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Trio Of Off-Track Thoroughbreds, Now Police Horses, To Present Colors At Pegasus World Cup

Three retired Thoroughbreds who have excelled at second careers as members of mounted police units in South Florida will help present the colors before the singing of the national anthem Saturday at the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational at Gulfstream Park.

Tizrobertcharles and Guidoinaspeedo, both members of the Davie Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit, and Rockaway, a member of the City of Coral Gables mounted unit, will help present the colors before the playing of Saturday's anthem on Pegasus World Cup Day featuring the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational (G1) and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Championship Invitational (G1).

“Gulfstream Park focuses on racehorse aftercare to provide one time competitors a meaningful second career,” said Mike Lakow, Vice President of Racing at Gulfstream Park. “We welcome these athletes back to the track alongside local equestrian law enforcement. The Stronach Group supports accredited programs so these horses can be retrained, rehomed and retired to caring homes.”

Tizrobertcharles, retrained at the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care (TRAC), was adopted by the Davie unit by former trainer and Officer Gary Cortolillo. An 11-year-old son of Bwana Charlie who won his seventh and final start, Tizrobertcharles patrols the town daily and has attended several special events. 'Charlie' has a soft eye and a great mind.

Officer Mark Groeneveld, 'Charlie's' partner, has been an officer for 21 years and joined the mounted unit in 2019.

Katie Schmit, farm manager and trainer at TRAC, says retired Thoroughbreds can be retrained for lesson horses, therapy horses, trail, pleasure and show and performance horses.

“What makes OTTBs so incredibly special in my eyes is their impeccable work ethic and desire to please,” she said. “They are meticulously bred to win and thus have an inherent need to feel successful. The exposure they receive at such a young age gives them a huge step up when their racing careers are over. When we match their second careers with their personalities, they truly take it from there. They thrive on learning new things and have a love for adventure. We have seen them graduate from our organization and excel in every area imaginable, from simply bringing a smile to their owner's face each morning, to the most demanding athletic pursuits.”

Guidoinaspeedo is a 9-year-old son of Maryland-bred Meadow Monster who also won once in seven starts while racing in the Mid-Atlantic. 'Buddy,' as he's affectionately called, has been with the mounted unit since 2015.

Officer Richard Spradling, 'Buddy's' partner, has been an officer since 2007 and joined the mounted unit in 2019. Spradling has an equestrian background, having ridden Criollo horses in Argentina.

Rockaway, a retired Thoroughbred who raced 10 times in South Florida, is the first documented police horse in Coral Gables in nearly 90 years. Rockaway, who served as a flag horse at Bergeron Rodeo, enjoys the attention he receives from the public. His partner is Officer Ashley Sheran.

Lt. Dan, a 15-year-old Quarter Horse who has been with the mounted unit since 2018, will join Tizrobertcharles and Guidoinaspeedo. Officer Angela Creel is Lt. Dan's partner and has been with the unit since 2016. Lt. Dan will serve as the flag bearer.

Drako, a 21-year-old Belgian-Quarter horse cross, will also join the group. Sergeant Chad Bishop will partner with Drako, formerly a member of the Miami-Dade mounted unit. Bishop has been an officer since 1997. He is currently the K9 sergeant as well as a mounted unit sergeant.

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Report: Gulfstream Considers Adding Tapeta Course To Offset Turf Use

The Stronach Group's COO Aidan Butler told the Thoroughbred Daily News this week that Gulfstream Park may become the first track in North America to have three surfaces, adding a Tapeta surface to its standing dirt and turf courses.

The addition of a synthetic track would offset the use of Gulfstream's turf course, Butler explained, which now faces an increasing work load in 2021 after the closure of Calder. Running Calder as Gulfstream Park West for two months out of the year, Gulfstream officials had been able to give the primary turf course a rest.

Mike Lakow and Bill Badgett were the initial forces behind the idea to install a Tapeta course.

“This was Billy and Mike's idea, that we maybe could get a Tapeta track in there as part of the turf course,” Butler told the TDN. “You would then have the perfect three surfaces. That would rest up the turf a little bit. And should the weather change, it would give you a lot of options to keep turf races together. Also, from a safety standpoint, it would be nice to have more than one surface for training in the mornings.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Gulfstream May Install a Synthetic Surface

Looking for ways to avoid overusing the turf course at Gulfstream Park, The Stronach Group may install a synthetic Tapeta surface at the South Florida track. The news was revealed by Stronach Group COO Aidan Butler during his appearance on this week’s TDN Writers’ Room, presented by Keeneland. Butler said that The Stronach Group is looking into the possibility of having three tracks at Gulfstream, dirt, turf and synthetic.

The grass course at Gulfstream is under heavy use throughout the year, but it had been getting a two-month break while racing shifted across town to Gulfstream Park West/Calder. With Gulfstream Park West having run its last race Nov. 28, Gulfstream officials were faced with either trying to race over the turf course 12 months a year or finding some other alternative. With turf horses tending to run well on synthetic surfaces, a Tapeta track could be used to complement the regular diet of grass racing. It could also be used as an alternate surface when inclement weather would mean a sloppy dirt surface, which often brings about a number of scratches.

“Without Calder, the smart approach would be to put in a synthetic track at Gulfstream and have three surfaces,” said Butler, who was this week’s Green Group Guest of the Week. “We are all aware that we have an amazing turf course. But, using it that much, it does get cut up. And should the weather change, which it often does in Florida, that can decimate a card. These cards can get blown apart. There’s now so many scratches that these cards can become mediocre.”

Butler, who had been working primarily at Santa Anita, recently took on the added role of overseeing the operation at Gulfstream. He said the idea to put in a Tapeta surface was first raised by Gulfstream executives Mike Lakow and Billy Badgett.

“This was Billy and Mike’s idea, that we maybe could get a Tapeta track in there as part of the turf course,” he said. You would then have the perfect three surfaces. That would rest up the turf a little bit. And should the weather change, it would give you a lot of options to keep turf races together. Also, from a safety standpoint, it would be nice to have more than one surface for training in the mornings. This would be a way of approaching the needs that have arisen with the closing of Calder. Calder gave us a break because it gave the turf at Gulfstream Park a rest.”

Gulfstream would become the first North American track to have all three types of racing surfaces–dirt, turf, synthetic–in use at one time.

During his appearance, Butler touched on a number of subjects, including the widely-praised decision to end the post time drag at Gulfstream.

“We all understand that on certain days, on certain races, on certain betting events, like a mandatory payout day on the Pick Six, having a drag gives people more time to get their bets in, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “It can help the handle. There are people who have really studied this. When the drag becomes the norm, it removes any upside or positivity. In the end, I thought all it was doing was to make us look unprofessional. How can you be Gulfstream, in my estimation a track that is as good as any in the world, and not even get the fundamentals of running on time down right?”

In the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, the writers reviewed last week’s major races, including the GI Cigar Mile, weighed in Chad Brown posting comments on Twitter criticizing Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey and addressed the latest problems with the Gmax timing system.

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Costanzo Named Gulfstream Racing Secretary

Michael Costanzo has been appointed Gulftream Park’s new racing secretary, replacing the outgoing Dave Bailey. Costanzo had served as the track’s assistant racing secretary for the past year. A Chicago native and graduate of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, he joined the Gulfstream racing office in 2009 and was its stakes coordinator for five years before becoming assistant racing secretary. He was previously part of the Breeders’ Cup notes team and public relations manager at Calder Race Course.

“We’re delighted with the work Mike has done for more than 10 years at Gulfstream. He’s excelled at all positions and he has a great understanding of the industry,” said Mike Lakow, Vice President of Racing at Gulfstream. “His hard work and dedication has earned him this promotion, which is well deserved. We are confident Mike will build on our year-round program.”

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