Delta Squad’s Josh Isner Joins the TDN Writers’ Room

Name: Delta Squad’s Josh Isner Joins the TDN Writers’ Room
Uploaded: 2026-09-23T18:36:44+00:00
Duration: 1 h 16 min 3 s
Channel: thoroughbreddailynews
Description: Racing newcomer Josh Isner joined this week’s TDN Writers’ Room to discuss his fledgling stable, Delta Squad Racing, and a successful Keeneland September Sale. Plus, the team discussed Forever Young’s latest victory and looked ahead to this weekend’s racing.

00:00:18Welcome to another edition of the TDN Writer's Room Podcast.

00:00:21My name is Bill Finley.

00:00:22As you well know at this point, I'm a correspondent for the Thoroughbred Daily News and proudly

00:00:27co-host of the Down the Stretch Radio Show on Sirius XM.

00:00:30Check us out every Saturday, 10 a.m. Eastern on Channel 85.

00:00:35And Bill's wearing his red socks red.

00:00:38No accident, probably.

00:00:39You'll hear more about that later.

00:00:40I'm Randy Moss with NBC Sports and the Buyer's Speed Figure crew.

00:00:45Zoe Cabin with First Racing and First TV.

00:00:48Still here.

00:00:49Still here.

00:00:50I'm in the 1936 room at Keeneland.

00:00:53And what are we up to?

00:00:54We're up to 2,508 of 4,346.

00:01:02It just keeps rolling on.

00:01:04We'll talk more about that later.

00:01:06Well, Zoe, you're...

00:01:07I don't know how you guys do it.

00:01:08Yeah, I was just going to say it, Randy.

00:01:10My goodness.

00:01:12You deserve, and everybody else that does this deserves a medal.

00:01:16All right.

00:01:16So let's talk about the weekend's races.

00:01:19And we have to obviously start with the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

00:01:22Won by Forever Young.

00:01:24And I'm frankly, don't know what to make of the race.

00:01:28So I'm going to hope that Zoe and Randy can help me out and give some better insights.

00:01:35But the one thing that really kind of surprised me, in all the years I've been covering horse

00:01:40racing, I've never seen anything quite like this with a trainer speaking after the race.

00:01:46It's Yoshida Yohagi, the guy, man in a hat, won a grade one, $1 million race with a terrific

00:01:53racehorse.

00:01:54And here's his quotes.

00:01:57Forever Young's performance, I'm not happy about it.

00:02:00I'm not happy.

00:02:01I'm about 50% satisfied with the horse with the way he performed today.

00:02:07Randy, I'll start with you.

00:02:08What did you think about it?

00:02:09And American trainers don't talk that way.

00:02:12Maybe it's a Japanese thing where they're a little bit more honest than some of our guys.

00:02:16But that floored me to hear a guy say, yeah, he was just OK.

00:02:23Randy, was he just OK or was he better?

00:02:25I mean, maybe American trainers should talk like that more often.

00:02:29I mean, that's exactly what I thought watching the race.

00:02:31Exactly.

00:02:32As he was coming down the stretch on his wrong lead, when the other horses that we thought

00:02:41could give a vulnerable Forever Young a run for his money as the odds-on favorite since

00:02:48he was his first start in quite a while, didn't pan out.

00:02:53I mean, Baeza was unfortunately what we've come to expect from Baeza, an immensely talented

00:03:00horse who, more often than not, doesn't live up to his potential for one reason or another.

00:03:06And then, even though the pace wasn't very fast, that really didn't pan out either.

00:03:13And Forever Young just stalked the pace and drew off and really had very little competition.

00:03:18I did not think it was close to one of Forever Young's better races.

00:03:24Didn't expect it to be, as we said last week, since the previous two years when he prepped

00:03:30in Japan for the Breeders' Cup Classic, he was kind of underwhelming in those victories

00:03:35as well, and then stepped up and used that race as a prep and ran considerably better when

00:03:43you get to the Breeders' Cup.

00:03:44I'm expecting that to happen again.

00:03:45But no, I wasn't blown away at all by Forever Young.

00:03:50Didn't expect to be.

00:03:53I just would like to give Yoshida Yohadi a round of applause, because what he said was

00:03:59exactly right.

00:04:00That may be the most underwhelming grade one jockey club gold cup I have ever seen in my

00:04:07entire life.

00:04:08They all look terrible coming down the lane.

00:04:11They look terrible.

00:04:14Siri's talking to me for some reason right now, trying to help me with the question.

00:04:19They look terrible.

00:04:20He did not look good.

00:04:21He was on his left lead.

00:04:22He looked like he struggled with the track.

00:04:24Let's talk about the pace.

00:04:2525 flat, Phileas Fogg on the lead.

00:04:28And this was not Kendrick's fault this time.

00:04:30He was leaning forward on that horse, basically pushing him down the backside.

00:04:34That horse did not have a good day, didn't handle the track for whatever reason.

00:04:38He looked terrible.

00:04:39The only horse that looked fairly good was Stars and Stripes.

00:04:43I would completely turn the page with Forever Young and expect a better effort last time.

00:04:48I can see every good reason why he was disappointed with that run.

00:04:52That did not look like the Forever Young that we've seen before.

00:04:56All right.

00:04:56So let me throw this one grade one race.

00:04:58I mean, listen to us.

00:04:59I'd still like to own him.

00:05:01Let me throw this question out to Randy.

00:05:03And Randy, you know, a ton of variables still have to be decided for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

00:05:09First and foremost, whether or not sovereignty will make the race.

00:05:12So, you know, I'm asking you to look at hypotheticals and understanding that it's not the easiest question to answer

00:05:20at this point.

00:05:20But based on this performance, as you're going over the Breeders' Cup Classic, would you downgrade Forever Young's chances off

00:05:30this lackluster performance?

00:05:32Or would you tend to say, you know what, he got through it, he's going to be a better horse.

00:05:37The man in the hat knows what he's doing.

00:05:39I think the real Forever Young will show up in the Breeders' Cup.

00:05:42I would not downgrade it.

00:05:44Okay.

00:05:45I mean, we said last week that, and I just said it again, that the previous two years, his solo

00:05:52prep, which happened to be in Japan for the Breeders' Cup, was used exclusively as a prep.

00:05:57He was nowhere near 100% for those prep races.

00:06:00He won them anyway against subpar competition in Japan.

00:06:03And then he ran exceptionally well in both instances in the Breeders' Cup.

00:06:09And before Friday's race, Yahagi was quoted as saying that the horse was not going to be 100%.

00:06:16He said, I don't know what percentage to expect, but this is a prep race for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

00:06:23He won anyway, despite being underwhelming.

00:06:26I don't know what Zoe feels about it, but...

00:06:27Well, I want to hear from Zoe.

00:06:29What do you think?

00:06:32I mean, he looked, yeah, he looked just as bad as he did in his prep races in Japan, because

00:06:37we all watch those.

00:06:38So, I'm okay.

00:06:39I would just turn the page and trust in the man in the hat.

00:06:42Move on.

00:06:43All right.

00:06:43He's a good horse.

00:06:44Well, speaking of moving on, let's move on to the big card Saturday at Parks, topped by the Cotillion and

00:06:51the Pennsylvania Derby.

00:06:52And my favorite part about the Puma winning is we get to hear Zoe call him the Puma or whatever

00:06:58the heck she's called.

00:06:59Puma.

00:07:00The Puma.

00:07:01Okay.

00:07:03So, I mean, this was not a race that probably is going to move the needle in any direction.

00:07:09I don't think the Puma or further, well, further ado, because of his affinity for Keeneland, you know, maybe he

00:07:16could be a big factor in the Breeders' Cup.

00:07:19But I think the story here was that, you know, we sometimes forget, and I'm guilty of this as anybody,

00:07:26that class matters in the sport.

00:07:28These are the only two horses that have proven themselves at the grade one level.

00:07:33And it was a rematch of their Tampa Bay Derby where the Puma beat Forever Young.

00:07:39Excuse me, Forever Young.

00:07:40Of course not.

00:07:41He beat Further Ado in the Tampa Bay Derby.

00:07:44A good effort by the Puma.

00:07:47But, you know, if he runs in the Breeders' Cup, he's going to be 40 to 1, and I wouldn't

00:07:50expect much out of him, Zoe.

00:07:53I thought it was a good run by him.

00:07:55First grade one winner for his Young Jewel Eclipse Award winning, two-time Breeders' Cup winning sire, essential quality.

00:08:02So, that's always a big plus to get a young stallion off the mark with a first grade one winner.

00:08:07Honestly, watching the race, I was watching it down the backside.

00:08:11I'm like, did Javier turn into a bug boy overnight?

00:08:15Where the hell is he going?

00:08:17At the half mile pole, he just sent this horse.

00:08:19I don't know how fast he went a quarter of a mile, but it looked like he went 22 and

00:08:23change from like eighth to first in the blink of an eye.

00:08:27And he was lucky, very lucky he just managed to hold off Further Ado in the Shadow of the Wire.

00:08:34It was a good run by the Puma.

00:08:35Numbers-wise, he was supposed to win that race.

00:08:38And win it, he did.

00:08:41Now, honestly, watching that race, and I know it's tough to turn back in distance at this pitch.

00:08:47To me, he looks like a solid one-turn horse who might do his best running around one turn because

00:08:52he had such a turn of foot.

00:08:55Just at the half-mile pole, he kicked it in, off he went, and then he was done about the

00:08:5916th pole.

00:09:01Good race, good horse.

00:09:03He might have distance limitations.

00:09:05I'm not sure, but delighted for essential quality to get off the bat with his first grade one winner.

00:09:10And, you know, all the fans of the Puma, the Delgado's, have done a super job with him.

00:09:14Anytime you win a grade one race, I don't care where it is, you face competition, and that is a

00:09:20big market.

00:09:22I'm going to have a slightly different opinion on this.

00:09:27I share Zoe's, I don't want to say skepticism, but concern about possible distance limitations for the Puma.

00:09:34I mean, you think back to the Florida Derby, and he looked like a winner in mid-stretch, and then

00:09:38Commandment nailed him late, and then he opens up three in the Pennsylvania Derby, and further ado is getting to

00:09:44him late.

00:09:44But look, I think the Pennsylvania Derby is going to be, in retrospect, a key race.

00:09:51I thought it was one hell of a race for the Puma.

00:09:55That move that he made on the second turn that Zoe talked about, you know, 22 and change in visuals,

00:10:02right?

00:10:03He was just blowing by horses, and usually you don't see that kind of move in major, major stakes races

00:10:12unless it's a suicidal pace, and the speed horses are all shifting into reverse at the same time the closers

00:10:19are kicking in, and it gives you that visual whoosh.

00:10:22No, they went 47-3, 112.10.

00:10:27The pace was not that fast, and yet the Puma went by them four wide on both turns as if

00:10:34they were standing still.

00:10:36Meanwhile, further ado, and it was blinkers on for the first time as well, so keep that in mind.

00:10:41And meanwhile, further ado, I don't want to say he had a bad trip, he saved ground, but he was

00:10:45kind of on hold as sass master, and then the Puma made moves and kind of had to wait.

00:10:52Tipped out, followed the Puma, and ran, to me, the best race he's run since he won the Bluegrass Stakes.

00:10:59I thought he ran exceptionally well, and now he goes back to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

00:11:06I think both the Puma, if he gets the mile and a quarter, and further ado, could be key factors

00:11:13in Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup.

00:11:16Randy, what was the buyer figure for the race?

00:11:18It was 103, okay?

00:11:21Could have been a little higher.

00:11:23And keep in mind, as I said, four wide on both turns.

00:11:27Now, maybe that's the way he likes to run.

00:11:30Maybe he doesn't want to be down on the inside.

00:11:32Maybe that's why Javier keeps him out in the clear.

00:11:35I think, if I'm not mistaken, we've heard that from Gustavo Delgado.

00:11:39So, it's not like you can look forward to a ground-saving trip in the Breeders' Cup, but I thought

00:11:44it was even a better race than the buyer's speed figure would indicate.

00:11:48And I'm expecting both the Puma, if he gets the mile and a quarter, and further ado, to go back

00:11:54to that, like, 106 buyer that further ado had in the Bluegrass.

00:11:58Is that going to be good enough to beat Forever Young?

00:12:00Or Sovereignty, if he runs, that's debatable.

00:12:03But I think this is a really, really good race.

00:12:06And Zoe's pick, Sassmaster, ran a hell of a race, too.

00:12:10All right.

00:12:11The other grade one on the card was the Cotillion Stakes.

00:12:14And I'm not right as often as I wish I'd be, but I got this one, fellas, last week.

00:12:20First time Saffy, man.

00:12:23That you ride.

00:12:24Go to the bank when it's first time Saffy.

00:12:26Bodacious Bay, first time Saffy.

00:12:29Beats the Chad Brown, always a runner, the Kentucky Oaks winner.

00:12:32And also, on top of that, I keep an eye on this jockey, Micah Husbands, who is, Saffy is just

00:12:39raves about.

00:12:40And he's now won two grade one races, both for Saffy, within the last three weeks.

00:12:46I think this is a guy we're going to be talking about as a, you know, primetime rider within the

00:12:52next five or six years.

00:12:54But, you know, again, I don't know that this horse is going to be a major factor in the Breeders'

00:12:59Cup to his staff, Zoe.

00:13:01But, you know, he got to the winner's circle for the guy with the man bun.

00:13:07I just saw him.

00:13:09I just saw him because he's sending horses to Santa Anita this weekend.

00:13:13In fact, they're already there.

00:13:14I just wanted to make sure how many he was sending.

00:13:17And he's a guy with 16 condition books in his pocket at all times.

00:13:21He knows how to win these races, and he picks the perfect horses for the spots.

00:13:26C2, same old story.

00:13:28They love to pick these ready-made race fillies, buy them, step them up, give them to Saffy.

00:13:34And that's exactly what they did.

00:13:36Purchased off her last start.

00:13:37Took her three starts to break her maiden.

00:13:39But it's been onwards and upwards since their first start for Saffy Joseph.

00:13:44Terrific ride by Micah Husbands.

00:13:46And it was almost like My Miss Mo and Bodacious Bay were blocking everyone else.

00:13:52They both went out there, sat off each other in tandem, hooked up at the 3-8 pole, and made

00:13:57the best horse win.

00:13:58And it was Bodacious Bay.

00:14:00So well done.

00:14:01Well done to the Saffy team in C2 racing.

00:14:04I should have done a little more homework last week, and I probably would have agreed with Bill.

00:14:07I went back this morning and looked at the Monmouth Oaks when My Miss Mo beat Bodacious Bay.

00:14:12What a strong race that was for both of those horses.

00:14:15Now, My Miss Mo, her new stablemate, didn't come back and run as well at all in the cotillion.

00:14:21But Bodacious Bay repeated her race.

00:14:23I thought Always a Runner ran, basically ran her Kentucky Oaks form back again and was just purely outrun by

00:14:31Bodacious Bay.

00:14:32I don't think Bodacious Bay is really being pointed for the Breeders' Cup Distaff unless they change their minds.

00:14:39We'll have to see about that.

00:14:42A couple of quick notes.

00:14:44I think it's time we started giving Mark Cornett a little bit more credit in the Bloodstock realm.

00:14:49He's the partner with his brother Clint in C2 racing.

00:14:53He's the Bloodstock guy, right?

00:14:55Zoe mentions he likes to buy ready-made horses.

00:14:57But look what he's done.

00:14:58I mean, I think it's underestimated.

00:15:01He bought Huayda Barrio after Huayda Barrio's career debut, $8.5 million, Breeders' Cup Classic.

00:15:08He bought Soul of an Angel privately in 2024.

00:15:12Later that year, she won the Breeders' Cup Philly Amare Sprint and four months later was sold at auction for

00:15:18$2.6 million.

00:15:19Acquired Hall & Ice privately, Arkansas bred, made $1.3 million.

00:15:24Acquired Mystic Lake as a two-year-old in a two-year-old sale for $130,000.

00:15:28She's made $1.6 million.

00:15:30The Queens MG, Ford Steel, Indy Bay.

00:15:34I mean, Mark has done one hell of a job sourcing these horses, either at the two-year-old sales

00:15:40or more typically private purchases or even claims.

00:15:46Navajo Warrior is another horse.

00:15:49He doesn't co-own, but he picked out for the ownership when they gave the horse to Saffy Joseph.

00:15:54And one more thing, one more note.

00:15:56The third-place finisher in this race, Measure, was probably second best.

00:16:03Measure and Always a Runner both went for the same hole at about the three-eighths pole.

00:16:09Always a Runner and Jose Ortiz beat Manny Franco to the hole.

00:16:12Franco had a steady a little bit on Measure.

00:16:14Then he followed Always a Runner and was really getting to her at the end, beating only a neck for

00:16:19second.

00:16:20But neither of them were going to be a threat to Bodacious Bay.

00:16:25And we're going to take a little break right now.

00:16:27And when we come back, you're going to find out what's going on at Keeneland, the fastest horse of the

00:16:31week.

00:16:31And when we come back, a very interesting guest that you will enjoy on the Gaines Way Guest of the

00:16:36Week.

00:16:38I do want to remind you that each and every week, the TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by

00:16:42Keeneland.

00:16:43Keeneland's September grads enjoyed back-to-back of grade one wins within 56 minutes of each other.

00:16:49First at Parks on Saturday as Bodacious Bay won the cotillion by three and a quarter lengths at 5.02

00:16:56p.m.

00:16:57And then the Puma, or Puma, came back to take the Pennsylvania Derby at 5.58.

00:17:03The record-breaking Keeneland September sale continues.

00:17:06It's right behind me.

00:17:08And it continues to post daily increases over its 2025 figures with rises in gross, average, and median.

00:17:17The number of yearlings sold this year for $1 million or more stands at 70 compared to 56 in 2025.

00:17:252025.

00:17:262025.

00:17:28We'll be right back after this message from Keeneland.

00:17:31We do this so your granddaughter can work on a farm someday.

00:17:36So the stands will still be packed in 50 years.

00:17:41That's why we come to work every day.

00:17:43Obsess over every single detail.

00:17:48Because the story of racing is written one moment at a time.

00:17:53And the future of our industry deserves nothing less.

00:17:58Keeneland.

00:17:59Every moment matters.

00:18:01Our fastest horse of the week brought to you by the Fast Sires at Windstar Farm.

00:18:06And this is what seems like our weekly update on Stallion.

00:18:10Life is good.

00:18:11And for good reason.

00:18:12He keeps producing exciting horses such as Cardman, who on opening day at Belmont Park

00:18:19in a one-mile maiden special weight race for two-year-olds scored by five lengths as the two-to

00:18:25-five favorite.

00:18:26That's just one example.

00:18:27And look at the Keeneland's September sale.

00:18:28He's already been represented.

00:18:30Life is good, we're talking about.

00:18:31By two seven-figure yearlings.

00:18:34Hip 941.

00:18:37A colt brought in $1 million in book two.

00:18:40And hip 1412 in book three.

00:18:43Brought a top bid of $1.25 million.

00:18:47That makes Life is Good one of only three sires with book three million dollar earners.

00:18:53Life is good is the leading first crop sire by black-type winners, black-type horses, and graded stakes winners.

00:19:00And, of course, Life is Good stands at Windstar Farm.

00:19:03Fastest horse of the week we have talked about in detail.

00:19:06That is Forever Young with his 105 buyer speed figure.

00:19:10Now, it must be said, that is a very subjective buyer speed figure.

00:19:16Okay?

00:19:17A lot of times the buyer speed figures we're talking about are based on a ton of evidence.

00:19:21In this particular case, it's a brand-new mile-and-a-quarter distance with the new mile-and-a-quarter

00:19:27shoot.

00:19:27There's very little available data in terms of how fast those horses should run at the mile-and-a-quarter

00:19:34distance.

00:19:34So, it's pretty much an estimate, but I think it's a pretty accurate estimate.

00:19:38Not one of his best career races, but you can expect Forever Young to take a step forward, I think,

00:19:44in his next start in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

00:19:51Welcome, now, to Gainsway Guest of the Week, and it's Josh Isner.

00:19:55And let's give a brief background and bio of Josh before we pepper him with questions.

00:20:00He's the owner of Delta Squad Racing.

00:20:02He's very new to the sport, very enthusiastic about the sport.

00:20:06And he's the president of Axon Enterprise, and what they really do more so is make hardware and software used

00:20:13by police departments for, among other things, body cameras.

00:20:17And, Josh, thank you for joining us today on the TDN Riders' Room podcast, and it's great to have you.

00:20:24Yeah, thank you all for having me.

00:20:26This podcast has been a big part of my horse racing journey.

00:20:30I've listened to every episode since I've gotten into the sport, so thank you all for what you do, and

00:20:34I'm excited to be with you today.

00:20:36All right, well, that's very flattering to hear that.

00:20:38So, let's just ask you the basic question that comes up first.

00:20:42We've got a lot more to talk about, including your activity at the Keeneland September Sale.

00:20:47But the obvious question, you are very new to this game.

00:20:52How did you get interested in racing, and how did you become, like I said, almost overnight, a big name

00:20:59in the sport and a guy who brings a ton of enthusiasm?

00:21:02What's the backstory?

00:21:04Sure.

00:21:04So, it was about 13, 14 months ago now.

00:21:07My friend, Dave Portnoy, who's known in the sport for only buying gray horses, go-go gray stables, invited me

00:21:16up to the Whitney and the Sale at the beginning of August last year.

00:21:20We had known each other for a few years, and he had me pegged as a fellow degenerate and someone

00:21:25who would jump right into this game.

00:21:27And so, we went up, and I asked him about a million questions in the first four or five days.

00:21:33It was, you know, everything from, like, why does that horse have a white foot to how do we win

00:21:37the Kentucky Derby next year?

00:21:39And I'd just fallen in love with it and had a ton of fun.

00:21:44We bought our first horse together at the Saratoga Sale last year.

00:21:48I went to Keeneland a few weeks after and bought a few more yearlings.

00:21:52And now, a year in, I've put a lot of time into learning and understanding what's really going on here,

00:21:59and I have a better idea of what I'm doing.

00:22:01And we're trying to build a small operation here and have a lot of fun doing it.

00:22:06By the way, you're in the company of degenerates right now.

00:22:09We happen to like that word.

00:22:13What did you know about horse racing before you got the tap on the shoulder from Portnoy?

00:22:20Yeah, I was a fan of the Triple Crown, pretty much.

00:22:23I'd watch the three big races every year.

00:22:25I remember where I was when American Pharoah won the Belmont.

00:22:29You know, I've certainly enjoyed some of the moments in the sport over the years, but nothing relative to ownership

00:22:39or handicapping or, you know, really any of the details of the sport beyond who's running in the Triple Crown,

00:22:47which I don't know how many times people will ask that question moving forward, unfortunately, but that was something that

00:22:53I really, that got me very excited about the sport.

00:22:57What has really surprised you most coming in as an outsider?

00:23:01Because I read a couple of quotes that, you know, you wouldn't get that close to the coaches in football

00:23:07or baseball, but you were just able to walk into the paddock.

00:23:10We take it for granted, but for someone that's never been there, how cool is it for you to feel

00:23:15all of a sudden you're just entrenched in everything?

00:23:18Yeah, it's amazing.

00:23:20I mean, I think that's ultimately what got me kind of hook, line and sinker is I've said this before,

00:23:25but when you're 40 years old, you can't really wake up and say, hey, I want to win the Masters

00:23:29this year or, you know, I want to try to win the Super Bowl.

00:23:32You can wake up and say, I want to try to win the Kentucky Derby.

00:23:36And it's really, really hard. You have to have a tremendous amount of luck and, you know, most will never

00:23:42experience that, but you can try.

00:23:44And it's perfectly possible for somebody to be able to do it.

00:23:50And so as you get older and like the day-to-day wins are like, hey, my back doesn't hurt

00:23:56today or, you know, I was able to sleep like six hours, you know, things like that get you out

00:24:01of bed and get you excited.

00:24:02So that's what got me into it and just the reception into the sport.

00:24:06I mean, the people, you know, from the top trainers to the owners to kind of the institutions in the

00:24:12sport, everyone has been very, very welcoming.

00:24:14And that's, you know, my part, my favorite part of going to the sales and the races is just seeing

00:24:20so many friends I've made over the last year and getting a lot of advice and just learning all the

00:24:24time.

00:24:24It's been, it's truly, it's one of those things you just never learn enough about and there's always more interesting

00:24:32stuff in front of you.

00:24:33And so, you know, it's been just a great ride for the first year and one that I hope continues

00:24:38for a long time.

00:24:39Josh, you're obviously a very, very smart guy and you've come in and I don't want to denigrate any of

00:24:45this, but we've seen a lot of people come in full of energy with lots of money.

00:24:52I'm pretty sure you've got a good bit of cash in your pocket right now.

00:24:55And within a few years, they're like, oh, I can't do it.

00:24:59And they're done.

00:25:00How do you surround yourself with the right people and just ensure that this is going to be the right

00:25:06way to do things?

00:25:07Because I'm not going to say there's shady people out there, but there could be shady people out there.

00:25:11Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

00:25:13I feel very lucky, you know, Dave introduced me to Brad Weisbord and Liz Crowe at Elite.

00:25:19And both of them are two of the most honest people I've met in any industry.

00:25:22And I think I feel very, very lucky to have them in my corner because, you know, Brad especially is

00:25:27more of a business guy.

00:25:29Like he looks at the sport like a business.

00:25:30He has me into stallion shares and breeding a little bit and ways to offset just the money that gets

00:25:37lit on fire at these yearling sales.

00:25:39And so, you know, the economics are never going to be pretty, but there are certain things you can do

00:25:44to make it a little less gruesome.

00:25:46And we're trying to do some of that.

00:25:49But ultimately, you know, I feel like I got a great introduction into the sport.

00:25:53We bought into a horse named Verifier right before the Jerkins last summer.

00:25:58First race as an owner.

00:26:00Verifier gets out of the gate and about one furlong into the race just decides he doesn't want to be

00:26:04a racehorse anymore.

00:26:06And it took him a while to finish the race.

00:26:10And so I'm jogging across the wire.

00:26:12And it was like, OK, I get this now.

00:26:15This is going to be a crapshoot like 95 percent of the time.

00:26:18And it's going to be painful.

00:26:19And but we've had some success along the way as well.

00:26:23And I'll tell you, those moments far, far away, they're worth all the all the bad news you get.

00:26:29And so, you know, it's it's I can imagine people who, you know, go three, four or five years without

00:26:34a lot of success.

00:26:35It's got to be hard to continue to invest in and bear with it.

00:26:40But hopefully we can find some ways to to have small wins along the way, even when things aren't going

00:26:45along, as we thought on the track.

00:26:47So, Josh, you have you're at Keeneland September as we talk.

00:26:52We're talking on a Tuesday so far.

00:26:54You either by yourself or with partners who bought 11 horses for about four point five million dollars to part

00:27:01question.

00:27:01Number one, have you just been blown away by what's happening here with these crazy prices?

00:27:07And, you know, you don't have to tell us how much money you have.

00:27:12But but it looks like your sweet spot is, you know, maybe the nine hundred thousand down below level.

00:27:19Amr Zaidan, you're not going against Amr Zaidan.

00:27:22Let's put it that way.

00:27:23We're going to lose that battle.

00:27:24Right.

00:27:24So two part two part question.

00:27:26Are you blown away by this?

00:27:28And is a little bit discouraging for a guy who is, you know, not going to fight it out for

00:27:32the three million dollar gold?

00:27:34And what is your sweet spot so far as what you're comfortable paying for for a yearling?

00:27:39Sure, sure.

00:27:40So I have a very, very unique goal in the sport.

00:27:43I'm trying to win the Kentucky Derby.

00:27:45I think I'm the only one.

00:27:46So they're leaving all the route colts for me.

00:27:49But ultimately, I there's no way I can compete with Zidans and the, you know, the Dutch brothers and, you

00:27:57know, the cool moors of the world.

00:27:58I think, you know, I've actually learned a lot from Mike Rappole in this regard where, you know, he's very,

00:28:03very disciplined, sets a value on every horse they're interested in.

00:28:06And and whatever, you know, whatever meets that, whatever stays in that range, he buys.

00:28:12And so for us, I'm always in with partners.

00:28:14I I certainly don't want to be buying a lot of horses on my own and very lucky to have

00:28:20partners like Spent Thrift and Dave and others who are such great people and a lot of fun to be

00:28:25a part of the journey with.

00:28:27But, yeah, we're looking for, you know, route colts for anywhere from, you know, the low hundreds of thousands into

00:28:35the mid to high hundreds of thousands where we bought a couple of really nice ones with three or four

00:28:40partners at the Saratoga sale.

00:28:42But as I said, when I walked into the sales ring, I need a global economic meltdown in the next

00:28:4710 minutes if I'm going to buy any of these into mischiefs or gun runners.

00:28:51And so that didn't happen.

00:28:52I didn't buy any of them.

00:28:53So we're sticking with the Liam's maps of the world and the life is goods and constitution kind of sires

00:29:01that can get you the distance, but not necessarily the the top, top level ones.

00:29:07You can't always tell by watching the podcast, but, Josh, we do try to do a little bit of homework

00:29:12from time to time.

00:29:13And I watched an interview that you did recently where you referenced Brad and Liz.

00:29:19And even though it's their business to try to get you in the business as deeply as they can, you

00:29:26said that they pretty often have to give you an aggressive stop sign.

00:29:30Oh, yeah.

00:29:30Whoa, whoa, whoa.

00:29:32How does that work?

00:29:33Yeah, it's it's what I like.

00:29:37I don't remember these moments when I was like two years old, but it's it's it's probably what it was

00:29:42like when my parents were trying to discipline me when I was that age.

00:29:45It was like I walked out of the door of the the Saratoga sale and Brad is waiting for me

00:29:51there with his arms crossed, like tapping his foot, ready to yell at me for bidding on and not this

00:29:56time.

00:29:56And it is it is truly like reassuring when Brad and Liz like we Dave and I get chastised when

00:30:03we spend too much on a horse like they would rather see us not buy horses, even though it's in

00:30:08their financial interest for us to buy them for a lot of money.

00:30:11And so I think it shows kind of what honest people they are and they want us to be in

00:30:16the sport for a long time.

00:30:17And they know that, hey, just like you said, Zoe, if things don't go well and there's a lot of

00:30:22people that come and go and they get kind of taken for a ride in the short term.

00:30:26You know, that's that's kind of the opposite of how Brad and Liz operate.

00:30:30And it's a hard game. There's no matter how good you are at it, you know, 90 plus percent of

00:30:35the time you're going to lose.

00:30:36But I feel like we have a team that is disciplined and value oriented and and interested in the long

00:30:44term, which I think is is is the right team for me.

00:30:47So I know Dave Portnoy a little bit from Barstool Sports and pardon my take.

00:30:51As everybody knows, he's quite the character. So what's he like as a partner in horse racing?

00:30:59So actually, side note, Randy, the first time I was ever exposed to you was on part in my take

00:31:06when you come in and do the Kentucky Derby preview every year.

00:31:10And just so you hear it from me, that that matters to people getting them into the sport.

00:31:14So thanks a lot for doing that. And but Dave's a great guy.

00:31:18He starts for him with loving animals. He always says he likes animals a lot more than people.

00:31:23And I think that is probably true. And he he's really passionate about the horses themselves.

00:31:29And as a partner, there was a bit of a contract that had to get signed for us to start

00:31:35buying horses together.

00:31:37Things around who gets to go in the winner's circle, what the appeal process is on decision making, the amount

00:31:43of vetoes he gets on names that I propose.

00:31:46So there's a lot of red tape to get through here, but very funny and very on brand for Dave.

00:31:52And so but it's I mean, it's it's so fun to be a part of the sport with him.

00:31:58You know, he's he's somebody that attracts a lot of attention and is in the sport because he loves it.

00:32:03He actually tries to stay out of the content a lot because that's his business.

00:32:07And that's what he does for a day job. And he looks at horse racing as something he can do

00:32:12to really enjoy.

00:32:13So him and his girlfriend, Cam, they're they're great people.

00:32:17And and I owe him everything. I mean, getting me involved in this game, especially with folks like Brad and

00:32:22Liz, I would have never, ever gotten involved without the nudge from them.

00:32:27So really, really lucky to be a part.

00:32:30So, Josh, what's your long term plan?

00:32:33You you obviously you're in Lexington. You bought a little apartment in Lexington.

00:32:38So we love that you are fully entrenched.

00:32:41Where can you see yourself in this wonderful game of horse racing in five years time?

00:32:47Are you going to be a breeder? Are you breeding to raise?

00:32:50What do you want to do? We know you want to win the derby, but there's more to life than

00:32:53the derby.

00:32:54Yeah, for sure. For sure.

00:32:56So I think our our operation here, we've got a few different things going on.

00:33:02And I think for me to you know, I'm on the younger side of owners in the sport.

00:33:06And so I look at that as a great opportunity to establish a good long term, productive broodmare band.

00:33:13And so part of our strategy is buying three and four year old horses, you know,

00:33:18fillies that are still running that you might have some fun with them for a year or two.

00:33:22And then they become broodmares. We own Margie's Intention, who's going to be in the Delaware Handicap on Saturday.

00:33:28Won the Black Eyed Susan last year and a horse named Prom Queen, who is in the Oaks this year,

00:33:33won the Florida Oaks.

00:33:34And so trying to find some horses like that to think about the long term and and figure out how

00:33:41we can start to breed on our own.

00:33:43We're buying into proven horses. I think that's been a lot of fun.

00:33:46We've had baby Vino, who won the Haskell, which was I think just so much that was incredible, incredible.

00:33:53And then, yeah, Todd Pletcher the next day, I saw him at Saratoga and he just came up and said,

00:33:58easy game, right?

00:33:59Yeah, well, that was easy. But and then speaking of not being an easy game, the yearlings were is is

00:34:07a bit of an adventure.

00:34:08You know, just the patience needed. You know, they get to a few of them got to Saratoga, looked around

00:34:14on the Oklahoma track.

00:34:15And then went right back to the farm after having sore shins or an ankle chip or, you know, miles

00:34:21dispensary or different things popping up.

00:34:24So rolling with the punches of the two year olds that we bought as yearlings is is probably the most

00:34:30taxing part emotionally,

00:34:32just because you think about how much you spend at the sales and you want to see it turn into

00:34:36production.

00:34:37And it's a waiting game. So but between yearlings, proving horse, proven horses and then, you know, some brood mares.

00:34:44I think that's going to be the combination for us over the longer term.

00:34:48And hopefully once in a while we we have a runner.

00:34:52Josh, we've learned a lot about you from reading about you in the TDN.

00:34:55And it's clear that you are aware that the sport has a lot of problems.

00:35:02And it's also seems that you'd like to pitch in and help, which would be great.

00:35:07You can't be a dummy. You went to Harvard. So, you know, let that fool you.

00:35:12I played golf there. That was the only reason I ended up on that campus.

00:35:16All right. You said in one of the stories that you thought the biggest issue was the declining full crop.

00:35:24It is a huge issue, but, you know, it doesn't appear that there's any magic solutions to this.

00:35:30Do you have any thoughts on what the sport can do to solve that particular problem?

00:35:34And while we're at it, you know, what other problems do you worry about with the sport going forward?

00:35:40Yeah, for sure. You know, look, it's one of those things where you can wake up and get upset about

00:35:45any number of things going on in the sport.

00:35:48And you're going to have some validity to all of it. I mean, there's there's a lot that can improve.

00:35:53I will say to me, the thing that's astounding almost is the idea that, like, nobody is really good at

00:36:00this game.

00:36:00Like, if you look at the win rates, it's like there isn't like if you're good, you win still, I

00:36:06don't know, 8, 10, 12 percent of the time.

00:36:09Like, you're not winning 50 percent of the time.

00:36:11And so in that environment, you would think the owners would all just get on the same page.

00:36:17Like, to me, it's it's the only thing that can institute change in the sport is the buying power.

00:36:23Right. If the owners say, hey, we're just not going to participate in this anymore until this, this and this

00:36:28get resolved.

00:36:28All of a sudden, I think there'd be a lot of people motivated to to make some simple changes in

00:36:34the sport,

00:36:35whether it's some of the rules around the sales, whether it's more funding for aftercare,

00:36:40whether it's more programs for smaller operations and breeders.

00:36:44But it's like one of those things where it's like in the NFL, you look at all these owners, they

00:36:49compete like hell on the field.

00:36:50But as soon as the game's over, they're all on the same team and trying to do what they can

00:36:55to maximize the viewership and the momentum behind the sport.

00:37:00And here, you know, it just doesn't feel that way.

00:37:05It feels like there's factions of owners and and everyone's kind of got a different thing that they care about.

00:37:10And and to me, there's got to be some way to get the owners together as as more of a

00:37:16group to say, look, here are the things we care about.

00:37:19And I mentioned the full crop and, you know, like we're seeing in a Keeneland when you show up and

00:37:25not this time in a mischief gunrunner,

00:37:28Don and Nyquist, maybe put in there now, like if they dominate book one, that's good for the large shops

00:37:35that pay a lot of money.

00:37:36But it's better for the game and the growth of the game if everybody has some access to kind of

00:37:43elite sires and there's enough diversity where where you can buy from 8, 10, 12, 15 sires and in at

00:37:51sales and have the same quality of mayor and so forth,

00:37:55where, you know, you don't feel like it's so concentrated amongst a few.

00:37:58And ultimately, that's, you know, from my position, that's why I do care so much about growing the full crop.

00:38:04But aftercare is another one. I mean, we're there are some great groups out there, New Vocations and Thoroughbred Retirement

00:38:11Fund.

00:38:11And we're trying to work through some ways that we can essentially prepay the retirement of the horses we're buying

00:38:17so that there's some amount of funding.

00:38:19I mean, that's so upsetting when you just see the sheer volume of sales that are happening this week and

00:38:25last week and during the Saratoga sale.

00:38:27And you think that for a small premium on that money, you could solve aftercare.

00:38:33And it just never that's one of those things where I say, like, if the owners really got together and

00:38:38made a stand on that issue, I think it would get resolved pretty quickly.

00:38:42But it's just hard the way the sport is structured, where it's very decentralized and you don't always kind of

00:38:49understand or even see a path to getting alignment across a lot of different stakeholders.

00:38:54So you mentioned that you weren't a handicapper getting into this.

00:38:58So you must be a pretty quick study in that part of the game.

00:39:00Yeah, I believe in this concept called the beginner's mind.

00:39:04And it's essentially like the idea that, like, you keep things simple and you don't confuse yourself and you stay

00:39:10focused.

00:39:11And that generally leads to the best results.

00:39:13So I take a very beginner's mind approach to reading the form.

00:39:17There's a few things I look at, but not like 25 variables.

00:39:21There's probably five or six and it's worked out pretty good.

00:39:26We won a contest, the Pacific Derby Challenge in September.

00:39:31I did pretty well in the NHC last year.

00:39:33And it's just that concept of like, hey, it just feels a little like people like beginner's luck to me

00:39:41is not luck.

00:39:42It's like you're focused on a few simple things that work.

00:39:45And then you move beyond that and you confuse yourself with a million variables.

00:39:49You don't even know what you're solving for anymore.

00:39:51And so I try to keep it very simple, stick to the plan.

00:39:54And it's worked out OK and having a lot of fun doing it.

00:39:57Look at this guy.

00:39:58He is a degenerate.

00:39:59He's a true degenerate.

00:40:02I got one final question.

00:40:04You're a very passionate guy.

00:40:06You obviously love the sport of horse racing.

00:40:09If there was one person listening that's coming in that doesn't have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend,

00:40:15like what would you say to them from an outsider looking in?

00:40:18Like how would you tell them to go about it?

00:40:21Yep.

00:40:22I think the way to grow the game to me amongst owners is kind of this partnership syndicate model.

00:40:29And you see my racehorse doing it, Eclipse, West Point.

00:40:33There's a number of groups that do it.

00:40:34And no matter which one you choose, the idea that for a few thousand dollars, you can be part of

00:40:39the fun.

00:40:39And that's still a lot of money.

00:40:42I mean, it's almost like golf.

00:40:44There's a relatively high barrier to entry.

00:40:47But if you're willing to spend that and get involved in a few horses, to me, it's like the experience

00:40:52of going to the backside in the morning,

00:40:54meeting some of the trainers, having a good day at the track.

00:40:58It's like when your horses are running, it's a little more fun.

00:41:01But once you feel like you're in the mix, even the days you don't have anything running, it's still fun.

00:41:06And so I hope people would experiment that way.

00:41:08I think that's the right model.

00:41:10I hope to at some point get into that type of model with my barn as I have more friends

00:41:14and colleagues interested in coming into the sport.

00:41:17But to me, that's the best way to do it, to get a feel for what's going on.

00:41:22All right.

00:41:22Randy and Zoe, you can turn off your microphones now because Josh and I are going to talk about what's

00:41:27really important to us.

00:41:28Red Sox.

00:41:29Yeah.

00:41:29OK.

00:41:30So if you've been watching this podcast, you know I'm a sick Red Sox fan.

00:41:35Sick.

00:41:36Like crazy.

00:41:38Like I need help, Josh.

00:41:39I need help.

00:41:40And Sue.

00:41:41Sue is the same way.

00:41:42So can we beat the effing Yankees?

00:41:46And would you start Peyton Tolley in game one?

00:41:49Is that the right move?

00:41:50Look, I think he's a very lovable guy.

00:41:53And I'm rooting for him.

00:41:54And I'm a big Red Sox fan.

00:41:55I've followed him my whole life.

00:41:56But Bill, I hate to be the one to tell you this.

00:41:59Like, don't be fooled by these guys this year.

00:42:02I think this is the quintessential example of ownership doing just enough to keep the fans off their back.

00:42:11And I don't, I think, going back to the start of the year, everybody was asking to sell the team.

00:42:16The team turns it around.

00:42:17Look, it's the second wild card.

00:42:19Like, this is, you know, I just, I'm a pretty skeptical Red Sox fan at this point.

00:42:25And I want to go back to the days where they were spending a lot of money on the best

00:42:29players like the Dodgers are now and trying to put a team together and not, not thinking as much about

00:42:34the economics and how to make it work and like a private equity construct.

00:42:38And so I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm selling on the Red Sox right now.

00:42:43Unfortunately, Bill, I hate, I hope you.

00:42:45Oh, man.

00:42:46I think, I think I see beads of perspiration on Bill's forehead there.

00:42:51All right.

00:42:52Josh, keep, you're absolutely right.

00:42:55They, they, the way they've run the team is terrible.

00:42:58Maybe they just got lucky this year, but keep the faith, man.

00:43:01This has been a magical season.

00:43:03Anything can happen.

00:43:05Just, you know, keep the faith, my friend.

00:43:08It's been, it's been a joy ride and, and we're, we're going to, we're going to get this done.

00:43:13I mean, we're, I don't think we're in the world series, but if they beat the Yankees, then, you know,

00:43:18I go to, I go to my grave happy.

00:43:20I feel like I just witnessed like the pep talk you give yourself when you're brushing your teeth in the

00:43:25morning about the Red Sox.

00:43:27But I, look, I'm with you.

00:43:28I hope they do well, but until I see it, I'm, I'm, I'm selling on the Sox.

00:43:34All right.

00:43:34Sorry to hear that.

00:43:35But like I said, keep the faith.

00:43:37All right, Josh, you've been delightful.

00:43:38It's so nice to meet you, uh, virtually and, uh, love your enthusiasm about the sport.

00:43:44And thanks so much for joining us this week as the Gainesway guest of the week and go Red Sox.

00:43:49Thank you guys very much.

00:43:51And again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.

00:43:53Uh, you've been a big part of my journey in the sport and I really appreciate it.

00:43:57That's great.

00:43:57I'm glad I'm not a Yankees fan.

00:44:01Guest of the week, Josh Isner came to you courtesy of Gainesway farm, the home to stallion McKenzie.

00:44:07Last week, we told you that McKenzie was the sire of the most grade one winners in his crop with

00:44:14four.

00:44:14And that success is now being rewarded in the sales ring at Keeneland.

00:44:20Here is a $700,000 filly selling in the third session.

00:44:24That was Wednesday.

00:44:26Just one of the many successful sales results for McKenzie at Keeneland, September.

00:44:31Gainesway power, passion, performance.

00:44:36McKenzie in a dominant performance.

00:44:46Tim has won the forego.

00:44:49Baeza gets his moment in the sun in the Pennsylvania Derby.

00:44:52Chancer, Mick Patrick wins the champagne impressively.

00:44:56Spectacular display.

00:44:58From Scottish Lassie, who's in front by 15 lengths.

00:45:06Well, it's that time of year again, guys.

00:45:09It's time for First Things First with Santa Anita full meet starting this coming Friday.

00:45:15We'll have eight races on Friday, followed by an awful lot of graded stakes on Saturday.

00:45:20We'll get into those just a little bit later on.

00:45:22But I did get a chance to catch up with Nate Newby, the GM at Santa Anita,

00:45:27to talk about all things opening weekend.

00:45:36We're excited to kick off the autumn meet on Friday.

00:45:39It's one of the favorite time of year with six weeks of racing that's action-packed.

00:45:43We have 26 stakes races and seven Breeders' Cup win and you're in.

00:45:47So it's a meet starts off strong and runs through Breeders' Cup simulcasts where we have live

00:45:54racing to finish out the meet.

00:45:57So it's fun.

00:45:57And opening Saturday, I know Zoe's excited about the English pub day on the apron.

00:46:03So you get food, music, and some good English beer.

00:46:07So it should be a fun weekend.

00:46:13Thanks very much, Nate.

00:46:14We'll look forward to a 10-race card on Saturday with five graded stakes and several win and

00:46:20you're in.

00:46:21So it'll be great to be back at the Great Race Place.

00:46:25Well, opening day at the new Belmont Park, the facility to cost $500-plus million.

00:46:29I was in attendance writing for the Thoroughbred Daily News.

00:46:33And the facility, as expected, is just marvelous.

00:46:37I mean, it's beautiful.

00:46:39It's modern.

00:46:40It has all these amenities.

00:46:42The paddock itself is just breathtaking.

00:46:45It's twice the size of the old paddock.

00:46:47Only two of the five floors were open.

00:46:50It's really different.

00:46:52It's not like what you would expect from a racetrack, but that was to be expected because,

00:46:58you know, racing at Belmont, they're trying to evolve and to give the modern customer the

00:47:04kind of amenities that they want.

00:47:06The building itself was wonderful.

00:47:08I had a great time.

00:47:10The crowd was enthusiastic.

00:47:12I will say, however, that from my story in the TDN where I just was like, you know, more

00:47:19enthusiastic than Josh Isner in my coverage, got a little blowback, to be honest with you.

00:47:28People weren't happy about the prices.

00:47:30It's expensive.

00:47:32At the door, you got to pay 10 bucks to get in.

00:47:37It's not a cheap day out.

00:47:40One trainer told me that all the trainers couldn't use their badges to get in.

00:47:45They had to download apps and these sort of things.

00:47:48Someone else told me that, you know, he was in a particular room and he tried to go to

00:47:54other rooms and he said everywhere they, someone was stopping.

00:47:59You can't go there.

00:48:00You can't go there.

00:48:00He found that kind of off-putting.

00:48:03My answer to that was, be given time, this was treated as a big event.

00:48:07So like the Kentucky Derby, you know, there were different badges.

00:48:11And yeah, people telling you, you're not allowed in this room.

00:48:13I think that'll all change as we get through the opening weekend.

00:48:19People are also looking at the prices for the seats for the Belmont and that.

00:48:24And if you don't take out a second mortgage on your house, you're not going to the Belmont

00:48:28States.

00:48:29Let's put it that way.

00:48:30But having said that, Zoe, you know, and you've, I'm sure, seen it, the pictures and

00:48:37all that.

00:48:38I'm telling you, the place was stunning, absolutely stunning.

00:48:44And I think despite some of the things I just brought up, I think Naira did a great job

00:48:50building a facility that is a fit for the modern era.

00:48:54And I think the racing fans are really going to enjoy it.

00:48:58This coming from half glass full, Bill, that's some big praise.

00:49:03Indeed.

00:49:05I can't wait to see it.

00:49:06All the pictures look fabulous.

00:49:08Kudos to them.

00:49:09Personally, I don't think any racetrack in America should charge admission, but that's

00:49:14just my own personal take.

00:49:15And I don't own the racetrack, so I don't have to pay the bills.

00:49:18I'm just glad to have a job.

00:49:20Bill, do you think that $10 admission fee is just like a grand opening kind of thing?

00:49:24Or do you think it's going to be a permanent?

00:49:25Well, to be fair, it's $7 apparently if you go on something like SeatGeek or something

00:49:34like that.

00:49:34If you do it online, yes.

00:49:35Yeah, online.

00:49:36But I did ask that question.

00:49:37And one of the things that I will wait to see, I'm not going there again because I spent

00:49:44three and a half hours in traffic trying to get home and I wanted to kill myself, to be

00:49:51honest with you.

00:49:53But I did ask that question because, you know, again, one of the things, and I am being half

00:49:59glass filled bill here, but one of my questions is how does this translate into what's going

00:50:05to happen on a Thursday in February when it's 24 degrees out and, you know, how many people

00:50:14are actually going to come and will they be willing to pay?

00:50:19They said, I did ask, are you going to lower the emission prices?

00:50:22And I agree with you.

00:50:24You guys, for big days, yeah, charge, that's fine.

00:50:27But Zoe, you're spot on.

00:50:29I don't think racetracks should charge admission.

00:50:31I really don't.

00:50:32You don't have to pay to get into a casino.

00:50:34So why do you have to pay to get into a racetrack?

00:50:36But I asked if they're going to lower the price and they said, probably not.

00:50:40Now, maybe they'll adjust that and we'll see.

00:50:44I mean, I do think Naira will have to treat that sort of day much differently than they

00:50:52treated opening day.

00:50:54And, you know, the facility, it's not going to be as depressing as Belmont was when there

00:50:59were 1,300 people there because Belmont was just so cavernous.

00:51:04This building isn't like that.

00:51:06But, yeah, I mean, I would want to see Naira and they say they can do it.

00:51:11How are they going to convert this place to a place that works both for the Belmont stakes

00:51:17and for the Thursday crowd in February?

00:51:21That's the remains to be seen.

00:51:22We'll see.

00:51:23That's the same exact question that you got to ask about the new Pimlico when it gets built.

00:51:27What's going to happen?

00:51:28Is it going to be just a Preakness facility?

00:51:32Or, you know, is it going to draw more fans on just an ordinary weekday that wouldn't have

00:51:38come in the past?

00:51:39Yeah.

00:51:39Those are literally the million-dollar questions.

00:51:42You know, time will tell.

00:51:43We will see.

00:51:45But, yeah, I mean, I give it an A.

00:51:50Not an A+, but I'll give it an A so far, and we will see.

00:51:54All right.

00:51:54Zoe has been at Keeneland September, as we have mentioned.

00:51:58And here are some of the stats through Monday.

00:52:01And remember, we're recording this on Tuesday.

00:52:03And they're mind-blowing.

00:52:06463 million.

00:52:06And, Zoe, you know, you're our expert, but take this and run with this any way you want.

00:52:12But from a guy who honestly doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to this stuff, the

00:52:17thing that has stood out to me reading the coverage in the TDN is that we're still seeing

00:52:23horses in book three and book four sell for outrageous prices, among them seven figures.

00:52:31That seems to be something that is unprecedented.

00:52:35And, you know, the sales have just gone bonkers.

00:52:39That's the word I want to use.

00:52:41What do you think?

00:52:42I agree with everything you said.

00:52:44The median yesterday for the last day of book four, up 20%.

00:52:5075,000 to 90,000.

00:52:53We're not talking average.

00:52:54We're talking median.

00:52:56And it's the trickle-down effect that we've seen in all the sales this year, last year,

00:53:02the last few years, especially here at Keeneland.

00:53:04People get shut out in book one.

00:53:06They go to book two.

00:53:07People get shut out in book three.

00:53:09Book three.

00:53:09There are so many people out there.

00:53:11We're on book 5A because nobody wants to call it book five and six anymore.

00:53:16It's 5A and 5B.

00:53:17And there are just as many people here that were here at the beginning of book four.

00:53:23It is absolutely insane.

00:53:25It's great for the industry.

00:53:26You're seeing small breeders paying off houses and making some good money.

00:53:30It's good for the industry.

00:53:32There have been 70 individual million-dollar horses sell.

00:53:36Seven, zero.

00:53:3856 last year.

00:53:39And we're like, that's crazy.

00:53:4156.

00:53:41And now we're up to 70.

00:53:43We're starting to see a lot of good freshman science come through.

00:53:46I'll just rattle off a few of them.

00:53:48The Cody's wishes look very nice.

00:53:50Tabor, Forte, Annapolis.

00:53:52He kind of surprised me a little bit.

00:53:55Good athletic individuals.

00:53:56Up to the mark.

00:53:58Archangelo.

00:53:59Some really nice young sire power coming through.

00:54:02And the pinhookers have all been shut out thus far.

00:54:05Kieran Dunn paid $500,000 for a filly to pinhook just a couple of days ago.

00:54:11It's insane.

00:54:13But it's great.

00:54:15So, on we march.

00:54:17Book 5A to 5B.

00:54:20Well, you said insane.

00:54:22I said bonkers.

00:54:23And I think that both apply.

00:54:25But, you know, it's good to see.

00:54:28It really is.

00:54:29And, you know, this is the part of the industry that is not just thriving, but is exploding.

00:54:34So, it's good to have some good news.

00:54:37Speaking of bad news, Arthur Hancock passed away last week at age 83.

00:54:42And, you know, this guy was such an important part of horse racing.

00:54:48And, you know, we all know the Sunday silence story.

00:54:51He also, the Ghetto of the Soul story.

00:54:53You know, his admission about his drinking problems.

00:54:58The fact that, you know, he thought he was in line to take over Claiborne when his father died.

00:55:05And they pushed him aside to bring in Seth Hancock.

00:55:07Led a fascinating life.

00:55:10But what I wrote in the TDN, and I hope it's something that resonated with readers.

00:55:14I think it did.

00:55:15To me, his number one contribution was his fight to bring integrity to this sport.

00:55:24And he was so, he's a delightful guy.

00:55:28He really was.

00:55:28And he always wanted to bring up, you know, my thugs and drugs speech.

00:55:33He always talked about thugs and drugs.

00:55:36And in 1991, the University of Arizona Symposium, he blew the lid off what at the time was racing's

00:55:42dirty little secret and said, this game is dirty and it's got to stop.

00:55:46And he continued on that path throughout the rest of his life.

00:55:50And, you know, we wish things were better.

00:55:55They need to even get better in these categories.

00:55:57But, Randy, this guy made a difference.

00:56:00He really did.

00:56:02And he's, to me, that was his most important contribution to this sport.

00:56:08It would have been easy for him to take the easy road and just kick back and be a, you

00:56:16know,

00:56:16be a prominent Lexington, Kentucky breeder and not try to rock the boat.

00:56:20But that wasn't part of his personality.

00:56:24So, we think that may be his biggest contribution.

00:56:27I'd be kind of curious if I could ask him.

00:56:30I want to say Sunday silence is probably what he was most proud of.

00:56:34You know, the ugly duckling horse that nobody wanted as a young horse winds up defeating easy

00:56:41goer, you know, the blue-blooded colt that represents the aristocracy in the sport that

00:56:49sort of shunned Arthur Hancock and sent him off to Stone Farm.

00:56:53He didn't want to sell Sunday silence.

00:56:56He would have preferred to keep him and stand him at stud himself.

00:57:00But he had to sell him because of financial difficulties the farm was having.

00:57:04He sure as hell didn't want to sell them to the Japanese.

00:57:07He made that very clear.

00:57:09But the American breeders were much more interested in easy goer than they were Sunday silence.

00:57:14And they really sort of low-balled Sunday silence.

00:57:18And he was forced to sell to Japan.

00:57:20And, of course, Sunday silence became, you know, one of the top sires of the last 50 years

00:57:26internationally.

00:57:27And I think Arthur was very, very proud of that.

00:57:30And he should have been.

00:57:31He was quite a guy.

00:57:32I wish I knew him better.

00:57:34Man, what a guy.

00:57:35What a guy.

00:57:37To see him just sitting at his consignment sometimes with his guitar, just fingerpicking.

00:57:42You want to talk about a guy, pillar of the sport, inducted into the National Museum Racing

00:57:47Hall of Fame last year, which is great.

00:57:49They finally got it right, inducted someone while they're still alive.

00:57:52That was a delight.

00:57:54He'll be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.

00:57:57He sang with Waylon Jennings.

00:57:58He's in the Hall of Fame.

00:58:00He wrote songs for years for countless bluegrass people out here in Kentucky.

00:58:06Just a fabulous guy.

00:58:08Started the water, Hay Oats and Water Alliance.

00:58:11A very passionate guy.

00:58:13His biggest quote that I think everybody knows is,

00:58:16take care of the land and the land will take care of you.

00:58:19And that was Arthur in a nutshell.

00:58:22Condolences to Stacey, his wife, Arthur, Hutchie, Lynn, Walker, and Kate.

00:58:28Lynn Hancock continues to run the family farm.

00:58:31She does a fabulous job.

00:58:32And, you know, little Arthur and Lynn were out the very next day with their consignment,

00:58:37Stone Farm consignment, the very next day after Arthur's passing.

00:58:41And they're like, this is what dad would have wanted.

00:58:44Just classy family, classy people.

00:58:47And he will be sorely missed.

00:58:49He was a true legend and a gentleman.

00:58:52Not a fun guy.

00:58:53Well put, Zoe.

00:58:55He was a legend.

00:58:56And what a mark he left on his sport.

00:58:58And he will certainly be missed.

00:58:59Okay.

00:59:00So here's the roadmap as we go ahead.

00:59:03We're going to have a introduction of what's going on with the Kentucky Breads,

00:59:08which I am sure the news is great as it always is with Kentucky Breads.

00:59:12And Santa Anita is back this weekend.

00:59:14So that's good to hear.

00:59:16And we're going to find out what's going on with First TV.

00:59:19And when we come back, a little handicapping to do of this weekend's major race.

00:59:23And stay with us.

00:59:26The TD and Writer's Room also brought to you by the PHBA,

00:59:30the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.

00:59:32And how about those Pennsylvania Breads on Pennsylvania Derby Day?

00:59:37Let's start with $150,000 Liberty Bell Stakes for Open Company.

00:59:43It was taken by Icona Mama, who came from off the pace to win by two lengths,

00:59:48bred by J. Patrick Morrell and Tanya Lobsinger.

00:59:51Two races later, the $300,000 Parks Dirt Mile Stakes.

00:59:56It's been a decent prep for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in the past.

00:59:59It was Pennsylvania-bred Wild Vine, who made a bold move around the turn to take the race.

01:00:04He was bred by R.R. Equine, who receives now $64,800 in Breeders' Awards for that victory.

01:00:13How about that?

01:00:14And earlier on the card, McCoy, a Pennsylvania bred, took a $100,000 maiden special weight

01:00:19in his career debut for trainer Cherie DeVoe.

01:00:23To get in on all this Pennsylvania bred action and learn more about the entire program,

01:00:27you can contact Brian Sanfratello at 610-444-1050 or do it the easy way.

01:00:33Log on to pabred.com.

01:00:36The Pennsylvania Breeding Program is the best program in the country.

01:00:41The stallion awards, the owner bonuses, also the restrictive races and the stakes races for Pennsylvania breads.

01:00:48Last year, 321 Pennsylvania breeders earned Breeders' Awards.

01:00:5322 Pennsylvania breeders earned over $100,000.

01:00:58We have the best program in the country.

01:01:01Take advantage of the fantastic program that we have.

01:01:04Learn more at pabred.com.

01:01:07With some of the fullest fields in the country and quality racing year-round,

01:01:12there's never been a better time to reap the rewards of breeding and racing in Kentucky.

01:01:18Purse money in Kentucky is at an all-time high, as is average purse per race,

01:01:23outpacing California, Florida, and New York.

01:01:27Kentucky Breeds.

01:01:29Breed them.

01:01:30Raise them.

01:01:31Race them.

01:01:33We all win.

01:01:37The TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by Kentucky Breeds.

01:01:40Now, this sounds like a Jeopardy question, one that you should be able to get right.

01:01:45Where can you find Kentucky Breeds?

01:01:47By standing in the winner's circle after European classic races.

01:01:51Of course, why didn't we think of that?

01:01:53This past week, Scandinavia added to its Group 1 European Hall when winning the Irish St.

01:01:58Ledger under a brilliant ride by young Safi Osborne, picking up her very first classic.

01:02:04That's his fifth win.

01:02:06Fifth Group 1 win in Europe, including a previous classic win in last year's English St.

01:02:12Ledger.

01:02:12Kentucky Breeds have won Group 1s in Europe this year from five furlongs to two and a half miles.

01:02:19The former coming with Baccio's win in the Group 1 Nunthorpe State in August.

01:02:24Kentucky Breeds.

01:02:27Well, too many races to go over all of them, but I picked out a couple that I wanted to

01:02:35talk about.

01:02:36And, well, you don't have to be a handicapping genius to pick the winner of the bell name on Friday.

01:02:41Nitrogen will be 1 to 5, maybe even 1 to 9.

01:02:44And there was actually 1 to 10.

01:02:46You know what?

01:02:47Everybody gets that wrong.

01:02:48It's not 1 to 9.

01:02:49It's 1 to 10.

01:02:50But, anyways, she picks the green team.

01:02:54The greens pick this spot.

01:02:55She looks absolutely unbeatable.

01:02:57I think a couple stories here.

01:02:59Number one is we've seen this too many times.

01:03:03A grade 2 race with five horses in it.

01:03:06This horse, like a rolling stone.

01:03:09I'm sorry.

01:03:10You know, coming off beating, running dead last in a starter allowance race.

01:03:15I don't know if they hustled this horse in so they could just get five or whatever.

01:03:18You know, and then they carted it as a second race to keep it out of the pick six and

01:03:22the pick whatever.

01:03:24That in and of itself is kind of sad to see.

01:03:27And maybe Nitrogen scared everybody off.

01:03:29I also wonder, too, that whether or not considering the, you know, performance that of Forever Young in the Jacksonville

01:03:41Bowl Cup,

01:03:41that all three of us weren't that dazzled by.

01:03:45They remember the Nitrogen team was saying, you know, we might go in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

01:03:51And I'll give you a little insight.

01:03:52John Green texted me on whatever day it was and said, Bill, the decision is in.

01:04:00We're going in the bell day.

01:04:01And then a couple hours later, it became official that Sovereignty was out of the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

01:04:08I said, John, are you going to change your mind with Sovereignty out?

01:04:11He says, no, absolutely not.

01:04:12This is set and so I'm going to the bell day.

01:04:14You know, there's no point looking back.

01:04:16But you know what?

01:04:17Nitrogen might very well have won the Gold Cup.

01:04:20But they've managed this horse so well.

01:04:23I'm not at all criticizing them.

01:04:25But it's just fun to talk about these things, Randy.

01:04:29Yeah, 1 to 20, I think, is what you can look for, really.

01:04:321 to 5, 1 to 10.

01:04:34Can you go lower than 1 to 20?

01:04:36I don't think I've ever seen that before.

01:04:38But, yeah, she's unbeatable on paper.

01:04:42And hopefully she gets enough out of it to be a good tune-up for the Breeders' Cup disc staff.

01:04:49All right.

01:04:50So, Joey, you got anything to add there?

01:04:52Nope.

01:04:53Okay.

01:04:54Sorry.

01:04:55Spacing in.

01:04:56Okay.

01:04:56I don't think any of us are crazy enough to pick against her.

01:05:00Huge card Saturday at Belmont Park.

01:05:02I mean, this is a big weekend of racing as everybody's getting in their last Breeders' Cup preps.

01:05:06Let's focus on the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.

01:05:09A very interesting race here.

01:05:12Gee, I'm really stepping out on a limb.

01:05:14I'm taking Charlie Appleby.

01:05:16How about that?

01:05:17With El Cordobis.

01:05:19He just looks on paper like the best horse.

01:05:22Has not run in a while.

01:05:23That's a factor.

01:05:24But, you know, Charlie Appleby is not going to bring a horse all the way over to New York that

01:05:28he doesn't have ready to run.

01:05:30Seems to have the best buyer numbers.

01:05:32And another thing I thought that was interesting is Flavian Pratt's decision.

01:05:36I mean, Chad Brown is his main man.

01:05:38And he gets off program trading to ride El Cordobis.

01:05:42So, that tells you what Chad, excuse me, what Flavian and his agent thought of his chances.

01:05:47So, gee, I'm going to go with Charlie Appleby.

01:05:50I'm really being original here, Zoe.

01:05:53You are, but you might be onto something.

01:05:56I actually like, I just literally pulled it up.

01:06:00Rafe Beckett's horse, Pride of Arras, coming in here.

01:06:03Beaten two and three quarter lengths two starts ago by Item.

01:06:07Item's a very, very good horse indeed.

01:06:10They gave this horse a run around Kempton to see if he would handle the turns.

01:06:15And he won very nicely.

01:06:16So, that will be the prep for this gelding by New Bay.

01:06:18So, I like Pride of Arras.

01:06:20And I might take a little swing with Minaret Station as well for Will Walden.

01:06:26It's all about the Europeans.

01:06:27It's either El Cordobis, or it's the one Zoe mentioned, or it's Fort George, who is technically a European by

01:06:34way of New York and Kentucky.

01:06:35He came over for the Bowling Green and has stayed in the United States as opposed to shuttling back and

01:06:40forth.

01:06:41So, he'll be making his third U.S. start.

01:06:43Not that there's anything wrong with the Americans.

01:06:45I mean, Farbridge has made two and a half million program trading, two million.

01:06:49Minaret Station's really finding his best stride, although he's had a couple of really good trips in his last two

01:06:54years.

01:06:54But, to me, it's the Europeans.

01:06:58It's no surprise.

01:06:59And I think El Cordobis is the one to beat.

01:07:02All right.

01:07:03So, let's move on to Santa Anita opening weekend and a ton of big races.

01:07:08And, again, like I never say this to kick Santa Anita when they're down because their problems are not of

01:07:15their own making.

01:07:16And I think they're trying their very best in a difficult situation.

01:07:20But when you roll out grade one races with a $300,000 purse, which is what they're trying to do,

01:07:26and everybody else's purses are a million bucks and the crazy money that's being thrown around, it's just so hard

01:07:32for them to compete.

01:07:33So, you know, let's be honest.

01:07:35The Goodwood did not come up particularly strong.

01:07:39I think that's – but Nevada Beach for Bob Baffert will likely go off the favorite.

01:07:44But how can I not take Safi and Paco teaming up on Caldera?

01:07:51Horses not tested at this level but has won three in a row.

01:07:54So, and I think Nevada Beach, because of the Baffert-Juan Hernandez combination, will be overbet.

01:08:01So, I'm riding the Safi bandwagon with Caldera.

01:08:05Zoe?

01:08:06I am too, but I think you might be on the wrong one.

01:08:10I'm going to go with Forge Steel in there.

01:08:12His best race has come at Santa Anita in the Gold Cup.

01:08:15He needs a lead.

01:08:18So, hopefully he can get it.

01:08:20And I think they're just going to send him as hard as they could possibly send him to the lead.

01:08:25If he's my horse, that's exactly what I'd do.

01:08:28And just take it from there.

01:08:29I think it comes down to Nevada Beach or Forge Steel.

01:08:31I agree with you, Zoe.

01:08:32On paper, I think they're the horses to beat.

01:08:34I don't – Caldera, Safi's not stupid.

01:08:38Can sit off the pace, I think.

01:08:40So, we'll see.

01:08:42Or at least have both of them have clear running.

01:08:44But I do like Forge Steel in this spot, for sure.

01:08:48Now, the only question in here.

01:08:49All right.

01:08:50You've got another Baffert horse in there.

01:08:52Yeah.

01:08:54From the rail, Taif.

01:08:56Randy, he's so slow on your figure.

01:08:59Two races back, he went 44 flat for a half mile.

01:09:03He's got early speed.

01:09:04I guess he's riding him.

01:09:07I'm talking about from a pace perspective.

01:09:08Right, Jaramillo.

01:09:10Jaramillo.

01:09:11So, I think Forge Steel is better with the lead.

01:09:14But I kind of wonder if that's going to be taken by Taif breaking from the rail.

01:09:20So, I think it's Taif, isn't it?

01:09:22I don't know.

01:09:23Yeah.

01:09:24All right.

01:09:24And if you're handicapping this race, I can help you out a little bit.

01:09:28I did do some homework beforehand.

01:09:31And McAfee and Original Sin, both of whom are cross-entered in the Lucas Classic, according to their trainers, will

01:09:36run in the Goodwood, not in Kentucky.

01:09:39So, speaking of the Lucas Classic, that highlights the big card Saturday at Churchill Downs.

01:09:46And I don't know if we need a pick or not, but boy, will I be rooting for Chunk of

01:09:50Gold, $2,500 yearling.

01:09:52Looks like the horse to beat in the Lucas Classic.

01:09:54And he will soar past the $1 million mark in earnings if he wins it.

01:09:58Very cool horse.

01:09:59And I don't know if my colleagues have anything to add on that.

01:10:02Please speak up if you do.

01:10:04But certainly pay attention to what's going on at Churchill on Saturday as well.

01:10:09And, again, for those of you who watch our podcast on YouTube, it's a great place to watch it because

01:10:15you can add comments in the comments section.

01:10:19And we really appreciate the comments.

01:10:21They've been very favorable.

01:10:22And we encourage people to reach out to us if they have any questions.

01:10:26So, just first of all, from FrancisRusso27, just, you know, it's very gratifying, to be honest, because we take a

01:10:34lot of pride in this.

01:10:35And we really like it that people like us.

01:10:39So, here's what FrancisRusso27 had to say.

01:10:42Love the show.

01:10:43Wait all week to it.

01:10:45Learn so much.

01:10:45Guest segments are always great.

01:10:48And joining the Zoe Cabin fan club, which is growing week after week, Anthony C. Gardner, 7774, said the following,

01:10:59Zoe Cabin, we thought you were British, lady.

01:11:02Your team member said you're African.

01:11:04We love you the same way.

01:11:06So, yes, Zoe is English, but she was born in South Africa.

01:11:10Her family moved back to England when she was a wee lad.

01:11:13So, Anthony C. Gardner, yes, Lass, of course.

01:11:17Thank you for reaching out.

01:11:19And, once again, Randy, they love Zoe.

01:11:24We don't get these kind of comments.

01:11:25My goodness.

01:11:27I think we need some of the negative comments in here, too.

01:11:30I mean, this is online.

01:11:32You know there's going to be some flame throwing going on.

01:11:35Oh, I got one for you.

01:11:35I got one for you.

01:11:37Hansley.

01:11:39Oh, gosh.

01:11:40What's his consignment called?

01:11:42Blake Albina.

01:11:43There you go.

01:11:44Blake Albina finally came to me.

01:11:45Yeah, Hansley.

01:11:46Anyway, he says we put him to sleep every week.

01:11:49Oh, my goodness.

01:11:50Every single week.

01:11:51He can't make it to the guest.

01:11:53Jeez.

01:11:53He can't make it to the guest.

01:11:55He's like, I try every week.

01:11:57So, I'm going to tell him we got Josh Isner and see if he can do it.

01:12:00He goes, you guys put me to sleep.

01:12:01So, he said it's great.

01:12:02You know, if it tries to help me sleep, I put it on, and I just don't make it to

01:12:06the guest.

01:12:07So, there's one for you.

01:12:07That's not good.

01:12:08Very nice.

01:12:09Tell him to start watching it before 2 a.m.

01:12:11That might help.

01:12:12All right.

01:12:13That's good.

01:12:14We need more comments like that.

01:12:16Yes, exactly.

01:12:18Yeah.

01:12:18To be honest.

01:12:19Yeah.

01:12:20Guess what?

01:12:20He's not coming on the podcast as a guest.

01:12:23We put Lucy to sleep every week.

01:12:28The TDM Writers' Room Work of the Week is brought to you by First TV.

01:12:32Detain and Mondego worked a half mile in 49 and 2 on Saturday at Santa Anita for trainer Michael McCarthy.

01:12:40Detain is nominated to the Grade 2 City of Hope, a Win In Your In event, while Mondego goes next

01:12:46in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship.

01:12:50Detain is a four-year-old by Wooten Bassett who came to the U.S. from the U.K. earlier

01:12:54this year and was second last out in the Del Mar Mile.

01:12:58Mondego has won both the Grade 3 San Marcos and the Grade 2 Charlie Whittington Stakes this year alone.

01:13:05We'll be right back after this message from First TV.

01:13:12Be a smarter bettor with First TV.

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01:13:55Change your life.

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01:13:58And compete at the highest level of thoroughbred racing.

01:14:03West Point Thoroughbreds.

01:14:04West Point Thoroughbreds.

01:14:04The gold standard in racing partnerships.

01:14:07Visit westpointtb.com.

01:14:10The TD and Riders Room also brought to you by West Point Thoroughbreds.

01:14:14We mentioned a little earlier that McCoy won on the Pennsylvania Derby undercard in his career debut.

01:14:20I love that name.

01:14:21My mother's maiden name, by the way, McCoy.

01:14:23I am a McCoy.

01:14:24Not a Hatfield.

01:14:25I'm a McCoy.

01:14:25Meanwhile, guess who is the owner of McCoy?

01:14:29West Point Thoroughbreds.

01:14:31It was exactly one year before that performance at Parks that West Point purchased McCoy on the opening Saturday of

01:14:39Keeneland September with just this kind of success in mind.

01:14:43And that career debut at Parks was the first time McCoy has been back in his native state.

01:14:49Cherie DeVoe trains the Vekoma Colt and has earmarked more than a dozen Colts acquired last week at Keeneland September

01:14:55for West Point and partner St. Eli's stable, Woodford Racing, and Belladonna Racing.

01:15:01For more information on those newcomers, check out www.westpointtv.com.

01:15:12Let's wrap up this week's show.

01:15:14I want to thank our Gainsway Guest of the Week, Josh.

01:15:16This is Nergana.

01:15:17Boy, that guy was enthusiastic.

01:15:19You've got to love that.

01:15:20I also want to thank, as I do every week, my co-partners, Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss.

01:15:27And I also want to thank the people that work behind the scenes.

01:15:31That's Sue Finley, Katie Petruniak, Anthony LaRocca, and Alia LaRocca.

01:15:34And a special shout-out, it is Katie Petruniak's birthday today.

01:15:40And for those of you who don't know her or you don't see her work on camera, she is the

01:15:46brains of this show.

01:15:48Trust me.

01:15:49Katie, happy birthday.

01:15:50Job well done.

01:15:52All right, guys.

01:15:52That's it for this week's TDN Writers Room Podcast.

01:15:55See you next week.

01:15:56Bye.

01:15:57Bye.

01:15:58Bye.

01:15:59Bye.

01:16:00Bye.

Delta Squad’s Josh Isner Joins the TDN Writers’ Room

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