There was a Vance-trained winner Feb. 20 at Oaklawn, but it wasn't for David or his son, Tommy.
Trisha Vance Duncan – David's daughter and Tommy's younger sister – recorded her first career victory in the seventh race, an allowance sprint for older horses, when Heart Rhythm ($16) edged favored Macron by a half-length under Geovanni Franco.
Heart Rhythm marked the second career starter for Vance Duncan, 57, who also co-owns the Flat Out colt with her husband of three years, Kelly. Heart Rhythm and Girls a Bullet, her first starter, previously had been with David Vance, Oaklawn's leading trainer in 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1976.
Vance, on behalf of Vance Duncan and her husband, had claimed Heart Rhythm for $50,000 Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs. Vance Duncan, at one time, worked as her father's assistant and was instrumental in keeping the stable afloat immediately following a December 2007 automobile accident that left him confined to a motorized wheelchair.
Now, Vance Duncan has a winner under her name.
“That's the difference,” she said Sunday morning.
Vance Duncan's decision to go out on her own came after her husband closed his Dallas-area restaurant, Big Daddy's Roadhouse BBQ, in November 2020. They had three horses with David Vance during the 2021 Oaklawn meeting that she groomed and cared for.
“My dad was training the horses and we didn't have anything else to do,” Vance Duncan said. “I worked for my dad for about a year again and then we decided that I would train the ones that we owned.”
Vance Duncan said she officially struck out on her own about seven weeks ago. Girls a Bullet finished third, beaten a head, in a Feb. 13 sprint for older $16,000 female sprinters. She was claimed out of the race by 2020 Oaklawn training champion Robertino Diodoro.
Heart Rhythm toppled heavily favored Macron, who is trained by Hall of Famer and North American all-time wins leader Steve Asmussen.
“That was awesome,” Vance Duncan said. “That's a good horse. We claimed him at Churchill. My dad ran him back up there and he ran third, then we brought him here and he ran second, then we ran him again and he won.”
The only other horse Vance Duncan trains is Alexandros, a Jan. 7 starter/optional claiming winner for her father. Vance Duncan and her husband own the Flatter gelding.
Vance Duncan said she's looking to claim “a couple” of horses and “get up to five” for the Churchill Downs spring/summer meeting that begins April 30. David Vance is among the all-time winningest trainers at Oaklawn and Churchill and one of just 34 in North American history (United States and Canada) with 3,000 career victories, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization.
“I learned everything I know from my dad,” Vance Duncan said.
David Vance, 81, said he's proud of what his daughter has already accomplished in the brief time on her own.
“She's always worked for me,” Vance said. “She does all the work, so why not be the trainer? Hell, she's probably the best groom back there are far as a groom goes. There's no groom back there better than she is. She's been my assistant before, before she went off and came back. After I had my accident, she started being a trainer, too. Not only my assistant, but a trainer, too. Tommy wasn't training at the time and he came and helped her, but she did a great job.”
Tommy Vance saddled his first career stakes winner last year at Oaklawn and has two runner-up finishes and three thirds during the 2021-2022 meeting that began Dec. 3.
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