Dustyn Stortzum, age 24, has been named the new track announcer to begin the 2023 Thoroughbred racing season at Fonner Park.
Stortzum, who lives in Silver Creek, Neb., replaces Grand Island native Steve Anderson, who called races for 19 years at Fonner Park but passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer.
Dustyn's father and uncle were both jockeys early in their lives and currently work in the Nebraska Thoroughbred racing industry. His mother and several extended family members have also been involved in the Nebraska Thoroughbred racing.
Dustyn has an Associates Degree in Radio/Television Broadcasting from Northeast Community College; while there he won the collegiate division of the 2018 Nebraska Broadcasters Association Pinnacle Awards. In 2020 he received a Gold Award in the College Student TV division of “Best Live Sports Event.” He is currently a semester away from graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Media and Communications.
Dustyn has had only one racecall broadcasted. When at Fonner Park in April 2022, interim announcer Gary Schaff allowed him the memorable opportunity. Prior to then, he had been working with Steve Anderson to learn about racecalling. Dustyn has been refining his skills with the help of fellow announcers and broadcasters, Bobby Neuman, Larry Collmus, former Fonner Park announcer Chris Kotulak (now Fonner Park CEO) and others.
“Dustyn has a solid foundation in broadcasting for his age and his resume of work has impressed me,” said Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak. “Hugh Miner Jr. hired me in 1986 without me having called races anywhere. He he trusted me with a variety of responsibilities which helped through my career. I believe in Dustyn just the same and am delighted to give him a similar opportunity.”
“I would like to thank my mentors, my parents and my sister for supporting me through all the ups and downs in my early broadcasting career. Without their support, I wouldn't be in this position today,” said Stortzum. “I'm ready to have some fun at Fon.”
There are times in the careers of some athletes when everything suddenly comes together. Junior Alvarado is enjoying one of those times.
He broke through with his first Breeders' Cup victory last autumn when Cody's Wish staged a dramatic last-to-first rally to win the Grade 1 Dirt Mile. He registered his 2,000th victory on Jan. 21 when Broadway Force broke his maiden for trainer Jimmy Jerkens at Gulfstream Park. He recorded another huge triumph one week later at Gulfstream, when he executed the game plan to perfection to win the $3 million, G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational aboard Art Collector.
“That's what makes everything worth it now,” said Alvarado, 36, who was honored as Jockey of the Week.
Success has not come easily. Injuries have occurred with alarming regularity, forcing him to rebuild his business each time. He has required four shoulder surgeries. An ankle injury needed seven months to heal. He broke his collarbone three times. He broke his back twice.
“He's just had so many hurdles in his career with injuries. He gets taken off a lot of horses,” said Kelly, his wife. “He's at an all-time high right now. It's just falling into place for him. We're very grateful, thankful and excited.”
While his riding ability has always been respected, the native of Venezuela has struggled to gain opportunities given steadily to the nation's premier riders. He rides regularly for Hall of Famer Bill Mott but only occasionally for many other leading trainers. In his quest for a Triple Crown win, he took fourth with Mohaymen in the 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) and fourth with Zetterholm in the 2012 Preakness (G1).
Even Mott had turned elsewhere for a rider for Art Collector, a 6-year-old multiple graded-stakes winner, to the frustration of Alvarado and his agent, Mike Sellitto. “He's been following that horse for awhile,” Sellitto said, “always hoping to get an opportunity to ride him one day.”
One day came when Luis Saez, Art Collector's regular pilot, thought he had a better shot in the Pegasus with Get Her Number for trainer Peter Miller and accepted that mount instead. They finished ninth of 12.
Junior Alvarado has been a 'go-to' rider for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott
Art Collector had been running on the front end for Saez. After the son of Bernardini wilted to be fifth in the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic (G2) at Churchill Downs in his final start last season, Mott was eager to try a change of tactics. He wanted Art Collector to sit off an expected strong pace in the Pegasus, then pounce.
Plans rarely come to fruition in racing. Alvarado made sure this one did.
“I've really got to give him a lot of credit. He rode him perfectly,” Mott said. “We talked about it beforehand, how the race might shape up, and he rode him just the way we scripted it.” Art Collector made the lead by the top of the stretch and roared off by 4 ½ lengths.
Alvarado was equally masterful in the Dirt Mile, a race that severely tested horse and man after Cody's Wish broke slowly. That plan was for them to be forwardly placed. Instead, they were at the back of a very talented pack.
Alvarado's previous races with Cody Wish told him to stay cool. “When he's ready, you let him go. You don't get in his way,” the rider said. “The more you get in his way, things go sideways with him real quick. He will try to run off. He will do everything you don't want to do.”
Alvarado knew to respect the wishes of Cody's Wish. “I think he's a great horse, but he has his own mind,” he said. “Don't try to make him do something. That's not him. He says, 'Don't get in my way and I'll take you there.'”
They launched their rally pretty much when the horse decided it was time, with Alvarado making sure only to keep him in the clear. He will never forget that last sixteenth of a mile as they dueled Cyberknife, ridden by Florent Geroux.
Godolphin's Cody's Wish and Junior Alvarado defeat Cyberknife in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
“I could feel the will he had to win the race,” Alvarado said of Cody's Wish. “He put his head low and he wanted to win it as badly as I wanted to win it.”
The Keeneland crowd roared its approval of the head victory. By that time, the story of Cody's Wish had been well-documented. The Godolphin homebred was named after Cody Dorman, a courageous teenager afflicted with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
Dorman is unable to walk and uses a tablet to communicate. The experience of meeting him had a profound impact on Alvarado. Kelly and Junior have three children – Adrian, 12; Adalyn, 7; and Axel, 3. The rider makes sure to devote his off days to his family, saying he wants to “create memories” with them.
Alvarado used Dorman's example to provide perspective to his children. “I mention to my kids 'Look at what he's going through. It hasn't been easy, not even one day in his life. We have everything. We have everything we need.'”
Merry Christmas 2022. Our traditional photos with Santa. So much fun for all of us.
What a special year this has been for our family. Thankful and grateful for all of you. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a happy and healthy new year pic.twitter.com/j5wQ7ILo1i
Sitting trackside at Clocker's Corner at Santa Anita on Thursday morning was legendary trainer Ron McAnally, who at the age of 90 continues to breed mares while maintaining a five-horse stable made up of exclusively homebreds at Santa Anita.
“I come out here when I can,” said McAnally, a three-time Eclipse Award winner who was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1990. “We're having some problems over at our house in Tarzana, so I need to be there a lot. But I love to come out here because the horses we have here all belong to us.”
McAnally has had one starter at the Classic Meet, the homebred Roses and Candy, who finished seventh in a starter/optional claimer on Jan. 3. In 2022, McAnally had 12 starters with one winner.
At the forefront of McAnally's mind on Thursday was a pair of unraced homebreds, He's Our Maker and Charm Your World, who are full siblings to 2021 Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World, who McAnally also bred with his wife Deborah. Both He's Our Maker and Charm Your World are by Candy Ride out of McAnally's broodmare Charm The Maker.
He's Our Maker, a 3-year-old colt, has been galloping at Santa Anita and is nearing his first work. Charm The Maker, a 2-year-old filly, is scheduled to arrive at Santa Anita from Kentucky next week.
“This business is hopes and dreams,” said McAnally, who is best known for guiding the Hall of Fame gelding John Henry to seven separate Eclipse Awards including two Horse of the Year titles in 1981 and 1984. “Horses have been my life and I've got to continue to be as good as I can as long as live.”
According to statistics from Equibase, McAnally has saddled 2,592 winners with more than 260 of those coming in graded stakes. In addition to John Henry, McAnally was also the trainer of Hall of Famers Bayakoa and Paseana.
Newly-crowned JRA Champion Jockey Yuga Kawada is the latest rider to be confirmed for the International Jockeys Challenge at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Feb. 24, the opening day of The Saudi Cup meeting.
Kawada, 37, who sealed his first Japanese championship in 2022 having finished second to Christophe Lemaire from 2019 to 2021, will compete against the likes of Frankie Dettori, Joao Moreira, and last year's winner Caitlin Jones.
Kawada said: “It is a rare opportunity to meet with my friends from all over the world and I am very much looking forward to riding together with them. I understand this could be the final opportunity to ride against Frankie Dettori and Joao Moreira, who are two jockeys that I respect greatly.
“My hero is Frankie Dettori. There was a TV program called 'World Horse Racing' which my father loved. He used to always record it and we would watch it together.I remember Frankie and Lammtarra in 1995 – that gave me a lasting impression. Since then, Frankie has been my hero.
“This will be my first visit to Saudi Arabia. In fact, I was invited to IJC in Saudi Arabia last year, however, as I would have had to spend a quarantine period on return to Japan, due to COVID-19, I decided not to travel to Saudi unfortunately. I would like to thank the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia for inviting me again, and look forward to riding in Riyadh for the first time on 24 February.”
Three-time German Champion Jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev, who is currently enjoying a spell riding in Japan, has also been confirmed for the IJC.
Like Kawada, the 30-year-old Kazakhstani jockey will be making his first venture to Saudi Arabia for the four-race event.
Each of the four IJC races carry a prize fund of $400,000, with a further $100,000 reward for winning the challenge itself.
The 14 jockeys are made up of seven international female riders and seven male riders; five international and two local. The jockeys will receive 15% of the prize money won in each of the four races.
Our traditional photos with Santa. So much fun for all of us.
