In this month's installment of TDN's series, 'The Road Back,' we introduce you to graduate William Jackson, now the house manager for Stable Recovery.

When crossing the threshold into Stable Recovery's house on Hummingbird Lane in Lexington, a true feeling of 'being home' washes over you. The sound of conversation and laughter fills the air as staff and residents make their way through the house while an assortment of dogs wag their way into the mix. And there in the front office on the right, seated at the desk across from me, is William Jackson.

The 46-year-old man with the kind eye and constant smile shares his life story with a calm that speaks to his character, spoken with a reverent tone of voice that reflects where he's been and how far he's come in his lifetime.

As he talks, the realization of how poignant this introduction and this conversation is settles in the room. Because less than two years ago, after decades of witnessing death and living on the brink of it, Jackson's heart stopped after an overdose.

“In September of 2022, I lost the house, the nice truck I had, we had all of the utilities turned off, and I was damn near about to go to jail. Then, I ended up getting hit by that car and later, overdosing in the room in that trailer,” recalled Jackson.

He had hit rock bottom. And it was the result of a life that revolved around one constant: drug use.

Born in Springfield, Mo., Jackson spent his early years primarily in the company of his mom, since his stepdad had been sent to prison early on and his five older siblings were much further ahead in their lives, all off on their own. By the time he was in fifth grade, they had relocated to Corbin, Ky., to live near the rest of his extended family.

“Most of my family, all my uncles and aunts and everyone, used a lot of drugs and drank. All the men drank beer all the time and most of my aunts were taking pills and smoked marijuana. I remember my cousins were doing it, too, they were a little older than me. And one of my cousins even grew some pot with his father. That was what they did,” said Jackson. “By the time I was 11, I was taking pills and smoking marijuana and drinking on the weekends. I started out just doing a little bit of everything.”

Growing up, the tragedy that Jackson experienced only perpetuated his dependence on using drugs as an escape.

“When I was 12, my sister committed suicide. That was pretty traumatic. And then, it was the next year I guess, I remember walking in the house and finding my grandmother dead. I was the one who found her.”

The loss of a close friend in high school, and later the loss of his girlfriend, only darkened his outlook on life.

“I had lots of little things that kept me angry, confused, and mad at the world. But I always felt like doing drugs was wrong. It was bad and I wanted to do the right thing. I always did good in school and I wanted to please people, but all this stuff kept always pushing me towards all of that other stuff,” said Jackson.

By the time he was 27, he'd already married and divorced his first wife, who sadly overdosed and passed away a year after their marriage ended. From there, Jackson went back home to live with his mom and eventually picked up drinking.

“I was an alcoholic for about 13 years. Pretty heavy. I could drink at least 3/5 of a bottle of hundred-proof a day by myself. That all led to me being diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. They gave me a year to live,” said Jackson. “It scared me, so I decided to quit drinking. By this time, I had already met my second wife, I was married again, and she went with me to Alcoholics Anonymous for a while. But I only went for about three months.”

William Jackson becomes a Legacy of Stable Recovery. Pictured: Tyler Harris, Josh Franks, Christian Countzler, Ashton Becker, Carrol McCromick, William Jackson, and Dan Pride | Stable Recovery

Though he'd saved his liver, Jackson continued to pursue other avenues in his drug use, turning to buying and using Suboxone before eventually caving to the enticement of heroin by the time he was 41.

There seemed to be no end to the lows in his life, the many holes that he couldn't pull himself out of, until he dug the deepest of all that fateful night in September of 2022. A deadly mix of a Xanax bar laced with Fentanyl and a small dose of heroin in the early hours of the morning led to him collapsing on the floor, the sound waking his wife in the other room. She called 911 and held Jackson as he laid there, foaming at the mouth, his body eerily still. And after minutes that felt like hours, first responders arrived on the scene and revived him.

From there, Jackson decided to redirect his breaking point into a turning point, as he went to the hospital for treatment and later went to a Stepworks Recovery Center.

“I had so much guilt, shame and remorse. I just wanted it to be over, I wanted it to be done. This was the first time I'd ever been in treatment or anything like this. It was the worst. There was just so much stuff happening. It was so bad and I was just crying, at wit's end, and I was just done. I was ready to die,” said Jackson.

But it was there in the recovery center that he found a pamphlet for Stable Recovery. In one of those moments where one might question how heavy the hand of God truly is, Jackson felt a dream had been fulfilled with the opportunity to get back out on a farm.

“My dream was to work on a farm again. It just so happens that when you're in Stable Recovery, you're on the farm taking care of horses, driving tractors and doing all this stuff. It's like God sent me this perfect place and completely changed my life,” said Jackson.

Despite his addiction to drugs and alcohol throughout most of his life, and the health issues that arose because of that, he never missed a day of work. He was a carpenter by trade and had spent over 20 years building houses. And though he'd been hesitant to enter the program due to his strong need to return home to his family, he knew that Stable Recovery was the best thing for him, for all of them.

“One of the best things my wife ever did for me was call and say, 'You're not coming home.' Once I got here, it just changed my life. It saved my life. I spent a year on the farm, taking care of the horses, taking care of babies. I helped foal out 80 babies last year. I found peace on the farm, just out in the fields, in the quiet with the horses,” said Jackson. “Then slowly, as I was making better decisions and doing the right thing, people [in my life] started talking to me again. My wife would talk to me a little bit and then she'd started coming to see me. And my daughter would always visit.”

Now 17 months sober, Jackson serves as the House Manager for Stable Recovery, a role he took on a few months ago. The job entails overseeing the houses that the men in the program live in, which can involve anything from handling paperwork to driving the men to the farm for work or staying up late with a program participant who just needs someone to listen. Though the horses and the tranquility on the farm soothed his soul, Jackson has realized that being a mentor and friend to those in the program is his true purpose.

“My wife and kids would call it an 'astronaut job,' because we were coming in here and you can't even imagine a place like this. Especially when we think of the shape that we're in as despicable addicts. We have the worst opinion of ourselves when we're out there, but to be able to come in here and have somebody trust you and to be a part of the farm, it's hard to believe. It gives you such an unfair advantage almost compared to other treatment centers because you come here and it's just like a dream, and then all you have to do is do things right,” said Jackson.

Though the drug use was detrimental from a health standpoint, the biggest burden to Jackson was the regret and guilt he lived with as a result of his addiction. It wasn't until he arrived at Taylor Made that he finally had the chance to process, reflect and heal.

“I just wanted do what was right and I was always doing something wrong. I always felt guilty for using and drinking. When you first come in, even though the guys are like you, you're so uncomfortable with yourself at first that you can't open up. You don't even trust them or yourself at first,” he said. “But when you can go out there in that field and be with the mommas and the babies, and all you have to be is genuine and care about them, it's amazing how they open up and love you.

“It's a growing experience between you and the horses. At first you go in there and it's just like it is with anybody else, you're uncomfortable, scared, and awkward for a while. But you spend time with them and before you know it, it's crazy how much you can fall in love with them and how much they depend on and trust you. It's unbelievable what it does for you. It brought me a peace that I hadn't had in years, a feeling that I remembered when I was a child, but barely. I never thought I'd see it for many years.”

William Jackson and family | Stable Recovery

Since taking on this position with Stable Recovery, Jackson has received certifications as a peer support specialist and a supported employment specialist, while continuing to take classes and participate in webinars on topics such as peer support. Though it comes with plenty of responsibility, Jackson truly believes that the job has fulfilled him in a way that he never thought possible.

It is the reason he chose a job in the house over one he'd been offered on the farm.

“It just seemed like it would have been selfish of me to go [that route]. If I took that [job] for a house and a truck, I would have been sick again in my heart and soul. Not because of anything anybody said or thought, but in my heart, it would have made me sick because I want to give back and help the guys,” said Jackson. “It's a mutual respect [with the guys] where they love me and we love each other. It's a great house. The guys, even the hard ones that come in, they end up opening up and fall right into it, too. If you can last and you don't leave pretty quick, you end up being a part of the family and it's amazing. I get that same kind of love here as I did on the farm with the horses.

“This is my best medicine, to be right here helping the guys and interacting with them every day. It's the best thing that I can do. It's going to keep me alive and keep me sober.”

As Jackson speaks, you can feel the aura of selflessness that shimmers around him. He traveled the road not many make it back from and not only paved a new one for himself, but now does that for others every day.

Stable Recovery gave him the tools and the time, but Jackson dug the foundation and built his own house of healing.

“I'm truly blessed to be able to come in here and use the pain that I've felt to be able to help a man move on with his life and start over. I wake up thankful every day. It's crazy how wonderful that feels, right?”

To learn more, or to donate to Stable Recovery, visit stablerecovery.net/.

The post The Road Back: After 46 Years, William Jackson Finds Solace in Stable Recovery appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Isidro Paez was the freelance groom hired to care for the horse that day. In February, Paez had his license suspended for 90 days by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) for disorderly conduct “under the influence of Amphetamine and Methamphetamine” on Jan. 27, at Santa Anita.

According to the stewards' minutes of the hearing, Paez voluntarily provided a urine sample that day which resulted in a positive finding for both methamphetamine and amphetamine. In explanation, “Paez stated he snorted methamphetamine while attending a New Year's party on January 1, 2024,” the minutes state.

On March 3, Morfin was issued an interim suspension by the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) as a result of Wishtheyallcouldbe's positive post-race test for methamphetamine, a banned substance under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA).

Since then, Morfin has remained provisionally suspended while his case is being processed.

According to John Tyre, Morfin's attorney, because of Paez's chronicled history of methamphetamine use, he has reached an agreement with HIWU that on April 6, Morfin's suspension will be lifted after some 30 days. Crucially for this more lenient sanction, Morfin did not pursue a formal hearing, said Tyre.

The length of Morfin's suspension also reflects a recent shift by HIWU in applying lesser sanctions than in the past for violations stemming from common drugs of human abuse like cocaine and methamphetamine, in accordance with proposed rule changes pending approval by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Rather than confront a possible two-year ban and $25,000 fine for a methamphetamine positive, say, trainers will face a maximum 60-day suspension and $5,000 fine under the proposed rules, if they are indeed approved.

In a note on HIWU's website, it states that the organization “has elected to stay all pending Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program cases whose potential periods of Ineligibility would be affected by these rule updates, including due to either the reduction of the applicable periods of Ineligibility or the removal of the automatic application of penalty points for certain violations.”

“[Morfin] will be back to training the first week of April. And then, that'll be the end of it,” said Tyre, who was quick to add that rampant substance abuse problems among backstretch employees–and its overlap with positive tests in racehorses–is an issue that's far from over, despite the proposed lessened sanctions.

“I've been doing criminal defense work for many, many years, and if it wasn't for methamphetamine, alcohol and marriage, I'd be broke,” said Tyre.

As such, the ultimate insurer rule that places the burden of responsibility solely on the trainer's shoulders is leading to decisions that don't always reflect the complicated nature of the problem, Tyre said. “HIWU and HISA need to conduct some kind of investigation to determine how widespread [substance abuse] is around the backside of the racetracks.”

Coady Photography

THE PROBLEM AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Tyre's suggestion hardly comes as a bolt from the blue.

The long hours, early mornings, sometimes poor pay and living conditions, coupled with the dangerous nature of backstretch work make drink and drugs something of an all-too convenient crutch–especially while blind eyes are turned in an industry where hard-drinking and hard-partying have long been worn as a badge of honor as much as a release from the grind.

Indeed, there's a reason so many exercise riders say they ride better after a drink, why so many shed-row ice machines have bottles of beer nestled in them, and why so many see the antidote to the dreaded four-a.m. alarm clock as an inhalable stimulant. Just look at the numbers.

Since HISA's ADMC program went into effect last year, there have already been 13 either pending or resolved cases for methamphetamine positives, and another two involving cocaine.

Darin Scharer is executive director of the Winners Foundation, a presence at every California track to provide information, support and referral services for backstretch employees and their families going though addiction issues.

Scharer said he was unable to estimate just how many backstretch workers have substance abuse problems. But he doesn't argue with the contention it's significant.

“We're not having the fentanyl problem or the heroin issues that other places have,” said Scharer, about California's backstretches. “But we definitely have a marijuana issue. And we definitely have a methamphetamine issue.”

Indeed, veteran California trainer Hector Palma was suspended for 81 days for a methamphetamine positive, a portion of that time after multiple grooms in his care tested positive for the drug. The positive occurred near the start of the ADMC program going into effect, before the new rules were proposed.

What Scharer bemoans is the lack of any unified approach to providing support to racing's phalanx of essential workers.

“Unfortunately it's only us, Kentucky and New York. That's the only three that I know of,” said Scharer, about the number of jurisdictions armed with substance abuse support programs like the Winners Foundation. “I would love to be involved in a program where we make this more uniform across the country.”

One key obstacle to meaningful movement in this arena is an ongoing cult of shame that surrounds the issue. “There's still a lot of stigma associated with people that have drug problems and mental health problems,” said Scharer. “For people accessing services, it's still a scary thing.”

Another reason appears to be more mercenary.

At a time when the industry grapples with a profound dearth of good, reliable help, there's a fear among some in the industry, said Scharer, that tackling the problem head-on could lead to an even more attenuated workforce. “Sometimes people don't want to know the truth of how bad it really is,” he said.

Though not everyone is as averse to such truth-telling. “I know that Richard Mandella tests everybody in his barn before they go work for him,” said Scharer. “He doesn't want anybody who works with his horses to be working under the influence.”

At the same time, some substance abuse rehabilitation programs offer a tantalizing answer to the industry's staffing woes.

“It could turn the backside upside down,” said Frank Taylor, director of new business development at Taylor Made Farms, about a joint venture he's helped build between Stable Recovery and the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship for men and women suffering substance abuse problems.

The partnership includes two halfway houses and a 12-step program, along with vocational rehab to teach those going through the 90-day course the basics of horsemanship. The idea is to provide them with an avenue towards meaningful employment–in the process, providing a new workforce source for the Thoroughbred industry.

Graduates of this program, said Taylor, have found work at a variety of key farms in the area including Coolmore, Darley and WinStar. “We've got about 10 farms that are currently working with us,” he said.

“If trainers started hiring these people, they would absolutely love it,” Taylor added. “It's just the right thing to do to help these people, give them an opportunity in life. Plus, we're putting them with the most therapeutic animal on earth.”

Taylor estimates upwards of 50 percent of backstretch employees have a potential substance abuse problem. And it's a topic Taylor knows well.

A recovering alcoholic, Taylor quit drinking a few years ago, which is when he visited the DV8 Kitchen, a Kentucky restaurant that provides employment to those in the early stages of substance abuse recovery.

DV8, said Taylor, proved the inspiration for the second chance venture he's built at Taylor Made. What's more, their program works.

“Generally, somebody goes into a 90-day program only about 15% of them stay sober to the end of the 90-days,” said Taylor. “We're running more like 85%. The reason is, they get completely out of their old environment and come out and work immediately.”

While the program is primarily geared towards those with little to no prior horse experience, they've taken on individuals from the racetrack–jockeys, trainers, even farm managers–who act as tutors, said Taylor.

“We'll have them helping the green guys coming in,” said Taylor, who explained how they adapt their program to the skill sets of the individual.

“Folks from the track, they're going to see some guys in there, picking feet and whatnot, and they're going to say, 'do this, do that,'” said Taylor. “The thing about addiction, to get and stay sober, you've got to help another addict.”

Ultimately, Taylor envisages a recovery program with a racetrack backstretch-located dormitory.

“The idea would be to put them through our program, get them sober 90-days, then move them into that dormitory with a house manager and keep the drug testing going,” said Taylor.

“I don't know how it's going to go or how it's going to grow,” Taylor added. “But I know there's a huge need for it. And I know it's a win-win for the industry, for the horses and the horsemen.”

Lisa Lazarus | Carley Storm

HISA'S ROLE?

Substance abuse on the backstretch is on HISA's radar, said the organization's CEO, Lisa Lazarus.

“If we have a significant amount of our population that we depend on to run racing that is struggling with addiction or abusing drugs, I think we have a moral obligation to help those people and to do something for them,” Lazarus said, adding that she's already discussed the need for providing a stronger network of industry treatment programs with those already working on the problem.

For the sake of improving safety and integrity in racing, “it's just not acceptable to say that meth in the workplace is okay. And I think it's everyone's job to fix it,” Lazarus said. “The trainers deserve to have a whole lot of help from racetracks and other organizations to help prevent employees from using meth on the backside. It's not only their responsibility.”

That said, “I would like to encourage more trainers to think to themselves, 'you know what? For $25 more, I don't need the cheaper groom. I could find a groom that I actually know and feel more comfortable with and use them instead,'” Lazarus said.

But given how ubiquitous drug use is on the backstretch, what about those trainers unable to find reliable drug-free help because of the industry's chronic staffing shortage? Or those struggling trainers unable to fork out premium prices?

“I recognize that sometimes it's not achievable,” said Lazarus. “But obviously, the anti-doping system is based on a system of fault. So, when trainers have come forward and have evidence of workers in their stable that are on the drug, they obviously get a much more relaxed penalty because they have an explanation. And that's only fair.”

The “complicated question,” said Lazarus, is how to find the correct balance between “being fair to horsemen and what they can control while also requiring some level of responsibility.”

At the launch of HISA's anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program, the screening limit for meth was the same as for the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), said Lazarus. “We've ended up quadrupling it,” she added, of the screening limit.

Though many cases have been dismissed as contamination, has HISA's approach been a fair one for the horsemen and women so far?

“It may be that the science shows that in time the screening limit needs to be raised,” said Lazarus.

“The one thing I would say is there is no racing jurisdiction in the world or horse sport in the world that doesn't test for and sanction for meth. And actually, our rules are amongst the most lenient with regards to meth because we do take into consideration the risks on the backside,” Lazarus said, pointing to the recent case of Harness racing trainer Clarence Foulk suspended for one year stemming from a 2023 methamphetamine positive.

When asked if the way Morfin has been treated has been reasonable, his attorney, Tyre, responded that the constraints of the system guided their approach.

“If we were to fight the case forward it would take months,” said Tyre, adding how his client could have remained suspended for that period. “This was the best way to get him back to work,” he said.

The post Morfin Meth Case Highlights Backstretch Substance Abuse Problems appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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What he didn't know at the time was whether or not farms would be willing to take a chance on individuals that had been in prison and/or struggled with drug addiction. He soon found out. His programs have been embraced in the Lexington area and several graduates have landed steady jobs and have moved on to meaningful lives.

Taylor joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to talk about his programs and their many success stories. He was this week's Green Group Guest of the week.

Taylor said he arrived at the idea of starting the program when confronting his own alcoholism.

“Once I did it and quit, I started feeling better,” he said. “I was having more fun than I've ever had. It was that that kind of spurred me on to start the School of Horsemanship. It was going to be a 90-day program to teach the basics of horsemanship, to get people started off at, say, a groom level, either for Taylor Made or another farm. I had kind of a tough sales job. I went to my brothers and said, 'I've got this idea, I want to bring in a bunch of heroin addicts and alcoholics and felons in here to work with these horses.' They were looking at me like I had two heads. I just wanted a chance to make it work. They were reluctant because there were a lot of concerns. But here we are, 3 1/2 years into it. We have had a hiccup here or there, but not many. I really think we have changed a lot of lives. We've introduced a lot of people to the horse business and trained a lot of people. The results have been amazing.”

The program has been so successful that Taylor would like to expand, but, for now, it's a matter of one step at a time.

“If we wanted to have 500 people in this program by the end of the year, that wouldn't be a problem,” he said. “We need the space, money and management. The need for something like this is way beyond what we can serve at this point and always will be. It's just such a crisis and a terrible situation. It's destroying society, is destroying families. It's just absolutely one of the worst epidemics in the history of mankind. The beautiful thing is, is we have that huge problem and that we have a huge problem with labor in this country. If you blend those two together, they can help solve each other.”

It's been proven that working with horses can solve all kinds of problems for people, whether that be soldiers suffering from PTSD or individuals with drug issues. Taylor knows that the horses deserve a lot of the credit for the success of these programs.

“The horses, they are like the secret sauce for stable recovery,” Taylor said. “That's something we have that other recovery places don't have. I was born into the horse business and I love horses and they're my passion. But I didn't really realize how therapeutic horses were or understand that part of it until I started seeing people that are broken interacting with those horses and seeing the peace and joy that comes to them immediately. It's just an amazing thing.”

In the stallion spotlight segments, the podcast featured Coolmore's Corniche, who stands for just $15,000. The focus was also on Improbable, who stands at WinStar Farm for a fee of $15,000.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman delved back into the Bob Baffert ban at Churchill Downs, which also extends to the GI Kentucky Oaks, which means the impressive winner of the GIII Las Virgenes S. Kinza (Carpe Diem) will be shut out. Moss agreed that the Derby week races might deserve an asterisk if Baffert's horses are all banned, but he argued that it's not too late for Churchill to change its mind and to lift the Baffert ban. The team took a look at the GII Risen Star S., to be run this Saturday at the Fair Grounds and all agreed it will be by far the deepest Derby prep run so far this year.

For the podcast video, click here. For audio only, click here.

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In this month's installment of TDN's series, 'The Road Back,' we introduce you to Josh Bryan, the former program coordinator for the School of Horsemanship who now serves as assistant to Frank Taylor, the Director of New Business Development at Taylor Made Farm.

If you've ever been to a sale and had a chance to speak with Josh Bryan, you already know that he is a breath of fresh air. During those busy days when most everyone has their nose buried in a catalogue, barely having the time to look up and give a quick nod as you pass each other between barns, Bryan's easy smile as he looks you in the eye and asks about how you've been is a welcomed reprieve from the normal routine.

The sales are Bryan's happy place. He loves the energy, the wheeling and dealing, celebrating when a client's horse goes for a good amount of money. He has a passion for the horses, yes, but what he really enjoys is meeting new people, making someone's day better and carrying out his life's mission of helping others however he can.

Josh Bryan has had a hard life.

He was born with Goldenhar syndrome, a rare congenital defect that affects the development of the ear, nose, soft palate, lip and mandible usually on one side of the body. He had his first corrective surgery when he was just seven weeks old and now, at the age of 31, the count is up to 14.

Growing up in Frankfort, Kentucky, Bryan was constantly going in and out of doctors' offices. His parents didn't want him to get hurt so he rarely got to play sports. He never partied until college, when his life took the worst of turns.

During his freshman year at Western Kentucky University, Bryan's father passed away from leukemia. Two years later, his mother was battling health issues that turned out to be a fatal brain aneurysm.

The Taylor Made crew at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale | courtesy Josh Bryan

With both his parents suddenly taken from him, Bryan turned to alcohol to numb the loss.

“I didn't really feel like I had much to live for after that, which looking back now is total nonsense,” Bryan recalled. “It was a lot of depression and really no sense of purpose. I felt like life really wasn't really worth living anymore.”

Eventually addiction overcame any motivation he had to finish college and he flunked out. He returned home, hoping to get a job with the family business.

Bryan is second cousins to the Taylor brothers. Like almost everyone in the Taylor family, Bryan had spent a few summers as a teenager doing yearling prep. He worked off and on at Taylor Made after his return to Central Kentucky, but his addiction kept him from holding down a consistent job.

One day as he was driving down East Hickman road on the way to the farm, his car broke down. It was cold, and rainy, and he finally hit rock bottom.

“I felt like my life was coming to an end,” Bryan said. “It was either go on like I was until something tragic happened and I lost my life or make a decision to get some help. I kind of cried out to the universe that I had to get out of here. I had this sense of hope that there was more of a purpose for me than continuing on this dark path that was going to lead to me dying or going to jail or killing someone else.”

With the help of Frank Taylor, Bryan got into the Shepherd's House, a residential drug addiction treatment center, in August of 2020. He soon landed a job at Rood and Riddle and worked there as a surgery technician for eight months.

One day he got a call from Taylor, who had an idea to start a project that would teach men going through recovery from addiction a new vocation in the Thoroughbred industry. He wanted Bryan to be the program coordinator.

Together, Taylor and Bryan built the School of Horsemanship and eventually, with the help of Christian Countzler, they launched Stable Recovery, which allows all the participants in the School of Horsemanship to live in one place and go through meetings and support groups together during their time in the program.

As the program coordinator, Bryan taught members of the School of Horsemanship everything they needed to know about the daily care of the horses at Taylor Made.

“These people have never touched a horse and they're kind of timid at first, but once you are with them for a week or two, you see that light bulb come on and you see the passion that I had when I first started,” he described. “It's very heartwarming to me.”

Bryan and Frank Taylor | Sara Gordon

Like many graduates of the School of Horsemanship have already attested, Bryan said he knows there is something about horses that has a positive impact on people going through recovery.

“I think horses have a really good sense of your feelings emotionally,” he explained. “If you go into a horse's stall nervous, they're going to be rambunctious. If you go into that stall angry, they're going to mess with you and make it worse. I remember some days before my recovery I'd go into the barn hungover with a bad attitude and they'd just eat me alive, bucking and trying to run me over. If you go in there with the right mindset and a clear head, they'll love you to death. If you're having a bad day and you go into a horse's stall and give it a big old hug, it just makes all the difference.”

Horses don't notice that Bryan may look a little bit different than the other humans that care for them. This fact helped Bryan as he was first navigating a leadership role at the School of Horsemanship.

“They don't care about if you went to jail or what you look like or where you came from,” he said. “For a long time I wasn't comfortable in my own skin and it took a lot of people and prayer and therapy for me to be okay with it. Sometimes I still don't see myself as a leader, but I've gotten more comfortable with it.”

While Bryan thrived in his role at the School of Horsemanship, recently he was ready for a change as he hoped to grow his knowledge of the sales side of the business. He stepped down as program coordinator, handing the reins over to Joshua Franks (profiled here), and began working directly under Frank Taylor, who also recently took on a new position as the Director of New Business Development at Taylor Made.

Taylor and Bryan work together almost every day, traveling to farms to look at horses and talk with clients. Bryan's eventual goal is to be a Thoroughbred advisor at Taylor Made and maybe, one day, a bloodstock agent all on his own.

As a kid who lost both his parents by the age of 20, Bryan had needed someone to fill a mentorship role in his life and Taylor stepped in to do just that. Now, as Bryan furthers his career in the Thoroughbred industry, he hopes to do right by his family–both the ones who are with him today and those who will always be in his heart.

“I've gotten to the point where I feel my parents spiritually and I'm trying to make them proud even though they're not here physically,” he said. “Frank has kind of been like a father figure ever since my parents passed away. He took me under his wing even when I was out there doing that craziness. He's been a tremendous rock in my life, no doubt.”

“Josh is basically one of my kids,” added Taylor. “We've always worked well together. It's kind of like we're best friends and I think I'm a mentor or father figure to him. I'm very proud of him. Once he quit drinking and got his life in order and spiritually strong, he's on a path to do great things. Big things.”

Because Taylor has fought through his own battle with alcoholism, he and Bryan share more than just a blood relation.

“I guess it's what they call trauma bonding,” Bryan explained. “A lot of not-so-good things have happened in our lives that have brought us together. It's kind of a thing where you have to live it to understand it. I think everybody could learn from what we like to call the Big Book, which is the Alcoholics Anonymous book. They teach you about all these life skills not only on how to help yourself but how to help others. It's really about treating people how you want to be treated and about being compassionate.”

Just last month, Bryan practiced what he preaches when he and Taylor took a trip to Jamaica through a partnership with The Mustard Seed, a foundation that works to help people in need–particularly those who suffer from mental and physical disorders in third-world countries. Among the many projects they took on during their time there, Bryan and Taylor helped renovate a house for the program and added in a new second floor.

“I eventually want to do more for people,” said Bryan. “You've got to have money to help, unfortunately, but that's why I love Frank. He does a lot for a lot of people and that's what I eventually want to do. I do what I can for now.”

All this coming from someone who was handed more than his fair share of hardship and loss, and yet Bryan doesn't really look at it that way.

“I think one thing I've really learned is that just because sometimes you might get dealt a bad hand, the world doesn't owe you anything,” he said. “You get to make the decision on whether you're going to find the strength within, whether you're going to let it harm you or if you're going to overcome it. In recovery we tell people all the time that you have to have the gift of desperation. In the end it's your choice. You can have all this support but at the end of the day it's your decision to change your life for the better.”

“The last three years in recovery have probably been the best three years of my life,” he continued. “I found that sense of purpose that I know a lot of people struggle with. I had lost that connection with God after my parents passed away and I think that has grown stronger every year. I think that was something I was lacking for a while–that trust that everything is going to work out the way it's supposed to. Now I just take my hands off it and trust that no matter what happens, it's going to work out. And it has.”

To learn more, or to donate to Stable Recovery, visit https://stablerecovery.net/ .

The post The Road Back: Josh Bryan Embraces a Second Chance to Find His Purpose appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“It's really a blessing to have such a well-bred horse here,” said Frank Taylor. “She's got a great attitude and she is strong and healthy. Everything is going great so far. The mare is by Liam's Map, who is a half-brother to Not This Time. Those are two of the best horses we ever raised, so it's really exciting to have this filly on the farm.”

Bred by Fred W. Hertrich III, Juju's Map was a $300,000 Keeneland September purchase for the Albaugh family. She broke her maiden in her second start for Brad Cox and went on to claim the 2021 GI Darley Alcibiades S. and run second to Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. A winner and three times graded stakes placed at three, Juju's Map was sent through the ring at the Keeneland November Sale in 2022, but she RNA'd for $1.9 million and stayed with the Albaugh family.

Taylor said the mating of Flightline and Juju's Map produced a good blend of both Grade I-caliber horses.

“The filly has the looks of Flightline, but she also has some of the mare,” he explained. “The mating matches up well physically and pedigree-wise, and you're just breeding the best to the best and hoping for the best.”

Taylor added that Juju's Map will visit Curlin in 2024.

Sara Gordon

As for the foal, Taylor hypothesized that for now, it's a coin toss as to whether the youngster would one day see the sales ring or race in the Albaugh silks. The filly's broodmare sire and his family carry a well-known story on just that subject.

“We had Liam's Map here as a yearling and the Albaughs really never sold many of their horses,” Taylor recalled. “He was by Unbridled's Song and he was the best yearling on the farm, so we talked them into selling him. He brought $800,000 and we were all very excited about the way he sold until he won the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and they syndicated him for a lot more than $800,000. Then fast forward and Mr. Albaugh was back here and we were showing him the Giant's Causeway colt out of same mare and we said, 'Man, this one could bring maybe $1 million or $2 million.' His response was,' Not this time.'”

Not This Time, who was runner-up in the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile for Dennis Albaugh and his family, stands for $150,000 this year as a fifth-crop sire at Taylor Made and is now embarking on a career as a sire of sires with 3-year-old champion Epicenter beginning his second year at Ashford Stud and MGISW Up to the Mark debuting at Lane's End.

Plenty of superbly bred horses will hit the ground at Taylor Made in the coming weeks, but Taylor said there is no denying that having the first foal by a horse like the undefeated Flightline–who stood for $200,000 and covered 152 mares in his debut season–is a special honor.

“You dream about these horses become great racehorses and this filly is really bred to go a distance, so maybe someday we'll see her in the Oaks,” he said. “That'd be a dream come true.”

The post Taylor Made’s Foaling Season Starts with Flightline’s First Foal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The TDN is launching a new series, 'The Road Back,' where once a month we will profile a graduate of the School of Horsemanship and Stable Recovery programs. First up is Mike Lowery, a divisional manager at Taylor Made Farm.

 “My first day at Taylor Made, I was scared to death,” Mike Lowery admits with a grin. He's sitting on the back porch of the Stable Recovery house at Taylor Made during his lunch break. Behind him, grazing mares dot an autumn-hued pasture.

“I had never touched a horse or been to Keeneland until two and a half years ago when I started the School of Horsemanship,” he recounted. “A horse is a really large animal and you want me to be up close and personal with it? I was terrified. But there was one mare that day and I don't know what it was about her. I was going through some things in my early sobriety and it was something about the way that she looked at me. It was weird. I can't explain it. It was like she was telling me that everything was going to be alright and I just fell in love with the horse at that point.”

One home of the Stable Recovery program is in downtown Lexington and the other is at Taylor Made Farm | Katie Petrunyak

Lowery, age 33, has hardly gone a day without being around horses since. Now the divisional broodmare manager at Taylor Made, he is responsible for overseeing 200 horses–managing their daily care, foaling mares every spring and preparing them for the breeding shed, and teaching foals their first lessons on the ground.

“It's a big responsibility, but I'm pretty honored and blessed to have this position,” he said.

A few weeks ago, Nov. 4 marked three years of sobriety for Lowery. Living and working on the farm and leading over a dozen employees, he is worlds away from the hopeless place he had once found himself.

His story before he stepped foot on the path to where he is now?

“It's dark,” he warns, but gives a small smile as he settles back into his chair. He's told this story before.

“Really it started young. When I was 14 I started dabbling in alcohol and marijuana and then it progressively got worse from there. I grew up with a single mother, so I always felt a little different. It got really bad when I was about 21, but it didn't hit home until I was sleeping in the park a few years later in my hometown at Woodland Park. I had an 'aha' moment where I saw myself and I didn't like the way that I looked or the way I felt with the pain and misery that comes along with drug addiction.”

Lowery had tried to reclaim his life many times in the years leading up to when he finally hit rock bottom. He had been to 13 different treatment facilities for short stays, but fell back into addiction as soon as he got out. He always had reservations in the back of his mind that the treatment wouldn't work, that recovery “was kind of BS.” He didn't want to take time out of his life by committing to sitting around a circle at a recovery center for months on end.

“My family is from Lexington and it wasn't that they didn't love me, but they just couldn't see me in the condition that I was in,” he explained. “They kind of cut ties. My mom had me at a young age so I can't imagine what it felt like for her to see her oldest son in that condition. Nobody wanted to see me like that. I thought I was just affecting myself, but I was really affecting the people around me who loved me. My children, my mother. Other people suffered as well.”

When Lowery finally checked into a year-long treatment program, the scale read 147 pounds, which is 100 pounds less than his current healthy weight.

He was living at the Shepherd's House, a transitional residential drug addiction treatment center in Lexington, when he first heard about the School of Horsemanship.

“I heard that this guy Frank Taylor had this crazy idea of taking alcoholics and drug addicts and putting them into the work force because there is shortage of employees in the equine industry,” Lowery recalled.

Lowery was a member of the very first group to join the School of Horsemanship in 2021. He and his classmates were dubious at first, but as they gained new skills like picking feet, showing a horse and cleaning a stall, they found themselves looking forward to what they might learn the next day.

“We were pretty lost at the beginning, but a few guys took us under their wing and showed us the ropes,” Lowery said. “Nobody could really believe that it was working. I still can't believe it sometimes, but it is.”

The Stable Recovery team at Taylor Made | courtesy Stable Recovery

After three months, Lowery graduated from the program and joined Taylor Made as a full-time groom.

Another member of his graduating class was Will Walden, who came up with the idea of starting something similar to the School of Horsemanship on the racetrack. Frank Taylor supplied Walden's venture with its first group of yearlings and Lowery joined Walden and one other classmate in Ocala to help break the babies. Their three-man team–with Walden as trainer, Lowery as groom and Tyler Maxwell as exercise rider–launched their stable at Keeneland last spring and had their first winner at Churchill Downs on May 13.

The barn took off from there and Lowery traveled with Walden from Churchill Downs to Turfway Park to Ellis Park. It was especially at Ellis, three hours away from home, that he realized he didn't want to be working so far from his family. Lowery had several job opportunities back in Lexington, but he ultimately found his way back to Taylor Made. He returned to the farm as a barn foreman and soon stepped up to his current position as a divisional manager.

“I could go work at a factory or do construction or whatever, but it would be the same thing every day,” he explained. “Here, with the number of horses that Taylor Made has, it's always something new every day. I love that and it drives me. It keeps me going because as soon as I think that I know something, I get humbled really quick.”

On any given day, Lowery manages several people in the School of Horsemanship program. It's one of his favorite parts of his job.

“I don't forget where I came from,” he said. “I'm just like those guys. I'm in recovery as well. The only difference is that I've put in a little more time.”

There is something about the horse, he says, that has a significant impact on people going through recovery.

“The way I look at it, we have domesticated them so they depend on us for everything–feed, water, their feet,” he explained. “I really think it gives people in recovery a purpose. Especially in early recovery, if you don't have a purpose then really what are you doing?”

Lowery and his family live on the farm and his two children ages two and four have developed a fondness for their four-legged neighbors. To be able to provide his family with a home in an tranquil environment like the rolling acres of Taylor Made is an opportunity that he never really thought was possible.

“It's special,” he said. “I grew up without a father, so that was something that I never wanted to put my children through but because of the drug addiction I ended up doing that to them. Now I can provide a beautiful home for them and they love the horses here. It means a lot to me.”

Stable Recovery, and its partner the School of Horsemanship, is looking to expand throughout Lexington. Rood & Riddle, Spy Coast Farm, Godolphin and WinStar Farm have already joined the project and there is a current wait list plenty long enough for more partners to join.

Lowery said he knows it might be a big ask for employers, but he can personally attest to the impact it could make.

“Not everybody that comes through here is going to make it or is going to stay sober, so you do have that,” he admits. “But for the most part, the percentage of success is high. You're getting good quality employees that can pass a drug test and will show up every day for work. To me that's all you can ask for. And you're helping people. My life is completely different than what it looked like a few years ago. Back then I wouldn't have known anybody crazy enough to hire guys like me, knowing my previous history. They gave me an opportunity when really nobody else would have, so for that I'm forever grateful.”

The post The Road Back: Once Homeless, Mike Lowery Found Purpose at Taylor Made appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The funding is part of a multi-state settlement with a number of pharmaceutical companies for their roles in facilitating the opioid epidemic.

“We are incredibly appreciative of the Commission's decision to trust us with this funding for our program,” said Frank Taylor of Taylor Made Farm, who is currently serving as interim CEO of Stable Recovery. “As we continue to tighten our program and focus on helping people to recover in the most effective way possible–while also providing the industry with quality horsemen–we can use all the help we can get, and this is certainly a lot of help.”

The mission and growth of Stable Recovery has been covered extensively in the TDN here and here.

“We are really excited for what this funding will allow us to do for our participants,” said Christian Countzler, Stable Recovery's Director of Addiction Recovery. “This will allow us to reach more people who desperately need help and to offer them the opportunity to do something special by learning a trade that is so meaningful in this part of the country.”

Added Dan Pride, COO of Godolphin USA and Chairman of the Board at Stable Recovery: “What a blessing for Stable Recovery and for those individuals entering recovery who will have the opportunity to benefit from this additional funding. We also hope this will allow us to continue to make inroads in the industry as people notice that, not only does Stable Recovery do good for our program participants, but we provide the industry with some high quality, responsible horsemen too.”

The post $300,000 Opioid Abatement Grant to Stable Recovery appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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True Horsemanship: The Heart of Stable Recovery

What stands out about Stable Recovery is its focus on horsemanship as a cornerstone of recovery. Horsemanship is an invaluable skill that is slipping through the cracks in our industry. Frank Taylor's initiative serves as an antidote to this trend, emphasizing the healing power of horses and the importance of caring for them in a way that honors their role in our lives and our industry. 

The Power of the Horse in Healing

The industry has long understood the untapped potential for horses to heal the human spirit. Stable Recovery takes this one step further by incorporating addiction recovery into daily life on a Thoroughbred farm. Frank Taylor's insight into the “secret sauce” of combining horse care with a 12-step program exemplifies the symbiotic relationship between horsemanship and healing.

Stable Recovery | Stable Recovery

Two-Fold Impact: On People and Industry

Stable Recovery is not only a compassionate endeavor; it is a strategic workforce development for our industry. Participants become not just architects of their recovery, but valuable contributors to an industry that urgently needs passionate, skilled workers.

Our Responsibility to Scale

Programs like Stable Recovery should not be anomalies; they should be models for what our industry can achieve on a larger scale. Frank Taylor envisions a future where more Kentucky thoroughbred farms embrace similar initiatives. Here is where the rest of the industry can make a significant impact.

Actionable Steps:

• Investment: Financial backing from within the industry can help expand the reach of programs like Stable Recovery.
• Collaboration and Sponsorship: Involve other key industry players in partnerships to extend these programs' resources and scope.
• Spread Awareness: Leverage media platforms to make these initiatives well known and well understood.

A Challenge to Fans and Stakeholders

To fans and stakeholders alike, your role is indispensable. Social media advocacy, financial support, and open dialogue about the importance of such programs can propel them into mainstream consciousness.

Conclusion

The Thoroughbred industry has a unique opportunity to not only change its social narrative, but also to lead in transformative programs that benefit both humans and horses. Frank Taylor's Stable Recovery is proof that we can simultaneously resurrect true horsemanship while healing lives.

Let us be part of this impactful change, one horse and one healed soul at a time. God Bless!

–Clark Shepherd is the principal of Shepherd Equine Advisers, Inc.

Editor's Note: To sign up for or sponsor an item in the John Hall Memorial Golf Scramble, click here. To make a donation to Stable Recovery, click here. To learn more, visit stablerecovery.net

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Stable Recovery, which Taylor started with the group's current Director of Addiction Recovery Christian Countzler, is at once halfway house and vocational rehab, providing a 12-step program, meaningful employment, and a new workforce source for the Thoroughbred industry.

But with a waiting list longer than he can count, Frank Taylor can't help but wonder, `what if it could be even more?'

Right now, Stable Recovery and its partner, the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship, can rehabilitate 32 people at a time in a 90-day program where men live in one of two houses, do daily therapy and AA, and work at a horse farm. The program was profiled in Chris McGrath's They've Taught Me to be Human Again in the TDN in August. One home for 20 men is in the city of Lexington; another, on Taylor Made's property. The program is financed from fundraisers and private donations, around 50% of which have come from the Taylor family; Frank and his brothers Mark, Duncan and Ben. The ticket is about $600,000 per year.

And while Taylor used to imagine the program spreading to other parts of the country, he said he now realizes the opportunities and growth potential in Lexington before moving on to other cities, due to the sheer number of horse farms and the efficiency of having the program in one place.

A few years ago, Taylor, himself a recovering alcoholic, visited the DV8 Kitchen in Lexington, which operates a restaurant providing employment to men and women in the early stages of substance abuse recovery. Taylor said he was inspired by the atmosphere, quality of food and the obvious satisfaction of the employees.

He was inspired to start the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship in the same model, but didn't act on it, he said, until his son came to him and told him he was an alcoholic.

“It shocked me,” said Taylor of his son's news. “I'm an alcoholic, too, and I drank way too much, but I was functioning. I didn't lose my wife or my family or our business, but I was definitely drinking too much. I had said I would quit drinking a thousand times, and then never did. But when that happened, I actually said I'm quitting and I just quit.”

They say that the best way to stay sober is to help other people stay sober, and Taylor decided he'd do that through TMSH. But it's a big leap of faith to invite a house full of addicts onto your farm, and into your business and your lives.

“There was naturally a lot of concern,” said Taylor. “You're bringing in people with criminal backgrounds, people with addiction. What if a horse gets hurt? What if a person gets hurt? What if somebody ODs? All of these things were big concerns.”

Taylor acknowledged all of those issues to his brothers, but countered with another set of what-ifs.

“I said, `What if we save somebody's life or reunite somebody's family or save somebody's son?' He asked them to let him try a three-month pilot program. He said if something went wrong, they'd just drop the whole idea.

“Three years later,” he says, “nothing has gone wrong. We're three years down the road and now they're more comfortable with it. I think the industry knows about it now. And every day somebody's coming up and telling me, `Hey, I've got a son, I've got a brother, I've got this person and that person that needs help,' and we're able to actually help them.”

Rock bottom isn't just an expression, he said. The reality is that addicts need to reach a point of absolute zero to get the most out of the program.

“The more broken they are, the better,” said Taylor. “In AA they talk about the gift of desperation, where they get so down, so out, a lot of people homeless, or in jail. You get so much pain in your life that you're willing to do something else. The way you qualify to get in the program is to have a real desire to do anything we tell you to do to get sober.”

But of course, the need is greater than the capacity, which has led Taylor to dream. In a perfect world, he said he could see one new center opening per year on a different Kentucky Thoroughbred farm.

The days are rigidly structured, leaving little time for idol thought. They're up at 5 a.m., at a morning meditation and reading by 6 a.m., and are off to work at Taylor Made or another employment by 6:50, where they will work until 4 p.m. They maintain that schedule for five days a week.

Partners in the project now include Rood & Riddle and Spy Coast Farm, with Darley and WinStar ready to come on board. In terms of his employment goals for the men, Taylor has high aspirations.

People outside of the industry are starting to hire the graduates. “We've sent several people to Clark Equipment, and they pay very well,” he said. “We're not just trying to turn these guys into a bunch of grooms. There might be some of them where that's where they need to be, but there are a lot of these people who are highly talented who could do a lot of things. And we want to see them be upwardly mobile, not just stopping at a groom spot or a barn foreman spot. One of the things I'm very proud of is that in three years, we have developed three Taylor Made managers.”

the Stable Recovery team at Taylor Made | Stable Recovery

The program, he said, has changed their lives. “They all have their own houses, they have their own truck, they have insurance, they're making good wages, and they're a key, vital part of our operation. And having them in our management staff, they're empathetic, they understand these people's situation and they're better at mentoring them.”

Stable Recovery has hired a grant writer to look for funding, and is holding the John Hall Golf Scramble fundraising event on October 9, but needs to step up the funding if it's going to expand its reach. Taylor says he's hopeful the Thoroughbred industry will realize the benefits of helping. Those benefits include not only helping those in need and developing a much-needed new work force, but perhaps also a bit of positive PR at a time when the industry desperately needs it.

For a sport reeling from a year in which it has stumbled from tragedy to tragedy, it seems as if supporting and embracing an inspiring program with Thoroughbred racehorses an integral part of the solution would be a positive for which we're desperate right now.

Despite recent events, said Taylor, “There are a lot of good things going on, and this is one of them. We're helping a lot of people. And the thing about Stable Recovery is that we've got the secret sauce. When you throw the horse in the equation of somebody working the 12 steps, it's like a whole different level. I can see it every day. These guys spend an hour with a horse and it's like you couldn't have hired the best therapist in the world to work with them and do any better.”

To sign up for or sponsor an item in the John Hall Memorial Golf Scramble, click here. To make a donation to Stable Recovery, click here. To learn more, visit www.stablerecovery.net

The post Stable Recovery Looking For Room to Grow in Horse Country appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Taylor has served in many roles at Taylor Made Farm, including General Farm Manager, Vice President of Boarding, and Vice President of Sales. He became a partner in the organization in 1982.

“I am so grateful that the KTFMC has honored my father with such a prestigious award,” Katie Taylor Whalen, Taylor's daughter and partner in Taylor Made Sales Agency, said. “I am so blessed to have grown up with such a strong and driven mentor. My Dad has taught me and countless others to dream big, work hard, and trust in God. I have seen him work tirelessly with my uncles to grow the Taylor Made brand and witnessed his dedication to his family, friends, clients, mentees, and the horses under his care. My Dad has a servant's heart and is willing to accept and help people from all walks of life. Whether you are a billionaire or have lost it all in the grips of addiction, his willingness to accept and help is unwavering. I would not be the person I am today without my father.”

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club will be hosting its annual Dinner Dance to honor Frank Taylor at the Carrick House in Lexington on Friday, Dec. 1. A silent auction will be held with all proceeds benefitting Stable Recovery, LLC. Tickets and sponsorships for the event will be available for purchase through KTFMC's website later this month.

The post Taylor Selected as KTFMC’s Farm Manager of the Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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