy when you watch these kids and they just excel. When one graduates or gets a job, the parents are so proud of their children when you see them at the racetrack. They're genuinely grateful and it's the best feeling in the world.”

For more information on the Foundation, visit gregsonfoundation.com.

The post From Blazing Trails to Changing Lives appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Broodmare Field Turned Training Center: Michelle Nihei’s Story Of Success

Michelle Nihei's Circle 8 Ranch was originally nothing more than an old broodmare field with unseen potential according to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. When she laid eyes on it, it became a series of furlongs and gallop sets in her mind, and would eventually contribute to her multiple graded stakes wins as a trainer.

The broodmare field eventually turned into a one mile circuit that Nihei has her horses complete three times as part of their daily training and a six-furlong left-handed reseeded turf course. She has seen great results with this facility. The horses are more relaxed and happy and not quite as high strung as you might see on the racetrack.

“When they go back to the racetrack after a couple of months,” said Nihei to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary's Patrick Lawrence Gilligan. “everyone who has ridden them both before and after says it is remarkable how much stronger they are and how much better they takes the turns because now they know how to lift that shoulder instead of just flattening around the turn.”

Nihei was born in Calgary in Western Canada. Her father was a scientist and her mother was a lawyer. Before she began her career in the Thoroughbred industry, Nihei followed in her father's footsteps as a neuroscientist.

Nihei eventually realized she wanted to ride horses for a living instead of neuroscience and made the switch from lab coats to jeans and a helmet by becoming an exercise rider and then assistant to Todd Pletcher. She had the opportunity to gallop some of Pletcher's most well known horses like Scat Daddy, English Channel, and Pollards Vision.

“It was an amazing fantastic experience,” said Nihei to Gilligan. “Everything I know about breezing horses I learnt from Angel Cordero and Johnny Velasquez. I was getting on ten a day sometimes. It was the best education you could get.”

Eventually a riding injury caused her to take a step back from exercise riding and led her to becoming a trainer. That is how she ended up in the presence of her future Grade 1 winner, Prince Will I Am. Michelle still rides Prince Will I Am to this day and now refers to him as her Prince Charming.

Woodbine’s Lawson Honors Legacy Of Late Trainer Janet Bedford

It might not have been a popular choice, or even a consideration for most at the time, but Mel Lawson knew it would be a perfect fit.

As a horseman with a well-earned and well-deserved reputation as one of Canada's most successful owner-breeders, the man with a stable chock full of Thoroughbred stars had a decision to make back in the early to mid 1980s, one that would be a game changer for his Jim Dandy Stable.

There was no shortage of trainers that Lawson could opt for – seasoned veterans of the sport, up-and-coming talents, diamond-in-the rough sorts – to lead his string of horses.

The man who had led the Hamilton Wildcats to Grey Cup gridiron glory in 1943 didn't have to call an audible when he named Janet Bedford to campaign his stable.

For Jim Lawson, Mel's son, and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment Group, the decision, in retrospect, was audacious, but undoubtedly the right one to make.

“It's interesting now when I look back and think about it… maybe it's in light of what has happened in recent months in the media regarding the focus on diversity. Hats off to my dad when I think of the times 40 years ago when he decided he wanted a woman trainer in a backstretch that was completely dominated by men. Janet had worked for [Canadian Hall of Fame trainer] Ted Mann, and I think my dad just felt she knew the horses, and he had confidence in her.”

It's one of many memories he has of Bedford, who recently passed away.

“Now that I think of it, 40 years later, it was probably a bold move. I didn't think of it that way at the time. I'm not sure whether he did, but looking back to those days, I think he saw her as very capable, trustworthy around the horses, and certainly knew them well. It was a natural thing for him to do. I don't think many of the owners at the time with good horses – and he had good horses – would have done that. I don't know. It's very interesting to look back on that now. I now look back and say, 'Wow… that was a good thing.' She definitely deserved it.”

The elder Lawson, inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2010, saw Bedford as an ideal orchestrator for horses like Let's Go Blue and Eternal Search, a dynamic Jim Dandy duo that had stamped themselves as bona fide talents.

Let's Go Blue, a son of Bob's Dusty who won the 1984 Plate Trial and finished second in the Queen's Plate that same year, went on to win Alberta's Canadian Derby and Hastings Racecourse's Grade 3 BC Derby. As a four-year-old, he took the Grade 3 Dominion Day and the Speed to Spare at Northlands, a race he won again in 1986 along with the Fair Play Stakes. He was also third in the Stuyvesant (G2) at Aqueduct before he was retired with over $750,000 (US) in purse earnings.

Up until the 1984 Queen's Plate, there had only been two women trainers to saddle a horse in the iconic Canadian race; Estelle Giddings, widow of Henry Giddings, an eight-time Plate winner, briefly took over the reins of her husband's stable and had a starter in 1950, while Olive Armstrong sent out a starter three years later.

Eternal Search, Mel's brilliant three-time Sovereign Award winning mare of 15 stakes races, came to Bedford's barn in 1983 and went on to win the Nassau Stakes at Fort Erie. The Eternal Search Stakes is run annually at Woodbine.

“We had a chance to travel with Let's Go Blue a few times and Eternal Search as well,” Jim recalled. “That's when you could see how much Janet doted and how much she cared for her horses. I think she probably loved Eternal Search more than anything.”

Interestingly, it's not winner's circle trips that first come to mind for Jim when speaking of Bedford's training exploits.

“First and foremost, it was her love for the animal, a true love for horses, that stands out for me. That is the thing that first comes to mind in my memory of her. When she'd go away with the horses, she'd pretty much want to sleep right beside them. She was just so passionate in caring for her horses. I think somehow there's an intangible there. When someone cares about their horses – rubs them like that, walks them like that – you know they are under the best of care. At some level, I think that's important to a horse, that they know they are so cared for.”

The end results for the multiple stakes winning trainer were 193 career wins and $4.6 million in purse earnings.

Beyond those numbers, however, is a far more significant stamp Bedford has left on Thoroughbred racing, especially at Woodbine Racetrack.

It's something Jim, and many others, are appreciative of.

“We have a very disproportionate number of very capable, very successful women trainers at Woodbine compared to other racetracks around the world. There are so many names at Woodbine, so I won't try to list them all. I think in order for that to happen, there needed to be a pathway. There are a lot of women that work in the Woodbine backstretch, and to have someone who would pave the way like that, and say, 'You can do it,' is a credit to Janet. I think, in part, she has helped Woodbine foster so many great women trainers. It's a very nice thing for our industry, and a very nice thing to acknowledge Janet for having some of the credit for that.”

Catherine Day Phillips, Josie Carroll, Barbara Minshall and Gail Cox are some of the numerous Woodbine-based female conditioners who have experienced success at home and on the world stage over the past 30-plus years.

A multiple graded stakes winner, Day Phillips, whose stars include Grade 1 champion Jambalaya, and graded stakes victors A Bit O'Gold, and Mr Havercamp, is thankful for Bedford and the others who helped open the gates for women trainers.

“My first thought of Janet is her association with Let's Go Blue,” said Day Phillips, whose mother Dinny Day was also a successful trainer. “She was one of the first female trainers I remember, and she was a pioneer in that way. She helped pave the way for female trainers, especially for those of us at Woodbine.”

Around four or five years ago, while he was cleaning his parents' house, Jim came across a piece of nostalgia from the halcyon days of Jim Dandy Stable.

The moment he stumbled upon it, he thought of Bedford.

“I hadn't seen Janet in a while. It was probably four or five years ago, when I was cleaning out my parents' house, and I found an old Jim Dandy Stable jacket. Janet was walking hots for Sid [trainer, Attard] and I took that jacket – which looked pretty much brand new – to her. It was in my dad's closet and it had never been cleaned out. He died in 2011, so this was around 2015 or 2016. I took it to Janet and she nearly burst into tears. It was indicative of how much that era of training meant to her.”

And just as she was in her role as Mel Lawson's trainer, the jacket was a perfect fit.

“She proved herself, loved the horses and took care of them,” said Jim. “I think that's what my dad saw in her.”

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‘The Good Old Days’: Barbara Minshall Looks Back At Her Triple Crown First

Barb Minshall wasn't chasing history on that picture-perfect summer day 25 years ago at Fort Erie Racetrack.

“It seems like yesterday,” started Minshall, from her home office in Mississauga, Ont. “It's just amazing to me. When you realize that it was 1995… you just say to yourself, 'Wow.' But I never thought about being the first one. Your first thought is always the same… win the race.”

Leading up to the 136th running of the Queen's Plate, there hadn't been much talk, as she recalled, that the Canadian classic could produce a first in its storied history: a female trainer winning the race.

“I was really just starting training horses back then, so I didn't really follow the statistics and historical information,” said the Montreal-born conditioner, who took over the reins of Minshall Farms when her husband Aubrey, a respected and successful horseman, died in 1993. “The availability of statistics back then wasn't anywhere near to what it is today, where it's nearly instantaneous. Back then, if you didn't go to the track that day, you wouldn't find out any interesting info. until you picked up the paper the next day. I didn't realize a female trainer had never won a Triple Crown race.”

Blessed with a pair of talented 3-year-olds, homebreds Kiridashi and Mt. Sassafras, the brown and beige silks of Minshall Farms were well represented when the Canadian Triple Crown series got out of the gates, in the Queen's Plate, on July 9, 1995 at Woodbine.

Her coupled entry went off as the 7-2 third choice, behind the favoured entry of All Firmed Up and Honky Tonk Tune, and second choice, 2-1 Langfuhr.

At the finish of the 1 ¼-mile Queen's Plate, it was Roger Attfield trainee Regal Discovery, ridden by Todd Kabel, who was crowned champion after a 1 ¼-length score at odds of 9-1.

Kiridashi, who led the 14-horse field until just after the mile mark, finished fourth. Mt. Sassafras rallied to be third.

“I thought both of them ran their hearts out,” remembered Minshall. “It just wasn't our day.”

Cue the rematch.

The Prince of Wales, second jewel in the historic Canadian Triple Crown, attracted six starters, a field that included Regal Discovery, Kiridashi, and Mt. Sassafras.

Three weeks removed from Regal Discovery's triumph in the “Gallop for the Guineas,” Minshall was hoping to turn the tables with her powerful one-two punch entry in the 1 3/16-mile main track Prince of Wales.

She wouldn't have traded places with anyone at Fort Erie on July 30, 1995.

“I do definitely remember thinking we could win it. We were really confident in both horses. Mt. Sassafras was more of a come-from-behind horse and Kiridashi was an extremely fast horse, a horse that could run the turns very quickly and make up all his ground on the turns. He was a typical 'catch-me-if-you-can' type. And if you wanted to go with him, you'd usually empty the tank, and if you let him loose, he got very brave on the lead. He was a very dangerous horse. So, we had both ends covered and we were really confident.”

Her pre-race conversation with jockey Larry Attard, aboard Kiridashi, lasted all of 10 seconds.

“I told Larry to go to the front and wire the field. If Mt. Sassafras runs you down, that's okay, but you're on your own.”

Seizing control early from the outside gate, Kiridashi, the handsome son of Bold Ruckus, made every call a winning one, besting runner-up Regal Discovery by two lengths.

“The pace was a kind of slow pace,” said Attard, moments after the race. “The half went 47 [seconds] and change and I said if I make a slow pace, I'm going to win the race. It came exactly like I thought.”

With Kabel once again in the irons, Regal Discovery made a three-wide move to the leader up the backstretch, but midway through the far turn, Kiridashi and Attard were doing precisely what Minshall envisioned.

They were playing catch-me-if-you-can to perfection.

“He [Kiridashi] was the lone speed in the race and he got to dictate everything his own way,” noted Kabel. “I couldn't get him [Regal Discovery] to relax.”

Attard said, “Every time he [Regal Discovery] came up to me I just kind of opened up a half a length, a length to him. I know I got the horse.”

Mt. Sassafras finished third, a nose back of second spot.

“When Kiridashi had the lead turning for home and you knew he wasn't going to get headed, I had a really good feeling,” she recalled. “That's how he won most of his races. If he got that lead down the backside and he wasn't being challenged turning for home, it would have taken something else to try and run him down because he wouldn't let them go by him.”

With the win, Minshall, a former member of the Canadian Olympic equestrian team, had secured a spot in the record books as the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race, in Canada or the U.S.

Recollections of Kiridashi's wire-to-wire tour de force at Fort Erie still bring a smile to Minshall's face.

“It's scary how time goes by so fast, but you keep hoping to find those good ones again. To be in horse racing, you absolutely need to love horses and being around them. For me, nothing is more rewarding than seeing young horses develop and do well down the road.”

Just like Kiridashi and Mt. Sassafras did.

In 44 starts, Kiridashi won 14 times, adding nine seconds and eight thirds, along with earnings of $1.2 million (U.S.). At four, he won the Grade 3 King Edward Breeders' Cup Handicap, the Fair Play and Heresy, all at Woodbine. One year later, he took the Grade 3 Connaught Cup, Vigil, and Jacques Cartier.

His final race was a fifth in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, on September 21, 1998.

“Kiridashi was the studdiest horse to be around. I think it's why that when he shipped, he didn't run very well. He was so studdy. Nowadays, I probably would have gelded him. But when a horse is running so well like he did, it's tough to consider that option. He was a kind horse in the stall, but once you got on his back, he was very aggressive – just a very sound horse and easy to train. He was a strong galloper, but very straightforward.”

Mt. Sassafras, a son of Mt. Livermore, won eight times from 47 starts. He also added seven runner-up finishes, and 14 third-place efforts, to go with $1.38 million (U.S.) in earnings.

The chestnut delivered Canadians a big thrill in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Classic at Woodbine when he had the lead in deep in the stretch before finishing fourth at 101-1. A length separated him from Alphabet Soup, Louis Quatorze and Cigar.

That winter, Mt. Sassafras defeated Eclipse Award champion Skip Away at Gulfstream in the Donn Handicap.

“He was way more sensitive than Kiridashi. You had to make sure he ate. He was way more high-strung than Kiridashi. But he was extremely durable for a small, slight-framed horse. We got to travel to many big stake races all over the U.S. He ran in eight Grade 1 races and he won a Grade 1, $500,000 U.S. race, defeating good horses like Skip Away, Tejano Run and Suave Prospect.When I think of Mt. Sassafras, I think 'Grade 1,' – very talented and also unlucky. He really could have won several other races as well.”

Mt. Sassafras did, however, greatly contribute to Minshall Farms' banner 1996 season, culminating in five Sovereign awards, including Canada's horse of the year, champion older horse, top owner, and breeder honours.

The other trophy, for top trainer, represented another first.

“To win the Sovereign was another huge thrill,” said Minshall, the first woman to win it. “Hearing Mt. Sassafras' name called out as horse of the year and top older horse is something you'll never forget.”

She no doubt hasn't.

Minshall Farms, dispersed a few years after the impressive trophy haul, didn't spell the end of Minshall's training career.

Multiple stakes winners like Bold Ruritana, Stephanotis, Strut the Course and Stacked Deck have provided her with memorable triumphs over the years.

Their pictures, and many others, hang alongside the ones of Kiridashi and Mt. Sassafras, in Minshall's home office, happy reminders of treasured victories, past and present.

“You just smile… the good old days. And that day at Fort Erie, it was a really good one. I wasn't trying to put my name the history books that day. You just wanted to win the race.”

Kiridashi managed to deliver both.

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