Tag: People

The seven-furlong turf course was dedicated to John E. Mooney, the former Executive Director of Racing, at Delaware Park on Saturday. The dedication ceremony took place after the eighth race as part of the special twelve race Owners Day card. The long-time racing executive officially retired on August 1, 2022.

“This is such a great day and we are so happy to have this opportunity to say thank you to John for everything he has done for Delaware Park,” said Kevin DeLucia, the Chief Financial Officer at Delaware Park. “He has given so much of himself to this sport and this track, so we are honored to dedicate the turf course to him and his family.”

Mooney had been involved in racing in the Mid-Atlantic region for nearly 40 years. Shortly after Delaware Park was purchased and reopened by William Rickman, Sr., in 1984, Mooney was named General Manager. He was instrumental in keeping Delaware Park competitive in the 1980s and early 1990s with his innovative approach to the sport which included the introduction of the very successful Twin Trifecta.

In the summer of 1993, he left Delaware Park to take a similar post with the Maryland Jockey Club and later headed up the drive to establish racing in Virginia as head of Maryland/Virginia Racing which was the group that organized the opening and operation of Colonial Downs. Mooney returned to Delaware Park as the Executive Director of Racing the spring of 2008 at the request of William Rickman, Jr., where he remained.

Mooney was born into the sport. His grandfather, J.D. Mooney won the 1924 Kentucky Derby aboard Black Gold and trained the 1962 Canadian Horse of the Year Crafty Lace. His father, John J. Mooney was a prominent horse racing executive who served at many racetracks including the Ontario Jockey Club where he played an instrumental role in the development of the “new” Woodbine Racecourse in 1956.

As a young man, John E. Mooney worked on the backstretch while attending school and then worked in several Racing Office capacities before getting into the racing services area of the industry working for United Totalizator and he later purchased Jones Precision Photo before assuming race track management positions.

Live racing is conducted on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The 88-day meet is scheduled to conclude on Breeders' Cup Saturday, November 5th.

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Jockey Mychel Sanchez notched his 1,000^th career victory aboard Z W P Stable and Non Stop Stable's Malibu Beauty in the $100,000 George Rosenberger Memorial at Delaware Park today.

The 4-year-old daughter of Buffum won by  eight lengths.  The Maryland-bred trained by Gary Capuano returned $3.80 as the favorite in the field of five.

Thisnameisokay finished second,  ten lengths in front of B B's Busted, with Daniel Centeno, in third.  Malibu Beauty cut early fractions of :48.83 for the half-mile and 1:13.40 for the three-quarter miles before completing the mile and a sixteenth in 1:44.99 over a muddy main track.

The Rosenberger Memorial was originally scheduled to be run on the grass but was transferred to the main track due the overnight rain in the region from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

Malibu Beauty raised her record to seven wins from 22 starts.  She earned $82,500 for her victory in the Rosenberger Memorial, which includes a special $22,500 Delaware Certified bonus, to bring her career earnings to $399,584.

“This milestone win could not have come at a better time in a stakes race on Owners Day at Delaware Park,” said winning rider Mychel Sanchez.  “In the race, she really did it all.  We went to the lead and took control.  After that it was on cruise control.”

Sanchez has two career graded stake victories.  In 2021, he rode Hopeful Treasure to victory in the Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct and in 2018 he rode Dixie Serenade to victory in the Victory Ride Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park.

Sanchez, a native of Venezuela, recorded his first career victory in North America aboard Party Girl Appeal at Parx Racing on July 16, 2013.  This year, he has a 68-66-43 record from 353 mounts that have amassed more than $2.3-million in purse earnings. Overall, his 6,407 mounts have posted 948 seconds and 894 thirds while earning more than $32.5 million in purses.

Through Oct. 1, Sanchez ranks second in the Delaware Park standings with $1,430,987 in purse earnings. He ranks second by number of wins, tied with Carol Cedeno, with 43.

He was co-leading rider at Parx Racing in 2019 and leading rider in 2020. He also was a top 10 rider at Monmouth Park, Laurel Park and Parx in 2021.

While Sanchez has ridden creditably to reach the milestone, his career as a jockey was tarnished in January when he was suspended for 60 days by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission following the discovery he wagered on horses other than is own mounts at Parx Racing. When the suspension ended, several track would not allow him to ride. Nearly five months since beginning his suspension, he returned to the saddle June 22 at Delaware Park.

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Golden Gate Fields is deeply saddened by the passing of longtime Northern California trainer Duane Offield, who passed away on Thursday after a lengthy illness. He was 82 years old.

Offield began his training career in 1976. Throughout a career that spanned well over four decades, Offield saddled 721 winners from 8,038 starters, with lifetime purse earnings of $10,009,202. His most significant win came in the 1990 Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park with Restless Con.

Offield also trained Lilacs and Lace, who broke her maiden at Golden Gate in 2004 before moving to the barn of John Terranova back east. She subsequently went on to win the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland. Among Offield's other notable trainees were stakes winners Filomena Galea and Tense Wager.

“Our racing community here at Golden Gate will greatly miss Duane Offield,” said Golden Gate Fields Vice President and General Manager David Duggan. “Duane was a soft-spoken man who simply loved coming to the track and training his horses. Our hearts and best wishes are with Duane's family and friends during this undoubtedly difficult time.”

Owner Rozamund Barclay, who has employed Offield to train a large portion of her horses since 2014, called Duane “a wonderful man.”

“His horses and his people that worked for him were everything,” said Barclay. “He took care of his barn help and horses like his family. Duane always felt that it was a privilege to make a living doing what he loved.”

Services for Duane Offield are pending.

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Randall Gatlin Brandon, a longtime racetrack veterinarian in the Mid-Atlantic region, died Aug. 15 in his hometown of Camden, S.C. He was 80.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 2, at 4:30 p.m. at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Timonium, Md.

Brandon graduated from Washington State University and followed with an internship at Auburn University. After completing his internship, he was a member of the Teigland Vet Group in South Florida, where he attended to Thoroughbred racehorses at tracks in the area. The following year, he moved to Maryland, where he established his own vet practice serving owners and trainers at tracks including Laurel Park, Bowie Race Course, Pimlico Race Course and Delaware Park.

Brandon's equine clientele not only included the bread-and-butter horses but also stakes winners and classic contenders. He was very old-school when it came to giving veterinary advice to his clients as he chose good horsemanship and not unnecessary procedures and medications.

After 30 years on the racetrack, Brandon sold his practice and returned to South Carolina. The focus of his vet practice turned to assisting his clients in their pre-purchase needs at Thoroughbred auctions throughout the country. Though the horse auction schedule kept him busy and on the road for weeks on end, he and his wife, Kirsty May, enjoyed planning matings for their small broodmare operation which awarded them many bonuses from their New York-bred foals. The Brandons' mares would foal in New York, be bred back in Kentucky, and the foals raised to be sales yearlings at their Dixie Farm in Camden.

“Dr. Brandon was an integral and highly-valued member of the St. Elias Stables' team and even more importantly, a dear friend,” said Rory Babich, Chief Executive Officer of St. Elias Stables. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Kirsty, his children, grandchildren and other members of his family during this difficult time. He will be sorely missed by his many friends, family, clients and his devoted pack of dogs.”

Brandon was the son of the late Gatlin Randall and Frances Johns Brandon. He is survived by Kirsty May; daughters Julie Carter (Andrew) and Lisa Boyle, both of Portland, Ore.; grandchildren Katie and Emma Carter; and brothers Dr. Jeff Brandon (Nancy) of Palm Coast, Fla., and Kyle Brandon of El Paso, Texas.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, 261 State Farm Road No. 8200, Rembert, S.C., 29128; or to New Vocations, 719 Dolan Lane, Lexington, Ky., 40511.

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