Random Stable BS
Quote from Lonnie on July 13, 2026, 5:07 PMMy foray into horse ownership goes back to 1988 when Rich and I became partners with the David Rovine Stables. Our first batch of three (we had a 3% stake) included:
Tigerbird - won a Buffalo Sire Stakes race for us at Buffalo Raceway. Rich and I were there! And I have an 18" x 20" winner's circle photo on my wall. Contractually, the partnerships lasted one year. At the end of the calendar year, all the horses were sold at auction. The new owners of Tigerbird won the Gold Cup & Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park in Prince Edward Island. When we asked Anthony if he heard of Tigerbird, he said, "Are you kidding me? Of course I know Tigerbird! And if you look at the video of the race, you can see a 14-year-old me (Anthony) running up the stretch on the tarmac! Tigerbird was the most expensive purchase in this group of three. Sadly, he didn't live up to expectations, save the Sire Stakes victory at Buffalo Raceway. He was sold for a fraction of what we paid for him.
Armbro Fleming - we got into this partnership after he had already won two consecutive races at The Meadowlands, as there were still a few shares left. The coolest thing is that the $25,000 that he had earned in those two races was credited to our account! Armbro Fleming was a tiny horse, but he was all heart! He had bad knees, but he kept on giving his all every single race. He was sold at auction for $93,000. We did alright with this one!
Il Duce - what a game horse for us at The Meadowlands! He was only able to have 12 starts for us before being sold. Four of those were victories, though.
We had a great first year in our partnership with David Rovine. So, we decided to roll it back the following year (1989). However, our three horses that year weren't as talented as the first three we had. I barely remember the names of those three horses. Corporate Move was one. I'm sure Rich can remember the other two.
I got married in 1990 and gave up horses. Don't judge me!
It took us 36 years... and TheStable.ca, to reel us back in. This time we brought another friend, Carmelo. The three amigos. The New York Connection. And we are loving it!
My foray into horse ownership goes back to 1988 when Rich and I became partners with the David Rovine Stables. Our first batch of three (we had a 3% stake) included:
Tigerbird - won a Buffalo Sire Stakes race for us at Buffalo Raceway. Rich and I were there! And I have an 18" x 20" winner's circle photo on my wall. Contractually, the partnerships lasted one year. At the end of the calendar year, all the horses were sold at auction. The new owners of Tigerbird won the Gold Cup & Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park in Prince Edward Island. When we asked Anthony if he heard of Tigerbird, he said, "Are you kidding me? Of course I know Tigerbird! And if you look at the video of the race, you can see a 14-year-old me (Anthony) running up the stretch on the tarmac! Tigerbird was the most expensive purchase in this group of three. Sadly, he didn't live up to expectations, save the Sire Stakes victory at Buffalo Raceway. He was sold for a fraction of what we paid for him.
Armbro Fleming - we got into this partnership after he had already won two consecutive races at The Meadowlands, as there were still a few shares left. The coolest thing is that the $25,000 that he had earned in those two races was credited to our account! Armbro Fleming was a tiny horse, but he was all heart! He had bad knees, but he kept on giving his all every single race. He was sold at auction for $93,000. We did alright with this one!
Il Duce - what a game horse for us at The Meadowlands! He was only able to have 12 starts for us before being sold. Four of those were victories, though.
We had a great first year in our partnership with David Rovine. So, we decided to roll it back the following year (1989). However, our three horses that year weren't as talented as the first three we had. I barely remember the names of those three horses. Corporate Move was one. I'm sure Rich can remember the other two.
I got married in 1990 and gave up horses. Don't judge me!
It took us 36 years... and TheStable.ca, to reel us back in. This time we brought another friend, Carmelo. The three amigos. The New York Connection. And we are loving it!
Quote from Bgtolex25 on July 13, 2026, 6:11 PM@lonnie and @factlaw
good story. Not going to attempt my story line, as it gets a bit stupid at times. But one snippet is coming to the fore as I am watching the Clinton County Fair on YouTube. The year was 1980 at the same fair. My uncle, Ted Baker, won 2 heats with a 2 year old, Home Early. Coming off the track on the backstretch, I collected the colt. One of the other drivers in the race wanted to fight my uncle for a perceived infraction. The judges had already ruled against the said driver’s objection. Fortunately, cooler heads and some big farm boys intervened.
Coolest part was some girls actually talked to me later as I was cooling out the colt. Memories.
good story. Not going to attempt my story line, as it gets a bit stupid at times. But one snippet is coming to the fore as I am watching the Clinton County Fair on YouTube. The year was 1980 at the same fair. My uncle, Ted Baker, won 2 heats with a 2 year old, Home Early. Coming off the track on the backstretch, I collected the colt. One of the other drivers in the race wanted to fight my uncle for a perceived infraction. The judges had already ruled against the said driver’s objection. Fortunately, cooler heads and some big farm boys intervened.
Coolest part was some girls actually talked to me later as I was cooling out the colt. Memories.
Quote from NiekH on July 13, 2026, 6:13 PMI was born into harness racing, my grandfather was a owner in the 60's up to the 80's. When I was 3 years old my mum bought the first horse after my birth. Around 8 race horses made the track for us in my youth.
The best horse had 10 wins from 82 starts and made a whopping €14.255,-. Her career highlight was a second place in the 2yo Filly Breeders Crown, which paid a stellar €1.850,- in prize money. Her lifetime mark was a 2:02.2 mile rate over 2200m (1 3/8 mi).
The most talented horse we owned was a gorgeous straight filly. She was bred by our trainer (old friend of my grandfather, we were his only owners still). She was the second foal out of a chestnut mare that I used to walk after the races. The first foal was one of the best under the saddle horses in my country for a while. He made just over six figures.He was a massive horse, didn't qualify until the end of the 3yo season. I believe his first race was at 4.
Our filly showed great promise at 2yo with some good top 5 finishes in all the 2yo stakes. By all accounts she was even better than her brother. Sadly arguments among the ownership group ended her career way to early.
My first steps into ownership was with The Stable when I bought shares in the Ohio Jug sale bucket. My first race horse purchase was Resolute Bay just before his Grassroots Semi-Final win. A great start to my ownership with the Grassroots Final win soon after that.
My first yearlings ended up being Gypsy Hill and Purplepeopleater. Both turned out to be great Ohio Buckeye horses.
I was born into harness racing, my grandfather was a owner in the 60's up to the 80's. When I was 3 years old my mum bought the first horse after my birth. Around 8 race horses made the track for us in my youth.
The best horse had 10 wins from 82 starts and made a whopping €14.255,-. Her career highlight was a second place in the 2yo Filly Breeders Crown, which paid a stellar €1.850,- in prize money. Her lifetime mark was a 2:02.2 mile rate over 2200m (1 3/8 mi).
The most talented horse we owned was a gorgeous straight filly. She was bred by our trainer (old friend of my grandfather, we were his only owners still). She was the second foal out of a chestnut mare that I used to walk after the races. The first foal was one of the best under the saddle horses in my country for a while. He made just over six figures.He was a massive horse, didn't qualify until the end of the 3yo season. I believe his first race was at 4.
Our filly showed great promise at 2yo with some good top 5 finishes in all the 2yo stakes. By all accounts she was even better than her brother. Sadly arguments among the ownership group ended her career way to early.
My first steps into ownership was with The Stable when I bought shares in the Ohio Jug sale bucket. My first race horse purchase was Resolute Bay just before his Grassroots Semi-Final win. A great start to my ownership with the Grassroots Final win soon after that.
My first yearlings ended up being Gypsy Hill and Purplepeopleater. Both turned out to be great Ohio Buckeye horses.
Quote from Lonnie on July 14, 2026, 9:39 AMQuote from Lonnie on July 13, 2026, 5:07 PMMy foray into horse ownership goes back to 1988 when Rich and I became partners with the David Rovine Stables. Our first batch of three (we had a 3% stake) included:
Tigerbird - won a Buffalo Sire Stakes race for us at Buffalo Raceway. Rich and I were there! And I have an 18" x 20" winner's circle photo on my wall. Contractually, the partnerships lasted one year. At the end of the calendar year, all the horses were sold at auction. The new owners of Tigerbird won the Gold Cup & Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park in Prince Edward Island. When we asked Anthony if he heard of Tigerbird, he said, "Are you kidding me? Of course I know Tigerbird! And if you look at the video of the race, you can see a 14-year-old me (Anthony) running up the stretch on the tarmac! Tigerbird was the most expensive purchase in this group of three. Sadly, he didn't live up to expectations, save the Sire Stakes victory at Buffalo Raceway. He was sold for a fraction of what we paid for him.
Armbro Fleming - we got into this partnership after he had already won two consecutive races at The Meadowlands, as there were still a few shares left. The coolest thing is that the $25,000 that he had earned in those two races was credited to our account! Armbro Fleming was a tiny horse, but he was all heart! He had bad knees, but he kept on giving his all every single race. He was sold at auction for $93,000. We did alright with this one!
Il Duce - what a game horse for us at The Meadowlands! He was only able to have 12 starts for us before being sold. Four of those were victories, though.
We had a great first year in our partnership with David Rovine. So, we decided to roll it back the following year (1989). However, our three horses that year weren't as talented as the first three we had. I barely remember the names of those three horses. Corporate Move was one. I'm sure Rich can remember the other two.
I got married in 1990 and gave up horses. Don't judge me!
It took us 36 years... and TheStable.ca, to reel us back in. This time we brought another friend, Carmelo. The three amigos. The New York Connection. And we are loving it!
A couple of tidbits I forgot:
Armbro Fleming won an FFA pace at Roosevelt Raceway. Yup! I'm that many years old.
Odd facts from our Rovine years:
- Of all of my friends, Carmelo never appeared in one of our winner circle photos from our David Rovine years.
- But my Grandmother ("grams") was in a bunch of them.
- Rich's wife was in a few.
- As was my soon-to-be first wife.
- Each Rovine partnership package was named "Shady" + part of the name of the featured horse in the package. The first year, we purchased into the "Shady Tiger" stable. "Tiger" for Tigerbird. I don't remember the name of the second package we participated in.
- Rovine is frequently credited with bringing harness racing partnerships to "another level", helping to transition the sport from individual ownership to more sophisticated ownership groups and syndicates.
- Beyond management, his career included a period as a leading trainer at the Meadowlands, where his stable set a then-record of 106 victories in 1987. He later leveraged this experience into executive roles, serving as Director of Marketing for various racing and entertainment facilities, where he integrated national musical acts with live racing to broaden the sport's appeal.
- From the Internet: "David Rovine operated a dinner theater in Orlando and was a top trainer at Meadowlands harness track." I think it was more appropriate to call him the Stable Manager (much like Anthony). Our trainer was Joe Holloway.
- An interesting read about Joe Holloway: https://harnessracingupdate.com/2020/12/05/hallmarks-of-holloways-rich-career/
- David also held a marketing position at Rosecroft racetrack. This era preceded his transition into venue management and concert promotion, which began in earnest in the mid-1990s with SMG Entertainment and Gulfstream Park.
- Once a promoter, always a promoter. Currently, he's in venue operations, and his website is https://drcreativeinitiatives.com/
- The Annual Open House at David Rovine's farm in Delaware was amazing! I see similar things done by Anthony and also the Go For Glory Stable.
- Getting a weekly update from David came via a recorded message posted once a week. We waited each week with bated breath for them to be posted. You had to call the number to get the message. It was typically the highlight of our week.
Quote from Lonnie on July 13, 2026, 5:07 PMMy foray into horse ownership goes back to 1988 when Rich and I became partners with the David Rovine Stables. Our first batch of three (we had a 3% stake) included:
Tigerbird - won a Buffalo Sire Stakes race for us at Buffalo Raceway. Rich and I were there! And I have an 18" x 20" winner's circle photo on my wall. Contractually, the partnerships lasted one year. At the end of the calendar year, all the horses were sold at auction. The new owners of Tigerbird won the Gold Cup & Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park in Prince Edward Island. When we asked Anthony if he heard of Tigerbird, he said, "Are you kidding me? Of course I know Tigerbird! And if you look at the video of the race, you can see a 14-year-old me (Anthony) running up the stretch on the tarmac! Tigerbird was the most expensive purchase in this group of three. Sadly, he didn't live up to expectations, save the Sire Stakes victory at Buffalo Raceway. He was sold for a fraction of what we paid for him.
Armbro Fleming - we got into this partnership after he had already won two consecutive races at The Meadowlands, as there were still a few shares left. The coolest thing is that the $25,000 that he had earned in those two races was credited to our account! Armbro Fleming was a tiny horse, but he was all heart! He had bad knees, but he kept on giving his all every single race. He was sold at auction for $93,000. We did alright with this one!
Il Duce - what a game horse for us at The Meadowlands! He was only able to have 12 starts for us before being sold. Four of those were victories, though.
We had a great first year in our partnership with David Rovine. So, we decided to roll it back the following year (1989). However, our three horses that year weren't as talented as the first three we had. I barely remember the names of those three horses. Corporate Move was one. I'm sure Rich can remember the other two.
I got married in 1990 and gave up horses. Don't judge me!
It took us 36 years... and TheStable.ca, to reel us back in. This time we brought another friend, Carmelo. The three amigos. The New York Connection. And we are loving it!
A couple of tidbits I forgot:
Armbro Fleming won an FFA pace at Roosevelt Raceway. Yup! I'm that many years old.
Odd facts from our Rovine years:
- Of all of my friends, Carmelo never appeared in one of our winner circle photos from our David Rovine years.
- But my Grandmother ("grams") was in a bunch of them.
- Rich's wife was in a few.
- As was my soon-to-be first wife.
- Each Rovine partnership package was named "Shady" + part of the name of the featured horse in the package. The first year, we purchased into the "Shady Tiger" stable. "Tiger" for Tigerbird. I don't remember the name of the second package we participated in.
- Rovine is frequently credited with bringing harness racing partnerships to "another level", helping to transition the sport from individual ownership to more sophisticated ownership groups and syndicates.
- Beyond management, his career included a period as a leading trainer at the Meadowlands, where his stable set a then-record of 106 victories in 1987. He later leveraged this experience into executive roles, serving as Director of Marketing for various racing and entertainment facilities, where he integrated national musical acts with live racing to broaden the sport's appeal.
- From the Internet: "David Rovine operated a dinner theater in Orlando and was a top trainer at Meadowlands harness track." I think it was more appropriate to call him the Stable Manager (much like Anthony). Our trainer was Joe Holloway.
- An interesting read about Joe Holloway: https://harnessracingupdate.com/2020/12/05/hallmarks-of-holloways-rich-career/
- David also held a marketing position at Rosecroft racetrack. This era preceded his transition into venue management and concert promotion, which began in earnest in the mid-1990s with SMG Entertainment and Gulfstream Park.
- Once a promoter, always a promoter. Currently, he's in venue operations, and his website is https://drcreativeinitiatives.com/
- The Annual Open House at David Rovine's farm in Delaware was amazing! I see similar things done by Anthony and also the Go For Glory Stable.
- Getting a weekly update from David came via a recorded message posted once a week. We waited each week with bated breath for them to be posted. You had to call the number to get the message. It was typically the highlight of our week.