Tag: roger brueggemann

COVID Claims The Life Of Breeders’ Cup, Arlington Million-Winning Trainer Roger Brueggemann

Roger Brueggemann, the Illinois-based trainer of Breeders' Cup winner Work All Week and Arlington Million winner The Pizza Man, passed away on Tuesday after hospitalization due to COVID-19, reports bloodhorse.com.

The 75-year old veteran horseman saddled a total of 1,248 winners since earning his license in 1988. He was a mechanic for 30 years prior to that, but according to longtime owner Midwest Thoroughbreds' website, Brueggemann ended that career when a horse rolled over on him and broke his hip.

Brueggemann earned his first training title at Hawthorne in 2007, and began working for Midwest Thoroughbreds in 2010. Both Work All Week, winner of the 2014 Breeders' Cup Sprint, and 2015 Arlington Million winner The Pizza Man are owned by Midwest. The Pizza Man's marquee victory made him the first Illinois-bred to win the state's premier race.

“He was so important in jump-starting (jockey) Florent (Geroux)'s career, and that win in Arlington Million—since I grew up in Chicago—was as special as any win,” Geroux's agent Doug Bredar told bloodhorse.com. “To see a small-time guy have the opportunity to train a Breeders' Cup winner and then an Arlington Million winner was nothing short of amazing. Now that's he gone, it breaks my heart.”

The post COVID Claims The Life Of Breeders’ Cup, Arlington Million-Winning Trainer Roger Brueggemann appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Work All Week, The Pizza Man Among New Arrivals At Old Friends Retirement Farm

This week, Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, KY, welcomed three new retirees, stakes winner all.

Work All Week, a seven-time stakes winner, was owned and bred by Richard and Karen Papiese and campaigned by trainer Roger Brueggemann. The Illinois-bred son of City Zip was the champion male sprinter of 2014 after capturing the 2014 GR 1 Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint. Work all Week was retired from racing in 2015 at the age of six due to a stress fracture in his right knee with a 13-4-1 record from 19 starts and earnings of $1,511,071. In addition to his Eclipse Award as outstanding male sprinter, Work All Week is a two-time Illinois Horse of the Year.

The Pizza Man, another star for Papiese and Brueggemann, is a multiple GR1 winner. By English Channel out of the Lear Fan mare I Can Fan Fan, The Pizza Man is the only Illinois bred to claim victory in both the GR1 Arlington Million (2015) and the GR1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (2016). He retired from racing in 2017 at the age of eight after being diagnosed with a chip in his left front ankle. He closed his career with 17 wins from his 36 starts and earnings of 2,158,941. Since retiring the Pizza Man enjoyed a second career as a stable pony for his former trainer.

Syndergaard, owned by the partnership of Eric Fein, Christopher McKenna, Harris Fein, Guri Singh, and Jerry Walia, was named after New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard. The New York-bred son of Majesticperfection – Magic Belle, Magical Thinking, was a dazzling 2-year-old under the tutelage of trainer Todd Pletcher, cinching his maiden outing at Saratoga and going on to capture the Funny Cide Stakes over the same oval. That same year he was second in the GR1 Champagne, which led to a start in the 2016 GR1 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile, where he ended up 5th. He later moved to the barn of trainer John P. Terranova II. This year, the chestnut gelding was retired after his last start June 6 at Belmont Park with 17 Starts, 3 Wins, 4 places, 2 shows and earnings: $477, 269.

“We are absolutely thrilled,” said Old Friends President Michael Blowen. “I wish everyone could see the absolute joy expressed by The Pizza Man and Work All Week as they celebrate in their paddock. And Syndergaard is just gorgeous. Thanks to their owners for trusting us and their fans for all their support.”

The post Work All Week, The Pizza Man Among New Arrivals At Old Friends Retirement Farm appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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