Richard Mandella on the basics that make racing work

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Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella is not in his tack room office between sets at Del Mar this morning. Instead, the son of a blacksmith is at the end of the long indoor barn, artfully sweeping a rasp across a back hoof of a two-year-old Storm Cat filly. When prompted, he says, simply, “The basics are what make this game work. Believe me, basic horsemanship will hold you in good stead. It's the most important thing. Knowing that a horse is shod as correct as he can be, that the blacksmith's doing a good job You? Embarrassed, he downplays his handiwork. No, I tinker around, that's all. I don't do it every day. And it doesn't make me any better than anybody else.

Frances J Karon
 (14 October 2008 - Issue Number: 10)

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The Gate Crew - behind-the-scenes but in full view

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On Blue Grass Day in 2008, roughly 26,000 people in the stands went crazy as Visionaire, the last to load into the starting gate, took his place in the lineup. When the doors shut behind him, it was the signal that the feature race of Keeneland’s spring meet was only seconds away, and the crowd cheered, wild with anticipation. Everything fell perfectly into place, and head starter Robert “Spec” Alexander released the field: the shrill clang and sharp burst of the metal gate springing open gets the blood flowing like no other thrill associated with horseracing.

Frances J Karon
 (14 October 2008 - Issue Number 10)

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Michael Dickinson - "The Mad Genius"

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Michael Dickinson is welcoming and instantly likeable, suffused with energy as he bounces around Tapeta Farm on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. “I don't say I'm good or great but I'm not boring, he promises. Along that vein, the burning question is, why do people call him ''The Mad Genius' as coined by an American turf writer? Dickinson’s standard reply is that the nickname is "only half right" without declaring which half. No relentless line of questioning will drag it out of him. "Who do you think you are, Barbara Walters?" he deadpans. "Or the guy with on CNN with the braces [suspenders]. Larry King." What does his wife, Joan Wakefield, think? ";Don't answer that. Keep quiet! Could be divorce proceedings here!" teases her husband. She says only, "I know which half is right!" & Draw your own conclusion. If he’s mad, or if he's a genius, or if he's both - he embraces it.
Frances J. Karon (10 July 2008 - Issue Number: 9)

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The ‘Chief' Allen Jerkens

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Ask anyone in Thoroughbred racing to name the savviest trainers in the history of the sport, and you may hear: Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, Woody Stephens, Charlie Whittingham, Laz Barrera,D. Wayne Lukas, John Nerud and, certainly, Allen Jerkens.Jerkens has never saddled the winner of a Triple Crown or Breeders' Cup race, yet he's still training winners and winning stakes at the age of 79, 34 years after his induction into the Hall of Fame. At the time, he was the youngest trainer ever enshrined.Known as the 'Giant Killer' for his historic upsets of Buckpasser, Kelso and Secretariat, and as the "Chief" for his incredible horse knowledge, Jerkens was honored by the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST) with a Lifetime Outstanding Trainer award at a benefit dinner in Sands Point, Long Island on May 28th this year.Rather than being passed by time, he has adapted. Though he doesn't own a computer, he has a cell phone and a website, www.AllenJerkens.com.

Bill Heller (10 July 2008 - Issue Number: 9)

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Andrew Lakeman - life after being paralyzed

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Andrew Lakeman was paralyzed from the waist down in a racing accident at Belmont Park. Originally from England, Lakeman came to the United States in the mid-1990s and worked for Michael Dickinson, Hall of Famers Nick Zito and D. Wayne Lukas, Barclay Tagg and Tom Skiffington before finding a home with Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens. Jerkens, who used Lakeman extensively in the mornings and afternoons, said, "Naturally, it's tough. He has better days than others. It's got to be an awful thing to get used to." It is."In the beginning, sometimes I thought, 'Why me?'," said the 33-year-old Lakeman. "Now I'm handling it better."
Bill Heller (10 July 2008 - Issue Number: 9)

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A day in the life of Todd Pletcher

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THIS IS A SCANNED IN ARTICLE - FROM OUR PRE DIGITAL DAYS!

In utter darkness on a Thursday morning in early February, Todd Pletcher rolls down the window of his car and punches in an access code that raises the gate at Palm Beach Downs, the private South Florida training center housing 102 of his Thoroughbr…

This article first appeared in North American Trainer - May 2008 - issue 8

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Ed Halpern's observations on being a horse trainer

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Training thoroughbred horses is a wonderful occupation. Many who quit training miss it for the remainder of their life. Why then is it that the community of thoroughbred horse trainers seems so unhappy? Even the most successful of trainers walks around in the morning head down. During training hours, if you engage in conversation with a trainer, it will most likely be a serious conversation. In trackside conversations, trainers can be smiling and engaging, but there is usually a sense that their minds are on other things. I also observe in many an anger that lies just below the surface waiting to reveal itself at the slightest provocation. Sure there is humorous repartee, but it is covered by the shadow of failure. This is a subject I have wanted to look at for a long time, but I have hesitated because it always sounds like whining.
Ed Halpern (26 June 2008 - Issue Number: 6)

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Tom Amoss - the secret behind his amazing success rate

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THIS IS A SCANNED IN ARTICLE - FROM OUR PRE DIGITAL DAYS!

Thoroughbred trainers rarely win races at a 20 percent clip for an entire year. Tom Amoss does so religiously. His 26.4 percent success rate in 2007 marked his 15th consecutive year over 20 percent and his eighth straight over 24.0, upping his …

This article first appeared in North American Trainer - Spring 2008 - issue 7

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Dale Romans - his career and his views on welfare issues

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THIS IS A SCANNED IN ARTICLE - FROM OUR PRE DIGITAL DAYS!

This article first appeared in North American Trainer - Winter 2007 - issue 6

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​ Spooky Mulder - winning the hard way

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The Daily Racing Form’s comments following Spooky Mulder’s 78 past performance lines tell you all you need to know about the nine-year-old gelding named after David Duchovny's quirky FBI TV character on The X-Files.

Bill Heller (01 December 2007 - Issue Number: 6)

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Jerry Hollendorfer - interview with a racing legend

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Jerry Hollendorfer is the classic case of the big fish in the small pond. Small in stature but giant in achievements, ";The Dorf" has become a training legend in Northern California. During the past 21 years, Hollendorfer has led every meet at Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields. That staggering total reached 61 this year following his 33rd straight Bay Meadows title and 28th consecutive Golden Gate crown.
Steve Schuelein (01 October 2007 - Issue Number: 5)

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In at the deep end - Mike Back, the trainer and mechanic

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Fair Meadows racetrack in Tulsa, Oklahoma is sheltered under the shade of the city’s imposing skyscrapers, yet once there the eye is riveted by the busy jumble of pick-up trucks and horse trailers, cowboy hats and shiny belt buckles. The stabling area is well stocked for the mixed racing meet. Walk down the barn and pick a nose to scratch from among the heads stretched over the doors of their cedar chip-bedded stalls: Quarter Horse, Paint, Appaloosa or Thoroughbred.
Frances J Karon (01 October 2007 - Issue Number: 5)

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Meet the Cauthens - a horseracing dynasty

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Meet the Cauthens - a horseracing dynasty

At the end of a shady road in Walton, Kentucky, in the land that time is just beginning to remember, sits the farmhouse that saw the scraped knees of Tex and Myra Cauthen's three children: Steve, Doug and Kerry. As his nickname suggests, Tex is a transplant from Texas, while Myra was raised on a horse farm in Kentucky.

Frances J Karon (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)

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Neil Drysdale - Hall of Fame racehorse trainer

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He's seen the sport of Thoroughbred racing change drastically in the past few decades. Here, he discusses some of the important issues facing his fellow trainers both in his home state and across the country.

Margaret Ransom (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)

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Frank Stronach and his growing global Magna empire

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WHEN Frank Stronach says he is optimistic that "down the line" his company can control "ten per cent of all the gambling in the world" the queue of punters wanting to bet against him may be very short. He has a record of reaching his targets, and if he ruffles a few feathers along the way, so what.
Howard WrightFirst Published: (19 September 2006 - Issue Number: 1)

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Frank Stronach and his growing global Magna empire

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When Frank Stronach says he is optimistic that “down the line” his company can control “ten per cent of all the gambling in the world”, the queue of punters wanting to bet against him may be very short. He has a record of reaching his targets, and if he ruffles a few feathers along the way, so what.

Howard Wright (European Trainer - issue 15 - Autumn 2006)

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Warren Stute - a look back at a lifetime of uncompromising standards

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Shortly after his 80th birthday a few years ago, trainer Warren Stute agreed to stop galloping his horses. "I could still do it, but I promised my family so they would stop worrying," the wiry old-timer confided begrudgingly to a Hollywood Park publicist in his gruff voice after being slowed by a minor stroke.
Steve Schuelein(01 October 2007 - Issue Number: 5)

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Kiaran McLaughlin - a veteran who has enjoyed international success

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By participating in the last two runnings of the Kentucky Derby, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin has raised his profile among casual observers of the North American racing scene. But for those who follow the sport regularly, McLaughlin is known as a veteran horseman who has enjoyed international success.

David Grening (European Trainer - issue 14 - Summer 2008)

 

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