Champion Vequist to Target Cotillion

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable's reigning champion 2-Year-Old Filly Vequist (Nyquist) is aiming toward a late summer/fall campaign, while targeting the GI Cotillion S. at Parx Sept. 25, according to her trainer Butch Reid, Jr.

“She's been training lightly down at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and she'll be coming back to my barn at Parx in the next 10 days,” said Reid, Jr. “We're looking forward to a fall campaign with her and have our eye on the Cotillion. I could see us possibly getting her a start at the end of Saratoga. We're excited to get her back in action.”

Winner of the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga last summer, Vequist followed up with a second in Belmont's GI Frizette S. in October before annexing the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland.

Vequist was shelved after finishing ninth in her seasonal debut in the GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream in February.

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Champion Vequist Recovered After Davona Dale Ninth, But Unlikely For Kentucky Oaks

Champion sophomore filly Vequist, winner of the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, disappointed in her sophomore debut on Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park. The Butch Reid-trained daughter of Nyquist ran ninth as the 1-2 favorite in the G2 Davona Dale, and a post-race scope showed mucous in her lungs, indicative of a respiratory infection.

Reid told the Daily Racing Form that Vequist has since been shipped back north to Fair Hill training center in Maryland, under the care of Bruce Jackson. The filly has recovered and is doing well, but Reid said it would be difficult for her to make the Kentucky Oaks on April 30.

“Realistically, it's hard to see her doing enough over the next three weeks to make me lean towards running her in the Oaks,” Reid told DRF. “But obviously we haven't lost any faith in her off just the one bad race and we're looking forward to getting her back on the trail for the big races still to come later in the year.”

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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The TDN Oaks Top 10 for March 4

 

It wasn't that long ago that the picture for the 3-year-old fillies seemed pretty straightforward. Vequist (Nyquist) was the clear leader of the division and there appeared to be a handful of other top fillies that could challenge her supremacy. Has that ever changed. Vequist did nothing right in her 3-year-old debut in the Davona Dale S., finishing ninth, 26 lengths behind the winner. Second choice Millefeuille (Curlin) didn't fare much better, finishing seventh. The winner, Wholebodemeister (Bodemeister), paid $107.60. Meanwhile, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) has not had a published workout since Jan. 25. And Malathaat (Curlin), the winner of the GII Demoiselle S., missed some training time and only recently returned to the work tab. The bottom line is that this division is a mess. Hopefully, the picture will look better after this weekend, which features the Busher Invitational at Aqueduct, the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn and the GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita.

1) CLAIRIERE (Curlin–Cavorting, by Bernardini)
O/B-Stonestreet Stables (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $270,492.
Last Start: 1st GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13
Accomplishments Include: 2nd GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28
Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 54
She winds up in the top spot after Vequist ran so poorly in the Davona Dale. That's not to say that she is a clear-cut favorite for the GI Kentucky Oaks. Anything but. But she is coming off of a win in the GII Rachel Alexandra, is in the capable hands of Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and defeated a good one in Travel Column (Frosted) in her last start. She's a late-running filly by Curlin, so distance should not be a problem for and she is likely to get better in the months ahead.  Breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Monday.

2) ZAAJEL (Street Sense–Asiya, by Daaher)
O/B-Shadwell Stable (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $84,140.
Last Start: 1st GIII Forward Gal S., GP, Jan. 31
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10
Really hasn't done enough to merit being second on this list, but who else is better? At the very least, Zaajel has a lot of potential. She broke her maiden impressively for trainer Todd Pletcher and came right back to win the GIII Forward Gal S at seven furlongs. Pletcher will, no doubt, pick out a route for her next start. That will be the test and if she passes it she will have proven that she belongs in the same sentence with the top horses in the division. Her dam has had five runners, with four winners, including Aljaaweed (Curlin), the runner-up in the 2019 GII Remsen S.

3) TRAVEL COLUMN (Frosted–Swingit, by Victory Gallop)
'TDN Rising Star' O-OXO Equine. B-Mr. & Mrs. Bayne Welker, Jr. & Denali Stud (KY). T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $850,000 ylg '19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP,
4-2-1-1, $269,184.
Last Start: 2nd GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28, 3rd GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE, Oct. 2
Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 32
Also moves up, from fifth to third, due to attrition in the ranks. If you like Clairiere, you probably can't dislike this filly.  She had the lead at the stretch call in the Rachel Alexandra before losing to Clairiere by a neck. An $850,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, she beat Clairiere in the last start at two for both of them, the GII Golden Rod S. Also comes from a powerful barn in the Brad Cox stable. As has been the case over the last few years, Cox is loaded in this division and will be looking fr his third Oaks win since 2018.

4) SIMPLY RAVISHING (Laoban–Four Wishes, by More Than Ready)
O-Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing & Nehoc Stables.
B-Meg Levy (NY). T-Ken McPeek. Sales History: $50,000 ylg '19 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: GISW, 5-3-0-0, $414,200.
Last Start: 4th GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28
Accomplishments Include: 1st GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE,
Oct. 2, 1st P.G. Johnson S., SAR, Sept. 3
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 13
Trainer Kenny McPeek continues to take his time with the filly that won last year's GI Darley Alcibiades S., but it appears that she is getting close to a race. She worked five furlongs in :59.27 seconds on Feb. 26. Because she had an up-and-down 2-year-old campaign, she's a hard horse to gauge. What will we get this year, the horse who romped in the Alcibiades or the horse who was fourth in the Golden Road at odds of 7-10? Trainer Kenny McPeek did everything right last year with Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), but failed to win the Oaks. You know he'd like to make amends this year.

5) MALATHAAT (Curlin–Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy)
'TDN Rising Star' O-Shadwell Stable. B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $1,050,000 ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-0, $172,150.
Last Start: 1st GII Demoiselle S., AQU, Dec. 5
Accomplishments Include: 1st Tempted S., AQU, Nov. 6
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10
She drops down a couple of spots because she missed a work and had to sit out the Davona Dale. Trainer Pletcher reports that it was not a significant issue and she is already back on the work tab, having breezed a half-mile in :49.21 Sunday. He said he will look for a race for her in April. Though the problem has been described as minor, it's never a good thing when a horse misses time this close to a race as tough as the Oaks. And if Pletcher sticks to his time line, she'll come into the Oaks off of one prep as a 3-year-old. That, too, is a difficult position to be in. But she is a talented, undefeated (3-for-3) daughter of Curlin and may yet be good enough to overcome the challenges that she's about to face.

6) VEQUIST (NyquistVero Amore, by Mineshaft)
O-Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable & Swilcan Stable. B-Swilcan Stables (KY). T-Robert E. Reid, Jr. Sales History: $120,000 RNA ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly & MGISW, 5-2-2-0, $1,237,500.
Last Start: 9th GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27
Accomplishments Include: 1st GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, KEE, Nov. 6 1st GI Spinaway S., SAR, Sept. 6, 2nd GI Frizette S., BEL, Oct. 10
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 24
What happened to her in the Davona Dale? That's among the biggest mysteries so far this year in racing, how a horse can go from winning the Juvenile Fillies to running so dismally in a 3-year-old debut. Trainer Butch Reid has said he has found nothing seriously wrong with her, so all one can do is scratch their heads. It would be a rare feat to come back from a race that was that bad and win a race like the Oaks. But until her connections say she is off the Oaks trail, she has to be included somewhere on this list. Reid has not picked out her next start but said it definitely won't be at Gulfstream. He is concerned she doesn't like the South Florida heat.

7) KALYPSO (Brody's Cause–Malibu Cove, by Malibu Moon)
O-David A. Bernsen, Rockingham Ranch & Chad Littlefield. B-Spendthrift Farm (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $240,000 ylg '19 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP,
5-2-2-1, $245,600.
Last Start: 2nd GIII Las Virgenes S., SA, Feb. 6
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Santa Ynez S., SA, Jan. 3, 1st Anoakia S., SA, Oct. 18, 2nd GI Starlet S., LRC, Dec. 5
Next Start: GIII Santa Ysabel S., SA, Mar. 7
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 18
She's set to go Sunday in the Santa Ysabel, where a win would cement her status as the top 3-year-old filly in California, a division that has been hit with some fairly serious defections through injury. A $240,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, she's proven to be a good buy.  She's never run a bad race and is already a Grade II winner, having captured the Santa Ynez S. Trainer Bob Baffert is known for winning the GI Kentucky Derby, but he's hardly a slouch when it comes to the Oaks. He's won the race three times and will be going for his first win since 2017 with Abel Tasman (Quality Road).

8) SUN PATH (Munnings–Touch the Star, by Tapit)
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY). T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record:
4-2-1-0, $97,892.
Last Start: 4th Silverbulletday S., FG, Jan. 16
Accomplishments Include: 1st Allowance, FG, Dec. 18, 1st MSW, CD, Nov. 8
Next Start: GIII Honeybee S., OP, Mar. 6
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 1
She deserves another chance. As the 7-10 favorite, she didn't run up to expectations when fourth in the Silverbulletday S. at the Fair Grounds in her last start. Before that, she looked like a serious prospect when winning an allowance race by 12 3/4 lengths. It's become unusual to see a Brad Cox-trained horse disappoint in a big race, so it would be no surprise if she were to rebound in Saturday's Honeybee S. at Oaklawn. Hasn't missed a beat in the mornings with four works since her last race. One bad sign: Florent Geroux has gotten off of her to ride Cox's other horse in the race, Coach (Commissioner).

9) WHOLEBODEMEISTER (Bodemeister–Wholelottashakin, by Scat Daddy)
O/B-Sabana Farm (KY). T-Juan Avila. Lifetime Record: GSW,
7-3-0-1, $175,922.
Last Start: 1st GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27
Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, Apr. 30
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 52
Wouldn't have been on anyone's Oaks list before her stunning upset in the Davona Dale. Not only did she win at 52-1, but she thrashed her opponents, winning by 6 1/2 lengths. Trainer Juan Carlos Avila says she won't run her again until the Oaks. “That will be two months between races, which will be perfect for her.” Avila is setting himself up for more criticism. He took the same approach with King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) for last year's Kentucky Derby and his plan didn't come close to working out. Despite her big win, she'll still be a longshot going forward as many handicappers will likely dismiss the Davona Dale as a fluke.

10) THE GRASS IS BLUE (Broken Vow–Shine Softly, by Adebaran)
O-Louis Lazzinnaro LLC. B-Phillips Racing Partnership (KY).
T-Chad Brown. Sales History: $20,000 yrl '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 5-3-0-1, $121,978.
Last Start: 1st Busanda S., Aqu, Jan. 24
Accomplishments Include: 3rd Anne Arundel County S., Lrl,
Dec. 26
Next Start: Busher Invitational S., AQU, Mar. 6
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10
The jury is still out on this one. She comes from the powerful Chad Brown barn and was a solid winner when taking the Busanda by a length. But class handicappers will see that she started her career off in a $25,000 maiden claimer and has yet to start in a graded stakes. It looks like Brown made a smart move when deciding to keep her with his New York division for the winter. The New York preps for the Oaks usually don't come up that tough and there's plenty of money to be made, starting with the $250,000 Busher.

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Banner Year Decades in the Making for Wachtel

The 2020 racing season was fraught with many challenges, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, and halted racing in New York for about three months, continuing to wreak havoc with on-track attendance at many of the nation's racing venues throughout the remainder of the year. And while for many it was a time of turmoil and struggle, it proved to be a banner season for Wachtel Stable, campaigning not one but two Eclipse champions in 2020–Vequist (Nyquist, Champion Juvenile Filly) and Channel Maker (English Channel, Champion Turf Male).

“Unfortunately, I never made it to one single race–I haven't been to a race in 14 months,” said Adam Wachtel. “There was some time in the spring where there was no racing, and it was frustrating not knowing where to send a horse and what to do with them. There was some uncertainty, but the industry did a great job in keeping racing going. Overall, it didn't impact my decision making. I was still able to go out and find some talent, make some deals and continue with business as usual. In the end, 2020 wound up being a great for us.”

Highlighting the 2020 racing season, Vequist, who Wachtel campaigns in partnership with Gary Barber and the filly's breeder, Tom McGrath's Swilcan Stable, capped her juvenile campaign with a confident two-length win over Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland Nov. 6. Trained by Robert 'Butch' Reid Jr., the filly also annexed the GI Spinaway S. and finished runner up to Dayoutoftheoffice in the GI Frizette S. in October.

“Win or lose, we knew after the Breeders' Cup we were going to give her some time off and point her to the GI Kentucky Oaks [in May],” explained Wachtel. “She ran so well in the Breeders' Cup that just seemed like the logical thing to do.”

“Butch decided to relocate down to Florida for the winter, and I think she had a lot to do with it, because he's essentially a Philly-based trainer. We sent her down to Ocala to get a little rest and start her back up there. She then went to South Florida to Butch.”

Returning to the races for the first time in 2021, Vequist encountered a setback in her sophomore campaign in last Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream and finished ninth.

“She came out of the race sound,” confirmed Wachtel. “She had mucous upon scoping her after the race. We'll get that cleaned up, regroup, and let her tell us when she's ready to race again.”

Following her Breeders' Cup win, the tentative plan was for her to head to Kentucky to make her next start at Keeneland, the site of her Breeders' Cup victory.

“We wanted to work backwards from the Oaks, so we decided we'd try and give her two races, hoping that she'd stay healthy and everything would go well leading up to the Oaks,” said Wachtel. “There is no specific target at this point.”

While there appeared to be a general consensus that Vequist would take home a divisional title in 2020, it didn't appear to be as cut and dry for Channel Maker. Campaigned by Wachtel, Gary Barber, Randy Hill and Dean Reeves, the Ontario-bred won two of eight starts in 2020–the GI Sword Dancer S. at Saratoga in August followed by Belmont's GI Turf Classic Invitational S. in October. However, it was the result of the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Turf that, somewhat surprisingly, may have clinched the title for the Bill Mott trainee. Sent off at 9-1 in the $4-million test, the chestnut took to the front and was overtaken late to be close-up third behind a pair of formidable fillies–Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal {Ire}) and Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), both receiving three pounds from their male counterpart.

“It took two really special European fillies–who had a big weight advantage–to run him down and he was clearly the best of the North American horses,” he said.

When asked about his thoughts regarding Channel Maker earning the title over a pair of European horses who beat his horse home in the Breeders' Cup, Wachtel asserted, “I don't think it's right for a horse to come to the United States, run once and take home the Eclipse Award. Whether it was Channel Maker or another horse, I'm glad it was a North American-based horse. And I do believe he really earned it. I would have been disappointed for him and the other partners if he hadn't won it.”

Ever the world traveler, Channel Maker, who missed an intended start at last year's cancelled Dubai World Cup Carnival because of the COVID-19 outbreak, kicked off 2021 with a second-place effort behind another filly–True Self (Ire) (Oscar {Ire})–in the Neom Turf Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“From there, Channel Maker will go to [G1] Dubai (Sheema Classic Mar. 27) and then make maybe one start at Belmont before going to Saratoga. After that, hopefully, we can point him back to the Breeders' Cup [at Del Mar].”

And, the key to the 7-year-old's longevity?

“He's been great since he's a 2-year-old,” said Wachtel. “We've tried to do the right thing by him in spreading out his races. That's a big part of my philosophy that you treat them right. You run them at the right time and take care of them, and they will reward you. And he really has.”

All in the Family

Wachtel received his earliest lessons about racing from his father, Edwin Wachtel, a prominent owner/breeder in New York dating back to the 1970s. The senior Wachtel campaigned New York-bred stalwarts Calaramont and his homebred son Stalwart Member, in addition to 1997 GII Gotham S. winner Smokin Mel.

“My dad introduced me into the sport when I was seven or eight years old, taking me to the trotters at Monticello,” recalled Wachtel. “In the early 1970s, when I was about nine or 10 years old, he bought his first racehorse and gave it to Howie Tesher, who was our trainer for a long time. I would go to the races with my dad and go back to the barn and immediately fell in love with the sport.”

Wachtel, who studied business and law and earned a pair

of degrees from Emory University in Atlanta, decided to follow his passion for the sport following his graduation in 1988.

“As a young guy, I knew that this was something I'd want to do someday. I went to college, business school and then law school, but that was something that was first a foremost on my mind, to pursue a career in racing, so I built my life around it, professionally.”

Operating in tandem for many years, the father and son team reaped the rewards of sharing a sport they we passionate about.

“My dad was there every step of the way,” said Wachtel. “I took over the stable about 15-20 years ago, but he would still come with me. Saratoga, in particular, was always a very special place for my dad and my family, so we'd go up there for the summers. I don't live that far, so we would drive back and forth, and we had some great memories there.”

“He had a great influence on my life in general, but in particular, he introduced me to this sport and I learned an awful lot with him. We learned together. He passed away some years ago but I know he would have been awfully excited and proud if he could have been here for some of the horses we've had over the last 15 years.”

Building on Success

Since taking over the reins of his father's racing and breeding operation, Wachtel gradually incorporated a lot of his own philosophy into the present-day version of Wachtel Stable, which typically numbers 50-60 horses.

“I wanted to treat it as more of a business than strictly as a hobby,” explained Wachtel. “I didn't want to get attached to the horses and I wanted to be able to sell the horses just at the right time which is a very important part of the sport if you're going to survive you need to be able to sell at times. And my dad and his buddies didn't really do much of that. Along the way, I have sold either all or part of some of the best horses I've ever owned, including Channel Maker. It's worked out really nicely for all of us.”

He continued, “I've also cut back a little bit on the breeding end from what he was doing. He had about 15 or 20 mares and when I took over, I cut that back to maybe seven or 10 mares. I've focused on what I felt were better quality horses.”

Among the pillars of his predecessor's management style, Wachtel continues the tradition is standing at least one stallion to serve his small band.

“In the late 1970s, my dad retired [Claramount] and made a stallion out of him. Ever since then, we have always owned a stallion in New York, so I have always had my own stallion to breed to. Right now it's [GSW and MGISP] Al Khali [Medaglia d'Oro], who was a super turf horse trained by Bill Mott. I pretty much breed him to my mares, and although we do get some outside interest, the intent wasn't really to make a commercial stallion out of him. He had a great pedigree and was great looking, and since I don't like to pay big stud fees, it allows me to breed to my own stallion. Conversely, one of the stallions that I retained an interest in is Tourist [Tiznow], who won a GI Breeders' Cup Mile for us [campaigned in partnership with WinStar Farm and Gary Barber]. He stands at WinStar. I bought mares specifically to breed to him that are in Kentucky now. But typically, I do not breed my mares to outside stallions, unless there is a compelling reason.”

Need for Speed

In the quest for better racing stock, Wachtel has built a career of unearthing 'live' racing prospects, a diamond in the rough or a horse that has gone off-form and that may not be an obvious commodity at first glance. Case in point is multiple Grade I winner Ron the Greek (Full Mandate). Winner of the GIII Lecomte S. early in his sophomore season, Ron the Greek went on a five-race losing streak, and two trainer changes, before Wachtel–in partnership with Nils Brous–entered the fray and purchased a majority holding in 2011. Turned over to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, the Florida-bred finished second in his first two starts for the new connections, before taking the GI Santa Anita H., giving Wachtel his first Grade I win. He went on to add wins in the GI Stephen Foster S., GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational S. and Sunshine Millions Classic for the partnership before selling him right after his Gold Cup win.

“I bought my first horse when I was 18 with my dad, and I'm now 58, so I have been doing this a long time, and the vast majority of the horses that I've purchased over the years have been off of sheet figures,” Wachtel explained. “Some people look at Beyers and I look at Ragozin numbers. After 40 years of experience, my number one criteria in buying a 'made' horse is to buy fast horses. Ones that had the kind of sheet that suggested to me that they were still improving and were of value. We sometimes call them 'buried' horses whose sheets may suggest they might be more valuable than the public might realize.”

Fast forward to 2020, and the same principal applied to the decision to buy into Vequist off of a losing effort in her career debut last July.

“We identified her in her maiden race, where she was actually second at Parx,” he recalled. “And her [Ragozin] number made her the second fastest 2-year-old filly in North America behind a filly she ended up tangling with a couple of times after that, Dayoutoftheoffice, so I was very encouraged by that first effort.”

He continued, “When we were able to finalize the deal, I told Butch 'you're going to think I'm crazy, but I wouldn't run her in a maiden race. I think she's special and fast, so let's point her to a stakes race at Saratoga.' We did, and of course, she destroyed the field [in the Spinaway] and that set her on a path to the Breeders' Cup.”

Another method used by Wachtel for many years to upgrade his stock while spreading the risk is partnerships, which appear to have become the norm in recent times in both racing and the sales.

“I'm always trying to buy into horses that I hope can become stakes horses,” he said. “In doing so, that's why I'll partner with one or two guys rather than buy 100% of a horse. I'd rather 25 or 50% of an even better horse. Pretty much I won't buy unless I can have a minimum 25% stake in a horse, that's not to say that I think there is anything wrong with taking less than that. I did that with Exaggerator [Curlin], who won the [2016 Xpressbet.com] GI Preakness S. You won't see my name in the chart and since I'm not in it for the publicity, I didn't really care about that. But that was an exception because I thought he was something special and I thought he had a chance to win the Kentucky Derby, a race that he finished second in. Typically, I don't want to take less than 25%. It's just my own personal preference.”

Looking back on four decades in the game, Wachtel underscores a non-negotiable factor that he has built the success and longevity of his operation on is the people he has surrounded himself with.

“I just want to be involved with reputable people,” he affirmed

“I have a lot of horses with Gary Barber. And in case of Vequist where Gary and I would have bought the whole horse, the breeder and our partner Tom McGrath, decided he'd like to stay involved. So, I'm never opposed to partnering on horses, as long as it is somebody I want to be associated with.”

He continued, “A lot of my horses go to Bill Mott. Often times we give trainers a chance, like we did with Butch Reid and with Jerry O'Dwyer, who trained Shotski, who won the [GII] Remsen S., for us. We also did the same thing with Tim Keefe, another MidAtlantic trainer. There are some trainers in our sport that are controversial and you're not going to see my name in ownership with those particular trainers. It's not worth it to me. My integrity means a lot.”

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