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Ep.68-Janet Van Bebber- Chief Racing Officer of AQHA/Retired Trainer
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Janet VanBebber, Chief Racing Officer for the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), joins Episode 68 of QH Racing Talk — Weekly for an in-depth conversation about her remarkable career, from her early days as a trainer to her leadership role within the AQHA and her lasting contributions to the Quarter Horse racing industry.
For decades, VanBebber has been one of the most respected and influential women in Quarter Horse racing. Throughout her career, she has helped shape the sport as a trainer, racing executive, and industry leader, earning widespread recognition for her dedication to advancing Quarter Horse racing and supporting horsemen and racing organizations.
During the episode, VanBebber reflects on her journey through the industry, the mentors and colleagues who helped shape her career, and the experiences that prepared her for her current leadership role. She also discusses the evolution of Quarter Horse racing, the challenges and opportunities facing the sport today, and her vision for its continued growth and success.
Co-hosts Greg Thompson and Bailey Ivey recap the recent stakes races Vessels Maturity (G1), Rainbow Futurity (G1) trials that took place in Albuquerque and preview this weekend's TQHA Sale Futurity (G1) trials in San Antonio at Retama Park.
Hey quarter horse racing fans. It's a summertime. In the barn, things are heating up. We know that you are working hard. So go inside. Go get yourself something cold to drink. And since you are hearing me, you have clearly found this week's episode of the podcast going into the 4th of July weekend. So sit back and cool down as you listen to both co-hosts, Greg Thompson and Bailey Ivy, of the number one quarter horse racing podcast in the country. Quarter Horse Racing Talk Weekly. Here we go.
SPEAKER_11And hello again, everyone.
SPEAKER_15And I'm Bailey Ivy.
SPEAKER_11Bailey, last week, our previous section was the largest by far that we've ever done here on Quarter Horse Racing Talk Weekly, which means this week, the recap section is going to be that big robust section as well to cover all the things that have happened. That's, as you mentioned, one of your favorite times of the year.
SPEAKER_15Yes, Greg. Anytime, you know, that's my favorite time of the year.
SPEAKER_11January all the way through December, that's your favorite time when it comes to racing. And Bailey, we have a great show this week. This is a guest that I've been wanting to have on the podcast for some time. And it's, you know, we have busy schedules, and she has one of the busier schedules, and that's Chief Racing Officer Janet Van Bepper of the AQHA.
SPEAKER_15You know, Greg, one thing I took away from listening to your talk with Janet is that she's very sharp, whether she's talking about courses, leadership, or life. It's obvious that she's learned a lot over the years, and she's got a story to back up every lesson.
SPEAKER_11She's just been there, she's done that, and she's took all that knowledge and sunk it into the uh role that she plays with the AQHA and the leadership role. And it's it's been one of those eye-opening interviews that I've done with all of the people thus far. You know, Janet's just sharp. There's just no other way to say it.
SPEAKER_15Yes, and she brings the credibility as a horse bench, which has nothing to do with the fact that she is a woman in a sport heavily dominated by men.
SPEAKER_11Absolutely. So without further ado, let's get out of the way here and get to the commercials so we can get right into the section with Janet here on Quota Horse Racing Talk Weekly.
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SPEAKER_16All right, back to the podcast.
SPEAKER_11All right, we're back and ready to jump into the featured guest section. And as mentioned in the opening, we have Chief Racing Officer of the AQHA, Janet Van Dever, which we've already kind of gone through. A bit of her biography in the opening. The one thing's for sure about Janet as a horseman, there's no disputing her accomplishments as she is a winner of the champion of champions. She's won over a thousand wins with her, of course, and also her being a winner of the challenge championship three consecutive years in a row, so a multiple grade one winner. And that's, of course, through her training accomplishments. And now she's been at the helm here at the AQHA as the chief racing officer for over a decade now. And as you'll see in this conversation with her, I don't think there's any dispute on just how articulate and how well-versed and how deep her knowledge is of racing is. She's one of those ones that this interview could have gone on for like two and a half hours, maybe even three hours, but to condense it down into an hour type format, it's there's certainly some things that we just didn't cover. And I've done plenty of these interviews where I've thought, you know, I've squeezed the lemon dry on the subject with the person. But with Janet, as mentioned, it could could have gone on. And it certainly is one of those interviews I'd like to follow back up with another podcast in the future. But without further ado, let's get to this one here with Chief Racing Officer of the AQHA, Janet Van Weber. All right, Janet, thanks so much for joining us here. You're the Chief Racing Officer of the AQHA. You've had an illustrious career as a trainer in the Quarter Wars ranks. And thanks so much for getting on here on Quarter Horse Racing Talk podcast.
SPEAKER_13Thanks. And and I appreciate you mentioning those titles, but more importantly, I'm a horseman, working for a horseman.
SPEAKER_11Yes.
SPEAKER_13That's why I'm here.
SPEAKER_11Well, before I kind of did a lot of my uh homework and Rod and Glenn kind of gave me an alley oop on this one. She told me to go listen to the podcast that you did with one of the gentlemen on the AQH on the AQHA side. And so got a lot of background. And and one of the things that I don't think a lot of people know uh, Janet, is that the extensive knowledge that you have as a trainer. I I was impressed of when you started talking with it, and I've dealt with and talked with trainers for a long time. Uh come from the racing world as well. And to hear that your depth of knowledge is something that I don't think shines through when people think about Janet, the chief racing officer at AQHA, of just the extensiveness of your background as a horseman prior to your life of being with the AQHA.
SPEAKER_13And that's what happens with each year that passes since I retired from training. I retired from my training career in 2012. I was very blessed right up until the day that I shut the doors, but I wanted to be home with my daughter while she was in high school. And uh I have been a horseman my entire life, and uh as has my family. And so I came with the advantage of learning horsemanship from uh birth, basically, and and I I brought that into my career with horses. And it started in California. I did bloodstock work with both thoroughbreds and uh quarter horses in the 80s, and actually put myself through school with what with what I earned. I wanted to have a fallback plan, so I got a degree and never have worked a day that didn't involve a horse. Right.
SPEAKER_11You were in the uh in the bloodstock business and you were also dealing with a lot of thoroughbreds as well in in like two-year-old in trainings, the Barrett sales, mostly out in California, is that correct?
SPEAKER_13Or it was all over I I went to all the Kingman sales and the Facet Tipton sales uh for consignment presentation, but as far as what I did in my own business, it was in California. And uh I I did all the two-year-old training sales, and that made me fall in love with horse racing. Uh I had already been exposed to it because of the reproductive side that my dad was involved in, and so we would go to Los Alamitos um because uh these were quarter horse stallions. So I loved quarter horse racing, but as far as understanding the um uh the granular details of what trainers do, I I watched and I learned and I said, I can take my foundation of horsemanship and apply it to this field and learn more about it. And and that's that's what I did. Right.
SPEAKER_11I read a story somewhere uh about how you met Steve. It was he came to a horse sale or something. He wasn't really even interested in the horses that you had, but he he was interested in you, so he asked you to pull out the horses. Kind of talk about your origins of meeting Steve.
SPEAKER_13That's pretty much how it happened. Um I had a consignment at the Pacific Coast yearning sale that fall, uh as just as it is today. It's the final yearning sale of the year, and uh so it was probably in October. And Steve came and uh to look for a horse or two to buy, and um I I knew he was from Delta Downs. Um I knew people that had raced at Delta Downs, and so we had that commonality, and and you know you do that when you're in sales, right? You pick up the things that you want to talk about, that's a commonality. So I mentioned the people that I knew and and what have you, and uh when when quarter horsemen at that time, this was in 1990, would go to uh Los Alamitos, they were surprised when anybody ever knew that Delta Downs existed in those days, right? Um and so uh so yeah, we struck up a conversation and um he didn't buy a horse out of my consignment, he actually didn't buy a horse at the sale. So after the sale was over, um a fella had bought a yearling out of my consignment and um Steve bought that ticket. He said, I'll buy that horse from you. And and that's uh he he took so he wound up getting a horse out of my consignment. And here's the funny thing, and people that knew my husband would would know that this is so amusing. So that Christmas, like a lot of us do in business, I sent Christmas cards out to anybody that bought a horse from me during the year.
SPEAKER_14Right.
SPEAKER_13And uh all the different sales, different breeds and all of that. So Steve got his Christmas card and he thought he was pretty special because I thought to send him a card. And we laughed about that for years because uh you know, I actually am glad he thought that because uh that's part of what planted the seed for the relationship that would ensue.
SPEAKER_11Right. Steve at the time was uh you know, had a large, large stable throughout the Southwest. Uh predominantly, I would say it was predominantly in Louisiana. And uh you you married him uh where he was just a one person trying to do a lot of things. I'm sure he had plenty of assistance, but now when you kind of went into the fold, now you became two. You were out here uh handling a lot of the stakes horses and all while he would tanker uh and stay put. Uh you also had babies that were being developed at the farm and and all. So this is talk about the operation when you and Steve were really just hitting on all 12 cylinders.
SPEAKER_13So Steve and I married in 1992, and that happened to be the year we bought develop a plant. Uh I changed that name, by the way. He was named Prestwick, and and uh I have a theory that people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. And so um from that premise, I I changed this Colt's name. And Steve was primarily located in in South Louisiana, because the quarter horses at that time just raced at Delta Downs, but he would win her at Maynard Downs. Fast forward to 1993, and Developer Plan showed talent. Um, that's when I got on the road with him, and he would eventually be an AQHA champion. And uh, really nice horse, won the Firecracker Faturity, and and uh uh he had success in the challenge races, and and we were really proud of him. And I stayed on the road with him. I took him wherever he needed to go. But then so that's you know, 93 and 94, and in 94 is when we opened at Sam Houston Race Park. And at that time the meets overlapped. So Steve and I continued the divide and conquer theory, and he stayed in Louisiana much of the time with our horses there, and I stayed in Texas. And then in 95, uh, Potoma Park opened, and so I kicked off our meat there, and that's at the same time that we bought our training center because we saw the future um in that we would have to become a multi-state operation, and we needed one that was a little more centrally located. So we bought the training center in Giddings in '95. And and at that point, it was we were building a barn and and we were had some needs at the farm that I felt I could manage. And Steve switched and went to the racetrack, and I came to the farm and brought my dad in to help be a project manager for the building of the barn that we were building. And it was right in the middle of that that I was getting on babies and and I had a baby slip over on me, and I broke my back and had five fractures in my pelvis and found myself without the use of my legs. And uh I was blessed through that and was able to uh had surgery actually to stabilize my pelvis, not surgery regarding my back, but was able to learn to walk again. And um Steve insisted at that point that I slow down. He was really worried about me working too hard. And the interesting thing is uh we had already been uh shooting to start a family and and hadn't had any luck in that area. He kept telling me, you just work too hard. And uh so sure enough, I got hurt and I slowed down. And uh I was able to go to uh Remington Park that next year, and I actually qualified Bushfire to the Heritage Place Fraturity. But I I pulled in my wings a little because I was recovering from a paralyzing accident, and that's when I bought a tech shop uh so that uh I could slow down a little. And and the tech shop was perfect at Sam Houston because we didn't run in those days, the meats were such that we didn't run in the fall of the year. That freed me up to go to Los Alamedas with our sex horses.
SPEAKER_14Right.
SPEAKER_13And so that's how our pattern continued. Uh in 97 I wound up uh being pregnant with Taylor Ann. She was born, and luck would have it, she was born September 28th. I was still re ready to to head out in in the fall and do all the things I needed to do to be an asset to our business and still have the tax shop as well. And I actually kept that tax shop through 2011. Uh sold it to George Haddad, who who runs it today. So I was really blessed to to have an involvement um in in all of that and to be able to work with my husband as an asset to our combined business and to help uh together forged in a partnership, we helped go to the next level because it's during that period that Steve got uh awarded the champion trainer and uh and all of those things. So um then came his untimely death. And so I had to sit there and think about my dad worked for me and I have a three-year-old daughter at that time, and uh uh I I had the tech shop, but you didn't make any real strong living at that. I enjoyed it because it was a great service to the horseman, but um I knew that if I was gonna provide for three generations of the family that I needed to jump in with both feet and uh both hands and take the reins of the stable. And uh I say it God just put it on my heart because I had a piece about it and I had my family's support.
SPEAKER_11I would like to sit back and and go back to that year of 1999 uh when Steve did win the world championship as trainer, but you also had Taylor Fit rocking and rolling there and uh had uh uh was winning a consecutive grade ones there and made his way out to California for the champion of champions and kind of talk about that magical year of 99th. Obviously the partnership between you and Steve, you guys had been winning plenty of stakes uh as well as meet titles and what have you, but to be on the national level of actually stepping up there and uh getting up to the point where you're looking at a world champion, also the world champion trainer caliber of the year. I mean, that is something that was clearly what y'all were building towards. Every trainer and horseman builds towards that, but to actually be in that that rare error, talk about that magical year.
SPEAKER_13Taylor Fitt is a story in his in his own right. He deserves his own chapter. In fact, if if I had the opportunity to write a book, most of it would be about Taylor Fitt. I love Taylor Fitt as though he were human and I tell people that. But the fun part about the story is how close we came to not having Taylor Fitt. So again, think about the divide and conquer theory that Steve and I had in our business management. He was uh it was again the Pacific Coast sale, except now um six, seven years later. And so he was getting ready for some trials, but probably, you know, didn't want to leave his Texas Classic horses. I mean, I I don't remember the specifics, but I was sent to Pacific Coast sale with a blank check. And I was there to buy one horse. And so I I looked at the horses and uh I had to pick two that that I liked. And I called the owner and I told him, I said, I I got these two that I like, and he's looking in his catalog, and I said that I think we should probably get this cult bought for maybe 20,000 and this cult for maybe 25. And it was that yearling, both out of uh the double bar S consignment, Jin's list was still alive. I can still remember sitting with Jens and it was that yearling and Taylor Fit. So the sale comes. And uh I I'm approaching him and I see just a little kind of a spot on his tendon cheek that I didn't see when I looked at him uh uh in the barn. So then you worry. Has he done something since you looked at him? Did he get his foot over, you know, gate? Uh is is there something there that could be a deterrent from my wanting to buy him? And I I usually don't do this because as a consigner, I really dislike when people do it. But I went the the ring where they were walking them, asked them to stop, picked him up, palpated it, and I was like, Oh, it doesn't bother me. So I had confidence, I liked him. And uh I wound up, I think I paid 27,000 for him. So I went over my preset limit. And I just told myself, heck with it. If I have to write that extra check, I will. Right. Well the owner never blinked. And and uh Steve always teased me that if he would have been there, he would have bought both horses because the other horse wound up being a stakes horse too. Right. And I said, Yeah, but I only had authority to buy one. So um, so that was that's a fun story to tell. That the the two I picked out of the wholesale went on to be stakes horses, and one went on to be um but our first world champion.
SPEAKER_05Right. And we'll be right back after these words.
SPEAKER_11October 17th is the date in Albuquerque for the AQHA Championship Challenge Finals. You can visit AQHA.com forward slash racing to see the schedule for the upcoming regional races, and then you can read the recaps on stallionesearch.com in the challenge section of all the challenge races that have transpired leading to the finals on October the 17th at the Downs at Albuquerque.
SPEAKER_19Cyber Monday continues to have a top shelf kind of year as a second crop styre. First off, he's a number one second crop styre for 2026 going to July by quite the margin. He's also styred the grade one Heritage Place security winner in Fall Classic, and three runner-up finishers in graded states events. This summer, the sales will be teeming with Cyber Monday yearlings. So Smart Business will tell you to check out the Cyber Monday babies for your next racing prospect.
SPEAKER_06Also check out the sire roster of Grade 1 Super Derby winner Big Lou, the legendary Corona Cartel, the Grade 1 producing Coronado Cartel, the all-time leader first down dash, the grade 1 winning Kempton, the Grade 1-winning and Grade 1 producing sire Kiss My Hawks, another leading sire, PYC Paint Your Wagon, new for 2026, Unrelentless, and the Grade 1 producing Valiant Hero, all standing in Guthrie, Oklahoma at Lazy E Ranch. All right, back to the show.
SPEAKER_13He looked like he was going to be the horse to beat in Riedoso, and he got sick right before the trials and was subpar on his performance. And it just seemed like things didn't go his way. But, you know, God always has a plan in all things, uh, including in horses. And, you know, that that extra time is is probably what helped him have the longevity of his career. And and he would go on and do obviously great things. And and uh I I spent a lot of time on the road with him, and he was just such a gentleman. I mean, Tana was a toddler, and I used to have a massage machine that I would work on him uh and I still have vivid memories where I would take the feed can, so we're talking a coffee can and and turn it upside down, and that's where my toddler would sit in the stall and just jabber away to me while those are the stories that get you, you know, because he was such a talented horse, but also a wonderful horse to be around. And Tanner sat sat on him the day after he won uh the champion of champions in 2001, and um the picture of him winning in 1999, she's crying, but she's not crying because anything had upset her. She just had all these excited emotions and she didn't know what to do with it. And uh so he was such a blessing to us. And um, it was really important to me that he have the the best post-racing career possible. It had been my hope to make him a Supreme Champion because he was such a handsome horse. Uh, I felt like getting the points wouldn't wouldn't be tough at all. And it wouldn't be hard to to do anything you wanted to do with him. But his career outlasted, his racing career outlasted that. And his wither started showing and stuff, and I thought, well, it might be a little tough to get those halter points. And I never pursued that. I never put him through it because I wasn't sure it was attainable and uh I didn't want to do him the disservice, but he did have the opportunity to go to the Kentucky Horse Park and be in their hall of champions. He's buried there today.
SPEAKER_14Right.
SPEAKER_13And and I think that's a wonderful, wonderful honor.
SPEAKER_14Yes.
SPEAKER_13So to circle back to your question, you were asking about Steve in 1999. So that's when Taylor Fit really was at the top of his game. And he started showing the whole world what Bamber Racing Stables was capable of. And uh, you know, we were doing well at every track that we participated on, the leading trainer at most meets, and uh, and then to have the world champion and then to be champion. Trainer. Yeah, I gotta get my ears right because uh he was also honored uh posthumously in 2000. So uh we were proud of that. We were proud of that as a team. And uh he just opened the horse, Taylor Fit opened so many doors for us as far as uh validating uh you know what what we could do with good stock. People start bringing us better horses and and and that's how you build a business, right? So so it was good, it was wonderful.
SPEAKER_11After the death of Steve uh in in December of 2000, uh you're at the helm in 2021. You had a young child, you had the opportunity to decide, you know, is this the path that I want to create and continue to go down the the road of continuing the Van Weber name and the Van Weber step stable. I'm sure there was plenty of opportunity to not do that. I mean, it's probably, you know, uh with the emotions and everything you're going through to to pick yourself up and to continue on. I mean, talk about uh continuing on in that year of 2001, which is also another year that Taylor Fitt went off to uh another grand year. I'm sure that made it a whole lot easier watching that horse win the big grade one events and and uh going towards another world champion year.
SPEAKER_13Well, what I'll say, what I said then is the same thing I'll say now, and that is that uh he and the other stakes horses that I had in my care validated what Janet Van Bepper can do. And that was important because uh one thing that happened after Steve died is um it was within days that most of the two-year-olds were gone from the barn. And you know, I don't blame anybody for doing that. They didn't know what I would be capable of on my own. Some of those were newer customers, and they hadn't seen my hands-on involvement in Steve's operation since my accident in 1995 because I'd kind of pulled back and I would go off with the stakes horses, but they didn't know how I would manage the whole because they didn't have that historical knowledge of me with their own eyes.
SPEAKER_14Right.
SPEAKER_13You can hear about it, but until you see it. So I didn't blame them at all. But the point about that is is I had no opportunity to really excel with the two-year-olds in my program this year because they were gone. And the ones we picked out, that was that part was a little disappointing because I was involved in the yearling sales. But that's okay. Again, God had a plan. And but what I did do with the three, four, or five-year-olds is I led the nation in stakes wins, and and I really was able to um uh you know, have a big presence on a national level with uh with my own opportunity to foster those horses care and and to to manage where they went and to uh show the world that I could do it. And I couldn't have done it without the support of my family. I, you know, I keep talking about my parents had moved to Ledbetter, Texas, in order to help me. And uh and and that's where God had a plan because they did that in uh in '95 when we bought the farm, Dad was going to be the project manager of that barn um from where they lived in Abilene. And then he was in the midst of that. In fact, the day I called him from the hospital after I had been transported to Houston to tell him something was wrong, he thought I was calling about it, something I wanted to tweak on the barn build. He said, Oh, let me go get my plants. I said, No, Daddy, we got something else to talk about. And uh they decided in that hospital room that day that they were moving. And uh, because they wanted to be closer when when I was going through that recovery. And and they were they were so wonderful and so supportive. So um I had daddy in place. My mom worked, um, but dad worked for me. Right. And so we had that flexibility. If if there was a anything that came up, he he could, as grandpa, he could do it. Yeah, we call him Papa Jean. But yeah, he could do it or or he could help cover so that I could do it. And and that stayed true until the day I retired, because that he worked for me through 2012. That was an important part of it. I couldn't have done it without that. And that's the point I'm making is yes, I had a lot of success, but I was able to work my fingers to the bone, knowing that everything else was taken care of also. And uh, and I had a great village of people around me who would pitch in and help with Taylor. And and uh she told somebody just recently that she had the best upbringing on the backside of a racetrack that anybody could have. I we homeschooled her through second grade, and uh Anna Lujan, who was Alfonso Luhan's wife, is Alfonso Lujan's wife. Alfonso was my writer, Anna was Taylor's tutor, and we set up a classroom for her at the racetracks, and that way she could be near her mama because I thought that was the most important thing at that time. Later I felt like she needed to get socialized around more kids and and started a a different trajectory uh where she was in school. The the kind of team that I had around me put all the pieces of the puzzle together where I could offer my daughter the best thing possible, which is to be close to her mom and uh and and still offer a viable future for us uh with a strong business. One thing I want to mention because I sure don't want to uh uh not do so all this time when we talked about having the farm and everything, I I also brought in a fellow named Sergio Cerda who became my assistant until I retired. And he was uh he stayed at the farm. A lot of people like their assistants at the racetrack so they could go to the farm, but we did it the other way around. He wanted to be home with his family, and he did an excellent job, and we worked so well together over the years and and a lot of my success. I talk about my family, but Sergio was like family, and and he was he was in the trenches with me. So, yes, we uh had Shriek and Sentacha came along the next year, and the Syntacha family is so important to me, and I don't know if you want to get into that right now, but um, I had brought that thoroughbred mare into the quarter horse business because of connections I had dating back to the earlier 80s, uh, when I was following how well Cash Rate was doing, and cash rate was out of the mare Cherry Lake, and there was a thoroughbred farm in Southern California that I did business with, and a good friend of mine worked there that I told them. I said, when when one they they had a mayor that was a sibling to to Cherry Lake, and she had been a blue hen producer, eventually was in the is in the AQHA Hall of Fame. And so I knew this family line. And now all these years later, the Sentacha name is still going dominant in in horse racing. Well, Streak and Sentacha was her first full. We need a full share with Libray Hayes and Streaken La Hoya. And uh Steve and I like to full share, and I still full share today and partly because I have a primary profession and I need to focus on that. So it's nice when you can partner with somebody that's more focused on the breeding end and also so that we could focus on what we do and that the reproductive people focus on what they do. Uh so that's where Streak and Santacha came from. And he was uh a three-year-old uh in 2001, and I won the Texas Classic Derby with him. And so, but the next year uh is when he won the challenge championship and the Sun Park Championship, and uh and and that afforded him to garner the world champion, and so he was the second leg. The one thing that abated us when Steve was alive is we never won a challenge championship. And uh, oh, Steve hated that. And so I was particularly proud, and and I know that Steve was looking down proud as well, that uh I went on to win the challenge championship three consecutive years. And until Dean Fry did it here just recently, I was the only one to have done so. I did so with three different years, three different horses. He, of course, did it with the fabulous Dane, and I was so proud of him for it. Okay. Let me tell you about me about records. The interesting thing about records, and I talk about uh the fact that I was able to win three consecutive challenge championships with three different horses. When Dean came along and he was able to do it with one horse, I I was his biggest cheerleader. Uh and and when we talk about the fact that uh I was the first woman to win a thousand races, and I remained the only woman to have done so until Stacey Charrett did it uh last year. And and I was so disappointed because I didn't get the news. We weren't able to make a big deal about it. I don't think they did a press release. And so by the time I found out about it, it was later, and I was so happy to learn that. I mentioned it in some articles that I wrote, but we'd have given it a bigger splash. And the same with money earned. I remained uh leading money earned for a number of years, and then Donna Car MacArthur eclipsed that here a couple years ago, and I was happy for Donna. Um, records are are made to be broken. Sure. I'm thrilled that I may have held them for a little while, but I want the the next people to to come on and have their opportunity to prevail. So I was talking about uh uh Streaken Santacha having won the challenge championship, and and that helped uh pave his way to being world champion in 2001. And then um in 2002, uh uh Panther Mountain was in my care and he won the challenge championship, the third leg of my three, and he went on and was champion each stallion. So I'm I'm pretty proud of that. And and that's that's what helped get me anchored in to be able to um continue with a strong stable moving forward.
SPEAKER_03And we'll be right back after these words. This segment is brought to you by Riadosto Sales Company, home of the Riodosto New Mexico bread sale, as well as the ultra prestigious Riadosto Select Yearling Sale on Labor Day weekend. Make plans to attend this summer.
SPEAKER_11Hey, to be blunt about it, these political jest runners are simply on fire. Not only has this already legendary fire produced the fastest two qualifiers going into the grade one rainbow derby, but he's also qualified the brilliant Heat Seeker V into the Grade One $1 million finals for the Rainbow Feet Dirty. And he's also the fire of each Judge P, a finalist going into this upcoming Grade One Rainbow Oak. Now, for this upcoming yearlink sales season, you have the opportunity to put an Apolitical Just yearlink in your stable. So be sure to take a look at these outstanding yearlings from this remarkable fire and discover why a political jet continues to produce racing's biggest stars, also standing at Royal Vista Ranch, the stud of a political jets, a political J Street, the 8th Joint State Champions Fire FDP going grand, the industry-leading flying cowboy 123, the royally bred heart of the cartel, and completing his first year at stud, just Dolstate. All standing at Royal Vista Ranch in Wayne, Oklahoma. All right, back to the show. One question I have about your training career is and and Steve was still based in Louisiana, and and of course, when Texas got really rolling, you guys expanded into Texas and ran at all the big meets there uh after Steve's passing. And you're uh a California native, if you stop me if I'm wrong, what and with you also spreading your wings and going and running all these national events across the country, it wasn't just exclusively down in down in uh Louisiana. Towards your, I guess would you say the last parts of your career, uh you were very, very much entrenched in Louisiana and in and in Texas and all. What was the draw to stay down in Louisiana and in Texas?
SPEAKER_13That was because I'm a mother. Um so you start making decisions that are in your child's best interest. And I mentioned earlier uh in our discussion that uh be homeschooled tailored through second grade, but at some point she needs to be around other kids. She needs to learn about a more conventional life, be introduced to sports, be introduced to extracurricular activities, dance, whatever it was that interested her. You can't do that when you're on the road. Um, Louisiana had become uh very successful in their legislation that supported lucrative purses. And so uh I was able to go to Louisiana, and they happened to have a private school there that had the same curriculum that uh we had homeschooled Taylor on. So it was a nice step for her to be introduced and and get acclimated to being in a standard school structure. Uh, you know, it was a small class size and a curriculum that was the same, and it was less than two miles from the racetrack. I wound up buying a second place in Louisiana. I called it my therapeutic center, and uh Louisiana's purchase were so lucrative, and I could stay more focused in the state and be able to get home to my daughter and have her get to me on the weekends and not miss a basketball game and and all of those things that were important to me.
SPEAKER_11Stretching into your decision to step away from training, uh, it's well documented that uh you giving your daughter a uh the typical high school life was what you're wanting to do. But you had also mentioned in several, I guess it was either in the podcast or some of the publications that I read that uh when they had discussed the fact that you had reached a thousand windmark, is that the the racing industry that you entered into were really going at it with with Steve, as opposed to when you took the helm, and then what it was getting towards when you were at your end of your career is not the same industry. And you were kind of, I wouldn't say dishearted, but you were just some things in the industry that you were not really liking, and then and of course eventually you would get to this AQHA position where you have an opportunity to be working exclusively trying to straighten some of those knots out that horsemen create uh with this industry. Talk about some of the things of and the reason why the the industry how it was and and the time that you stepped away.
SPEAKER_13So when I was gonna retire in 2012, and I'll add that was my plan all along, because I knew I did not want to be on the road while my daughter was in high school. Those years are too important. I have this beautiful young lady, and she needs her mama there to help guide and help set the right foundation before she spreads her wings and goes off to college. Plus, I felt I deserved that opportunity. I deserve to be one of the moms that's feeding the kids at Bible study on Wednesday nights. And I deserve to be the mom that didn't have to hustle out after the last race and bust my honey to get home to make sure that you didn't miss take off at the basketball game. Um, I really deserved my only shot at being a mother, I deserved to do those things. So uh I I did retire in 2012. I sold both of my farms and uh spent what I call a four-year sabbatical doing all the things I just described. But the reason is uh that I sold the farms is because what I already saw happening in the horse racing business is good horsemanship didn't prevail. And and there were those that um were seeking an unfair advantage that were bettering those of us who weren't in competition. And that wasn't the industry I wanted to return to. I was always proud that the reason I did well is because I took really good care of a horse. And and I knew how to to manage that horse and prepare him for a certain race or make the right call to forego a certain race if if necessary. Whatever it was, it was all about the horse. And I saw that changing and I said, you know, I'm I'm I'm not gonna go back into that. I I did some media work during those four years just for fun. I was the on-air talent for a couple shows and I did some appearances on TVG and all of those things. That was fun. It was a way to use my expertise in another role. So that gave me a little taste of that. And uh the day that Taylor graduated from high school, I got a call from Craig Hufflines to come talk to him about this job. And uh it was it was a a God thing because I would not have contemplated it had I not been encouraged by others to do so. Um and I said, you know, this is a way to take my perspective, the literal boots on the ground, and serve a greater good. And so while we are not a regulator at AQHA and what I've been doing these last 10 years, what we do is advocate for the horse. We advocate for better regulation. We encourage the entities to do things that um better protect our horse and deter those seeking an unfair advantage. And it's it's a hard battle because we'll get some really good uh regulation passed, and then you have an implementation problem. But that's out of our control. And uh you you can't give up the fight just because you you might not be getting the traction. You just keep working. And and that's what I've been doing for 10 years now. Uh and I think there's some areas we've made some improvements, and and that's reflected uh by um the catastrophic loss going down, and then and and I'm really proud of that. I think um I've helped foster uniformity by making the argument at the ARCI model rules where there's uniform against certain um prohibited substances from state to state. You gotta remember when I started this job, some states allowed climbural, some states did not. And uh some states were doing hair testing, some states were not. It was scattered. So I spent the first several years really trying to work for uniformity. And we were doing that for the good of horsemen because I know what it's like to say, oh shoot, it's it's okay to have here, but it's not okay to have here. And how am I going to be uh when when it comes to post-race testing when you have no ill intent? And so uh that's important for horsemen, and I'm really proud of that, that we've made more progress. Uh you know, you forget as time goes on, but we've made a lot of progress over the way it was when I started. And that's from my having a rapport. I actually hosted a dinner during the Global Symposium on Racing for regulators that that hosted quarter horse racing in their state. Big long room. And um Dr. Blodgett was there and Craig were there to just to support me. And they never had to say a word. I I was able to make my argument for why it was so important. And so we've done well there. All jurisdictions are hair testing now. Uh Clintuterol and albuterol are prohibited substances. They're racist. So now we're faced with a new problem, but I I commend Oklahoma for for how they're handling it. Similar problem, just uh just probably a different recipe that got them there. Um, and and I was one of many who who really advocated for Oklahoma to be more aggressive. We we did a call to action letter, and that's my role. So I may not get to do the regulation, and Lord knows I don't want to, but I can't advocate for the regulation. And I've been spending every day of ten years working on it.
SPEAKER_11Right. Legacy there, but talk about your legacy of being on the racetrack. It's it's you were involved in on a day-to-day for so long and you stepped away from it. And most people that I know, it's that's a hard thing to do. And so talk about missing being on the racetrack, because I don't even have to ask if you miss it or not, because I already know the answer.
SPEAKER_13Well, you know, we talk about all the things that I was blessed to achieve. And and that stands on its own. But uh, do I miss horses? Oh my goodness, I miss horses. I have mares of my own that I can't keep because I'm on the road all the time for AQHA. And so I have to board them elsewhere and don't get to see them frequently or their babies frequently because I'm off doing a QHA business. But it's all to serve a greater good. And so uh, you know, maybe that's something that when I do slow down and retire whenever I decide to do that, I'll get to enjoy them a little more, get to have a little more hands-on. Um, so you know, I can look forward to that. I've I've kept my hands involved in ownership of horses, and uh, so has my daughter, and I take pride in that. Um, so yes, I miss it. Um, it's the price I pay in order to try to serve the greater good. And I don't think people realize that. Is um I have to not do something that I love in order to be able to fulfill my current role well. And that's okay. It's a choice I'm making. I'm okay doing it. But it's changed my life.
SPEAKER_11And as we talked off camera between you and I, I I told you that I wouldn't want your position because of all the the uh you're a lightning rod. You you you you take the hits. Uh it's you should have all the answers. Uh this at least this is the assumptions. Uh and of course, when uh if a program's put in place and it doesn't work, you know, it it's it's clearly falls upon somebody's fault. And you being the public face of AQHA Racing, it's you know falls upon you. I would say as it pertains to the tr detractors, with what's going on currently uh with what we're seeing in the market of uh the things that had happened in Oklahoma and and all the program training issues and problems, it seems like to me is that we're we it's two steps forward, three steps back, sometimes it's three steps forward, sometimes it's two steps back. It's it's always uh a cat and mouse game where they they have a a barrier put in front of them, and then and then of course they figure a way to get around the barrier, and then we figure out another way to put another barrier in front of them, and then they figure another way. One thing that also take away from the podcast that I listen to you do is it's not a racing problem. This is not just a quarter horse racing problem. This is not a thoroughbed racing problem. This is not a horse racing problem. This is anywhere there's purse money involved or something for money, talk about the constant drive, it seems like, that we're we're trying to outsmart the people that are trying to outsmart it.
SPEAKER_13So, first of all, unscrupulous things have been going on since. Adam and Eve. It's nothing new. And I appreciate you for pointing that out. And so, you know, our endeavor is just to stay diligent. And uh, and so, and when I say our, again, AQHA can only advocate. We can, we can only foster they have all the knowledge. And uh, you know, that they they they being the regulators, they know what we see. Because sometimes they don't put all the pieces together because they're they're it's like turning around the Titanic, right? There's a lot of it's a it's a big ship. And uh and I think the horsemen's organizations do a good job of that, um, because they are trying to protect the horsemen. And and uh, and then you know, a lot of times those horsemen's organizations are our affiliate, and so we try to support their wishes in in creating awareness. And I think that's an important role is make sure that the right people are hearing what's truly going on. And uh that's where the call to action in in Oklahoma was was so impactful. There were a lot of us that said, hey, you know, this is a big problem and it's going on right there on your racetrack. And they took action. That's what we're looking for, right? So uh uh and and now they have a protocol uh for the horses that are on on the vets list and and uh um they're protecting the horse. And that's what all of us should be here to do is to protect the horse. And and that's the whole motivation behind AQHA's involvement. And I can get behind that. You know, there's there's people that misunderstand what Janet can do or what AQHA can do. Uh they confuse uh and they blur the lines between what regulators can do and what we can do as a breed registry. Well, we as a breed registry have no control over regulation or the implementation. We can foster better regulation, we can foster awareness about things that are going on in the industry, all to protect the horse. And I know every day when I get up and look in the mirror that every single second of my day is spent towards protecting the horse and the horseman.
SPEAKER_11I can tell you it's misconstrued of what your actual your capabilities are, uh what what the as it pertains to, I'm not saying just Janet, I'm talking about the AQHA as well. It's it's it's often forgotten that it's an association and not a regulatory board.
SPEAKER_06And we'll be right back after these words. You want to get the most out of your feed, whether it be for a consigned yearling going through the sales ring or the mare and foal out in the pasture, or your futurity prospect prepping for a big win. It's simple. Feed your horse Purina.
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SPEAKER_19There's lots of things happening for the stir, Uncle D, the grade one winning son of Corona Cartel, who's also the stire of the grade one winning Heaven's Uncle, and Mr. Master Bugstak's winner, Uncle Redhead, who also has qualified into Prairie Meadows Gold Derby.
SPEAKER_18Uncle Redhead's moving best of all. Far outside, flying Rebo 1, 2, 3, Uncle Redheads. Uncle Redheads won it.
SPEAKER_19And if you are in the market for yearlings this summer, take note of three Uncle D yearlings going to the sales ring in Texas at the TQHJ Yearlings sale later this month. Uncle D, standing at Prestige Equine in Roswell, New Mexico. All right, back to the show.
SPEAKER_11As it pertains to the the we've hit upon some of the negatives. Let's talk about some of the positives, the things that are doing well in quarter horse racing, uh, some of the programs that you take pride in that are in place and that you're intently involved in. Talk about some of those.
SPEAKER_13Well, I continue to be proud of our AQHA Racing Challenge. And uh we are in our third year to be hosted at the Downs at Albuquerque, and Paul Blanchard and Don Cook have been fabulous hosts. The program is designed to move around, and so we will be, I can't make it public just yet, but we will be going to a different track in 2027, and we're excited about that. And so um uh I'm proud, I'm proud of the challenge. And and I brought with me a love of that program. And so uh so it's it's uh important to me personally, and it's important to us as association. We have some great youth initiatives. I love our youth racing experience. Um just last year I was able to help two of our youth racing experience alumni get jobs in racing. And I that that there's nothing that thrills me more than when I can facilitate a young person's interest in what we do. Last month at Remington Park, I collaborated with the AAEP to do a vet student experience because we in the industry are really struggling with a lack of veterinarians and even a smaller pool of new veterinarians that don't get lured into a small animal practice. And we're seeing the ramifications of that everywhere. Uh, the the consequences of that might be a better word. Um, because now you have uh the the vets that are knowledgeable and tenured are spread so thin. They're tired, there's burnout, there's uh a lot of uh there's been a lot of talk about you know mental awareness for veterinarians because the they carry such a load. They then you get the young people and they're not tenured, and so we and we don't have much in the middle uh to build that knowledgeable horseman dealing either in private practice with the horses or in a regulatory capacity. Right. And that's one thing I experienced in training is the um there was a a wide scale of difference in regulatory vets who are doing the the pre-race examinations and some of them knew what they were doing, some of them wouldn't know if a leg was on backwards. And so uh I'm involved with the racing medication and testing consortium. And one of the things we've initiated um that I was a big advocate for was doing a continuing education for regbets. That's all I can do. All I can do is foster an environment for them to learn. And uh, we've been doing that now for several years, and so it's I think it's a good thing. And uh I also have a a seat on the board of the Racing Official Accreditation Program. And so I help teach classes twice a year on on that to people that are either getting their continuing education or want first-time accreditation. And the next thing that I have implemented into that teaching curriculum is to really talk about program trainers because it starts with the stewards. And so I'm changing the points of emphasis in in that curriculum that I have the opportunity to be involved in to help try to positively impact those that actually have the authority to make decisions. But we're seeing more and more of that all the time. There are messagings getting heard where we're seeing uh uh domestic partners uh get tied into to rulings because you know it's pretty evident that they're actually a program trainer. We're seeing them ask the right questions, you know, show me some verification that substantiates that you have actually had these horses in your care. And and I'm proud of that. I think that's a cumulative effort of those of us in the industry to make things better. I can't be the one asking the questions, but I can sure craft a document that helps guide them in asking the questions. And we've done so. We've done a best practices document on that. So so there's little steps, you know, how to eat an elephant one bite at a time, right? I'm gonna quote my friend Butch Weiss, who says that often. And uh that's all we can do is keep trying to get traction. So, yes, it may seem that we take two steps forward and one step back, or worse, one step forward, two steps back, but you can't give up the fight.
SPEAKER_14Right.
SPEAKER_13You've got to just keep saying engaged with the process, um, because uh the horse depends on us to do so.
SPEAKER_11Shifting gears on uh the well, first off, if you have a crystal ball, hold it out now. This is one of those crystal ball questions. Okay, it'd be a whole lot easier if you had one that way we could just ask the crystal ball to give us the answer. But we have an industry that focuses strongly on the two-year-old and the in the three-year-old year. And then of course, the older horse is where we fall short uh of of creating those things. The challenge, of course, is something that gives that golden opportunity for them to probably foster uh uh an extended career as opposed to going off and being sold or or or the various things that happens after a person that's focused on the Derby and the futurity, and then if it goes past that, then the horse is more valuable being able to sell it, get it away from not having to pay the training fees. But if we're creating an environment where they're having a lot more to run at, of course, that that helps everyone. It helps the industry and all. As it pertains to the challenge, I I'm I'm would love to discuss that about how is it that the industry itself can take that and and revitalize that uh you had mentioned that you had won the the challenge three years in a row back in the uh early 2000s. I don't think anybody would argue it was it's not necessarily the size-wise is the same as it was then as it is now, unless you tell me differently. The emphasis of people focusing on well, well, I'm I'm this horse, I made it challenge eligible so I can run at the challenge. I'm looking forward to trying to get it eligible to go to Albuquerque. I wish that there was way more of that. As an industry, I don't think we're ever going to shift away from the security and the derby dependence that we have on the industry. But how do we kind of shift focus to continue to create situations we where we prolong careers, which uh it prolongs owners' participation, their uh ability to be profitable at doing this, because to uh keep a horse in training, you know how expensive it is to do that, and for us to provide as an industry a way for them to uh even an opportunity for it to be a profitable situation. I'm I'm just hoping that the industry can get behind and maybe revitalize the challenge program, or if there's something else waiting out there, uh certainly to to kind of revitalize the older horse market.
SPEAKER_13So first let's talk about the challenge. And so the the challenge doesn't garner any money from gambling revenue and what have you. So there's a host contribution and AQHA contribution, and the AQHA money comes from an equation that uh has to do with the enrollment funds and uh the investment money of that over time and our corporate sponsor funds. We've struggled to make our corporate sponsor funds grow, but we still have a really viable program. The difference is the other programs have grown more as uh as additional gaming revenues have been brought into racing. And so while while we have held our own, our numbers have held their own as far as participation and then as far as uh, you know, we have over a million dollars that we gave away for the channels championships last year. I'm really proud of that. That's uh that's a good amount of racing because the one thing that we're doing with that program is we're helping support not just the have states, the states that have the alternative gaming revenue, but also supporting the have not states and the states that that don't have gaming and they they need more opportunities to host black type races at their tracks, and and we still serve that need, and I'm proud of that. The next thing about it is okay, so you're talking about wanting to bring it up to the level of the other races. Well, um, we could do it with more revenue and uh and then that would be more enticing and and we work on that. Um, you know, I was able through some relationships that I have, I was able to sustain a little more funding um for from the corporate sponsor side. Uh when when we'd lost some of our other corporate sponsors to keep everything even keel. I'm proud of that. It's an ongoing effort. Talking about filling races. Um there's two problems uh that I think our inventory of horses is depleted when they're older. I think most gillings go to uh other places that are off and away from regulated racing. And I think fillies and and and mares and stallions, I think our yearling market has gotten so strong and so lucrative that they're the minute that they think that they have something that will produce a marketable full, then boom. They don't continue the race career. They go ahead and get them into the breeding shed. That's a that's a uh a business paradigm, right? Uh I I understand that. Um so it's a good thing that our business is so strong that people are wanting to breed breed their horses. Uh does it negatively impact our inventory of older horses? Most definitely. So the only way to keep them there longer is to increase the incentive financially.
SPEAKER_11That's where I was going with that. Yes. Of how do we do that?
SPEAKER_13Right, right. Well, I know that different people have different programs uh, you know, between between the breed incentives, uh augment purses. And uh, you know, maybe people have to get creative like like you did when you were at Own Star Park. You know, you had a a a series to help try to incentivize people participating in that. So, you know, I think breed incentives are a real good way to do that because they augment better per structures. And so you just have to look at the the cost versus value of the potential earnings here versus the potential earnings as a market breeder. That's I think that's part of the struggle.
SPEAKER_11Janet, you've been doing this, as you said, over a decade now. I'm assuming you're not gonna do this forever. So as you look back on your career, uh question I would have for you, which which one brings you more joy? I have a friend that uh is a former trainer and he comes out to the racetrack all the time and he he's retired. He and he and I make jokes to him that uh you know there should be some kind of like dude ranch where former racetrack folks get to come out and lead a horse up to the racetrack or uh get to hot walk one around the r the the shed row or or just to be around and and you do see that a lot of former trainers uh just to kind of get their racehorse fixed because it's once it's in your blood, it's very hard to get it out. As it pertains to when you finally do decide that you don't not want to do this any longer, which one has brought you more joy? The AQHA uh as the chief racing officer, or is it your time as as being in the helm of Bam Bever Racing Stables?
SPEAKER_13Well, there's no doubt about it. Being at AQHA is tough. I I don't want to uh paint it in such a negative picture, but every day you're fighting for something to make things better. But it's a worthwhile endeavor. That in itself is successful. Every so often you just do something little. Those are winner circle moments for me, whether it's big or little. It's an opportunity to take my lifetime of experience and my knee-jerk reaction, help somebody. So that brings me great joy. Those those moments. Sometimes it's a big thing where you're doing a presentation and you're uh I've got a big thing I'm working on right now with fractional ownership. And um I think, or my hope is when I do retire, that I look back and say, this is the legacy I'm leaving the quarter horse industry in my role at AQHA is to bring this successful platform to and and introduce new people to our sport because of it. So that's my hope. I have different areas. I think um breeding, I think my legacy is this bringing the Santacha thoroughbred marriage to our industry. And the fact that here we are all these years later, uh still impacting uh the industry is is really a big deal. And I think as a trainer, it was that I opened some doors as as a woman. And uh I was never big on the ginger thing, but people pointed out to me that other women deserve for you to point it out that they can do it too. I agree with that. But I was a horse fan, but I sustained a successful business for a number of years. I won a thousand races. I'm proud of that as a trainer. I'm also proud that the majority of those thousand races I did in 10 years, and I never had a positive test for performance enhancing drug. Had two overages for controlled therapy, you know, but something like that. I'm really proud of that. And that's part of what made me come to AQHA. And I hope that my my legacy at AQHA is that um I helped introduce a program that really grew the sport. And I'm looking forward to that.
SPEAKER_11Well, Janet, thanks so very much for joining us here on the Quota Horse Racing Podcast. And I've and I've told Tom Dawson, I've told G.R. Carter this as well. There's no way I can encapsulate everything I want to talk to you about within an hour and 20 minutes of the podcast. And so it's certainly something I'd like to circumnavigate and come back and talk with. And as mentioned, uh you you could probably have talked about Taylor Fit for an entire hour and a half if I if I gave you the right questions and all. But as it pertains to this one, I really wanted to get on and kind of talk about your current role and what your kind of the things that you have to navigate on a daily basis as being the chief racing officer with AQHA. So thanks so very much for joining us here on Quota Wars Racing Talk week.
SPEAKER_13Well, I'm honored that you asked. Thanks for the opportunity.
SPEAKER_05And we'll be right back after these words.
SPEAKER_16Hey! You won't want to miss out on this. Get out your day planners and your pens and pencils to write this one down.
SPEAKER_01Hey, I'm Spence Kidney, the general manager here at Heritage Place in Oklahoma City. We can't wait to host you for the upcoming Yearland sale September 16th through the 19th.
SPEAKER_10That's Heritage Place, the place where champions are sold.
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SPEAKER_11All right, we're back here on Quarter Horse Racing Talk Weekly, ready to jump into a very busy recap section with eight things to recap from this past weekend of racing and throughout the quarter horse racing world. And we'll start out at Los Alamitos for the Grade 1 Vessel's Maturity, a really stout field of four-year-olds and upward going 400 yards, $142,000 on the line. And here is Mike Corona with the call.
SPEAKER_22Racing. Lethal Cowboy 123 stretches away magnificently. Missed by the nostril in the red McKenzie with a championship. But with this resounding score in the vessel's maturity, he punches his stick into the champion of champions. The gray beard picked title fluids. Trying to hard enough finish the gallon second.
SPEAKER_15Lethal Cowboy123 is a four-year-old guilding by flying cowboy one two three out of the first Don Dashmair, Pretty Lethal. Read by Veronica, Gail, Kowan, and Nikoa, owned by Caliche Wallventures, Alan Isbell, Lance Bland, and Jimmy Barton. Trained by Mark Youngers and ridden by Edwin Escobito.
SPEAKER_11And we were able to get on the phone with trainer Mark Youngers, former world champion trainer, to talk about this big win here in the Grade One. Mark, first off, congratulations on the big grade one win. Thank you, Greg. Uh Mark, he's a horse that's just been solid. There's no other way to say it. Uh horse loves California is the other thing to say about him. Uh he just just loves it out there on the West Coast. Talk about this big win there and the grade one vessels.
SPEAKER_20Well, you you hit it on the head. He does love California, and someone asked me why I think he does that. I said, Well, he's born and raised out there, so that's where we bought him from. But this, you know, Lee the Cowboy has just been phenomenal. He um we shipped him obviously back out there from Remington after the championship, and we had a little bit of a troubled out, but man, he he come bounced back, shipped in well, been training great, and uh drew the nine-hole and ran one of the best race of his life. Perfect, you know, start to finish.
SPEAKER_11Yes. A lot of ground to cover from here to the champion of champions in December. What is his outlook for 2026 kind of look like, Mark?
SPEAKER_20Um, I think we'll follow, you know, we'll follow this maybe the championship, the go-mango, you know, that kind of there's, you know, there's there's a there's a spot for him to run about every 30 days out there. So we'll see how he, you know, he pulled up really good so far. Um the horse is, like I said, training well. Uh let's kind of kind of pick our spots. But he's like I said, uh, if he's he's fresh and happy, I need to run him, you know. That's kind of the he's he's doing really well. But that's kind of the plan. I will see how he, you know, how he goes into that other race, but we may run him in the championship, you know, in a here at end of July.
SPEAKER_11With a horse that's already garnered a birth into the champion and champions mark, does it give that sense of you can back off the throttle a little bit?
SPEAKER_20Yes, sir, 100%. You know, I mean, you know, things have changed over the years, but back in nineteen eighty one. And I was you know, take care of Deniman Diamonds. We ran her that was our goal with her, you know. She won she won the championship early, got her first invite, come back, she won the vessels, she won the go man go. She w you know I mean, so she went on, but she just kept every race seemed to get better and better. And I think this cult is kind of that way, as long as we can keep him sound and happy. So as long as he's training well, then we'll it's most definitely it's give us a little bit better breathing room, I guess you might the best way to put it. But you know, yeah, we don't we can skip when we want to, I guess where we're going with that. But yeah, right now he's uh you know, the way he's training, we'll that's that's probably what we end up doing, but we'll just see. We'll play it by here.
SPEAKER_11Well, congratulations again, Mark, and we look forward to seeing him in December.
SPEAKER_20Hey, Greg, thank you very much. Appreciate the call.
SPEAKER_11All right, out to Wyoming Downs, the 307 HR Open Quarterhorse Futurity, $298,000 on the line, 300 yards, and here's the call.
SPEAKER_21And uh they're off at a horrible start for Cyber Buzz, who stumbled at the break. There's Cowboy Favorite and Kiss Me If You Can Heading off for the early advantage down the far outside is my favorite kiss 48. It's kiss me if you can in front, close to home. Kiss me if you can, or cowboy favorite. Photo finish. That got very tight. Kiss me if you can handle lead. Cowboy Favorite made a late dive. It's a photo finish.
SPEAKER_15Kiss Me If You Can is a two-year-old Philly by Kiss My Hawks out of the Corona Cocktail mare. The slate's clean. Bred by HE Ranch, owned by Jose Gonzalez, trained by Joe Davis, and ridden by Luis Valenzuela.
SPEAKER_11Now it's time for the state breads out there in Wyoming at the 307 HR Wyoming Bred Quarter Horse Futurity, $284,000 on the line, two-year-olds going 300 yards, $284,000 on the line. And here's the call.
SPEAKER_21And uh fast dark down inside ER innocent party. Billy's high returns is right there as well, along with Dash and Steffi down the far outside is Lil' Polly's train. Final 110. It's Dash and Steffi or Lil Polly's train down this. Oh my goodness! Five of them came to the wire together! An absolute thriller. Five of them on the wire will let the judges decide at an absolute thriller in Wyoming's richest race of all time.
SPEAKER_15Lil Polly's train is a two-year-old Philly by Freight Train B out of the apolitical Jess Mare, Political Bedlam. Owned and bred by Bill Dowens, trained by Josh Taylor, and ridden by Juan Polito.
SPEAKER_11Down in Texas at Ritama Park, a slew of graded stakes events took place, as well as other stakes events this past weekend. We're gonna focus on the King William Stakes, a grade three event, $69,000 on the line, 350 yards for three-year-olds and up.
SPEAKER_02And they're off. Quick break on the inside to the one Shaker's No Secret right alongside. He's bold as Corona on the far outside. It's rockin' the train. They sprint toward the finish. It's Shaker's No Seeker and Rockin' the Train. Shaker's No Secret wins the King William.
SPEAKER_15Shaker's No Secret is a six-year-old gelding by five-bar cartel out of the No Secrets Here Mare, Shaker's Secret, read by Garland Shelton, owned by Abel and Ethan Lopez, Manny Dutchover, and trained by Mark Youngers with Raul Hernandez Jr. on board.
SPEAKER_10Now we're going over to the hook horses in the 870-yard San Marcos Stakes Grade 3 event.
SPEAKER_11$45,000 on the line for three-year-olds and up. And here's the call.
SPEAKER_02Master Reigns on the inside, on the outside. That's Yippie Kayeti. Those two head and head, nose to nose for the lead on the far outside. I am tough and now tucking towards the inside. It's Louisiana Mystery. Master Reigns, Yippie Kaye. Master Reigns, Yippie Kaye on the inside. Louisiana Mystery. Who's it gonna be? Yippie Kaye. What's up with the wire?
SPEAKER_15Yippie Kaye is a five-year-old gelding by Trey Sace out of the Fantastic Corona Junior mare, just chantastic, owned and bred by Stanley Forbes, trimmed by Richard Di Sedillo, and written by Alejandro Medina.
SPEAKER_11Now it's out to Albuquerque Downs, the grade one Rainbow Futurities trials happened this past weekend. And let's look at the fastest qualifier coming out of day one.
SPEAKER_23They're running. Clean, even break, and it's early speed for Cowgirl Eats Fire. Center, the course, is Cartel Cowgirl 1, 2, 3. Farside, we have Patrick Jane. And then the inside good candy, then Dracula. It's Cartel Cowgirl 1, 2, 3 on her debut in a smashing debut. She wins clear. Then we have uh Cowgirl Eats Fire and a photo of I think Patrick Jane along with Candy Creek Senator Farside.
SPEAKER_15Cartel Cowgirl is a two-year-old Philly by Flying Cowboy 123 out of the Corona Cartel mare Famous Cartel Lady. Bread and owned by Johnny Trotter, trained by James Gonzalez II, and written by Joseph Bellock Jr.
SPEAKER_11And after the fastest qualifier got through with day one, we were able to get on the phone with trainer JJ Gonzalez to talk to him about this talented Philly going into the finals of the Rainbow Futurity.
SPEAKER_08Tickle to death. Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_11Talk to me about this horse's progression to get to this point.
SPEAKER_08She's very professional. Jesse James worked her about three weeks ago, and uh she worked lights out. She beat three other horses. Uh, no exaggeration, probably three lengths. And looked very impressive. Came back good. We got her ready, we prepped her for the trials, and she did the rest. Uh Joseph Bella rode a hell of a race. At this time of the year, you know, you're running against horses that already run three, four, five times. And uh uh Joseph Bella got out of the gates and and guided her down through there, and and looked like the further she went, the faster she got.
SPEAKER_11Well, good luck going towards the finals, JJ, and uh hopefully we'll get an effort out of her that somehow resembles the Futurity Trials.
SPEAKER_08That would be awesome.
SPEAKER_11If she does that, um they might read about her. Day two of the Rainbow Futurity Trials, and here is the fastest qualifier.
SPEAKER_23They're running. Ask her to fly. Good break in the center. She's got her mind on running. She bears down. Ask her to fly in front. Then it is AJ Beauty Rose, Cartel Clue next. Extreme outside Cyber Rivers beginning to throw in a late run. But ask her to fly as flown away. Ask her to fly, then the Cyber River from Cartel Clue, and I think AJ Beauty Rose.
SPEAKER_15Ask her to fly as a two-year-old Philly by flying cowboy 123 out of the Teller Cartel Mare Ask the Question. Read and owned by Randall Gieselman, trained by Jason Olmsted, and ridden by Romero Garcia.
SPEAKER_11And we were able to get on the phone with former world champion trainer Jason Olmsted to talk to him about this fastest qualifying Philly. Jason, the Philly ran a tremendous race to get in the fastest qualifier uh going into day two. So talk to me about the Philly. And you know, you kind of uh obviously everybody had high hopes coming off the last race, so talk to me. Uh talk to me about her uh her trial race.
SPEAKER_12She came out of it great. I mean, looks good today, happy and healthy. Uh, you know, we've always always had concerns of her size, and and I was really praying that through the Riyadosa fraturity trials and finals, that it wasn't just a fluke. And but the other day, I mean, that was a pretty impressive race. I thought from gate to wire, run pretty flawless, and she may be small in package, but she's mighty in ability.
SPEAKER_11Congratulations, Jason, and and good luck going forth in the finals. Okay, thank you. Then it was time for the Phillies, the three-year-olds going 440 yards in the Rainbow Oaks Trials, a grade one event with the finals on July the 11th. And here's Robert Fox with the call of the fastest qualifier.
SPEAKER_23They're running. Hopping start for GF She's Sinful. Toby Sis bro Toby Sis broke right with her. Then we have Ring of Fire at the rail. Next we go back to Feliz Dreaming, and it's Toby Sis who got in front of GFC Sinful. Toby Sis, GFC Sinful, Toby Sis beats GF She's Sinful. Then Ru's tickle knockout in a three-way photo for four.
SPEAKER_15Toby Sis is a three-year-old Philly by favorite cartel out of the walkthrough Fire Mare, London Laura. Owned by Valeriana Racing Stables, bred by Edward Allred, trained by Raymond Valerio, and ridden by Francisco Calderon.
SPEAKER_11We were able to get on the phone with Jockey Francisco Calderon to talk to him about this talented Philly. Francisco, another great effort from Toby Sis. Talk about this Philly going down the racetrack there in the trials.
SPEAKER_24Uh yes, you know, she did it, she had a good out. Uh she left pretty good, and we got hooked up, made a race, and she she went by that other fitty. You know, that other fit is really good too, you know. She won the Redoso Derby, so it was a tough trial, but thank God she ran good and managed to get there first and qualify. You know, last year she won the two million and uh which was amazing, and then she went to Oklahoma, but I think she just needed a couple outs in her under her belt, and and she never raced in New Mexico, and I think she liked it there because she ran really good there, top of the ground was just perfect.
SPEAKER_11Congratulations on the fastest qualifying spot and good luck going towards the finals. Yes, sir. Thank you, Greg. Now it was time for the boys there at Albuquerque in the grade one Rainbow Derby trials, with an estimated purse of over $750,000 for the finals on July the 11th, with three-year-olds going a quarter of a mile, and one of the usual names at the top of the list was called as the fastest qualifier coming out of those trials.
SPEAKER_23Political twist, beautiful break on top early, and now being chased by Jess Sinful along the inside, right alongside Unleashed is coming at him. Political twist, unleashed outside, just sinful fades in AJ's wingman. It's political twist, political twist from Unleashed in AJ's Wingman, or if runaway cowboy far side back to the inside Jess Sinful.
SPEAKER_15Political Twist is the three-year-old gelding by a political Jess out of the Trey Sace Mare Sea Twister Sase. Owned by La Felice Montana Ranch and Ray Willis, read by MJ Farms, trained by Daniel Omaya, and written by Luis Martinez.
SPEAKER_11And we were able to get on the phone and talk with co-owner Javier Rodriguez of La Feliz Montana Ranch about this talented gilding. Javier, this guy continues to just keep putting his name in the headlines here. Political twist, the fastest qualifier going into the rainbow derby. Talk about this trial event.
SPEAKER_07Well, you know, Greg, uh he hasn't been running for seven months. Honestly, I was very concerned, you know, because it's not easy for a horse that has been off uh for seven months and just go 440 yards. He's a true champ, and he, you know, he's a runner. He loves to run, but uh he pulled out perfect, you know. He's a sound horse. Pretty happy with his performance. So hopefully he can come back in two weeks and and do it again.
SPEAKER_11And this horse seems to really like it there in Albuquerque.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, yeah. He seems to uh you know enjoy the uh the track over there at the surface and and uh I I think it was the uh the four horse that uh moved a little bit and uh but he still broke like a rocket. You know, he he loves it. It looks like he like you say, he loves it out there.
SPEAKER_11Well, congratulations and good luck going towards the finals. Thank you, sir. Hey, don't go away. We got plenty more here on Quarter Horse Racing Talk Weekly when we get into the preview section, so stick around.
SPEAKER_19Hey, did you know KV and Corona put two fillies into the finals of the Grade 1 Rainbow Oaks? And at Tempting Dash sired the fastest qualifier for the Firecracker Derby? Well, now you do. They stand alongside Sires of Political Blood, Gold Heart Eagle V, and Visa, all at Robashow Ranch in Bro Bridge, Louisiana. Visit them online at Robashowinc.com. All right, back to the show.
SPEAKER_15Now, jumping into this week's racing preview, we've got a huge Fourth of July weekend of major fraturity trials and finals taking place across Louisiana and Texas. And we'll start with things at Rotoma Park in the San Antonio area where the TQHA self-faturity trials kick off this Thursday, setting the stage for one of the premier events on the Texas quarter horse racing circuit.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, these trials are top to bottom, these are really tough trials. There's a lot of really good horses in here. I think the main top runner in the trials is in race six, number nine, cowboy flying. This horse just won the Texas Breeders for charity in Sam Houston. And one thing that I thought was interesting is out of the other four top runners that I have, this horse has beat them all because all the other horses that I put down were in the Texas Breeders, and Cowboy Flying won the Texas Breeders.
SPEAKER_15Yes, Yancy. I think this is definitely one of the top competitors in the trials going this weekend. Another top runner who has quite the resume already this year won the Louisiana Downs Faturity Grade 2 event in March and came back and ran eighth in the Texas Breeders Faturity last month. Is in trial three, number one, Whoopi Cowgirl. I think that this TQHA Yearling Cell graduate is definitely going to be tough in these trials.
SPEAKER_09Yes, Whoopi Cowgirl is a super nice horse as well. I think another top runner comes out of the of the first trial, the two horse, Mr. Carter. He um ran third in the Texas Breeders Fraturity already this year. He hasn't had a win yet. He's had three starts, one win, one second. So he hasn't broke his maiden, but he's also a super nice horse.
SPEAKER_15Another horse that I like is in Race to Hawka Jet, uh building by Kiss My Hawks. He ran in the West Texas fraturity back in April and ran sixth, but got bumped hard early, and he came back and got second in a maiden in May. So I think this horse is on the right track to do well in these trials.
SPEAKER_09Another trial that I'd like to look at as well is in trial number five. There's two really nice horses in there. Um, first a three-horse, JC Canelo. This horse has had four starts, two wins. He ran fourth in the Texas Breeders Fraternity. He also qualified to the Louisiana Downs fraternity. Another horse in here is on the outside, Corona's first cowboy out of the Mark Youngers barn. This horse has had five starts, three wins. He ran fourth in the Sam Houston fraternity last time out. He also qualified to the Texas Breeders Fraternity. So this is another really strong runner. One thing I'm noticing about the horses in this in these trials, Bailey, is a lot of them have already ran against each other in a lot of major races.
SPEAKER_15Yeah, there's a lot of good horses in this uh group of trials, so should be a great night of racing. And on uh Friday night, they're going to be having the grade three Cell Mistakes, a $50,000 event for Phillies and Mares, three year olds and up. And Yancy, who do you have picked on top?
SPEAKER_09I have Blood's Valiant Policy, the eight horse. If this horse breaks, I think this horse is the horse to beat. Um last time out in the Sam Houston Oaks, she hopped at the start, got shut off, she was dead last and came and barely lost by a nose in that. But in every one of her races, if she breaks, she wins. But she's a handful in the gate, so it all comes down to the gate with her.
SPEAKER_15Yeah, and another one I like is the one, a just good candy mare, Baby Ruth. She ran in the Juno Request Stakes, a grade one event at Remington. It was her last out, and she got bumped pretty hard at the beginning. So I think that if she could break clean, like you said, on your horse, I think she'll be tough as well.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, Babe Ruth is a hard-knocking horse that's always in stakes races. Another really good one in that race is the 10 Jess Louisiana girl. Last time out she ran fourth in the Miss M. Houston, but it was her first start in almost seven months. So I think she came up a little short in that race. And I think she'll be a lot stronger having a race under her belt for this year.
SPEAKER_15And moving to Louisiana on Saturday is the grade two firecracker fraturity, a $270,000 purse, going 350 yards for two-year-olds. And I think that it's definitely gonna be hard to beat the one Mucho man lady. She's already won $114,000 this year. She won the Old South fraternity, she ran third in the Louise Downs fraternity, and she has a lot of experience going into the final.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, I think this horse, as of right now, is one of the best two-year-olds there is. I mean, she has five stars, three wins, and like you said, she already won a fraternity, qualified for two. I have to put her on top, but the horse I like for second is the King Mafia. This horse won its trial as well and finished really strong. Uh, she ran third in the old south fraternity this year, and I think she's a horse that's improving. She looks to be getting better, but if the one runs her race, it's her race to lose.
SPEAKER_15And going west in Albuquerque, they're gonna be having the Zia Faturity Trials, a restricted grade one event, going 400 yards, and here are a few of Yancey and I's picks for the trials.
SPEAKER_09Uh, the first horse I wanna highlight is in race two, number six, Sand and C. This horse ran third last time out in the mountaintop fraturity. This horse didn't break really good in the finals, but he finished really strong and didn't lose by that far. Uh he'll be making his third start. He's still a maiden, so but he ran third last time out in the mountaintop. So race two, number six, Sand and C.
SPEAKER_15And another one that I like is in race seven, Big Twist, who's half sibling to political twist, who just said the fastest time in the rainbow derby. And Big Twist has already qualified for two fraturities this year. He ran fourth in the New Mexico Spring Fraturity at the beginning of the year, and recently ran fifth in the mountaintop New Mexico Bread Fraternity. So I think that if this horse does his thing, he will be a qualifier and headed into the restricted grade one event.
SPEAKER_09And another one that I like is in the very next race, race eight, number three, Big Ted. This horse ran second in the New Mexico Breeders earlier this year, and then ran third in the New Mexico Spring Fling Fraternity. Um he's another one that's been super tough in finals, just hasn't quite got to grade one yet. But he's another horse that should, if he runs his race, should qualify.
SPEAKER_15And then jumping to race 11 is Baby Daddy Cartel, who's one of the top two-year-olds, probably the top New Mexico two-year-old this year, who won the Mountaintop Fraternity and also won the New Mexican Spring Fling at the beginning of the year. He has $183,000 in earnings already, and that's probably one of my top picks for the trials.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, I really like this time of year, Bailey. It seems like every week there's either trials or finals to a grade one. So this will be another fun set of trials to watch out in New Mexico.
SPEAKER_15And moving on Saturday, they're gonna be having the Zia Derby trials, and the reigning all-American Faturity winner, King of the Tide, will be running. So I'm definitely excited to be seeing how he's gonna come back as a three-year-old.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, King of the Tide makes his debut, but I think in race two, number three, Luxury is gonna be his toughest competitor. Um, this has always been one of my favorite horses. He has eight starts, six wins. Um he just won the mountaintop derby, and last year he actually beat King of the Tide when he won the Mountaintop Fraturity. So it should be a clash of two of the best three-year-olds in New Mexico for sure. And then another really super good horse in in these trials is in race four. Pour me a drink. Um, this horse won the New Mexico Classic Fraturity at Hobbs last year. He ran second in the shoe fly, and he had the fastest time going into the mountaintop derby, but didn't really run good in the finals. But his main rider, James Flores, is back in the irons, so I look for him to bounce back in these trials.
SPEAKER_15Yes, it's gonna be a great weekend of racing, and that wraps up this week's racing preview section. So best of luck to all the owners, trainers, jockeys, and connections competing this weekend, and we'll see you next week to discuss if we me and Yancy had any winners.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, I gotta bounce back. Bailey beat me on both of the stakes last week, so.
SPEAKER_15And and Greg disappeared. He's out of it.
SPEAKER_11Alright, that's all the time we have here on Codal Horse Racing Talk Weekly Podcast and another great one, Bailey. And and I continue to say this, but just the amount of people that continue to want to talk about it, the podcast with me, everywhere I go, and all the text messages as well as the calls, and wanting to discuss the last guest that was on the show. It's just becoming something. I'm so happy that this is really firing on all eight cylinders.
SPEAKER_15Yes, Greg, I've been getting a ton of compliments on the past few podcasts, and I'm excited for this next one.
SPEAKER_11Well, it's heating up, Bailey. What's what's plans for the summer?
SPEAKER_15Oh, you know, it's racing, gearling sales, traveling, the usual.
SPEAKER_11The usual. So Rainbow Futurity Finals right around the corner here. We're looking forward to bringing a lot of that coverage here on the podcast as well as on stallionesearch.com. And on behalf of Greg Thompson of Stallion ESearch, and I'm Bailey Ivy. We'll see you next week here on the number one quarter horse racing podcast in the world, Quarter Horse Racing Talk Weekly.