For The Love of The Game

You don’t have to be a math wizard to figure out Math Wizard was a great claim. Originally claimed by previous connections out of the same $16,000 maiden claimer that saw Maximum Security win by over 10 lengths, and again out of his next start, John Fanelli and trainer Saffie Joseph stepped up and tagged Math Wizard for $25,000 off a 18 ½-length win on January 31. New owner Fanelli (who won a seven-way shake that day) had obviously made a shrewd purchase and when he allowed some partners like Jose Hernandez of Wynwood Thoroughbreds to buy in after the claim, their modest investment went on to finish second in the Ohio Derby, third in the Indiana Derby, then pulled off a 31-1 shocker in the Grade 1 $1,000,000 Pennsylvania Derby in his last start. Those connections now find themselves entered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, running for the winner’s share of $6 million. If the ride seems too wild to believe, just listen to how Jose Hernandez describes it, with awe and gratitude in his voice. Originally a fan of horse racing in his native Dominican Republic, Hernandez, whose father was a small-time horse owner, enjoyed the weekend races with friends and family as a social event. When he moved to the United States in the late 1980’s, he followed the big races and trainers from afar, not allowing himself to attend live racing for fear of being bitten by the ownership “bug”. When his wife finally took him to Calder for their anniversary (on Kentucky Derby weekend, of course) in 2016, he couldn’t resist and had soon joined a group that claimed a filly named Esken Lady with Joseph. She won her first start by daylight in 1:35, then again on the class raise before finishing second in a Claiming Crown race that year. After his self-imposed ownership exile, Hernandez is now running his own Wynwood Thoroughbreds partnership, which is growing quickly, and credits Horsebills with helping him run his business. “The level of transparency allows our partners to see where they stand on a daily basis.” We appreciate the endorsement, Jose, and best of luck this weekend!

When someone names his racing syndicate after a poker term, you can bet there is a story behind it. Hear how Jared Shoemaker, head of Pocket Aces Racing, came up with the idea of horse ownership while playing poker with his friend and fraternity brother Marc Wampler back in 2005. Taking a passion for horse racing developed at a very young age with family trips to nearby Keeneland race track, through cutting afternoon classes in high school and carefully scheduling morning-only classes at the University of Kentucky, Shoemaker and partners started with a one-horse stable. When their first purchase was a romping 2-year-old winner at Charles Town, the flame was lit for a journey that has seen them grow to over 20 horses and 200 active partners. Bolstered by 2012 purchases of Aces High (over $300,000 in earnings) and Copperplate (multiple stakes-placed earner of more than $200,000), Pocket Aces combines social media, word of mouth, honest communication, along with barn and track accommodations to bring its partners the best possible experience. Hear how Jared describes winning a race as “no better feeling in the world” and how one of their winners helped a partner overcome grief from losing a relative. Also, his thoughts about where racing is as an industry; how Horsebills has reduced his “dreaded” task of quarterly invoicing into a 15-minute job, the convenience of our online payment platform and our world-class customer service. Enjoy another episode of “For the Love of the Game”, presented by Horsebills.com

What’s in a name? Mike Piazza, syndicate manager of Zilla Racing Stables, shares the same name with a Hall of Fame baseball player but there is no confusing the two. Horse racing is his game, and you can hear the passion he has for the sport when you listen to the newest episode of “For The Love Of The Game” podcast, presented by Horsebills.com. Growing up near Saratoga and attending the races as a fan at a young age, Piazza, who had a love of analytics and handicapping, combined an accounting background into the formation of Zilla Racing in 2012 when they claimed their first horse. Hear how “lazy” work horse Celtic Chaos turned out to be a multiple stakes winner with earnings of more than $650,000 and how collaboration and teamwork at sales landed them English Soul, another multiple stakes winner with earnings of over $325,000. Listen to how their trainers, Brad Cox, Ray Handal and Joe Sharp, combine “efficiency” and communication to give Zilla its best chance at success while competing with bigger outfits on a limited budget. How Piazza tries to sell the value of the experience, rather than a financial investment to his partners, and the emotional scene of watching one of his loyal partners walk Celtic Chaos into the winner’s circle after a stakes win. And finally, Piazza talks about the “efficiency” of using Horsebills and how he can bill out his whole stable of horses in an hour, whereas the same job used to take 10 hours using QuickBooks. Online payments from partners, instead of piles of checks on his desk, have made his life much easier, too. Thanks, Mike, for the glowing endorsement and continued success with Zilla Racing. Enjoy our newest episode!

Being from Kentucky, Bing Bush fell in love with horses at an early age. Galloping horses for years he had a decision to make, stick with horses or go to law school? As it turns out, you can have both in life. Listen to his story on how he has built a syndicate of abundance with Abbondanza Racing.

Top hats and tails are a far cry from Indiana Grand but not for Ironhorse Racing. In this podcast we interview Harlan Malter, managing partner and founder of Ironhorse Racing Stable, about his passion for the sport of kings, why sports fans need to try horse ownership, and the rise of Ironhorse Racing Stable.  Success like this doesn't happen often in our sport. Here's how he did it.  Important links from the podcast: https://www.ihracing.com https://www.buccherostallion.com/home

Andrew Lerner is not your average horse trainer. He was not raised in a barn or on a farm. He was a successful businessman with a passion for horse racing. So, why not go all in? After an incredible Del Mar summer meet in 2018, his success has maintained a high cruising speed in 2019 and he’s showing the racing world he is for real. His passion for the game is infectious; here’s his story.

The name Nick Cosato picked for his racing venture couldn't be more befitting. Slam Dunk Racing has been scoring wins as easily as giving the ball to Shaq in the post.  However, succeeding at the top of any sport only comes from years of dedication. Coming off their best season yet, with over $1 Million in earnings, Nick drops some dimes from his 20+ years of experience in the game. He's throwing up the alley-oop, all you have to do is catch it and dunk it. 

Brad Weisbord wears great suits, drives nice cars, and has a mysterious charm about him but that’s not why he’s Golden Eye. Brad has a talent for finding pure gold in the horses he selects for his clients. His resume reads like that of a Hall-of-Famer including winning the Triple Crown, KY Oaks, BC Distaff, Preakness, Belmont, Travers, etc, and he’s only in his thirties. Here’s his story. Enjoy the listen.

Some watch history, others make it happen. It's tough to win a Breeders' Cup race, a rare occurrence to win back-to-back, but winning two back-to-back has never been accomplished, until now. Trainer Peter Miller and Rockingham Ranch Director of Operations, Brian Trump, are the team behind Roy H and Stormy Liberal. This is their story.

Michael W. McCarthy has worked with some of the best horses in the world. Now he has a few standing behind his own webbings. Proclaimed as having the "Best Trainer Performance" in the 2018 Breeders' Cup, hear why his story is anything but an overnight success.

Richard Baltas' career has skyrocketed over the past 4 years, cementing himself as a force in the Southern California training ranks. We caught up with Richard at Santa Anita Park to discuss his road to success, including all of the twists and turns. From van driver to top horse trainer, this is his story. Stay tuned after Richard's interview for exclusive picks for the Breeders' Cup this weekend.