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Stobie & CTA Continue Heroic Acts for Horses Every Day

Based in Puerto Rico, the mission of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc. (CTA), is rehabilitation, retraining, retirement, and adoption for Thoroughbreds in the Caribbean. The organization recently posted on its Facebook page images of the three Thoroughbreds they most recently accepted from Hippodrome Camarero, the Thoroughbred track in Puerto Rico. All three, Salary Cap (Street Boss), Too Fast For Love (Harlington), or Keep Me Grounded (First Samurai) will need rehabilitation and have only a chance at being sound for trail or light riding. Since December, CTA has been looking for a home for Afleet Accompli (Afleet Alex) who ran 63 times and earned close to $200,000. Like Too Fast For Love and Keep Me Gounded, who ran 45 and 42 times, respectively, are what CTA Executive Director Kelley Stobie calls ‘war horses’.

Afleet Accompli was brought to the attention of CTA by a race fan on the mainland who tries to keep track of all of Afleet Alex’s offspring. Before COVID-19, there was a chance that Afleet Accompli would be going to Old Friends, however, that opportunity is now in question. A lifetime sanctuary for the hundreds of imported Thoroughbreds that must retire every year from Camarero does not currently exist on Puerto Rico, or on the mainland.

“80% of the horses that we are asked to take are imports,” said Stobie. “And it is rare that we get an imported horse that is sound for athletic or competitive riding careers. It breaks my heart. These are war horses and they are worn out. There are very limited homes here for a happy pasture sound or trail-riding horse.”

CTA is accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and receives an annual grant from the organization. Stobie has also worked out a small institutionalized funding program with the racetrack and the local breeders. But keeping horses in Puerto Rico is more difficult and more expensive than what it is on the mainland and the cost of shipping a horse back to the mainland including quarantine, flight and paperwork is $3,294 per horse. So, Stobie and CTA are often faced with the reality of having to euthanize pasture sound horses.

CTA often makes happy headlines when, with the help of sponsors, they are able to ship high-profile “war horses’ back to the U.S. and find placement for them. One such horse was Immortal Wink (Gimmeawink), who raced 142 times before retiring four years ago at age 10 and now resides in Florida at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation facility at the Lowell Correctional Facility farm for women. Currently, the breeders of Keep Me Grounded are working on getting him back to Kentucky to retire into a similar program.

“It is great when the breeders or former owners step up and help us to get a horse back to the mainland for retirement,” said Stobie. “For some horses, the trip back and quarantine are hard. That is why we feel a sanctuary on Puerto Rico as well as a program and funding to return more horses are necessary. Horses continue to be imported, but there is no plan for a return ticket for their retirement.”

The unregulated transport of racehorses to Puerto Rico has recently been in the news. The Horse Racing Confederation of Puerto Rico is involved in litigation over the death of nine horses who died in 2019 when being shipped by boat from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan.

On Jan. 25, 2018, Stobie and co-founder Shelley Blodgett were awarded a special Eclipse award recognizing their heroism, bravery, and benevolence in the face of tragedy for their Hurricane Maria efforts. One might be hard-pressed to find two more competent, savvy and hard-working people in the Thoroughbred rescue world.

In their work, every day takes heroism. Every day they face the pressure of more horses coming their way than they have the room or the funds to care for as well as the added pressure of having to raise funds to ship horses back to the mainland.

“It costs us upward of $50,000 a year to ship the horses who can withstand the journey and additional quarantine time to adoptive homes and other accredited agencies on the mainland that have room,” said Stobie. “As the news of the storms slowed down, so did our donations. But horses continue to be imported to Puerto Rico to race and then they are forgotten. We are on a mission to make sure that a plan gets put in place so that all Thoroughbreds in Puerto Rico receive the retirement that they deserve.”

It is hurricane season again and CTA has taken steps to weather any bad storms.

“We are able to take our horses to a friend’s farm that is on high ground and we have a new container to store hay and feed,” said Stobie. “We also work closely with Dr. Ricardo Loinaz at the racetrack clinic and we can rely on him for help with veterinary care and supplies. We are all better prepared than we were in years past.”

To learn more about Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, go to https://www.ctahorse.com/

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Trainer Reed Comes into Keeneland Off Historic Winning Night

On paper, it’s easy to dismiss Silver Maple (Creative Cause) in Friday’s fourth race at Keeneland. The 2-year-old cost just $5,000 at the sales and shows a string of slow workouts at Belterra Park and Mountaineer Park. But trainer Eric Reed says the filly can absolutely win the race, and right now Reed’s opinion is not to be dismissed.

Reed may not be as well known as some of the trainers he will face in the 5 1/2-furlong maiden, but no trainer is hotter. Silver Maple will be his first starter since he made history Wednesday night at Mountaineer Park. He not only won the first four races on the card, but all four of his horses appeared to have won by 10 lengths or more. While calling the fourth race, won by Irish Proud (Proud Citizen), track announcer Peter Berry said it was the first time in the track’s history that any trainer had won four races in a row.

“When you go in, you hope to win them all,” Reed said. “But I never dreamt that something like that could happen. I was especially worried about the fourth one. It was a three-horse field and the fourth one was 1-5. Usually, that’s the one that gets you beat.”

Reed also won races Tuesday at Indiana Grand and Sunday and Tuesday at Mountaineer.

Reed’s run Wednesday at Mountaineer is better than it looks in the charts. It began with Nomiraclesneeded (Union Rags) in the first, a maiden special weight. The filly won by 17 3/4 lengths. Mountain Melodies (Shackleford) won the second and the official chart lists her as winning by 1 3/4 lengths. Reviewing the race, that margin is clearly inaccurate as she was drawing off in the stretch and appeared to win by at least 10 lengths.

Marcie’s Candy (Sidney’s Candy) won the third, making it look easy with a 15-length win. Irish Proud won by 10 1/2 lengths. Jockey Keivan Serrano was aboard all four winners. Before he became a jockey, Serrano exercised horses in the morning at Belmont and then went to work at the Wendy’s across the street from the track.

“I won five races at Ellis Park once years ago, but never five in a row,” Reed said. “I’ve won three in a day here and there, but never thought I’d win the first four races anywhere, especially the way those horses ran.”

If Reed was the recipient of some good luck, he certainly deserved it. He’s not that far removed from a tragic fire in 2016 at his Mercury Equine Training Center in Lexington. The fire, believed to be started by lightning, killed 23 horses. Not only was it devastating emotionally, but Reed didn’t know how he was going to rebuild his business.

“It was by God’s grace that we survived that because I truly didn’t think we would,” he said.

Along with training his own string, Reed works with other trainers getting their babies ready for 2-year-old races. He said that after the fire many in the industry came forward to support him. He is especially grateful to Ken Ramsey, who, after the fire, gave him a number of 2-year-olds to prepare for their upcoming campaigns.

The National HBPA Foundation also stepped forward, setting up a fund for Reed and his wife, Kay. He said he received donations of hay and blankets from people he did not even know.

With income coming in, Reed was able to build a new barn and didn’t stay down long. Within a year he was he was back to training 75 horses. He made 219 starts in 2017 and won 37 races.

Although Reed is based in Kentucky and is running a horse Friday at Keeneland, you’re more likely to find him at lesser tracks, primarily Mountaineer, Mahoning Valley and Belterra. He knows what kind of horses he has and where they belong. Better to be 2-5 at Mountaineer than 25-1 at Keeneland and Churchill.

“It’s the type of horses we have,” he said. “The better horses go to the better tracks. A lot of my owners don’t want their horses to get claimed, so instead of running for $15,000 or $20,000 at Churchill, they will run in allowance races at Mountaineer and Belterra and run through their allowance conditions. We race wherever we think we can win.”

That he is running Silver Maple at Keeneland and not somewhere where the competition is easier is a sure sign that Reed believes the filly has some talent. She is owned by Kay Reed.

“It’s very possible that she will win,” he said. “She’s a pretty nice filly and is training really well going into this race.”

He has the filly Deep Space (Curlin) entered in a maiden race Friday at Belterra, but she will have to draw in off the also-eligible list. He will try to keep his streak at Mountaineer alive Sunday with Bungalow Flash (Flashback), who is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a maiden special weight race.

When given a talented horse, Reed has known what to do with it. He won the GII Lexus Raven Run S. in 2009 at Keeneland in 2009 with Satan’s Quick Chick (Sky Mesa). In 2010, he finished second behind Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) with Rinterval (Ire) (Desert Prince {Ire}) in the GI Clement Hirsch S., losing by just a neck.

Reed lists those accomplishments as two of the most memorable of his career, but he puts the four-win night at Mountaineer right up there with them. He is so proud of the accomplishment that he has asked the track photographer to put together a special collage of the four races and will hang it in his office.

“We’ve won some big races over the years, but I really think it’s a big deal to win all those races in a row and by so many lengths,” he said. “It was special.”

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County Final Among 11 Supplements to Fasig-Tipton HORA Sale

Fasig-Tipton has added 11 supplemental entries, led by graded stakes placed juvenile County Final (Oxbow), to its July Horses of Racing Age Sale which will be held Monday in Lexington. County Final, who will be offered as hip 166, was a debut winner over the turf at Churchill Downs June 5 and is coming off a runner-up effort behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cazdero (Street Sense) in the June 27 GIII Bashford Manor S. He is consigned by trainer and co-owner John Ennis.

Also added to the auction is the 3-year-old Salow (Distorted Humor), a debut winner over the Gulfstream turf July 3. The chestnut will offered as hip 172 through the Elite consignment.

The 11 new entries are catalogued as hips 166-176 and can be viewed online.

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will offer an additional $2,000 to its Ship and Win bonus program for any horse purchased at the July Horses of Racing Age Sale who goes on to start at the 2020 Del Mar summer meet. Horses purchased at the sale will receive a day three date from the racing office.

Fasig-Tipton debuted online bidding at its recent Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and will again offer buyers the chance to bid online, as well as by phone, at the Horses of Racing Age sale. To register for online bidding, visit: http://www.fasigtipton.com/online-bidding.

Health and safety protocols will be in place on-site at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky. A complete list may be found here.

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The Next Generation with Paige Gilster

The TDN has partnered with Amplify Horse Racing to present “The Next Generation,” an ongoing video series featuring young people who were not born into the Thoroughbred business, but are now excelling within the industry.

Paige Gilster was long on hands-on horse experience but short on connections when she graduated from Iowa State University and moved to Lexington. Since then, she’s developed her skills as a horsewoman and in just a short time, has become the assistant farm manager at Timber Town Stables, where she looks over an elite group of broodmares that include dual Eclipse champions Songbird and Havre de Grace.

While still in college, Paige wrote up a business plan on how she would manage her own broodmare and presented the idea to her father. Together, the duo found Southern Classic (Southern Image) at a rescue facility in North Dakota, and purchased the mare for $500.

In 2016, Paige bred her new broodmare to Dialed In. The result was a colt with a bad eye, who she named Finnick the Fierce. The chestnut the Fierce broke his maiden on debut as a juvenile last June and later placed second in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. behind Silver Prospector (Declaration of War).

This year, he ran third in the GI Arkansas Derby and now looks to gain more points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby this weekend in the GII Blue Grass S. at Keeneland.

KR: How did you get involved in the Thoroughbred industry?

PG: I went to college at Iowa State University, and in their equine program, we would bring about seven or eight Thoroughbred mares to Kentucky to breed, then bring them back and foal them out. We were very involved in the reproductive parts of the year, and I realized that I really loved working with horses every day and the Thoroughbred industry in general. The first time I came down to Kentucky is when I decided I was moving to Lexington as soon as I graduated and I was just going to make it work and try it all.

KR: What was it that drew you to horse racing?

PG: I fell in love with the reproduction and breeding. There isn’t a horse industry quite like this Thoroughbred racing industry we’re in, as they look so closely into the diverse bloodlines and the physical that ties directly to racetrack performance. There’s a lot of equine sports, but in my opinion, racing is the only one that is solely judged on the best horse of the day. It’s the horse that shows up that day in that race, and that’s what I love about it–it’s all about the horse.

KR: What was it like being a total newcomer in the business?

PG: You get a lot of, “Are you sure you want to do this?” or “Well, can you though? You’re not from around here and you really have no experience.” I just felt like I was a little more discredited when I came here because they didn’t know me, they didn’t know my family or the exact environment where I had gotten my horse experience. It was a lot of disproving the doubters and having to prove myself over and over again.

KR: What is your favorite part about the industry?

PG: I think my favorite part is the bloodlines and seeing the foalings after a year of waiting. Trying to match the matings and then hoping they get pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy, and then finally seeing a beautiful foal come out. Then when the mating is successful and if they win, that’s the greatest achievement of all for me.

KR: If you could change one thing about our industry, what would it be?

PG: One thing I would change is what the industry demands from each person. This a seven day a week, 24-hour job, and it’s very demanding on any individual that decides to pursue it. A work-life, personal-life balance is difficult. It’s great for me. I love what I do and I’ve accepted it, but it’s kind of tough for my family to understand why I’m not coming home to see them once a month. I think that deters a lot of newcomers. It’s asking a lot for young people to come into this industry and say, “Okay, devote your entire life to this,” when it’s not an easy ladder to climb as an outsider.

KR: Who is your all-time favorite horse?

PG: This is the easiest question in the book–Finnick the Fierce (Dialed In). He is the second horse I’ve ever bred when my dad and I got into the business with our broodmare, Southern Classic (Southern Image). He was her second foal, and he came out with one eye. I was able to sell him privately to Dr. Arnaldo Monge and Rey Hernandez. He has defied all expectations and made a lot of personal dreams come true to be on the Derby trail, even in this weird year. It’s just been fantastic and it’s hard to put into words how exciting it is. So, he’s easily my all-time favorite horse for crossing off a lot of personal checks.

KR: Tell us more about Finnick the Fierce’s story.

PG: Luckily, I was a senior in college in Lexington on a class trip when Southern Classic foaled. I was on the other side of town so I missed it, but I called my professor the next morning and said “I’m going to need a couple hours.” So, I was able to go out and see him. That was in April, and then I graduated in May and moved to Lexington to be a part of the KEMI program. As much as I could, I was with him every weekend handling him, because my goal for him was to go the sales and help with some college debt, and his sire, Dialed In, was on fire that year. I worked with him at least once a week.

I didn’t want someone naming him “One-Eyed Wonder” or something like that. I didn’t want that to be a limitation. I said, “We’ve got to name him something fierce.” And that’s where his name came from. It’s been fun to watch him grow and develop, and I’m very blessed that Dr. Monge and his connections have allowed me to stay involved with him. Dr. Monge is my mare’s vet, so it’s been great. They’re like family to me.

KR: What are your long-term career goals?

PG: My career path is kind of a question mark. I want to try it all. I love what I’m doing right now and I love being at Timber Town. Maybe I could eventually manage the farm, or have my own farm at some point. But I kind of take it month by month, and as long as I feel fulfilled and happy where I’m at, then I’m pretty happy for the future.

All of the bloodstock agents that I have met have been incredible. It’s a lot of time and reading pedigrees and learning. So eventually I may like to try that, whether that means working for an agent someday or if I try my hand at it myself at some point. But for now, I am really enjoying managing here and being Wayne’s [Sweezey] assistant has been awesome. There’s so much to learn every day. As long as I can keep learning, who knows where it can take me?

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