Author: Tony Podlaski

After 20 years of starting as a volunteer for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Pat Campagna retires as Chief Financial Officer in August

What began as a desire to give back to retired Thoroughbreds evolved into a two-decade career in helping the oldest and largest aftercare organization in the United States.

Now, Pat Campagna is preparing to close that chapter.

Campagna is retiring from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation after serving as a volunteer, executive director and chief financial officer, helping guide the organization through a period of financial growth, a strengthened Board of Directors and expanded oversight of retired racehorses at several farms, including Wallkill Correctional Facility as part of the Second Chances program and sanctuary farms such as 18 Karat Farm in Schuylerville.

“I will definitely leave with mixed emotions,” she said. “I’m obviously passionate about the mission. I’ve always liked what I’ve done. At some point, I have to retire. The TRF is in a good place. They have a really strong [Board of Directors]. I think the herd is in great shape. Our Second Chances program is strong.”

Many people involved in Thoroughbred racing and aftercare typically started when they were as young as a child. However, Campagna’s career path has been different.

Before entering the horse racing industry, Campagna built a career in the nonprofit and publishing sectors. After the Saco, Maine native earned a master’s degree in nonprofit accounting from the University at Denver, she worked in mental health administration, then became an independent contractor for smaller business mergers and acquisitions in Massachusetts, as well as an interim CFO for Globe Pequot Press.

After moving to the Saratoga Springs area for personal reasons, Campagna became involved in racing partnerships that included West Point Thoroughbreds and Parting Glass Racing.

Among the horses that she co-owned were two-time Saratoga Race Course winner and stakes runner Yolanda B. Too and Fortunate Storm, who won three races for West Point Thoroughbreds before being claimed.

“When one of them won, it was just one of the most exciting things I had done in my life. It was just such a great experience,” she said.

Although she enjoyed the racing partnerships, Campagna wanted to give back to the horses once their careers were over. Her search for aftercare organizations led her to the TRF.

“I kept thinking that I have to figure out a way to give back to the horses,” she said. “I came upon the TRF because it was, at that time, one of the very few organizations that helped Thoroughbreds when their racing days were over. I was committed to doing a donation anytime one of my horses won.”

Within months of attending an adoption clinic, Campagna began volunteering for the TRF for about a day each week. That led to a part-time accounting role, then a full-time CFO position until 2019 when she added the executive director title.

During her tenure, especially over the last two years, Campagna helped strengthen the organization’s finances and led the strategic plan process built around “greatness.”

“Everybody had a different opinion about what that was,” Campagna said. “I think that’s our mantra: What does great look like? As long as we keep working toward that goal, I think the TRF will continue to improve. I think the financial stability is huge. Everything the TRF accomplished, we’ve done as a team.”

The TRF’s annual events around the Saratoga racing season have become an important source of support for the aftercare program that includes the Second Chances program and sanctuary farms. That commitment has helped the organization earn accreditation from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. This year’s events include:

Gumbo with Kendrick Carmouche: While advanced tickets for this event on July 27 from 5-10 p.m. at the Principessa Elena Society on 13 Oak Street in Saratoga Springs have been sold out, there will be a limited number of tickets available at the door.

Cocktails For Aftercare: The Adelphi Hotel on 365 Broadway in Saratoga Springs is hosting this TRF fundraising event on Aug. 5 from 6-8 p.m.

TRF Polo Classic: The TRF has reimagined its annual summer fundraiser with this inaugural event on Aug. 25 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Bloomfield Farm on 18 Bloomfield Rd. in Saratoga Springs.

More details on these events, as well as other TRF information, are available at trfinc.org.

While there are many retired Thoroughbreds that have played an integral part in the Second Chances program, one of them is still recognized today: Quick Call. A winner of 16-of-86 races that included the 1988 and 1989 Forego Stakes, he was one of the eldest herds until his passing in 2019 at the extraordinary age of 35.

His remains rest at Clare Court on the Saratoga Race Course backstretch. Presented by the TRF, a stakes race is also named in his honor for his career as an aftercare ambassador.

“I made a lot of visits to Wallkill during the years when Quick Call was there,” she said. “I certainly knew the horse and I could see the impact that horse, along with many others at Wallkill, had on the incarcerated individuals there.”

Even one of Campagna’s owned horses became part of the Second Chances program. After winning his final race in a $4,500 claiming event at Charles Town in West Virginia, Fortunate Storm found himself in a “bad situation.”

Campagna helped rescue him and brought him to Wallkill. Now, he is at the Saratoga Springs sanctuary farm, while her other co-owned horse Yoland B. Too, resides at a California farm.

“I think the Second Chance program is something I’ve always felt really proud to be a part of,” she said. “Rescuing horses or taking horses that are being responsibly retired is great. That’s the mission that I signed up for.”

Even though she is retiring from her career at the TRF, she plans to continue supporting the organization.

“I’ll probably remain involved in some capacity as a volunteer,” she said. “I feel like I just need some downtime, then rethink what I want to do and how much I want to stay involved in industry and in aftercare. I’ll always be involved at some level.”

As she prepares for retirement, Campagna hopes she has left a legacy at the TRF.

“I hoped that I’ve inspired other people to get involved,” she said. “I hope that I am leaving the organization in as good or better shape than it was in when I got there.”

Saratoga Spring native Jennifer Paragallo wins her first race at Saratoga Race Course as trainer following a horse racing path that started with selling the Daily Racing Form and newspapers.

Jennifer Paragallo’s career path in horse racing may be an atypical one, but the path has recently become a winning one.

Paragallo won her first race as a trainer at Saratoga Race Course on Friday when Dunedin Causeway took the lead inside the sixteenth pole before inching away to a three-quarter length margin in the maiden claiming race.

“A win anywhere, regardless of the track, is special,” she said with a hoarse and raspy voice from shouting with excitement. “Though, a win at Saratoga is special. This one is my biggest deal because it’s home. Being from Saratoga and growing up here, this means the world to me.”

Paragallo’s world in horse racing started as a child when she was selling the Daily Racing Form and other newspapers with her mother outside the track. During that time, she became familiar with jockeys and their agents, as well as trainers and other horsemen.

Entering her teenage years, Paragallo evolved into a dedicated fan of the sport, which part of it was reflected constantly watching the first Breeders’ Cup on her recorded VHS tape before it broke from overuse.

By the time Paragallo entered Saratoga Springs High School in the late 1980s, she had aspirations of going to the “big leagues” at Belmont Park and Aqueduct where she could gallop horses. However, she never realized that Saratoga was always the place to be.

“When I was a kid, I knew that Saratoga was big, but I couldn’t wait to leave,” she said. “I never knew this was the big leagues, and I’ve been to a lot of tracks all over the country –California, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Indiana, New Jersey and Delaware. There is no place like Saratoga.”

Once Paragallo left Saratoga Springs in 1991, she started galloping horses for trainers that included Mike Daggett, Mike Sedlacek, and Terri Pompey. After galloping horses for a few years, Paragallo wanted to follow her dream of becoming a jockey.

During the Oaklawn Park meet in 1994 while riding under her maiden name Jennifer Robinson, Paragallo had just five mounts during that meet with none of them finishing in the money.

Once the Oaklawn Park meet ended, Paragrallo migrated to Finger Lakes where she was getting closer to her first victory with three second-place finishes. With no Winner Circle appearance, she ended that year with a second-place and third-place finish at Aqueduct.

With more riding opportunities in 1995 at Atlantic City, Paragallo finally won her first race aboard Prize Writer in a claiming race. Just over a week later, she guided Delightful Marine to his first victory after 41 attempts as a maiden.

That was the last winner for Paragallo as she finished her jockey career at Hoosier Park on Oct. 15, 1995 due to limited opportunities and other challenges.

“I was bound and determined to be some great jockey,” she said. “I didn’t plan to quit. I was making a decent living, but I was fighting my weight. It was probably not in my cards to be a jockey because I wasn’t naturally light.”

Paragallo came back to New York as an exercise rider for a plethora of trainers that include Hall of Famers Bill Mott and Nick Zito for the next two decades. 

Paragallo eventually transitioned into an assistant trainer with her early opportunity coming from Bruce Brown in 2009. During her 4½ years with Brown, she took care of the 30 horses that he stabled at Saratoga once the Oklahoma Training Track opened in the spring.

During her time with Brown, Paragallo traveled to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Spring with Spring to the Sky and Churchill Downs for Breeders’ Cup Mile with Compliance Officer. She also went to Woodbine for the graded stakes races with New York-bred Strong Impact and Night Officer.

“This was an important part of me,” Paragallo said. “Bruce is the easiest-going and simple kind of guy. He was one of the best bosses that I had. There is so much [public relations] at Saratoga. He liked how I handled that.”

Paragallo made the decision to become a trainer in late 2022. About three months since her first starter at Tampa Bay Downs, she won her first race with Redzilla on Mar. 4, and that followed with a victory from Mylastredcent and another win from Redzilla.

Now, she has just five horses at Barn 42 at Saratoga. Four of those horses are still looking for their first wins: Althena, Devil of Ramadi, Fire Baron, and Theregoesmymiracle.

Though, Paragallo wasn’t the only trainer who earned her first Saratoga win based at Barn 42. In fact, she gave up one of her stalls for Kathleen O’Connell, who also picked up her first Saratoga victory – and her 2,500th career win – with Thirty Thou Kelvin in Wednesday’s allowance race.

Paragallo likes the manageable stable size that is supported by just her exercise rider and roommate Makaia Carpenter, as well as and her assistant and groom Richie Suttle, who once had his lone stakes win with Dontletthebigonego in the Grade 3 Lafayette Stakes and his only Saratoga victory with Momsmercedes in a maiden race – both in 1998.

“We have a small team. We’re best friends,” Paragallo said. “My friends are my team. We’re working with horses every day – inside and out. We get up 4:30 in the morning and stay until noon. It doesn’t matter if it is hot out, cold out, or raining. We enjoy this small stable.”

 Even with the support of her team, Paragallo knows that being a trainer is still a lifelong learning experience, especially since that has been reinforced by the late Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens and his former assistant Chuck Simon, also a Saratoga Springs native.

“I’m still on a learning curve,” Paragallo said. “Jerkens trained horses for more than 50 years. He said you never stop learning. Even Chuck said that you never stop learning.”

“I am a little thick-headed,” she added. “Sometimes, you don’t always see stuff when you are in the moment,” she added. “I might be overtraining. I might be overreading. I might be trying too hard sometimes. When you are trying to force something, you cannot make it happen. I understanding these things. No one teaches you these things.”

While Paragallo never had intention of training horses, she has embraced this part of her career path, but she had never forgotten about being a fan of horse racing, especially at Saratoga.

“They say, ‘Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.’ I’m living my dream. I don’t want to miss a moment with my horses. Coming to Saratoga, I am still a fan. This is where I fell in love with the sport.”

For more than a decade, attorneys Wesley Lawrence and Elizabeth Kruska have entertained horse racing fans and others in the industry with a parody Twitter account based on the late Saratoga infield goose, which has also gotten them involved as owners and aftercare.

There are many social media parody accounts that personalize dogs, cats, and even horses.

However, there is one Twitter account that has been migrating around the horse racing community for more than a decade: the Spa Infield Goose.

The parody account, which now has over 7,000 followers, was created by Vermont attorneys Wesley Lawrence and Elizabeth Kruska 12 years ago when they were at Saratoga Race Course.

While watching the Olympics in between races from their clubhouse seats, both of them were captivated by an unusual goose, named “Lippy” for having part of a missing beak, meandering around the infield and the pond that is the host for the Travers canoe.

That’s when they had some ideas flying through their mind.

“We thought this goose has seen a lot of things,” Lawrence said. “It would be funny if [we had something] from the perspective of the goose with the ongoings of the track.”

It was an opportunity since also animal-related accounts emerged during that time: The Bronx Zoo Cobra, Rafalca Romney (the dressage horse for U.S. Senator Mitt Romney), Gator Kitten, and Juba (the Gray) who raced at Saratoga.

“It was the peak of animal parody accounts at the time,” Kruska said. “At first, we didn’t know what to expect. We sometimes do joke that many people talk to a goose. At the same time, we work at it. It’s fun, and it’s a lot of observational stuff. You have to keep it up.”

Not only does the Spa Infield Goose account continue to attract followers, it has also brought Lawrence and Kruska further into the sport as fans, owners, and even aftercare.

“It is surprising on the connections that we have made and people who we have met by virtue of it,” Lawrence said. “It has helped us professionally and being observant and analytical to the details by walking around here.”

Prior to handling the parody Twitter account, Lawrence and Kruska had some interest and background as horse racing fans.

Growing up in New Jersey and central Long Island, Lawrence came from a family who enjoyed horse racing that included his father, who often attended the Kentucky Derby while attending the University of Louisville, as well as his grandparents who started bringing Lawrence to Monmouth Park when he was seven years old.

By 18, Lawrence occasionally went to the Meadowlands while attending the University of Delaware before going to Vermont Law School where he later met Kruska.

Both of them started going to the racetrack together in 2008 for races that included Big Brown’s Triple Crown campaign, then that followed with Rachel Alexandra’s 3-year-old season with the Preakness and Woodward Stakes.

During the first couple of years as the Spa Infield Goose on Twitter, Lawrence and Kruska interacted with many horse racing fans, as well as those in the industry. By 2015, that interaction guided them into becoming an owner of the Thoroughbred horses through Zilla Racing Stables based in Guilderland.

Their first horse, Benevolence, graduated from the maiden ranks at Saratoga in July 2016, then the New York-bred gelding was claimed nearly two years later. From there, Lawrence and Kruska bought into more horses that included their favorite horse English Soul.

Starting her career with a second-place finish at Saratoga near the end of August 2017, then following that a victory in the East View Stakes, English Soul came back to Saratoga a year later to beat Take Charge Aubrey by a nose in the Fleet Indian Stakes.

At the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sales in November 2019, Calumet Farm bought English Soul for $170,000 and raced just four more times before starting a career as a broodmare.

However, after unsuccessful attempts at breeding and little interest in racing, English Soul’s future was a little uncertain. That was until Lawrence and Kruska visited Calumet Farm during the Kentucky Derby weekend in 2021.

“They raced her and they were going to breed her,” Lawrence said. “She couldn’t be bred and didn’t want to race anymore. When we visited her, they knew the connection and asked if we wanted her. So, then decided to take back the mare.”

The thought of Thoroughbred aftercare was not a new concept for both Lawrence and Kruska. Along with their interactions through Twitter, they became familiar in aftercare after visiting an information table while attending the Mass Cap at Suffolk Downs in 2008 – the last edition of the race which was won by Commentator, who has been long retired at Old Friends at Cabin Creek in Greenfield Center.

Lawrence and Kruska still had a challenge: finding a home where English Soul could have a new life as a possible riding horse. Though, they learned the New York-bred mare had physical limitations after her examination at Tufts University.

“It became apparent that there was something physically wrong with her,” Kruska said. “It was pretty clear that it wasn’t going to work in retraining her. So, we moved her to another farm.”

Today, English Soul is living on a family farm in Hartford, Vt. with another retired Thoroughbred: At the Bell, who once raced against Funny Cide as a two-year-old maiden. Kruska said both horses have the life as “beautiful lawnmowers.”

However, English Soul is not the only horse who they have admired. Out of Trouble, one of the early daughters of Into Mischief, was also part of their partnership with Zilla Racing.

After winning six races, including two here at Saratoga, the mare was retired and sent to Wynnstay Farm in Winchester, Ky. where she was bred to Volatile, winner of the 2020 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap. That combination produced Haleakala, who finished third in her debut at Ellis Park on Saturday.

While those horses continue to have a post-racing life, Lawrence and Kruska continue to be part of the Zilla Racing partnership with their recent winner at Saratoga: Tongue Twister.

Unlike many geese who will start migrating to the south after the Saratoga meet comes to an end, Lawrence and Kruska plan to stay in the region with their primary home in Woodstock, Vt.

However, after purchasing a Saratoga Springs “nest” in earlier this year, they plan to make a longer stay in the area, especially on the weekends.

“This is a very nice town,” Kruska said. “Obviously, we are here for the racing. However, I expect to be here quite a lot over the rest of the year. There is a lot going around here.”

With the support of trainers and his father, Saratoga Springs native Dylan Davis looks to exceed his personal best at Saratoga Race Course this year.

Like most jockeys, Dylan Davis has to work hard, get the right support to be competitive, and remain confident in his riding, especially at Saratoga Race Course.

Right now, that seems to be working for him.

Within the first 14 days of the Saratoga Race Course meet, Davis has a good start as a sixth-leading jockey with 11 winners and 13 others finishing either second or third.

That’s a sharp contrast to when Davis had just two winners in 2020 within that same time fame. However, those numbers improved with five wins in 2021, six wins in 2022, and nine winners last year – all within the same time span.

“It has been great,” Davis said. “I try to go in with a lot of confidence. The outcome, getting the winners early, has exceeded my expectations.”

Davis is also close to exceeding his expectations of total winners for the Saratoga meet after finishing with 17 in 2002, 18 in 2021, 15 in 2023, and 19 last year, which has been his personal best.

“I set a personal goal. I was trying to get to 19 [winners],” the 2011 Saratoga Springs High School graduate said. “I try to beat my personal best. I haven’t been focusing on what the other riders are doing. I am focusing on me. We aren’t halfway through the meet. Everything is going well. I’ve got guys behind me and support me.”

It didn’t take Davis that long to get his first winner of the meet. For his second mount on Opening Day, he guided first-time starter Punch the Clock to a front-running victory for trainer Raymond Handal. That followed with riding longshot The Queens M G to victory in the Schuylerville Stakes.

“It is incredible,” he said. “Saratoga-native and any win is special here, but to win the feature of the day is great.”

Just over a week later, Davis had a four-win day that included another Handal-trainee Union Dolly and two for trainer Mark Casse with Full Screen in an allowance and Pounce in the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes.

Even during the dark days of the Saratoga’s first week, Davis picked up another win by going to Finger Lakes where he helped Pandagate, trained by Clement, outfinish Doc Sullivan in the New York Derby.

“I try to stay available,” Davis said. “Going to Finger Lakes for guys who are [trying to get] a good shot are the guys who ride me since I am based in New York. They give me opportunities.”

Over his 13-year career, which included his first winner at Suffolk Downs in September 2012, Davis has slowly moved up the standings as one of the top 10 jockeys on the New York circuit while riding his fair share of stakes winners. He eventually took the New York riding title in 2022 with 186 winners.

Though, a lot of that success could not happen without support of numerous trainers, which includes Clement.

In Fall 2020, Clement had Davis ride Mutamakina in the Long Island Handicap in which they won. For the following year, Davis guided Mutamakina to victory in the E. P. Taylor Stakes and the Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine.

Last year, Clement gave Davis another opportunity with Carson’s Run, who won his career debut that followed with a close second-place finish in the With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga. A month later, Davis and Carson’s Run won the bet365 Summer Stakes at Woodbine that earned both a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Davis and Carson’s Run reunite again for the Saratoga Derby Invitational as part of Saturday’s Whitney undercard.

Because of Carson’s Run, Mutamakina and several other horses, Clement had confidence in putting Davis on Pandagate for the UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai as they finished third to Japan’s talented 3-year-old Forever Young.

“Clement has had a big impact on my career as of late,” Davis said. “If he wants me to go somewhere, I am available. He knows that. It’s not like I am going to say ‘no’ to him.”

Another person who has helped him is his father and retired jockey Robbie Davis. As a teenager, Dylan Davis wanted to be an aspiring motocross racer, not a jockey. With his father’s encouragement, Davis got on horse and enjoyed riding it around the paddock.

“With my father on my side, coach, mentor, everything, I knew he was someone who was going to give me true advice,” he said. “I knew he has been 100 percent on my side. That has been great to have as a top rider in New York. He has helped me to be professional – both on and off the track – and always think that the camera is on you all of the time. Then, you will never do anything wrong.”

Just like with the other riders, Davis knows it’s difficult to compete at Saratoga – both on and off the track. Along with the challenge of getting horses to ride, there is also the difficult task of making the right decisions on the track.

“It’s tough,” he said. “The other day, there were 34 riders in the room. Many of them had just 1 or 2 mounts. I was riding seven. It’s a matter of staying focused out there. I’ve been riding for almost 12 years. It’s trial and error through the years.”

“When I have been riding up here, every decision that I have been making has been working out,” he added. “Obviously, you need the horse to get the job done. Whether it is waiting, moving early, staying inside longer, or moving out early and getting the jump, all of those decisions has been all on cue.”

Mechanicville breeder Peter Beals and Schuylerviller breeders Dan and Kathy Barraclough work as a team to help create and develop impressive maiden winner Bellacose

Horse racing is a team effort from breeding, sales preparation, training, and racing, regardless of the level. Bellacose proved that last week.

The 2-year-old filly left quite of an impression at Saratoga Race Course on July 17 with her front-running debut victory by 10¾ lengths before jockey Manny Franco eased on the filly until the last 70 yards.

That impressive victory could not happen without a team of people within the 15-mile Route 4 corridor from Schuylerville to Mechanicville: trainer Jeremiah Englehart, breeder Dan and Kathy Barraclough of Saratoga Glen Farm, and breeder Peter Beals of Beals Racing Stable, LLC.

“It makes you feel proud and happy to be friends and partners with good people,” Beals said. “We were optimistic going into the race, but you never know what to expect from a first-time starter. Jeremiah, per usual, had her ready to go.”

“Dan and Kathy do a wonderful job,” Beals added. “There are a few things that can go right in the breeding and racing, and there are a hundred things that can go wrong. It really hits you when you have success like the other day.”

That success started at the breeding farm. The Barracloughs and Beals have been in a breeding partnership over the last few years. During that time, they have produced several horses who have earned six-digit sales in the ring.

Some of these include the following:

• a filly by King for a Day out of the mare Downtown Daria who sold for $130,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale;

• a colt by Audible out of the mare Bears Measure who sold for $200,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred sales in August 2022;

• a colt by Volatile out of the mare Scat’s Lassie who sold for $280,000 as a 2-year-old at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sales in Timonium, Maryland in May.

About three years ago, Beals wanted to breed his small mare Little Bullet, whom he bought as an unraced mare for $11,000 from Taylor Made at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Mixed Sales in February 2020.

Beals took the risk by breeding his mare for the first time to 2017 Jim Dandy winner Good Samaritan. They produced Sox for Daughters, who won her first career race at Finger Lakes last month. After the foaling Sox for Daughters, Beals wanted to breed Little Bullet again, but to a larger stallion.

As part of a breeding package with WinStar Farm, Beals and the Barracloughs pooled five mares to be physically matched with ideal stallions, which included Audible, the New York-bred 3-year-old champion in 2018 after winning the Florida Derby and finishing third in the Kentucky Derby.

Once Little Bullet became in foal to Audible, Beals sent her to the Saratoga Glen Farm, which the Barracloughs converted the deteriorated dairy farm into a well-maintained 77-acre farm with self-made ponds and three barns that hold 42 stalls.

“Primarily, everything happens here.” Kathy Barraclough said. “We do all of the foaling here. We raise the babies here. We do the sales prep here. When we wean, we work with the facilities of our partners.”

When Bellacose was born April 10, 2022, the Barracloughs raised and prepped her for the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sales where she sold as a weanling for $33,000. While raising the filly, the Barracloughs had concerns about her small size, which is now 15.1 hands or about 60 inches, but they also satisfied with her physicality.

“She isn’t small, but she is on the small end of average,” Dan Barraclough said. “She is very well-muscled, forward and mature. She just isn’t big. There have been plenty of good horses who have been that size. Northern Dancer was 15.2 hands. Foolish Pleasure wasn’t that big.”

Just over a year later, Englehart purchased her for $82,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Keeneland Yearling Sales.

“We were pretty high on her at the sales. We felt pretty strong about her,” Englehart said. “She has a nice look on her. She had a nice shoulder angle and nice hip. She had a racy look to her. She was our type of horse.”

Englehart also credited the Barracloughs for their prior work with Bellacose.

“They do a great job in following their horses from having a mare, foaling, and raising the yearling,” he said “They do a phenomenal job. They always go above and beyond.”

After breaking and training at the Travis Durr Center in South Carolina during the winter, Bellacose arrived the Englehart’s barn on the Oklahoma Annex around the third week of April, shortly after the Oklahoma Training Track opened.

Coming into the race, Bellacosa posted 11 workouts – four of them at three furlongs in May and the remaining at a half mile. While she was coming into the race in good shape, Englehart knew this would not be any easy outing as he was surprised with the outcome

“I was worried about a few horses in that race. It looked like it was good on paper,” Englehart said. “Manny said when she got to the front, her ears kind of went out and she was looking around. When he asked her, she went. I was a little surprised in how she won. She is very competitive and fiery.”

Englehart indicated there is a likelihood that Bellacose, owned by Christopher T. Dunn, Blue Tarp Racing, Chris Mara, Greyhound Stables, Nicholas Sgroi, Arthur Sgroi, Jonathan M. Sacks, and Corrin Genovese, could be racing again at Saratoga in the Seeking the Ante Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies competing at six furlongs on Aug. 25.

While Bellacose’s win pleased the owners and Englehart, it was just as important to both Beals and the Barracloughs since they receive breeding awards that benefit their farms.

“For us, breeders awards are a big deal,” Beals said. “They really keep us going. That race the other day was a big chunk of change for us. It really helps us. That victory does so many things on so many levels.”

“It also gets other trainers and people buying these horses to know that if you get a horse from Beales [Racing] and Saratoga Glen [Farm] bred and raised by Saratoga Glen, you are going to get a horse that is raised properly,” he added. “I think that’s important. That’s why there is a connection that reoccurs.”

Long-time trainer Bruce Levine wins his first Saratoga race of the meet with an impressive run from locally-bred Brown Eyed Cat

Bruce Levine pretty much started his Saratoga Race Course meet with nearly the way he ended his Belmont at Aqueduct meet.

However, he had to watch some anxious moments from the start to the finish for that Saratoga victory.

Brown Eyed Cat, a 3-year-old making his debut on Opening Day, was off a step slow while getting bumped hard by Romantic Charmer as a soon as the starting gate opened. Through a patient ride from Javier Castellano, Brown Eyed Cat rallied 15½ lengths off the quick pace to run down Call Bob in the last 220 yards to win by a length.

“It was very impressive,” Levine said. “It was a speed-favoring track and he closed a lot of ground. I know there were some fast fractions, but he did put in some run. It’s good to get that first win.”

During Belmont at Aqueduct’s closing weekend two weeks ago, Levine watched Light Man catch pacesetter Kingdom in the final furlong for the 1¼-length win.

While Brown Eyed Cat’s win came across as impressive, Levine said he wasn’t surprised in the colt’s running style. Even with the latest “bullet” workouts from the gate, Levine indicated that his horse has the tendency to start slowly. When Brown Eyed Cat got off to a rough start and fell behind quickly, Levine didn’t know if his horse could overcome that.

“I’m not surprised,” Levine said. “He has never been a good breaker in the morning. Between not being a sharp breaker and getting bumped at the start, and he was so far back, I really couldn’t imagine him winning, especially for a first-time starter.”

After being bred by Dave Valeri with the sire of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown and the mare Cat Ferrad at Irish Hill Century Farm, just six miles away from the track in Stillwater, Brown Eyed Cat, owned by AngieV Stables, came to Levine’s barn last summer at Belmont Park.

Even though the colt showed potential through a series of workouts, there were moments when Levine had to give him a break.

“I knew he could run,” Levine said. “We have been fighting quarter crack issues with him. That is what has slowed him in getting to the races. He’s a sound horse. It’s just his feet.”

“I wanted to give him another workout,” he added. “But I said to myself, if this race goes, I got to wait another month to run. Let me give him some experience. He acts a little green around horses. Not only that, there is now fitness on his side.”

Brown Eyed Cat wasn’t the only winner for Levine last week. He also had a winner at Monmouth Park with Kaymus in a claiming race. Though, it’s not uncommon for Levine to run his horses at multiple tracks.

Within the first couple of years as a trainer that started in late 1979, Levine won races at Aqueduct, Belmont, the Meadowlands, Monmouth Park, Delaware Park and even Hialeah Park. This included his first graded stakes winner with I’m It followed by multiple graded stakes winner Lady Eleanor.

In 1982, even though he had been racing horses at Saratoga early in his career, Levine finally brought his stable to Barn 64, where he is still located just next to the gap of the first turn on the Oklahoma Training Track. That is when he also had his first Saratoga winner with Rob’s Lady in a maiden race.

Over the last four decades, several horses have been part of Levine’s stable, which has earned 2,238 victories from nearly 13,000 starters. They include 2008 New York-bred champion sprinter Bustin Stones, three-time Grade 3 Gallant Fox marathon winner Coyote Lakes, John Morrissey Stakes winner Clever Electrician and Saratoga Dew Stakes winner Hot Stones.

Even with Grade 1 winner Bustin Stones and a former claiming horse like Coyote Lakes, both owned by Roddy Valente, Levine continues to look for that promising horse through breeders and sales rather than focusing on the claiming division.

“It has been good, but it’s challenging,” Levine said. “I’m still looking for a good horse. I used to work with a lot claiming horses. I don’t mind claiming, but it’s just harder. If you claim a horse $20,000 and run it for $30,000, you will probably keep it, but you can’t win. If you want to win, then you will have to lose the horse.”

“It’s hard to win a claiming race and have your horse not to get claimed out of it,” he added. “It’s so hard to replace your horses. It takes two months to replace it. It used to be that you could hold onto them longer.”

Beyond a few claiming horses, Levine has other promising horses who have been allowance race winners such as Light Man, Cupid’s Heart, and Fortune’s Nephew.

Levine also has younger and unraced horses. Two of them are scheduled to run in maiden races on Friday: first-time starters Joker on Fire and Posse Rocks.

“I’m so lucky that I have some homebreds, and I can buy some yearlings and 2-year-olds to add to the stable. I am working with more 2-year-olds.” he said “Otherwise, I would be in trouble. With the babies, you can stay in business through trial and error.”

As for Brown Eyed Cat, Levine knows he some options, especially since the colt is eligible to compete in the New York Stallion Series races. However, he will know the next steps based on the horse’s health, body language, and behavior over the next couple of weeks.

“He will tell me,” Levine said. “Horses always do. He may run in an allowance race in three or four weeks. We’ll have to see where he is.”