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Six Stakes Wins See Joel Rosario Voted Jockey Of The Week

Joel Rosario's amazing weekend at Keeneland included six stakes wins, three alone for trainer Wesley Ward, leading to Jockey of the Week honors for March 29 through April 4. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Rosario began opening weekend on Friday with mounts in eight of the nine races. His stakes haul started with the Palisades Turf Sprint aboard Chasing Artie for Trainer Wesley Ward. Rosario rallied Chasing Artie from last place at the top of the stretch to win over the favorite, Fauci, in 1:03.46 for 5-1/2 furlongs.

Next, trainer Shug McGaughey gave a leg up to Rosario on Scarlett Sky in the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3). Sent off as the third choice in the field of six, Scarlett Sky took control in deep stretch to win by a half-length in 1:43.89 in the turf contest.

Winning two stakes races at Keeneland is an accomplishment but Rosario was just getting started.

On Saturday, California-based trainer John Sadler tapped Rosario to ride Flagstaff in the Commonwealth (G3), a seven-furlong contest on the dirt. Flagstaff collared the leaders inside the sixteenth pole to draw off for 1-1/4 length victory in 1:21.84.

In the Shakertown (G2), Rosario rode Bound for Nowhere for trainer Wesley Ward. Off as the slight favorite in the field of 12 and racing in midpack outside of horses, Bound for Nowhere hit the front in the final strides over Imprimis and Paco Lopez stopping the teletimer in 1:02.19 for 5-1/2 furlongs over a “good” turf course.

Rosario's Grade 1 stakes double started with Malathaat in the Central Bank Ashland. Malathaat caught Pass the Champagne in the shadow of the wire in 1:42.94 for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Shadwell Stable. In the following race, trainer Wesley Ward engaged Rosario to ride Kimari in the Madison who surged to the front in midstretch to win by three-quarters of length in 1:21.53.

“Thank you to everyone: Wesley Ward, Todd Pletcher, everyone else who gave me an opportunity,” said Rosario. “It was an amazing day. I thought I had some chances to win but you never know, so it's just great to have the opportunities and be able to win.”

Rosario's weekly stats were 18-7-4-2 with a 38.9% win percentage and total purses earnings of $950,652.

Rosario out polled Irad Ortiz, Jr. who was leading rider by wins including six on April 3, Flavien Prat who won four stakes including the Santa Anita Oaks, Umberto Rispoli who won the Santa Anita Derby and Luis Saez who won three stakes at Keeneland including the Toyota Blue Grass and accounted for the stakes races Rosario did not win.

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Alice Headley Chandler, Owner Of Mill Ridge Farm, Dies At Age 95

Famed Kentucky horsewoman and owner of Mill Ridge Farm, Alice Headley Chandler passed away peacefully at her home in Lexington, Ky. on April 6, at the age of 95. She was the first of three children born to Hal Price Headley and Genevieve Molloy Headley.

Chandler founded Mill Ridge Farm in 1962, and built it into one of Kentucky's major breeding farms. She became one of the most respected figures of her time in the sport of racing.

With many leadership roles in numerous equine organizations, Chandler served as chairperson of the University of Kentucky Equine Research Committee and president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. She also served as director of the Breeders' Cup, Keeneland Association, and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

In 2009, Chandler received the Eclipse Award of Merit, and in 2006 was recognized by the Kentucky State Senate for her service and contributions to the racing and breeding industry. Most recently, Chandler was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in the category of Pillars of the Turf for 2020, which recognizes people “who have made extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing in a leadership or pioneering capacity at the highest national level” and includes her father, Hal Price Headley.

When Chandler stepped down from her leadership position at Mill Ridge Farm in 2008, she said, “I have lived a blessed life, doing just what I want to do: associate with the finest horses, clients, friends, and an industry that I love.”

Chandler is survived by her husband of 49 years, Dr. John Chandler; her children Patricia, Mike, Reynolds and Headley; eight grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Following is a statement from Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin on Chandler's passing:

“Keeneland mourns the passing of Alice Headley Chandler, Racing Hall of Famer and owner of nearby Mill Ridge Farm who served as a guiding light that helped shape the success of Keeneland. Mrs. Chandler was an exceptional horsewoman who devoted her talents to caring for her beloved Mill Ridge, its horses and clientele, and her dear friends and family. Respected by horsemen internationally, she was a tireless ambassador for the Thoroughbred industry and applied her leadership skills to make extraordinary contributions for the betterment of the sport.

“Mrs. Chandler's life is inextricably linked to Keeneland. Her father, fellow Racing Hall of Famer Hal Price Headley, was Keeneland's co-founder and first president, and she grew up at the track. Following his death in 1962, Mrs. Chandler established Mill Ridge, which she developed into a leading breeding and sales operation grounded by her father's philosophy of making the horse the priority.

“Throughout her life, Mrs. Chandler played a pivotal role in Keeneland's history. She bred 1968 Epsom Derby winner Sir Ivor, whom Mill Ridge sold at the 1966 Keeneland July Selected Yearling Sale for $42,000 to Raymond Guest. The colt's achievements boosted Keeneland's reputation as an international auction house. While operating Mill Ridge, Mrs. Chandler held numerous industry leadership positions and continued her father's service to Keeneland. She was a member of the track's Board of Directors for 23 years. In 2012, Mill Ridge's racing colors appeared on the Keeneland Club button, an honor that recognizes prominent members of the industry.

“Mrs. Chandler was among the 2020 inductees in the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame as a selection in the category of Pillars of the Turf, which recognizes people 'who have made extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing in a leadership or pioneering capacity at the highest national level.'

“Mrs. Chandler also was named the 2005 Honor Guest for the Thoroughbred Club of America's annual Testimonial Dinner.

“Mrs. Chandler was a pioneer in our industry in many ways, and her lifelong motto of 'Take care of the horse, and it will take care of you' represents an important part of her legacy both at Mill Ridge Farm and at Keeneland. Keeneland extends its deepest condolences to Alice's husband, Dr. John Chandler; sons Headley Bell, Mike Bell and Reynolds Bell, and daughter, Patricia “Tish” Bell, and her entire family.”

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Saratoga Faith’s House Is Michael Dubb’s Latest Effort To Benefit Backstretch Families

For Michael Dubb, few experiences in racing compare to the satisfaction of joining another of his horses in the winner's circle after a stakes win at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park or Saratoga Race Course.

But that doesn't begin to match the feeling that Dubb, a thoroughbred owner and Long Island developer, derives from his real calling at the track: putting together daycare centers that benefit the children of backstretch workers.

“There isn't anything I'd trade in racing for the smiles and success that our daycare center at Belmont Park has had with children who have passed through its doors with a firm foundation under them,” said Dubb, who serves as a New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) board member and is the founder and chairman of the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA). “That's why we're so proud of what we're doing in Saratoga, which will continue to improve the lives of backstretch families.”

Dubb refers to the scheduled opening this summer of BCCA's new childcare center for the backstretch community at Saratoga Race Course. The 4,300-square-foot facility going up inside Gate 16, a furlong or two from the Oklahoma training track, is being funded by Dubb and his wife, Lee. It will be called Faith's House in honor of Mr. Dubb's late mother, Faith; and completes the circle of having child care during the summer meet at Saratoga and year-round at Anna House.

The Saratoga facility will provide child care and early education programs for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children of backstretch workers, and the children of trainers and front-side NYRA employees. Faith's House will complement BCCA's sister childcare center Anna House, which Dubb built and opened in 2003 for families of the Belmont Park backstretch.

“All working parents deserve to know that their children are being cared for in a safe, healthy and enriching environment during the workday,” said Dubb. “We are thrilled to extend this important program to the hardworking families of the Saratoga backstretch community, who provide a vital service to the racing community.”

The anticipated summer opening coincides with the annual summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which brings approximately 950 backstretch workers and their families to the Spa. The opening of the new center is contingent upon licensing approval from New York State and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

Dubb's passion for the track kicked in early. In 1973 at the age of 17, he was a self-described “misfit,” a recent high school graduate who spent much of that summer shuttling back and forth to Saratoga Race Course in the van he used for his landscaping business. At night, he and his friends slept on the floor of the van to save a few dollars.

In the mid-1980s, Dubb worked with a bank, which was using his landscaping service, to finance the development of some lots in East Meadow, Long Island. He became a builder and business grew rapidly. Today, Dubb's Beechwood Organization ranks at the forefront of privately-owned residential homebuilders nationwide. Since 1985, Dubb, now working with his son Steven, has built more than 7,500 homes in 60 communities across the New York metro area with new ones on the map in New York City, Long Island and Saratoga.

Dubb credits retired Hall of Fame rider Jerry Bailey, who he knows from playing tennis, with generating the idea of creating a facility at Belmont Park where the children of backstretch workers could go while many of their parents were at the track, often working long hours. Meeting with NYRA officials, Dubb secured the land, an acre just inside Gate 6, and funded a large portion of the building of Anna House, which he named for the daughter of racehorse owner and generous donor Eugene Melnyk.

It was around then that Dubb also became an owner. Though Dubb calls owning racehorses a hobby, he devotes time most evenings to his stable with the same commitment and attention to detail that he uses in running his business. “I look at each horse I own as an individual investment,” he said. “But I look at all the horses I own as a stock portfolio. Underperformers are moved along and there is a constant push to upgrade the portfolio.”

That philosophy has paid off handsomely. The winner of seven year-end NYRA owner titles, Dubb has campaigned some memorable horses, including Eclipse Award-winners Monomoy Girl, British Idiom and Uni. Another of Dubb's horses to wear his stable colors of yellow with a pink rose and pink cap was Condo Commando, winner at Saratoga of the 2014 Spinaway, the final race called by Tom Durkin.

It's at Saratoga where the Dubbs and the BCCA team look forward to cutting the ceremonial ribbon at Faith's House.
“This new facility fulfills a dream that the BCCA has been working on for over 10 years,” said BCCA President Libby Imperio. “We are so excited to bring a winning formula in child care to Saratoga and forever grateful to Michael and Lee for their leadership in making it happen.”

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Case Clay, David Ingordo Added To Leadership Of Kentucky Equine Education Project

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky's equine economic advocate, announced the new leadership of KEEP's Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors unanimously approved the promotion of Case Clay to become the Board's Chairman. David Ingordo was unanimously approved to become the Board's Vice Chairman. Clay and Ingordo replace Doug Cauthen and Ken Jackson, who will both continue serving on the KEEP Board. Additionally, Courtney Schneider was added to the Board of Directors.

Clay is the Chief Commercial Officer of Three Chimneys Farm. Ingordo is the owner of Ingordo Bloodstock. Schneider is the Director of Sales at Shawhan Place and is the current President of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club.

Elisabeth Jensen, KEEP's Executive Vice President who oversees the daily operations of the organization, commented, “I am thrilled to have Case and David taking on the leadership roles of the KEEP Board. Doug and Ken did an incredible job over the past three years, shepherding KEEP through an evolution that led to our investment in workforce development and our recent legislative successes in Frankfort. I know that Case and David will build on this success and take KEEP to even great heights.”

Clay added:: “I am very excited to continue working with the staff and the Board at KEEP and building on the momentum that we have at the moment as a result of tackling the challenges we recently faced with historical horse racing. I was encouraged to see the industry come together for the greater good in a short amount of time. I think we have opportunities ahead of us with regard to growing our relationships in Frankfort, as well as engaging and including all horse breeds and disciplines in the Commonwealth.”

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