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Tony Young finds religion Special to the Horse –
During the time that Donald Anthony Walker Young allegedly spent
fleecing friends and neighbors in Chester County of more than $20
million, he was never known for interest in religion.
His wife, Neely, however, was an eager participant in Bible studies at
the home of multi-millionairess Diana Wister, herself a Born-Again
Christian.
Now, however, living in Palm Beach, Fla., presumably awaiting
indictment for operating fraudulent investment funds, Young has become
heavily involved in the Bethesda By The Sea Episcopal Church and in the
local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Neely has also immersed herself in mission work there. If Young
has turned to religion, he is following a time-honored tradition among
misceants seeking redemption or appearing to. It could help at
sentencing, for one thing. But there have been notable cases of it
accomlishing more than that. Some close aides to Richard Nixon. for
instance, not only embraced religion after being implicated in
Watergate, but actually turned it into successful new careers.
Bellissimo yields on high-tech info system By SARA CAVANAGH – WELLINGTON, Fla.—An
enormous sigh of relief was heard throughout Wellington when the Winter
Equestrian Festival announced on Jan. 7, less than a week before the
first show began, that it has hired Show Net LLC to keep exhibitors
informed during the 12 week circuit from Jan. 13 to April 4.
Show Net is an online equestrian information system created by
David Orlando and Grant Williams that posted orders of go, live orders
of go, and live results.
"We are excited to provide this service at the FTI Winter Equestrian
Festival. It's something that exhibitors look for, and we're happy to
make it available for everyone at WEF," Orlando said. “We’d been
negotiating for quite some time.”
For the past two years, ever since taking over the circuit from Stadium
Jumping, Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sports Productions LLC, has
insisted on using his own online information system, which exhibitors
have constantly complained did not work. Exhibitors were charged an
office fee of $50 for this system that didn’t work.
Two meets scheduled on same day By SARAH L. GREENHALGH – A
change in the 2010 National Steeplechase Association schedule has
pitted Radnor Hunt Races against Strawberry Hill Races in New Kent, Va.
Normally a conflict free weekend for Radnor, officials at Strawberry
Hill have decided to move their meet from April to May 15, and because
their meet is held at Colonial Downs where Off Track Betting is held,
they are hoping to capitalize on the Preakness Stakes that day and draw
in a even larger crowd than they usually do.
Stephanie Beattie tops Penn Nat trainers
By LINDA DOUGHERTY – GRANTVILLE, Pa. – For the second year in a row, Stephanie Beattie
was the queen of Penn National Race Course, sitting atop the trainer’s
standings as 2009 drew to a close. It was a remarkable
achievement, considering the Grantville oval has become a very tough
place to win races.
With the opening of Hollywood Casino nearly three years ago, slots
revenues have fueled soaring purses, which have in turn attracted
trainers from across the country. The former home to the $2,500
claimer has now become the place where maiden special weight events
carry pots of $35,000, allowance races are worth nearly $43,000, and
average daily purses are creeping towards $180,000.
Despite the increased competition, Beattie has not only survived, but
thrived at Penn National, completing 2009 with a record of 113 winners
from 512 starters, plus 107 seconds and 66 thirds, with purse earnings
of $1,858,820.
It's True: Bigger isn't always better By LINDA DOUGHERTY – Jan and Terry Spell are living proof that, in the horse racing industry, bigger doesn’t always mean better.
The Spells, who live in Hope Mills, N.C., only have one broodmare, but
from that broodmare has come two winners this year – T. J.’s Storm Cat
and True Fuse, the latter of which won a $25,000 maiden special weight
event for Pennsylvania-breds at Penn National on Dec. 30.
By Lite the Fuse, who stands at Dr. William Solomon’s Pin Oak Lane Farm
in New Freedom, Pa., True Fuse is out of the Spell’s mare Ubet, a
daughter of Is It True. Ubet was bred by and raced for the
Spells, and thus far has proven her worth in the breeding shed.
Her first foal, T. J.’s Storm Cat (by Parker’s Storm Cat), broke his
maiden in September at Penn National as a 4-year-old. True Fuse,
her second foal, now has a record of one win, three seconds and a third
from six lifetime starts.
Remarkable year for Penn National GRANTVILLE, Pa. – There was plenty of good news as the curtain came down on Penn National’s 2009 season.
Not only did purses soar to new heights in the 36-year history of the
Grantville oval – approaching $180,000 at year’s end – but there were
many other bright spots, due in large part to the revenue generated by
slots at Hollywood Casino.
Debut near for Hard Spun half sister By LINDA DOUGHERTY –
Two years ago, Pennsylvania-bred Hard Spun was one of the top
3-year-olds in the country, finishing second in the Grade 1 Kentucky
Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic and earning over $2.6 million in his
career.
The son of Danzig out of the Turkoman mare Turkish Tryst was owned by
Delaware businessman Rick Porter (who races under the name Fox Hill
Farms) and was bred by Michael Moran and the Brushwood Stable of Mrs.
Elizabeth Moran.
Named Kissed by a Star, the Pennsylvania-bred filly by top sire
Kingmambo is in training at Payson Park in Florida with Hall of Fame
conditioner Billy Mott. She was bred by Brushwood Stable.
Kissed by a Star, now a 3-year-old, has been putting in steady workouts
at Payson Park since November. She has recorded one three-furlong
work, four works at four furlongs, and her most recent one, on Jan. 7,
was at five furlongs from the gate.
“She is a really lovely filly with a lot of ability,” said Mona
Phillips of Brushwood Stable. “She’s coming along well.”
100 brave cold for Penn Ridge open house By LINDA DOUGHERTY – More than 100 hardy souls braved afternoon temperatures in the mid-20’s to attend Penn Ridge Farm’s Open House on Jan. 9 at the facility in Harrisburg, Pa.
While the weather was frigid, the welcome was warm from the Penn Ridge
staff, headed by owner Mike Jester, general manager Patrick Morell, and
stallion manager Chuck King. “For as cold as it was, we had a very, very good turnout,” said Morell. As
expected, the hot commodity for the crowd gathered outside the stallion
barn was the appearance of dual classic winner Real Quiet, who returned
to Penn Ridge last month after servicing a book of mares in Uruguay
over the summer and fall.
Cloudy's Knight caps amazing comerback One
of the most amazing comeback stories in 2009 was that of 9-year-old
Cloudy’s Knight, who flourished under the tutelage of trainer Jonathan
Sheppard to win four of five starts, all stakes, after an injury
threatened to end his career. The
gelding capped his outstanding season for Sheppard with a 1-1/4 length
victory on Dec. 26 in the G2, $150,000 W. L. McKnight Handicap at
Calder Race Course.
Sent off at 5-1 odds in the McKnight, Cloudy’s Knight dropped far off
the pace in the 1-1/2 mile turf test, letting Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1)
runnerup and race favorite Presious Passion set a fast pace over the
firm course.
It was the ninth career stakes win for Cloudy’s Knight from 41 lifetime
starts, and the $88,350 he earned increased his lifetime bankroll to
$2,519,035.
“He's a wonderful horse," said Sheppard, who had an outstanding year of
his own in 2009, conditioning a pair of G1 winners in Forever Together
and Informed Decision, plus graded stakes winner Just As Well.
“He is so smart. And he's got bottomless stamina. “But that will be it for him for a while as we've already decided to skip Gulfstream,” he continued.
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