#Soundbites

By Bill Heller

How does the trainer responsibility rule affect you delegating authority to an assistant, exercise rider and/or groom?

Linda Rice

You do your best to control as many variables as possible, but, of course, with the trainer responsibility rules and HISA rules, and considering the environment that we are training under at different racetracks and training centers, there are a lot of moving parts. It definitely gives you cause for pause and reasons to worry, but these are the rules that we’ve lived under for a long time, and we do our best and hope everything goes the right way for us.

Jeremiah Englehart

Ultimately, it’s my responsibility. It’s under my name, I’m responsible whether I’m there or not. Communication is always very important in making sure that the people that work on your team understand exactly what you’re saying and what needs to be done and how to do it the right way. Follow the rules. Make sure we’re conforming to the rules that are up there for us. It’s my name on it, but you can’t do everything in the barn. So you have to delegate.

Michael Matz

You just have to be responsible for people’s mistakes when they do make a mistake. That sometimes can be a very difficult situation. Accidents do happen. Sometimes it gets lost in the translation when you’re telling them to do one thing and it just doesn’t get done the way you ask them to do it, whether it’s feeding the horse, whether it’s taking the horse to the races, whether it’s jogging the horse for the veterinarian. This is the hard part. You cannot be lax. You have to make sure that you get it done right. It makes it more difficult, that’s for sure.

Leonard Powell

At the end of the day, the responsibility is one hundred percent ours. You can delegate some, but you can’t delegate 100 percent. So It’s something that we are always aware of. You have to be extremely diligent with the people you’re working with. You have to be on top of it.

Peter Miller

Let me think about it. It depends on the size of your barn. If it’s a small barn, you can do everything yourself, but when you’re running a bigger barn, it’s impossible. So you have to delegate and trust, but at the same time, that can put you at risk. I understand the reasoning for the trainer insurer rule, but it’s unfair in so many instances.

Kelly Breen

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of the same help and they know what the trainer responsibility rule is. In this modern world, you never know what your help is doing. Some of the contamination is eye-opening as to what could be happening to some trainers out there.

Allen Milligan

It just puts me at complete weakness. I try to tell everybody who works for me the same thing: concentrate on what’s going on and make sure something doesn’t happen. But mistakes happen. I’ll never forget at Churchill Downs on Derby Day about 15 years ago, one of the people walking down the backside decided to use one of my stalls for a bathroom. It was a lady in a dress. I caught her coming out of the stall and I said, “There’s a restroom right down there ma’am.” I’ve seen it all.

#Soundbites - What do you look for when you evaluate a yearling at sales, and are there sire lines that influence your opinions?

Linda Rice

Linda Rice

I look for a good shoulder, and usually that will transcend into a great walk, an athletic walk. I do that for the length of stride. I like to buy young mares. Of course I have preference for some stallions I have had success with like City Zip. And then stallions everybody likes: sons of Into Mischief, sons of Curlin, sons of McLain’s Music. I’ve done well with them. If they have a great shoulder and a great walk, I’ll take a shot on an unproven stallion.

Brad Cox

The first thing, from a physical standpoint, is you have to consider his size. Is he too big or too small? As far as sire lines, you’re looking for signs. You totally have to have an idea what the yearling will look like. Will he look like his sire? You pay attention.

Graham Motion

Graham Motion

I think many of us get influenced by stallions’ progeny that we have trained before. There are other ones that we avoid if we haven’t done well with a sire’s prodigy. I think the one thing I look for is athleticism in general. I’m not overly critical of conformation.

John Sadler

John Sadler

We’re looking primarily for dirt pedigrees for California. I have a good idea what works here, what doesn’t  work  here. Obviously, I’m partial to some of the sires I trained, Twirling Candy, Accelerate, and Catalina Cruiser who’s off to a very fast start. On the conformation side, I look for a well-conformed horse that looks like an athlete. As an experienced trainer, you look for any little things. You learn what you can live with or without. Then, obviously, I’m looking for Flightlines in a couple of years!

Simon Callaghan

Simon Callaghan

Generally, I’m looking for an athlete first and foremost. Conformation and temperament are two major factors. Yes, there are sire lines I like—not one specific one. Certainly it’s a relatively small group.

Tom Albertrani

Tom Albertrani

I’m not a big sales guy, but when I do go, I like to look at the pedigree first. Then I look for the same things as everyone else. Balance is important. I like to see a horse that’s well-balanced, and I like nicely muscle-toned hindquarters.

Michael Matz

One of the things, first of all, is I look at the overall picture and balance. We always pick apart their faults, then what things that are good for them. You look for the balance, then if they’re a young yearling or an older yearling. Those are some of the things I look at. If you like one, you go ahead. There are certain sires if you have had luck with them before. It all depends on what the yearling looks like. I would say the biggest things I look at are their balance and their attitude. When you see them come out and walk, sometimes I like to touch them around the ear to see how they react to that. That shows if they’re an accepting animal.

#Soundbites - How are you complying with HISA regulations, and what additional steps are you taking to be compliant?

Words - Bill Heller

Michael Matz

I don’t think we have any choice. It is what it is, and you have to do it. It’s extra work, but it makes a fair playing field. This is what we have to do. I’m sure there are a lot of glitches that will have to be worked out. We just have to comply. I hope it makes a big difference. With the bunch of people caught (cheating), it should have been done a long time ago. 

Richard Mandela

I’m lucky I’ve got my son helping. He showed me yesterday what we will be doing: a lot of recording information—we’re already doing at Santa Anita, ever since a couple years ago when we had problems with horses breaking down. It’s a great improvement, but it involves a lot of recording, inspections, checking, double checking, triple checking. It’s a pain in the neck, but it’s working.

Dale Romans

I’m going to hire a person to do all the HISA stuff. I’m going to put him on staff. I can’t do it myself. I’m going to have an open mind about HISA, but I think there’s going to be some unnecessary repetitive work. They’ll have to figure that out. 

Bruce Levine

Bruce Levine

I haven’t registered yet (as of June 9). I’m going to look at it next week. My wife will do that for me. I’m all for uniform rules, but some of the smaller tracks may have a problem. It’d be nice to have uniform rules. I just don’t know how much horse knowledge they have. They should have had people on the backstretch asking questions. 

Joe Sharp

Basically, it’s been a learning process for everybody. We’re trying to follow the guidelines that they’re giving us. It seems all the kinks haven’t been worked out yet. We’re waiting for changes in a couple of things. We’re registered and trying to sort through what they’re asking. There’s a little lack of clarity in some areas. I think we’re all trying to do the right thing.

Mike Stidham

First of all, I’m complying by just filling out the forms for myself and my horses. It’s quite a bit of data and a lot of paperwork. Everything they’re asking trainers to do has to be documented—what we did, what the vets did. I think there’s a redundancy. Whether or not this is the answer to solve many of the problems of the industry remains to be seen. We’re all going to find out after a period of time. 

Wayne Catalano

I don’t know what to think, to tell you the truth. We’ll do whatever we have to do. I don’t know what difference it’s going to make. People can get around a lot of things.

Pat Kelly

I don’t think we need it. The little guys don’t need it. I only have two horses.  We’ve already done a lot of this with the National THA (National Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association). They want people to do all this, but there’s no funding for it. It’s another layer of government bureaucracy we don’t need. I just don’t see everyone doing this by July 1.  They may have to push the date back. I’ll sign up if I have to.   

Ron Ellis

It’s not a great thing when government gets involved. It seems like a lot of unnecessary red tape. My owners are grumbling. They all have to do paperwork. We’ll see how it works out.

#Soundbites - If you could add one Breeders’ Cup race, what would it be? Or are there enough Breeders’ Cup races already?

By Bill Heller

If you could add one Breeders’ Cup race, what would it be? Or are there enough Breeders’ Cup races already?

Dale Romans

It’s a good question. Let me think for a minute. A filly and mare turf mile. I just think it would be a good race.

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Al Stall

I’ve never thought about that. I’m not sure. It seems like they have it covered. I think it’s fine as is.

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Craig Dollase

Craig Dollase

A straight three-year-old dirt race for fillies and one for the boys. That might be something. They don’t have that. With the situation right now, all the three-year-olds are backed up because of the virus and are racing in the fall. See if that sparks some interest moving forward. It would produce big fields.

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Richard Mandella

Richard Mandella

I remember the first one in one day. It seemed more important with one day. But racing needs desperately to get people involved in it and interested in it. If they want to add another race, have one and then have an auction afterwards. You put up a good purse of $300,000, $400,000 or $500,000. And then anyone can bid on the winner. You would have to have the money in an account and a rule so that the current owner couldn’t bid and keep his horse. You make it the last race of the day. Get the winner, get the bids, and anyone could get the horse. If you did it once, it might start a following. It might get the public involved.

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David Donk

I think they pretty much cover all the divisions. I think it would dilute the quality. I think what they have is sufficient because of the horse population in the country. It’s an owner issue, not a trainer issue. At the end of the day, the buck stops there.

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D. Wayne Lukas

David Donk

I think I’d leave it alone. I don‘t think there’s any other race that would have much significance. I might change the format on Friday and Saturday. I think they definitely need to beef up the Friday card.

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Michael Matz

Michael Matz

Are there any divisions left? I think it’s enough the way it is. You don’t want to water it down anymore than it already is.

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Mark Hennig

They keep changing it so often. They’ve got 14 now. Allowing races strictly for three-year-olds would make the Classic a disaster. Most years, the older horses have been depleted, and the three-year-olds have done well. To me, do a turf mile for fillies and mares just like the boys. …

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