Welcome to “Voices,” our public forum where horsemen and horsewomen are able to share their thoughts and concerns about the important issues facing the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry. All opinions are welcome, and we value yours!
Many news items are presented in our “Western Newsbeat”section (which is updated daily) and in ourEditor’s Blog; we encourage you to express your thoughts about these topics here. To submit your comments for posting, simply send us an email.
All letters must be submitted by email. Be sure to write “Voices” in your subject line. With your first letter, you must give your name, phone number and mailing address. This information, which will be kept confidential, offers an added measure of security that will help protect you from identity fraud. Fictitious names are not allowed.
Write on any topic that you please, just so it's related to Thoroughbred racing and breeding, does not promote a commercial interest or product and is not libelous, defamatory or abusive. Content in violation of these rules will be deleted. The opinions expressed below are not necessarily those of the owners and/or hosts of this website, and Thoroughbred Information Agency shall not be held responsible for content.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Leigh Ann Howard, Bonsall, CA:
December 6. One year ago, Don and Jean acted together to end their lives. They had planned well, arranging to close out their long lives completely and quietly. They didn’t want to be a bother or problem to anyone. A few personal good-bye letters were arranged to be mailed out a few days after their passing. For what they chose to do they did an excellent job. I miss them both and think of them often. Rest in peace, my friends.
December 6, 2011 8:44 p.m.
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
Well, five months is a long time without any input to “Voices.” Sandy, I do agree with you on the admissions thing. It’s my opinion that all tracks should not charge admission. More turnout means more dollars through the windows.
I was shocked about the dates that might be given Ferndale. It is amazing that in the realm for greed that Stronach would try to destroy a meet that has been going on for decades. Especially when he can operate without those dates and Ferndale can’t.
We watched this year as the Washington Horse Racing Commission cut the dates to Class Three tracks from 18 or 20 to just six days on what is called the Blue Mountain Circuit. The tracks involved were Sun Downs in Kennewick and the fairs in Walla Walla, Dayton and Waitsburg. Sun Downs was awarded the six days, which left those three fair meets without horse racing. Not only a blow to the horsemen, but also to the county fairs and their success for the year.
Things don’t look good for racing in these parts.
November 25, 2011 11:13 a.m.
Sandy Nickols, Hayward, CA:
I started preaching free admission on this site several years ago, and leave it to the little Stockton fair to show the big boys what needs to be done if we hope to survive and compete with other forms of legalized gambling. Finally, someone else realized we can no longer do business as usual and acted on it. Way to go, Stockton.
June 23, 2011 6:45 p.m.
Lisa Engel Belhage, Espergaerde, Denmark:
Today on Father’s Day, I would like to take the belated opportunity to express my deep gratitude to everyone who wrote in with letters of sympathy, memories or stories of my father, Don Engel, and his wife, Jean. It has been a painful time for me, and for the rest of my family. Reading how much both my father and Jean meant to so many people has been an enormous comfort to all of us.
Thank you all!
June 19, 2011 1:50 p.m.
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
OK. Let’s talk about the response that Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor and owners of 2011 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Animal Kingdom, made in his interview after the race when asked by the reporter why he changed trainers.
First, it surprised me that the reporter would ask that question, knowing that he is not going to get a positive answer. You don’t change trainers if you are happy and you shouldn’t incite a negative one right after the owner just won the most prestigious race in the world. “I am just tired of trainers that lie and cheat.”
I support him on his vendetta to clean up racing and the black eye that it causes in the industry. I thought his timing might have been a little off, but then, when is the right time. Since it was said on national TV, it certainly brought negative attention to horse racing. Maybe Barry thought this was the best time to expose that black cloud while he had a national audience.
May 10, 2011 3:52 p.m.
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
Well, that didn’t work out very well, did it? Congratulations to Animal Kingdom.
Here at our little Class III track in Kennewick, we experienced our best day ever in pari-mutuel handle: $104,110. There was over $35,000 bet on the Derby alone. The racing commission cut our meet by two weekends, as we used to run five weekends and this year, three. Three other little tracks that made up the Blue Mountain Circuit didn’t get any racing dates this year, so basically our season in Washington is over unless some of these horses go to Emerald Downs, but most won’t be competitive there. The Quarter Horse people have very few options.
Our purse money to the Class III tracks came from Emerald Downs from a very small percentage of their handle. We got .01% of the win/place/show handle from their meet, and none from any exotic wagers. They claimed that their handle was so low that they could not give us money for purses. I heard that there was a law that the Class III tracks were to receive a percentage of off-track handle on Emerald Downs racing, but to my knowledge that hasn’t happened either. Not a very bright future for Washington racing.
May 9, 2011 5:19 p.m.
Eric W. Anderson, Santa Rosa, CA:
Should a claim be voided if the tagged horse suffers a fatality during the race or before returning to be unsaddled?
On the ctba.com homepage (lower left-hand corner), a poll is asking the above question.
Although certainly not based on a perfect sample or responses, I find it interesting that for the past few days the vote tally has been very close to 50/50 on this question with only 33 votes tallied. Is this something the CHRB is actually looking for, this type of feedback or have they reached a decision that, “what the board feels is correct” should be implemented. Maybe based on the ctba.com poll results no change should be made. Be interesting to see where the CHRB is on seeking the public’s response and if they list or reveal what the public is saying about this.
May 9, 2011 7:17 a.m.
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
With all the scratches in the field for the Derby, I see a need to revise my selection.
As I said in my last post, I really wanted to bet on The Factor. When he left the scene, I shifted to Uncle Mo and now comes the news of his scratch due to an intestinal problem. I hope all goes well with him.
They say a racehorse is dangerous in anyone’s hands and Nick Zito is one of the best conditioners around the game. Plus, he has a bona fide runner with Dialed In. He is my pick to take the Roses.
May 6, 2011 10:41 p.m.
Don Sandri, Hayward, CA:
I just found out about the passing of longtime veterinarian and consummate assessor of Thoroughbred horseflesh, Jack Woolsey. Jack was one of the first to give me a hand with Thoroughbred pedigree and physical evaluation.
I remember flying down with Jack to the Barretts January sale back in the late 1980s. I had picked out a Never Tabled short yearling in the catalog and went to see him first. I really liked him but, unsure and inexperienced, I waited for Jack to come take a look and give his opinion. Jack showed up; looked at the colt carefully. I impatiently turned to Jack and asked, “What’s wrong with him?” Jack paused a few seconds, turned to me squarely and said, “He’s gorgeous.” Long story short, I bought him for $4,500 and he became my first good horse, competing very well in conditioned allowance fields prior to contracting the dreaded EPM.
Jack remained part of my life, doing castrations on my colts—the last one in Fall 2009 on a Boomerang colt. He left a note on the bill: “Nice colt.” That colt just last Friday broke his maiden in his first start for me in very impressive fashion.
RIP Jack. You and your fabulous eye will be missed.
March 25, 2011 9:02 a.m.
Larry Stevens, Kennewick, WA:
I watched Bob Baffert’s horse The Factor win by 5 or 6 lengths last Saturday. I love the name and I’ll tell you why.
I generally can come up with a story about some coincidence, so here goes. One night while living in Murrieta, four of us rounders decided to go into Los Alamitos for a night of QH racing. While there, Jim, an old cowboy type, proceeded to take it upon himself to empty the bar, if you know what I mean. We lost track of him until he made an appearance for the last race. He decided to pick a horse to win and bet $20 on its nose.
As he was looking over the field he explained that #6 was the only horse in there that had “the factor.” I finally got him to tell me what “the factor” was. He said, “See how calm he is, and his tail is just hanging straight down and relaxed?” I said yep, and again, “Well, he has the factor.”
He gave me the $20 and I made the bet for him. Then he questioned me, “Did you put it all on his nose?” I assured him with, “Sure, I’m not going to bet against the factor.” This was all going on amongst a lot of laughter.
Anyway, it became post time and then, “they’re running.” When it was all over, #6 was last by at least 25 yards or more. So much for the factor. On the way home, we laughed until Jim fell asleep.
I’m going to keep The Factor in my sights for the Kentucky Derby, and nothing will stop me from putting $20 on his nose. Good luck Bob! I wish he could read this.
March 21, 2011 9:54 a.m.
Julie Kluesener (2010 Don Engel California Freshman Sire Contest Grand Prize Winner), Sunman, IN:
I received my prizes last week and went home from college to enjoy them! Everything was in wonderful shape and I’m so happy with my halter. My mom said there were even gray hairs in the grooves of the inside stitching when she pulled it out of the box.
I want to thank the TIA for providing such a wonderful contest. Winning came as a total surprise to me as I had little to no knowledge of California sires beforehand, being from Indiana and all. This contest has definitely sparked an interest for California racing and breeding and I plan on following it much closer from now on.
Thanks again!
February 21, 2011 7:27 a.m.
Vickie Aument (2010 Don Engel California Freshman Sire Contest Third-Place Winner), Dana Point, CA:
What a great way to promote the industry! The prizes were a bonus to “bragging” rights! I received my Rachel Alexandra signed print — it is fabulous and the $50 will go into my track funds!
I’d like to congratulate all the winners in the Don Engel Freshman Sire Contest. I have been dethroned. Actually, I wasn’t even in the hunt on this year’s crop.
Anyway, the prizes are great and I would have been overjoyed with 2nd and the Fred Stone picture of the great champion and Horse of the Year Zenyatta.
Also a special thanks to those that helped sponsor the contest.
January 31, 2011 2:39 p.m.
M. Anne Sweet, WTBOA, Auburn, WA:
It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Don Engel, and then to learn later in the day that he and Jean left together was doubly shocking. I knew Don professionally, via email and phone conversations only. Many years ago he was the first to launch our website, by way of hosting it on www.thoroughbredinfo.com, before we were prepared to host it ourselves. He led us into the world of the World Wide Web at a time when it was still relatively new and unknown territory.
I enjoyed many delightful conversations and/or email exchanges with Don. As has been said below, one of the things I enjoyed, and will remember, the most about him was his dry wit and wry sense of humor. It always came unexpectedly, subtly but sharply, without pretense and always hit the mark precisely.
We almost had the chance to meet face-to-face a couple of years ago, after he had retired. He and Jean planned a trip up the coast, with the end destination being Grand Coulee Dam. He had contacted me ahead of time and we had planned to meet somewhere in Seattle for lunch and a visit. As they began to tire from their travels, he called to say that they had decided to bypass Seattle and go straight to Grand Coulee. The side trip to Seattle would have added more time and they were wanting to visit Grand Coulee and then head home.
I regret that I did not have the opportunity to meet this wonderful gentleman, who I felt I had developed a friendship and rapport with, albeit long distance, and it would have been a great pleasure to meet Jean as well. My heart goes with them. While I feel great sadness over their loss, I applaud that they lived life on their terms and then left on their terms. May peace go with them.
December 21, 2010 10:42 a.m.
Martha Crawford Cantarini, British Columbia, Canada:
I think those of us who are devastated by the death of Don and Jean enjoy sharing a happy moment as described by Barry Irwin. Perhaps we should all share the happy memories instead of just our heartbreak.
I remember when the major horse carriers were in a little hot water using drivers that literally did not know how to spell horse. Don knew this. He told me he had taken a course at Berkeley in Propaganda. He said when I advertised to say: “We do not hire drivers!” Then he said, “When you expand, you can say, ‘We do not hire drivers, but if we did, you can be assured, etc., etc., etc.’ ”
His dry sense of humor is hard to forget.
December 20, 2010 9:33 a.m.
Barry Irwin, Versailles, KY:
Don Engel was a true mensch. His wife Jean was a saint. They were two of the most wonderful people I have met, inside or outside of the Thoroughbred industry.
I first met Don when I worked at the “Thoroughbred of California” magazine in 1970.
To say that Don was an unforgettable character is to understate the case. He was unique, he worked hard at being unique and it served him well, because he was able to deal with the world on his own terms.
Many people like to think they “tell it like it is,” but Don actually did, and he delighted with the reactions he achieved.
I have to say that I enjoyed my relationship with Don when I didn’t have to work with him!
During a brief stint when I was both the editor and advertising manager of the magazine, I had to deal with Don on his print ads for the magazine. As truthful as Don tried to be in real life, he worked hard to be deceptive when it came to his advertisements!
Without dwelling too much on the subject, one situation that sort of summed up his attitude toward advertising came when he wanted to promote a horse that had run second in a race in which the winner broke the track record. Don wanted to advertise that the runner-up had broken the track record. But he didn’t want to reveal that the horse finished second, that the horse had been beaten and he may have broken the former track record, but he never broke the record, because the horse that won the race broke the record and set a new one. I tried to reason with Don that it was deliberately deceptive advertising. We went round and round and he never relented. In the end, I simply refused to run the ad as submitted. Don, of course, realized that he was shading the truth, but he liked the notion he had come up with and wanted to stick with it.
Also, he liked to use photos of stallions that were airbrushed by a photographer named Stackhouse. His ads, many of which were done in black and white to save costs to his clients, were deceptive. They would have been more at home in a dog magazine than a horse breeding publication.
One of the wildest things Don came up with when stallion awards were first instituted was to buy up interests in dead stallions that had award money due to them! Brilliant, yet pretty strange if you ask me.
Don, however, as an individual, was a super star. He, along with former CHRB commissioner Harvey Furgatch, were the only two people I’ve ever met in the horse business in California that shared my own political and social views. I always felt that I was at home when speaking with Don and Jean.
I had sent an email to Don just a month or so ago, alerting him to the fact that I had met a fellow on a flight to Ireland in October that lived in his community and I recommended that this guy get in touch with Don upon his return. I don’t know if anything ever became of this.
When I learned that they had decided to depart the planet on their own terms, I was shocked but not surprised, because that is how both of them lived their lives.
People like Don and Jean don’t come along often enough in this world, and rarely, if ever, in our business.
I will miss them.
December 19, 2010 10:10 p.m.
Norm Towne, Sacramento, CA:
Don and Jean will be missed dearly. They were wonderful people. Don was at times the conscience of the industry. His insightful work and his unfailing honesty was refreshing and constructive. He called me once a week for the better part of 20 years to talk about the state of horse racing and to share a laugh or two.
Thanks for the memories, you live on in all of us who had the good fortune to know you, goodbye old friend.
December 18, 2010 9:14 p.m.
Don Sandri, Hayward, CA:
I met Don and Jean at the Kentucky Derby Museum in 1989. Don was all that others have shared and more. Thanks for all your advice and friendship over the last 21 years. RIP my friend.
December 17, 2010 7:52 a.m.
L.P. “Bud” Thibodaux, Lafayette, LA:
I met Don in the mid-seventies in California and we became instant friends. He was the nicest guy I ever met, period.
December 17, 2010 4:33 a.m.
Martha Crawford Cantarini, British Columbia, Canada:
This is very difficult for me to write.
Don and Jean were two of my most favorite people I have ever known. I, just a few minutes ago, learned of their deaths.
We had been emailing back and forth until just recently about a book I had written of my stunt career in films. For once he was asking all the questions and that tickled me, as I had always asked so many of him.
I was just about to write another email to them when I happened to check “The Blood-Horse” and saw the electrifying news.
I truly am at a loss for words. My love to Lisa, whom I have not seen since she was a young girl. I would love to hear from her.
I was flattered to do most all of Don’s hauling in and out of the sales.
I will continue to look for you both and hope that we meet again.
