Longtime Claiborne Manager Gus Koch Dies at 74

Robert “Gus” Koch, died Saturday, March 20, 2021, at his beloved Mt. Carmel Farm, after a 24-year battle with cancer. He was 74.

The retired longtime manager of Claiborne Farm, Koch was a Marine and a Vietnam veteran.

Koch was the subject of one of the TDN and Keeneland's Life's Work Oral History project, and Chris McGrath's story on him may be read here.

Hired when Seth Hancock took the reins at the farm, Koch was at the helm at Claiborne for 31 years, running perhaps the best lineup of stallions ever assembled. “Secretariat, of course, was the hype name for non-horse people,” Koch told McGrath in 2019. “Then we had Danzig, Mr. Prospector, and Nijinsky. Sir Ivor, Damascus. The stallions we had in that barn were just unbelievable.”

Koch grew up on a gain farm north of Cincinnati. HIs father wrote for periodicals on agriculture as well as on horse racing and auctions.

“We always had riding horses,” Koch said. “My first was a former lead pony from River Downs. Horse named Billy. I loved that horse. My dad just loved racing and we were always at the Keeneland sales, or at the old Latonia, or at a fair meet.”

He volunteered for the Marine Corps when he graduated at High School at 18 in 1966, and was sent to Vietnam in July of that year. He was stationed in Da Nang, and was honorably discharged at the end of his service. His son Matthew also served in the Marines as an intelligence officer.

His first job in the racing industry was for Charles Kenney at Stoner Creek Farm, working on the feed truck. He was exposed to Standardbreds there, and started learning about equine reproduction while working with artificial insemination. After five years, he went to work for E. P. Taylor, at Oshawa, where he worked with Natalma, Northern Dancer and The Minstrel.

In 1977, he was approached by Seth Hancock at the suggestion of Stuart Janney.

“Seth needed somebody who could handle stallions, run a breeding shed, handle broodmares,” Koch told Chris McGrath. “Do the whole thing. I just looked him in the eye and said, 'Seth, I can do this. You want some references?' He said, 'No, I'm a pretty good judge of a man.' I never asked him what he'd pay me. He never asked me what I wanted. We shook hands because both of us knew it was the right thing to do.”

For years, Koch had the pleasure of showing off the most famous racehorse in the world, Secretariat, to the thousands of tourists and dignitaries who came to the farm to see him, including Queen Elizabeth. Koch told McGrath that she had arrived with a camera around her neck, just as all the others did.

“I'd be leaving the farm on a Saturday night, and here comes a vanload of people from Michigan,” Koch said to McGrath. “'We're closed.' 'Aw, we just drove all day. We just want to see the big red horse.' And I'd walk up there and show them Secretariat. That horse could load a camera. He loved to have his picture taken. One of the most photographed horses in history, I'm sure. He just never did a thing wrong: easy to breed, easy to handle, easy to keep his weight on.”

Koch retired in 2009.

“It's a sad day,” said Seth Hancock Saturday. “He was a whale of a man, not only was he a wonderful manager out here at the farm, but he was a wonderful father, wonderful husband, 10 kids, all of them solid citizens. Just a life well lived for sure. He was part of the family, which is a little bit unusual, because he was not from around here, he was from Ohio. He had worked a little bit at Stoner Creek Farm, but he came to us from Winfields, first in Canada, and then in Maryland.

“He wasn't a Kentucky basketball fan,” Hancock said with a laugh, “like everyone else around here is, but he quickly became part of the family just because of who he was, and the way that he lived his life and all the respect we all had for him.”

Dell Hanock recalled him similarly. “Gus was a fine person as well as a good horseman,” she said. “He was always upbeat and just delightful.”

As a parishioner at the Church of the Annunciation in Paris, Ky., he faithfully led the Rosary before Saturday evening mass for nearly 40 years, was a past Grand Knight of The Knights of Columbus (4th degree), and was past president of the Parish Council. Gus proudly served the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club as president in 1987 and was honored by that group as the 2004 Farm Manager of the Year. He was also a past member of both the Bourbon County School Board and the Bourbon Community Hospital Board.

Visitation will be Tuesday, March 23, 5-8 p.m. at the Church of the Annunciation in Paris with Rosary preceding at 4:45 p.m. Rev. Daniel Fister will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial at the church Wednesday, March 24, at 10 a.m. and live streamed on www.facebook.com/paris.cdlex. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Paris. His sons and sons-in-law will serve as pall bearers.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Theresa, and 10 children: Charles (Katie) Koch, Jennifer (Drew) Alvarez, Becky (Mark) Mitchell, Stephen (Wendy) Koch, Matthew (Kristen) Koch, Anthony (Jill) Koch, Amy (Brian) Sellers, Cecilia (Drew) Adams, Gus (Shelley) Koch, and Mary (Bryan) Flachbart, 33 grandchildren and two foster grandchildren.

All five of Koch's sons work in the Thoroughbred industry; Charles, at Lake Horse Transportation; Stephen, 1/ST; Matthew, Shawhan Place; Anthony, Hallway Feeds; Gus, Shawhan Place.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Horse Farm Workers' Educational Assistance Fund (www.horsefarmworkerseducationfund.com) or Church of the Annunciation Building Fund, 1007 Main St., Paris, KY, 40361

The post Longtime Claiborne Manager Gus Koch Dies at 74 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Alda Seeks BC Berth in Natalma

Wertheimer and Frere homebred Alda (Munnings) will attempt to keep her hot streak going and secure a post in the gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Sunday in Woodbine’s GI Natalma S. A second-out graduate at Belmont July 9, the Graham Motion trainee captured the Catch a Glimpse S. going 6 1/2 panels on the local lawn Aug. 23. Finishing second that day was Dreaming of Drew (Speightster), who romped by six lengths in her main track graduation here July 18.

Jimmy Toner ships one in who certainly has the pedigree of a Grade I winner in Seasons (Tapit), daughter of Winter Memories, who won seven graded events, two of which were Grade Is. Seasons won her debut going two turns at Saratoga Aug. 9.

Another debut winner jumping up the class ladder here is Charles Fipke homebred Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), who donned cap and gown by 3 3/4 lengths in a seven-panel event on the Woodbine lawn Aug. 22. Big Big Plans (Point of Entry) also enters off a first-out graduation, winning by six lengths in a $25,000 maiden optional claimer on the aynthetic Aug. 20.

Completing the field are a pair of maidens in Sleek Lynx (GB) (War Front) and Stunning Princess (Cairo Prince). Trained by Mark Casse, Sleek Lynx finished a half-length second as the favorite in a one-mile turf event at Gulfstream July 23. Danny Gargan pupil Stunning Princess was runner-up in a pair of 1 1/16-mile tests on the Saratoga lawn July 23 and Aug. 19. The bay receives Lasix for the first time in this “Win and You’re In” event.

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Lady Speightspeare Earns Top Billing In Sunday’s Natalma Stakes

On Saturday, trainer Roger Attfield and owner/breeder Charles Fipke will be looking to knock off some big game in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile and earn a fees-paid berth in Keeneland's Breeders' Cup Mile with Shirl's Speight.

On Sunday, the same connections will be hoping to land another Grade 1 prize with Lady Speightspeare, who will be making just her second lifetime start but looms as the horse to beat in the $250,000 Natalma Stakes.

The Grade 1 Natalma, a one-mile turf race which attracted seven two-year-old fillies, also is part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” series with the target race the $1 million Breeders' Cup Fillies Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on November 6.

Attfield was not surprised when Lady Speightspeare, who like Shirl's Speight was sired by Speightstown, was in the spotlight in her debut, scoring by 3 ¾ lengths over seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. The trainer did allow, however, that he was impressed with the flair she showed in her front-running victory.

“I think she probably did it a little more fashionably than I would have expected,” he said.

Last Sunday, Lady Speightspeare turned heads with a five-furlong “breeze” in :58.60 on the training track turf course.

“She worked very, very well,” said the venerable Attfield, who will be seeking his third Natalma title after clicking with future Horse of the Year and Canadian Hall of Famer Alywow in 1993 and with Llanarmon 20 years later.

Emma-Jayne Wilson, who rode Llanaramon, will be eyeing a second Natalma score as she retains the mount on Lady Speightspeare.

Trainer Mark Casse is the all-time leader in Natalma history, having not only fielded seven winners but also been responsible for the top three finishers twice and the exacta on another occasion. Most prominent on that list is Catch A Glimpse, who went to win the BC Juvenile Turf Fillies and become a three-ply Sovereign Award winner including Horse of the Year in 2015.

Casse's candidate this year is Sleek Lynx, an English-bred whose dam, Sarah Lynx, romped over some formidable opposition when invading from France for the 2011 Canadian International. Owned by prominent Casse patron Gary Barber, Sleek Lynx will be making just her second career start after finishing a troubled second as the odds-on choice in a one-mile maiden turf tilt at Gulfstream Park on July 23.

“She's a nice filly – probably should have won her first start,” said Casse. “She's a filly we've been high on since we got her. I didn't think there was any way she could get beat, but she did. But she's trained well, and I would expect her to run well.”

Two of Casse's Natalma winners were maidens going into the race: Sprung (actually a first-time starter, at 48-1) gave the trainer his first Natalma success in 2006 and Victory to Victory his most recent in 2016. Rafael Hernandez picks up the mount on Sleek Lynx.

Catch A Glimpse has a local stakes race named in her honour and Alda and Dreaming of Drew, the 1-2 finishers in that 6 ½-furlong turf race for two-year-old fillies, are decided threats as they renew hostilities in the Natalma.

Alda, based at Fair Hills, Maryland with trainer Graham Motion, was coming off a maiden win over six furlongs of turf at Belmont when scoring by a nose under Steven Bahen in the Catch A Glimpse. Bahen won the 1998 Natalma aboard Dance Diane.

Seasons and Stunning Princess, both invading from New York, add intrigue to the Natalma lineup.

Jimmy Toner trains Seasons, who was up in time as the odds-on choice when debuting at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Saratoga in her first and only start on August 9. Toner won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly with Masseuse back in 2007 but has not had a starter here since 2011. Luis Contreras, who rode Northern Passion to victory in the 2011 Natalma, will do the honours on Seasons this year.

Stunning Princess is a maiden but has recorded two good second-place finishes in as many starts over 1 1/16 miles of turf at Saratoga for trainer Danny Gargan. Kazushi Kimura has been engaged for the ride on Stunning Princess. Gargan will be making his debut north of the border.

Rounding out the field will be Big Big Plans, who was an impressive winner over 5 ½ furlongs of Tapeta when debuting with a $25,000 claiming tag.

All starters have been assigned 121 pounds.

The Natalma Stakes is scheduled as the ninth race on Sunday while the companion Grade 1 Summer Stakes is the seventh race. Both Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races will be broadcast live on TSN2 from 4-6 p.m. ET.

First race post time on Sunday is set for 1:10 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action via HPIbet.com.

FIELD FOR THE GRADE 1 NATALMA STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Stunning Princess – Kazushi Kimura – Danny Gargan

2 – Seasons – Luis Contreras – Jimmy Toner

3 – Sleek Lynx – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

4 – Dreaming of Drew – Justin Stein – Barbara Minshall

5 – Alda – Steven Bahen – Graham Motion

6 – Lady Speightspeare – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield

7 – Big Big Plans – Larry Munoz – Nick Gonzalez

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