Welcome to “Voices,” our public forum where horsemen and horsewomen are able to share their thoughts and concerns about the important issues facing the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry. All opinions are welcome, and we value yours!
All comments must be submitted by email. Be sure to write “Voices” in your subject line, and include your name, city and state in your message. Fictitious names are not allowed.
Content that promotes a commercial interest or product, or content that is libelous, defamatory or abusive will not be accepted. The opinions expressed below are not necessarily those of the owners and/or hosts of this website, and Thoroughbred Information Agency shall not be held responsible for content.
We also invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Janet Griffin, Bangtail Farm, Mad River, CA:
Oh boy, your post brought back a lot of memories. The racing and sales at Hollywood Park. We bought our first two-year-olds at a paddock sale at Hollywood Park. Watched them gallop (they didn’t work them) from the box seats and then bid out in front. Later, CTBA built that nice pavilion over in the parking lot by the oil well.
My late husband Bill and I always stayed at the Cockatoo in Hawthorne. It was a wild time. Many of the horsemen stayed there and most patronized the cocktail lounge in the evening. The Cockatoo had a big black limo to take you to and from the races. Many times, friends from British Columbia, Washington, Kentucky and local would meet and we’d all stay, drink and dine at the Cockatoo.
One friend invested in a pinhooking venture with Jack Van Berg. We would get up early and take coffee and donuts to the barn for the help. We had a nice older grass horse at the time named Gaucho Star trained by Riley Cofer. He won eleven races at SA, HP & Del Mar. My favorite track is still Santa Anita, but oh those memories of Hollywood Park and the Cockatoo!!!
|
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
Don,
I guess that saying that some of the “old timers” might remember this (see below), is referring to me as one. I enjoyed the article and it brought back a few memories. Some good and some bad, but it was during this time that I had the opportunity to work with some of California’s best Thoroughbreds.
I had the opportunity (I guess) of working for Hastings Harcourt at Flag Is Up Farms. He once described himself to me and Shirley as a “gregarious snob.” Besides his stallions Tirreno, Petrone and Gladwin, I was also able to stand and handle Nodouble at El Rancho Murrieta. ERM was owned by Robert Flour at the time. Do you remember the big party out there after we renovated the breeding area and the training area??? I never worked so hard as I did in laying sod, digging holes for shrubbery and cleaning all the barns. As I remember, we at the breeding barn area won the contest as to which area looked the best.
Monty Roberts and I used to have breakfast at Denny’s in Buellton. I mentioned it once to the secretary and she told Harcourt, getting me in trouble. Wonder why?
R.L. “Bob” Wheeler was still the trainer for Harcourt while I was there. Bob and I had formed a very good friendship before, when I took care of his mares at California Stud and ERM. Rukin Jelks also had mares in that band with Wheeler, among which was Miss Todd. Bob and I had a lot of fun at the races and sales. I remember the first time I made reservations at a hotel for the sale at Hollywood Park. I hadn’t been around the area very much. Bob told me to make them at The Cockatoo Inn. My first thought was, what kind of dive is that?! Didn’t sound as good as it was.
I also remember the heavy taxes that were imposed on the breeders. Gov. Ronald Reagan gets the credit for changing those.
Anyway, I could go on, but thanks for the memories!
|
Sue White, Westport, CT:
After winning 2nd place in the TIA’s 2009 Freshman Sire Contest, I want to take this opportunity to thank Lisa of the TIA and her staff for providing a really fabulous 2nd place prize. I just returned from California after spending a delightful day at Santa Anita watching Zenyatta do her thing.
The 2nd place prize: 4 box seat tickets to Santa Anita, $100, valet parking, and lots of goodies from the Santa Anita gift shop (including their 75th anniversary book, which is a terrific read down through the decades). A special thank you goes out to Lisa’s husband Rudi, who did all the running around to get the gifts and parking pass, and who I hope didn’t have to cut short his tennis weekend to hand the gifts to me.
The contest was a lot of fun, satisfied my competitive nature, and had the added bonus of really super prizes. I’m looking forward to entering the contest again this year.
Thanks again so much.
[Editor’s Note: You’re welcome, Sue! Congratulations again. We will announce our 2010 contest within the next few weeks. Stay tuned for details! — Lisa]
|
Sandy Nickols, San Pablo, CA:
My track to farm business increases as time goes by and unlike my early years on the track, most of these horses going out won’t be coming back in. And the norm is for me to drop them off at the farm and never see most of them again.
With that being the case I was stunned when I became personally involved with 6 horses who have been turned out in the last 9 months. The first, a filly that I bred, was given to me last June, dead lame with no diagnosis after x-rays and she was claimed to be body sore, and she did indeed walk like a horse that hurt all over. I took her to a friend’s farm and confined her to a 12 by 24 stall and paddock. Within 2 weeks fever lines appeared on both fronts and when we pulled the shoes she could hardly walk. This lasted for a total of 3 months.
Over the next few months I took 4 more out for a client. The same thing happened to 3 of them.
Last November I was given another, a 2-year-old filly that had also been diagnosed as sore behind. She was the worst case. Stumbled when she walked with one foot much worse than the other. So bad in fact that you could put pressure on the sole with your thumb and it would give. I took her up to Davis and had x-rays taken expecting to find interior damage but the only findings were she had extremely thin soles. This is a dark brown filly with dark feet, no white on the legs and one would assume from looking at the outside which has a good healthy looking thick wall that she had healthy feet and yet her soles had become paper thin.
The only one that didn’t have the foot problems after going to the farm had been stabled at Pleasanton. Since then I have been talking to a few farm managers when I go in and out and they say they have had many similar experiences and a lot of them abscess shortly after arriving. Personally, I don't think it’s a coincidence that of the 6 I took to my friends, the 5 that came from GGF had horrible foot issues and the Pleasanton horse had no foot problems.
I am pretty confident that if all the horses had been x-rayed, they would have had the same findings, thin soles. I’ve had horses all my life and having a horse get tender after the shoes are pulled is not a rarity but this is totally different. Deep fever lines, thin soft soles and crippled for over 3 months before they start to improve.
I’m not educated enough to know what could be causing this, perhaps the surface has too much give and that softens the foot or perhaps a lack of concussion is responsible for the thin soles, maybe they need a little concussion to toughen them up. All I do know, after 23 years of training, is a horse will darn sure get sore behind when they are trying to get off the front end and as sore as these horses I observed were, there is no doubt in my mind that their hind end problems were most likely caused by their feet. One can only wonder as time passes how many more issues will come to light.
I do think as the battle wages on that the studies being done on the effects of the surface should be extended to following the injured horses for a period of time, say 3 months, to see if any unusual problems present after being turned out.
I had a spirited debate with the vet at Davis who was involved in the studies that show less concussion with the surface. I couldn’t get her to understand that while the long bones might be a little more protected on it, the no slide mechanics of the surface is tearing everything else up. The horse is running, the foot hits and plants with no slide or give and the body propels at 30 plus miles an hour while the foot is stuck in the track. No wonder we have all these terrible new issues. One only had to be at GGF last Sunday where 4 horses broke down between morning training and the 4th race. There was actually a fifth one but he wasn’t hauled off, he got back to the barn before they found he had fractured his hind sesamoids.
Since we seem to be stuck with these tracks, we had better figure out how to fix them quickly. Shoot, they might be better if we just put dirt on top, good drainage so they wouldn’t need the sand and a forgiving bottom. Too bad it wouldn’t work but maybe the engineers can figure out how to put dirt on top of something like the synthetic but that wouldn’t allow the dirt to filter through, that would allow a drain system to stay in place. That might be the perfect track. Hopefully they are already working on it.
|
Don Engel, Rohnert Park, CA:
While wandering about the internet this morning, I came across a “Sports Illustrated” article from 1971 that some of you oldtimers may find of interest. Somewhere in the middle of the lengthy article are a couple of interesting opinions of the CTBA board of directors.
Click here to read the article.
|
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
I’m not sure about the rest of you, but with Zenyatta’s win in the Santa Margarita and Rachel Alexandra’s loss in the New Orleans Ladies, it confirmed in my mind that Zenyatta should have been Horse of the Year, as I would have voted last year.
|
Sandy Nickols, San Pablo, CA:
I’m almost, but not quite speechless after reading Mr. Stronach’s latest announcement. So it now appears that he is going to punish the horsemen for deeds done by our government. His tracks aren’t good enough for his horses but everyone else grin and bear it.
Even if his idea had merit, and I’m not in a position to say it does or doesn’t, the only industry related decision I’ve ever seen made in a split second was the mandating of synthetic tracks.
West Virginia is looking better all the time.
|
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
Well, I just returned to Washington after three months in Idaho watching a grandson play his senior year of basketball and they get to go to State for the second time in two years.
Anyway, as the winner of the Don Engel Freshman Sire Contest I wanted to thank all those that made it possible. Thanks to Lisa from TIA, those from Del Mar, and to Don for starting the contest in the first place. Don, two out of the last three years isn’t too bad for an old retired Quarter Horse breeder, huh?
I definitely will plan to go to Del Mar this coming summer. I haven’t been there since I managed
San Luis Rey Downs. Actually, I just sold my last QH mare and she was a granddaughter of
Storm Cat.
February 27, 2010
4:52 p.m.
|
|
Don Engel, Rohnert Park, CA:
Jack Werk is dead, but he leaves an awesome legacy.
He was a marketing genius, probably the greatest that the Thoroughbred industry has ever known. The product that he marketed has profoundly influenced Thoroughbred breeding; it’s likely that no other person in the history of breeding has had a greater influence.
That influence will probably be permanent.
Unfortunately, even tragically, the product that has exerted that influence is modern-day snake oil — worthless. But it is not just worthless; it is destructive. Untold millions of dollars have been wasted by breeders and racehorse owners who not only paid Werk and his imitators for valueless mating recommendations but spent incalculable amounts of money paying to create and race the products of those recommendations.
The product, of course, was computerized nicking, offering scientific evaluation of the racing results available in the vast Thoroughbred racing database and determining the matings — sires matched to sires of dams — most likely to produce successful runners.
Werk was the first to see the opportunity provided by that combination of the mystique of the infallible computer and the existing information database. He seized the opportunity, and it undoubtedly made him a rich man.
That was the Holy Grail of Thoroughbred breeding, that single piece of information that would exponentially increase the chance of producing a superior runner at relatively little cost. People embraced the idea with joy and enthusiasm; they believed because they wanted to believe. Now, slightly more than two decades after Werk revealed His Truth, computerized nicking is deeply, inextricably, embedded in Thoroughbred breeding.
Unfortunately, computerized nicking doesn’t work (or Werk). It doesn’t pass the most basic tests of scientific validity. It just isn’t true that it can do what it claims. Also unfortunately, breeders so badly want it to be true that they accept it without question.
True Believers even accepted, without question, the assertion that the quality of those baseless recommendations could be rated with delicate accuracy and assigned such values as A+, A, A-, B+, on down. They cherished those ratings and went on arranging matings that no rational person would have embraced.
After all, if it came out of the computer and if so many people believe it is true, then it must be true. It’s a fusing of the old song “Wishing Will Make It So” and the Nazi concept of the Big Lie.
To my knowledge, only one critical analysis of computerized nicking has ever been published. It doesn’t question the existence of nicks; it shows that it is impossible to know what they are. Click here to read it. It isn’t brief, but it is thorough and solidly grounded.
I wrote it years ago for my newsletter, and it has had no perceptible influence. People who want to believe, will believe.
February 17, 2010
8:23 a.m.
|
|
Don Engel, Rohnert Park, CA:
In this week’s Barretts sale, 447 horses went through the ring. Of those, more than 100 didn’t get a bid.
I counted 109 (I have trouble counting that high, so that might be off by two or three), a few of which got one bid — from the consignor; the others didn’t get a bid from anybody. Either way, they effectively were all no-bids.
Jeez!
January 28, 2010
9:54 p.m.
|
|
Don Sandri, Hayward, CA:
Just watched the finish of the second race @ GGF. Mile and a sixteenth on the Stupeta; erhh Tapeta.. Here are the fractions.. 25.78; 52.64; 1:17.78; 1:42.57 and 1:49 flat....
Citation and Native Diver must be rolling in their graves...
January 28, 2010
1:29 p.m.
|
|
Ginny Johnston, Tularosa, NM:
Congratulations to the California breeders who succeeded in keeping Papa Clem in the state as a stallion. It is a tremendous opportunity for those in the state to get to a very good bloodline. I hoped someone other than Kentucky would stand this nice horse and give him a chance. Hopefully he will get a full book and become the next In Excess or Bertrando for the state.
I surely am not the only one that has noticed that some of the horses who raced well in California often make the best California sires. They do not necessarily need to run elsewhere. Dirt or Synthetic or Grass, there is no place like home for California-based horses.
January 27, 2010
2:27 p.m.
|
|
Don Engel, Rohnert Park, CA:
My concern regarding CARMA’s sending money to out-of-state establishments was that the money likely would go to support horses other than those that had raced in California as well as those that had.
I still have that concern, but, upon reflection, I recall that I had the same concern when CARMA started distributing money to California retirement facilities: How can you keep the money from being spent for the care of horses that never raced in California?
I don’t think you can, unless the former California racehorses are segregated on those farms or kept at a facility devoted exclusively to those horses. I don’t know what, if anything, state law says about this, but it may even be illegal to do what’s being done.
As far as I can see, the solution to the problem is to pretend that there is no problem. Maybe we can agree on that, anyway.
January 19, 2010
8:59 p.m.
|
|
Priscilla Clark (Tranquility Farm President), Tehachapi, CA:
The CARMA funding that is sent out of state is sent to care for horses that have raced in California. That is the criteria, to support horses that have raced here no matter where they were foaled. It would be nice if the CTBA had a similar program for Cal-breds, but that has not happened to date.
Also, just for the record, the 40 Warren mares that were rescued from a feedlot in Arizona in 2008 were rescued by Tranquility Farm, which is a CA organization. We had help from wonderful folks in AZ, and the mares went to adoptive homes all over the west. Horses need help everywhere.
January 19, 2010
3:33 p.m.
|
|
Sandy Nickols, San Pablo, CA:
I just finished reading “The Blood-Horse” article on the allocation of dates for 2010. Everybody is scrambling for a piece of the fast disappearing pie.
The most alarming thing to me was the remarks on the diminishing horse population available to fill races in the state. It seems no one wants to place the blame where it belongs. The reduction in breeding hasn’t really shown up yet and true, we have lost some owners due to the financial downturn but we are also bleeding profusely from the loss of horses that are moving east in search of different surfaces to race on. A recent conversation with a booking agent for one of the “big three” transporters had him telling me that their shuttle business from Hollywood Park to Santa Anita was almost dead due to the declining horse population but that their cross country business had doubled and that was keeping them alive.
Just the other morning in the kitchen at Golden Gate Fields an owner and two trainers bemoaned the reality of trying to keep their horses sound on the surface and a long time shoer said he had never seen the foot problems like he is having now. The unfortunate truth is we have a small percentage of foals born that make it to the races. Now we have to deal with the percentage of those that can physically handle the mechanics of running on an artificial surface.
This is just a rant to keep from screaming at the current state of racing. I know that given the financial state and current track ownership, no money will be spent to undo what has been done, and with a lack of government support on the gaming issue, all we can do is sit by helpless and hope that we can somehow overcome these obstacles.
January 18, 2010
7:12 a.m.
|
|
Ginny Johnston, Tularosa, NM:
Don,
I have to disagree with you about CARMA giving money to the retirement facilities in Arizona. As long as California horses run anywhere, if they are retired in a facility that will care for them, let the money be given. Encore Equine Foundation near Tucson probably has many Cal-breds there and I know there are New Mexico-breds, Ky-breds and Arizona-breds plus others there.
Any facility that cares for our unwanted Thoroughbreds deserves funding. I don’t care where the horses are foaled. Remember the Warren horses were rescued by Arizona people and fortunately California stepped up and placed many of them.
We adopted a gelding from a retirement facility. One of our trainers here has tried to get owners to donate a per start fee for retirement of NM-bred horses but I am not sure many participate. Too easy to sell the horses in El Paso for $100 and off to slaughter in Mexico.
I praise CARMA for funding all of the retirement facilities that they do. Please give credit for not discriminating.
And, Larry Stevens, we agree 100% about the California Governator. He should have been embarrassed to even be at the track Breeders’ Cup Day and when Zenyatta was honored. The boos were totally deserved although it is a shame it had to be in front of Zenyatta. She and her owners are way above him in class and he has done nothing to help California racing. It would be nice if politicians would keep campaign promises instead of thinking only of their own pockets. Thanks for your observations.
January 1, 2010
8:11 a.m.
|
|
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
Lisa,
Concerning your article on the unsportsmanship conduct that was shown towards the CA Governor (see November 29, 2009 blog entry), I have to take some exception. True, maybe the crowd should have restrained themselves some, but what did the authorities think they would do? Here is a man that in his campaign speeches said he would create some sort of parity in the casino gambling issue, only to turn his back on CA racing by allowing the Native Americans even more opportunities to expand their gambling.
Did Zenyatta deserve the award? Yes, by all means she deserves any award that they want to give her. If I had owned her, I’d rather that award be presented by anyone other than the Governor. A busy man? Well, I guess considering his public office (although not a good governor). Famous? For poorly acting in violent R-rated movies, blowing up hundreds of people. I have a hard time with the word “famous” and “stars” when attached to the Hollywood Jet Set.
December 30, 2009
2:47 p.m.
|
|
Don Engel, Rohnert Park, CA:
Although I’m retired from the Thoroughbred business, I guess I’m not entirely out of the loop, because I received a press release from TOC a few days ago announcing that CARMA is distributing $264,000 “to twelve different charitable organizations caring for retired California racehorses.”
Great! When I was involved in such things, I campaigned vigorously for somebody to help care for those retired warriors on whom the entire industry depends. I doubt that I had anything to do with it, but CARMA was created to provide help. It hasn’t been able to give all the help that’s necessary, but it’s trying.
One of the most important sources of funding for CARMA is a system of voluntary contributions by California racehorse owners in the form of small — very small — deductions for purses that their horses earn. That is as it should be, owners helping pay for the retirement of their horses.
But that money should never be used to pay for the retirement of ALL horses. That would be an egregious misuse of the funds. That money should go only to help horses that have raced in California.
So I was stunned to see that the list of 12 beneficiaries of the latest distribution of CARMA funds included two Arizona facilities. With California retirement facilities in desperate need of funding, California owners are paying to support Arizona horses?
I have to assume that CARMA believes that retired California racehorses are domiciled at those Arizona facilities, but I can’t conceive of there being a way to assure that the money is going only to their support.
I don’t know whether state law allows CARMA to fund out-of-state facilities, but it certainly should. Whether it’s legal or illegal, it is ABSOLUTELY WRONG! What were these people thinking?
I’m no longer involved in all this, but I can’t help being outraged.
December 30, 2009
10:13 a.m.
|
|
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
Eric,
That’s not a bad idea, but I don’t think it will ever fly and here is why. The old saying “that you never really know a man until you deal with him for money” is very true.
Let’s say that the winners share was $1 million dollars and the jockey gets $100,000 and then someone says to him give $10,000 to this cause. To be asked to ride in that higher echelon takes years of work and not a lot of them ever get the chance. Those are the races where they can have a chance to put some serious money away for retirement, if they are smart enough.
Most retire by 50+ years of age and have no further education than the race track. Not very many that can play in “movies” like Gary Stevens or occupy the broadcast booth and write a book telling you how to bet like Jerry Bailey. A lot of them are great family men and want to be able to take care and educate their children and knowing what that costs are going to be very reluctant to part with that 10%.
December 20, 2009
9:21 a.m.
|
|
Eric W. Anderson, Santa Rosa, CA:
Reading about the jockeys’ plight for an increase in mount fees, I felt inspired to come up with something novel.
Owners have to pay for mounts in Breeders’ Cup, Triple Crown and marquee races that are much more than the minimum to get their lad (or lass) to commit; what if those same BC/Triple Crown/marquee event jockeys commit 10% of their gross take on those “big event” mounts (this is mount fees, as well as purse money and any owner guaranteed money to their rider) to the Jockeys’ Guild to spread across to the dozens of riders not in those “big event” events?
Sure, it wouldn’t be the same as a flat increase per mount that is always passed on to the owners; it could serve as a stimulus for the upper echelon riders to decrease their fees on those event days and maybe that small portion of owners (who likely own and race a large percentage of the overall running population) would feel more obliged to discuss a per mount fee increase.
December 9, 2009
7:54 a.m.
|
|
Read older 'Voices' entries here
|
