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Smaller, But Still Super: David Donk

The concept of the super trainer is by no means a new phenomenon in horse racing, but the huge stables run by super trainers have undoubtedly changed the landscape of the sport in many ways, from the backside to the racing entries. Are super trainers bad for the sport? Are there any benefits for an owner in using a “smaller” trainer? We asked these questions and more to a few trainers who may not be considered super trainers in terms of their stall numbers, but they have made the most of the horses they're given to build competitive racing stable over their careers.

David Donk's stable has been a fixture in New York for over 30 years. His most notable runners include MGISW Awad (Caveat), plus graded stakes winners Hessonite (Freud), Ordway (Salt Lake), King Kreesa (King Cugat) and Pennine Ridge (Cure the Blues). The easygoing and approachable horseman enjoys spending time developing young horses and takes pride in being one of first ones at the racetrack each morning. Donk is approaching 800 career wins and is represented this year by Shesastonecoldfox S. winner Shesawildjoker (Practical Joke).

KP: How did you first get involved in horse racing?

DD: I grew up in a small town in upstate New York near Finger Lakes Racetrack called Clifton Springs. My dad owned and bred some horses and we were neighbors with the trainer that he used. I got hooked at a very young age and realized, probably when I first got into high school, that it was something that I wanted to pursue.

After I graduated high school, I did train on my own at Finger Lakes for five years, mainly with my dad's horses, and then I got a break in the spring in 1985. Phil Gleaves left to go out on his own so I got hired as an assistant to Woody Stephens.

I worked for Woody for five and a half years until his health wasn't doing as well and then I went out on my own in 1991. I started out with seven horses. I had a couple for Henryk de Kwiakowski, Jim Ryan [Ryehill Farm] and John and Theresa Behrendt. I was able to stay in New York and gradually have a bit of success, enough to where I was able to stay in New York to make a living. I've been here for 36 years.

KP: How many horses are normally in your stable?

DD: The number has been a little bigger for the last few years. I'm at about 50 over the summer. I try not to have any more than that. In the winter, I try to get to the low 30's. I have a lot of people who are on visas and have to go back, so I try to reduce the size of the stable to make it a little more comfortable and easier on us all in December and January before we gear back up again.

KP: Who have been your biggest mentors throughout your career?

DD: First would be my dad, who is still with us, and then the biggest break of my career was getting a job for Woody Stephens. I like to say that I went to one of the best universities in the country when I worked for him.

KP: What horse was the most influential to your career?

DD: My most influential horse is obviously Awad (Caveat). He made $3.2 million in his career, had over 70 starts and won a few Grade I races. We got to travel all over the country and we went to Japan twice. That's the horse that put me on the map and where I'm at financially. There's no question that he was the horse who is most influential for me.

KP: What do you believe makes your stable unique?

DD: This is a business, so when you are a trainer, you are the president and CEO of your own company. One of the classes I took in high school was bookkeeping. I always knew that if I was going to have a business, I needed to be able to do the financial side of it. Horse racing today is different from when I was a kid or even from one or two generations ago. There's a lot more to it. You are the president and CEO of your own company and there's a lot of federal, state, immigration and law regulations. Even if you don't do the bookkeeping yourself, you need to understand it. You're the one that's liable and you're the head of the company.

It's not just about training horses. There's also the customer service side of it with clients. I'm a little bit unique in that I like the paperwork and the business side of it. I do most of my own bookkeeping. My dad taught me this as a kid and now I preach it to my kids-it's not a bad thing to be your own boss. The biggest difference is that you work 80 hours a week instead 40 hours a week, but at the end of the day, it's your own.

I've been here a long time, but I've had a number of clients who I've had for 25 years with John and Theresa Behrendt, Charles Marquis, Bill Punk and Bob Spiegel. I've been fortunate that I've had a lot of loyalty and at the same time, they're very successful in their own professions and they've taught me a lot.

Shesawildjoker (Practical Joke) breaks her maiden on debut this summer before running in the money in three stakes, including a win in the Shesastonecoldfox S. | Coglianese

KP: What do you believe are the benefits, for owners, in using a “smaller” trainer?

DD: They're going to run more often. I come from a different era and the game has changed a lot. I sometimes say that owners, to a degree, are brainwashed. Horses can run more than once every two months. Sometimes economics don't come into play for them.

I understand the financial side of it for an owner. In New York, we run for a lot of money. I always say that I don't win enough. Sometimes I don't run my horses quite where they belong because I cater to what a client wants to do. I call it customer service. Maybe it's too far to an extent, but if you're running second or third in New York all day long, it pays a lot of bills for the client and keeps money in circulation. We're not always looking at it by numbers or in percentages. That's where technology has changed things a little bit. Everybody is worried about their numbers.

I enjoy 2-year-olds and trying to educate them to shed a little light onto what their quality might be. Sometimes you might run them a little over their head to find that out and appease someone.

Of course, we live in a democracy so I wouldn't take anything away from the big stables. But at the same time I think those owners should be willing to diversify their stable a bit more and give younger trainers who are up-and-coming an opportunity. There are a lot of really good people out there. We have some in New York now, even some female trainers who I hope are successful because we need 20 or 30 more of them.

KP: Do you think super trainers are bad for the sport?

DD: It's fair to say that it's not good for the sport when we're trying to sell races. Handle is based off of field size. We see it in New York that in the better allowance races, the field sizes are not as big as you would like them to be. That goes back to horses not running quite as often. There are rules in place where a trainer can only run two horses in a race and in New York if a race overfills, a trainer can only run one. So I think the biggest downfall is that it affects field size.

KP: What do you enjoy most about your job?

DD: I have two kids so I do a lot of coaching and I always tell them that in life, if you find something you like to do, you'll be happy. If you find something you love to do, you have a chance to be really successful.

I love what I do. I love the early mornings. I think the greatest part of the day is the first set at 5:30 when it's really quiet and has that serene feeling to it. I'm getting a little older so I try to get away a little bit or a couple of days a week during the winter, but at the same time when I'm away for a few days, I miss it. I'm at an age now where I see people who I went to school with who are retiring. But boy, I don't know if I could ever retire. I love the quality of help that I have and the quality of clients that I have. I love the challenge of training two-year-olds and then continuing to learn and do a better job. I love the human aspect to it as much as the equine aspect.

With Ramon Dominguez aboard, Hessonite wins the Ticonderoga S. for Donk in 2012 | Horsephotos

KP: What is the most frustrating aspect of your job?

DD: The most frustrating part of this industry is getting people to come to the table to make compromise. It takes too long to make changes in our industry. I believe that a lot of common sense heads could come together and make decisions. It's frustrating that as an industry, we seem to be behind the times, even in the U.S. compared to the standards internationally.

KP: Do you have any thoughts on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)?

DD: Not at the moment, but there was a great comment the other day from [NYTHA President] Joe Appelbaum, who sent out an email to our membership. He said that at the moment, the bill is written by lawyers for lawyers to understand. So right now with the way the bill is written, no one understands it. So it remains to be a bill that obviously needs a lot of input.

So it's far from being done in a way that is understandable and has a common sense approach, but it is needed in our industry. I think we can always do a better job and we need the rules to be the same in every jurisdiction. Again, we're behind the times and I think it's a good thing, but there's a lot more work to be done and hopefully now that the bill is out, a lot more good people will get involved with it.

KP: If you didn't have a career in horse racing, what would you do?

DD: I don't know. I always say that if it wasn't for racing, I'd probably be driving a truck for UPS. I knew what I wanted to do when I was a freshman in high school. I think as I've gotten older, I could have gone into management, but at the same time and more importantly, I love being my own boss.

To nominate a trainer for this ongoing series, email katiepetrunyak@thetdn.com. General criteria: Multiple graded stakes-winning trainer, fewer than 300 starts this year, has trained for over 20 years and accumulated no more than approximately $50 million in career earnings.

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‘Tremendous Champion Of Thoroughbred Racing’: Dr. David Richardson Dies At 76

Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson, the distinguished Louisville surgeon who was an owner, breeder and widely-respected leader in the horse racing industry, died Tuesday at the age of 76. According to the Daily Racing Form, Dr. Richardson had been admitted to a hospital in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. with pneumonia following a COVID-19 diagnosis, then suffered a cardiac event.

“Dr. Richardson positively impacted the lives of countless individuals and meant so much to so many people in this community as well as the horse racing industry,” said Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson. “The Churchill Downs family is absolutely devastated to learn of his passing. He was such a fantastic man of the highest integrity and a tremendous champion of Thoroughbred racing. Our deepest condolences are extended to his numerous friends and family and especially to his children Melissa, Amy and Britton, his wife Maxine and brother Dr. Ron Richardson. Churchill Downs won't be the same without 'Doc' Richardson around.”

Born in Morehead, Ky., Dr. Richardson graduated from Morehead State University and the University of Kentucky's School of Medicine. Dr. Richardson rose to become chief of surgery and vice chair of the University of Louisville's department of surgery. He also was the former chair of the American Board of Surgery and a Regent of the American College of Surgeons.

A cousin of legendary late Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens, he bought his first horse in 1975 at age 30 and campaigned his first stakes winner in 1978. Either by himself or in partnerships with others, Dr. Richardson raised and sold more than 1,000 horses that ultimately won races. As an owner, he won more than 100 races in his career. Three-year-old homebred filly Lady Edith provided Richardson and partner Sandra New with a thrill on May 8, 2021 when she won the $108,075 Mamzelle Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs by a neck at odds of 24-1.

In partnership with his medical and racing colleague Dr. Hiram Polk, Richardson bred and raced multiple stakes winner Mrs. Revere, who won four Churchill Downs stakes races during a two-year reign in 1984-85. Mrs. Revere collected three of those stakes during her 3-year-old season, thus providing Churchill Downs an opportunity to appropriately honor the filly with a Grade 2 stakes event for 3-year-old fillies on turf each fall. They also campaigned the Grade 1 winner Northern Emerald and stakes winners Maria Balastiere, Liz Cee and Harrods Creek.

Dr. Richardson was a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and The Jockey Club, also serving on the executive committee and board of trustees for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, for which he'd been chairman, vice chairman and secretary, and also chaired TOBA's graded stakes committee.

Richardson was on Churchill Downs' racing committee comprised of racetrack representatives and horsemen. He also was a longtime Breeders' Cup board member and past president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders.

“We are heartbroken and saddened by the passing of Dr. J. David Richardson, a remarkable man both in the medical community and the Thoroughbred industry,” said TOBA president Dan Metzger. “Dr. Richardson gave selflessly of his time in supporting many of our sport's organizations, including four years as TOBA chairman and nine years on the American Graded Stakes Committee, including seven as chairman. He was admired and loved by the countless he touched throughout the industry and we will forever be indebted to him for his steady leadership at TOBA. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Maxine, his children Amy, Britt and Melissa, his brothers Ron and Paul and to his entire family. A life well-lived, he will be dearly missed.”

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COVID-19 Claims Dr. J. David Richardson, Ky-Based Owner, Breeder, Regulator

David Richardson, M.D., a distinguished Kentucky-based surgeon who owned and bred Thoroughbreds for nearly half a century and was known as a thoughtful, cerebral racing regulator whose zeal for the sport shone through in his volunteer service on numerous industry-related boards, died Sept. 7 in Saratoga Springs, New York, after developing pneumonia related to COVID-19.

Richardson had been briefly hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Saratoga Hospital; he was believed to be 76 years old.

Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTA/KTOB) organization, confirmed the details of Richardson's passing to TDN. Morris noted in an email that Richardson had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“David was a remarkable man who touched so many lives in his capacity as a brilliant surgeon, mine included, and seamlessly blended his Eastern Kentucky sensibilities with his dual professions and passions of horse racing and medicine,” Morris wrote. “There are countless people on the backside and frontside who literally owe their lives to David thanks to his keen observations of some health issue which led to first-class treatment, despite [a patient's] ability to pay.”

Tommy Drury, who trained horses for Richardson, wrote on Facebook that, “My heart is truly broken, as I'll never get the chance to thank you for all you've done to make my life better. RIP Dr Richardson. My life just won't be the same without you.”

James David Richardson (he was generally known by either just his middle name or “J. David” to friends) was the first child born into a working-class family in Morehead, Kentucky. According to a biography published earlier this year in The American Surgeon, Richardson was an outstanding student who rose to be valedictorian of his high school class, winning a state essay contest on ethics and citizenship while also teaming to win the Kentucky debating club championship.

Richardson graduated from Morehead State University in just three years with a near-perfect grade point average, then was awarded a scholarship to the University of Kentucky (UK) medical school.

Upon graduating from UK in 1970, he was recruited as an intern and resident to the Department of Surgery at UK, then transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio where he completed both general surgery and thoracic surgery residencies. Richardson subsequently became one of the nation's few quadruple board-certified surgeons (general, thoracic, vascular and critical care surgeries).

Soon after, Richardson was recruited to the faculty of the University of Louisville, where for decades he served as a professor and later as vice chair of surgery. In 2014, he was elected president-elect of the American College of Surgeons.

“I did big surgery,” Richardson told TDN in a 2019 profile. “The first liver transplants in Kentucky, for example. I ran a trauma program for years. Major surgery is extraordinarily high stakes, high risk, high reward–and a lot of pressure. But while I've never had to do horses for business, I'm very sympathetic with people who do. If you've paid a big stud fee, or bought a high-priced mare, and are counting on that to make your nut for the year, I would think that's a very intense thing. Great when it works, terrible when it doesn't. It's not like life and death. But it's certainly a lot of pressure.”

In response to Richardson's passing, the University of Louisville Hospital released a statement Tuesday which read, “U of L Health extends its sympathy to his family and is grieving with them. He was an outstanding mentor and skilled surgeon who saved the lives of thousands through his work and education of many future doctors. Dr. Richardson was a beloved member of our family and will be missed.”

Horses had fascinated Richardson since boyhood, when he would leave friends at the Coney Island amusement park in Cincinnati to bluff his way, underage, into the adjacent River Downs racetrack. He bought his first Thoroughbred in 1975, at age 30, and had his first stakes winner in 1978.

“I enjoy all aspects of it,” he told TDN. “I like to bet. I like to breed horses. I love to race horses. Even in claiming races, I still get a kick out of winning.”

While carving out a career as a young medic, Richardson was taken under the wing of Hall-of-Fame trainer Woody Stephens, who was a family member and, like Richardson, had also risen from modest means in rural Kentucky to achieve wider success in his chosen field (Richardson called Stephens “Uncle” even though the trainer was Richardson's father's cousin). Through Stephens, Richardson availed himself of opportunities to learn everything he could about selecting, raising and training racehorses.

By the early 1980s, Richardson had learned enough to get involved in picking out some of the better-known horses campaigned by owner Henryk de Kwiatkowski that Stephens would go on to train. Among them were Danzig, Conquistador Cielo, and Sabin.

According to his American Surgeon bio, around the mid-1980s, Richardson began to devote more time to owning his own horses, especially broodmares. “Either by himself or in partnership with others, he has raised and sold over 1,000 horses that have ultimately won races at different tracks,” the bio stated. As of earlier this year, Richardson owned about 40 horses in various stages of development.

“I've spent tens of thousands of hours working things out,” Richardson told TDN in 2019. “I've looked at thousands of yearlings. I've looked at broodmares, November and January, snow knee-deep or bitter, freezing my butt off. So to me, that's part of paying your dues, and trying to become better versed, and staying up with the game. Because if you really do that carefully, you see how sometimes horses that win races aren't the prettiest things, or the best conformed.”

When it came to acquiring his own horses, Richardson relished that challenge of coming up with overlooked contenders that outran their auction purchase prices. In 1991, he bought eventual MGSW Northern Emerald in partnership for $55,000; she won the 1995 GI Flower Bowl H. Richardson also co-owned the homebred MGSP Mrs. Revere in the 1980s; that filly now has a stakes race named in her honor at Churchill Downs.

Richardson was a member of The Jockey Club, and twice served as president of the KTA/KTOB. He served as chairman of Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders of America and also as chair of its American Graded Stakes Committee. He also served on the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors.

“It's a tough business, but it's a great sport,” Richardson told TDN in 2019. “Horses are such wonderful creatures. I take a lot of people out to the track–we do it every year with the surgical residents–and the joy people have when they experience racing, even as novices, is amazing to see. So I hope we never lose that.”

According to Morris, Richardson is survived by his wife, Maxine, and three children.

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Saffie Joseph, Jr. Points Mischevious Alex To Forego At Saratoga

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex had a good breeze back on Friday in his first timed work since an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 31 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay worked a half-mile solo in :48.45 on the main track in preparation for a start in the $600,000 Grade 1 Forego at seven furlongs on the main track on Travers Day August 28.

“He's bounced out of the race good. We haven't seen anything to deter us running back in the Forego,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He got the thumps last time pretty bad. Hopefully, that was the reason for his performance.”

A multiple graded stakes winner, Mischevious Alex has won 3-of-5 starts this year, including scores in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., in February and the Grade 1 Carter Handicap in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Joseph Jr. said Friday's breeze have him confidence that Mischevious Alex could return to form in the Forego.

“He went a good half by himself. Hopefully, the real Alex shows up and if he does, he'll have a good chance,” Joseph, Jr. said.

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock, a sophomore son of Maclean's Music, also breezed Friday covering a half-mile in :48.83 on the main track.

Boasting a record of six wins and two seconds from nine starts, Drain the Clock bested Jackie's Warrior by a neck on June 5 at Belmont in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens.

Last out, in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam, Jackie's Warrior turned the tables with a romping 7 1/4-length score over a sloppy and sealed Saratoga main track.

Joseph Jr. said he is hopeful Drain the Clock will one-up his familiar foe in the $500,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Travers Day.

“No one was beating Jackie that day. He ran dynamite. Maybe our horse didn't run his best that day but all credit to Jackie,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We have no excuse. We had a good trip. The record is one and one. He's beat us once, we beat him once. We'll try again in the Allen Jerkens.”

John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman, and Team Hanley's Ny Traffic, a 4-year-old New York-bred son of Cross Traffic, breezed a half-mile in :48 flat Sunday on the main track.

The talented colt finished second in a trio of graded events last year, including the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., the Grade 3 Matt Winn in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., in July in which he finished just a nose back of Authentic.

Ny Traffic won his seasonal debut in May at Belmont by 6 3/4-lengths sprinting seven furlongs against fellow state-breds in an optional claimer and followed with a close second in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in June at Monmouth.

Last out, Ny Traffic faded to fourth in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 17.

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“He went good this morning. It was his first breeze back since Monmouth, I had him in 47 and 4. It was a good work back,” Joseph Jr. said. “There's a possibility he could go in the Forego or the Charles Town Classic.”

Joseph Jr. said Ny Traffic will breeze again next weekend before he decides on cutting back to seven furlongs for the Forego or stretching out to nine furlongs for the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at Charles Town in Charles Town, W.Va. on August 27.

Overall, Joseph, Jr. said he has been pleased with Ny Traffic's performances this season.

“He won his debut at Belmont and in his second race at Monmouth he ran second but it was a good race,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Last time he disappointed a little bit if you just look at the running lines, but the reality is that he acted up pre-race back at the barn and I think he lost his race there. It wasn't a true run.”

Joseph, Jr. said e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Gibberish will turn back to nine furlongs for the $120,000 Summer Colony on August 22 at the Spa.

Last out, the 4-year-old daughter of Lea was a game second to Miss Marissa in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 10.

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