Terry's Notes

Greetings. We are almost to the middle of July. Del Mar and Saratoga are right around the corner. We should be active on both coasts during these premier meets - check out our "upcoming races" to take a look.

Was thinking about old-timers in our business the other day. Allen Jerkens, a celebrated New York trainer celebrated his 60th anniversary of training horses a few weeks ago. What an amazing guy. One funny story - when I first got in the partnership business - one morning at Saratoga I was asking someone about training horses and the different methods employed by people. The guy said to me - there a bunch of ways to train horses and everyone has different opinions but, if Allen Jerkens came out one day and galloped all of his horses on the pavement, the next morning most of the trainers on the backstretch would gallop everyone of their horses on the pavment". That says much about the respect Mr. Jerkens has on the backside. Read a nice article by Bill Finley on him (many people ask me if he's my brother - he's not - I'm better looking but he's a better writer)

Another old-timer in our midst is Awesome Gem, our seven year-old warhorse who has been so well managed on the West Coast by Jeff Bloom and Craig Dollase. Our friend from the Bloodhorse, Steve Haskin, has a nice story about our boy on his blog. I really enjoy reading the comments from racing fans across the country

Enjoy your week.

Terry

As I get a bit older it seems like Memorial Day strikes me more and more. This Monday's holiday I'll pause even longer to gives thanks and praise to all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice or who are wearing our countries uniform today to all us all to continue our way of life in the greatest country in the world.

Let me explain.

Last Tuesday, I woke up early and saw a missed call on my cellphone - a call from Jimmy Diorio, my best friend from our West Point cadet days. Listening to his message, I knew right away from the tone of his voice something was terribly wrong. One of our running buddies, Colonel John McHugh, has been killed the day before by a car bomber in Kabul.

Johnny Mac had grown up with Jimmy Diorio in northern New Jersey. Several times while at West Point, Jimmy, John and I took our buddies to the Meadowlands for night racing. John and I kept in touch over the years because of his interest in horseracing and also soccer. John was Captain of the Army Soccer Team in 1985. I've always said being Captain of a major collegiate sport at West Point is a tough thing to do - almost everybody thinks they are boss at West Point!

Seemed like everytime I communicated with John over the years, he and his wife, were having another child. In fact, John and Connie have five children and a young granddaughter. Their youngest son, David, is five years old. His oldest, Michael, is a warrant office in the Army and stationed in Iraq. Michael escorted his father's casket home from Afghanistan last week.

Johnnie Mac was the highest ranking officer killed in either the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. He really was a wonderful human being. I never heard a single negative or cross word spoke about him - not one. How many people - in this day and age - can a statement like that be honestly made?

Well done, buddy.

I've included a few links to read about the incredible life of John McHugh.

This Monday, take a moment to pause and give thanks for the service of Johnnie Mac and all his brothers and sisters in arms.

Terry

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122722157757475&v=photos#!/group.php?gid=122722157757475&ref=ts

http://jeffbradleyblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/colonel-john-mchugh-1963-2020.html

http://www.nj.com/soccer-news/index.ssf/2010/05/politi_death_of_col_john_mchug.html

Greetings. What a great weekend at the 2010 Kentucky Derby!.

My daughter, Erin, has attended the last four Derbys as a student at the University of Kentucky. This was her final Derby as a UK student as she will graduate on Saturday with a degree in Animal Science. After a June trip to Royal Ascot in England, she'll begin work for West Point Thoroughbreds as the head of communications. Man, those four years went plenty fast.

The Sheryl's Melody partnership enjoyed a rare thrill with a win on Derby Day at Churchill. Undoubtedly this was one of our most lively and excited maiden race winner's circles!

Derby weekend gave me hope on a number of fronts. The mood of the crowd was much better this year. You couldn't buy a seat, even at inflated prices, anywhere in town. The restaurants were full and the buzz was at full steam. Who knows, maybe this economy IS starting to come back a bit.

This is a competitive business - we run our horses against other stables on a regular basis. But I have to share that I think a good group of people won the 2010 Derby. WinStar Farm, the owners of Super Saver, have invested tens of millions in racing, and they've assembled a great team. WinStar has supported numerous charitable endeavors throughout the industry and are genuinely good people. Todd Pletcher is a good guy who doesn't act like he's the man - even though he's accomplished so much in a relatively short period of time as a trainer. Calvin Borel is a cool cat. He was listed as the "coolest athlete in America" in Monday's edition of the Wall Street Journal.

I know the racing industry has struggled over the last few years, but so have many other industries. After such an uplifting weekend for racing at Churchill Downs I've got one thing to say - We Ain't Dead Yet.

Enjoy the week.

Moment of the Year

I know I've viewed the replay Iof the 2009 Woodward a few times over the last few months.  Well, fans who visited NYRA's website just voted the finish "The NYRA Moment of the Year".  We were proud to be part of it.

Click here to experience the thrill.

Who knows, maybe we can get another shot at the 2009 Horse of the Year at the 2010 Breeder's Cup at Churchill Downs.

Newsletter

We've received very good feedback on our first electronic newsletter.  Take a look and let us know what you think.

Santa Anita Track Surface

Looks like they are going to switch back to a dirt surface at Santa Anita.  This is really a multifaceted issue.  I know for sure the artificial surfaces are just as safe, if not safer, than dirt tracks.  It's funny, over the past three years, this issue has conveniently made a bunch of owners and trainers soil and track surface experts.  Well, here's the scoop - there is really little difference in surfaces.  Some horses like the dirt surface at Aqueduct and don't like the dirt surface at Belmont!!! It's just that simple.

There is only one winner in each race and the rest of the horses just did not get the job done.  Artificial tracks just give losers one more lame excuse to use after they get beat.

Don't take the bait - all the horses in race line up in the starting gate and run over the same track.  Funny, did anyone read of any negative track surface comments from any of the connections of Breeders' Cup winners over the last two years?  Hmmm.

A huge week coming up.  Thanksgiving in a few days.  Erin, my daughter, coming home from Kentucky for a few days.  Ryan, my son, stays in North Carolina to prepare for a Sunday soccer game against Wake Forest in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Soccer Tourney.

 

Macho come backs in the Clark at Churchill on Friday.  On the same day we run Dixie in the Top Flight at Aqueduct and El Gato Malo in the Citation at Hollywood.

 

Our goal is to break our win record of 64 (we have 57 right now) and hit the four million dollar in earnings mark.  We need just over $350k more to meet the goal.  I saw we hit both objectives.

 

Had two good wins in California this past week.  Ginello and Camp Victory powered home to the wire at Hollywood.  Both horses are fresh and improving and could be heard from in a big way in the coming months.

 

Lots of good things happening in the racing world.  This upcoming weekend is always a nice time to watch great racing and spend time with family and love ones.

 

We have much to be thankful for.

 

Until next week.

Terry

Another week closer to the end of the year.  The debate rages on in the horse industry about who should be horse of the year – Rachel or Zenyatta?  I know it will be close and one set of connections will be upset after the winner is announced in Beverly Hills late in January.  Who do I think should win?  Well, at first I was intrigued by the thought of making them both co-HOY.  But after some thought, I realized that’s not the way we play this game.  We have a finish line in racing and the first one there wins.  The filly with the most votes for HOY should win. 

My vote – Rachel - by a very small margin.  Both ladies had great years.  Taking the ownership connections out of the process, Rachel’s body of work over the entire calendar year was more substantive.  Just my opinion.  Oh, by the way, I don’t have a vote but do have some thoughts on why owners (who put up all the money and take all the risk) don’t have a voice in the awards voting…more on that later.

Just got back form a quick trip to Ocala with the team to check up on or yearlings in training and also several of our older horses coming off layoffs.  Watching these young horses laying the foundation for their racing careers under a beautiful Florida sun is heaven.  Ask anybody in Ocala who breaks and trains young horses – “how is your group this year?” and I guarantee nine out of ten will render the same basic answer “this most likely is the best group we’ve ever assembled”.  So, how did the West Point yearling look? – see the previous sentence. 

Bobby Frankel died early this week.  I never got to know him very well.  We exchanged hellos all the time at the races.  He certainly was known as a complex guy and one who loved his horses like few others.  I read his hall of fame credentials in a DRF story last night.  What a career.  Jay Hovdey really captured the essence of Bobby Frankel’s life in his Racing Form article.   Take a look - http://drf.com/news/article/108986.html

Just back from the Breeder’s Cup.  What a nice expericnce.  First, I want to congratulate two of our trainers, Carla Gaines and Dale Romams, for winning Breeders' Cup races.  That is the height of our sport, and it is a tremendous accomplishment.  Not that any of us needed further evidence, but it is proof of just how good our training team is.

Anyone who was at Santa Anita on Saturday afternoon as Zenyatta thrilled the racing world knows this game still has quite a bit of life in it.   In early September, after watching the Rachel Alexandra Woodward win, I thought it would be a long time before I felt as moved after a horserace.  I was dead wrong.  The BC Classic was just as, if not more, stimulating. 

I am proud we were part of both the Woodward and the BC Classic.  Awesome Gem gave it a great try, he was just not good enough.  We needed a great trip and some luck to hit the board.  Didn’t happen.

El Gato Malo also ran hard but could not make a dent into the lead of a very nice horse, California Flag.  Gato is a sound, honest horse who will be quite a bit of fun going forward as a five year-old in 2010.

I know so many people in our industry who knocked the decision to stage the Breeder’s Cup at Santa Anita for two straight years.  Well, I’ve always been a big fan of the saying “the proof is in the pudding”.  Two years at Santa Anita – not one horse seriously injured, great weather, increased attendance in year two and declines in wagering less than the industry trends.  Sure, the Breeder’s Cup can, and will, tweak some things going forward for 2010 (to be held at Churchill Downs). 

We ran a filly yesterday at Philly Park by the name of Amazed By Grace.  She was terrible as a two year old.  In fact, the vets at the New Bolton Clinic indicated she had a malfunctioning heart and most likely would not be a viable racehorse going forward.

Our only choice was to give her time and see if Mother Nature could take care of this little “issue”.  Off to the farm she went.

Fast forward a year.   She’s knocked off four straight races.  Grace has a stride the size of Texas and looks to love her work.  She received a 92 Beyer number.

You’ll be hearing more from this filly in the near future.

Finally, today is Veteran's Day.  I wanted to take a moment to thank all our veterans for protecting our country and our freedoms.  You are the true American heroes.

Until next week.

 

TPF

Just got out to California for the 2009 Breeder's Cup.  Had a quick dinner with the President of the BC, Greg Avioli.  He's done a great job building the BC brand over the last few years.  More Europeans than ever before, betting with Betfair, large fields, twenty five million in purses.  The BC is doing quite a few things right.

This is a week to cherish the horses and connections who will compete on Friday and Saturday.  It's a time to give thanks and remember why we all love this game so much.

Awesome Gem is set for the Classic.  I know we will be a longshot.  I know he's not the fastest horse on paper.  I also know he tries hard every time he runs and he's in the best form of his long career.  You heard it here first, Awesome Gem, could shock the world on Saturday afternoon.

We are close to finding out if El Gato Malo go into the Turf Sprint.  We are the first one on the outside looking in.  Entries are on Tuesday morning.  I just heard we many have one filly opting for the Filly/Mare Sprint instead of the Turf Sprint.  We only need one.  "The Bad Cat" is training well and this will be his third race back off a layoff.  He'll show up on Saturday.

Lots of excitement all week.  The big stage.  Where everyone wants to be.  Gotta be in it to win it.  Hey, anything can happen.  The list of sayings goes on and on.  We'll line up in the starting gate on Saturday and let the best horse win.

 

Really have a heavy heart over the loss of our Northern California budding star, Our Reward after a paddock accident on Sunday night.  This sure is a tough game – as they say “not a game for men who wear short pants”.

Just got back from a trip to New York City with Josh Cooper, our crackerjack Chief Operating Officer.  I take the train from Trenton and am in the middle of NYC in about 70 minutes.  Always good to get out of the office to meet with clients away from the racetrack.

South Bronx and Prince Teton saw the winner’s circle last week at Belmont and Keeneland.  Both are hard trying three year-olds who should have good years in 2010.  The action moves to Aqueduct this week for the long winter/spring meet.  Just think at the end of the Aqueduct meet in 2010, we'll be a fews weeks away from the Kentucky Derby.  Somewhere on a backstretch (most likely in America), the 2010 Kentucky Derby winner is munching on hay and having bandages applied.  Where is he (or here)?

Breeder’s Cup is next week.  We are going in with two horses under the radar screen but two that we think could upset the apple cart.  We just made the pre-entry for both on Monday with a bank wire to the Breeder’s Cup.  We enter next Tuesday at the draw party held at Santa Anita.  Should be  a fun week.  Reni Schriek, who works with JB on the West Coast, is at the helm of our Breeder’s Cup planning.  Give her a shout if you need anything out there next week (760) 458-3448.

The first time we ran a Breeder’s Cup starter was at Santa Anita in 2003 with a nice sprinter named Ethan Man.  The best we’ve finished was third the 2007 Classic at Monmouth.  It’s time we won one of these BC races…

Another week in the books.  Had a good win with our nice, New York-bred filly Speed Dating last Friday.  It was off the turfer and five horse field but the pot stayed the same so we’ll take the money and not ask any questions….

The Breeder’s Cup is less than three weeks away.  West Point will run two horses, Awesome Gem and El Gato Malo.  It’s our Super Bowl and everybody wants a shot at the big dollar purses given away in fourteen races over two days.

Debbie and I spent a few days in Saratoga over the weekend.  This is a fun town but things sure are different since the last weekend we were here – that was the Woodward Weekend when Rachel beat Macho Again by a short neck.  The leaves are beginning to pile up all over town and the temperature is dropping quickly.  I can see the starting gate of the main track from my living room window.  Can’t wait for next July to get here…

Congie DeVito, our fearless head of communications, is a Temple graduate (summa cum laude, I might add).  His Temple Owl football team put a whipping on Army this past Saturday in Philadelphia.  They were just a better coached, more athletic squad than the Army Team.   Well done, DeVito – you called this one early and often.

Do me a favor if you really love this racing business – take a moment to send a few friends and associates to the Breeder’s Cup webpage: www.breederscup.com

Walk them through what has gone on all year to get to this point.  Tell them to watch the ESPN telecast early next month of the BC races.  See if you can cultivate their interest in racing.  Vow to take them to the track in due time.  We need more fans in our sport.  We can change the direction of our industry, one person at a time.  It’s up to each one of us.

Until next week.

Terry

On my way back from a 24 hour trip to North Carolina to see a soccer game.  We had a good weekend on the track with wins by the exciting two year-old Middle Of The Night and the improving three year-old filly Amazed By Grace.  All thoughts and focus now on the Breeders' Cup early next month at Santa Anita. We have a shot to run two on Saturday.  It's not cheap to run in the BC.  To try the BC Classic requires a $150 thousand dollar entry fee.  The bottom line is you better feel pretty good about running well or it's better to stay home and watch the ESPN broadcast.

All the horses have settled in well with their respective New York trainers, (Tom Albertrani and Mike Hushion).  The yearlings in Ocala all have had a saddle put on their backs for the first time as of today.  David McKathan is like a horse whisperer with young stock.  

We are rounding the stretch and turning for home with our new website.  Technology always seems to outrun any upgrades but we think we have made great strides with the forthcoming web upgrade.  More to follow within the next two months.

Going to West Point on Thursday for an awards function honoring Ross Perot, Sr.  He's a Naval Academy grad but still seems like a good guy......  The Academy will award him the "Thayer Award" for outstanding contributions to our country.

Finally, this week is the Temple versus Army game.  We have quite an intra-company battle going on here.  Fortunately, I am the President, so I get the final word.  If you have any good ideas of what I can bet our communications director, let me know.  I still haven't paid off my bet from last year, but let's hope nobody remembers.

Go Army!

Make it a good week.

Terry

Just back from our first European Sale.  Last week, Buzz Chace and I visited Ireland and the Goff's Sale.  My first trip to Ireland.  A beautiful country.  Went racing at The Curragh on Sunday and then visited the sale on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Bought three nice colts. Two Irish-breds and one Canadian-bred (go figure).  One will train and run in California; the other two will train in Ocala and run in the Northeast. 

They raise a very solid and sturdy horse in Ireland.  They are not as well prepped as the sales yearlings in the US - but that's not a negative.  More and more of the top bloodstock (stallions and mares) are finding their way out of the US market and into the European market.

We had a decent weekend - Awesome Gem got the money in the Hawthorne Gold Cup. 
Macho Again failed to fire against a solid group of top handicap horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont.  Flat Bold had a brutal trip finishing off the board in the Indiana Derby.  We'll live to fight another day with all three.

Breeder's Cup right around the corner.  We have a decent shot to run three.  Macho, Awesome Gem and El Gato Malo.  It's our Super Bowl and we need to win one of them sooner or later.

Until next week.

Terry
 

Just finishing my first day in Ireland.  Never been here before.  What a neat country. Buzz Chace and I are over for the Goff's Sale which starts on Tuesday.

We went to the races today at The Curragh.  First time I've seen bookies at work.  Weather was overcast but temperatures were mild.
Flight out of Philly was two hours across the Atlantic when the pilot came on and said we had to turn back to Philadelphia because of a problem with the autopilot.  Back to Philly, an hour wait, changed planes, then restarted the journey to Dublin.

The economy in Ireland has really taken a hit over the last year (even more so then the US economy) so we should be looking at some very good deals at the sale.
 
They play the US races on a national channel called "Attheraces" everyday here in Ireland.  I just saw Saratoga Russell get nipped at Monmouth and Majestic Peak break his maiden at Fairplex.  All of our horses are firing and running well these days.

We hit the air this week as Macho Again flies into New York for the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Awesome Gem flies to Chicago for the Hawthorne Gold Cup and Flat Bold flies to Indiana for the Indiana Derby.  This will be a good weekend to get lucky.  We've put ourselves in the spots to get lucky - it's a real team effort.

You can look at information on the Goff's Sale at http://www.goffs.com
 
All the best for great week.

Terry

I restart my weekly blog after a six week stretch at Del Mar and Saratoga where we did video blogs each week.

Overall, we had two very solid meets on the east and west coasts.  Of course the highlight of the summer was our tough, grey colt, Macho Again, running a close second to the super filly, Rachel Alexandra, in the Woodward on September 3rd at the SPA.  Some writers called it the best race in the history of Saratoga.  Wow, they’ve run a good number of races on those hallowed grounds over the last 140 some years.

Very Cool.  If you haven't seen the race, click here.

I just got back from the Keeneland Sale.  Needless to say "the times they are a changing."  The averages prices were down almost 45%.  The buyback rate was almost 40%.  “Buyback” is the term used when the sellers don’t accept the auction price and effectively say to the market “I value my horse higher than you do”.

Far too many horses sold for less than the stud fee paid to produce them.  The stallion market has dried up and the stud fees for 2010 will surely tumble.

Now, the good news – finally the end user is getting a better shot at making a decent return on investment.  For too many years, the market forgot about the people and stables who race these sale horses.  Things are starting to turn and it’s about time.

Spent a week in California inspecting the West Coast stock and also watching my son Ryan play in a soccer tournament out there. I think I went four days without seeing a cloud in the sky. Great weather.

I go back to Kentucky this week for the first yearling sale of the year. Prices are way down (they are getting closer to where they should be - when you factor in purse money we run for). This may be the best buying era in the history of our industry. I know that is a bold statement - yearling prices may be down by 50% in 2009. I've said it before and will keep saying it - the turbulence in the market is not all bad. Lets hear it for the end user!!!!

Del Mar opens their summer meet in 48 hours and Saratoga one week after that. It's a bit of a bummer that both meets a happen at the same time - two treasures of our racing industry overlap each other. However, we are primed and ready to be a force at both meets. Got to love summer racing.

Out on the West Coast after two days in Kentucky attending Breeders' Cup Meetings. The BC Board had quite a bit of turnover this year which is good in some respects - and no so good in others. Bottom line, the Board as a whole can make the BC Event better and better each year. I truly believe this area is best served with an evolution - not a revolution. More to come about the Breeder's Cup in coming months.

We had a good second on Sunday with The Whammer at Hollywood Park. What a nice, hard trying horse who has never been off the board. He'll be tough to keep outof the winner's circle down at Del Mar.

I am from Jersey but have to admit this weather out here ain't all that bad. I don't think I've seen a cloud in the sky for about four days.