Page 34 - August 2005 The Game
P. 34

34 The Game, August 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
A group of visitors to The System Equine Solutions Family Area at Woodbine get ready for a tour of the backstretch.
System Equine Solutions Family Fun Area at Woodbine
The System Equine Solutions Family Area at Woodbine has been a great success with well over 500 people visiting the area during its opening weekend on July 1.
The area is located on the west side of the infield and is accessible through the tunnel under the turf course.
According to Steve Koch, Director of Backstretch Operations at Woodbine, the family area is a way to get children actively engaged with the horses and a day at the races.
“These are future owners, employees and race fans,” explains Steve, who says that the idea is to get future generations of horsemen by getting them interested in the horse. “From this area they see more horse traffic as the horses come and go from the racetrack as well as during the race.”
Equine Guelph has helped to set up an educational tent where visitors can learn many different things about horses, such as a horse’s body language, the shoes they wear and the food they eat.
Kids can also dress up like a jockey and have their picture taken with a real, live horse and special guests and demonstrations that happen throughout the weekend.
There are also backstretch tours which provide a glimpse into the industry and how the horses get to the races.
The System Equine Solutions Family Area is open on the weekends in July and August from 11am to 6pm.
Trainer Mike Keogh’s stable pony, Dexter, was a big hit with parents and children alike. Children are encouraged to interact with the horses.
Woodbine’s Director of Thoroughbred Racing, Tom Cosgrove, was one of the many guest speakers
ELISSA - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
She created a name, Phase II Thoroughbreds, as well as a logo and left all of her jobs at the racetrack to focus on finding buyers for the now growing list of horses looking to be sold.
Today, Elissa and her Phase II Thoroughbreds has sold more than 250 horses for second careers in the show ring and as the years progressed Elissa has learned a lot about selling and has perfected the skill of finding the right horse for the right buyer.
“I know which horses are best suited for eventing or hunters as opposed to jumpers.” said Elissa, who explained that the recent years of watching and learning the show business has been valuable to her in that aspect. “There are certain movers for hunters....they have to have the right bone for eventing....long fetlocks won’t work for jumping.” she explains, “I know what to look for now.”
Elissa, who holds a bloodstock agent license, is strictly an agent who finds buyers for sound racehorses who can no longer race. “I am looking for horses who are too slow, or have become disinterested, or have gone through their conditions and can’t move up.” said Elissa who explains that the majority of the trainers and owners she deals with just want their horse to have a second career at a good home.
Elissa currently has 45 horses available for potential sale. The horses have all been thoroughly checked for soundness with a total “ear to tail” examination which includes ex-rays and blood tests by an equine veterinarian.
“I want to make sure the buyer gets a sound horse.” Elissa says about her ethics of selling, “I want to be 100% confident about selling that horse.”
Phase 2 handles the sale of approximately 85 horses a year and generally can get owners or trainers close to the lower end “claiming” price for a horse.
An agent fee is arranged and from there Elissa handles everything including finding a buyer, arranging the vet work and shipping as well as the paperwork along with a bill of sale.
Phase II has also had successes with buyers who have purchased thoroughbreds off of the racetrack and after re-training, have re-sold them in their new profession for a profit. “I have had several horses that have been sold and have become big event horses in Ocala and other parts of the United States.” says Elissa with pride, “ Some horses were sold from the racetrack for $2,000 and have been re-trained and sold for $8,000 to $20,000.”
Elissa tries to keep tabs on the horses she sells through Phase II and she even provides updates for former owners explaining that some of the sales have been quite emotional for owners and trainers as well as the buyers. “There have been times when the trailer arrives and the trainer is emotional while the young buyer is ecstatic.” says Elissa, “I know how they feel because it was how I felt when I got Robert. Most of the time it is not about the money. The owner likes the horse and just wants to find them a good home. I help them do that.”
Today Elissa’s life is very busy.
Along with running Phase II she has taken on a new position as a broadcaster at Woodbine Entertainment Group’s HPI program, figuring that she should use her broadcasting education for extra income.
While Elissa barely has time for much more in her life she says that she finally feels that she is doing what she was meant to be doing in life.....which, if you think about it... isn’t too far from what her fourteen year old imagination had dreamed up for her.
SARATOGA - CONTINUED FROM PAGE16
He was able to freeze the other guy's ticket so that it couldn't make further bets. About half an hour later, the pari-mutuel man came back with a printed inquiry into that machine's transactions. It was clear to see that I had deposited $100, made $15 in double bets and then the next guy had added his $10 voucher in and made one $3 bet, before punching out with my funds. They made the creep give me back my $85 and he made a point of making no eye contact with me for the rest of the afternoon.
Helen got a $10 tip and was the most deserving employee in the dining room as far as we were concerned. Service was incredibly slow and the bill for two simple lunches was about $135 US. Clint paid with his credit card and left an appropriate tip. To our dismay, after taking payment, the Maitre d' stood at our table and lectured us on how hard his crew worked and how they deserved a larger tip.
It was, perhaps, the most garish thing we had ever experienced, and we did not cough up another dime.
We will also, never book a table in the Saratoga dining room again. Much better tip - on ground level, mid-grandstand is a soup booth with wonderful beef vegetable and clam chowder for about $3.25.
Here's my favourite Saratoga story. In 1993, our third trip to Saratoga, Clint and Jim and I decided to
attend a morning handicapping seminar at Siro's, a well-known trackside bar and restaurant that regularly attracts the high-profile racing writers and Daily Racing Form analysts. We paid close attention and dutifully applied our newly acquired knowledge in the afternoon to hit a series of 9-2 winners.
By the time we walked out of the track, Jim was up $2000, I had made nearly $1000 and Clint was $700 to the good. We had booked into a less than luxurious motel and Jim now was suggesting that we check out the Adelphi, the nicest hotel in Saratoga. Clint and I were not totally enthusiastic, as we suspected the Adelphi was a costly proposition, so we sat in the car while Jim did his research.
Fifteen minutes later, Jim came out and told us to grab our bags, he had checked us in for the rest of the week. He wouldn't tell us what he paid, but on the way in I asked at the front desk -$275 a night! And Jim refused to let us share the cost.
The room was great, actually two bedrooms and a spacious television room. Jim motioned to the two beds and insisted that Clint and I could have one each. Of course we felt that since he had paid for the room, Jim was entitled to one of the beds, but, again, he refused.
"I'll sleep on the couch, "he said, "I'm used to it.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS - CONT. FROM PG.32
Fenton also suggests not being afraid to do background checks on clients and inquire about their integrity.
Robert Martin traded in his training title for a steadier income working with Michael Keogh. Rob says in a matter-of-fact tone that he loved training but, “A lot of people have trouble with the GST, labour cost and tax remittances. It is a huge investment to train a horse and you really need to charge a hundred a day to make any money.”
If you can’t take a small business course, the library and bookstores have a large selection of helpful financial books. Take the time to locate a good financial advisor. They can help you fig- ure out your future goals. Ask about setting up an RRSP and using the “pay yourself first plan.” You’ll want to invest in yourself, as well as re-investing in your business.


































































































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