Jason Barkley, Norm Casse, Bentley Combs Elected To Kentucky HBPA Board

A trio of thirty-something trainers has been elected as newcomers to the Kentucky HBPA board with the addition of Jason Barkley, Norm Casse and Bentley Combs.

Rick Hiles was re-elected as Kentucky HBPA president, with Frank Jones re-elected as the owner vice president and Dale Romans as the trainer vice president. Also re-elected to the board were owners Mark Bacon, Buff Bradley (who switches over from the trainer side), Mike Bruder and Travis Foley and trainer John Hancock. Trainer R.C. Sturgeon and owner James Williams will serve as alternates.

Hiles, who has been president for 21 years with another 16 spent serving on the board, said he welcomes getting the millennials involved. Barkley (32), Casse (37) and Combs (33) join 37-year-old Foley, who was elected to a third term.

“Everything we've got we fought for,” Hiles said. “Every purse, every benefit, every program back here, the HBPA has fought for. I'm glad to see some young guys getting involved. I'm getting old, and so is Marty (executive director Marty Maline). They need to learn, because they're going to have to take this over. It's good to see some new young people coming to get involved. I'm tickled. It will be good for the organization.”

Barkley and Combs are graduates of the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program in the College of Business. Casse is a graduate of Bellarmine University in Louisville. All three understand well the headwinds encountered when trying to build a stable.

Barkley and Combs said they both learned a lot participating in their first meeting when the board was seated and officers elected on Nov. 23.

“I was just trying to get my bearings, see how everybody goes about their business,” said Barkley, a fourth-generation horseman from the Evansville-Henderson area who began training full-time in 2017. “A lot of those guys have been there for a while. You try to take your cues from them. I want to be an advocate for the horsemen. Sometimes I feel like the big things get handled and maybe the smaller things can fall through the cracks — things we talk about on the rail, (I can) take those to the meetings.

“I hope there are things that I learned at U of L that I can bring over; hopefully give a fresh look to some of the things that the guys have been fighting for.”

Combs, participating remotely from Oaklawn Park, said he was amazed how much he learned from just that session, including possible repercussions with the scheduled implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA).

“I learned a ton of stuff I didn't even know existed, frankly,” said Combs, who grew up in Lexington and also has an MBA from Ole Miss. “… Being on the HBPA board, you get to see the overall business side of it, as far as the money taken in, where it's going, the good causes. The health and welfare stuff they were talking about, I had no idea.”

Having stuck his toe in the water, Combs, who began training in 2017, said he's even more glad he ran for the board, adding, “I want to be a part of the conversation.”

Casse is a third-generation horseman from Louisville who began training in 2018 after 12 years as an assistant trainer for his father, Mark. Casse said his goal is to be “a great representative for the horsemen” and being on the board is one way he can give back to the industry.

“I feel like I've got a finger on the pulse, so to speak, of what we need,” he said. “I owe horse racing everything. It's the right thing for me to do, to start giving my time and helping other people as well.

“It's not like I have any preconceived notions. I'm very green when it comes to this type of the thing. But I want to look out for the horsemen and the best interest of the trainer. I feel it's part of my obligation to give the time to do that.”

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‘A Person I’ll Never Forget’: Racing Industry Remembers Jockey Miguel Mena

Friends and colleagues from across the horse racing industry continue to share stories of jockey Miguel Mena, who tragically passed away Sunday evening in an accident on I-64 in Louisville.

Mena was a fixture around the racetrack and spent nearly every morning breezing horses for different trainers. Away from the racetrack, the 34-year-old native of Peru would constantly update his social media pages with photos of his family, including two young daughters Naelah and Montserrat. Along with his two daughters, Mena leaves behind his wife, April, and many friends and family.

Here are some memories that were shared of Mena:

· Jason Barkley (trainer): “I don't know that I can put into words what Miguel Mena has meant to us from Day 1. He was such a great person to be around and always smiling when he came to work. I was proud to have him ride for us and I was lucky enough to be his friend.”

· Declan Carroll (jockey) – “I've been lucky to know (Mena) my entire life. He was a special person and words can't describe how much he'll be missed.”

· Wayne Catalano (trainer): “Miguel was a wonderful young man. He came in cheerful. He was an unbelievable kid and great rider. I feel for his family and two young girls. They were his everything.”

· Emerson Chavez (exercise rider) – “I have so many good memories and stories to count – each one holds extraordinary value to me. … I'd like to thank him for welcoming me to my arrival in this country and offering me selfless friendship. … I'm devastated, sad and can't understand everything that happened. … Seeing so many people disgraced by his sudden departure only makes me confirm the magnificent person he was.”

· Florent Geroux (jockey): “I lost more than a friend – a true brother. He'll never be able to be replaced.”

· Tim Hanisch (agent): “I really enjoyed working with him. We had a good business relationship together but we were friends outside the track. He was one of my favorite people from the racetrack. He always had a smile on his face and was in a good mood. We'd get dinner together a lot in New Orleans at Fair Grounds. I thought a lot of him as a rider and a person. He had a really severe injury (in 2018) and admired what he showed to come back from something like that.”

· Colby Hernandez (jockey): “Miguel was not just a friend to me, he was family. There are no words that I can ever say to express our relationship. We rode for a lot of the same people and worked together almost every morning and afternoon. Things will never be the same.”

· Brian Hernandez Jr. (jockey): “We are all just going through it together. We all lost such a good friend. Miguel was always in such in a good mood. He knew how to read the racing form so well. I spent the last 15 years sitting next in jocks room. It's just really hard knowing we won't see him in that room again. … There are no words, post or pictures that can describe the honor, respect or love I have for Miguel. I truly loved the friendship we had.”

· Michelle Lovell (trainer): “I will always cherish the memory of us winning my first graded stakes race together. He rode a brilliant race. He's a person I'll never forget.”

· John Ortiz (trainer): “We lost a great friend. He was a wonderful father, husband and just a great person in general. It has been an absolute honor to have worked with him. We at Ortiz Racing send our deepest condolences to Miguel's family. He will be missed by many and especially by all of us here.”

· Dale Romans (trainer): “He was such a good person. I don't know anybody who had a bad word to say about Miguel.”

· Jose Santos Jr. (agent): “Over the past two years I had the fortune to work side by side with Miguel. He was one of the most likable guys I had been around. I think a lot of us who knew Miguel felt the same way. I eternally appreciate all of the opportunities he gave me and I will never forget what we accomplished.”

· Al Stall Jr. (trainer): “There was no question his talent. He caught everyone's eye at an early age. I noticed him at Churchill in the early 2000s. The size of the race didn't bother him at all.”

Churchill Downs will hold a moment of silence following Race 5 Wednesday (approximately 3:03 p.m.). Those who are unable to attend can view the ceremony on “America's Day at the Races” on FS2 or through the simulcast channel on the Churchill Downs LIVE app.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Barkley Lets ‘Quirky’ Spooky Channel Be Himself

Just a week before Halloween, a horse named “Spooky Channel” carried orange-and-black silks to the post at Keeneland. Hunch bettors who were paying attention could have been paid at 7-1 in last weekend's Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes.

Jason Barkley didn't even consider that connection until days after the 6-year-old son of English Channel delivered him the first graded stakes victory of his career. The trainer was too busy planning for the next step.

“I'm kind of an action junkie,” Barkley admitted. “I just love the racing, the handicapping, the figuring out the puzzle. The handicapping side is so much of how it plays out on the track, and you have to have a tactical plan for what is going to happen in the race.” 

That puzzle was part of what led Barkley to claim Spooky Channel for $80,000 on April 30, 2021, a bold gamble that has definitely paid off in just his fourth year of running his own stable.

“We liked his consistency and with the purse structures what they are, there will be plenty of opportunities for him,” said Barkley. “He just tries. You don't win 11 races by mistake, I don't care where you're at. It's evident to everyone that he likes what he does. He's kind of a quirky dude, but we just accept that and do what works for him. We just treat them all as individuals: get 'em happy, keep 'em happy!”

That philosophy is part of the reason Spooky Channel has a large stuffed unicorn that travels with him to his races.

“He doesn't really play with it, but if you take it away, he's not happy,” Barkley said. “He's just a little nervous. He'll stand at the front of the stall and weave a bit, looking for the action, so we also built him a window into the stall next to him, and that's helped him settle down, too.”

Working with and accepting each horse's different quirks has helped the 32-year-old grow his operation: Barkley began with a one-horse string at the end of 2017, and now has 35 head under his care. 

It's where Barkley always envisioned himself, but as with all best-laid plans, the path to that goal was anything but linear. 

He grew up around Ellis Park, a third-generation trainer who helped his father on the weekends and after school. Barkley's logo, a triangle, pays homage to that history.

His parents insisted he pursue a college degree, if only to have a backup plan in case training Thoroughbreds didn't pan out, so Barkley attended the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program. He intended to use the program primarily as a networking opportunity — having grown up at a smaller track, he didn't know the right people to advance his career.

That program is where Barkley met his mentor Tim Capps, a longtime horse racing executive and head of the EIP until his death in 2017.

“He wasn't Mr. Capps, or Professor Capps, just 'Capps,'” Barkley recalled. “If I'd have done exactly what he told me to do, I'd be training harness horses! You know, because they run every week. 

“Whenever you'd walk by his office, you could just go in and talk to him. You'd meet whoever else was in there, talk for like an hour, at least. He was always willing to help, and he had great stories, some clean, some not clean. It was refreshing to go from being a high school kid, who had teachers who were just teachers, to a guy who not only wanted to help you succeed but also could answer any question you had, or could find the answer.

“He introduced me around, and always kind of helped steer me in the right direction. That's what I remember about college the most.”

Barkley spent summers hotwalking at Churchill Downs, gaining experience with bigger stables for the first time, and got a job as a foreman after graduation. He wanted to travel to other racetracks, too, so when the opportunity came to work for Nick Zito, Barkley jumped at the chance.

A year of working for the Hall of Famer, while invaluable, took its toll.

“When you're young, you want to work at the track, but then you do it and there's no free time,” said Barkley. “I'd never had a job that was seven days a week, 365 days a year, and I guess I got a little burnt.”

Spooky Channel with his favorite stuffed unicorn

The young horseman had a girlfriend in New Hampshire at the time, so he moved there and took a job with SmarkPak, then at a casino. It didn't take long for Barkley to realize the racetrack was where he belonged.

“After a year I decided I didn't want a normal life; I wanted a racetrack life,” Barkley said.

He learned that Joe Sharp needed an assistant trainer, and decided to learn about the claiming part of the business while he could. From there, an opportunity with Wesley Ward sparked his interest in learning more about developing young horses.

“My whole plan all along – when you grow up on the racetrack, you know a lot – but I wanted to learn from a lot of people,” said Barkley. “The issues that claiming horses have compared to the issues that babies have are so vastly different, so it was nice to have that experience.”

At the end of 2017, an owner offered Barkley the chance to claim one horse and open his own stable.

“I took the leap,” Barkley said, laughing.

The young trainer figured the best claiming opportunities could be had at Oaklawn Park, so he wintered there, coming home to Kentucky in the spring with six horses. Barkley has grown his stable from there, a “slow grind,” but one with a steady upward trajectory.

Each year he's sent out a few more winners than the year before: he went 1-for-12 in 2017, then won 11 races in 2018, 15 in 2019, and last year had his picture taken 22 times. With two months to go in 2021, Barkley has saddled 20 winners for earnings of $718,685.

Also growing over the past four years has been his family. He and his fiancee, who also serves as his assistant trainer, have a young daughter, so Barkley has had to learn to balance work with a bit of free time.

“When I'm home I try not to work unless my daughter is taking a nap, or after she goes to bed, like 8pm to 11pm at night,” Barkley said. “I try not to take away from the free time with her. It's a little bit of a lack of sleep right now, but I'm still only 32 so I guess I can manage on that right now! You're just trying to have a life as you go, and I wouldn't trade it.”

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Spooky Channel Comes Out Of Sycamore Win In Good Condition

NBS Stable's Spooky Channel returned to trainer Jason Barkley's barn at Louisville's Trackside Training Center Friday night at 7:30 and was doing well Saturday, the day after his narrow victory over Grade 1 winner Two Emmys in the Grade 3 Sycamore at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

For the 32-year-old Barkley, Spooky Channel delivered his first graded stakes victory, which came on the heels of his first stakes victory with the same runner in the Remington Green Sept. 26 at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“No big celebration last night, just started the prep work for today,” Barkley said via text.

The 6-year-old Spooky Channel, the star of Barkley's 32-horse stable, came to the barn at the end of April as an $80,000 claim at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

“We liked his consistency and with the purse structures what they are, there will be plenty of opportunities for him,” Barkley said.

With no grass racing in Kentucky until next spring at Keeneland, Barkley expects to hit the road with Spooky Channel.

“The plan for him will most likely be the ($75,000) Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes (going 1 1/16 miles on the turf) the day after Christmas at Fair Grounds (in New Orleans, La.) with that being a steppingstone for the (Grade 3) John B. Connelly (Turf Cup) at Sam Houston (in Houston, Texas) that he won last January,” Barkley said.

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