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Case Clay at Magic Millions

by Jessica Owers and Oz Wedmore, TDNAusNZ

Case Clay was in the headlines last month with his announcement that, after 20 years with Three Chimneys Farm, he was going solo. This week he finds himself on the Gold Coast, and we caught up with him to learn a little more about the next chapter of his career.

Nearly 20 years ago, American bloodstock agent Case Clay did an interview with a local Kentucky newspaper. He said that succession, complicated as it was when it came to family business, didn't always go to plan.

Succession was something Clay knew all about as a young man and native of Midway, Kentucky, because his father, Robert Clay, founded Three Chimneys Farm in the early 1970s, which stood among its pastures the likes of Seattle Slew and Dynaformer.

In that 2004 interview, Clay said his father had never asked him to join him at Three Chimneys Farm, but the more the pair talked, the more the younger Clay learned about the racing and breeding industry.

By the time 2013 came along, and the Goncalo Torrealba family bought a controlling interest in Three Chimneys Farm, Case Clay was well on his way in a brilliant industry career of his own.

This week, the American finds himself ensconced on the Gold Coast, with its palm trees, stiff sunshine and Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

“There aren't many industries that would allow me to go swimming the surf in the morning, then go straight to work,” Case said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “This is a global business and it's taking us to places we may not otherwise get to go.”

Arrowfield Years…

Clay's bloodstock duties are just one feather in his cap these days.

In America, he is the racing manager for Willis Horton Racing, he has an equine insurance business and buys horses for various clients and, in Australia, he is the American representative for Arrowfield Stud. He manages about 20 mares on this side of the world for clients, but his relationship with Arrowfield goes back a long way.

“I worked for Arrowfield about 20 years ago and John Messara has been a mentor for me,” Clay said. “So, about five years ago, I started working for Arrowfield again, this time as an American representative. We recruited some mares down here to Australia, and there are few of their offspring selling at this very sale this week.”

In those early years that Clay was at Arrowfield, Redoute's Choice (Aus) had his first crop to the track and Not A Single Doubt (Aus), his white-socked son, won the Strawberry Hill Slipper at Wyong, leading home Oratorio (Aus).

That was in 2003 and Clay was trackside at Wyong that afternoon with Messara. One start later, Not A Single Doubt won the Listed Canonbury S.

“John and his partners were very encouraged about what Redoute's might do, so it was very exciting to see how it's developed,” Clay said.

One of Clay's interesting sidenotes this week is his association with the American stallion Gun Runner, which, given Gun Runner has no yearlings on the Gold Coast this week, isn't as odd as it first sounds.

The Three Chimneys stallion was announced in 2022 as being offered to Southern Hemisphere time.

“Gun Runner has got off to a really great start in America, and the goal is to see what he can do in Australia and Japan,” Clay said. “He's already had some in the pipeline from his third and fourth crop, and there's some breeding this year in 2023, and they're trying to expand that in the Japanese and Australian markets.”

Clay has complete faith that Gun Runner, a six-time Grade I winner, will work in Australia. The horse is an ideal outcross, which will suit so much of the local broodmare band that is heavily Danehill-influenced.

Additionally, Gun Runner is from a Giant's Causeway mare, and that's a sire line that has worked in these waters in the past.

So how does Clay think breeders should access Gun Runner in Kentucky?

“I would think the most logical way in, to keep expenses down in not sending a mare up and then back, would be to purchase a mare either privately or in the November sales in Kentucky,” Clay said. “Then either breed on Southern Hemisphere time and ship down, or, if the mare is already pregnant, foal down and then breed to southern time before shipping down.”

It's a routine that Australasian breeders are getting used to, especially in the last few years with the popularity of Frankel (GB) and that horse's brilliant strike rate in Australia. At Banstead Manor, Frankel is likely to cover around 50 mares in the European off-season, meaning plenty of breeders have committed.

“I think you get what you pay for,” Clay said. “It's a quality exercise.”

Friends in High Places…

Just before Christmas, Clay announced his departure from Three Chimneys Farm. He'd done a lot of things in his life, like graduating with an economics degree from DePauw University, and even working in advertising for a time, but for 20 years professionally, he'd been with Three Chimneys in Kentucky.

It was a farm he knew all about, right from his parents' tenure through to the Torrealba era, and he was critical in recent years to its client relationships, both domestically and abroad.

Somewhere in the middle, he had started Case Clay Thoroughbred Management, a bloodstock agency of sorts. It negotiates private and auction purchases, manages portfolios and makes representations, among other services, all the while with Clay in his role at Three Chimneys Farm.

But the time came to go it alone and he kept the farm on as a vital client, which will only work in Gun Runner's favour.

Case isn't a stranger to sire power, growing up, as he did, on Three Chimneys. The property has been home to Seattle Slew and Dynaformer, as mentioned, but also to the likes of Rahy, among others.

“I feel lucky to have grown up at Three Chimneys who, by way of Seattle Slew, had a lot of top-end breeder clients,” Clay said. “Some of those clients have become generational, lifelong friends, from Kentucky to Europe, Australia and Japan. And we just happen to buy and sell horses to and from each other, which has been mutually beneficial. My other clients have found it valuable as well because they have private access to top stock.”

A good example of this symbiosis is the German-bred mare Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}).

As a 2-year-old, she caught the eye of Bal Mar Equine's Paul Varga, who was keen to buy her from Germany. The filly's then owner, Gestut Ammerland, was a long-time client of Three Chimneys and, via good friend Crispin de Moubray, Clay helped to make the purchase happen. Dalika went on to be a Grade I winner.

Another example was the Distorted Humor mare Magical World, whose private sale from Daisy Phipps Pulito to Three Chimneys was brokered by Clay. The mare has since produced three stakes winners and she sold for a staggering $5.2 million at Fasig Tipton's 2021 Lexington November Sale.

Her multiple Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' daughter, Guarana (Ghostzapper), sold at the same sale for $4.4 million.

Case also brokered the deal that sold Ivanavinalot, a daughter of West Acre to John Antonelli. The mare later became the dam of multiple champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro).

As such, this American is right at home in the palm-fringed, sun-soaked environment of Magic Millions. It's a long way removed from his other hobby–skiing–but if his popularity on-complex is anything to go by this week, the father of three is well-liked and well-known.

It's early in the piece for him as a solo agent, but he's most looking forward to the people in his job because people are what it's all about in this line of work.

“I'm really looking forward to continuing to build my bloodstock management/insurance business, and providing clients access to quality via relationships,” he said. “And hopefully get to the winner's circle in the process.”

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Pioneering Racetrack Photographer Bob Coglianese Dies at 88

Bob Coglianese, whose work from Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack served as the standard of excellence in racing photography for a generation, died Friday in Boynton Beach, Florida, the New York Racing Association has announced. He was 88.

Coglianese had been ill for several months after a fall requiring surgery.

As NYRA's official track photographer for more than 50 years, Coglianese was noted for images of horses from Kelso and Dr. Fager to Secretariat, Affirmed and Cigar, and most of all for his iconic head-on shot of Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont Stakes, which Sports Illustrated called the greatest racing photo of the 20th century.

“My father worked almost 300 days a year taking photographs at the track, and he treated every day like it was the Belmont Stakes,” said his son Adam, who took over the business from his father in 2013. “Every day was the same–the same dedication to the racing industry and to NYRA. He taught me everything I know, and when I teach people who work for me or amateur photographers, I go back to the advice and the lessons my father taught me.”

“Bob Coglianese was a giant in the world of racetrack photography, with his images among the best ever taken of thoroughbred racing,” said Dave O'Rourke NYRA President and CEO. “Bob combined an extraordinary work ethic with a knack for innovation and a passion for the sport. He was a master at the craft and a mentor to countless photographers working today. NYRA offers our condolences to Bob's family and friends, and we look forward to honoring his memory in the months ahead.”

Secretariat, with jockey Ron Turcotte up, won the 1973 Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths to become racing's ninth Triple Crown winner, and Coglianese's memorable head-on shot captures the magnitude of what many consider to be the greatest racing performance ever. The image still crops up in books and magazine features and is commemorated in a floor-to-ceiling mural on the first floor of the Belmont Park grandstand.

Bob Coglianese photo

As was his style, Coglianese underplayed how he happened to get the shot. “It was a big race, it was the Belmont Stakes, and there was a photo stand over there and I was on it, shooting the race,” he said in 2018. “It just so happened I got that shot.”

Coglianese earned two Eclipse Awards for excellence in racing photography. “He would always say the Eclipse Awards were luck,” said Adam, “but he was very proud of his Eclipse Awards. For a long time, he was the only person who had won two Eclipse Awards. He captured two images that you couldn't duplicate if you tried.” Coglianese was also the winner of the George Featherston Award in the mid-eighties.

His Eclipse Award-winning photos came in 1972, when he caught a horse and a bird hitting the wire at the same time at Aqueduct, and in 1980 for “The Savage,” a photo of the 1980 Tremont S., where Great Prospector reached over and savaged the winner, Golden Derby.

Coglianese was part of NYRA's small and elite fraternity of official photographers with roots going back more than than a century. In 1952, while in his teens, he went to work at the New York tracks, assisting his uncle, Mike Sirico, who had been a NYRA photographer since 1920. Sirico had been brought into the game as an apprentice to famed Charles C. [C.C.] Cook, whose New York track photos date to the very first years of the 20th century.

In 1955, Sirico took over as NYRA's official photographer. Coglianese assumed the role in 1962, and was succeeded by his son, Adam, who holds the position today. Along the way, Bob Coglianese's pictures became memorable not just for all the famous horses and races he covered from Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course as well as Gulfstream Park in the winter, but sometimes as historical documents that demonstrate how racing has evolved.

Adam and Bob Coglianese | NYRA photo

On March 14, 1969 at Aqueduct, Coglianese was on hand to record Barbara Jo Rubin's victory aboard Bravy Galaxy, which made her the first female jockey to win a race in New York. And he was also there during the post parade where, as Rubin recalled a few years ago, people were yelling at her to give up racing and go home. He was also there afterwards when Rubin was warmly congratulated by future Hall of Famer Angel Cordero; the photo of the two of them appeared in newspapers around the country and signaled an acceptance of Rubin in New York that had eluded her elsewhere.

He shot the numerous celebrities who came out to the races as well. “He used to go on and on about the celebrities,” said Adam. “I remember growing up and he told me that he shot Barbra Streisand and asked her to hold up an Aqueduct program. He'd say, `just imagine getting Barbra Streisand today!'”

A strict taskmaster who insisted that people do their job properly, Coglianese was joined by his son Adam in the business after graduating from school in the early 1990s.

“It was my decision to go into the business in the nineties after college,” said Adam. “It was at the tail end of film, which was a heck of lot more involved than the digital world we live in today. I had to be at work on time, I had to develop the film, I had to get my hands wet. My father didn't give me a break when it was raining or snowing or it was freezing. I went through the same tutelage that my father went through because my father worked for his uncle, Mike Sirico.”

Adam worked alongside his father for 20 years before Bob Coglianese retired in 2013. Before his full retirement, when he felt comfortable leaving his son with the business, he started spending winters in the South of France, with which he had fallen in love. Later, owner Seymour Cohn introduced him to Anguilla, and he began spending winters there. But even after retirement, he spent summers at Saratoga.

“He would spend the summers at the booth at Saratoga with my mother, selling his famous photos, current champions and the prominent horses of the year,” said his son. “And he would have countless interactions with people about the history of the photos, and how he took this photo and what horses he liked. He would argue with people that Seattle Slew was better than Secretariat and vice versa, and voice his opinion about who he liked best.”

The Savage | Bob Coglianese photo

Among his favorite photos were two workout shots of Secretariat. “He recalled how beautiful the horse looked,” said Adam. “The way Ron Turcotte on him was so stretched out. He always spoke of that picture.” The second picture of one of Secretariat's works served as the model for the statue in the Belmont paddock. “He said it was shot in the early morning hours at a very slow shutter speed,” said Adam.

But while he will always be intrinsically linked to Secretariat, his son said he saw and remembered so many of the greats. “His favorite horses were Seattle Slew, Kelso. They just go on and on. He saw countless champions, and not just Secretariat. His first time at the racetrack was in 1952, when Native Dancer broke his maiden, and he kept that program his whole life.”

Coglianese is survived by his wife Rosalind, son Adam, grandson Ethan and daughter-in-law Tia Sozzi.

In lieu of flowers, the Coglianese family asks the horse racing community to kindly consider a donation to the Belmont Child Care Association, the Backstretch Employee Service Team or the New York Race Track Chaplaincy.

These non-profit organizations provide a host of services and support to the backstretch community in New York, and Bob valued their collective mission deeply.

“He loved going to the track,” said Adam Coglianese. “He loved sitting in the backyard talking to people. It was always about the history of racing in Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct. He loved what he did. Loved it. And he was definitely the pioneer of racetrack photography.”

Tributes

“I have known Bob since I was five years old. My father was the assistant trainer for Robert DeBonis back in the 70s and 80s. Bob was one of the greatest guys that I've ever met. A great photographer. I became friends with Adam and they're like family to me. I can't say enough good things about Bob. He was always a gentlemen to me, since I was a kid. Back then, you couldn't bring a kid into the win photo and my father would sneak me in and somehow, Bob would let it happen. As a kid, it was the biggest deal in the world to be in a win photo. I won a race today, the fourth race at Aqueduct, and I swear Bob was watching over me.” -Jay Provenzano, Flying Partners Racing

“I was the photo services coordinator at NYRA from 1985-1987, and, as a 22-year-old when I started the job, I was terrified of Bob. He would call me down to his office when he would find an uncredentialed photographer in the winner's circle, and I would ride down the elevator with dread. I would get a loud and serious lecture—very loud and very serious–about his rights as the contract holder for NYRA, and would be informed that it was my job to make sure that contract was enforced, and that I wasn't protecting his rights. And you know what? He was right. He taught me more about doing my job properly than anyone I ever met. I came to enjoy our long talks about his winters in Nice and Anguilla, and will miss his warm smile and big heart.” -Sue Finley, TDN Publisher

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Coglianese family. Bob Coglianese's legacy will live on through his beautiful & legendary photographs. How lucky the New York racing community was to have him and to have his son continue in his footsteps.” -Sackatoga Stables

“Legendary Bob Coglianese was one of our sport's all-time great photographers. He shared the magnificence of our sport with the world. Condolences to all who loved him. Thank you, Bob, for your life's service to our industry. You inspired so many of us.” -Barbara Livingston, DRF photographer

“RIP Bob Coglianese. He once told me the story of (The Savage), which he said became his biggest seller (even more than Secretariat's Belmont). He took this picture with what I believe is called a plate camera, which gives a photographer one chance to get the image they want. When he went into the darkroom after the race, he didn't like this shot because he felt the rail ruined it, so threw the plate in the trash. Someone else saw it and pointed out how unique it was, so he decided to develop it. The rest is history. Think of how many great horses and races Bob Coglianese photographed over the decades. It is truly amazing. What a professional he was at his craft and what a life he lived. Sincere condolences to Adam and the rest of the Coglianese family, and all who knew (him).” -Ray Paulick

“Very sad news that the fotog titan Bob Coglianese has passed at 88. In addition to his legendary talent with a camera, innovative spirit and tireless work ethic, he was warm, generous, caring and funny. Deepest sympathies to Ros and Adam, his countless friends and admirers.” -Steve Byk

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Turcotte: Secretariat Was Better

Secretariat vs. Flightline (Tapit): Who was better?

“I think Secretariat would have beat him,” Secretariat's jockey Ron Turcotte said of a hypothetical match up between the two legendary horses. “That's no knock against the other horse. He's a beautiful horse. Well put together. I can't fault him in any way. But he has hasn't done enough for me to say he is better than Secretariat.”

That's not to say that Turcotte isn't a Flightline fan.

“He's a fabulous horse,” he said. “We don't know how fast he could run.”

Turcotte, 81, resides in Drummond, New Brunswick, Canada. He watched the GI Breeders' Cup Classic live on television and took a look back at Flightline's previous races on YouTube. He sees some similarities between Flightline and Secretariat.

“He's very muscular like Secretariat,” Turcotte said. “He's got a real large stride like Secretariat and it looks to me than he's taller than Secretariat was.”

But Turcotte added that he finds it difficult to compare a horse who ran only six times to Secretariat, who made 21 career starts.

“There aren't enough races for me to really judge him,” he said. “It's very hard to judge a horse against Secretariat when he only had six races. Secretariat was a machine The same goes for some of the great horses like Kelso. He won the Gold Cup five times in a row. I rode against him and know what a great horse he was.

“I would have loved to see Flightline run another year because it's very hard to judge him on just six races. it would have been much better for racing if they ran him another year, but I can understand why the people did what they did, with all the money there is now in breeding.”

Turcotte said another factor that makes a comparison difficulty is that Secretariat did not run as a 4-year-old while Flightline did.

“Comparing a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old, that's awful hard to do,” he said. “Secretariat was just maturing when he was retired. His last two races were just unbelievable.”

He also pointed to Secretariat's versatility and the track records Secretariat set in his three Triple Crown wins.

“Secretariat would run in the slop , the mud, on a fast track, the grass. He would run on anything.” he said. “The other horse only ran on fast tracks. And he never broke a track record, like Secretariat did.”

It's been 49 years since Turcotte rode Secretariat and there have been some tremendous horses that have come after him, like Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, Cigar, Zenyatta and, of course Flightline. But will there ever be a horse that compares to Secretariat?

“I've always said we'd never see a horse as good as Secretariat,” Turcotte said. “But you never know.”

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Book Review – Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew’s First Champion

Trying to capture the essence of a bygone era champion can be a daunting task. The subtleties can be as elusive as the principal cast of characters–many of whom might no longer with us–who made up the stalwart's inner circle. However, author Mary Perdue has managed to capture not only the nuance of a great champion, Landaluce, but also the framework of an era long since past.

A tremendous talent whose rising stardom was snuffed out much too early, Landaluce was surrounded by a team of individuals who would leave their own indelible stamps on racing history. In Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew's First Champion, Perdue offers a closer look at Triple Crown champion Seattle Slew, who was still but a young, developing sire at the time in question, in addition to D. Wayne Lukas, who would make his way into the record books, and ultimately the Hall of Fame, but who had much left to accomplish when Landaluce graced his shedrow.

Much of the behind-the-scenes information that Perdue unearths for this rendering is as eye-opening to the most seasoned industry veteran as it is riveting to the racing novice. The hours of research and legwork put in by Perdue is clearly evident in the pages of this work, and the snapshot in history passed along to the reader is enlightening.

NBC analyst Donna Brothers echoes the sentiment in her back-jacket assessment: “I always thought I knew the Landaluce story, but after reading Mary Perdue's captivating account of how Landaluce came to be–and then became a champion–I realized that I knew almost nothing about her and the people who surrounded her.”

Characters long since departed come alive courtesy of the abundance of detail, supported by a long list of credible resources. And while I, personally, have been fortunate to have known many of the principal characters in this book, there are also a good number of those whom I had not had the opportunity to meet. However, Perdue gives the reader real insight into the primary players around the filly, as well as those who proved instrumental in the success of her sire as well as some of the other shining stars of time.

The story of Landaluce is one that is all too familiar: an ascending starlet akin to Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse or Selena whose lives were cut short in the zenith of their careers.

As Lukas is quoted as saying, “There's nothing easy about [racing]…I know the elevator goes down, too.”

While the sun set on Landaluce long ago and far too soon, the power of her presence was enough to catapult many of those around her into the stratosphere. And Perdue's work offers the reader the opportunity to catch a glimmer of that radiance that blazed through racing in 1982.

The author will be present for a book signing at Santa Anita Park Oct. 16, marking the 40th anniversary of the Anoakia S., a race won by the filly in 1982.

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