Let's Get YOU Racing

Horse racing is one of the most exciting sports there is. Whether you are a fan, a handicapper, or a part-owner, there's nothing more exciting than watching your horse come bounding down the stretch to the wire and hopefully finish first. Many people have said it's an out-of-body experience. You're jumping up and down, screaming, yelling, banging strangers on the back. When your horse comes in, you end up kissing and hugging everybody within shouting distance, and all is good with the world. For one split second, you are on top of it!! What many people don't realize is how easy it is to become a licensed owner of your own sports team. Your players are the trainer, the jockey, the groom, and of course, your horse. You may share this experience with a small group of co-owners, which makes it even more fun.

Over the years, we've introduced and licensed over 600 individuals into this fabulous game we call horse racing. Even though TV only shows millionaires, billionaires, high-priced horses, and celebrities, those people represent a very small percentage of those who truly keep this game afloat. And unfortunately, when people hear about the millionaires, billionaires, and celebrities who own the high-priced horses, they get the wrong idea that it takes oodles of money to get into this game.

First, you don't need a lot of money to get involved.

Second, just because a horse costs a lot of money doesn't guarantee success. This isn't like buying a car. If you spend a lot more money on a Mercedes or a Bentley or a fancy Land Rover with all the bells and whistles presumably you will get a better vehicle. Exactly the opposite with horses. Even though the press loves to talk about the million dollar horses you'd be surprised how many of those million dollar horses a never make it to the races or be end up running for $12,500 at Tampa Bay Bay in a maiden claimer. Ever hear of the Green Monkey?

The beauty of it is that horses do not know what they cost. They either want to run and be first to the wire (like the herd leaders) or they like running around the groomed surface with a bunch of horses (like the herd followers). Our job is to find the herd leaders, the competitive horses that intrinsically know that they need to get to the wire first. Somehow genetically they know. It's up to us to find out which are the ones that know. And many times those aren't the expensive ones. So don't be impressed by the fancy big numbers. The key is to join a nice group led by an expert, such as myself who will educate you, communicate with you regularly so you know when and where your horse is running, and allow you to visit in the morning to pet and feed them and watch them run in the afternoon.

The bottom line is that it's extremely high risk. Your partner is Mother Nature. You could have the 6/5 in the eighth race, the gates open, the horse stumbles, and there goes the 6/5. So I urge people to only use money they can afford to lose. But if you do have disposable income, there's nothing more exciting you can do with it. Yes, you could take that money and go on a cruise, visit the midnight buffet, and sail around the world with a bunch of cruisers who, by the way, constantly compare one cruise line to another. But ultimately, the money is gone. When the cruise is over, either you loved it and will do it again, or you got seasick and will never do it again.

The nice thing about horse racing is that you can take the money invest it in a good horse, and if you pick the right one, it could pay for your vacation. With the purses these days, it only takes a consistent horse to really break even. But let's face it it's not about breaking even it's about winning the Kentucky Derby or the Breeders' Cup classic or the Dubai World Cup. Those are the horses we are all looking for and if you keep at it long enough, you will eventually find that great horse. And he doesn't have to be a world-beater, just a big handsome athletic monster standing next to you in the Winner's circle.

This time of year, Derby fever is right around the corner, and everyone has visions of red roses being draped over their horse. Horse racing is in the air, take a nice deep breath and inhale it, and let's get you in on the most exciting game outdoors!!!

Is Your Horse A Turf Force or a Dirt Horse?

It's funny how the expression goes: maybe that horse can handle the turf better than the dirt. If you really think about it horses in their natural habitat do not run around on groomed dirt surfaces. They all run around on turf in one form or another. So to me, the question isn't whether a horse handles turf better than dirt, but whether a horse adapts better to a groomed dirt surface than to the surface its ancestors handled for millennia.

Horses may perform better on turf because their individual characteristics suit their stride, body mechanics, and running style. Sometimes it's as easy as a horse not wanting dirt kicked back in its face which can affect both vision and breathing.

Turf is a firm sometimes soft surface. Especially with fillies the fact that they have something under them to grab onto builds their confidence and allows them to relax and enjoy the trip.

The same horses may not be able to get hold of a dirt track. Because of their body mechanics and conformation, they may slip, slide and be unable to dig in. As a result, they flounder, climb, switch leads multiple times and if you see this happeining, you know that the horse is just not comfortable on a dirt surface.

When training a horse in the morning, you'll notice it may have high knee action, with its knees coming up high, almost to a right angle with its chest and breast plate. These horses were referred to as "daisy cutters". Old-timers used this term because it looked like horses were cutting the flowers off the daisies with their front and hind hooves. On a dirt track these horses may work very fast at 3/8s of a mile, but at a half mile, once their rider or a jockey sets them down to accelerate at the top of the stretch, they start to climb and perhaps begin to swhich leads which results in a weak finish.

Horses that run on turf last a little bit longer because you don't have the high-impact concussion that you would have on a dirt surface. Horses on the turf may relax more at the beginning of the race get into a good rhythm and galloping position going down the backstretch, and then kick out and accelerate at the top of the stretch turning for home. Often, if you notice a European horse in the field, the jock will place that horse behind others at the beginning of the race to encourage it to settle into a good galloping rhythm, as they are ready to go, go, go once the gates open. Then, at the top of the stretch, they move the horses out and let them finish the race at their own speed. This is as opposed to horses in a dirt race that are very aggressive from the start and really need to get an early lead or be up with the leaders and run from there.

Regarding footing on the different surfaces; Turf horses run over the top of the ground, whereas dirt horses dig into the dirt. Many factors, including body conformation (which determines body mechanics), genetics, and disposition, determine a horse's ability to run on different surfaces. Many times this may not become evident until the horse's first or second race. Many horses can fool you in the morning. Until you see them race against live competition in front of a cheering crowd you may not have all the information needed to properly determine their favorite distance and surface.

And that is what makes it such a fabulous sport. The horses can not talk, which is fabulous in many ways. They don't talk back, can't fail to show up for work, can not go on strike, and can notnegotiate contracts. At the same time one must determine through daily observation how they're feeling, when they are at their best and when they are ready to reward you with a demonstration of superior, athletic prowess. It takes a team effort to win a race. That's why we call it horse racing and not horse winning just like they call fishing, fishing and not catching. When an animal is central to the story, you don't know what will happen until you land it in your net or lead it into the Winner's circle!

The Future of Racing - Inspiring the Younger Generation

This week promises to be an exciting one for me. I volunteered to read a book about farming to five second-grade classes. I'm looking forward to the energy that these young kids possess, even at 9 o'clock in the morning. Of course, the trick will be to keep their attention, but I think once I start talking about horses, everything will fall into place. Don't worry, I will put in a plug for horse racing. Over the years, I've found that you do not have to persuade a child, especially a young one, to like or love a horse. It's a magnetic attraction. Place a large, gentle animal in front of a child, and they are immediately captivated and mesmerized by its size and warmth.

At the end of the reading session, I taught them how to plant seedlings and brought seedling mix mixture cups and bean seeds. The teacher who’s out of the picture to the left, put their names on each cup, and the individual mini- gardens are sitting in their classroom in the sun, getting ready to sprout.   It was really cool. The kids really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed their energy, insight and imagination!

To be honest, I've been saying this for years. I can't tell you how many times I brought this to the attention of the higher-ups in our industry. They seem to think that interest in racing starts with affluent older people. Over the years, they've run various campaigns to attract established individuals, such as stockbrokers, business owners, millionaires, and billionaires. The issue here is that these people made their money because they saved it. They reinvested it and were essentially risk-averse. But with other industries, for instance, hospitality, McDonald's knew that attracting the world's youth was the key to building their business. Generations ago, they started with Ronald McDonald and Happy Meals. Once kids started with McDonald's, it didn't matter what they were putting into those chicken McNuggets or hamburgers. People developed an attraction and a comfort level, and if they were hungry or in a rush, they'd zip into the drive-through. You could say this about any fast food chain. It starts with the kids.

I just got back from the OBS March 2-year-old sale. Over the years, you see the same friends and colleagues at these sales year after year. These auctions are essentially our conventions. Going to dinner or lunch, or just sitting around shooting the breeze, the one common denominator I found with all of us is that we started with an attraction to horses as kids. Whether it was slipping off to the race track with my uncle or grandfather when we were supposed to be going to the grocery store so he could place some bets, or showing up at the riding stable because that's where all the cute girls were to help them brush their horses, do the stalls, or tack them up and get them going. If you took a survey, I guarantee you would find that 95% of the people in the horse business entered it because of their love and attraction to horses as young children. So why, as an industry, aren't we making it easier for young children to get exposed to and attracted to horses? NYRA does a pretty good job at Saratoga with the morning tours. When I show people around every morning, whether it be the backstretch at Saratoga or the backstretch at Belmont, I encourage them to bring their families and their children. But this needs to be done on a much larger scale. We need to grow an educational program that begins with field trips—like the ones I used to take from local schools to the backstretch of all major racetracks. When a young child sees a horse up close and personal, it sticks with them for the rest of their lives, and mark my words, they will be back. I will continue to forge ahead with this initiative. I hope that with the new, beautiful Belmont Park, NYRA will institute some new programs to expose young kids to horses and involve them more in the Racing industry. Whether it be as fans or directly involved with the industry, it's something that has to start now!

We are not getting any younger, and every industry needs new blood to keep the dream going and hope alive! Let's hear from anyone out there about your first memory with horses! I'd love you to share some interesting stories to get the conversation going!

Back in Training: How Thoroughbreds Prepare for Their First Race Off a Layoff

A horse coming back to race after a long layoff is similar to a person getting back in shape for football, baseball or soccer season once they have been off for the winter, spring or summer. For those of you who played high school football, soccer, or baseball, or were even good enough to go on and play in college, you know that those first practices were all muscle building. You are running laps, sprints, and up and down banks. My high school coach: Coach Smith called them bankings. Our banks had roots jutting out so if you weren't paying attention and your foot caught on a root, you would go tumbling on your face and eat dirt. Then coach would give you more bankings because you should have been paying attention. I think I was the record holder for bankings. Coach Smith had a special place in his heart for me! Anyway, it is a lot of muscle toning, muscle stretching, and muscle building before you even touch, pass, or kick the ball or grab a bat. It is all about getting your body and mind ready, building muscle, sharpening your speed and increasing your stamina. 

Kid Billy wins his race at Aqueduct on February 16, 2026.

It is the same for bringing a horse back from a long layoff. They have been turned out in a green paddock eating grass, letting their bodies mend naturally. Their brains reboot while getting back to mother nature for a bit, swatting flies and admiring butterflies. 

Then it's time to lead them out, put a saddle on them and start jogging. They will be jogging for weeks until they slowly drag themselves into a gallop. When they are ready to gallop, they are telling you they are ready to move on. You gallop them for weeks until they start pulling you down the lane. You know then, when they start pulling you down the lane, it is time to start with two-minute licks (two minute miles), and opening up down the lane. That is when the quarter mile breezes start a week apart, then 3/8's probably four or five times each time a week apart until they can't blow out a candle back at the barn. You move up to half miles the same way: three, four, five weeks until they don't come back huffing and puffing and tired out but still full of energy wanting more. Some of these works will be out of the gate to get the horses to break sharply. Then you move up to five eighths of a mile every week for maybe three or four weeks. After all this, then you start looking for a race. 

Winner’s Circle at Aqueduct with Kid Billy on February 16, 2026.

The first race back is important because you want to give the horse not only a nudge but also a positive experience. You want your horse to remember how much fun it is to go back to the racing wars. If they've won races, they know the drill. If they haven't won yet, This will count as a learning experience. Hopefully they show what they are made of, break sharp and be in front at the wire. Sounds easy, but it's a work in progress. Just like you were way back in the day when you were young, spry and a bit of a show off, right? You dog, You! 

We do this because it is fun, exciting, and exhilarating. If you've got a horse that does it because they are enjoying it and because they like to go out and compete, You will feel that same exhilaration! After all that, it's just a matter of keeping them sound, pointing them in the right direction and putting them in the right spot. Sounds easy right? LOL! 

Bottom line it takes time, months not weeks and, as we all know, time is money in this business as it is with most businesses. If you're counting days or counting your money, or you are always in a rush you are probably in the wrong business. You do this for fun, for the love of racing, for the excitement it brings, and mostly for the love of the horse. Like human athletes all horses are different, they go at their own pace and it's up to the trainer to figure out just what that pace is. If you treat the horse right, they will in turn treat you right. Give your best and they will give you their best. The rest is up to the racing gods!