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Sixth Annual Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Held At Keeneland

The Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, now in its sixth year in the United States, concluded Friday afternoon during an awards ceremony at Keeneland Racecourse's entertainment center in Lexington, Ky. Winners were announced in a total of seven categories, including the newly added award for Support Services. Caton Bredar served as the master of ceremonies with Steve Asmussen as the guest of honor.

Katie LaMonica, Charities Manager at Godolphin USA commented, “We feel so fortunate to be able to once again bring all of the finalists back to an in-person event. While last year's virtual ceremony still provided a platform from which we could recognize these outstanding people, it just means so much more to bring them to together and let them have their moment in the spotlight among family, friends and colleagues.”

Lee Hall, Vice President of Hallway Feeds, sponsor of this year's Dedication to Breeding Award, said, “It's an honor for Hallway Feeds to be part of such an important and meaningful event. We interact with so many workers from area farms, racetracks and other organizations that we see firsthand what they do day in and day out. To see these tremendous, hard-working individuals get a well-deserved pat on the back is very, very special.”

The full list of winners and runners-up is as follows:

Newcomer Award, sponsored by NYRA
Winner: Olivia Desch, Stallion Season Sales, WinStar Farm
(Runners-up: Emily Csenar Horse Healthcare Assistant, Taylor Made Farm; Joshua McLemore, Assistant Starter, Keeneland Racecourse)

Support Services Award, sponsored by I Am Horse Racing
Winner: Brenda Wilhelm, Operator, Charles Town Race Track Kitchen
(Runners-up: David Kyle, Plant Manager, Fasig-Tipton; Katherine Todd Smith, Horse Identifier, Self Employed)

Katherine McKee Administration Award sponsored by Keeneland
Winner: Kelsey Marshall, Vice President of Partner Relations, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
(Runners-up: Lori Johnson, Associate Registrar, The Jockey Club; Sue Kenny, Office Manager, Herringswell Stables)

Dedication to Breeding Award sponsored by Hallway Feeds
Winner: Calvin Smith, Assistant Broodmare Manager, Runnymede Farm, Pennsylvania
(Runners-up: Luis Coronado, Broodmare Manager, Machmer Hall Sales; Wayne Howard, Stallion Manager, Spendthrift Farm)

Dedication to Racing Award, sponsored by the NTRA
Winner: Lorita Lindemann, Assistant Trainer, Joe Sharp Racing Stable and Brad H. Cox Racing Stable
(Runners-up: Benjamin “Benny” Betts, Training Manager, retired Ocala Jockey Club; Tessa Bisha, Assistant Trainer, Brad H. Cox Racing Stable)

Leadership Award, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute
Winner: Robert Turner, Yearling Farm Manager, Stonestreet Farm
(Runners-up: Billy Sellers, Stallion Manager, Lane's End Farm; Joseph Littrell, Farm Manager, Stone Farm)

Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, sponsored by Churchill Downs
Winner: Nicholas Caras, Program Director, New York Race Track Chaplaincy
Runner-up: Diana Pinones, Director of Racetrack Operations, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association

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Neil Howard Makes His Way Back To Keeneland Winner’s Circle In New Role

Neil Howard was back in the Keeneland winner's circle after the seventh race Thursday with Emory Hamilton's homebred Flanigan's Cove, this time in his new role as the Kentucky assistant for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Flanigan's Cove was the first horse Howard saddled for McGaughey.

Howard, who sent out the final starter of his 43-year career Monday, Oct. 11 at Indiana Grand, had his final Keeneland starter Oct. 8 when Wing Commander ran fifth in an allowance race.

“I am officially done,” Howard said Thursday afternoon. “I had a couple of horses that Shug graciously took over and I put them in his name. I'm just an assistant trainer now.”

Howard is eighth all-time in Keeneland victories with 166 and is 13th in stakes wins with 20. His first stakes victory came in the 1990 Blue Grass (G2) with Summer Squall. He won the Ben Ali (G3) five times, including in 2003 with Horse of the Year Mineshaft. Howard also won the race in 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2016.

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Claudio Gonzalez Records 1,000th Career Victory

On his way to leading all Maryland trainers in wins for a fifth consecutive year, Claudio Gonzalez earned his 1,000th career victory when MCA Racing Stable's He's a Shooter rolled to his third straight triumph in Thursday's seventh race at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Ridden by Kevin Gomez, He's a Shooter ($5.60) was sent off as the 9-5 favorite in a field of seven. He ran seven furlongs on a fast main track in 1:23.80 to win the entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up by 6 ¼ lengths. It was Gonzalez's only starter of the day.

“It's special. It's not easy to win one race, but to win 1,000 races is something special,” Gonzalez said by phone from his native Chile, where he watched Thursday's race with his parents. “I came last week to celebrate my mother and father and today is my last day here. I was waiting a week for 1,000 and on my last day, we did it.”

Breaking from the far outside, Gomez positioned He's a Shooter, a 3-year-old gelded son of noted Maryland sire Great Notion, in the clear three wide as 18-1 long shot Benandjoe went the opening quarter-mile in 23.30 seconds with Going to the Lead racing third in between the two leaders. He's a Shooter rolled up to challenge and take the lead midway around the turn, straightened for home in front and opened up through the lane.

He's a Shooter has now won three of his four starts since returning from a four-month freshening in August. His win streak has come by 28 ½ combined lengths.

“He needed some time off and once he came back he proved that he's a nice horse,” Gonzalez said. “Kevin did a good job. He got good position on the outside and there wasn't a lot of speed, so he did the right thing and kept him just off the lead and rode him just right.”

Gonzalez, a 44-year-old cancer survivor, has been Maryland's overall leading trainer by wins since he relocated full-time from New Jersey in 2017. He owns or shares 17 training titles between Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course, including both full meets in 2021 – Laurel's winter stand and the extended Preakness Meet at Pimlico.

Based at Laurel, Gonzalez has won stakes this year in Maryland with Harpers First Ride in the Deputed Testamony, Miss Leslie in the Weber City Miss, and Completed Pass in the King T. Leatherbury.

“It's not only me. All my team does a really good job,” Gonzalez said. “We do the right thing with the horses all the time and try every day to get better and better. I want to say thank you to everyone. Everyone sees my name there but there's a lot of people behind me.”

Gonzalez originally aspired to be a jockey until he grew too big. He first came to the U.S. as a teenager in November 1995 and soon found work galloping for countryman Juan Serey, New Jersey's leading trainer at the time, staying until 2002.

Following a short stint under trainer Gary Contessa, Gonzalez landed with another leading New Jersey trainer in Ben Perkins Jr. Among the top horses that came along during their time together were multiple graded-stakes winners Wildcat Heir and Wild Gams, Grade 3 winner Max Forever and popular local 12-time stakes-winning millionaire Joey P.

While with Perkins, Gonzalez missed six months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2008. Following surgery and treatment, he has been in remission since.

According to Equibase statistics, Gonzalez's first career win came at Laurel with Quiet Tiara on Nov. 14, 2012. He went out on his own the following year and scored his first stakes victory with Princess Perfect in the Jersey Girl Handicap Sept. 21, 2013 at Monmouth Park.

Gonzalez has reached the $1 million mark in season purse earnings every year since 2013 with a high of $5.2 million to go along with 154 wins in 2020. He won a career-best 174 races in 2019.

A multiple stakes winner over his career, Gonzalez has three graded victories on his resume – the 2017 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) with Chublicious, and the historic Pimlico Special (G3) with Harpers First Ride and Charles Town Oaks (G3) with Fly On Angel, both in 2020.

Other stakes winners for Gonzalez include Afleet Willy, Never Stop Looking, Sweet On Smokey, Completed Pass, Eastern Bay, Lebda, Behemoth, My Magician, Next Best Thing and Miss Leslie.

“When I started, I just wanted to win my first race,” Gonzalez said. “After that, like I say all the time, if you work hard, you're going to win races.”

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Trainer Darien Rodriguez Enjoyed ‘Whole Experience’ In His First Year At Monmouth Park

After spending his first full summer at Monmouth Park this year and then extending his stay through the current Monmouth-at-Meadowlands before he heads to Tampa Downs for the winter, trainer Darien Rodriguez is already ooking forward to returning to New Jersey.

When he does come back the 41-year-old native of Cuba says he will be better prepared.

“I liked the whole experience. I just brought a little bit of the wrong horses with me,” said Rodriguez. “I learned my lesson. Next year I will come North with more older horses and claimers and not as many 2-year-olds. The 2-year-olds I had were at zero when I got them so it took a long time to get them going. Now I have a better idea of what fits here.”

Rodriguez, in the midst of his second-best season since he started training in 2010, will look to extend his success in the state on Friday with Wicked Groove when the all-turf racing resumes at the East Rutherford facility.

A recent claim, Wicked Groove finished second in an off-the-turf $25,000 claimer in her last start at Monmouth on Sept. 21. She will take on a full field of nine rivals, with four alternates waiting, in the mile and a sixteenth $25,000 claimer.

“He's back on grass now, which is where he is at his best,” said Rodriguez, who owns many of his horses.

Rodriguez, who finished the Monmouth Park meet with a 6-6-3 line from 31 starters, tried spending half the year at Presque Isle, Delaware and even Gulfstream Park before giving Monmouth Park a try. His overall win total (30 from 113 starters) and earnings ($534,801) this year are both the second-highest of his career.

“I wish I could have started more at Monmouth Park,” said Rodriguez. “I really enjoyed being there. I feel I did good with what I had, so when I come back next year I will have more horses that fit there.”

Friday's fifth day of the seven-day Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet has attracted 70 entries for the six grass races.

First race post time is 7 p.m.

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