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Samantha Smith Joins TOBA As Director Of Marketing And Education

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced today that Samantha Smith has been named as its Director of Marketing and Education, effective February 7, 2022.

Samantha was most recently the Marketing & Communications Director at the United States Pony Club. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and previously served in several capacities at The Jockey Club, including as its Industry Initiatives Specialist.

“I am honored to be joining TOBA and look forward to all aspects of this role,” Smith said. “I am thrilled to contribute to an industry I am passionate about.”

Samantha will oversee the association's marketing, communications, social media, seminars, clinics and special events.

“We are very excited to welcome Samantha to TOBA, as her commitment and knowledge of the sport will help shape our growth as a strong national advocate representing the economic and integrity interests of Thoroughbred owners and breeders,” said TOBA president Dan Metzger.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Catalano’s Next Big Goal Is A Number

Thoroughbred trainer Wayne Catalano can count his career in the industry by a series of numbers.

At 15, the New Orleans, La., native first stepped onto the Fair Grounds racetrack and into the barn of Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg. At 18, he began riding and eventually became a jockey, a job he'd hold for almost 10 years winning 1,792 races.

At 27, plagued by knee issues, he struck out on his own and began training and 38 years later he's still at it. From the countless horses that have passed through his hands he can claim three Eclipse Award-winning champions in Dreaming of Anna, Stephanie's Kitten, and She Be Wild.

“I did not grow up around horses. I was never one of those guys that tell you how they were sat on a horse when they were two and grew up that way,” said Catalano. “I grew up in New Orleans, so I came really late to the game but I had a great opportunity because I started with Jack Van Berg. He was one of the greatest trainers and greatest teachers in the business. He taught horsemanship and hard work and those two ingredients will get you a long way in this business.”

Having banked more than $72 million in career purse earnings, Catalano has no intentions of ramping down. The number that would mean the most to him now would be 3,000—the number of victories he needs to join a class of trainers to have risen to the challenge.

“I have 2,937 wins at the moment,” said Catalano. “We're not too far away considering that there are only maybe 36 trainers in the country who have 3,000-plus wins. We're not slowing down yet; we've still got a lot of life left in us.”

Sixty-three wins, while daunting, seem within the horseman's grasp. Now 65, he's been on a bit of roll in 2021, hitting the board in 95 of his 223 starts to date, 42 of those being wins. For the first time in 10 years, Catalano returned to the winner's circle on the biggest stage in Thoroughbred racing when his 4-year-old colt Aloha West claimed the title in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint Nov. 6 at Del Mar. While the Hard Spun colt only began racing in February, he's proved himself to be a credible runner with plenty of potential to keep the momentum going as an older horse.

“It was really, really nice,” said Catalano of the Breeders' Cup win. “He (Aloha West) is a playful little boy but he's a good boy. He's a nice little horse. He gets a little excited sometimes but he's started to settle down. He's maturing and he's become a good racehorse.”

“We won the trainer's title at Churchill Downs and Kentucky Downs,” said Catalano. “I think we hold the record at Kentucky Downs of 15 wins in five days. We won over 100 races at Churchill, so we have done well.”

These days Aloha West is one of only about 20 horses in Catalano's barn, 12 or so of which are actively racing. He supplements his barn with horses he breeds and races from his own program in Illinois, raising small crops from a band of four mares with the help of his wife Renee.

“We've won a bunch of races with homebreds. They might not have been big races but just to breed a winner is hard enough,” said Catalano. “For more than 30 years we've been living on our farm. We've had a lot of winners and a lot of fun. My wife loves it and she gets to raise the babies in the backyard. It's great. We have three or four mares and we breed to small stallions. We enjoy it and to raise babies and then watch them win is the most incredible feeling.”

Lately, things have been in an ever-changing state for the Illinois resident. After nearly a century, Arlington Park has been closed to the public. The last race on the historic track was run in late September of 2021, and the Chicago Bears signed an agree to purchase the track the same month. Catalano said the general upheaval that the closure has caused in the industry is yet another sign of change in the industry, one that makes life a little bit harder on the horsemen.

“The game is not the same. It's just not the same as it used to be,” said Catalano. “A lot of racetracks are closing. If you're not established, it's even harder. In Chicago when we were there we had the horses and the clientele and it went well. Then they took that away and I got relocated to Kentucky.

“The foal crop and the horses are also light. The crops are so much smaller. There used to be 40,000 or 50,000 horses and now I think it's closer to 20,000. You can see that all the fields are light no matter the money they're giving away. It's also a deal that now the way the industry is today, it's taken a lot of fun out of the game. We used to have a lot of fun. We would gather up before and after the races and have fun. Of course, that being said, when you win the Breeders' Cup, it's always fun. Those are the moments you're there for and you hang on for.”

While his barn might have a smaller roster than his competitors, Catalano is not wanting for talent in his quest for 3,000 wins. At the moment, his most recent Breeders' Cup star Aloha West is taking time off ahead of 2022 campaign that is being mapped out by his owner, Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

“He [Aloha West] will take a couple months off, get ready for another campaign and we'll try to win the Breeders' Cup again,” said Catalano.

Also conditioned by Catalano is Manny Wah, a stakes-winning son of Will Take Charge who ran fifth in last year's Breeder's Cup Sprint.

“Manny Wah probably should have won the Breeders' Cup last year, but we're hoping he can win it this year,” said Catalano. “We can't wait to get him back on the turf. We also have a couple young ones coming.”

A personal triumph for Catalano is the up-and-coming Big Dreaming (by Declaration of War), who holds spot in the trainer's hear as the last foal out of Dreaming of Anna.

“He's a big, good-looking, good-running horse,” said Catalano. “She [Dreaming of Anna] passed away so he's the last baby and he's a good one. [Owner/breeder] Frank Calabrese was very nice to let me have the last baby out of her because we don't really train for him at the moment. He promised me the baby and we've done very well so far. He's a good horse and we're looking at big races going forward.

With a new year on the horizon and plenty of days on the racing calendar ahead, Catalano remains hopeful he'll add the elusive 3,000^th win to his résumé. Numbers aside, the lifelong horseman knows the real joy lies in just enjoying the ride.

“It'll be a little bit but we'll get there,” said Catalano. “We have been on a little run there. We've won seven races out of the last 19 and one was a Breeders' Cup. So I hope that roll continues.

“We've developed a lot of horses. I've been very fortunate to have had opportunities that I took advantage of and been able to race some really nice horses.”

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Navarro Attorney: Former Trainer Facing ‘Almost Certain Deportation’

In addition to a possible federal prison sentence, former trainer Jorge Navarro may be deported as a result of his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit drug adulteration and misbranding. Navarro is one of the most publicly-known defendants in the 2020 federal indictments of trainers, veterinarians, and drug makers in what prosecutors say was a wide-ranging network of people working together to dope racehorses.

Navarro entered his guilty plea to the charge in August and will be sentenced Dec. 17. He may be ordered to serve as much as five years in federal prison.

On Dec. 3, Navarro's defense attorneys filed their pre-sentencing report, accompanied by 100 pages of character references from family, friends, and racing connections. The report indicated that although Navarro legally immigrated to the United States from Panama some 35 years ago, he faces “almost certain deportation to a country where he has almost no familial, social, or economic ties.”

Due to his immigration status, his attorneys say Navarro will likely not be permitted to serve a federal prison term in a minimum-security facility, which means he may be sent to a prison out of state, far from his home and family. At the conclusion of his sentence, he may be transferred into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sent to one of their prisons ahead of deportation.

“Jorge recognizes that his conduct in this case calls into question his care for his horses, but those that know him as a horseman and trainer recognize his genuine love and devotion to his horses,” read the defense report. “At this juncture, having been absent from horse racing for almost two years, Jorge realizes the errors of his ways and is contrite, remorseful, and wishes he could roll back the hands of time.”

A number of former racing connections of Navarro wrote character references on his behalf, including former employees, owners, horse transporters, jockeys, and feed suppliers. Supportive former owners include Ron Hendrickson, Joseph Casciato, Jason Provenzano, Frank Rupolo, Dennis Amaty, and others. Jockeys Jose Ferrer, Isaac Castillo and Manny Jiminez, as well as former jockey Rene Douglas also wrote on behalf of Navarro.

For several letter writers, Navarro's relationship with X Y Jet seemed to stand out.

“Because of his delicate knee conditions, the horse stayed in Ocala for a few months of the year every year to rest and rehab,” wrote veterinarian Dr. Joel Lugo of Ocala Equine Hospital, who noted the horse had two knee operations in 2015 and 2017. “We never discussed the use of any illegal or unethical treatment with him or with any of the other horses. The horse return [sic] to race when we though [sic] the horse was healthy and ready. There was never any pressure from Navarro or the owners. We even discussed his retirement on multiple occasions.”

“That horse loved Jorge; I mean I never seen anything like it,” wrote Navarro's mother-in-law, Cindy Harries. “That horse was mean with everyone and not easy to deal with. That horse was such a diva. Jorge would just stand there and X Y Jet would pin his ears flat against his head and come at Jorge who never twitched, and he would just stop and let Jorge pet him and kiss him on the nose. When X Y Jet died walking in the shed row after a routine gallop, a part of Jorge died too.”

X Y Jet was among the horses specifically named in the federal indictment as having been doped by Navarro, who admitted he gave the horse a blood builder before an allowance optional claiming race on Feb. 13, 2019, at Gulfstream Park and the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

The prosecution's sentencing report is due to the court Dec. 10.

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Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: When To Perform A C-Section On A Pregnant Mare

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock.

Question: Why and when might a veterinarian decide to perform a C-section on a pregnant mare?

Dr. Rolf Embertson, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital: Most C-sections are performed as an emergency procedure in the horse. The procedure is usually performed when other methods to deliver a foal have failed. C-sections are infrequently performed during colic surgery on a term broodmare and infrequently performed as an elective procedure in the mare. Indications for the latter would include a compromised birth canal due to a previous pelvic fracture or soft tissue trauma, a compromised cervix, previous episodes of postpartum hemorrhage, and previous difficult dystocias.

Dr. Rolf Embertson

Before discussing success rates, a basic understanding of dystocia in the mare is warranted. Dystocia means difficult birth. In the mare, once the chorioallantoic membrane ruptures (the mare breaks water), a foal is usually delivered in about 20 minutes. If a foal is not delivered within about 45 minutes, the probability of foal survival starts to rapidly decrease. Thus, this can become a true emergency where minutes can make the difference in survival of the foal. Although less of an emergency for the mare, her reproductive future and even her life may also be at risk. The goal should be to deliver a live foal in a manner resulting in a live, reproductively sound mare.

There are essentially four procedures used to resolve dystocia in a mare. Assisted vaginal delivery (AVD) is when the mare is awake, possibly sedated, and is assisted in vaginal delivery of an intact foal. This is done primarily on the farm. Controlled vaginal delivery (CVD) is when the mare is anesthetized and the clinician is in complete control of delivering an intact foal vaginally. This is usually done in a hospital environment. Fetotomy is when a dead foal is reduced to more than one part to remove the foal vaginally from an awake or anesthetized mare. This can be done at the farm or in a hospital. C-section is when the foal is removed through an abdominal and uterine incision. This is best performed in a hospital. These procedures are used as needed to produce the most favorable result.

The success rate for live foals and live mares that go through a dystocia is significantly better when the farms are close to a hospital that can perform these procedures. This is primarily due to the duration of the dystocia prior to resolution, although this can be influenced by other factors. Realistic example: A mare breaks water and 15 to 20 minutes later, the foaling attendants realize they can't correct the head back posture of the foal. Within five to 10 minutes (now 20 to 30 minutes since the water broke) the mare is loaded on the trailer, the mare arrives at the hospital in 15 to 40 minutes (now 35 to 70 minutes into the foaling attempt). A brief exam, IV catheter placement, anesthetic induction within five to 10 minutes (now 40 to 80 minutes overall), attempt CVD for five to 15 minutes (now 45 to 95 minutes). If the attempt is not successful, the team will perform C-section, foal is delivered in 15 to 20 minutes from when the decision was made (now 60 to 115 minutes from when water broke).

Dystocia mares that are sent to our hospital go directly to a dedicated induction stall. The mare is anesthetized, her hind limbs hoisted so her pelvis is about three feet off the floor. The foal is examined, repositioned, the mare dropped to the floor, and the foal pulled out of the mare. This CVD procedure is successful in resolving about 75 percent of hospital dystocias. About 25 percent of the hospital dystocias are resolved by C-section.

Following CVD, about 39 percent of those foals survive to discharge from our hospital and about 94 percent of those mares survive to discharge from our hospital. Following C-section about 30 percent of those foals survive to discharge from our hospital and about 85 pecent of the mares survive to discharge from our hospital.

Elective C-sections have a better success rate. There is about a 95 percent survival to discharge rate for foals and about a 95 percent survival to discharge rate for mares.

Dr. Rolf Embertson graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology in 1976. He also attended Michigan State where he graduated from Veterinary School in 1979 followed by an internship at Illinois Equine Hospital. Dr. Embertson completed a Large Animal Surgery Residency at the University of Florida, followed by an Equine Surgery Residency at The Ohio State University. In 1986, he became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Dr. Embertson is a surgeon and shareholder at Rood & Riddle.

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