Archive for the ‘Good News Friday’ Category

By Bradford Cummings
It’s a young person’s world. With the advent of computers and the web infusing every corner of our lives, every industry must strive to reach younger and younger audiences in order to stay relevant, much to the chagrin of the ever aging Thoroughbred industry. According to the superbly written and researched R2Collective, our demographics are trending in the opposite direction. A super majority of 91.7% of racing’s audience is 40 or older and 49.7% is over 55 while a whopping 0.3% is under 25. With the knowledge that most people make their lifetime purchasing decisions by the age of 30, these numbers are depressing, no matter how you look at them.

But enough of the bad news. After all, this is Good News Friday sponsored by Liberation Farm. Instead, we’d like to share a strong kernel of hope for the future of racing. Despite the downward trends we are currently seeing, there will always be an opportunity to recapture the imagination of our youth. Because even in the face of basketball, football, poker, baseball and other endeavors, we will always have one advantage on the rest of the competition. At the center of our industry, we have the opportunity to celebrate one of the most beautiful and elegant creatures known to man…the horse.

An eight-year-old giving up birthday presents is like Jess Jackson passing on a press conference but that’s exactly what Logan Resnick did this year. I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Kimberlee Resnick, this selfless boy’s very proud mother.

A family from a northern suburb of Chicago, Northbrook, the Resnicks have a passion for racing. The majority of their stable are Thoroughbreds who run at Arlington Park and Oaklawn Park with a few Standardbreds featured at various parks around the country. As with many owners, racing is not the family business but instead a hobby. When asked if it was a money making opportunity, Kimberlee chuckled and simply answered, "No, like I said, it’s a hobby and a passion."

And they have effectively handed this excitement down to their young son Logan who absolutely delights in being around the horses, helping to take care of them and watching them run. "He was a year old when we started into it," said Mrs. Resnick in a familiar fast-talking Chicago dialect. "He developed the passion along with his dad."

"Like father, like son?"

"Yes, exactly."

So when they were planning Logan’s birthday party this year, they were discussing their options and a friend’s party came up that had left an impression on Logan. Apparently, his friend Rachel had asked her friends to make a donation to a local food pantry in lieu of gifts. When Kimberlee brought this up to him as an option, he showed some interest but had the natural questions one might suspect an eight-year-old would have about a potential birthday party without presents. More on that later.

Quickly, Logan decided to go with the charity idea. "When we asked, do you have any place you want to give money to, he said ‘The horse mommy, the horses that get hurt," said Resnick.

After some research, the Resnick’s landed on Thoroughbred Charities of America, an organization already covered in a previous Good News Friday article.

As of yesterday, the TCA has received 17 donations totaling $318. When his donations started to be received, the TCA noticed and sent Logan a care package as a thank you for his support. In the care package included a letter that thanked him for his support and indicated he was helping to save horses. "The money people are sending are actually helping the horses?" Logan asked. It’s then that it really sunk in the positive effect his generosity was having. One friend Jacob even got into his piggy bank and found $20 to give with his parents matching him dollar for dollar.

Is $318 going to turn the TCA upside down? Of course not, but that’s also not the point. It’s just so refreshing to hear the tale of a little boy who is so selfless that he would sacrifice a part of the biggest day of his year to help a cause he cares about so deeply. We should make it our mission to celebrate every Logan out there. After all, they are the ones who will one day grow up to help make our industry stronger.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, he still received gifts from his family. There are some things even the greatest of eight-year-olds can’t give up. This thirty-two-year-old completely understands.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
The late Lou Rowan, a California owner and breeder and one of the founding directors of the Oak Tree Racing Association, gave much of his time helping racetrack employees whose lives were spiraling out of control due to drug and alcohol problems. A recovering alcoholic who understood the disease of addiction, Rowan helped more than a few people learn how to deal with their problems. But the needs at the track were greater than any one man could resolve, so in 1984 Rowan convinced the Oak Tree board to put a trailer in the stable area where 12-step meetings could be held to help alcoholics and addicts begin the process of recovery.

That was how the Winners Foundation was formed. Funded originally by Oak Tree but now supported by all of California’s racing associations (and individual donors), the organization has a presence at every track in the Golden State, helping front and backside employees troubled by alcohol, drugs, or gambling problems, as well as mental illnesses such as depression. The Winners Foundation also assists with domestic abuse issues and divorce that often result from the various types of addiction. Another program it offers trainers is drug-testing of potential employees before they are hired.

There is an annual caseload of over 225 patients, according to Bob Fletcher, executive director of the Winners Foundation for the last seven years. Fletcher, a longtime employee on the front side of California’s tracks, referred several fellow workers to the program even while developing his own problems with alcohol and drugs. In 1991, he went to the Winners Foundation for help, and has been clean and sober ever since.

When former executive director Don Murray retired in 2003 after more than a dozen years with the organization, the board asked Fletcher if he could take over, and he was happy to do so. Fletcher isn’t the only Winners Foundation staffer in recovery. Four of the organization’s five employees have overcome their own problems with drugs or alcohol, which gives them greater understanding in helping those currently in need.

Many employees are referred to the Winners Foundation by California Horse Racing Board stewards or track management. They are given an assessment to determine the severity of their problem by Fletcher or one of the case managers (there are two at the Northern California tracks and one in Southern California who works with Fletcher). Many are sent to detoxification centers and in-patient programs, some for as long as three months. Front side employees, many of them labor union members, are usually covered by their health insurance, but Winners Foundation foots the bill for most of the backstretch workers licensed with the CHRB. The cost of those programs can be significant, and have not been immune from the escalation in health care prices.

When those workers are released from the in-patient programs, Winners Foundation provides a variety of fellowship meetings so they can continue in their recovery. The offices expanded from that original trailer and are now large enough to host several types of 12-step meetings, day and night, seven days a week. “We have meetings for Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, in both English and Spanish, along with Al-Anon (for the families of alcoholics/addicts), meetings of adult children of alcoholics, and even Bible study one night as week,” Fletcher said. “There is something going on every afternoon and night.”

Fletcher said one of the strengths of the Winners Foundation throughout its history has been a strong and active board of directors. Gino Roncelli, a horse owner and local businessman, is the only remaining member of the original board put together by Rowan. He has served as president for nearly 20 years. Joe Harper, chief executive of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, is board chairman. One of the newest board members is Mary Forney, who works for the Thoroughbred Owners of California.

“It’s one of my beliefs that it’s just as important to take care of the people as it is to take care of the animals,” said Forney. “Animal rights issues get a lot of headlines, but the people who care for the animals often get ignored. If you want to take care of the animals you also want to provide a clean work force to handle them. It’s an advantage for the owners to have clean and sober stable help handle their investments.”

“The heartening thing is to see these men and women after they recover,” said Roncelli, “and see their families back together. When you get caught up in drugs and alcohol addiction, you think your life is about over. This program gives you a whole new life to look forward to. Almost everywhere you look around the racetrack, there’s someone who has been helped.”

Among the high-profile success stories of the Winners Foundation are jockeys Garrett Gomez and David Flores, but there are many lesser-known individuals, from pari-mutuel clerks to security personnel to grooms who have gotten their lives back on track through the program.

Fletcher had some big shoes to fill when he took over for Murray, but Roncelli said the program didn’t miss a beat. “Bob is such a great guy,” Roncelli said. “He has empathy for people in that place, because he remembers being there.”

For more information on the Winners Foundation, click here to visit their website.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
Those who think all the “suits” in racing’s ivory towers know nothing about the people who put on the show at racetracks across the country should talk with Churchill Downs Inc.’s chief operating officer Bill Carstanjen. He had a crash course for 10 days last September working incognito alongside employees on the front and backside of Churchill Downs, Arlington Park and Calder, and the experience was enlightening if not life-changing.

Carstanjen played the starring role in the new CBS television series “Undercover Boss,” which puts executives at major companies alongside front-line workers.

“Each week a different executive will leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their company,” the reality show’s website explains. “While working alongside their employees, they will see the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organization and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their company run.”

Other companies profiled so far include Waste Management, 7-Eleven, White Castle, and Hooters.

The episode featuring Carstanjen and Churchill Downs Inc. employees is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. (eastern) March 14. Click here to see a preview.

Originally, CBS tried to get CDI’s chief executive officer Bob Evans to go undercover, but he was convinced too many employees would recognize him and his cover would be blown. Too bad: the Paulick Report has learned Evans has plenty of experience toiling in the trenches, reportedly helping pay his way through college by working as a janitor for the local school district.

Carstanjen disguised his look, replacing glasses with contact lenses and growing a scruffy beard on his jaw. Cameras followed him around through various jobs—as part of the clean-up crew on the front side, mucking stalls in the stable area, shadowing the track’s outrider, working with a jockey valet, and even the bugler for the call to the post.

Employees were told someone hoping to land an entry-level position was being documented by a film crew. “They thought he was an unemployed schmo trying out some entry-level jobs,” said Julie Koenig-Loignon, CDI’s vice president of brand development and marketing. “They were giving him a trial run as much as anything.”

Carstanjen didn’t just pose for the cameras. He was put to work alongside CDI employees.

“There are some very high pressure jobs in horse racing where you’ve got to keep up,” Koenig-Loignon said. “Bill definitely got put to the stress test. There was also some down time spent with employees. In some cases, he got to understand more about their families, along with personal and professional challenges.”

Carstanjen learned a lot more than how to much out a stall or clean a urinal.

“The best part of the 10-day voyage into the workings of the company was seeing and feeling the passion and dedication of the employees,” Carstanjen said. “Being undercover meant the people I was working side by side with, could speak frankly about their work.  They could freely speak about their personal sacrifice, health issues and time management, all while showing up every day for work with the same attitudes so many of us feel for this business—the passion, dedication and drive to get more fans to love the sport as much as we do. 

“For me, it was a lifetime experience.  There was a lot of enjoyment in experiencing the fun and passion without the corner office pressure, which focuses on the problems.”

Did he learn any lessons about how corporations like Churchill Downs can better connect with their employees?

“I could see all the things we’re doing right and all that we’re doing wrong and one takeaway and initiative will be to have a ‘Walk a mile in the other people’s shoes day’ at Churchill Downs Incorporated properties.  Not forgetting about safety or security, we plan to have people switch roles to really appreciate and teach everyone from the front side to the backside, what it takes to run a racetrack operation.”

The show’s preview indicates there are some emotional moments between Carstanjen and those he worked alongside.

“There are so many moments we worked and lived through,” he said. “I performed many different jobs and I don’t know what is in the final film; that is part of the arrangement with CBS.  I can tell you there are moments of joy, pride, and a whole lot of humble moments.  I truly did very few of the jobs very well.

“Probably the most raw, emotional moment was when we revealed who I was.  I really can’t say anymore, other than to tune in with us on March 14.”

Carstanjen plans to be with some of his family and Churchill Downs team members at the track on the night of March 14 “so we can all watch for the first time together and have a good laugh at my expense.”

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
I wouldn’t normally applaud the creation of yet another industry organization, but when one comes along that says it is “dedicated solely to improving the care and welfare of horses” and to “advocate on behalf of all horses through fiscal, professional, legislative and research support”—well, then, maybe our alphabet soup can stand a few more letters.

This new organization, formed in Kentucky and seeking 501(c)3 status, is the Equine Health and Welfare Alliance, and it has already in the process of getting some things done that should be beneficial to horses of all shapes and sizes.

The EHWA was created by a group of well-known Kentucky-based equine veterinarians: Frank Dwayne Marcum, who was named president; Doug Byars; Norm Umphenhour; Mike Cavey; and Gary Lavin. Membership will not be restricted to veterinarians.

While Kentucky-based, the group hopes to have an impact nationally and internationally. “The EHWA Inc. is positioned to provide expertise and coordinate other organizations in developing strategic plans for improving standards of care, regulatory oversight and current policies pertaining to the treatment of the equine,” Marcum said in a statement.

“The horse is a deaf mute,” said Byars. “It can’t speak for itself. So our focus will be solely on issues and mechanisms that protect, promote and preserve adequate humane measures of basic needs for the horse.”

“We have a moral obligation to be proper stewards of this important part of our nation’s heritage,” added Marcum.

The EHWA’s goals include:

·       Identify issues adversely effecting the humane treatment of horses and identify solutions through legislative or regulatory action.

·       Promote research to improve equine health.

·       Improve the quality and oversight of horse rescue operations.

·       Build a nationwide grassroots network to advocate on behalf all equine breeds.

As its first order of business, the EHWA has promoted a bill (House Bill 398) in the Kentucky legislature that would create the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Board under the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet. The board would be responsible for working with the cabinetand taking action on issues related to equine health and welfare. The bill would also create an equine health and welfare trust fund to be administered by the board to promote equine health, welfare, and safety.
 
The bill was passed through a unanimous vote of the House on Thursday.

Specifically, the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Board will have responsibility for the following:

· Undertake research, conduct public hearings, and collect data to determine prevalent equine health and welfare issues.
·  Strive to develop regional centers of care for unwanted, abused, neglected, or confiscated equines.
·  Create a system of voluntary certification of equine rescue and retirement operations that meet industry-accepted standards for care of equines.
· Research and offer suggestions for statutory changes affecting equine health, welfare, abuse, and neglect issues.
·  Assist veterinarians and others in maintaining the health and welfare of equines by identifying and referring to the appropriate authorities critical areas of need.

“If this becomes law, Kentucky would become the first state to legislatively recognize the dynamics of equine health and welfare,” Marcum said. “The bill at this point doesn’t ask for funding, but there is a mechanism within the language would ask for funds.”

Marcum said he hopes that Kentucky could serve as a template for a business plan for other states. “Kentucky needs to be the leader in the this respect,” he said. “The horse is not unique to Kentucky, but Kentucky is unique to the horse.”

Areas of concern include neglected or unwanted horses, Marcum said. He is hoping legislators at some point would be willing to structure a tax-incentive program for farms struggling in the current depressed bloodstock market to take on additional horses from among the neglected population. “If a farm used to have 100 horses and now has 20,” he said, “providing tax credits to those farms willing to board neglected horses might help them stay in a business a little longer and save some jobs. It’s something of a recycling mechanism, but it also sustains employment and goes back to the tax base.
 
“We also want to assist,  support and educate retirement homes for horses,” he said. “A long-term goals would be to have centers of care through agriculture departments and co-ops at universities and colleges.

“Our focus will be securing the entire life of the horse with dignity.”

For more information, visit the Equine Health and Welfare Alliance web site by clicking here.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them.  To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.

By Bradford Cummings
One of the historic criticisms of horse racing is its inability to adapt to changing times. Whether it was the unconscionable decision to not grab a television share in the 1950s or our relatively late arrival to the Internet dance, this industry has seldom been accused of having significant vision.
 
I admit to being guilty during football season of pouring excessive hours over my computer trying to decide who my third wide receiver should be for the upcoming weekend slate of NFL games. I’m not alone. It has been estimated that 27 million people play fantasy football spending nine hours a week on building their teams to perfection.
 
That’s why it is so heartening that two major farms have spearheaded similar campaigns to bring fans into the sport through the popular fantasy sports platform. With WinStar Farm and Vinery LTD leading the way, we are seeing a desire to catch up to the rest of the sports world and create a platform for casual fans to get more involved in racing.
 
The two games vary in format. WinStar Farm’s version, WinStar Fantasy Derby, is a free opportunity for fans to manage a stable of horses through the Kentucky Derby. The prize pool is strong with first prize being a full Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks weekend package including three nights in a hotel, airfare, box seats and a VIP tour of WinStar Farm.
 
Vinery’s Derby Dreamer contest takes the emphasis off the Road to the Derby and gives fans the opportunity to engage in a year-round contest with opportunities to win up to $10,000 each month. For $12 annually, a fan can purchase a full stable of 18 horses and 5 jockeys to use for the entire year. Of those selected, 12 horses and 3 jockeys can be activated for use each month. While there are some limitations to the game (most fantasy players are used to being able to switch rosters weekly but in Vinery’s version you can only alter your selections on a monthly basis) the $12 entry fee is relatively small for the opportunity to win a large cash prize each month.
 
So where did the impetus for these games come from? According to Finn Weisse at Vinery, it was an attempt to reach out to new fans. “At first we had the idea to get the fans involved by enjoying Vinery horses only. But in the end, we thought this wouldn’t be exciting enough to attract a huge group of people, especially not exciting enough to attract people new to the horse industry.”
 
But this new endeavor has not come without a price. The legal costs are quite high, especially when you are dealing with cash prizes across state lines. “We had to overcome a lot of legal hurdles and finally we developed a proper fantasy contest through which people can follow the stars of our industry,” said Weisse. “As you can imagine, a lot of money has been invested in this project. We hope that we can turn this venture into one that carries itself financially, while giving back to the fans and being able to invest in recruiting new fans.”
 
The WinStar version is a bit less ambitious than the Vinery game with no cash prizes and a limited season. But their entry is no less welcome. “We invented the WinStar Fantasy Derby because we felt the need to create something exciting for the fans and we have the tools with the nice 3-year-olds we have this year,” said VP & Racing Manager Elliott Walden. “We believe there are many opportunities to create fan interest and we wanted something targeted to a new audience.”
 
On designing a free fantasy game, Walden went on to say, “We purposefully made the game free with great prizes, easy to play and fun to follow. We marketed to different audiences and got a good response. We are extremely excited about the possibilities of creating interest in our sport.”
 
The only real negative here is that both of these farms, outside of the Thoroughbred industry, are not exactly nationwide brands. As concerns for the future of our industry continue to be voiced, WinStar and Vinery are clearly willing to stand up and be counted as out-of-the-box thinkers and solution-oriented organizations.
 
Hopefully both farms will be rewarded for their ingenuity. “We know the target is set very high and will not be easily achieved,” said Weisse. “But as the site is called ‘DerbyDreamer’ we allow ourselves to dream big!”
 
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

UPDATE: I was remiss to mention Churchill Down’s Road to the Roses Kentucky Derby fantasy game. It has been running much longer than any other fantasy game of its kind.  This version allows players to draft horses, jockeys and trainers and follow them on the road to the Derby. Like the WinStar game, this one is free and offers prizes over cash as awards. I am happy to be proven wrong and see a leading company in our industry utilize technology to bring in more fans.

UPDATE 2: We also slighted our friends at TVG who have been running a fantasy game for quite some time as well. Click here for complete information on their version and to sign up for free.

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Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them.  To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.

By Ray Paulick
The good news on this Friday is that Oaklawn Park owner Charles Cella appears to have pulled it off, getting commitments from the owners of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and undefeated two-time champion Zenyatta to contest the Apple Blossom Invitational, which is being moved from April 3 to April 9 at the Hot Springs, Ark., track and will carry a $5 million purse if both compete.

But that’s just one race, and it is hoped the two champion distaffers will face each other a number of times before the year is over. How can racing, an often dysfunctional industry, pull off this even bigger challenge?

I have a proposed solution to this challenge, whether the Apple Blossom dream match comes to fruition or not.

Remember when Barack Obama was campaigning for president and promising to deliver on health care reform, in part by avoiding backroom deals and pledging transparency? He said the negotiations for legislation could be televised on CSPAN. Well, we’re 13 months into Obama’s presidency, and that promise was broken. It was business as usual in the nation’s capital as legislators, lobbyists and the Obama administration went back and forth on health care, winding up with separate bills in the House and Senate that are unlikely to be reconciled with enough support to be voted into law. He should have stuck to his promise.

Jess Jackson, the majority owner of Rachel Alexandra, has been an advocate for transparency in many aspects of Thoroughbred racing in the few years he has been active as an owner. But Jackson, in a press release issued on Wednesday night in which he said Rachel Alexandra would not compete in the Apple Blossom on its original date of April 3, admitted that he had been secretly working behind the scenes with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association to come up with a series of races between his filly and Zenyatta. Those talks were taking place without consulting with Jerry and Ann Moss, the owners of Zenyatta, trainer John Sherriffs or his wife Dottie Ingordo, the racing manager for the Mosses.

Jackson, according to sources, has been pushing for three races, with purses ranging from $3 million to $5 million for each race. I thought Jackson was keeping Rachel Alexandra in training for the benefit of the sport, not for the good of his bank account. In my opinion, this is not the way to get a deal done that’s in the best interests of the industry.

So here’s the proposal.

Instead of backroom deals, let’s negotiate this racing series in the light of day. More specifically, on racing’s version of CSPAN—either TVG or HRTV. The two racing networks can bid for the right to televise the negotiations. Of course, we’d want the races to be televised on more widely distributed networks.

We’ll need a tough facilitator with some experience in racing, and I’ve got the perfect candidate: Tom Meeker, the former CEO of Churchill Downs. Meeker is a former U.S. Marine lieutenant colonel who did three tours of duty in the Vietnamese conflict. He’s a no-nonsense leader who speaks his mind. Meeker has just returned from Haiti, where he assisted in logistics for a surgical team sent into the earthquake ravaged nation by Thoroughbred owner and breeder Earle Mack, a philanthropist, businessman and former U.S. Ambassador to Finland for President George W. Bush. Come to think of it, if Meeker can’t serve as facilitator, perhaps Mack could. The lives he helped save in Haiti would call him a miracle worker.

Racetracks and associations interested in luring Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta would be required to put together detailed written proposals for a race that include the two champions, along with their plans to promote it. Each proposal would be accompanied by a non-refundable deposit of $50,000.

The money from the rights to televise the negotiations, along with those non-refundable deposits from tracks would all go to a racing charity chosen by the connections of the horse that does best in the head-to-head matchups. (Update: this proposal is not for match races of just two horses,)

The facilitator would lay out all the proposals to Jackson and the Mosses and their respective advisers (limit of three, please). He would then put on a pair of brass knuckles, lock the doors, and not let anyone out of the room until an agreement is reached on where and when they will try to meet—all while the cameras were rolling.

Racing has a rare opportunity to make something very special happen in 2010. Please, let’s not allow this one to slip through our hands.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
He is a combination of P.T. Barnum, Perle Mesta and Frank Sinatra—an innovative promoter, unmatched host and fiercely independent man. He rules over one of the last family-owned racetracks on the American landscape. He is Charles Cella, the longtime president of Oaklawn Park, and if anyone is going to lure Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta into the same starting gate, it’s him.

Cella announced plans to increase the purse of the April 3 Apple Blossom to $5 million if the two champions show up. He didn’t need to go out and find a corporate sponsor, didn’t hire a slew of consultants, didn’t seek approval from the bean counters or a board of directors.

He did it his way.

That’s how Cella has been running Oaklawn Park since taking over the Hot Springs, Ark., racetrack upon the death of his father in 1968. There have been hard times and good times. The venerable track, founded in 1905, has taken some lumps, but through perseverance and innovation has managed to survive and even thrive at times. That’s more than we can say about a lot of racetracks these days.

“I think he has been great for the sport,” said longtime Keeneland executive Ted Bassett, one of Cella’s closest friends. “He’s put the best interests of Oaklawn and the sport above his self interests. Always. And he marches to his own drum, regardless of the pressures or the cacophony from the outside.

“He is at heart an impresario. He loves to think and to create events. He is a master at that.”

Long before the Breeders’ Cup championships, Arlington Park’s International Festival of Racing, the Maryland Million, or Keeneland’s Fall Stars Weekend, there was the Racing Festival of the South. Created in 1974, the week-long festival packs a bundle of  top-class stakes races onto the end of the annual winter/spring meeting, culminating with the closing-day Arkansas Derby, which has attracted crowds in excess of 70,000.

For years, racing-starved fans from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and other states in the region swamped Hot Springs. But then competition sprang up with shiny new tracks like Louisiana Downs, Remington Park and Lone Star Park, and later came casino boats in Mississippi and slot parlors in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Oaklawn Park no longer was the only game in town.

Cella and his management team launched the first full-card simulcasting parlor of any track in the country. It wasn’t enough to keep pace. They tried to get a casino at Oaklawn, but realized it was a longshot at best. So, working with Ted Mudge at tote provider AmTote, Oaklawn came up with a pari-mutuel based electronic game called Instant Racing. It’s been the track’s salvation since the first machines were installed 10 years ago.

In 2004, Cella wanted to do something special to recognize Oaklawn Park’s 100th anniversary, and created a $5-million “centennial bonus” for any 3-year-old that managed to sweep the Rebel Stakes, Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby. The triple had only been accomplished once before, by Sunny’s Halo, in 1983, but Smarty Jones stepped up and swept the series, and Cella happily handed over $5 million to Smarty’s owners, Pat and Roy Chapman. It was the richest payday in American racing history. A $5-million Apple Blossom would be the richest filly and mare race in history.

“It’s a genius idea,” Bassett said of the Apple Blossom purse boost. “Even if they don’t show, he’s gotten a million dollars worth of publicity.”

I wouldn’t bet against it happening—not yet, even though the statement from Jess Jackson, the owner of Rachel Alexandra, was a bit non-committal and the 2009 Horse of the Year has a lot more training to do to get back into racing shape.

“He has the courage to take the chance,” Bassett said of Cella, “the courage of his convictions. What other racetrack would have the courage, foresight and will to propose this? If they show, he will show.”

And if they show, you can be certain Cella will throw one helluva party to celebrate the event. “He is the male Perle Mesta,” Bassett said, a reference to the legendary Washington, D.C., “hostess with the mostest” from a half-century ago. “He loves to throw a party. He’s a modern P.T. Barnum.”

But Cella is a lot more than Good Time Charlie. In an era of corporate ownership of racetracks, where heads of top management roll over with the frequency of Pick Threes and Daily Doubles, Oaklawn Park has been an island of stability, not unlike the other remaining family-owned  tracks in America: the Carey family’s Hawthorne in Chicago and Stella Thayer’s Tampa Bay Downs in Florida.

“Continuity and stability have been hallmarks of Oaklawn Park,” said Bassett. “They know where they are, they know when they are going to open. He never quakes to outside pressures. Charlie was the lyricist of Sinatra’s ‘doing in my way.’"

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While Ray has been dodging lawsuit threats from the Michael Gill story, he actually managed to find a slice of good news for our regular Friday feature. Whether it was the subject of our Good News Friday this week or our rapidly growing traffic, our readers apparently came through in droves for Horses & Humans today. Below is a wonderfully uplifting email from Executive Director KC Henry. This is not just good news, it’s great news!

And, of course, if you haven’t read the article on the Horses & Humans Research Foundation, we hope you will, and we further encourage you to help in any way you can to fund this important research.

- Bradford Cummings

Ray,

I was wondering why we (HHRF) were getting all these calls and new people signing onto our mail list - and even donations through pay pal today  - then friends emails just started coming in mentioning your article and I put it all together….!  Thank you!  Your readership has been responsive to us!  Thank you!

KC
HHRF, ED

By Ray Paulick
I’m not sure if it was Will Rogers, Winston Churchill or Ronald Reagan who originated the wonderful phrase that “there’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man.” But you can be assured it didn’t come from anyone in the health insurance industry.

For centuries, going to back to ancient times when wounded warriors were put on horseback to rehabilitate their injuries, horses have been an effective therapeutic partner to humans in need of help in dealing with physical, mental, emotional, social, behavioral and occupational challenges. You’ve probably seen or read the occasional news stories about how some type of equine-assisted activity has brought joy to a child who has suffered with a debilitating disease or handicap. Also, for many years, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation has partnered retired racehorses with hardened criminals to help in the prisoners’ rehabilitation.

There are literally thousands of horses involved in various programs, most of them non-profit, designed to help children and adults overcome some incredibly challenging hurdles in life. The benefits are unmistakable to the people who have witnessed the interaction of horses and humans, yet the medical community and health insurance companies are unconvinced.

Medical insurance companies will pay for a physical therapist to put a child with Cerebral Palsy on a ball, and roll it back and forth, or side to side, in an effort to help his or her postural control. Put that same child, working with a therapist, on a horse, which provides unique, three-dimensional movement, the kind research has shown can be far superior therapy for that child, and the insurance companies won’t pay.

“If you take a child out of a wheelchair and put them on a horse, they come alive, they love every minute of it, and the whole world looks different,” says KC Henry, executive director of the Horses & Humans Research Foundation. “There is the warmth of the animal, the challenge of the environment, and it’s highly motivation. The horse has a three-dimensional movement that challenges every part of their body strength and upper-body movement. The motion of a horse replicates the ambulation of the human body when we’re walking. Someone sitting passively on a horse is getting really positive therapeutic input just through the ambulation of a horse.”

Still, Henry said, there are skeptics. “Some might ask, ‘Is this just a pony ride? Where’s your proof?’ They want evidence-based outcomes.”

Horses & Humans Research Foundation was created in 2002 with the purpose of funding scientific research exploring the various equine-assisted activities and therapies with the hope that the anecdotal or unsubstantiated benefits of partnering horses and humans will be proven by evidence-based research. This type of research, published in peer-reviewed scientific or medical journals, will go a along way toward legitimizing equine-assisted therapies in the eyes of the medical and insurance worlds. The research could also help convince foundations to support the many worthy therapeutic equine programs that now struggle financially.

I learned of this non-profit, 501(c)3 organization when it recently held a meeting of its board of directors and a strategic planning session in Lexington, Ky. One of its board members is Jim Smith, a well-known and highly respected equine veterinarian long associated with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington who now spends a good deal of time at equine-assisted therapy workshops.

Horses & Humans Research Foundation works hand and hand with associations like NARHA, the membership association that brings equine-assisted activities centers together under one umbrella. NARHA represents nearly 800 different centers that offer various therapies partnering horses and humans. Molly Sweeney, whose vision led to the organization’s creation, is a former NARHA board member who serves as president of Horses & Humans Research Foundation. Octavia Brown, also on the organization’s board, was a founding member of the NARHA board more than 40 years ago, and she is the recipient of NARHA James Brady Lifetime Achievement Award.

“We feel this is the best place anyone can send money for research,” said executive director Henry. “Unless the research is so good it will be published in a scientific journal, it’s not going to do what we need for our industry. We feel the research has to be really, really superior, so that it will be published in peer-reviewed journals.”
 
The organization puts calls out annually for proposals to researchers around the world. A group of scientific advisers reviews the proposals and determines what projects are rigorous, well-developed scientific research, then makes recommendations to the board, which has final approval. It is a very tough process. “We’ve had four calls for proposals, and twice we haven’t funded anything,” said Henry, who said the organization receives as many as 36 proposals in a year. “One year we did fund two separate projects. We’ve funded three so far—one has been published and the other two are in the process.”

Goals from the recent strategic planning process are for three to five grants to be funded per year. “We would have to do that by partnering with other organizations,” she said. “We’ve had two grants related to Cerebral Palsy, and would like to have organizations like the Celebral Palsy Association help fund future research.”

Another goal is to award more funds: right now, because of limited funding, it can only award $50,000 per project. “We hope these researchers will take that grant to the National Institute of Health and get much larger funding from there and do more advanced projects,” Henry said.

“So many people benefit from these riding programs,” she continued. “At-risk children with educational or behavioral problems, adults with Multiple Sclerosis: there are programs across the country addressing mental health, social, behavioral and any type of rehabilitation or therapy—physical, occupational or speech. But very seldom is it covered by insurance companies.”

That’s why the evidence-based research is so critical, and the only way the research can get done is through funding.

“This is not only going to impact the therapeutic riding industry,” she said. “When we finally see a story on the front page of the New York Times saying horses are good for people, it’s going to be good for the entire horse industry.”

For more information about the Horses & Humans Research Foundation or to learn how you can make a donation or get involved, please visit their web site by clicking here.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
Earle I. Mack, a successful Thoroughbred owner and breeder who is well known in the world of arts, philanthropy and business, was horrified when he first saw the news reports coming out of Haiti, with estimates of up to 500,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands more injured, and as many as 1.5 million homeless in the island nation’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, following the devastating earthquake that struck Jan. 12.

“One million homes had completely collapsed,” Mack told the Paulick Report, “and I was trying to envision those people trapped under buildings, calling out for help, and no way to get them out.”

Mack, a former Ambassador to Finland during the administration of George W. Bush, had never been to Haiti, but felt a responsibility to help in whatever way he could.

“Haiti was in very bad shape before the earthquake,” he said. “Our American ethic is to help and to give. We were born that way. Our ancestors on the Mayflower gave that to us. It is part of our culture.”
 
The more he learned about the situation, the more he realized how dire it was. People with injuries ranging from minor cuts to severe trauma and damaged limbs were in desperate need of medical help, and relief of any kind was slow in coming. Several hospitals were destroyed by the tremors. There was a decimated infrastructure, organizational red tape and a distribution system for supplies that was slow to develop.

“They couldn’t get the medical equipment and doctors there fast enough—not for lack of trying but lack of organization and coordination,” he said. “The one runway at the airport didn’t have lights, though it’s finally set up to land planes 24/7. Roads from the airport to the city are virtually impassable. The only way to move supplies around is by helicopter. After more than a week, there still are only a few bulldozers being used to help rescue people.

“Giving money to the Red Cross wasn’t going to get there on time (to provide immediate medical help),” he continued. “Even Doctors Without Borders was having trouble getting in and being effective. So I decided to do my own mission. I got a self-contained hospital team, led by Dr. Joseph Debellis. They went in after the tsunami hit several years ago, and have acted in other international emergency situations. They are a world famous team: they come with surgeons anesthesiologists, nurses, tents, generators, painkillers, antibiotics and other medical supplies. These doctors have their own infrastructure, their own points of contact. They don’t have to go through the morass of Army and regulations.”

Mack chartered three flights into Haiti so far and is working to enlist more doctors and nurses, flying them in whenever the slots to land are available. “We’ve filled the planes with doctors and supplies,” he said. “On our last flight there wasn’t room for 150 loaves of bread donated by Publix.”

The situation remains grim, Mack said, citing a New York Times article that said as many as 20,000 people are dying every day because of the lack of medical attention. “Imagine that you fell and cut your leg open,” he said, “not seriously, but serious enough that you need stitches.  You go to your local doctor, get a few stitches and some antibiotics and you’re on your way in 25 minutes.

“The Haitians, even with minor injuries, with infections and gangrene setting in, can lose their limbs or die. We’ve got to get as much medical help and supplies there as possible.”

The surgeons brought in on the charter flights, Mack said, “are operating in parks, basements, anywhere there can be a hospital. They are working around the clock.”

Dr. Debellis is a board member of the organization International Surgical Mission Support, which was formed in 1996 and has traveled to world hotspots to lend a hand where and when it is needed most.  They consider that every life saved is important. The group lives by the motto: “To the world I may be one person, but to one person I may be the world.”

I tried to thank Mack for stepping up and taking such heroic strides to save the lives of people he’s never met in a country he’s never visited. He stopped me, saying: “Look, I’m not a hero. It’s these doctors and nurses that are the heroes. These people dropped what they were doing and took the time to trek down here with their equipment. They didn’t know where they were going to live, they’re going at it 24/7, and they are doing incredible work.

“But it’s a life or death situation.”