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OBS President Tom Ventura Joins TDN Writers’ Room

As president of the sale company that conducted the final auction before the coronavirus pandemic shut down society as well as the first one after restrictions were lifted, OBS’s Tom Ventura has had to learn on the fly. Wednesday, he joined the TDN Writers’ Room podcast presented by Keeneland to offer his advice for the rest of the industry on keeping business going amidst COVID-19 and his impressions of the rebounding sale market.

Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Ventura said of the lessons gleaned through the pandemic, “One of the things that we learned real quickly, that you had to be pretty flexible and be able to adapt on the fly. There were restrictions coming down the pike, literally, as we were about to hold the March sale … As things were tightening up, it became very hectic, almost on an hourly basis as things were being changed. So we met with the local government officials and we got the advice, at the state level, what things were being required and what we could do. It was still feel your own way, because there wasn’t a lot of dramatic restrictions that were being put in place.”

Ventura noted that while phone bidding was ramped up for the March sale, the key to pulling off the delayed April sale in June was the incorporation of online bidding, something that will likely be a permanent feature in the auction world going forward.

“As we had to ramp back up for June, we put the online bidding into overdrive,” he said. “That was in play in terms of something that we wanted to get done, but it got moved to the head of the class real quick. And I really have to appreciate the work that [Tampa-based software company] Xcira did, because from OBS’s perspective, it’s obviously a super high priority for us. We were able and willing to work 24/7 to get it up and running for the spring sale and fortunately, Xcira jumped in right there with us to get it up. Now, it worked. I thought it was very good. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that it will down the road, but it certainly [did the job].”

Things looked ominous for both the racing and sales worlds at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but tracks resuming operations and positive results from Fasig-Tipton Midlantic this week suggest a rebound is underway. Ventura agreed that the mindset has changed and pointed to the upcoming OBS July sale as another barometer for the industry.

“The [July] sale, we’ll get a real true test of the depth of the market. We have another thousand horses on the market,” he said. “I’m hopeful, and I think based on our sale and the Fasig-Tipton sale, they held up pretty well comparatively, and they had a lot of participation. I think the other thing that’s going to benefit us now is that all the racetracks for the most part are up and running. There’s a positive frame of mind now, compared to March, as we were just in the beginning of this, as things were shutting down.”

Elsewhere on the show, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, the writers recapped Fasig-Tipton Midlantic and expressed concern about the vague safety protocols announced for the GI Kentucky Derby. Later on, in light of the number of top horses who have dropped off the Derby trail, they each picked one supplemental horse for their 3-year-old fantasy stables. Click here to listen to the podcast and click here to watch it on Vimeo.

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‘Champions Talk’ Event to Benefit NY Race Track Chaplaincy

With its two annual fund-raising events in Saratoga Springs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Race Track Chaplaincy will instead host “Champions Talk,” featuring five prominent personalities from the world of sports and horse racing, which will premiere Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. ET.

The five individuals are Hall of Fame jockeys Angel Cordero, Jr. and Ramòn Dominguez, Kentucky Derby winning owner Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds, Churchill Downs’ all-time leading trainer Dale Romans and Pro Football Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl winning coach and Thoroughbred owner Bill Parcells.

The legendary former New York Racing Association announcer Tom Durkin will serve as the moderator for the roundtable discussion, which will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube. The discussion will take place at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, but spectators will not be permitted to attend due to COVID-19 protocols in place.

The NY Chaplaincy will be honoring the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) as part of the event for its longtime dedication and support of the backstretch community at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

“While it’s disappointing to cancel our immensely popular brunch at Saratoga National Golf Club and our jockeys versus horsemen basketball game, we know that racing fans all over the world will enjoy hearing some of the colorful anecdotes that these five gentlemen experienced through the years,” said Humberto Chavez, the chaplain of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. “We are hopeful that organizations and individuals will lend their support to this event because the needs of the backstretch workers are even greater in the midst of this pandemic.”

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Tom Amoss Joins TDN Writers’ Room to Talk No Parole, Serengeti Empress, Racing Broadcasts and More

With a newly-minted Grade I winner in his barn and another set to hit the track this weekend, trainer Tom Amoss joined the TDN Writers’ Room podcast presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning for an illuminating discussion that covered a wide variety of topics, big and small. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Amoss explained the success of barn stars No Parole (Violence) and Serengeti Empress (Alternation), talked about what he’s learned from branching out into broadcasting and offered his take on why racing has a difficult time catching cheating trainers.

“When No Parole was first making his debut against state-bred company at the Fair Grounds, I recall vividly calling [owner] Maggi Moss and telling her, ‘Hey, this isn’t just a good Louisiana-bred sprinter, this is a very good racehorse,'” Amoss said. “He’s now a Grade I winner, he’s undefeated going one turn in four starts. In the back of our minds, if the horse stays healthy and does good, when he gets to the end of his 3-year-old year, where his maturity level will catch up to the older horses, the Breeders’ Cup Sprint is a possibility. And of course, we think he’d make a heck of a stallion. He’s gorgeous, good looking. He just won an important stallion race [Saturday’s GI Woody Stephens S.]. So we’ve got that on our mind as well.”

Serengeti Empress, who provided Amoss with a signature victory when capturing the GI Kentucky Oaks last spring, prepares to take on champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) this Saturday in the GII Fleur de Lis S. at Churchill Downs.

“She’s run well here, not only in the Kentucky Oaks, but the year before, when she won her first graded stake as a 2-year-old. So all those things led us to want to try this race,” Amoss said. “I’ve got tremendous respect for the champion, Midnight Bisou, and I know it has to be our best day to beat her. But the game plan is simple. To [jockey Joe] Talamo, I’m simply going to say, ‘Make the lead. Make the lead no matter what.’ And then that’s where Serengeti’s heart gets big and she does what she does best, use her speed to try to bury the field. That’s a big, big statement when you’re going against a champion, but we’ll see what happens.”

Amoss has gained attention outside of his training accomplishments for his role as an analyst on the NYRA-produced America’s Day at the Races broadcast on Fox Sports 1. He talked about how his impressions of the sport have shifted with his new part-time job and the importance of racing’s presentation in the current climate.

“Right now, horse racing has this window to attract some new people to the sport, but no one’s going to turn on a show where the talk is so over their head that they can’t follow along,” Amoss said. “So I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our industry to present the sport to a group of people that don’t know anything about it and maybe get them attracted to it. What have I learned from doing the show? I’ve learned to watch my words, but not stay silent. If there’s something I believe, no matter whose feelings I might hurt, I’m out to tell you what I see and what I observe. So I’ve learned to have a thick skin as far as that goes, but to say it in the right way.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers recapped the GI Belmont S. and the breathtaking performance of Gamine (Into Mischief) in the GI Acorn S. and looked forward to another big weekend of racing. In the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, the crew discussed the developments in fans being allowed on track in some parts of the country and whether or not that will extend to the GI Kentucky Derby. Click here to listen to the podcast and click here to watch it on Vimeo.

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Mark Taylor Joins TDN Writers’ Room to Talk Sale Market, Not This Time

As the sale season finally restarts, Taylor Made vice president Mark Taylor joined the TDN Writers’ Room presented by Keeneland this week to discuss where he sees the market going from here, the early success of Taylor Made stallion Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway) and a host of other hot-button industry issues.

Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week on the heels of OBS Spring, Taylor said, “I don’t see any scenario where the market’s not going to be off from 2019. I think just [with] everything that we’ve been through, it’s just too much to overcome not to expect some decline. I was actually relieved a little bit from the OBS results. I thought that it could have been worse … With the high volume of horses they have there, you really rely on a lot of those foreign buyers that come in to pick up a lot of those horses. And with some travel restrictions, logistical problems, and just fear factor, I think the participation from those groups was noticeably down. And that’s really a struggle. We need those buyers.”

Taylor Made Stallions has been the early winner of the freshman sire race with 2016 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Not This Time being represented by several impressive maiden breakers and the topper at OBS Spring when a filly from his first crop sold for $1.35 million.

“It was fantastic,” Taylor said. “When you’re in the stallion game, that’s what really breathes hope into your whole organization. When you can get a horse that’s starting to gain momentum and you think there’s a lot of blue sky there … He had really elite level talent. And now his babies are showing that they can run. But still, we’re in the first four miles of a marathon. So we’re just hoping that it keeps going.”

Elsewhere in the show, the crew previewed Saturday’s GI Belmont S. card and the action at Royal Ascot and, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, had a spirited debate about the new whip restrictions introduced in California and Kentucky. Click here to watch the podcast on Vimeo and click here for the audio-only version.

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