December 2010 Florida Horse

BigDrama

AwesomeFeather

DubaiMajesty

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FLORIDA FOCUS 8FTBOA CHANGES BREEDERS’ AWARDS PROGRAM 18

STARS ALIGN 20Florida-breds shine on Ladies at Breeders’Cup.

By Michael Compton & Patrick Vinzant

‘DRAMA’ RULES 30Florida-bred Big Drama wires Breeders’Cup Sprint.

By Michael Compton & Patrick Vinzant

SMALL BREEDERS, BIG DREAMS 38A trio of small Florida breeders tally triumphs on Thoroughbred in-dustry’s biggest stage. By Jo Ann Guidry

MILLION SURPRISES 44Florida-breds Birdrun and Joanie’sCatch win the richest events atFlorida Million. By Nick Fortuna

STALLIONS MONTBROOK,AWESOME OF COURSE SIREBREEDERS’ CUP WINNERS 50By Jo Ann Guidry

EDITOR’S NOTE 52By Summer Best

FLORIDA HORSE PARKLICENSE PLATEUNVEILING 54Photos by Eleanor Hancock

EASTERN AND WESTERNMEDICINE 56By Dr. Sandra TenBroeck

PRACTICALLY SPEAKING:COLD SNAP—IS YOURFARM READY? 59By Mark Shuffitt

HORSE COUNCIL NEWS 60NEWS BITS 62

FARM MANAGEMENT:PROTECTING FLORIDA’S GEMS 66By Jamie Cohen & Peter Colverson

FLORIDA’S LEADING SIRES 67FLORIDA’S LEADING BREEDERS 68PLAYER’S PAGE 70By Paul MoranCOVER & CONTENTS PHOTOS BY JOE DIORIO

4 THE FLORIDA HORSE • DECEMBER 2010

DECEMBER 2010 •VOL 53/ISSUE 11

C O N T E N T S

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FTBOA OFFICERS ANDBOARD OF DIRECTORS

Fred Brei, PresidentBrent Fernung, First Vice President Phil Matthews, SecondVice President

Sheila DiMare, Secretary Bonnie M. Heath III, Treasurer

DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVEVICE PRESIDENTRichard E. Hancock

801 SW 60thAvenue • Ocala, Florida 34474(352) 732-8858 • Fax: (352) 867-1979 • www.ftboa.com

American Horse Publications • FLORIDA MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION • MEMBER BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU

© THE FLORIDA HORSE (ISSN 0090-967X) is publishedmonthly except July by THE FLORIDA HORSE, INC., 801SW 60th Ave., Ocala, Florida 34474, including the annual Sta-tistical Review in February.

Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors anddo not necessarily reflect those of Florida Equine Publicationsor the Florida Thoroughbred Breedersʼ and Ownersʼ Associa-tion. Publication of any material originating herein is expresslyforbidden without first obtaining written permission from THEFLORIDA HORSE©.

Statistics in the publication relating to results of racing inNorth America are compiled from data generated by Daily Rac-ing Form, Equibase, Bloodstock Research Information Serv-ices, and The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc., thecopyright owners of said data. Reproduction is prohibited.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Michael Compton

BUSINESS MANAGER

Patrick Vinzant

MANAGING EDITOR/ADVERTISING MANAGER

Summer Best

ART DIRECTOR

John Filer

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

JoAnn Guidry

WRITER

Nick Fortuna

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Beverly Kalberkamp

CORRESPONDENTS

Jay Friedman, Doug McCoy, Cynthia McFarland, Mark Shuffitt

PUBLISHERFlorida Equine Publications, Inc.

(A corporation owned by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association)

Executive Office - 801 SW 60th Avenue • Ocala, Florida 34474

BOARD OF DIRECTORSFred Brei, President/Board ChairmanBrent Fernung, 1st Vice PresidentPhil Matthews, 2nd Vice President

Sheila DiMare, SecretaryBonnie M. Heath III, Treasurer

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Richard E. Hancock

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Michael Gilliam

Printed by Boyd Brothers, Inc. BOYD

THE FLORIDA HORSE • DECEMBER 2010 5

Linda Appleton PotterJoe Barbazon

Dean DeRenzoDonald Dizney

Barry W. Eisaman

Roy LermanJ. Michael O’Farrell, Jr.Jessica SteinbrennerFrancis VanlangendonckCharlotte C. Weber

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Abetter script couldnot havebeenconceived.

In front of a worldwide audience, three

Florida-breds—Dubai Majesty, Awesome

Feather and Big Drama—scaled new heights last

month to capture Breeders’ Cup events on racing’s

biggest stage.Make nomistake about it, the winners

and their connections brought pride to each andevery

person involved in Florida’sThoroughbred industry.

The three winners are ideal representatives of

Florida’s breeding program. It would be impossible

for any other state to claim ties to Florida’s Breed-

ers’ Cup winners this year.All of them are by stal-

lions that stand or stood in the state and were bred

by individuals that have long supported the breed-

ing industry in the Sunshine State.

For Harold J. Plumley of Plumley Farms in

Ocala, and breeder of Breeders’Cup Filly andMare

Sprint (G1)winnerDubaiMajesty, thisyear’sBreeders’

Cup provided the thrill of a lifetime.

“This is an experience I never

expected to have,” said Plumley,

who has been winding down his in-

volvement in the industry over the last year or so.

“I’m 83 years old now and this ranks right up there

as one of the greatest experiences in my life.

“I give all the credit to our general manager

Richard Kent and all of the employees at Plumley

Farms,” he added. “Getting a healthy foal on the

ground is only a part of it.There’s somuchmore to

raising and training these horses and getting them

to this level of success. Our employees have been

wonderful and this win has really perked up every-

one at the farm.”

Plumley recently had heart surgery andwatched

the Breeders’Cup from the safe confines of home

in Ocala. When Dubai Majesty made her move to

the lead at the top of the stretch, however, Plumley

and his wife, Opal, rooted her home as if they were

perched in a box seat overlooking the track.

“We’re usually not real excitable people,” Plum-

ley related, “but Opal was jumping

up and down during the stretch run. It

was fun for me just to see her that ex-

cited.”

Dubai Majesty is not the only top

runner produced at Plumley Farms to

make headlines in recent years, just

the latest. Leading Plumley-bred run-

ners include D’Funnybone, Jealous

Again and Brooke’s Halo. D’Funny-

bone established himself as one of

the leading sprinters in the country over the last

couple of years. Jealous Again took her Florida

foundation across the pond to win a stakes race at

Royal Ascot in England, and Brooke’s Halo was a

graded stakes winner in California.

“When I first got involved in theThoroughbred

industry as a sidelight tomy career I never dreamed

of having horses like this,” he said. “Of course, in

the back of my mind I always thought it would be

nice to breed a Kentucky Derby winner, but to ac-

tually produce the horses we have is just unbeliev-

able. It goes beyond anything I ever dreamed. The

best part is, unlike so many athletes today, we’re

going out a winner.” �


editor’s welcome

Michael Compton/JOE DIORIO PHOTO

GoingOutAWinner

Harold J. Plumley (inset) andDubai Majesty after winning the

Filly and Mare Sprint

“We’re usually not

real excitable people,

but Opal was jumping

up and down during

the stretch run. It was

fun for me just to see

her that excited.”—Harold J. Plumley

JOEDIOR

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Briecat showed the heart of a champion

onOct. 31 at Hollywood Park, gamely holding

offWestwood Pride by a neck for a 14-1 upset

in the $150,000 Las Palmas Handicap (G2).

It was the second graded stakes victory for

the 5-year-old, Florida-bred mare, who also

won the Bayakoa Handicap (G2) at Holly-

wood last December. The daughter of Adcat

has won eight of her 24 career starts and

earned $467,805 for trainer Vladimir Cerin

and owners David and HollyWilson.

In the closing-day feature of the OakTree

Racing Association’s first meeting at Holly-

wood, Briecat was the quickest out of the gate

in the field of eight fillies and mares. She

built a two-length leadwhile carving out frac-

tions of 24.20 seconds for a quarter-mile and

47.93 for a half-mile on a firm turf course.

With Patrick Valenzuela aboard for the

first time, Briecat reached the top of the lane

with a one-length lead over Westwood Pride

and jockey Rafael Bejarano.Westwood Pride

gradually gained on Briecat and made her

fight hard through the wire but never was able

to get past the leader. The final time for the

one mile was 1:34.77.

“She’s very, very tough on the lead,” Cerin

said. “The key with her is to open up when

she turns for home and hope they can’t get

her. They couldn’t. (Valenzuela) is just unbe-

lievable. I told him if he was in a bank, they’d

arrest him for stealing.”

“She ran a good race,” Valenzuela said.

“(Cerin) had her plenty fit. She paced her own

pace and picked it up nice on the turn. I think

she won it on the turn when she got away

Two Florida-bred juveniles domi-

nated their stakes debuts at Belmont Park

on Oct. 31 with Promise Me a Cat romping

to a five-length score in the $70,000 Sweet

Patootie Stakes and Royal Currier posting a

2½-length victory in the $66,500 Grey

Planet Stakes.

Promise Me a Cat, a daughter of Vinery

stallion D’wildcat, drew off under hand

urging from jockey Javier Castellano, fin-

ishing the six-furlong Sweet Patootie Stakes

in 1:11.09.

Promise Me a Cat bumped with Sky

Hosoya several times immediately after

the break, then ran in the middle of the

pack of seven 2-year-old fillies as Florida-

bred Miss Sarah Brown carved out frac-

tions of 22.32 seconds for a quarter-mile

and 45.78 for a half-mile.

Castellano went to work aboard Promise

Me a Cat around the turn, and the filly re-

sponded, claiming a one-length lead at the

top of the stretch and widening her advan-

tage down the lane.

Promise Me a Cat, bred at Big C Farm in

Reddick, has two wins and a pair of runner-

up finishes in four career starts, with $94,600

in earnings. The filly, out of the Pentelicus

mare Promise Me Magic, cruised to an 8 ¼-

lengthwin in a $49,000maiden specialweight

race at Belmont on Sept. 26, her third start.

Promise Me a Cat is trained by Carlos F.

Martin for Blue Devil Racing Stable and was

a $70,000 purchase at OBS in February.

Earlier on the card, Royal Currier scored

in the Grey Planet Stakes. The Red Bullet

gelding, bred at Adena Springs South in

Williston, led every step of the way and

stopped the clock for six furlongs in 1:10.41.

Royal Currier, trained by Patricia Farro,

covered a quarter-mile in 22.21 seconds

and a half-mile in 45.34 while building a

three-length lead. He stretched his lead to

four lengths at the top of the stretch and

had more than enough left to hold off the

favored Poseidon’sWarrior. Shmooz Talker

and Brother in Arms completed the order

of finish.

Royal Currier has three wins and a pair

of runner-up finishes in five career starts,

with $94,150 in earnings for Mat Stables.

The horse, out of the Lite the Fuse mareTop

of the League, won a $50,000 optional

claimer by 4 ½ lengths at Delaware Park on

Sept. 22. He then finished second in a

$40,000 starter allowance atMonmouth Park

on Oct. 9. �


Written by Nick Fortuna

Florida-breds Deliver in Belmont Stakes

COGL

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Florida-bred Promise Me a Cat

Briecat Scores Upset in Grade 2 Las Palmas

Florida-bred Royal Currier

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THE FLORIDA HORSE • OCTOBER 2010 9

Pensioned StallionSword Dance Dies at 26

Sword Dance (Ire), one of Florida’s leadingsires for more than a decade, died last month ofnatural causes at Gil and Marilyn Campbell’s Stone-hedge Farm South in Williston. The son of NijinskyII out of Rosa Mundi, by Secretariat, was a pen-sioner at the farm since standing his last seasonthere in 2004. He was 26.

Sword Dance was a winner in Ireland and theUnitedStates, taking theDelMarHandicap (G2) in1988over subsequent Breeders’ CupTurf (G1) winner GreatCommunicator. Retired to stud in 1990, he would sire

23 black-type winners on dirt and turf, including Ar-lington Million (G1) winner Marlin, multiple gradedstakes winner Blazing Sword and Rampart Handi-cap (G2) winner Dance For Thee. His progeny earnedmore than $2 million in eight separate seasons.

SwordDance also became a good broodmare sire,with his daughters producing champions Smoothabil-ity andToughWin andnumerous other stakeswinners,includingGrade2winnerDawnAfterDawnandFlorida-bred Red Jazz a recent Group 2 winner in England.

Stonehedge Farm South manager Larry Kingcommented on the impact Sword Dance had on theFlorida breeding industry and Stonehedge in partic-ular: “Sword Dance was the first big stallion we pur-chased, and he brought Stonehedge and Mr. & Mrs.Campbell a lot of success. He was a foundationhorse in Florida, one of the few to sire an ArlingtonMillion winner. He had a foundation pedigree, andhe was such a consistent sire for so long.

“Sword Dance was the farm favorite,” he added.“He just did everything right while he was with us,was a great breeder and an easy horse to care for.He’s made a significant impact as a broodmare sire,and his legacy lives on through his daughters.Stonehedge’s success as a breeder has a lot to dowith Sword Dance. He will be missed.”

Sword Dance will be buried at farm. �

from the horses because when she picked it

up, everybody else had to pick it up.

Through the stretch they didn’t have as

much finishwhen she did that. She stuck her

head down and fought them off.”

Briecat improved to 2-for-8 on turf,

with the other win coming in the $50,000

Chandler Stakes at Turf Paradise in No-

vember 2008. The mare also

earned stakes victories in the

$50,000 Las Madrinas Hand-

icap on Fairplex Park’s dirt

track in September, the $94,000 Adora-

tion Stakes on Del Mar’s synthetic sur-

face in September 2009 and the $75,000

Arizona Oaks on Turf Paradise’s dirt track

in February 2008.

Briecat, out of the Marlin mare Silk

Briefcase, was bred by Ocala Oaks Inc. and

Don R. Graham.�

Sword Dance

LOUISE

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Florida-bred Briecatwins the Las PalmasHandicap.

BENO

IT&AS

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Awesome of Course to Journeyman StudAwesome of Course, sire of undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner

and Fasig-Tipton November SaleTopperAwesome Feather, will stand the 2011 season at

Brent and Crystal Fernung’s Journeyman Stud, it was announced last month. His stud fee

will be $5,000.

The nation’s No. 3 Juvenile Sire with progeny earnings just shy of $1.5 million,Awe-

some of Course has had exceptional results from limited opportunity. From just 26 named

foals, he has 20 starters, 15 winners, and four stakes horses.

Awesome of Course shot onto the national radar this year due to the accomplishments

ofAwesome Feather. Bred in Florida by Fred and Jane Brei’s Jacks or Better Farm, the two-

year-old filly is undefeated in six starts this year, five of them stakes. OnNov. 5,Awesome

Feather scored a decisive victory in the $1.8 million Breeders’Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

Two days later, she sold for $2.3 million to Frank Stronach at the Fasig-Tipton Ken-

tucky November Breeding Stock Sale. One of just four fillies in history to sweep the

Florida Stallion Stakes Series, Awesome Feather is the front-runner for Champion Two-

Year-Old Filly honors.

“We are delighted to welcomeAwesome of Course to the Journeyman stallion roster,”

said Brent Fernung. “He’s from

the first crop byAwesomeAgain,

and we had followed his career

from his stakes victory at two to

his multiple stakes wins at three.

He sired a pretty good stakes

winner in his first crop, Honey

Honey Honey. But Awesome

Feather is in another league all

together, and her sale price

proves he can be commercial as

well.We expect he’ll draw plenty

of interest from breeders.”�

Awesome Of Course


Sarava, the winner of the 2002 Belmont

Stakes (G1), will move to Bridlewood Farm in

Ocala for the 2011 breeding season after pre-

viously standing at Double Diamond Farm in

Ocala. He stood for $3,000 this year, but a

stud fee for 2011 has not been set.

ByWildAgain out of the DeputyMinister

mare Rhythm of Life, Sarava is Florida’s

ninth-leading third-crop sire with $578,359 in

progeny earnings this year.

Sarava’s biggest win as a racehorse came

in the Belmont Stakes over Medaglia d’Oro,

also famously spoiling the Triple Crown bid

ofWar Emblem. Hewon three of his 17 starts

overall from ages 2 to 5 and retired with

$773,832 in earnings.

“Sarava is the only Belmont winner at

stud in Florida, and the success of Belmont

winners as sires has been proven time and

time again,” said Bridlewood General Man-

ager George Isaacs. “Sarava has already en-

joyed some success with his young runners,

and they only figure to get better.

“He promotes soundness and versatility,

and he has the added bonus of being Florida’s

only son of Wild Again, sire of last year’s

champion freshman sire, Offlee Wild, and of

the very versatile sireMilwaukeeBrew.We are

confident Sarava will do well at Bridlewood.”

Wild Again, the winner of the inaugural

Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in 1984, retired

with $2.2 million in earnings. Sarava’s dam,

Rhythm of Life, wasn’t raced. �


Sarava LOUI

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Belmont Winner Sarava to Stand at Bridlewood

Kiss the Kid, a multiple graded stakes winner and earner of $820,873, has been retired and

will stand stud in 2011 at Brent and Crystal Fernung’s Journeyman Stud in Ocala.

A versatile performer by Lemon Drop Kid, Kiss the Kid held stakes-level form for five

seasons on dirt, turf and synthetic surfaces, winning four stakes – two graded – with an im-

pressive 17 stakes placings. Hewon theAppleton Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park and the Cliff

Hanger Stakes (G3) at The Meadowlands on turf. He also placed on dirt in the Donn Handi-

cap (G1) at Gulfstream and on Polytrack in the BenAli Stakes (G3) at Keeneland.

Trained byAmyTarrant for owners Hardacre Farm LLC, Kiss the Kidd compiled 10 triple-

digit Beyer Speed Figures before retiring sound. He enters stud as the only son of LemonDrop

Kid standing in Florida, and he hails from a solid female family, as his dam, Black Tie Kiss,

is a half-sister to 1991 Horse of the Year

Black TieAffair (IRE).

“Kiss the Kid is a throwback. He was fast,

honest and sound for so long as a racehorse,

and he ran on absolutely anything,” said Brent

Fernung. “He also has a sire’s pedigree and is

part of a sire line that you can’t get to inFlorida.

We’re excited to have him at Journeyman.”�

Kiss the Kid to Stand at Journeyman Stud

Kiss The KidCOGL

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H. Graham Motionwas happy to see that

Unbridled Humor had made it into the field

for the $60,000Memories of Silver Stakes off

the also-eligible list, but he wasn’t pleased

that she’d have to start from the far-outside

No. 10 post. The veteran trainer feared that

the obstacle might lead to the first defeat of

the Florida-bred filly’s

young career.

But after an exhilarating

stretch run under jockey

JohnVelazquez, Unbridled

Humor emerged with her

perfect record intact, beat-

ing Ultimate Class by a

nose in her stakes debut

Nov. 14 at Aqueduct. Un-

bridled Humor, a home-

bred for Ocala’s Live Oak

Plantation, improved to 3-

for-3 and boosted her earnings to $91,620.

“I thought it was a huge performance,

considering she had such a lousy post posi-

tion,” Motion said. “I was talking to Johnny,

and he said the post position made it tough

for her because it’s such a tight course here at

Aqueduct.”

Unbridled Humor, a daughter of Distorted

Humor and the Unbridledmare DevotionUn-

bridled, ran in the middle of the pack early as

Ultimate Class set the pace. Ultimate Class

took the field of 10 3-year-old fillies through

an opening quarter-mile in 24.46 seconds and

a half-mile in 48.95.

Leaving the five-sixteenths pole, Ultimate

Class began to draw off from the field, open-

ing up a four-length lead under Rajiv

Maragh. Meanwhile,

Unbridled Humor ad-

vanced three-wide and

reached the top of the

lane in second place.

After straightening

for home, Unbridled

Humor unleashed a furi-

ous stretch drive to

chase down Ultimate

Class and get up in the

final jump, stopping the

clock for one mile on a

firm turf course in 1:38.21.

“I wasn’t sure she was going to get there,

to be honest,” Motion said. “I was a little

concerned about the race because we were

shortening her up from 11⁄8 miles to a mile,

which wasn’t something I was looking to do,

but it was just such a good opportunity for

her, and I thought she could handle it. She

was very impressive.”

Unbridled Humor came into the race off

a five-length victory in

a $44,380 allowance

going 11⁄8 miles on the

Keeneland lawn in Oc-

tober. Prior to that, she

won a $51,000 maiden

special weight race by

2½ lengths on the

Saratoga turf in Septem-

ber. Motion said Unbri-

dled Humor likely will

get a break and make

her next start at Gulf-

stream Park, possibly as

late as February.�


NYRA

PHOT

O

Unbridled Humor Wins Memories of Silver

Florida-bredUnbridled Humor

“I wasn’t sure she was goingto get there, to be honest. I was a

little concerned about the racebecause we were shortening her

up from 1 1⁄8 miles to a mile,which wasn’t something I was

looking to do, but it was just sucha good opportunity for her, and Ithought she could handle it. She

was very impressive.”—H. GrahamMotion

Focus_Dec.qxd:Layout 1 11/23/10 3:08 PM

The Scienceof SuccessOscar Wilde wasn’t addressing thoroughbred breeders when he said,“Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result,”but Florida’s thoroughbred breeders know Wilde’s words to be true.

Breeding thoroughbred champions may not be an exact science, but Florida’s breeders layclaim to some key ingredients as they continue to produce winners at the highest levels.Florida’s strong stallion base, year-round moderate climate, mineral-rich soil and water,

outstanding facilities and strong support industries are conducive to breeding world-classracehorses. Florida also provides an exceptional agriculture and business climate for

breeding, training and racing thoroughbreds.

This year’s results on the racetrack demonstratewhat the proper conditions can do, as4 of the top 5 juvenile fillies of 2010by earnings were bred in Florida and3 were by Florida stallions.

1. Awesome Feather, by Awesome of Course $1,495,746Owned by Jacks or Better Farm • Bred by Jacks or Better Farm

2. R Heat Lightning, by Trippi $612,800Owned by Bobby Flay • Bred by E. Paul Robsham Stable LLC

3. More Than Real $609,384

4. Wickedly Perfect, by Congrats $404,600Owned by STD Racing Stable and Peter MoehrkeBred by Y-Lo Racing Stables • $70,000 OBS graduate

5. Delightful Mary, Limehouse $310,377Owned by John Oxley • Bred by Hobeau Farm Ltd$500,000 OBS graduate

We encourage you to visit Florida’s horse country, its racetracks, itssales company and training centers and see for yourself why Floridais the ideal location to breed, raise, train and sell champions.

FLORIDA DEPT. OF AGRICULTUREAND CONSUMER SERVICESCharles H. Bronson, Commissioner850-488-4366 • Fax 850-922-0374 • e-mail: [email protected] S. Calhoun • 412 Mayo Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399

FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION

801 SW 60th Ave. • Ocala, FL 34474352-629-2160 • Fax: 352-629-3603

www.ftboa.com • [email protected]

www.facebook/thefloridahorse.com

JOE

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With a talented horse likeManicero to brag about, JourneymanStud

stallionMassMedia is certain to get plenty of positive press coverage.

Manicero, a Florida-bred colt trained by LeoAzpurua Jr. for owner

LeoAzpurua Sr., gave the stallion his first black-type winner Nov. 13

at Calder Casino & Race Course, drawing off for an 8 ¼-length score

in the $125,000 Jack Price Juvenile Stakes.

Manicero, bred byGainesville’sRoberto Sanson, is out of theKris S.

mareRitzyBlitz.He haswon twoof his three starts and earned $99,008.

He finished third in a $36,000maiden special weight race at Calder

to start his career Oct. 2, then came back to score by 7¾ lengths in a

$34,000 maiden special weight race Oct. 30.

“That’s a good horse. He looks like he could be any kind,” Brent

Fernung, who stands Mass Media at Journeyman Stud in Ocala, said

of Manicero. “I think we haven’t heard the last of him. He just domi-

nated that race.”

Manicero’s performance was the highlight of a solid day for Mass

Media at Calder’s Florida Million, which featured eight stakes races

for Florida-breds. A filly by Mass Media, Beso Grande, finished

second to Devilish Lady in the $125,000 Joe O’Farrell Juvenile Fil-

lies Stakes, and a colt, The Waco Kid, ran fourth in the $100,000

Arthur I. Appleton Juvenile Turf.

Those performances lifted Mass Media to No. 12 on the list of

North America’s leading freshman sires with $459,865 in progeny

earnings. He’s the fourth-leading freshman sire in Florida, trailingVin-

ery’s Congrats ($1.21 million in progeny earnings), who is relocating

to Vinery Kentucky, Vinery’s Pomeroy ($536,451) and Hartley/De

Renzo Thoroughbreds’With Distinction ($523,924).

MassMedia’s first crop consists of just 49 juveniles, easily the smallest

crop among NorthAmerica’s 13 top freshman sires. He’s had 19 runners,

including 10 winners. Among them is Florida-bredAlert the Press, who

captured the $29,350CapitolCity Futurity at LincolnRaceCourse in July.

“He doesn’t have the advantage that some of the horses in front of

him have with these huge crops, but this horse is a very consistent

horse,” Fernung said of Mass Media. “He’s going to be a real sleeper

stallion, and I’m excited about him.The horse is doing awfully well.”

To get the word out about Mass Media, Journeyman Stud is offer-

ing breeders big incentives to breed to him in 2011.The stallion’s stud

fee will remain unchanged from 2010 at $2,000, and breeders who

pay that stud fee will be eligible for the following bonuses that apply

to horses fromMass Media’s 2012 crop:

� If the resulting yearling doesn’t sell for at least $10,000 in 2013,

the breeder will have his $2,000 stud fee returned to him.

�The breeder of the first 2-year-old byMassMedia towin amaiden

special weight race in Florida in 2014 will receive a $10,000 bonus.

� The breeder of the first horse from Mass Media’s 2012 crop to

win a Grade 3 race will receive $50,000. That bonus jumps to

$100,000 for a Grade 2 win and $200,000 for a Grade 1.

MassMedia, a 9-year-old son ofTouch Gold, won six of his 21 ca-

reer starts from ages 2-5 and earned $569,740. Hewon the Sport Page

Handicap (G3) at Saratoga and the Fly So Free Stakes at Belmont Park

as a 3-year-old and earned the biggest victory of his career the fol-

lowing year at Saratoga in the Forego Stakes (G1).�


Manicero Gives Mass MediaFirst Black-type Winner

Mass Media

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FLORIDANEWS

BY NICK FORTUNA

Apair of Florida-bred juveniles overcame a lack of respect

to get the biggest paydays of their young careers Nov. 20,

with Gourmet Dinner finishing 2¼ lengths ahead of run-

ner-up Decisive Moment in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot

Stakes (G3).

Though the pair had run well at Calder this year, both runners

were dismissed by the betting public, with Gourmet Dinner going

off as the 20-1 seventh choice in the field of 10 2-year-olds andDe-

cisive Moment the 48-1 ninth choice.

Steve Standridge put blinkers on Gourmet Dinner to get the

horse to focus, while JuanArias removed the blinkers from Deci-

sive Moment, and in the end, both trainers got exactly what they

wanted from their talented runners.

Gourmet Dinner, a son of Trippi bred by Ocala Stud Farm and

William J. Terrill, ran in sixth place early in the 1 1/16-mile con-

test, tracking the pacesetting Bug Juice three-wide through open-

ing fractions of 22.66 and 46.56 seconds. Decisive Moment,

meanwhile, was far closer to the pace in second place.

Using his usual late-running style, Gourmet Dinner advanced

three-wide around the final turn under jockey Sebastian Madrid

and reached the top of the lane with a 1 ½-length lead over Deci-

siveMoment and jockeyKerwin Clark. Gourmet Dinner increased

his lead down the stretch and finished in 1:45.23 on a fast track.

Gourmet Dinner erased any doubts about whether he could

handle two turns. The colt had suffered his first defeat in his first

route race, finishing second to Florida-bred Reprized Halo in the

$365,000 In Reality division of the Florida Stallion Stakes at

Calder on Oct. 16.

Prior to that, Gourmet Dinner had won all three of his starts, in-

cluding the first two legs of the FSS – the $75,000, six-furlong Dr.

Fager division and the $100,000, seven-furlong Affirmed division.

GourmetDinner, outof thePentelicusmarePotluckDinner, hasearned

$809,660 through five starts forTerrill’s Our Sugar Bear Stable.

Decisive Moment, a son of Hartley/De RenzoThoroughbreds

stallionWith Distinction, had finished third in the In Reality di-

vision and fourth in the Dr. Fager, where he was promoted to

third place following the disqualification of Florida-bred Grande

Shores. Out of the Dehere mare Lady Samira, the colt has one

win from five starts and has earned $276,330 for owner and

breeder Just For Fun Stables.

• Briecat once again showed her versatility, wiring the

$125,000Treasure Chest Stakes by 5½ lengths at Delta Downs on

the same program. It was the third stakes win of the year for the

Florida-bred mare, who has excelled on dirt, turf and synthetic

races surfaces.

Briecat, a 5-year-old daughter ofAdcat bred byOcala Oaks Inc.

and Don R. Graham, flashed her trademark speed to claim the

early lead in the Treasure Chest. Under Patrick Valenzuela, she

built a one-length leadwhile carving out fractions of 22.50 seconds

for a quarter-mile and 47.33 for a half-mile.

Briecat drew off while rounding the second turn, reaching the

head of the stretch with a 2 ½-length lead and drawing off down

the lane, stopping the clock for one mile on a fast main track

1:38.78. She returned $7.40, $3.40 and $3 as the second choice in

a field of eight fillies and mares.

Briecat improved to 3-for-6 on a fast dirt track, having also

won the $50,000 Las Madrinas Handicap at Fairplex Park in

September. For her career, she has nine wins from 25 starts and

$542,805 in earnings for trainer Vladimir Cerin and owners

David and Holly Wilson. �

Gourmet Dinner Hits JackpotAt Delta Downs

Florida-bred Gourmet Dinner

Florida-bred Briecat

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Florida-bredBig Drama leads the

field into the home stretchin the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)

at Churchill Downs last monthen route to an impressive wire-

to-wire triumph. The Harold Queenhomebred is a son of Ocala Studstallion Montbrook out of theNotebook mare Riveting Drama.The Calder-based runner, trained byDavid Fawkes, covered thesix furlongs in 1:09.05.


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FLORIDANEWS

BY MICHAEL COMPTON

Theboard of directors of the FloridaThoroughbred Breeders’

and Owners’Association announced last month a change in

themanner in which Breeders’Awards will be paid in 2011.

This decision comes after the board reviewed numerous ex-

amples of possible payment scenarios for the program, which

underscored the need to ensure the program’s continued sol-

vency, as well as polling of the mem-

bership to determine whether to

keep the program the same – paying

only on winners in Florida – or

changing the program to pay

Florida-bred first- second- and third-

place finishers in the state.

Subject to the terms of the

FTBOA’s annual awards plan, which must be filed with and ap-

proved by the state, the FTBOA board voted unanimously to pay

a Breeders’Award to the breeder of a Florida-bred lawfully reg-

istered with the FTBOA that finishes in first, second or third

place in a race at a Florida thoroughbred track as follows:

� For first place – Ten percent of the announced gross

purse, less any Florida Owners’ Awards included therein, with

each such Breeders’Award limited to no more than $10,000.

� For second place –Three per-

cent of the announced gross purse, less

any Florida Owners’Awards included

therein, with each such Breeders’

Award limited to nomore than $3,000.

�Forthirdplace–Twopercentofthe announced gross purse, less any

Florida Owners’Awards included therein, with each such Breeders’

Award limited to nomore than $1,500.

The FTBOA’s annual awards plan for 2011 has been submitted

to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s pari-

mutuel division.

“This is another component of our economic stimulus plan

being implemented,” said FTBOA President Fred Brei. “We ap-

preciate all the input we received from Florida’s breeders on this

important decision for our industry.”

In addition to paying three places for Florida races, FTBOAof-

ficials anticipate being able to pay out-of-state Breeders’Awards

for Florida-breds that win in the Sunshine Millions in California

for 2010 and 2011.

Other key components of the economic stimulus plan, which

was originated in 2007, rolled out in 2008, passed by the State

Legislature in 2009 and went into effect July 1, were extended

card-room hours for pari-mutuel facilities and a reduction in state

taxes on slot machine revenue from 50 percent to 35 percent.

Also progressing is the conversion of the FTBOA’s quarter

horse racing permit into a nonprofit thoroughbred racing permit in

Marion County.At the present time, articles of incorporation have

been filed and bylaws are being put together for the purposes of

making the conversion application to the state.

“The bottom line in this business, and what matters most, is the

accomplishments of our Florida breeders,” said Richard Hancock,

executive vice president of the FTBOA. “Three Florida-breds win-

ning races at the Breeders’Cup is a powerful reminder to the thor-

oughbred industry just how strong the Florida-bred program is.”

–Patrick Vinzant contributed to this report.

FTBOA ChangesBreeders’ Awards Program

“This is another compo-nent of our economic stimulus plan

being implemented. We appreciateall the input we received from Florida’sbreeders on this important decision forour industry.”—FTBOA President Fred Brei

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The path to the Breeders’ Cup WorldThoroughbred Championships is some-times winding. Breeders, owners and

trainers are faced with the Herculean challengeof plotting a year-long course to have their

charges ready to summon exceptional effortson Breeders’ Cup day.

For a record 23 Florida-breds entered in thisyear’s Breeders’ Cup, simply arriving at theevent in good order was a victory for all in-

StarsFlorida-breds shine on

Ladies Day at Breeders’CupBy MICHAEL COMPTON

& PATRICK VINZANT

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volved. After two days of competition and 14prestigious events with competitors from allpoints on the globe, Florida-breds emerged vic-torious in three races, finished second twice andthird once, securing the Sunshine State’s placeamong the thoroughbred industry’s elite.

This year’s showing by Florida-breds was thestate’s best ever since 1985 when four Florida-breds—Precisionist, Cozzene, Tasso and TwilightRidge—combined for four victories on a single

program.“This year’s

Breeders’Cup justshows the entire industry that despite the diffi-cult times facing our business, that you canbreed, raise and race a world-class championin Florida,” said Richard Kent of PlumleyFarms, breeder of Breeders’ Cup Filly andMare Sprint (G1) winner Dubai Majesty.

Kent is spot on.All three Florida-bred Breeders’

Align

Dubai Majesty winning the Filly and MareSprint (right) and Awesome Feathertaking the Juvenile Fillies over fellowFlorida-breds R Heat Lightning andDelightful Mary (opposite page).

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Cup winners—Awesome Feather,

Dubai Majesty and Big Drama—

are squarely in line for Eclipse Awards in their respec-

tive divisions at season’s end.

The Sunshine State’s success began on Ladies’Day

at the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 5. Awesome Feather all

but cemented a juvenile filly championship, while

Dubai Majesty showed why she is

the best filly and mare sprinter in

the world.

Fred Brei of Jacks or Better

Farm in Reddick and trainer

Stanley Gold heard all the com-

ments questioning their unde-

feated Florida-bred Awesome

Feather in the days leading up to

the Breeders’ Cup.

While many wondered about

the quality of the company she kept

at Calder while sweeping the

Florida Stallion Stakes series there,

Brei and Gold just shrugged it off

heading into the biggest test of their

runner’s young career. Under a

blanket of darkness at the barn early in the day before

the race, Brei addressed the naysayers.

“They say she hasn’t beaten anyone at Calder,” he

said. “Well, I’m sure they’ll say the same thing after she

wins tomorrow.”

Win she did. Still undefeated in

six starts ranging in distance from

4½ furlongs to 11⁄16 miles,Awesome Feather proved she

is the best of her division, not just at Calder, but in the

world, with her sparkling win in the Breeders’Cup Ju-

venile Fillies (G1).

Under regular rider Jeffrey Sanchez, Awesome

Feather tracked the early pace in

third place down the backstretch as

Florida-bred R Heat Lightning led

the field of 12 into the far turn.

Straightening in the lane, Awe-

some Feather drew alongside R

Heat Lightning. The two Sunshine

State products dueled through most

of the stretch, with Awesome

Feather gaining the upper hand late

in the 11⁄16-mile event, stopping

the clock in 1:45.17. Florida-bred

Delightful Mary rallied for third,

securing a Florida-bred sweep of

the top three places.

“I guess I had the same doubts as

a lot of the people,” said Gold, “but I

knew she was ready to run the best race she could, and I

was confident she’d give us 100 percent. I thought we’d

see if she was up to the task, and she was.

“I knew she’d finish,” he added. “I saw she was

strong. Jeffrey knows her so well. He had confidence in


“That’s the horse

(Awesome Feather) I

knew we had to beat.

She’s tough. If I could

have eliminated one

horse in the field, it

would have been her. But

my filly did run a good

race. I’m proud of

her.”—Mark Casse,trainer of Delightful Mary

Stars Align

More Than Realwinning the $1 million

Juvenile Fillies Turf.


her, and it showed. She didn’t disappoint anybody. She

did what we thought she could do, and she is of that

class.We brought a fresh horse here, andwe figured she

was ready to run her best race against the best company.”

R Heat Lightning, a daughter of former Florida sire

Trippi bred and owned by E. Paul Robsham Stables,

was game in defeat.

“The filly ran a fantastic race,” saidMikeMcCarthy,

an assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher. “It’s a bit unfortu-

nate that she didn’t have a target to run at, but she put up

a good fight down the lane; a very respectful effort.”

TrainerMarkCasse, who sent out third-place finisher

Delightful May, owned by John Oxley and bred by

Hobeau Farm, was pleased

with his charge’s effort.

“That’s the horse (Awe-

some Feather) I knewwe had

to beat,” Casse said. She’s

tough. If I could have eliminated one horse in the field,

it would have been her. But my filly did run a good race.

I’m proud of her.”

Brei and his wife, Jane, breed and race Florida-breds

under the banner of their Jacks or Better Farm in Red-

dick. Awesome Feather is a daughter of their stallion,

AwesomeofCourse, out of another homebred, the stakes-

winning mare Precious Feather, by GoneWest.

“We’re a small breeder,” Brei said. “We only have

14 to 16 foals a year. We foal the mares on the farm,

raise the foals, take them to our training barn, break

them, get them ready to go to Stanley at Calder.Andwe

do it year after year, hoping we’re going to get the good

ones. So far, we’ve been very fortunate in doing exactly

that. When I send them down there to Stanley, they’re

fit, and then he has to teach them manners.”

AWESOME FEATHER FLASHEDHER PROMISE EARLY.

“I’ve never put a horse alongside of her that can out-

gallop her, which we do a lot in original training,” Brei

said. “You know, she’s just been that kind of filly. I’ve

always felt this was a very special filly.”

Awesome Feather was sold two days later at the

Fasig-Tipton November sale for $2.3 million. Con-

signed by Hidden Brook as agent for the Breis, she was

purchased by Frank Stronach ofAdena Springs Farm. It

was announced the following day thatAwesome Feather

will be trained by Chad Brown. She will join his string

at PalmMeadows in Boynton Beach and possibly point

for the Gulfstream Park winter meet.

“Our reason for selling her is quite simple: I prefer

to race in South Florida. Stanley doesn’t prefer to run

all over the country, and so we’re better off to let some-

body own her that will run her where she needs to run,”


“I’ve gotten pretty excited before and then she’s gotten beat, but this

time she got there. She did great.”—Bret Calhoun, trainer of Dubai Majesty

PALM

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Eldaafer winningthe $500,000Marathon.


Brei said prior to the sale. “Watch-

ing her go will be very rough.”

In the $1million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare

Sprint (G1), Dubai Majesty showed her heels to the

competition in an impressive performance against 12

rivals, justifying owners Martin Racing Stable

(William and Stephanie

Martin) and Dan Morgan’s

decision to pay the $90,000

supplemental nomination

to enter the race.

Under jockey Jamie

Theriot, Dubai Majesty

broke beautifully and settled into third place early in

the seven-furlong race. Theriot took her back off the

early pace of Gabby’s Golden Gal and Champagne d’

Oro down the backstretch and moved comfortably to

the leaders around the turn. In a matter of strides, she

opened up three lengths on the field, hitting the wire

2 ¼ lengths clear of a fast-closing Switch in 1:22.31.

Evening Jewel finished third.

“She loves this racetrack,” said trainer Bret Cal-

houn. “She made a great move, and Jamie rode a

great race. She was making an easy move, and then

she got in gear and I got really excited. Jamie did a

great job of getting her settled back, and then she

dragged him up there. I’ve gotten pretty excited be-

fore and then she’s gotten beat, but this time she got

there. She did great.”

By former Florida sire Essence of Dubai, Dubai

Majesty was produced by the Great

Above mare Great Majesty and was

bred in Ocala by Harold J. Plumley.

“I’m just so happy for Mr. and Mrs. Plumley,” said

Richard Kent of Plumley Farms. “I couldn’t be happier

for them and all of the staff at the farm. Of course, it’s

an unbelievable feeling.”

Like Awesome Feather,

Dubai Majesty also sold at

the Fasig-Tipton sale. Con-

signed by Taylor Made

Sales Agency, agent, she

brought $1.1 million from

KatsumiYoshida, who owns Northern Farm in Japan.

She will be sent there to be bred.

� Boca Raton resident and Ocala farm owner Peter

Vegso and Gary Seidler took down the biggest prize

on Ladies Day, winning the $2 million Ladies’ Clas-

sic (G1) with Unrivaled Belle. The homebred daughter

of Unbridled’s Song, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, beat

favored Blind Luck by 1¾ lengths and covered the 11⁄8

miles in 1:50.04. Havre de Grace finished third.

“Shemade an explosive move around the turn, leav-

ing the three-eighths pole, and just took the lead away

from everybody,” said winning conditioner Bill Mott.

“I give Kent all the credit. We opened up on the field,

and she left them in the dust.”

Vegso andSeidler are partners in Florida-basedHealth

Communications, the publisher of the “Chicken Soup for

the Soul” series of books.


“She made an explosive movearound the turn, leaving the three-eighths pole, and just took the lead

away from everybody.”—Bill Mott, trainer of Unrivaled Belle

Stars Align

Unrivaled Bellewinning the $2 million

Ladiesʼ Classic.


� The $500,000 Marathon, won by Eldaafer, at-

tracted plenty of post-race coverage, not so much for

the result of the race but for the fisticuffs between jock-

eys Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano.

Prince Will I Am, ridden by Castellano, origi-

nally crossed the finish in second place but was dis-

qualified for interference near the

quarter pole. Stewards determined

that Prince Will I Am veered out and

bumped Romp (ARG), causing a

chain reaction. Borel took exception

to Castellano’s race riding and ap-

proached him near the winner’s cir-

cle, where the two riders had to be

separated.

As for the race, Eldaafer broke the

track record for 1¾ miles, covering the

distance in 2:59.62.The 5-year-old son ofA.P. Indywon

in the colors of IEAH Stables andMansourAlbaroudy,

lessor. Diane Alvarado saddled Eldaafer. Long shot

Gabriel’s Hill was moved up to second following the

disqualification, and A. U. Miner, Borel’s mount, was

moved up to third.

Following the race, Eldaafer was sent to Ocala to

take a break from racing, according to Alvarado. She

said Eldaafer will be pointed to the Gulfstream meet-

ing in January.

� Celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s More Than Real

upset even-money favorite Winter Memories in the $1

million Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). Ridden by Garrett

Gomez for trainer Todd Pletcher, More Than Real got

first run on Winter Memories and made it count. She

cleared the field in the stretch and held the late charge

ofWinter Memories at bay.

Jockey Jose Lezcano, riding Winter Memories,

lodged a claim of foul against the winner for interfer-

ence in the upper stretch, but the claim

was not allowed. More Than Real cov-

ered the one mile on turf in 1:36.61.

Kathmanblu rallied late for third.

� The $2 million Filly and Mare

Turf (G1) was the first race in Breed-

ers’ Cup history under the lights.

Shared Account prevailed in a stretch-

long duel with odds-on favorite and

defending Filly and Mare Turf cham-

pion Midday (GB). The two hit the

wire together, with Shared Account getting the best

of the Juddmonte Farms colorbearer by a neck. Keer-

tana, trained by Tom Proctor, was another neck back

in third.

Trained by H. Graham Motion for Kevin Plank’s

Sagamore Farm, Shared Account stopped the clock

in 2:17.74 for the 11⁄8 miles on grass.

“My job is to support and make sure we have the

best resources in the world to go out and just breed

champions,” said Plank, the CEO of athletic apparel

company Under Armour. “What racing needs right

now are great stories, and great stories are bred from

great wins.” �


“What racingneeds right noware great stories,and great stories

are bred fromgreat wins.”

—Kevin Plank, owner ofSharedAccount

PALM

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Shared Accountwinning the $2 millionFilly and Mare Turf.


From coast to coast,Florida’s tax-friendly, pro-businessenvironment is poised and ready toattract new companies and createnew employment opportunities.

Florida...the Best State for Business

• No personal state income tax.

• No individual capital gains tax.

• Ranked third in the U.S. for numberof horses and size of horse industry.

• National leader in veterinary andequine research.

• Horses are exempt from sales taxwhen purchased from their original breeder.

• Feed and animal health items, along withother specific items, are also exempt.

• Florida’s greenbelt exemption providesproperty tax breaks for Florida horse farms.

• No tax on stallion seasons.

• Physical climate allows for year-roundtraining, racing, showing andbusiness opportunities.

WeGotGame.qxd:Layout 1 11/9/10 4:33 PM Page 1

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FLORIDA DEPT. OF AGRICULTUREAND CONSUMER SERVICES

Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner850-488-4366 • Fax 850-922-0374 • e-mail: [email protected]

407 S. Calhoun • 412 Mayo Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399




Florida-bred Awesome Feather became the third filly in history to sweep the Florida StallionStakes series and the first to go on and win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).


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Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Breeder Owner TrainerGourmet Dinner (Trippi) - 8 Ocala Stud &William J Terrill Our Sugar Bear Stable Peter GulyasRibo Bobo (Louis Quatorze) - 6 Rapputi Stables LLC Rapputi Stables LLC, Dimitar Pencheff & Carlota Stable” Manuel AzpuruaI’m Steppin’ It Up (Congrats) - 5 Thomas L Croley Roman Hill Farm Anthony PecoraroMadman Diaries (Bring the Heat) - 5 Wesley AWard Wesley AWard Wesley AWard

Two-Year-Old FillyAwesome Feather (Awesome of Course) - 41 Jacks or Better Farm Inc Jacks or Better Farm Inc Stanley I GoldR Heat Lightning (Trippi) - 40 E Paul Robsham Stable LLC E Paul Robsham Stable LLC Todd A PletcherWickedly Perfect (Congrats) - 28 Y-Lo Racing Stables LLC STD Racing Stable, Peter Moehrke & JR Rafter Ranch” Doug F O’Neill

Three-Year-Old Colt/GeldingFirst Dude (Stephen Got Even) - 33 Donald R Dizney Donald R Dizney Dale L RomansJackson Bend (Hear No Evil) - 20 Jacks or Better Farm Inc Jacks or Better Farm Inc & Robert LaPenta Nicholas P ZitoD’Funnybone (D’Wildcat) - 18 Harold J Plumley Paul P Pompa Jr Richard E Dutrow

Three-Year-Old FillyAmen Hallelujah (Montbrook) - 23 Thorobeam Farm IEAH Stables &Whizway Farms Richard E DutrowAll Due Respect (Value Plus) - 14 Lau-Mor Farms Al & Saundra S Kirkwood Kathy WalshJoanie’s Catch (First Tour) - 13 Rose Family Stable Ltd Rose Family Stable Ltd Barry R Rose

Older Male (Four-Year-Olds and up Colt/Gelding)Big Drama (Montbrook) - 47 Harold L Queen Harold L Queen David FawkesCentral City (City Place) - 20 Charlie Dobbs & Frank Berris Preston Stables LLC RonnyWWernerCrown of Thorns (Repent) - 20 Clover Leaf Farms II Inc Spendthrift Farm LLC Richard E MandellaDuke of Mischief (Graeme Hall) - 14 Marilyn McMaster Alex & Joann Lieblong, M McMaster & David Fawkes” David Fawkes

Older Female (Four-Year-Olds and up Filly/MareDubai Majesty (Essence of Dubai) - 50 Harold J Plumley Martin Racing Stable LLC & Dan Morgan W Bret CalhounJessica Is Back (Put It Back) - 29 Larry Perkins Farnsworth Stables LLC Martin DWolfsonDynaslew (Dynaformer) - 10 Live Oak Stud Live Oak Plantation Seth Benzel

Sprint (Three-Year-Olds and up, male and female, race distances one mile and less)Dubai Majesty (Essence of Dubai) - 50 Harold J Plumley Martin Racing Stable LLC & Dan Morgan W Bret CalhounBig Drama (Montbrook) - 47 Harold L Queen Harold L Queen David FawkesJessica Is Back (Put It Back) - 22 Larry Perkins Farnsworth Stables LLC Martin DWolfson

Turf (Three-Year-Olds and up, male and female, races run on the turf)Central City (City Place) - 20 Charlie Dobbs & Frank Berris Preston Stables LLC RonnyWWernerRed Jazz (Johannesburg) - 16 William F & Annabel Murphy Ronald Arculli Barry HillsDynaslew (Dynaformer) - 10 Live Oak Stud Live Oak Plantation Seth Benzel

Following are the “FTBOA Chase to the Championship ” Point Standings through November 18, 2010.

Year-end divisional champions will be determined using the “FTBOA Chaseto the Championship” point system, a ranking that awards points for successin stakes races.

The “FTBOA Chase to the Championship” allocates points for stakes wins ingraded races, open-company stakes and Florida’s signature racing days,with thenumber of points awarded based upon the classification of the race. Internationalstakes race status is governed by the International Cataloguing Standards Com-mittee. The first three finishers in all Group/Graded and listed races appearing inPart I of the International Cataloguing Standards and International Statistics Bookprinted by The Jockey Club receive “black-type” designation. Ten point bonus tobe awarded to any 2-year-old colt or filly sweeping all three legs of the Florida Stal-lion Stakes in determining the Champion 2-year-old Florida-bred.

The Florida-bred with the most points in each division on December 31 isdeemed champion of that division. Horse of the Year, Broodmare of the Yearand Breeder of the Year will be voted on by the FTBOA Board of Directors andannounced at the FTBOA’s annual awards dinner.

In the case of a year-end tie in points in any division, earnings will be usedto decide the tiebreaker. — Points are assigned as follows:

� World Thoroughbred ChampionshipBreeders’ Cup Race:Win: 20 pointsPlace: 15 pointsShow: 10 points

� Grade 1 Stakes Race:Win: 15 pointsPlace: 10 pointsShow: 5 points

� Grade 2 Stakes Race:Win: 5 pointsPlace: 3 pointsShow: 2 points

� Grade 3 Stakes Race:Win: 3 pointsPlace: 2 pointsShow: 1 point

� Sunshine Millions(equivalent to a Grade 2 Stakes Race):Win: 5 pointsPlace: 3 pointsShow: 2 points

� Other Florida-bredSignature Race Days(equivalent to a Grade 3 Stakes Race):(The Florida Million, Florida Cup,Florida Stallion Stakes Series):Win: 3 pointsPlace: 2 pointsShow: 1 point

� Open-Company Stakes($50,000+Purse) Points for WIN ONLY:Win: 2 points

� Selection Criteria for Florida-bred champions

ChaseToChampionship.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 9:40 AM Page 67

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FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION801 SW 60th Ave. • Ocala, FL 34474 352-629-2160 • Fax: 352-629-3603

www.ftboa.com [email protected]

Experience the thrill of victory in Florida's Thoroughbred industry.To learn more about breeding and owning racehorses in the Sunshine State,

call us today or visit us on the web at www.ftboa.com


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By MICHAEL COMPTON & PATRICK VINZANT

Florida’s winning ways at this year’s Breeders’ Cupcontinued on day two in front of more than 72,000fans at Churchill Downs Nov. 6, as Big Drama,

who had been training in sensational fashion for DavidFawkes at his Calder base leading up to the event, left lit-tle doubt who rules the division, dispatching 11 rivals inthe $1.82 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).Big Drama broke running from the rail and led vir-

tually wire to wire in the six-furlong test under EibarCoa. Following brisk fractions of 21.34 and 44.45 sec-onds, Big Drama led the field by a length. When askedfor his best by Coa at the head of the lane, Big Dramaresponded gamely and held his advantage to the wireto defeat HamazingDestiny by 1½ lengthsin a time of 1:09.05.Smiling Tiger finishedthird.“I was pretty confi-

dent in him following hislast work at Calder,” saidFawkes. “Calder is adeeper, more tiringtrack. I think the founda-tion comes from Calder.It gets horses ultra-fit.You see a lot of horsescome out of there and goon to win all kinds ofraces. Blind Luck, forexample. There’s a lot of

Florida-bred Big Dramawires Breeders’Cup Sprint

Owner Harold Queenleads Big Drama andEibar Coa to thewinner’s circle.JO

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horses that come out of there. That’s a great track to

get a foundation on a horse.”

Big Drama is a homebred for Ocala’s Harold Queen

and a son of Ocala Stud Farm stallionMontbrook, out of

the Notebook mare Riveting Drama. Big Drama’s win,

his third of the season in five starts, provided the first

Breeders’Cup victory for Coa, Fawkes and Queen. The

winner’s share of the purse was $1.08 million.

� Goldikova (IRE) made Breeders’ Cup history

this year when she won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup

Mile (G1) for the third consecutive year. With an ex-

plosive turn of foot, the world’s best turf miler for the


Goldikova (above)won an unprecedented

third Breedersʼ Cup Mile.Ocala-trained Uncle Mo

(right) cruised to an easywin in the Breedersʼ

Cup Juvenile.

Breeders’ Cup Drama

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three years running closed from seventh position after

a quarter-mile to run down pacesetter Sidney’s Candy

near the sixteenth pole and pull away for a 1 ¼-length

win over Gio Ponti and The Usual Q.T.

“She’s amazing – she can do anything,” said trainer

Freddie Head. “It’s too good to be true. I’m very emo-

tional. I was the first jockey to win this race twice with

a mare (Miesque), and now I am the trainer of a mare

winning this race three times. It’s unreal. We don’t

know how good this filly is. She’s extraordinary. I

don’t have the words.”

Trainer Christophe Clement summed up what most

rival trainers must have felt following Goldikova’s dis-

play of sheer class.

“I wish Goldikova was not in

the race,” he said. “Unfortunately,

we were second best. The filly is a

freak. She’s the best miler we’ve

seen in a long, long time.”

Early in the week following Goldikova’s milestone

triumph, her connections announced that shewill remain

in training next season and possibly seek an unprece-

dented fourth Mile victory.

� Zenyatta, trying to emulate Goldikova’s feat and

win her third consecutive Breeders’ Cup race and

back-to-back Classics and possibly conclude her bril-

liant career undefeated in 20 starts, fell just inches shy

after an exciting 1 ¼ miles. A hush came over the

crowd as stunned fans watched Blame beat the popu-

lar mare by a head in 2:02.28.

JockeyMike Smith allowed Zenyatta to settle far be-

hind the field around the first turn, while Florida-bred

First Dude took command through six furlongs. She

improved her position down the backstretch as Smith

moved her closer into contention. As has become her

custom, she weaved her way through traffic down the

lane, and once wheeled outside horses, kicked into an-

other gear. In deep stretch she set her sights on Blame,

who grabbed the lead entering the stretch, but she sim-

ply ran out of real estate to catch him.

“I feel like I let her down,” said Smith. “I left her

too much to do. I had to put on the brakes at the quar-

ter pole when Quality Road started backing up. I think

that cost me the race. In the beginning, she struggled

with the track. She didn’t like all the dirt flying at her.

I needed a little better position for her early. I just

know she was the best horse in the race. It was another

gallant effort for her.”


“She ran her heart out. She ran her race, and congratulations to Blame.

The fans were behind her win or lose, and I think she represented them

well. She ran an excellent race.”—John Shirreffs

Zenyatta lost for the firsttime in 20 races, fallingby a head to Blamein the Classic.


Trainer JohnShirreffs,whohas orchestratedZenyatta’s

career for Jerry andAnnMoss, was gracious in defeat.

“She ran her heart out,” he said. “She ran her race,

and congratulations to Blame. The fans were behind

her win or lose, and I think she represented them well.

She ran an excellent race.”

Zenyatta, a winner in 19 of 20 career starts, received

her early training in Ocala at Mayberry Farm. Classic

third-place finisher Fly Down also received his early les-

sons in Florida at Ocala Stud.

�Florida-bredCentral City set the pace in the $1mil-

lion Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G2) but could not hold

off Chamberlain Bridge in deep stretch of the five-fur-

long dash andwound up second. Owned byArt Preston’s

Preston Stables, the son of Hartley/DeRenzoThorough-

breds stallionCity Place, was bred byCharlie Dobbs and

Frank Berris. He is trained by RonnyWerner.

“I hate running second,” said Werner, “but it’s bet-

ter than third, I guess. He ran a big race and just got

beat.”

The winner, bred by Eugene Melnyk and owned by

Carl Moore Management, covered the distance in

56.53 seconds and gave trainer Bret Calhoun his sec-

ond Breeders’ Cup victory of the weekend. He also

saddled Florida-bred Dubai Majesty, a daughter of for-

mer Hartley/De Renzo stallion Essence of Dubai, to

win the Filly and Mare Sprint the day before.

Florida-bred Bridgetown was in the thick of the

battle at the top of the stretch but faded to finish fourth

for Melnyk Racing Stables.

� Team Valor’s Pluck closed from last to win the

$1 million Juvenile Turf (G2) over Soldat at one mile.

The son of More Than Ready was ridden by Garrett

Gomez for trainer Todd Pletcher.

“We knew he had an explosive turn of foot,” said

Pletcher. “Tome, he’s been a colt that is very talented but

is still learning. It was just a matter of putting it all to-


Breeders’ CupDrama

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Dakota Phone pulledan upset in winningthe Breedersʼ Cup

Dirt Mile.


gether and focusing on running straight. He was doing

a lot of things on natural talent, but he really polished

off the race at the end.”

For Team Valor’s Barry Irwin, this was the second

Breeders’ Cup winner he has been associated with. He

co-owned Florida-bred Prized, the winner of the Breed-

ers’ Cup Turf in 1992.

Florida-bredMadmanDiaries, owned by RobertTeel

andWesleyWard, finished fourth.

The son ofWard’s Florida stallion Bring theHeat dic-

tated terms early and led the field into late stretch be-

fore grudgingly giving way in the final yards.

� Pletcher notched his second Breeders’Cup win of

the day and his third for the weekend when Uncle Mo,

owned by Repole Stable, cruised to a facile victory in

the $2 million Juvenile (G1).


Dangerous Midge(left) was best in theBreedersʼ Cup Turf.Chamberlain Bridgeedged Florida-bredCentral City in theBreedersʼ Cup TurfSprint (below).


The son of IndianCharlie rated kindly for jockey John

Velazquez in the early stages. On the far turn,Velazquez

took a confident peak behind him and pushed the button

on his mount. Uncle Mo responded immediately, gath-

ered in the long-shot pacesetter and opened up daylight on

the field. BoysAtTosconova offered game chase through

the lane but proved no match for the winner.

Uncle Mo, broken in Ocala by James Crupi, crossed

the finish line 4½ lengths in front of BoysAtTosconova

and covered the 11⁄16 miles in 1:42.60. Rogue Romance

finished third. Uncle Mo’s win stamped him as an early

Kentucky Derby (G1) favorite.

“It’s basically gone from

surreal to real,” said winning

owner Mike Repole. “I’ve

thought about this moment for

30 years – 25 years as a racing

fan and five or six years as an

owner – to just one day own a

horse like this. So many kids

growing up want to be base-

ball players, want to be foot-

ball players, and I just wanted

to own a special horse.”

�The biggest upset of the

day came in the $1 million

Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile,

where California shipper

Dakota Phone tagged Morn-

ing Line on the wire to win by

head in 1:35.29. The 5-year-

old son of Zavata returned

$77.40 for a $2 win wager.

Trained and co-owned by

Jerry Hollendorfer for part-

ners Halo Farms, John Carver

and George Todaro, the win-

ner was ridden by Joel

Rosario. Godolphin Racing’s

Gayego finished third.

� In the $3 million Breed-

ers’ Cup Turf (G1), Danger-

ous Midge prevailed over six

others in a field that was with-

out morning-line favorite and

Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner Workforce (GB), who

was withdrawn earlier in the day by his connections.

Trained by Brian Meehan, Dangerous Midge beat

Champ Pegasus by 1¼ lengths and covered the 1½miles

in 2:29.40.

Attendance and handle for the 2010 Breeders’ Cup

increased over the 2009 event at SantaAnita, Breeders’

Cup officials announced.After an 11 percent increase in

attendance Nov. 5, 72,739 were on hand at Churchill

Downs on the following day for the 11-race card.

The two-day common pool total was $164 million,

an increase of 13 percent over the $145 million wa-

gered in 2009.

“While her story didn’t have the perfect ending, our

entire sport was truly blessed by Zenyatta’s amazing ca-

reer,” said GregAvioli, president and CEO of the Breed-

ers’ Cup. “Congratulations to Blame, to the

incomparable Goldikova and to all of our champions

whose performances this weekend were spectacular.”�


“It’s basically gone from surreal to real. So manykids growing up want to be baseball players,

want to be football players, and I just wanted toown a special horse.”—Mike Repole

Breeders’ CupDrama

Pluck closed fromlast to win the

$1 million BreedersʼCup Juvenile Turf for

owner Barry Irwin. PALM

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FLORIDA DEPT. OF AGRICULTUREAND CONSUMER SERVICES

Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner850-488-4366 • Fax 850-922-0374 • e-mail: [email protected]

407 S. Calhoun • 412 Mayo Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399





In the Thoroughbred business,there’s no substitute for victory.At this year’s Breeders’ Cup Nov. 5 and 6, Florida-breds accomplished victories at the highest levelagainst the world’s best. Big Drama, Awesome Featherand Dubai Majesty proudly carried the state’s bannerinto the winner’s circle during World Championshipweekend, and all three runners are now in line forEclipse Awards at season’s end.

Winner Stallion Race Breeder OwnerBig Drama Montbrook Sprint Harold Queen Harold QueenAwesome Feather Awesome of Course Juvenile Fillies Jacks or Better Farm Jacks or Better FarmDubai Majesty Essence of Dubai Filly & Mare Sprint Harold J. Plumley Martin Racing Stable

& DanMorgan

A total of 264 Florida-breds have started in Breeders’ CupWorld Thoroughbred Championship races, recording 23wins, 25 seconds, and 21 thirds for purse earnings of morethan $30 million.

Of the 23 Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup champions, 15 wenton to earn Eclipse Awards in their respective divisions.

Find your next champion in the Sunshine State.

Call the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’Association for more information or check us out online atwww.ftboa.com for the latest industry news.

From Top:Dubai Majesty, Big Dramaand Awesome FeatherJoe DiOrio Photos

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By JO ANN GUIDRY

The2010 Breeders’Cup victories by Florida-breds

Awesome Feather, Big Drama andDubaiMajesty

brought big smiles to the faces of small breeders

everywhere. The accomplished trio were bred by small

breeders who reaped the rewards of emphasizing quality

overquantity. In addition,AwesomeFeather andBigDrama

werealso racedby their breeders todouble thegratification.

In terms of foal production, the three breeders of the

Breeders’ Cup winners registered a combined total of

39 Florida-bred foals. It breaks down individually like

this: Fred and Jane Brei’s Jacks Or Better Farm, 12;

Harold Queen, 6; and Harold J. Plumley, 21. Small

breeders by any standard.

Here’s a look at the three small breeders who had big

dreams come true.


A trio of small Florida breeders tally triumphson Thoroughbred industry’s biggest stage

SmallBreeders,BigDreams

Jane and Fred Brei ofJacks or Better Farm

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Jacks or Better FarmAwesome Feather

Call it a win—a big win—for the house.

When card players Fred and Jane Brei established

their Ocala-based Thoroughbred operation in 1997,

Jacks Or Better Farm seemed like a fitting name.And

over the subsequent 13 years, the farm has played

many winning hands in the Thoroughbred industry.

The Breis have bred and/or raced such outstanding

Florida-breds as stakes winners Midas Eyes, Bayou’s

Lassie, Radical Riley, Hear No Evil. Scrubs, Lady-

inareddress, Awesome of Course, Jackson Bend and

Krypton. In 2009, their homebred Jackson Bend swept

the Florida Stallion Stakes series open division. That

same year, they sold a colt by Medaglia d’Oro out of

multiple stakes-producer Bayou Plans, by Bayou

Hebert, for $1.6 million at the Fasig-Tipton Calder se-

lected juvenile sale.

The winning cards just kept coming for Jacks Or

Better Farm in 2010. Homebred Awesome Feather

swept the fillies division of the Florida Stallion Stakes,

becoming only the third filly to do so in the 29-year

history of the series. Undefeated in five starts, Awe-

some Feather next took on the Breeders’Cup Juvenile

Fillies (G1) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5. She closed

with a rush to win in dominating fashion, leading a 1-

2-3 Florida-bred sweep with R Heat Lightning second

and Delightful Mary third. The winner’s share of the

$2-million race was worth $1,080,000 to pad Awe-

some Feather’s bankroll to $1,495,746. As

breeder/owner, the Breis also collected foal, owner,

and stallion nominator awards as well. They also own

Awesome of Course, the sire of Awesome Feather,

who will stand the 2011 breeding season at Brent and

Crystal Fernung’s Journeyman Stud in Ocala.

After she had swept the Florida Stallion Stakes se-

ries, Awesome Feather had been entered in the Fasig-

Tipton Kentucky November breeding stock sale on

Nov. 7. Two days after her BC Juveniles Fillies tri-

umph,Awesome Feather sold for $2.3 million to Frank

Stronach. That brought the Breis’ winning pot over a

two-day span to $3.5 million.

“Of course, it was all very exciting,” said Fred Brei,

68, who currently serves as president of the Florida

Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.

“But I have to say that I really wasn’t that surprised.

After Awesome Feather won the My Dear Girl Stakes

by more than eight lengths and came back not even

breathing hard, then I felt pretty confident that she had

Memorable MomentBy MICHAEL COMPTON

For Don “Peanut Butter” Brown, Awesome

Feather’s victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

Fillies (G1) was definitely a career highlight he

will not soon forget.

Brown, who works with Calder track photographer

Jim Lisa, begins each day working in the barn of Stanley

Gold. Brown has been a photographer at Calder for 17

years and at Gulfstream Park for 20 years.

Given three days off from his photographer duties last

month, Brown shipped with Awesome Feather and the

Gold barn to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’Cup.

“I’ve photographed many champions and been to six

Breeders’Cups, four with horses and two as a photogra-

pher,” Brown said. “But to finally win a Breeders’ Cup

race with a horse you’re working with and around all the

time is the most thrilling moment to experience.”

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Brown’s first love was

not racing, but hockey. He once donned a legendary

Montreal Canadians jersey in training camp in 1970. He

also played goalie for the 1973 Stanley Cup champion

Philadelphia Flyers in the team’s first exhibition game of

the 1974 season against a group of col-

lege all stars.

In between working as a goalie in-

structor at hockey camps at age 18, he

found his way to Fort Erie racetrack. He

arrived with $4 in his pocket.A license to

work at the track cost $2 and Brown was

left with $2 to make it a week until his

first paycheck. He bought a jar of peanut

butter and a loaf of bread with what was

left and ate sandwiches all week, thus his

nickname, “Peanut Butter.”

Since that first job at Fort Erie with fu-

ture Hall of Fame trainer Andy Smithers, Brown has

worked for other industry greats, all now Hall of Famers

in Jimmy Croll, Sonny Hine and Nick Zito.

Brown has workedwith Gold at Calder for the last two

years, although their friendship dates back to the 1970s

when they both worked for Croll. Gold is not yet a Hall

of Fame trainer, but he hasmade some history of his own.

He is the only trainer in Florida Stallion Stakes history to

sweep back-to-back editions of the series. He trained

Florida-bred Jackson Bend to a sweep of the open di-

vision last year and swept the filly division this year

with Awesome Feather, who remains undefeated fol-

See “Peanut Butter” Brown next spread

Don “Peanut Butter”Brown and AwesomeFeather

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a good shot to win the Breeders’ Cup race.”

As for selling the Breeders’ Cup champion and

likely national champion 2-year-old filly, Brei said,

“I’ve always run our farm as a business, so it was a

good business decision. Also we race in Florida and I

thought it was good forAwesome Feather to pass on to

someone else who could race her out of the state. We

sold 75 percent in Jackson Bend for the same reason

and that was good business too. And we still have the

dams of both those horses.”

Precious Feather, the dam of Awesome Feather,

was bought privately as a yearling in 1998 and raced

by Jacks Or Better Farm. By Gone West out of the

*Vaguely Noble mare Last Feather, Precious Feather

was a multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed

earner of $257,441.As a broodmare, Precious Feather

has also produced stakes-placed winner Brooks ‘n

Down. She had a 2010 colt by Awesome of Course

and is in foal to Consolidator.

The 88-acre Jacks Or Better Farm is home to two

dozen broodmares and their offspring. The farm’s

training operation is based on 13 acres at Nelson Jones

Farms and Training Center, where the 24-stall train-

ing barn stays full. At the racetrack, Jacks Or Better

Farm horses are trained by Calder Race Course-based

Stanley Gold, who saddled Awesome Feather to her

BC Juvenile Fillies victory.

Harold QueenBig Drama

The pun is too hard to resist:Harold Queen is The Drama King.

Queen is the breeder/owner ofFlorida-bredBigDrama,

who cruised to a sizzling Breeders’Cup Sprint (G1) vic-

tory.Then there’sQueen’s silks—redwith a big gold crown

on the front and smaller ones on the sleeves. SoTheDrama

King moniker seems to fit, well, like a crown.

As it turns out, Big Drama, like fellow Florida-bred

BC championAwesome Feather, also has a Florida Stal-

lion Stakes sweep to his credit. In 2008, Big Drama

swept the FSS open division. And for Queen, who has

been an owner, breeder and trainer for nearly five

decades, that was up until then a major highlight of his

career. Following his FSS sweep, Big Dramawent on to

become a multiple graded stakes winner for Queen.

Then on July 10, Big Drama and his half-brother Little

Drama both won stakes races at Calder Race Course for

Queen. Chalk up another memorable moment for

Queen. But the BC Sprint win was the biggest thrill yet.

“I’ve never had a horse like Big Drama,” said

Queen, 74, who was at Churchill Downs for all the ex-

citement. “He was training so well at Churchill Downs

that we felt like he was going to run a big race and

that’s just what he did.”



Harold Queen bred andowns Big Drama

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Already a millionaire going into the Breeders’ Cup

Sprint, Big Drama doubled his career bankroll to

$2,639,560. The BC Sprint was his first Grade 1 vic-

tory, having finished second in the Forego Stakes (G1)

and Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) earlier in the

season. The 4-year-old colt by Montbrook out of the

Notebook mare Riveting Drama won the 2010 Smile

Sprint Handicap (G2) and 2008 Boyd Gaming’s Delta

Jackpot Stakes (G3).

Queen purchased Riveting Drama, the dam of Big

Drama, for $36,000 at the 1996 Ocala Breeders’ Sales

Company’s March juvenile sale. The unraced mare has

also produced the aforementioned stakes winner Little

Drama, stakes winner Drama’s Way and stakes-placed

Coffee Can. Currently not in foal, Riveting Drama pro-

duced 2009 and 2010 fillies by Burning Roma. By Ru-

biano, Burning Roma is a Grade 1millionaire raced and

still owned byQueen, Burning Roma currently stands at

Jim and Shelia DiMare’s Ocala-based Rising Hill Farm.

“Of course, after the Breeders’ Cup, I got offers to

sell Big Drama and Riveting Drama,” said Queen, who

has been married to wife Jean for 56 years. “But I plan

to race Big Drama next year and Riveting Drama has a

home with me for the rest of her life.”

The 82-acre Hal Queen Farm is based at Nelson

Jones Farms and Training Center, where Queen trains

his horses and those of a few select clients. Also at the

farm are Queen’s nine broodmares and their offspring.

In addition to being represented as a breeder/owner

this season by BigDrama, Little Drama and Perf, Queen

is also represented as a co-breeder of Florida-bred

graded stakes winner Askbut I Won’ttell. Co-bred by

Queen and Peter Rosbeck’s Hidden Point Farm,Askbut

I Won’ttell won the Cardinal Handicap (G3) on Nov. 7

at Churchill Downs. The partners still own Zarbo, a 2-

year-old half-brother to Askbut I Won’ttell. Zarbo is by

Burning Roma and out of the deceased Green Dancer

mare Silver Dollar Kate.

Harold J. PlumleyDubai MajestyBreed well and do well for others

As a commercial breeder, Harold Plumley has always

enjoyed seeing horses he bred and sold do well for oth-

ers. It’s no surprise then that he was a happy man when

Florida-bred DubaiMajesty captured the Breeders’Cup

Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) on Nov. 5 at Churchill

Downs.

“Wewatched the races at home inOcala,” said Plum-

ley, 84, and who was still recovering from recent heart

surgery. “I’m sort of a calm person, but my wife Opal


lowing her sparkling Breeders’Cup triumph.

“I’vewalked somegreat horses and champions,”Brown

said. “I’ve worked with Droll Role, John Henry, Mr.

Prospector, Bet Twice, Housebuster, SkipAway and Holy

Bull. But sinceAwesome Feather’s first work, Stanley told

me she’s a freak.We’ve always known she is special.

“Over the summer, I told anyone that would listen that

she was going to win the Breeders’ Cup,” Brown added.

“It was such a thrill when IwaswalkingAwesome Feather

back around the turn and TVG analyst, horse owner and

my friend Paul Lo Duca yelled congratulations to me.”

In 1998, Brown was honored with Dogwood Stable’s

DominionAward, which honors a man or woman who is

an unsung hero of the Thoroughbred racing industry.

Given by Cot Campbell’s

Dogwood Stable, the

award recognizes the be-

hind-the-scenes men and

women who work to cre-

ate a positive influence in

their work environment.

“Being honored with

that award is probably the

greatest moment inmy ca-

reer,” Brown said. “In rac-

ing and in hockey you set

out to win. To receive an award like that for something

when you’re not setting out to win is very gratifying.”

Brown’s Breeders’Cup experience last month was put

in perspective not long after the race back at his Calder

base.

“A few days after we got back, Stanley was pulling

weeds around the flowers at the barn to make sure the

area looked nice,” Brown related. “Now howmany train-

ers do something like that days after winning a Breeders’

Cup race? Stanley tells me, ‘we’ve come a longway since

the 1970s to winning the ultimate prize in horse racing, a

Breeders’Cup race.’

“I really want to thank Stanley for having the trust in

me and allowingme the opportunity to fulfill a great mo-

ment in my Thoroughbred racing career,” he added. “I’d

also like to thank Jim Lisa for allowingme the time away

from work to have this experience.”

When asked aboutAwesome Feather’s future, Brown’s

confidence brims to the top. He still expects big things

from the Florida-bred filly, who will next race in the col-

ors of Frank Stronachwho bought her at Fasig-Tipton two

days after her Breeders’Cup victory.

“She’ll be a great filly,” Brown said. “She only needs

13 more wins in a row to catch Zenyatta.”�

“Peanut Butter” Brown continued

Trainer Stanley Goldand Awesome Feather

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was jumping up and down and cheering for Dubai

Majesty. It was a great win and a great Breeders‘ Cup

for Florida.”

Bred by Plumley, Dubai Majesty is a 5-year-old

mare by former Hartley/DeRenzo stallion Essence of

Dubai out of the Great Above mare Great Majesty.

The BC Filly and Mare Sprint win was the first Grade

1 victory for the multiple graded stakes winner. She

had previously notched tallies this season in the Thor-

oughbred Club of America Stakes (G2) and Winning

Colors Stakes (G3). The BC win increased her career

bankroll to $1,509,243.

Raced early in her career by Plumley, Dubai

Majesty was sold privately to Martin Stables (Bill and

Stephanie Martin) and Dan Morgan as a three year

old. She developed into a multiple graded stakes win-

ner and after her Thoroughbred Club of America

Stakes win, the partners decided to supplement her

for $90,000 to the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. The in-

vestment more than paid off: Dubai Majesty earned

$540,000 for the BC win and then on Nov. 7, she sold

for $1.1 million to KatsumiYoshida at the Fasig-Tip-

ton Kentucky November breeding stock sale.

Plumley purchased Great Majesty, the dam of

Dubai Majesty, for $7,000 at the 1998 OBS October

Mixed Sale. Great Majesty was in foal to Birdon-

thewire at the time. In addition to Dubai Majesty, she

has produced stakes winner Majestic Dinner. Great

Majesty had a 2009 colt by Trippi and is in foal to

A.P. Warrior.

Plumley established his Ocala-based Plumley

Farms in 1996, after selling his Paris, Tennessee-

based automotive rubber manu-

facturing business. Plumley has

also raised Hereford and Angus

cattle for more than 30 years.

The first racehorse Plumley

bought was Florida-bred Sweet-

southernsaint, who became a

Grade 3 stakes winner. Since then

Plumley has bred many outstand-

ing Florida-breds, including

stakes winners Brooke’s Halo, Dr.

Kathy, Worldly Victor, Midwife,

Saint Knows, R Brown Sugar and Jealous Again. In

addition to Dubai Majesty, Plumley is represented as

a breeder in 2010 by graded stakes winner D’Funny-

bone and stakes winners Storming Saint, The Nutz,

Concert Music, Flying Trip and Salsa Bullet. �


Bred by Plumley, DubaiMajesty is a 5-year-old mareby former Hartley/DeRenzostallion Essence of Dubai outof the Great Above mareGreat Majesty. The BC Fillyand Mare Sprint win was thefirst Grade 1 victory for themultiple graded stakes winner.


JOE

DIOR

IOPH

OTO


Call: 352.732.8858


HitYourMark.qxd:Layout 1 11/23/10 3:46 PM Page 1

By NICK FORTUNA

Heading into the Florida Million card Nov. 15, it was a

given that talented Florida-breds would earn big pay-

days, but for racing fans, picking a winner proved to be a

daunting task. During a day of close finishes and impressive per-

formances at Calder Casino & Race Course, only two of the eight

stakes races for products of the Sunshine State werewon by favorites.

Birdrun pulled off amild upset in the day’s featured event, the $150,000Carl G. Rose Classic Handicap, drawing off for a 4 ½-length win overthe favored Duke of Mischief, who won three graded events this year.Birdrun, a 4-year-old son of Birdstone bred by the late Arthur I. Ap-

pleton at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, ran in second place for most of the1 1/8-mile contest as Riversrunrylee took the field through fractions of23.49 and 48.33 seconds. With Rajiv Maragh aboard, Birdrun gained aslim lead at the three-eighths pole and surged clear, stopping the clock in1:54.47 on a fast main track.“It looked like a two-horse race from a handicapping angle, and I think

Eibar Coa was thinking the same thing with the favorite (Duke of Mis-chief),” Maragh said. “My horse has a high cruising speed, and he’s ableto maintain it a long ways, very easy to rate, and that’s going to make adifference when running against very good horses.“When I let him move to the lead, I wanted him to get the jump on the

favorite and just try to hold him off because I knew hewould be coming inthe stretch. He tested us real good, but my horse just got the better of him.”


SurprisesMillion

FloridaMillion.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 11:28 AM

Florida-breds Birdrun (above) and Joanie’s Catch(below) win day’s richest events

JIM

LIS

AP

HO

TOS



Birdrun was the second choice in the field of six 3-

year-olds and up. Duke of Mischief finished a head in

front of DreamMaestro for second.

It was the first stakes win for Birdrun, who is trained

by Bill Mott for Oxbow Racing LLC. The colt has won

five of his 15 starts and earned $259,194. Birdrun en-

tered the race off a win in a $75,000 optional claimer at

Belmont Park in September for which he earned a 105

Beyer Speed Figure.

Duke ofMischief, bred and co-owned byMarilynMc-

Master, won the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G3), theOaklawn

Handicap (G2) and the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) this

year. The 4-year-old son ofWinding Oaks Farm stallion

GraemeHall has sixwins in 17 career starts for $955,642.

� In the $150,000 Elmer HeubeckDistaff Handicap,

the hard-knocking Joanie’s Catch rallied to catch the

pacesetting Amazing in the final strides to win by a

neck. It was the second stakes win for the 3-year-old

daughter of First Tour, who won the $51,000 Brave Raj

Stakes in September 2009.

Joanie’s Catch, bred, trained and owned by Barry

Rose, has won four of her 29 starts for $514,546.

With the Brave Raj last year, she began a streak of 10

consecutive finishes in the money in stakes races, in-

cluding five graded events.

Amazing led the field of eight fillies and mares

through fractions of 24.49 and 49.06 seconds, with

Joanie’s Catch and jockey Javier Santiago running in the

middle of the pack.Amazing got to the head of the lane

with a three-length lead, but Joanie’s Catch found run-

ning room on the outside and gradually reeled in the

leader, finishing the 1 1/16-mile test in 1:48.73.

“This filly always runs well, and she tries hard every

time,” Santiago said. “What made the difference (Sat-

urday) was that the two heavy favorites were knocking

each other out on the front end. Even though the pace

wasn’t fast, they were pressuring each other. I just sat

back and waited, and when I saw they were ready to

back up, I asked my filly to go.

“I put her towards the outside because she finishes

better when she is on the outside of the other horses. She

ran hard in the stretch and was game enough to catch

Amazing at the wire.”

Amazing, a 5-year-old Greatness mare bred by

Golden Beach’s Marilyn Fazio Seltzer, has won five

of her 25 starts for $349,127.

� Salsa Bullet proved impossible

to catch in the $100,000 John Franks

Juvenile Fillies Turf, wiring the field

by three-quarters of a length in her

stakes debut.

The daughter of OmegaCode, bred

by Ocala’s Harold J. Plumley, has

proven to be a real bargain for owner

Commonwealth Stable. She was pur-


SurprisesMillion

Salsa Bullet winning the$100,000 John Franks

Juvenile Fillies Turf (below)and Manicero taking thethe $125,000 Jack Price

Juvenile (at bottom).


chased for just $2,800 as a yearling at OBS in August

2009. She has two wins and a second-place finish from

three career starts and has earned $80,460 for trainer

Seth Benzel.

With Eibar Coa aboard, Salsa Bullet led the field of

nine 2-year-old fillies through slow fractions of 25.51 and

52.97 seconds on a turf course labeled “good.” She

reached the top of the lanewith a two-length lead andwas

able to hold off the favoredHolidaysatthefarm,who rallied

from eighth place under Jose Lezcano to finish second.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect in this race

pace-wise,” Coa said. “As it turns out, we went so slow

in the beginning of the race, I couldn’t help but to be on

the lead. As a matter of fact, I was laughing to myself

when I got to the backstretch and the rest of them were

letting me get away with those easy fractions. I was ex-

pecting someone to challenge me at that point, but it

never happened, so, better for me. I was lucky to have

the right horse in the right place.”

� Plenty of late money flowed into the pool to make

Manicero the favorite in the $125,000 JackPrice Juvenile,

and the son of Journeyman Stud stallion Mass Media

proved to be a safe bet, drawingoff for an8¼-length score.

Manicero entered the race off a front-running, 7 ¾-

length score in his second start, a $34,000maiden special

weight race at Calder on Oct. 30. He turned in a similar

effort Saturday under Luis Saez, leading almost every step

of theway and finishing the seven-furlong test in 1:25.77.

He set fractions of 22.44 and 45.68while building a 1½-

length lead, then spurted away from the field to reach the

head of the lane with a five-length advantage.

“After I rode this horse the first time, I suggested we

put blinkers on him; hewas just a little bit green that day,”

said Saez, who has ridden the horse in all three of his

starts. “It turns out they improved this horse more than I

expected. He broke a little bit slower than I thought he

would, but he got in stride quick enough, and once he

did, it was all over. They weren’t going to catch him.”

Runner-up Ribo Bobo, a Louis Quatorze gelding

bred and co-owned by Rapputi Stable, won the


Tackleberry won easily inthe $125,000 Jack DudleySprint Handicap.


$85,000 Foolish Pleasure Stakes at Calder in Septem-

ber and finished second to Astrology in the Iroquois

Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs in October. He’s won

two of his six starts and earned $127,406 for trainer

Manny Azpurua.

� Tackleberry came out guns blazing in the

$125,000 Jack Dudley Sprint Handicap, leading most

of the way for a 5 ¼-length score in his stakes debut.

Starting from the rail under Javier Santiago,Tackleberry

set fractions of 22.28 and 45.58 seconds while being

pressured by Ju Jitsu Jax, who would tire to finish third.

Tackleberry reached the top of the stretch with a 3

½-length lead and wasn’t challenged the rest of the way,

finishing the six-furlong sprint in 1:11.80.

Tackleberry has won three consecutive races, in-

cluding a 1¾-length score in a $25,000 optional claimer

at Calder onNov. 6.The 3-year-old, gelded son of Ocala

Stud Farm stallion Montbrook has four wins and a pair

of runner-up efforts from seven starts and $147,085 in

earnings for owner and trainer Luis Olivares. He was

bred by Ocala Stud Farm.

“The only thing I was concerned about was that my

horse was coming back in only one week after running

so hard winning at a mile last time out,” Santiago

said. “What I like about him is that he gives you every-

thing he has when you ask him.You just have to be ready

so that you can keep control of him; if you say, ‘Go,’he’s

going to pour it on. We used that to our advantage. The

horse outside of us (Ju Jitsu Jax) had the early speed, but

knowingmyhorse, Iwasn’t afraid to challenge him early.”

Runner-up Hear Ye Hear Ye, a son of Journeyman

Stud stallion Hear No Evil and a homebred for Fred

Brei of Jacks or Better Farm in Reddick, has won two

of his 16 starts for $174,337.

� In the $125,000 Bonnie HeathTurf Cup Handicap,

the game Bim Bam suffered a second consecutive heart-

breaking defeat, coming up just a nose short of Pickapoc-

ket as the favorite in a field of six 3-year-olds and up.

BimBam, a homebred for Ocala’s Jim and Sheila Di-

Mare, who race under the J D Farms name, had lost the

$75,000 Calder Derby last month by a nose to Tan-

nersville, who returned to finish third in the Bonnie

Heath Turf. Bim Bam, a son of Deputy Wild Cat, has

won three stakes races on turf, and for his career, he has

five wins from 17 starts for $404,635 in earnings.

MeanSax lead the field through fractions of 25.26 and

51.62 seconds,with Pickapocket in second place andBim

Bam right behind him in third.As Mean Sax tired, Pick-

apocket stuck his head in front, and BimBam angled out

three-wide to find running room.That pair dueled for the

length of the stretch,with Pickapocket holding off his rival

and finishing the 1 1/8-mile test in 1:51.39.

Pickapocket finished second to Soldier’s Dancer in

this race last year.

Pickapocket, trained byMartyWolfson for owner and

breeder Martin Cherry of Palm Beach Gardens, has won

seven of his 32 starts $455,434. The 6-year-old Mecke

gelding owns stakes victories in the $97,000SussexStakes

at Delaware Park in July and the $55,000 World Appeal


SurprisesMillion

Pickapocket takesthe $125,000 Bonnie

Heath Turf CupHandicap by a nose

over Bim Bam.


Stakes atTheMeadowlands in 2006.

“Iwas able to execute the plan that

Mr. Wolfson mapped out for us,”

winning rider Jermaine Bridgmohan

said. “He said the pacewould be kind

of slow, and it was. This horse gives

you enough early on that you can put

him close if need be, and the fractions

were so slow that we did need to be

close to the lead. He still had a big

kick in the stretch, but that’s a sign of

his class and how game he is.”

� Devilish Lady proved much the best in the

$125,000 Joe O’Farrell Juvenile Fillies, cruising to a 7

¾-length victory in her stakes debut.

The daughter of Ocala Stud Farm stallion Sweet-

southernsaint ran in second place early in the seven-fur-

long test, took the lead from Come a Callin after a

half-mile in 46.67 seconds and drew off, reaching the

top of the lane with a four-length advantage under

Daniel Centeno. Devilish Lady stopped the clock in

1:25.39 and paid $36.20, $12.20 and $6.40 as the sixth

choice in a field of nine juvenile fillies.

Devilish Lady entered the race off a third-place fin-

ish behind FlyingTrip in the $65,000 Cassidy Stakes at

Calder in October. Bred by the Lewis Family Stables

Partnership Ltd. and owned by Cairoli Racing Stable,

the filly has won three of her seven starts for $111,820.

“This is my first stakes win in this country,” said

trainer Antonio Sano. “I’ve been here for 10

months. I’ve won over 3,500 races inVenezuela and over

200 stakes there, but this is my first stakes win in this

country.The owner is my cousin, and he is inVenezuela.

“I claimed her two races ago after watching her cam-

paign this year. I liked her verymuch.After her last race,

I discussed her with Centeno, and we agreed to take the

blinkers off for this race. She really took off in the stretch,

which did not surprise me. I knew she would run well.”

� In the $100,000 Arthur I. Appleton Juvenile Turf,

RacingAptitude delivered as the favorite in a field of seven

2-year-olds, posting a 2½-length victory under Luis Saez.

Racing Aptitude, a homebred for Donald Dizney of

Double Diamond Farm in Ocala, entered the race off a

4 ¾-length victory in his fourth career start, a $34,000

maiden special weight race on the Calder lawn in Octo-

ber. The son of Aptitude has earned $85,790 through

five starts for trainer Howard Tesher.

Racing Aptitude stalked the pace of Oligarch, who

set fractions of 23.14 and 48.04 seconds. He entered the

top of the lane in second place, angled out four-wide

while making a bid near the quarter pole, gained a slim

lead with a furlong remaining and edged clear, stopping

the clock for 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.72.

“We broke second, and I was content to keep him

running in that position early in the race and down the

backstretch,” Saez said. “I gave him a little breather

around the three-eighths and then took him outside for

the turn for home. Hewas very powerful in the stretch. I

think he’s going to be a very nice horse.” �


Devilish Lady provedmuch the best in the$125,000 Joe OʼFarrellJuvenile Fillies (at top)and Racing Aptitude wonas the favorite in the$100,000 Arthur I. Apple-ton Juvenile Turf (above)


By JO ANN GUIDRY

Not only did three Florida-breds

win 2010 Breeders’Cup races, but

all three were by stallions with

Florida connections.

BC Sprint (G1) winner Big Drama is by

Florida-bred Montbrook, who has stood his

entire stud career at Ocala Stud. It should

also be noted that Big Drama is out of the

Notebook mare Riveting Drama; the de-

ceased Notebook also stood his entire stud

career at Ocala Stud.

Awesome Feather, who captured the BC

Juvenile Fillies (G1), is by Florida-bred

Awesome of Course. By Awesome Again,

Awesome of Course began his stud career

in Florida, spent the 2010 season in Okla-

homa, and is now back in Florida for the

2011 season.

Dubai Majesty, who won the BC Filly

and Mare Sprint (G1), is by Essence of

Dubai. He stood at Hartley/DeRenzo Thor-

oughbreds prior to being relocated to

Venezuela.

MONTBROOK MOMENT

Florida stalwart stallionMontbrookhas sired

stakeswinners, graded stakeswinners, Florida-

bredchampions,millionaires, andbeen the lead-

ingFlorida sire four times.Oneof the few things

missing fromhis impressive stallion resumewas

a Breeders’ Cup champion. Montbrook had

comeclose:Thunderellowas second in the2002

BC Sprint; ShakeYou Down finished third in

the 2003BCSprint; andChapelRoyal posted a

third in the 2003 BC Juvenile.

Then on November 6, 2010, the aptly-

named Big Drama filled in that missing

entry with his scintillating BC Sprint vic-

tory. Montbrook finally had his Breeders’

Cup champion.

“It was a great win for Montbrook and a

great win for the FloridaThoroughbred indus-

try,” saidMikeO’Farrell, president and general

manager of Ocala Stud. “It was nice to have an

established stallion like Montbrook get a

Breeders’ Cup winner. He’s been a good stal-

lion for us and for Florida.”

Big Drama’s winning paycheck of

$1,080,000 vaulted Montbrook from the

sixth-leading Florida sire on the year to the

second-leading. At this writing, Montbrook

has current progeny earnings of $3,738,073.

He is second only toWildcat Heir, who stands

at Journeyman Stud and has to date progeny

earnings of $3,949,433.

In addition to Big Drama, Montbrook is

also represented this season by graded stakes

winners Amen Hallelujah and Shadowdanc-

ing. Amen Hallelujah won the Santa Ynez

Stakes (G2) and Davona Dale Stakes (G2)

while Shadowdancing posted a win in the

PrairieMeadows Cornhusker Handicap (G2).

Montbrook is also represented by 2010 stakes

winners Tackleberry and Christmas Ship.

By Buckaroo out of Secret Papers, by Jet

Diplomacy, Montbrook was bred and sold by

Ocala Stud for $250,000 at the 1992 OBS

February juvenile sale. Unraced as two year

old, Montbrook won four stakes in five starts

as a sophomore runner. He captured the Frank

J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3), Riva

Ridge Stakes (G3), Jersey Shore Budweiser

Breeders’ Cup Stakes and Hirsch Jacobs

Stakes. In just that one season of racing,Mont-

brook banked $373,728. Purchased privately

at the end of his racing career, Montbrook en-

tered stud at Ocala Stud in 1995.

AWESOME RETURN

Thanks to Awesome Feather, stallion

Awesome of Course has returned to Ocala

just in time to miss the nasty Oklahoma win-

ter. After having begun his stud career in

Ocala, Awesome of Course had been relo-

cated by his breeder/owner Fred Brei to the


Montbrook,

Sire BC Winners

Montbrook

LOUI

SERE

INAG

ELPH

OTO

BC_Stallions.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 3:05 PM


Sooner State. He stood the 2010 season at

Legend Farm in Coleman, Oklahoma. Then

cameAwesome Feather.

First the precocious filly swept through

the Florida Stallion Stakes series like it was

a trail ride in a park. Awesome Feather be-

came only the third filly in the 29-year his-

tory of the FSS to score a filly division

sweep. And Brei, who bred and raced Awe-

some Feather in the name of his Jacks Or

Better Farm, was beginning to think of

bringing her sire back to Ocala.

“I decided to wait and see whatAwesome

Feather did at the Breeders’Cup,” said Brei.

What Awesome Feather did at the

Breeders’Cup was win the BC Juvenile Fil-

lies (G1), remain undefeated and become a

millionaire all at once. Needless to say, Brei

quickly booked a van ride back to Ocala for

Awesome of Course.

“I think it’s a goodmove to bringAwesome

of Course back to Ocala,” said Brei. “He’s a

well-bred horse who was a good racehorse. I

would think the breeders here will want to

breed their mares to a stallion like that.”

Awesome of Course is byAwesomeAgain

and out of the Lyphard mare Mais Oui. Brei

bought stakes winner and Group 3-placed

Mais Oui for $200,000 at the 1997Keeneland

November breeding stock sale. She had al-

ready produced Group 3 stakes winner Im-

perfect World, by Carson City. For Brei, she

produced stakes winner and graded stakes-

placed Monsieur Cat, by Tabasco Cat, and

thenAwesome of Course.

Racing for Jacks Or Better Farm, Awe-

some of Course won the Inaugural Stakes,

Western Borders Stakes and Heckofaralph

Stakes to earn $152,440. Retired to stud in

2000, Awesome of Course stood first in

Ocala at Jubilee Farm and then at Rising

Hill Farm before relocating to Oklahoma

for the 2010 season.

With his return to the Sunshine State,

Awesome of Course is at this writing the

current leading Florida juvenile sire with

progeny earnings of $1,498,716. Also at

this writing, he has overall progeny earn-

ings of $1,573,414 to rank as the 16th-lead-

ing Florida sire. In addition to Breeders’

Cup championAwesome Feather, he is also

the sire of stakes winner Honey Honey

Honey and stakes-placed Heaven’s Awe-

some. Awesome of Course will stand the

2011 season at Brent and Crystal Fernung’s

Journeyman Stud. �

Awesome of Course

Awesome of Course

COUR

TESY

JACK

SOR

BETT

ERFA

RM

Pedigree,Performance,Conformation

REYDECAFÉKingmambo—Commodit ies ,

by Pr ivate Account

Impeccably bred,Rey de Café is by sire ofchampions Kingmambo,out of a stellar female familythat includes perennial leading

sire Seeking the Gold.Rey de Café won sprinting androuting on both dirt and turf,suggesting his offspring willrelish today’s synthetic surfaces.

First foals are 2 this year!Watch for them at the races.

NOMINATED TOFlorida Stallion Stakes

899 S.W. 85th Ave., Ocala, FL 34481(352) 237-3834 Fax: (352) 237-6069

www.doublediamondfarm.com

A l s o s t a n d i n g :A M E R I C A N S P I R I TW E K I V A S P R I N G S

Double Diamond’s

Racing Aptitude wins

Appleton Juvenile Turf

at Florida Million!

BC_Stallions.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 3:05 PM

editor’s note

Summer Best/COOKIE SERLETIC PHOTO

It was a clear Tuesday morning on Nov. 16 as I

cruised down I-75, andmymindwas traveling

in varied directions.

I was probably on mental autopilot and

working through the random flow of ideas that

seem to come mostly when driving. I thought

about ideas for the office and upcoming dead-

lines for our publications. I made invisible lists

for my next trip to the feed store: electrolytes,

hoof oil, hay and feed, cat food...shavings,

straw. And did I remember to turn off the water

at the water trough this morning? I was thinking

I needed to call the farrier, and I needed to email

some clients. I was thinking I’ll call my mom

that afternoon. Then, as I made my final left-

hand turn into the Florida Horse Park, I caught

my breath.

It was a scene that still strikes me to smile.

More than 300 people – most of whom were

completely unfamiliar with horses and our

horse industry – were lining up and gathering

around seven charter buses, which were sched-

uled to tour four premier horse farms in Marion

County. Their plan that day was to visit a Thor-

oughbred training center, a polocrosse and trail

riding location, a high-end polo facility and a

private dressage farm.

I had agreed to guide one of the buses for

this particular Florida Horse Park fundraiser,

and it suddenly occurred to me that this is ex-

actly the sort of exposure that our industry can-

not live without. The 300 attendees bought

tickets at $45 a pop, and that included lunch. It

was a steal.

Our caravan set out at 8:30 that morning

with police escorts, bells and whistles and a

beautiful energy. At each stop and during

every segment of the bus ride along the way,

the 300 folks asked thoughtful questions about

horses, farms, fencing, foaling, breeding,

feeding, showing, training, racing and so

much more. I treasured the opportunity to pro-

fessionally field these queries and share with

an audience so grateful to see a slice of life in

the horse industry.

It’s no secret that many of the attendees

came from retirement communities, and that

might just be a bonus. I’m learning every day to

appreciate every demographic, and whether my

friends are 8 or 80, it’s a delight to spread the

magic of horses. Perhaps someone who enjoyed

the tour will buy into a syndicated racehorse

and fall in love with racing. Maybe another will

tell their sons or daughters, or grandsons or

granddaughters, about these stunning animals

we know and love…and a family will begin to

invest time and dollars in reining or roping…or

maybe someone will just saddle up a good

horse and enjoy our famous Florida Green-

ways. Maybe there’s a generation to come that

will put the whole puzzle together and keep our

industry thriving. I guess, in short, we’ll never

know unless we make and take time to reach

outside and invite new friends to come in.

Our tour finished up just after 2 p.m., yet it

could have gone on for days if our attendees

had gotten a vote. The Florida Horse Park has

already made plans to host its next farm tour in

March of 2011, and you’d better believe it will

sell out. I tip my hat to the farms, volunteers,

organizers and sponsors who have a heart for

continually sharing our world with others.

May your holidays be a blessing and a delight!

Summer Best

It’s a privilege to journey with you.

Sharing,Investing

The Florida Horse Park

has already made plans

to host its next farm tour

in March of 2011, and

you’d better believe it will

sell out. I tip my hat to

the farms, volunteers,

organizers and sponsors

who have a heart for

continually sharing our

world with others.


EditorsNote.qxd:EditorWelcome 11/23/10 4:52 PM Page 6


5

7

6

8

109

4

ELEANOR HANCOCK PHOTOS

1) Becky Schatt, Polly and Gary Wimberly2) Susanne Rosinski, Darren Chiacchia,Chris Machen 3) Jaye Baillie andC.J. Marcello 4) Nancy Ledding andBarbara Fitos 5) Katie Wimberly6) Talia Rowles, Vanessa Sharp,Ken Standlee, Marty Dunwoody7 Connie Duff Wise 8) John Wise,Connie Duff Wise and Damian Guthrie9)Mary Verrandeaux 10) Jim Payton

FHP_Fundraiser.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 11:25 AM

By Saundra TenBroeck, Ph.D

Complementary and alternative

medicine has long been consid-

ered unconventional medicine. In

recent years, more and more doctors and

veterinarians are embracing alternative

therapies as an adjunct to tradi-

tional treatment modalities.

Though adoption has been

gradual, as more practition-

ers and clients experience

positive outcomes, they become

advocates, even promoters. With in-

creased interest and case loads, opportuni-

ties for research arise, which in turn bring

greater understanding and acceptance of

the applications of various therapies.

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

(TCVM) is based on the idea that the indi-

vidual parts of the animal work in concert,

and healing is best accomplished when the

whole body system is brought into balance.

Both eastern and western medicine rely on

medical history and examination for diagno-

sis. While western practitioners may recom-

mend surgery and pharmaceuticals,

the TCVM practitioner may rec-

ommend acupuncture, herbs or

management changes. Ulti-

mately, both eastern andwestern

medicine have the goal of promot-

ing animal health and preventing disease.

NEEDLES? OH, MY!

The most widely known alternative

therapy is acupuncture. In acupuncture,

specific points on the body called acu-

points are stimulated, resulting in endor-

phin release, increased blood flow, im-

proved immune function and blood pres-

sure regulation. Stimulation of acupoints

may be accomplished with tiny needles,

pressure, low level electricity, warmth,

laser, fluid or air. Veterinary acupuncture is

most commonly used for pain manage-

ment, geriatric medicine and sports medi-

cine. A lesser known value of acupoints is

their use in diagnostics. In the hands of a

certified veterinarian, acupuncture can pro-

vide horses with relief from chronic condi-

tions and a much improved quality of life.

HERBAL APPROACH

Herbalmedicine is an integral component

of TCVM, often used in conjunction with

acupuncture. Most herb blends are devel-

oped for the specific needs of the individual

based on the properties of the plants and ac-

tions in the body. Herbal medicine utilizes

the whole plant or defined portions of a plant

compared to a single active ingredient iso-

lated as in western pharmacology. There are

risks associated with inappropriate use of

herbs so erring on the side of caution and

seeking expert advice is warranted.

CHIROPRACTIC, MASSAGE, ENERGY &ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE

Tui-Na is amanual therapy that combines

chiropractic andmassage to prevent and treat

disease.Manipulations applied to acu-points

andmeridians or limb-stretchingmovements

are employed to soothe joints, promote cir-

culation and strengthen the body’s resistance.

These techniques are particularly effective in

treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.

Chiropractic care involves manipulations

of joints of the spine to treat biomechanically

related musculoskeletal disorders. It is par-

ticularly helpful as an adjunct treatment for


When considering equine managementpractices, eastern medicine can be a useful option.

EastMeAlternativeMed_E-meets_.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/23/10 12:52 PM

lameness and is intended to correct vertebral

alignment and restore full nervous function

so the animal can heal.

Massage therapy for horses is similar to

massage in humans.The therapist is not pro-

viding a diagnosis but rather providing re-

lief of muscle tension and spasms. Massage

therapy can improve muscle tone, increase

range of motion, relieve pain and increase

circulation formore rapid healing of injuries.

Energymedicine is based on the concept

that life relies on energy and disease occurs

when there is an imbalance of a bioenergetic

field. Some types of energy used therapeu-

tically are electric, magnetic, sonic, acoustic,

microware and infrared.

Environmental medicine advocates im-

provement in the environmental conditions

that are contributing to disease. Factors may

include mold, dust, chemicals and certain

foods. Heaves is a prime example of a dis-

ease in which environmental modifications

might bring relief.

INTAKE, OUTTAKE

Nutrition and diet are another major

component of holistic medicine (treating

the whole animal rather that the disease).

Classical nutritional requirements are

based on the average of a whole popula-

tion, not the individual. Additionally, cer-

tain types of feeds can serve to promote

wellness and provide adjunct therapy for

other forms of treatment. Nutraceuticals

are nutritional supplements used as thera-

peutic agents.

Homeopathy is based on the concept

of like heals like. Homeopathic remedies

are extreme dilutions of substances that

are known to cause disease symptoms.

Conceptually, dilutions of these sub-

stances promote healing. Little research

has been done in horses treated with ho-

meopathy.

Alternative therapies are not intended

to replace conventional medicine for diag-

nosis and treatment of acute conditions.

However, the use of eastern medicine in

concert with western medicine enhances

quality of life and provides a more whole

animal approach to health and well being.

Alternative and complementary medicine

is becoming an integral part of veterinary

training and is requested by an increasing

number of horse owners. �

Author’s Note:

My first real experience with alternative

therapies came in 1995 when teaching a

brand new animal sciences undergraduate

course called equine health management.

One week was dedicated to the topic and a

new Ph.D. student named Huisheng Xie

was serving as my teaching assistant. Dr.

Xie came to the United States to pursue his

doctorate in Animal Sciences with Dr.

Richard Asquith. His dissertation work fo-

cused on the use of acupuncture therapy on

horses with chronic back pain. Once the

students adjusted to his accent, they were

mesmerized by the subject matter. The al-

ternative therapies and acupuncture week

remains one of the favorites in the health

management course.


etsWest

(above) Electroacupuncture (left)Huisheng Xie, D.V.M., practicestraditional Chinese medicine viaacupunture on this horse.CO

URTE

SYOF

HUIS

HENG

XIE,

D.V.M

.

AlternativeMed_E-meets_.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/23/10 3:50 PM


It is unbelievable to think how quickly this

year has passed! It seems just a fewweeks

ago we were ringing in 2010 and setting

goals for what was to be the “new” year.As we

start setting goals for 2011, we can honestly

say wemet many goals and reachedmany new

heights in 2010.

Our most recent accomplishments were all

tucked into a nice package the week of No-

vember 16. That Tuesday evening the Florida

Horse Park Foundation celebrated the release

of our new specialty license plate at a special

reception held at Gateway Bank. We had a

wonderful night of festivities, including live

and silent auctions, a live band, a display of ac-

claimed artist and license plate designer Mary

Verrandeaux’s exquisite work, and the ability

to reserve your new “Discover Florida’s

Horses” license plate through the Department

of Motor Vehicles.

Thursday, Nov. 18, we hosted 300 people

for our first Fall Farm Tour, which was spon-

sored by Great American Insurance. The hos-

pitality from our farm owners at Abracadabra

Race Training Center, Charlie Horse

Polocrosse Farm, New Chance Polo Farm and

Oak Lake Dressage Farm was incredible! It

took a considerable amount of planning and

preparation to host that volume of people.They

did, and they did it with class! Each demon-

stration or presentation was unique and well

thought to give our guests an unforgettable ex-

perience.We are looking forward to partnering

with GreatAmerican to continue this effort for

the community.

That same day, we received our Certificate

of Occupancy on our Welcome Center, which

has been constructed by Tallen Builders and

designed by KP Studio, both of Ocala. It was

paid for by a $1 million grant from the Office

ofTradeTourism and Economic Development.

That grant also funded basic infrastructure that

will aid in the continued development of the

Florida Horse Park.

The week came to an end with the Ocala

Horse Properties Fall Horse Trials, produced

by Equiventures LLC. The weather was de-

lightful and the show served as an excellent

start to the upcoming recognized shows for

2011.

As we move into the holiday season this

year, enjoy your own successes in the goals you

reached. Those of us at the Florida Horse Park

will do the same.Many hours of hard work and

dedication from a variety of people have

moved the park forward. We have seen a lot of

met goals in 2010. In 2011, we plan to reach

even more. To do that, we continue to need

your support. Come to the Florida Horse Park

and get a tangible feel of what we have done

this year. We are moving forward and you

should be a part of that in 2011.

Happy Holidays and Happy Trails,

Connie DuffWise

Chairman of the Board

Looking BackAnd Moving Forward

Your FLORIDA HORSE PARK

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Beginningwith one of the FloridaThoroughbred

industry’s pioneers Carl Rose in the early

1940s, Marion County has grown to become

“Horse Capital of the World” – home to more horses

than any other county in the United States. Naturally

occurring calcium and phosphorus, abundant grass, a

temperate climate and plenty of sunshine makeMarion

County an ideal place to breed, raise and train horses.

Whenmywife and I moved toMarion County from

Kentucky, I left my Walls insulated coveralls behind.

One of the guys on the broodmare crew had been want-

ing some, so I gave him mine. I figured I wasn’t going

to need insulated coveralls in Florida. What I didn’t

knowwas even though the average low in Ocala in Jan-

uary is 46° F, the temperature does drop below freezing

occasionally.

In colder climates, where many days of freezing or

lower temperatures are expected, farms are built to with-

stand winter weather. Water lines are buried below the

frost line. Wells are enclosed in well houses and pres-

sure tanks are often insulated. Barns are built so doors

and windows can be closed to keep out the cold winter

wind, rain, sleet and snow.Most farm tractors and diesel

trucks are outfitted with engine block warmers that

keep oil and coolant from becoming thick and viscous

when the equipment is not in use. And, many farms

even have heated indoor arenas.

It was during the Christmas freeze of 1989 when I

realized Marion County farms were not built for ex-

tended periods of below-freezing temperatures. In

Florida, wells and pressure tanks are usually out in the

open and exposed water lines are seldom insulated.The

exposed, un-insulated PVC water lines that ran along

the eaves of the training and broodmare barns froze and

burst. Three of four wells on the farm also froze solid.

All the water troughs in the pastures were frozen and

we had to haul water to each one.

Even thoughwe don’t normally experience extended

periods of below-freezing temperatures, it is still wise to

have a plan beforehand. Last winter a local farm owner

called me and asked what she could do to prevent her

water lines from freezing. The following tips should

help you keep the water running.

• Protect wells. Provide temporary barrier fromnorth winds. Then use heat lamp or heat tape. Insulate

pressure tank.

• Install frost-free outdoor faucets and spigots. In-sulate other faucets.

• Keep water moving. Lukewarm water trickling

through a pipe can help prevent pipes from freezing. Let

water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes. To

keepwater moving through all the pipes, the faucets left

on should be located farthest from the well or main

water supply.

• If extremely cold temperatures are expected forseveral hours, consider using an indoor valve to shut off

and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets.

• Disconnect garden hoses. Drain hoses andleave them stretched out. Do not drive over a

frozen water hose.

• Insulate exposed water lines. Most home supplystores have precut, ready to use foam insulation. News-

paper can also be used to provide temporary protection

to exposed pipes in areas that don’t have prolonged

below-freezing temperatures.

• Keep pipes warm. Heat tape installed according tomanufacturer’s instructions can be used to help keep

water lines from freezing.

• Prevent heat leaks. Use caulking or insulation toseal leaks where pipes enter the barn. Look around

wiring, dryer vents, water meters, and plumbing to find

places to insulate.

TOP OF FORM

As a native ofKentucky, I remember looking forward

to any 60-degree day after mid-November so I could

wash my truck. Since coming to Florida, I’ve learned

how to layer for the morning to afternoon temperature

changes and I always carry a jacket in my truck. You

never know when it’s going to be in the 70s.�

PRACTICALLY SPEAKING

by UF/IFASMarion CountyLivestock AgentMark Shuffitt

Cold Snap–IsYour FarmReady?

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A considerable amount of research has

been done in the past few years regarding

the importance of equine care facilities

within the equine industry.With the number

of unwanted horses currently growing at an

estimated 100,000 per year, increasing the

ability of current facilities to care for horses

and starting additional facilities will help to

alleviate the burden.

The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s 2009

Unwanted Horses Survey, with 2,245 partic-

ipants representing equine care facilities out

of a total of more than 27,000 respondents,

found that many of our nation’s rescues are at

or near capacity and must turn many horses

away.The survey found that 39 percent of fa-

cilities have reached theirmaximumcapacity,

30 percent are at 75-99 percent capacity, and

26 percent are at 50-74 percent capacity. Res-

cue/adoption/rehabilitation facilities reported

turning away 38 percent of the horses that are

brought to them.One solution to this problem,

as cited by the 27,000 respondents, is to in-

crease the ability of private care facilities to

care for unwanted horses.

A recent survey conducted by experts at

the University of California, Davis, esti-

mated that there are 326 registered non-

profit equine rescue facilities in the U.S.The

maximum capacity of these rescues is ap-

proximately 13,400, well below the estima-

tion of 100,000 unwanted horses in the U.S.

every year.

Because of the number of unwanted

horses and the limited capacity of our na-

tion’s current equine care facilities, it is ex-

tremely important to increase the ability of

our current facilities to gain more funding,

adopt out more horses, and care for addi-

tional horses. Creating new rescue/adop-

tion/rehabilitation facilities to help take in

more unwanted horses will also help allevi-

ate the issue of unwanted horses the equine

industry is facing.The more our equine care

facilities are informed about issues such as

volunteer management, fundraising mecha-

nisms, database management, and non-

profit status, the more horses will be given

a second chance at a new career.

Days End FarmHorse Rescue, located in

Lisbon, Md., has created a manual that will

help guide those who wish to start their own

equine care facility. Guidelines for Estab-

lishing a Non-Profit Horse Rescue Facility

HORSE COUNCIL NEWSEquine Care Facilities: Helping Our Nation’s Unwanted Horses

Successful program takes place across the U.S.

The UHC’s Operation Gelding program was launched in

August 2010 with the help of seed money from theAmericanAs-

sociation of Equine Practitioners Foundation and the UHC. The

program is designed to offer funding assistance to organizations,

associations, and events that wish to conduct a public gelding

clinic under the name and guidelines of Operation Gelding. An

organization that has completed an Operation Gelding clinic will

receive funding of $50 per horse, $1,000 maximum, to aid in the

costs associated with the clinic.

Currently 14 Operation Gelding clinics are scheduled to be

held across the country before the end of 2010, with locations in-

cluding Colorado, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, and Kansas. With three

Operation Gelding clinics already completed, the UHC and the

AAEP have helped aid in the castration of approximately 30

horses.

Alison Lacarrubba, of the University of Missouri Veterinary

Medical Teaching Hospital, organized an Operation Gelding

clinic in which the University’s veterinary students were able to

perform castrations on 11 horses while under the supervision of

a licensed veterinarian.

OnOct. 4, anOperationGelding clinic held byDr.MarkKorb and

the BarnesvilleAnimal Clinic of Barnesville, Ga., was able to geld 12

stallions. “I thinkwe castrated several horses that probablywould have

never been castrated due to financial reasons,” Korb said.

Four Corners Equine Rescue ofAztec, N.M., completed a suc-

cessful Operation Gelding clinic on Oct. 16. Seven horses were

castrated with the help of the program.

Dr. Douglas Corey, UHC president, said, “I am excited about

the success of the UHC’s Operation Gelding program and that it

is already so widely accepted and used. The UHC wanted to fur-

ther its mission of educating the horse industry, and by creating

action-oriented programs such as Operation Gelding, we can be

more hands-on within the community.”

For more information on Operation Gelding, how to conduct a

clinic, or to locate the schedule of Operation Gelding clinics,

please contact Ericka Caslin, UHC director, at

[email protected] or (202) 296-4031.

UHC InvolvementThe UHC has published a handbook entitled Best Practices:

HowYour Organization Can Help Unwanted Horses, which de-

tails the efforts, initiatives and activities organizations can un-

dertake to help reduce the number of unwanted horses. It is

important that breed organizations assess the number of un-

wanted horses produced within their breed and, in turn, imple-

ment programs that will help give horses a chance at adoption

and/or rehabilitation.

Unwanted Horse Coalition’s Operation Gelding Clinics

HorseCouncil.News.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 11:32 AM

was created to inform individuals interested

in starting a horse rescue about the expense

and the time involved in such an endeavor,

and to provide additional useful information

collected over the years by an established

rescue facility. Kathy Howe, president of

Days End Farm Horse Rescue, said, “A

horse rescue facility is foremost a business

and needs to be run like a business. The

horses’ lives are in your hands. Love the

horses with your heart but protect the horses

with your mind!”

Jennifer Williams of Bluebonnet Equine

Humane Society also published a book about

the proper way to start and run a horse rescue

facility.Williams stated, “The number of res-

cues in the country increases almost daily, yet

many people who decide to run a rescue or-

ganization have never been involved with

non-profits. Although they have the heart to

dedicate to the cause, they often do not know

how to put together a rescue or how to run the

organization once it is set up. Because of this,

many rescuers get overwhelmed and close

their doors. This book is designed to help as-

sist those who are trying to start a rescue and

to provide advice for the long-term manage-

ment of their organization.”The book,How to

Start and Run a Rescue, gives an insight into

how established rescue organizations operate,

and also how one can get involved in volun-

teering or assisting rescues. �


AQHA & USTA EffortsThe American Quarter Horse Association has developed a unique plan entitled Full

Circle Program. This project enables Quarter Horse owners and breeders to enroll theirhorses at no cost to ensure that these horses, even if sold, will never become unwanted.The United States Trotting Association has also implemented a program to help assisttheir Standardbred horses in need. The Support Our Standardbreds program is designedto provide financial aid for the care of abused or neglected Standardbred horses.

For more information on how your organization can get involved in the effort to helpunwanted horses, please contact UHC Director Ericka Caslin [email protected] or (202) 296-4031.

Thoroughbred CommitmentsThe National Thoroughbred Racing

Association has created a Safety and In-

tegrityAlliance, which has a large focus on

aftercare for retired racehorses. Because of

this program, many racetracks around the

country are developing on-track adoption

programs to assist racehorses in finding

newhomes and second careers.The Jockey

Club created theRetirement Checkoff Pro-

gram, which enables owners to make do-

nations at the time of registration that

benefit the Thoroughbred Charities of

America and theThoroughbredRetirement

Foundation.The JockeyClub also provides

tattoo research free of charge through its

Tattoo Identification Services. With tattoo

information, more Thoroughbreds can be

identified, which helps in the planning for

the horses’welfare.

HorseCouncil.News.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 11:32 AM


Wellington Equestrian Partners andThe Sanctuary partner to create anequine sport conditioning and per-formance facility at the Palm BeachInternational Equestrian Center.

Horses living in theWellington area or

competing in the FTI Winter Equestrian

Festival will now be able to receive treat-

ment from the world-class

Sanctuary Equine Sports

Conditioning and Perform-

ance Center, thanks to a new Sanctuary fa-

cility opening on the show grounds of the

Palm Beach International Equestrian Cen-

ter inWellington, Fla.The new Sanctuary at

Palm Beach International Equestrian Cen-

ter (PBIEC) will be open for the 2011 FTI

Winter Equestrian Festival.

“For the past three years, we have been

interested in creating a world-class condi-

tioning and performance enhancement fa-

cility to complement our world-class

competition and venue,” said Mark Bellis-

simo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Produc-

tions. “The Sanctuary is a

great partner for us and we

hope this facility will offer a

great opportunity for preventative mainte-

nance and performance conditioning for

the equine athlete.”

The Sanctuary’s commitment to serve

this additionalmarket has resulted in job cre-

ation and more exposure for the company.

“There is an exceptional level of high-

performance horses that live and compete

inWellington, and opening a Sanctuary fa-

cility is on par with what owners, trainers

and competitors need and expect for their

horses,” said Brenda McDuffee, General

Manager of The Sanctuary. “It will be a

meeting of a world-class therapy and per-

formance conditioning center with a world-

class show area. The Sanctuary in Ocala,

our main facility, features some of themost

advanced conditioning and therapy equip-

ment in the world, and we will have that

same equipment inWellington.”

NEWS BITSExpansion of The Sanctuary Throughout Florida

Susan Benson, CEOof the Florida-based

equestrianmarketing firmSomersetSportArt,

is pleased to announce her association with

Horses nHeroes ofMarion County. Horses n

Heroes is a 501(c)3 non profit organization

bringing disadvantaged children and horses

together in amentoringprogram, foundedand

directed byMindyNolan-Morrow.

“I was immediately impressed by

Mindy’s straightforward, no-nonsense ap-

proach with the girls,” Benson said.

Morrow – part drill sergeant, part knowl-

edgeable horseman and part nurturing ma-

ternal figure – guides her girls, through the

daily chores and riding lessons to success in

the local show ring. More importantly, she

fosters self-esteem, responsibility, team

work, kind heartedness, commitment, inde-

pendence and much more though the pro-

gram. The girls come from economically

and socially deprived backgrounds and are

given the opportunity to work with and ride

the horses that are often given to the pro-

gram after successful show careers.

“There are so many success stories to

tell,”Morrow said. “My girls may not come

frommoney but they are intelligent and tal-

ented. All they need is a chance and some

guidance. For some, they need positive role

models and someone who cares about them

and makes them feel a part of something.”

Horse n Heroes is a positive, safe envi-

ronment where girls ages 7 and up can bond

with people and horses in a positive and pro-

ductive way. The program is expanding and

always welcomes new volunteers, sponsors

for horses and specific equipment as well as

in kind services. Benson, through her mar-

keting and PR firm, will be creating struc-

tured programs and events to facilitate giving

to the program. She andNolan have even dis-

cussed fostering new organizations to form

under the Horse n Heroes umbrella as there

have been several interested parties. Formore

information about volunteering or donating,

contact Mindy Nolan Morrow, Founder/Ex-

ecutive Director at (352) 629-5280 or visit

www.Horsesnheroes.org.

FEI unveils iPhone app for Equine ProhibitedIn early November, the FEI has

launched a mobile phone application that

gives those involved in horse sport much

faster and easier access to cru-

cial information on prohib-

ited substances.

The Clean Sport app

allows immediate ac-

cess to the FEI Equine Pro-

hibited Substances online database,

which was developed early in 2010.

The app will initially be available for

iPhone users only, however the FEI is in-

vestigating how the technology could be

adapted for other smart phones.

The app is available to download Free

of Charge at the iTunes Store .

Not only does this technology en-

able users to easily navigate the

Equine Prohibited Substances

database, the app includes

short definitions on each sub-

stance as well as a selection of com-

mon trade names to avoid confusion.

There is also a feedback function

which will allow users to seek further ad-

vice or clarification.

The database was initially

Horses n Heroes Partners with Local PR Firm

NEWSBits.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/23/10 11:13 AM


NEWS BITS

Q: What plans do you have for the

next four years?

“The plans that I outlined to the Na-

tional Federations in my programs are that

I would like the next four years to be re-

membered for huge strides forward in the

areas of development, transport and quar-

antine and related to development, I would

like the FEI to be remembered for excel-

lent service. There is much for us to con-

tinue from the work we’ve started of the

old program and it would be my biggest

pledge to unify the FEI and to look for-

ward to a future of growth and prosperity

for horse sport.”

Q: How do you answer the criticisms

of your leadership over the last four years?

“I know I was very hands on in the first

four years and probably more so than

many would have liked and while I admit

to that and I have said there are things that

I could have done things differently, I felt

that I had little choice in order to deliver

the mandate which I had been elected on

and to deal with the issues that I had to

deal with which required that kind of en-

ergetic approach. I don’t feel that the is-

sues we have to deal with looking ahead

are of the same nature at all so I feel that

there will definitely be a period of calm

and consolidation and of growth.”

Q: It has been a busy year, do you feel

you had the time you needed to focus on

the election?”

“The most important thing to me and

the team I was working with that was that

I was very conscious that I was an incum-

bent President with responsibilities to ful-

fill and my campaign efforts took a lesser

place to the job that we had to do. We had

one of the busiest years in FEI history this

year we had theYouth Olympic Games, we

had the global congress of anti-inflamma-

tories in August and the World Equestrian

Games, so it has been a whirlwind of a

year and one where it was necessary to put

our responsibilities as a priority. In the last

three weeks I concentrated on my cam-

paign and put my program out and started

contacting the National Federations to out-

line my plans and I am very, very glad that

I have had such overwhelming support for

my mandate that I presented to them.”

Q:One of the criticisms leveled at you

in your last terms was an appearance that

democratic processes were not followed.

In the next four years what can the

equestrian world expect from you in that

regard?

“I think that while there are a number

of areas where I had to act in order to ful-

fill the mandate that I was given, and I do

accept that there were very harsh criti-

cisms made and I took them entirely seri-

ously. I learnt lessons along the way, but

going forward we really do look forward

to a period of consolidation and calm and

that really is also due to the fact that we

have dealt with some very serious issues

head on, we dealt with them in a positive

manner, we faced our issues and I do

think we buried them. From now on some

of those very serious issues like Clean

Sport, which was our answer to doping,

will hopefully not come back and I do

look forward to a period of calm and con-

solidation and look forward to bright days

ahead.”

Q: What lessons have you learned

from your first four years and how will

your second term by different from your

first?

“I have learned many lessons, one of

the basic lessons was to try to deal with

the diverse cultural differences of this or-

ganization and with people and to under-

stand that this job in the end, whilst it

celebrates the horse, is about people and

tolerance is something you get reminded

of and the fact that while it is a global or-

ganization it is actually about individuals

and you should celebrate each and every-

one of them and try to find the key to each

individual and that’s what success is all

about.”

Q:How did it feel to get the 2011Pro-

hibited Substances List past today?

“It was absolutely the best. I know for

so many people the Presidential election

is what will grab people’s attention but for

me and for all of us in the FEI the greatest

win we had today was passing the Equine

Substances List, it really was.”

HRH Princess Haya Re-Elected as FEI President

Substances Listlaunched on the FEI website earlier in

2010. Since then a number of small im-

provements have been made to its func-

tionality, including optimization of the

search function and automatic email ac-

knowledgement.

“This is a truly ground-breaking serv-

ice for those involved in horse sport. It

will enable users to have finger-tip ac-

cess to often crucial information about

prohibited substances which is another

huge asset in the FEI’s Clean Sport cam-

paign,” said Harald Muller, FEI Director

of Education & Standards.

Q&A wrap-up from a Nov. 5 press conference held in Taipei

NEWSBits.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 11:33 AM


1

2

34

5

OcalaArabianHorse Farm Tour

On Nov. 16, three prominent Ocala farms openedtheir gates to showcase their facilities and fine horses tocommunity leaders and attendees of the Arabian HorseAssociation’s annual convention, held this year in Or-lando from Nov. 17-21. Hennessey Arabians, Foxview

Farm and RoharaArabians each hosted hundreds of visi-tors throughout the day. Special entertainment included

the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, premier brunches,lunches and dinners, and exquisite Arabian exhibitions.

HennesseyPhotoSpread.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/23/10 1:39 PM


COOKIE SERLETIC PHOTOS

1) Hennessey Arabians showcased mares and coltsat their farm off N.W. 35th Ave. in Ocala.2) Greg and Carla Lord3) Arabian demonstrations took center stage atFoxview Farm 4), 5), 6), 9) Hennessey Arabians7) Rohara Arabians hosted dinner and showcasedthe Arabian breed 8) George Z. andFrank Hennessey at Hennessey Arabians10) Draft horses provided entertainment atFoxview Farm 11) Roxann Hart of Rohara Arabians

1

7

8

10

9

11

6

HennesseyPhotoSpread.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/23/10 1:40 PM


MarionCounty is home to twoworld-class resources:

equine farms and freshwater springs. From the

Ocala National Forest west to Levy County there

is a patchwork quilt of fenced pastures and woodlands. The

county is underlain by a thick layer of limestone that soaks up

water like a sponge and releases it under pressure as springs

…andyourwells. RainbowSprings andSilver Springs are two

of the largest springs in the world; Florida has more artesian

springs than anywhere in theworld (artesian springs emerge at

the surface under their own pressure).

From the standpoint of fellow horse people, it is this

amazing “karst” topography and limestone whichmakes the

mineral-rich soils produce the grass we have in abundance in

Marion County. Because karst features also support world

famous springs, we in the horse industry need to treasure

both our horses and our water resources. Regardless of

where you are in the state, springs protection is essential, not

only because they are worth protecting, but also because the

springs are merely openings to our aquifers, the water we all

need to drink.

It is common to ignore the riches in our own backyard

in favor of the exotic and interesting elsewhere. How often

do you visit an art museumwhile traveling, but fail to have

time to visit one of your neighborhood museums?Visit any

spring on a cold, November morning and watch the mist

swirl, or take a glass bottom boat ride at Silver Springs to

see the gaping chasm which provides an eerie view down

into the abyss.

Nitrate is naturally very low in spring water, but at

Rainbow Springs alone the present level is now 40 times

what it was 50 years ago.Animals release nitrogen in urine

and manure, which converts to nitrate in the soil. Evidence

shows that increased nitrate is also caused by several other

factors: excessive fertilizer application and malfunctioning

septic tanks. Nitrogen, as nitrate, is a nutrient that is im-

portant in both plants and animals and is an important

component of fertilizers. However, excessive levels can

lead to plant and animal death and make water undrinkable

to all. Nitrate in spring water can cause the uncontrolled

growth of unwanted plants that significantly impacts the

value of people’s experiences and the ability of the spring

to support fish and wildlife.

Each spring has a catchment area or “spring basin,”

which represents the area from where rainwater is captured

and then makes its way to the spring. A drop of rainwater

will percolate through the soil to the limestone aquifer below

and then “flow” underground along a pressure gradient until

it reaches a release point = a spring. Unfortunately, the soil

is often a very thin layer that allows the water to potentially

transport much of what is dissolved in it; this can include

many pollutants such as nitrate. Do you know which spring

receives water from your land?

So, what can the equine community do to help protect

our most important natural resource, our water? Best Man-

agement Practices (BMPs) are science-based, practical, com-

mon sense practices that apply to all horse farms, no matter

their location. These practices help protect all from adding

unneeded elements, like excess nitrogen, to the water. Prac-

tices involving proper manure handling and careful fertil-

ization based on regular soil-testing results. Besides, using

less fertilizer will save youmoney. Just being careful to keep

grass to a minimum of three inches and maintaining at least

80 percent ground coverage in paddocks are steps we can all

practice to eliminate excess nitrogen from seeping into the

aquifer and springs.

Treasure and enjoy all your resources and keep up the

good management practices.�

FARM MANAGEMENT

by Jamie Cohenand PeterColverson

Protecting Florida’s Gems

Springs and Horse Farms

Peter Colverson, CoordinatorRainbow and Silver Springs BasinWorking GroupsPandion Systems102 NE 10th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601(352) 372-4747 ext. 7017 • (352) 359 2769 (cell)www.pandionsystems.com

Jamie A. CohenFarm Outreach CoordinatorUF IFAS/Marion County Extension Service352-671-8792 • [email protected]

Cohen_FarmMngnt.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 3:01 PM Page 1


The following list includes currently active, deceased, and pensioned stallions, with racing resultsupdated through November 17, 2010. Statistics provided by The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc.

Leading Florida Sires

MONTBROOKWILDCAT HEIR GRAEME HALLNA Stk Gr Leading Leading Yrlg Yrlg 2yo 2yo

Name Sire Name Farm Name Earnings Strtrs Wnrs SW's Wins SW's Earnings Earner Earnings Sold Avg Sold Avg

Wildcat Heir Forest Wildcat Journeyman Stud $3,946,698 123 81 7 8 1 $3,949,433 Derwin's Star $357,840 19 $28,200 26 $67,642

Montbrook Buckaroo Ocala Stud $3,737,484 110 53 5 12 3 $3,738,073 Big Drama $1,420,810 5 $13,500 13 $50,462

Graeme Hall Dehere Winding Oaks $3,597,830 141 82 5 8 2 $3,601,183 Duke of Mischief $641,717 8 $27,625

Put It Back Honour and Glory Bridlewood Farm $2,695,343 152 77 6 9 1 $2,914,571 Jessica Is Back $395,380 30 $11,633 11 $23,818

D'wildcat Forest Wildcat Vinery $2,611,757 104 60 4 7 1 $2,830,970 D' Funnybone $380,000 28 $18,954 11 $68,045

Chapel Royal Montbrook Singature Stallions $2,464,291 176 90 2 2 0 $2,738,749 Gold Dust Lady $109,921 37 $5,859 14 $22,500

Full Mandate A.P. Indy Hartley/De Renzo $2,215,251 148 74 2 2 1 $2,217,858 Amazon Holly $97,390 6 $8,550 7 $6,957

Concerto Chief's Crown Ocala Stud $2,070,777 100 58 5 7 1 $2,072,226 Rigoletta $180,820 2 $6,000 9 $20,889

Consolidator Storm Cat Journeyman Stud $1,836,373 116 55 4 5 0 $1,927,437 Bank Merger $231,200 38 $5,932 18 $33,661

Concorde's Tune Concorde Bound Ocala Stud $1,757,165 90 56 2 2 0 $1,771,963 Musical Romance $154,751 3 $9,267 5 $22,600

The following list includes currently active, deceased, and pensioned stallions, with racing resultsupdated through November 17, 2010. Statistics provided by The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc.

Leading Florida Juvenile Sires

NA Stk Gr Leading Leading Yrlg Yrlg 2yo 2yoName Sire Name Farm Name Earnings Strtrs Wnrs SW's Wins SW's Earnings Earner Earnings Sold Avg Sold Avg

Wildcat Heir Forest Wildcat Journeyman Stud $721,930 40 16 3 3 0 $724,665 Breathoffreshheir $95,730 19 $28,200 26 $67,642

Pomeroy Boundary Vinery $528,230 42 20 0 0 0 $536,451 Winking Star $56,626 21 $18,522 36 $24,881

With Distinction Storm Cat Hartley/De Renzo $521,113 45 18 0 0 0 $529,809 Decisive Moment $76,330 47 $17,434 38 $47,874

Chapel Royal Montbrook Signature Stallions $461,767 42 17 1 1 0 $470,193 Avery Rose $44,000 37 $5,859 14 $22,500

West Acre Forty Niner Stonehedge $462,473 13 7 2 3 0 $462,473 Blue Eyed Sweetie $167,753 1 $1,200 4 $24,750

Mass Media Touch Gold Journeyman Stud $460,217 19 10 2 2 0 $460,217 Beso Grande $109,492 6 $16,417 9 $11,644

Gibson County In Excess (IRE) deceased $453,671 27 14 1 1 0 $453,671 Ayoumilove $125,367 1 $1,500 17 $12,676

Concerto Chief's Crown Ocala Stud $431,997 15 9 2 3 1 $431,997 Rigoletta $180,820 2 $6,000 9 $20,889

Halo's Image Halo deceased $374,609 17 7 1 1 0 $374,609 Reprized Halo $254,016 7 $10,900 12 $20,750

Bring the Heat In Excess (IRE) Ward Ranch $346,459 4 2 1 2 1 $346,283 Madman Diaries $307,822

POMEROYWILDCAT HEIR WITH DISTINCTION

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

LeadingSires.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/23/10 11:23 AM Page 1


Adena Springs STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY1563 224 206 199 $4,862,640

Jacks or Better Farm Inc. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY290 40 40 44 $2,764,324

Plumley, Harold J. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY355 69 63 33 $2,664,532

Ocala Stud STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY604 99 101 84 $2,656,088

Campbell, Gilbert G. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY808 132 115 110 $2,517,088

Cloverleaf Farms II, Inc. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY587 104 81 74 $2,364,728

Queen, Harold L. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY177 33 19 25 $2,010,337

Appleton, Arthur I. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY592 74 82 71 $1,912,338

Padua Stables STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY825 97 105 106 $1,866,795

Live Oak Stud STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY390 58 54 58 $1,556,063

Dizney, Donald R. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY289 41 34 35 $1,501,654

Hidden Point Farm Inc. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY407 64 76 63 $1,491,649

Melnyk, Eugene STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY529 92 71 63 $1,372,006

Hobeau Farm Ltd. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY148 27 25 26 $1,339,079

Brylynn Farm, Inc. STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY265 43 40 23 $1,296,756

Farnsworth Farms STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY803 87 96 95 $1,289,887

Generazio, Patricia STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY347 58 37 41 $1,017,381

Sabine Stable STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY63 14 9 2 $1,010,341

J D Farms STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY653 57 70 72 $955,321

E, Paul Robsham Stable LLC STARTS FIRSTS SECONDS THIRDS MONEY50 8 9 3 $786,980

Statistics (through Nov, 16, 2010) provided by The Jockey Club Information Services.

LEADINGFlorida Breeders

LeadingBreeders.qxd:Florida Horse_template 11/22/10 9:47 AM Page 1

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LEGAL SERVICES

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David McKibbinexpands law practice to OcalaFor over 30 years, I have represented well-knownbreeding and stallion farms in Florida and Kentucky,as well as racing stables, trainers and organizations such asThe Breeders’ Cup Ltd and Fasig Tipton, Inc., and I havenow established an Ocala office.

I provide quality legal representation in many areas, includingthe purchase, sale or leasing of horses and farms, stallionsyndications, equine insurance and tax matters, gaming,partnership agreements and title insurance.

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DodieDuysBreaking & Training • $40.00 a day

and Horses for Sale

(352) 547 - 7100

Classifieds_Dec.qxd:Layout 1 11/23/10 12:37 PM Page 1


TheannouncementofZenyatta’s retirement sounded

like a door slammed on a year of racing that held

the unwavering attention of both her fans and de-

tractors from flag-fall to finish. It was a seasonmarked by

great performances on several fronts, punctuated bydisap-

pointment and carried on the shoulders of a truly memo-

rable mare and her unwavering pursuit of perfection.

The year just passed beganwith the Zenyatta-Rachel

Alexandra debate in full throat and the realization that

this pair inspired unprecedented zeal in legions of fans,

emotion seldom seen in the racing faithful. There was

no middle ground and what developed, until her con-

nections elected to retire RachelAlexandra in late sum-

mer, was the most heated if entirely abstract rivalry ever

of horses that never met.

Suddenly, in a space more familiar with an apathetic

murmur and general discontent, there was unmistakable

passion in the racing dialogue and that is a very good if

not always a civil thing.

In the disappointing absence of RachelAlexandra as

a major player in 2010, the successes of Quality Road

and then Blame propelled the debate to the final stride

of the Breeders’ Cup Classic and beyond. Though her

quest for perfection fell inches short of a 20th victory

in the Classic, Zenyatta cemented her position in his-

tory and extended the debate into yet another Horse of

theYear discussion.

By dusk on that Breeders’ Cup day, the focus, from

Louisville to Europe andAsia, was fixed upon the huge,

heroic mare and her unprecedented if ultimately short-

fallen quest. The anticipation that began to build as the

field approached the starting gate was palpable, almost

surreal and the 10 furlongs that followed defied a deep

breath until Blame reached the wire perhaps six inches

in front of Zenyatta and a stunned silence engulfed what

seemed like the entire planet.

If Zenyatta’s pre-Breeders’Cup breakthrough into the

mainstreammedia consciousness was perhaps too late to

sustain meaningful new public interest, her legacy will

endure nevertheless. Whatever the individual view of

her standing among the great names in racing history,

she is the firstThoroughbred in years to command, build

and sustain celebrity over an extended period.

Even before the mid-November announcement that

Zenyatta would be sent to a newKentucky home, Blame,

the only horse to defeat her, andQualityRoad, the distance

challenged second-best older male of 2010, were retired

and it was immediately evident that there is suddenly a

yawning void in the wake of the Breeders’Cup.With the

winners of 11 Grade 1 races during 2010 retired at the

same time, there is a deafening silence as 2011 approaches.

The buzz that spanned last winter in anticipation of

what seemed then to be the inevitable showdown be-

tween the filly and mare that dominated 2009 will not

soon be replaced. The best horses of 2010, never again

to appear under colors, await the next breeding season.

The conversation is suddenlymuted

in the absence of passion that is in-

spired only by a horse.

Zenyatta’s departure from the

competitive arena and public eye is

a reminder of the one thing that can

change the sport’s landscape, cap-

ture the public imagination and

strengthen its foundation. Great

horses and the mystique that accompanies the transcen-

dent animal make the game. The issues that typically

dominate the conversation – regulation, medication, lack

of effective national leadership, taxation – are of little

interest to those whose interest is casual until it becomes

fixed upon a horse capable of capturing first the atten-

tion, then the affection.

In this regard, Zenyatta has done more for the sport

than any horse in recent decades. She was, even in de-

feat, unbent. It is unlikely that we will see a mare of this

class and longevity any time soon if ever. She will un-

doubtedly be missed.

The lingering question:What now?

PLAYER’S PAGE

by Paul Moran

Now What?

The buzz that spanned last winter in anticipation of what

seemed then to be the inevitable showdown between the

filly and mare that dominated 2009 will

not soon be replaced. The best horses of

2010, never again to appear under colors,

await the next breeding season. The con-

versation is suddenly muted in the absence

of passion that is inspired only by a horse. BENO

IT&A

SSOC

IATES

PHOT

O

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December 2010 Florida Horse

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Transcript of December 2010 Florida Horse