Mating Plans: Wasabi Ventures Stables

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have George Adams of Housatonic Bloodstock, who serves as the Director of Stallions and Breeding for Wasabi Ventures Stables.

“With a relatively young group of mares, ideally we'd like to send them to a proven stallion at least once or twice in their first few years, just to get a better handle on their ability as producers,” said Adams. “At a lower stud fee price point that's not always easy to do, especially when you're trying to breed a foal with commercial appeal. But we think we're striking a pretty good balance overall.”

WILD FOR LOVE (m, 12, Not For Love–Sticky, by Concern), to be bred to Tacitus

Wasabi's most proven broodmare is Wild for Love, and she's booked to a first-year stallion we're really excited about in Tacitus. Wild for Love herself brought good money as a 2-year-old and was a pretty solid racehorse. We obtained her privately a couple of years ago, while she was carrying the foal that became the 2021 stakes-winning 2-year-old Local Motive. He's by a son of Tapit, and Not For Love mares have had success with A.P. Indy-line stallions before (see California Chrome), so Tacitus was an easy choice. He's got an outstanding pedigree and a great physical, and he might not have won a Grade I, but he was a top-class racehorse. The fact that he's a Tapit with Storm Cat on his bottom side means this foal will be similarly bred to Local Motive.

YESSHEWILL (m, 10, Giant's Causeway–Wilshewed, by Carson City), to be bred to Rock Your World

Yesshewill was just purchased by Wasabi at Keeneland in November. Unfortunately, she lost the Accelerate foal she was carrying at the time, but she's still a half-sister to a Grade I winner, a Grade II winner, a Grade III winner and another stakes winner, plus two stakes producers.

Having had a handful of foals already, she's another mare that will visit a first-year stallion in 2022 and is booked to Rock Your World. David Ingordo is one of the best judges of young horses out there, and this colt had all the brilliance and versatility you'd want in a sire. His pedigree is also top drawer, and shares some similarities with Gun Runner, who has had his biggest successes so far with mares carrying more Storm Cat blood. We're going to try to duplicate that with Rock Your World by sending him this Giant's Causeway mare, and hope it works as well for him.

HURRYUPANDCOMEBACK (m, 7, Mizzen Mast–Shared Hope, by Gone West), to be bred to Modernist

Hurryupandcomeback produced a $275,000 Saratoga yearling by Army Mule as her first foal, and last year got a shot with a stallion about as proven as you can get in More Than Ready. She's going back to another first-year sire in 2022, in Modernist.

A gorgeous horse by a stallion who has already proven his worth as a sire of sires, Modernist will suit this mare physically as she needs a little bit of leg and substance, which he offers. And her family has already had success with Uncle Mo, as he's the sire of Donna Veloce who appears under Hurryupandcomeback's second dam.

WOWWHATABRAT (m, 10, Louis Quatorze–Kim the Brat, by Smart Strike), to be bred to Jimmy Creed

Wowwhatabrat was a hard-knocking, versatile runner and is a three-quarter sister to a really good colt named Second of June. Her dam is a half to the dam of Any Given Saturday, who is by Distorted Humor, and we have been on record repeatedly as being huge fans of Jimmy Creed (obviously by Distorted Humor), who offers incredible value and is a perfect horse to start off a young mare with given his stats.

So this is a mating which we really love. Unfortunately Wowwhatabrat lost the foal she was carrying last year by Jimmy Creed, but she'll head right back to him this spring and we'll hope for better luck.

BUFF'S IN LOVE (m, 7, Buffum–Who's in Love, by Not For Love), to be bred to Alternation

Buff's in Love was a stakes-placed 2-year-old by a sneaky-good Maryland stallion in Buffum, who died just as he was starting to prove his worth. This will be Buff's in Love's first mating, and she's going to be bred to a proven Grade I sire in Alternation. Buffum is a son of Bernardini, and Alternation's big horse, Serengeti Empress, is out of a Bernardini mare. This year is also when Alternation will have a big crop of 2-year-olds reach the races that was conceived after Serengeti Empress's success, so we think he could be a really smart value play this spring.

WEEKEND MADNESS (m, 6, Include–Weekend Connection, by Pulpit), to be bred to Goldencents

Weekend Madness was a big-money 2-year-old by Include, who is a stallion that we really love as a broodmare sire, and her 3-year-old brother Kavod is on the Derby Trail at Oaklawn this winter. She's going to be bred back to Goldencents this spring. He gets nothing but runners, and Weekend Madness is a half to a couple of stakes horses from the Storm Cat sire line. She's also a big, imposing mare with plenty of leg and substance, which should really suit Goldencents.

SEVILLE'S PRINCESS (m, 6, Seville {Ger}–Rap and Dance, by Pleasant Tap), to be bred to Connect

Seville's Princess also has a close relative on the Derby trail–she's a half to the dam of Grade I winner Rattle N Roll, and as such made perfect sense to send to Connect (sire of Rattle N Roll) this spring.

Connect is off to a very strong start at stud, and she's a young mare who could use a shot with a proven horse. He's also got the bone and substance to beef up her foal, so it's a good match all around.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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Up-And-Coming Young Trainer Jesse Cruz Benefits From ‘Old-School’ Methodology

Like a lot of kids who grew up on the racetrack, Jesus “Jesse” Cruz hoped to become a jockey. But long after he outgrew that king-sized dream, he continued to forge relationships with horses.

When a homebred named Help a Brother arrived in the barn of his stepfather, Lewis Craig, Jr., at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in 2012, 18-year-old Jesse felt like he'd been handed the keys to a Mercedes.

Help a Brother was one of the best horses to come out of West Virginia, where he made all 49 of his career starts (39 at Charles Town and 10 at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort). He won 15 times, including two editions of the West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Onion Juice Breeders Classic Stakes, while earning almost $400,000.

“You develop a real connection with horses that you gallop,” says Cruz, 28, in his first season training at Tampa Bay Downs. “I got on Help a Brother every day my junior and senior year before school, and he was like my best friend.

“I got to be really close to that horse. You learn their quirks when you gallop them, who they are, and you get to watch them grow up. You get to sense what they're thinking. You can almost feel the light bulb go on when they realize 'Oh, we're not just horses. We're racehorses.'”

Cruz, who took out his trainer's license in 2017, has made a splash at the Oldsmar oval, with four victories, two seconds and two thirds from 14 starts. Training primarily for the Wasabi Ventures Stables of TK Kuegler and his wife Michele, Cruz has also been active at the claims box, with eight acquired, all for Wasabi Ventures Stables.

His fast start at Tampa Bay Downs comes on the heels of a strong meet at Monmouth Park, where he won seven races from 23 starts.

“I see a lot of promise in Jesse,” said TK Kuegler, a venture capitalist with strings of horses at Tampa Bay Downs, Oaklawn Park, Delta Downs and Penn National. “I wanted a young trainer who is hands-on, honest and hard-working, and that is Jesse in a nutshell.”

At Tampa Bay Downs, Cruz and his assistant and girlfriend, Grace Smith, oversee his 18-horse barn. A former assistant to trainer Douglas Nunn, Smith has an extensive background as an equestrian, having shown horses up and down the East Coast from age 10, competed as a collegian and given lessons to youth equestrians.

Smith exhibits the same passion shown by Cruz and the Kueglers for racing.

“My first day working for Doug Nunn, I showed up at the barn at 4 a.m. and by 5 a.m., I was hooked,” she said. “There is always something going on, always something to do. I was like, 'OK, I'm ready to do this forever.' ”

“Grace has been a lifesaver for me,” Cruz said. “She does so many things I used to do – running the feed cart, giving horses medication, helping the vets treat our horses. She rides the pony with every set in the morning. To be successful at this is a 24/7 kind of job, 365 days a year, and you have to put the horses first. For Grace to understand that and be a part of it – and be able to deal with me – is a big reason our relationship works.”

“Wanting to come to work every day, that's a big thing that draws us together,” Smith said. “We're excited to get to the barn, and being able to do this together is special. I think Jesse is old-school in his ways and his training, and we both care about the horses first and foremost.”

Cruz is quick to credit the numerous influences that have made him one of the Oldsmar oval's most promising young trainers. None had a greater impact than his mother, Daisy Tobin, who was an assistant to legendary West Virginia trainer James Casey for 26 years before she “retired” in 2016 (Tobin still helps her husband, Lewis Craig, Jr., at his barn).

Jesse and his older sister, Elizabeth, spent much of their childhood at Casey's barn after Tobin and their biological father, jockey Alejandro Cruz, split up (Jesse really doesn't remember Alejandro Cruz, considering Craig as his dad). As a single mom, Tobin worked long hours to support her children, getting along day by day.

At different stages of his youth, Tobin would have bet big money against Jesse following her to the racetrack.

“I remember when he was 7, before I had met Lewis. Jesse didn't want to get out of the car one morning and help feed the horses because it was raining,” Tobin said. “He said 'That's not my job, it's yours.' I told him, 'Well, I'm putting food on the table for you guys, and this has got to be taken care of.' I think he realized then what he had said and why it was important,” Tobin said.

As teenagers, Jesse and Elizabeth helped around Casey's barn to earn money to go to the beach, but Tobin still didn't see the spark her son needed to make a living with horses. That changed in 2008, when Casey began training a West Virginia-bred gelding named Russell Road for owner Mark E. Russell.

Russell Road competed through nine seasons, going 31-for-62 with 22 stakes victories and $2-million-plus in earnings. With each major accomplishment, Jesse's eyes opened wider – not just to the horse's excellence, but to his mother's role in his career.

“Really, up until then, I would rather be playing baseball or football or wrestling than be around the barn,” Cruz recalled. “Then Russell Road won six or seven in a row, and it made me realize what the end goal was – to be around horses like that. He made me fall in love with the sport, and I saw what drove people to find the next big horse.”

While Russell Road was a life-changer for Tobin, she was uplifted by Jesse's growing excitement and newfound dedication to working in the barn. Once, when he was 16 and having trouble walking Russell Road around the shedrow, Tobin heard Jesse call to her for help – a sign that he knew how important the job was.

“That horse was a handful for me even to walk sometimes,” she said.

But Jesse, he no longer was such a handful. When congratulatory calls flooded Tobin's phone after Russell Road's second victory in the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic, in the fall of 2011, one in particular stood out.

“It was Jesse telling me how much he loved me and how great a horse person I was. He said he wanted to follow in my footsteps and said how proud he was to be seen as my son,” said Tobin, who has saved the message. “I think I groomed more stakes winners than anyone at Charles Town through working with Mr. Casey over the years, and that message meant more to me because I could see Jesse wanted to work with horses and be successful.”

Those who know Tobin marvel at her work ethic, seeing it reflected in Cruz's approach to training.

“When we raced at Charles Town, she would come to our barn every morning to do stalls, put the horses' legs in ice and anything else that needed doing,” said Smith. “I think she is the hardest-working person I've met.”

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“Jesse wants to be better every single day, and I think that comes from his mom,” Michele Kuegler said. She was amazed to see Tobin, Elizabeth and Jesse's niece and nephews show up one summer day at Monmouth Park, a drive of about 5 hours, to cheer on Jesse's horses.

Despite growing up around the likes of Russell Road and Help a Brother, Cruz learned early that racing is rarely as glamorous as often portrayed, especially at tracks such as Charles Town where claiming horses make up the majority of the card and the winters can be brutal.

“Our mom taught us one lesson very early – nothing in life is going to be handed to you, but you can get whatever you want out of it as long as you go work for it,” he said. “She kind of sacrificed her life so we could have ours. She worked from sunup until sundown, because that's what it takes. You have to put in the care and the time and the passion you have, and if you do that you'll get the same back. If you don't, you are kind of going through the motions.”

Cruz's awakening led to a job galloping horses for Charles Town trainer Ollie Figgins, III, a family friend who recognized the teenager's desire to absorb more knowledge and make a life for himself on the track. After learning the basics from his parents, Cruz welcomed the chance to expand his continuing education with the widely-respected conditioner.

“He was the person who taught me how to put everything together,” Cruz said. “He had 30 horses, and I saw how he was able to mix things up for each horse and treat them as individuals. I was like the annoying kid who asked a billion questions, but he always took the time to give me the answers. That's when I realized I wanted to be a trainer.”

Cruz worked for Figgins when the trainer developed Susan Wantz's sprint filly Dance to Bristol, a stakes winner at 2 and 3 whose career took off in 2013 as a 4-year-old. Dance to Bristol strung together seven consecutive victories, including the Grade 3 Bed o' Roses Handicap at Belmont and the G2 Honorable Miss Handicap and Grade I Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga. As part of her traveling entourage, Cruz discovered a Technicolor world beyond the day-to-day sameness of Charles Town.

“To that point, I'd been around good horses. Russell Road was a really good horse I'd been around, and Ollie had trained good stakes horses,” Cruz said. “But 'Bristol' was the first graded horse I'd been around.

“When you get to those levels, you realize that is what racing is meant to be. At the end of the day, the $5,000 claiming horses make up our sport, but the graded races are the Mecca of all of it. To get a horse like that, it's what we all wake up and strive for.”

Dance to Bristol made it to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and although she finished sixth, the experience was another dream-come-true for Cruz. It was his first airplane trip, and galloping the filly surrounded by so many outstanding horses whetted his appetite for more. That would come over the next few summers, when Cruz returned to Saratoga to work horses for trainers Bill Mott, Mike Maker and Joe Sharp.

“I met Neil Poznansky, who was working for Mr. Mott, and gave him my number,” Cruz said. “He called me that spring and said they needed an exercise rider. Ollie never held me back, so I got to work for those guys. To get to that stage and ride horses like that. … it's kind of hard to describe.”

Make no mistake: Jesse Cruz is a man in a hurry. He knows firsthand the patience needed to succeed in his craft, but is eager to prove he can compete against the best of them with the right stock.

After taking his trainer's test on Dec. 31, 2016, Cruz won with the first horse he saddled the following April at Laurel, a 3-year-old gelding named Maryland's Best owned by Javier Contreras and ridden by Cruz's good friend, Lane Luzzi.

Cruz won only two races from his next 41 starters to close out 2017, but his confidence wasn't shaken. He knew he needed better horses to climb the ladder. Kuegler – whose primary business involves investing expertise and capital into early-stage companies with an eye toward growing them into larger, more profitable ventures – saw Cruz as an ideal fit for what he and Michele want to accomplish in racing.

“His story is one you hear with a lot of racetrackers,” Kuegler said. “He grew up on the backside of Charles Town, and that is what his parents' lives are to this day. I don't think he ever thought he was going to do anything else. There isn't anything he can't do or won't do, and if someone can do everything in a business, you have somebody who has the potential to be great.”

The majority of horses Cruz claims for Wasabi Ventures Stables come on initial recommendations from Kuegler, who watches as many as 100 race replays daily from around the country. “Once I recommend one, it becomes collaborative,” Kuegler said. “Claiming is all about having a plan, because you're claiming them for the next race and beyond. What does this horse look like one or two or three races from now?

“That's where Jesse really comes in. He'll look at a horse and say 'This is something we can physically change,' or he'll look at changing the distance or the surface or how the horse is trained in an effort to improve its performance.”

Both men subscribe to the philosophy that speed figures don't lie, but there is often much more that goes into their decision to claim a horse.

“Every trainer has patterns, so when you see someone who typically doesn't run horses for a claiming price, that is kind of a question mark,” Cruz said. “You might want to watch it run once before you decide to claim it. You also like to watch them walk over (before the race) and make sure everything is right with their legs before you drop the claim slip.”

Cruz's stable has been performing consistently well since the meet began in late November. Magical Mousse, a (now)-3-year-old colt bred by Wasabi Ventures Stables in partnership, ran a decent fourth in the Inaugural Stakes on Dec. 4, five weeks after breaking his maiden in impressive fashion at Delaware Park, and is nominated for the $125,000 Pasco Stakes on Jan. 15.

The 3-year-old filly Lap of Luxury is 2-for-2 at the meet, including a starter/optional claiming victory on the turf under jockey Isaac Castillo on Dec. 23 at odds of 23-1. Why Not Tonight, a 4-year-old filly, won a $27,000 turf allowance by 7 ¾ lengths on Nov. 27. Hard-knocking 6-year-old mare C'Est Mardi won a claiming race on Nov. 26 and was beaten two necks for the top prize on Jan. 1 in the first leg of the Tampa Turf Test.

Wasabi Ventures Stables' ownership model invites individuals to purchase anywhere between .5-to-4.5 percent of a horse, with no additional charges or ongoing bills. Wasabi keeps a 20-percent share of each horse; the other members of the syndicate share in the winnings.

“If a horse doesn't earn back (its purchase price), we eat the losses,” TK explained.

Winning races is what keeps any stable afloat, but Cruz, Smith and the Kueglers are determined to keep the welfare of all their horses paramount. Michele Kuegler, who is Wasabi's director of aftercare and community, keeps the 1,000-plus Wasabi Ventures Stables club members apprised of their efforts to find new homes and vocations for their retired horses.

Down the road, Cruz hopes to build his stable into one capable of competing in the kind of races that first brought him so many thrills when his mother worked for James Casey. His alliance with Wasabi Ventures Stables has both headed in the right direction.

“TK wants to be known in the industry as a good owner and a person who is going to compete in big races,” Cruz said. “This (racing at Tampa Bay Downs) is the next step in trying to get to that level. This is a racetrack a lot of people notice, and it's tough racing, so to be winning against good trainers with nice stock means a lot.”

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Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Program Promoting 2021 Ownership Opportunities

As temperatures start to rise in Minnesota, so does the excitement for the 2021 racing season at Canterbury Park. The Midwestern track, which opens on May 18, has a multitude of exciting opportunities for trainers, horses, and now future owners. Thanks in part to the relationships built with multiple ownership groups, both national and local, horse racing fans will have easy entry to the exciting experience of being a thoroughbred racehorse owner.

The Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Program (MNREP) is promoting several ownership opportunities on their website, www.RacehorseMinnesota.com, that will provide easy and affordable entry to Thoroughbred racehorse ownership in 2021.

One of these opportunities is provided by the 2021 Canterbury Park Racing Club. The Canterbury Racing Club, which was the first racing club introduced in the United States, has partnered with Wasabi Ventures Stables in 2021 to provide more horsepower via this one-of-a-kind club. Interested parties can experience owning a stable of racehorses at Canterbury Park for an all-inclusive one-time membership fee of $250. Membership offers several additional benefits at the track including free season's pass, special events, and educational opportunities.

“The Canterbury Racing Club is a great way to introduce racehorse ownership to someone who wants to experience the thrill of racehorse ownership, learn more about ownership in general, and who enjoys the sociability of being part of a group of racing fans,” explains Joe Scurto, Executive Director for MNREP.

Empire Racing Stables returns to Canterbury after finishing 2019 as the Leading Owner of the Meet. The club looks to utilize the knowledge of three high percentage winning Canterbury Park trainers: Robertino Diordoro, Bernell Rhone and Karl Broberg. The group races across the country and prides itself on organized gatherings for fun time with owners to get to know one another and enjoy the horses. Ownership opportunities start at $100.

Rocket Wrench Racing offers opportunity for new owners to enjoy the claiming game by claiming horses for their partnership while working alongside their trainer Karl Broberg. The group is made mostly of fellow Minnesotans who enjoy getting together at the track to watch their horses and support their home state's track. 5% ownership opportunities sell for $2,500.

“We look to claim horses with a proven record of success and then enter those horses in races where they can be competitive, and win,” says Rocket Wrench Racing Manager Justin Revak.

Ironhorse Racing Stable heads north for the first time, bringing their passion for success and for the horse to Canterbury Park in 2021. The group, known for campaigning multiple stakes-winning champion Bucchero and Breeders' Cup entrant Momos, is looking to start a 2-year-old at Canterbury Park for owners located in or around Minnesota, then continue racing the horse nationally, should he be successful.

“We are a no mark-up group that doesn't have management fees, but we also know how to win,” says Ironhorse Racing Stable Managing Partner Harlan Malter. “We value our partners because they're not just investors, they really are owners of the horse.”

Wasabi Ventures Stables will also offer their ever expanding ownership opportunities, aside from the Canterbury Racing Club and will be racing for the second year at Canterbury Park. Alongside trainer Tony Rengstorf, Wasabi owned horses hit the board in five out of six starts in 2020 and they look to improve on that record in 2021. Ownership with Wasabi can range from as little as a half percent to as much as 4.99 percent. Most investments start at under $200.

A recent addition to the menu of managed groups racing their horses at Canterbury this year is Grevelis Racing Stable. The longtime local group is woven into the very fabric of racing at Canterbury. Managed by Ted and Heather Grevelis, the group offers larger percentage ownership opportunities, as well as a track record of success at Canterbury dating back to 2005. Ten perecent ownership shares are listed at $2,000.

Racing kicks off at Canterbury Park on May 18 and will run through September 16. The racing partnerships are currently accepting new partners, and more information can be found on the MNREP website: http://racehorseminnesota.com.

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Horse Owners Help Backside Workers Overcome the Digital Age

Edited Press Release

Across the nation, communities have grappled with how to ensure that all community members have access to the internet and computers in order to complete schooling and access vital resources. In Louisville, over 20% of families lacked access to internet, including many of the workers and their families who work at Churchill Downs and surrounding racetracks.  Now, due to a generous donation to the Backside Learning Center from Wasabi Venture Stables Club members, many backside families will move closer towards digital equity.

The Backside Learning Center (BLC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to building community and enriching the lives of equine workers and their families at Churchill Downs and surrounding racetracks. When the pandemic hit in March, the Backside Learning Center acted quickly to provide emergency food relief and start a digital inclusion project for families who were suddenly faced with the challenges of virtual learning. BLC repurposed donated computers and provided them to 20 backside families and worked with JCPS to secure laptops and hotspots.

When Jeff Musgrove, a horseowner and member of Wasabi Ventures Stables learned of the work of the Backside Learning Center from the TDN‘s story on April 25, he immediately felt a call to action.

“When I saw what the BLC was doing, I knew that I had a unique opportunity to make an impact in the lives of the families that play such a critical role in our sport,” he said.

Wasabi Ventures Stables reached out to its members to raise funds to strengthen the BLC’s work on digital inclusion with backside families.  Michele Pesula Kuegler, Director of Aftercare & Community explained, “Our club has a sense of generosity and caringt hat is unrivaled. With the opportunity to fundraise for the Backside Learning Center and support the community who cares for our horses, our members recognized the value in the BLC programming and gladly donated.”

Funds will provide internet access, computers and digital skills training to backside families and will also strengthen technology for the BLC’s learning hub for students.

“The partnership with Wasabi Ventures Stables symbolizes the strength and interconnectedness of the horse racing community,” added Sherry Stanley, Executive Director of the Backside Learning Center. “We are so grateful for these resources that will enable Backside families to thrive in this new digital world.”

This initiative builds on the BLC’s efforts to connect horse owners more closely with the backside community. In June, the BLC launched Purses for a Purpose, a program where owners can pledge a portion of their horse’s winnings to support programs for backside workers and their families.

To support digital inclusion efforts at the Backside Learning Center or to become part of Purses For a Purpose, click here.

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