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GMP Stable Takes Next Step Towards Big Dreams at the Spa

When Gary Gullo retired from training in September of 2020 after 40 years on the Belmont backside, it was with big goals in mind. Gullo teamed up with longtime owner Anthony Melfi to start GMP Stable, an operation focused on breeding, selling, racing and now an equine rehabilitation farm. Gullo and Melfi's main goal has always been to acquire and breed top- quality horses and the first member of their new-and-improved breeding program will be offered at the prestigious Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale next week.

“It's our first time upgrading our mares,” Gullo said. “This is the first time we are actually putting them through the sale and running it as a breeding business. We have one in the Select Sale and two in the [Fasig-Tipton] New York-Bred Sale.”

The horseman continued, “Anthony is a great guy, great to work for. He has the same vision as I have, just trying to be first class with everything. It takes time to do. It is a process. It's not going to happen overnight. We are trying to buy top quality mares in foals to nice stallions. We have them at WinStar Farm. Now we are looking to sell some of the babies to offset some cost and keep it running like a business. We might start to keep a few down the road, but our goal is to breed top-quality horses.”

The GMP team will offer Hip 151, a Curlin filly out of MGISP Cassies Dreamer (Flatter), during the second session of Fasig's Select Sale Tuesday. Consigned by Taylor Made, the bay is the first foal out of Cassies Dreamer, who completed the trifecta in both the GI Frizette S. and GI Spinaway S. GMP Stable purchased the now 6-year-old mare for $435,000 with this filly in utero at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

“It is exciting,” Melfi said of selling a horse in the Saratoga Select Sale. “We can't wait to see how it goes and what she brings. She is a beautiful filly by Curlin. We just love her.”

Just six days later, GMP Stable has a pair of More Than Ready yearlings bred in partnership with Dutchess Views Farm and Robert Valeri set to sell during the second session of Fasig's New York-Bred Sale Aug. 15.

The first to go through the ring will be Hip 523, a filly out of Cinderella Time (Stephen Got Even). A $245,000 acquisition at the 2019 KEENOV sale in foal to Twirling Candy, the 11-year-old mare is already the dam of MGSW & MGISP Horologist (Gemologist).

Their other NY-bred offering is Hip 574, a More Than Ready colt out of Giant Blossom (Giant's Causeway). Picked up for $100,000 in foal to Frosted at the same KEENOV renewal, Giant Blossom is a half-sister to GISW Cotton Blossom (Broken Vow).

“We feel good about our New York-breds as well,” Gullo said. “We are getting our feet wet. We are relying on Fasig-Tipton, WinStar and Taylor Made. We are with the right people.”

Breeding and selling is just one area that GMP Stable dabbles in. They also have 25 horses in training across the country with conditioners such as Todd Pletcher, Linda Rice, Gary Sciacca, Robertino Diodoro and Doug O'Neill. The racing stable is a mix of homebreds, 2-year-old purchases and horses claimed at Churchill with an eye on the Del Mar meet.

“We would like to expand eventually,” Gullo said. “We bought some 2-year-olds and will buy more next year. We will also buy another three of four mares in November. Right now we are claiming horses for some action for us, but we are focusing on the higher quality over quantity.”

Gullo and Melfi's main focus at the moment is their farm, which is geared towards racehorse rehabilitation. Previously the Stone Bridge Farm training center, the Schuylerville, New York facility is an equine oasis with a training track, saltwater spas, Theraplates, magnawave and much more.

“We have a beautiful farm that is set up like a rehab, like Fair Hill,” Gullo said. “We are bringing in a hyperbaric chamber. We have saltwater spas, the vibrating plates, lasers, magnawave, thermal imaging. We have a seven-eighths Tapeta track. We redid the base and put a new cushion on it. We had the guy from Keeneland come and redo it all. We are going to have 50 stalls. We have horses here for Linda [Rice], [Todd] Pletcher and Bill Mott. Wesley Ward came out and loved it.”

The GMP farm also houses a spa for humans, offering a wide variety of services. Additionally, Melfi owns two bed and breakfasts on Union Ave. in Saratoga and plans to tie all of the facilities together.

“The spa is called Sacred Spa and Wellness,” said Melfi, who operated an environmental contracting company, which he sold in 2019. “We offer massage, facials, infrared saunas, chiropractic, acupuncture, body sculpting and basically anything you'd find at a high-end spa or wellness center.”

He added, “I also own Union Gables and the Brunswick. We are in the process of incorporating all the properties together to make it more of a destination.”

Between what they already have in the works and their future plans, Gullo and Melfi have a lot to look forward to with their new operation.

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For Chub Wagon, Tougher Spots Will Have to Wait

Owner-breeder Danny Lopez doesn't know how good Chub Wagon (Hey Chub), the 2021 Pennsylvania-Bred of the Year and 2021 Parx Horse of the Year, is. That's the way it is when you have a filly who is 11-for-12 lifetime and has won seven stakes, but has never faced graded stakes company. Is he curious to find out? Not at all.

“I'd rather be a big fish in a little pond,” said Lopez, who co-owns Chub Wagon with George Chestnut. “We've made a lot of money ($593,600) with her and, by taking it easy with her, she's going to last longer.”

That's pretty much been the play book for Chub Wagon since she debuted with a win on Nov. 16, 2020 at Parx. After two more wins, both in allowance company, Lopez and trainer Guadalupe Preciado got a bit ambitious and sent Chub Wagon to Aqueduct, where she won an April 2, 2021 allowance race by 4 3/4 lengths. She was four-for-four at that point and looked to have more than enough ability to successfully take the next step and compete in a graded race. Instead, she went back to Parx and beat state-breds in the Unique Bella S.

“The name of the game is to win,” said Lopez, a former trainer, who also owns Chub Wagon's sire, Hey Chub.

There were a couple of major races for 3-year-old fillies on the calendar that would have been a good fit, including the GII Eight Belles S. or even the GI Acorn, but the connections didn't waver. There were plenty of races out there worth good money and where Chub Wagon would be going against overmatched rivals. Starting on May 15, Chub Wagon ran three times during a 46-day period and won all three, the Skipat S., the Shine Again S. and the Dashing Beauty S.

The winning streak ended at eight when she caught a sloppy track and finished second in the Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial S. at Parx. She went back to work two weeks later and won the Roamin Rachel S. and, in her lone career try around two turns, the Plum Pretty S. for Pennsylvania-breds.

Lopez and Preciado had hoped to bring their filly back some time in early or mid-spring, but they had a problem establishing a regular work pattern.

“The weather was a big problem,” Lopez said. “Every two or three days it would rain. She would work and then she would walk, jog, gallop and then it would be raining again. That went on forever. So I had to be patient. After a while everything cleared up with the weather”

Chub Wagon returned on Monday in the Power by Far S., a five-furlong race at Parx for Pennsylvania-breds that came off the turf. Winning by three-quarters of a length, she didn't dominate, but it was a game performance in which she showed there was no rust.

What's next? More of the same. It will be the $100,000 Alma North S. at Laurel July 16. The Alma North is part of the Match Series.

“Right now, I'm just thinking about her next race, which will be at Laurel on July 16,” Lopez said. “That gives her 19 days between starts. After that, I'll go from there. After that, it's all open.”

While Lopez understands that people want to see Chub Wagon take on tougher rivals, he said it makes more sense from a bottom-line standpoint to keep doing what he's been doing.

“I'm going to let her tell me, which is the way I have always played it out with her,” Lopez said. “That's why I was able to run all those races together toward the end of last year. She overshadows those horses she's been running against. So instead of running for $300,000 once every six weeks she ran for $100,00 every two or three weeks and wound up making the same amount of money. There is no goal. It's just one race at a time. After her race at Laurel there are all these races at Parx for Pennsylvania-breds. I can come back this year in the Plum Pretty, and that's a $200,000 race for Pennsylvania-breds and we don't have to go anywhere to run. What more could you ask for?”

While Lopez has not yet decided whether or not Chub Wagon will run next year, it's all but certain that once she stops running she will be sold at auction as a broodmare prospect.

“Do I want a broodmare that might not produce anything? No. You see some of these great race mares don't make it as a broodmare,” he said. “Do I want to be stuck with horses that can't run?”

But wouldn't a graded win enhance her value as a broodmare? We may never find out.

The post For Chub Wagon, Tougher Spots Will Have to Wait appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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2022 Thoroughbred Makeover Applications Open For Submission

Applications for the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, are now open for submission through close of business day on January 21. Accepted trainers will be announced no later than February 15, 2021. The 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover Rulebook outlines all rules and information relevant to the competition, with changes for 2022 marked in red and clarifying information marked in blue. Interested applicants can start the process now by clicking on the Trainer Portal at tbmakeover.org.

Entering its eighth year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in ten disciplines for recently-retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a career after racing. Horses and their trainers may compete in one or two disciplines of their choice, including Barrel Racing, Competitive Trail, Dressage, Eventing, Field Hunter, Polo, Ranch Work, Show Hunter, Show Jumper, and Freestyle (a freeform discipline showcasing skills of the trainer's choosing).

Horses and trainers will compete for more than $100,000 in total prize money, plus the coveted title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 12-15, 2022. The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium includes not only the competition, but educational seminars, a vendor fair, the Makeover Marketplace horse sale, and the Makeover Master Class, featuring demonstrations and insight from leading trainers. The Thoroughbred Makeover Finale features the top five horses in each discipline based on preliminary competition and will be live-streamed for viewers at home.

The Thoroughbred Makeover is open to professionals, amateurs, juniors (ages 12 and over), and teams. Applicants are required to provide information about their riding and competition background as well as references, including one from a veterinarian, and video that showcases their riding ability. Competitors do not need to have acquired their horse at the time of application, though they must register their horse no later than July 29, 2022.

Accepted trainers may acquire eligible Thoroughbreds through whatever source they choose, or can ride under contract from an owner. Eligible horses must have raced or had a published work on or after July 1, 2020 and must not have started retraining for a second career prior to December 1, 2021 other than a maximum of 15 allowable rides, intended to allow for trial rides.

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2021 Thoroughbred Makeover Fast Facts:

The 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover was a unique “Mega-Makeover” format, with two separate competition years running side-by-side to accommodate horses from the postponed 2020 competition as well as the regular 2021 class. The week of competition culminated in two separate Finales crowning their own champions
400 horses competed between the two competition years
Over $29 million has been invested into the future of horses participating in the Makeover since its inception in 2013, including health care, training, and more
A total of 4,048 trainers have been accepted since 2013, representing 46 states and four Canadian provinces
A total of 3,641 horses have been directly impacted since 2013
High-profile contenders from 2021 included Breeders' Cup participants Imperative and Ashleyluvssugar, as well as MGSW Page McKenney

39-Year-Old OTTB ‘Rush’ Thriving Under Owner’s Diligent Care

All North American Thoroughbreds celebrate a birthday on Jan. 1, but one in particular is celebrating a major milestone: Dead Solid Perfect turned 39 this year, making him one of the oldest Thoroughbreds alive, reports Blood-Horse.

Born on May 4, 1983, “Rush” is already well past the typical lifespan of a Thoroughbred, which is between 25 to 29 years old. Owned by Bridget Eukers, Rush lives at Windsor Hunt Stables in Connecticut. He is very healthy, Eukers reports, only dealing with seasonal allergies and sensitivity to mold.

Euker's parents bought the gelding for her when he was 9. In his younger years, Rush competed in hunter and equitation competition before retiring from a tendon injury. He and Eukers then trail rode and practiced dressage until he was 35.

Now, Eukers walks Rush and down hills to maintain his strength and flexibility. He can still get up and down easily, she says. Most of Eukers' life has been dedicated to Rush, who now needs a special diet with feedings four times a day. Though his dark bay coat is now graying, Rush is still full of life: he enjoys the occasional walk about when gates are left open, as well as playing with his pasture mate, a spry 25-year-old.