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General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: TimTimTimbo on July 11, 2024, 02:46:25 PM
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I know Barry Abrams did. I met him in the 80's when we were selling horses over here from NZ. I aways remember him telling me not to sell horses to a few certain trainers as they were crooks.
Years later I went to Santa Anita and he spotted me and told me to bet his horse which won at 11-1
I ask because Mark Purdon has left his son in charge of his training operation and moved back to the North Island to a place called Matamata (Maori name) where they are mostly all gallopers that race there.
He is taking Oscar Bonavena who he co-owns with Chris Ryder with him to stand at stud and race. He's a very fast son of Majestic Son who I would loved for him to come over here. Also with him is his champion mare Millwood Nike, a daughter of Captain Treacherous and is unbeaten in 17 starts. She has been off since 2023 with a 10 percent tear in her tendon but is back in training.
Those are the only two because he now has a bunch of thoroughbreds he owns and is transitioning to them. Huge purses in Aussie and NZ for them. I just saw a NZ mare who died while foaling and she won 15 million dollars and 11 Grade 1 races.
I know that crook Monte Gelrod was into gallopers but was wondering what others did this?
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Bill Robinson tried it. Didn't go anywhere. Monte Gelrod tried and got a positive test before the ink on his license was even dry, LOL. A few of the somewhat bigger or more well known were Barry Abrams, Lou Meittinis, Robert Levine, Jerry Procino, Don Swick, and Norm McKnight. I would say Norm has been the most successful. He's done very well with the t-breds. Manny Ycaza went the other way and tried harness racing as a driver. He just never really got into it. Francis Raia did both for a long time, and still was as of about 4 or 5 years ago. Then of course there was Yannick Gingras!!! LOL.
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Bill Robinson tried it. Didn't go anywhere. Monte Gelrod tried and got a positive test before the ink on his license was even dry, LOL. A few of the somewhat bigger or more well known were Barry Abrams, Lou Meittinis, Robert Levine, Jerry Procino, Don Swick, and Norm McKnight. I would say Norm has been the most successful. He's done very well with the t-breds. Manny Ycaza went the other way and tried harness racing as a driver. He just never really got into it. Francis Raia did both for a long time, and still was as of about 4 or 5 years ago. Then of course there was Yannick Gingras!!! LOL.
Wait a minute Yannick has t-breds or trains them?
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Anthony Quartarolo went from standardbred to tbred
small operation only has a handful of horses on the NYRA circuit
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Bill Robinson tried it. Didn't go anywhere. Monte Gelrod tried and got a positive test before the ink on his license was even dry, LOL. A few of the somewhat bigger or more well known were Barry Abrams, Lou Meittinis, Robert Levine, Jerry Procino, Don Swick, and Norm McKnight. I would say Norm has been the most successful. He's done very well with the t-breds. Manny Ycaza went the other way and tried harness racing as a driver. He just never really got into it. Francis Raia did both for a long time, and still was as of about 4 or 5 years ago. Then of course there was Yannick Gingras!!! LOL.
Norm McKnight has had a few positives, but a very high winning percentage
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https://www.keeneland.com/racing/anthony-quartarolo
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Better yet, how many Thoroughbred trainers have tried their hand at Standardbreds?
Chad Brown started hands on with horses while in vet school working for Paul Kelly at Saratoga. Now he is on top of the world.
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A guy named Robert Warner had some success racing standardbreds in Ontario a few decades back,,,,,now has a small stable racing Tbreds at Fort Erie Ontario
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Every Standardbred Trainer I know of that has tried has failed miserably. Totally different animal.
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Wait a minute Yannick has t-breds or trains them?
https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/leading-harness-driver-to-become-jockey/
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Quartarolo just won the 8th at Saratoga at 3-1! Horse stalked then took lead and pulled away.
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Anthony Q just won race 8 at The Spa
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Correct on Gerry Procino. Also, I believe Tom Agosti and the late Joe Sarago from Buffalo Raceway made the attempt.
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A friend of mine in the t-bred game claimed one from Jerry Procino at Gulfstream. This had to be 20 years ago or so. He did so well with the horse he kept looking to claim more from him, LOL.
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I know Barry Abrams did. I met him in the 80's when we were selling horses over here from NZ. I aways remember him telling me not to sell horses to a few certain trainers as they were crooks.
Years later I went to Santa Anita and he spotted me and told me to bet his horse which won at 11-1
I ask because Mark Purdon has left his son in charge of his training operation and moved back to the North Island to a place called Matamata (Maori name) where they are mostly all gallopers that race there.
He is taking Oscar Bonavena who he co-owns with Chris Ryder with him to stand at stud and race. He's a very fast son of Majestic Son who I would loved for him to come over here. Also with him is his champion mare Millwood Nike, a daughter of Captain Treacherous and is unbeaten in 17 starts. She has been off since 2023 with a 10 percent tear in her tendon but is back in training.
Those are the only two because he now has a bunch of thoroughbreds he owns and is transitioning to them. Huge purses in Aussie and NZ for them. I just saw a NZ mare who died while foaling and she won 15 million dollars and 11 Grade 1 races.
I know that crook Monte Gelrod was into gallopers but was wondering what others did this?
Lol poor Monte just can’t help him self
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.....dave pickney per henriksen.....gar y contessa....alan sewwald.... all from harness to t breds
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Thanks, Quite a few.
I know one of NZ's best thoroughbred trainers went into harness as well. He has trained over 5,000 winners on the T-bred side and over 500 in harness.
He trains both currently
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Bob Inman. Isn't Jimmy T dabbling (or was dabbling) in TBs?
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Bob Inman. Isn't Jimmy T dabbling (or was dabbling) in TBs?
Jimmy, Phil Antonacci, and the Antonacci family, and Dave Reid from PEM are "dabbling" so to speak.
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Bill Robinson actually got a t-bred or two. I don't remember if he was on suspension or what. He had some very opinionated views on t-breds. I think he said they were undertrained, under-exercised, not as fit as they should be, and overfed. Whatever it was, it was very outspoken. Not hard to believe with Bill. LOL. You always knew where he stood.
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https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1994/12/17/shift-in-standards-for-trainer-robinson/
Here's the article.
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You really didn't say that did you. NORM MCKNIGHT had a few positives. OH MY: The man was called MR.POSITIVE for years. Now He went from Upper ponies to low class claimers. Think I member his main owner at time. BRUNO SHADINSKY or somethin like that. Even he bailed from him. They were a racket at WOODBINE years ago. Bruno in states mostly these days with cheap claimers.
JOHN FRANK ARMY wishes both the best. THE GLORY DAYS are GONE.
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You really didn't say that did you. NORM MCKNIGHT had a few positives. OH MY: The man was called MR.POSITIVE for years. Now He went from Upper ponies to low class claimers. Think I member his main owner at time. BRUNO SHADINSKY or somethin like that. Even he bailed from him. They were a racket at WOODBINE years ago. Bruno in states mostly these days with cheap claimers.
JOHN FRANK ARMY wishes both the best. THE GLORY DAYS are GONE.
Schickedanz.....B runo Schickedanz. In the states mostly? Cheap claimers? Bruno Schickedanz won the Sovereign Award for the leading/winning owner in Canada last year. He won the leading owner title at the Woodbine meet, Fort Erie, and Gulfstream Park.....and to top it off.....finished as the leading owner by wins in North America.....First in wins in North America.....and 6th in earnings at just under $4mm.
As far as Norm, he was brought into the t-breds by Lou Donato.
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Purnell Jones jumped in before any of the aforementioned... .used to race the Liberty Bell, Brandywine circuit.....Kenny McNutt
drove for him as did Vern Crank and Ross Hayter. He went over to Delaware Park and tried making a go with the runners...mixed results
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I think Don Swick is still training t-breds. Not sure.
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Purnell Jones jumped in before any of the aforementioned... .used to race the Liberty Bell, Brandywine circuit.....Kenny McNutt
drove for him as did Vern Crank and Ross Hayter. He went over to Delaware Park and tried making a go with the runners...mixed results
Purnell was also a Delaware state track star in high school.
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Johnny Campo went from TBreds to harness
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Johnny Campo went from TBreds to harness
My dad knew him pretty well. I kind of remember him downsizing and retiring, but he had a pretty bad stroke. I don't remember anything about harness racing though. My dad went to a birthday party for him a few years after. He said he was in a wheelchair and couldn't talk much, but when he saw Bobby Frankel and Nick Zito, his face lit up. They both worked for him when they started out. I remember his one son never took to working in the barn and he ended up becoming race secretary for NYRA. Today he's Javier Castellano's agent. The other son was a smaller version of his dad. He died a couple of years ago after a liver failure wasn't successful. A classic NY'er through and through.
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Jonny Campo's big horse was Pleasant Colony. He won The Derby and the Preakness. When the got home to NY for the Belmont and possibly a Triple Crown, the New York media was having a field day with John Campo. As said, he was a classic New Yorker. The Blue Bloods had their nose out of joint with all the attention this short, heavy set, cigar chomping street talking man commanded. It was a lot of fun to watch. Yet, I don't recall him ever racing harness.
I was at Finger Lakes when Johnny jr. and Oscar Berrara came up with their fathers cripples. They did no god there.
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Jonny Campo's big horse was Pleasant Colony. He won The Derby and the Preakness. When the got home to NY for the Belmont and possibly a Triple Crown, the New York media was having a field day with John Campo. As said, he was a classic New Yorker. The Blue Bloods had their nose out of joint with all the attention this short, heavy set, cigar chomping street talking man commanded. It was a lot of fun to watch. Yet, I don't recall him ever racing harness.
I was at Finger Lakes when Johnny jr. and Oscar Berrara came up with their fathers cripples. They did no god there.
Pleasant Colony was a game 3rd to Summing and Highland Blade, but never looked like a winner at any point.
https://youtu.be/oU6mV_xZgMQ?si=B6H-fnuBugpw90wL
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Frank Tagariello tried for a short while. He raced with his driving colors as color of his silks. The late Roger Stein was the leading harness trainer for years in California who changed to thoroughbreds and did very well. Barry Abrams worked for Roger when he went to California.