Gowan grows stable after Ride On Curlin's run
Billy Gowan, trainer of Arkansas Derby and Preakness runner-up Ride On Curlin, was one of the most popular stories on the 2014 Triple Crown campaign because of his folksy, outgoing way and the fact he only had three horses.
Now he's more than tripled his stable size to 10 — in part thanks to a radio appearance.
Oilman Jimmy Roberson drives a lot in his line of work, and one of his favorite things to listen to is Lexington-based Horse Racing Radio Network on Sirius. Back in January, Roberson heard HRRN president Mike Penna interviewing Gowan, who like Roberson graduated from Louisiana Tech, on the show Trainer Talk.
"We live in Texarkana, but Jimmy graduated from Louisiana Tech and he's a Louisiana guy," said Cindy Wade, Roberson's significant other (her term) and horse partner. "He called me one day and said, 'I've been listening to this guy talk on the radio. I just like the way he talks. We need to go meet him and move some horses to him.' "
Wade said they started to follow Gowan closely, watching Ride On Curlin advance through the Derby prep ranks and Triple Crown for owner Dan Dougherty of Louisville.
"I called Billy. We drove up here and met him and he said, 'What you see is what you get,' " Wade recalled. "I said, 'That's what we want. We don't like frills, we're not fancy. Because what you see with us is what you get, too.' I want somebody who is kind and happy. And these horses are so happy."
So was Wade after she won her first race ever at Keeneland as Chongo took a $40,000 claiming race by a nose over Olympic Thunder on Sunday. It also was their first victory with Gowan.
"I don't think they've won one at Churchill, either," Gowan said. "Because we ran one the other day, the horse was third, and we came down through the grandstand and cut through the winner's circle to get to the track, and I said, 'Told you I'd get you to the winner's circle.' She's got a good sense of humor."
Wade and Roberson currently have three horses with Gowan, including the stakes-winner Hip Four Sixtynine, and plan to send him more at Oaklawn this winter.
"We wanted a small trainer," Wade said. "Billy is so hands-on. I went to the barn (Sunday) morning, and Chongo's ears were up. You can tell when he feels good, and he was on top of it. The most important thing to me is someone who cares about the welfare of the horse."
Gowan said the exposure with Ride On Curlin "definitely helped with business."
"I don't know. I guess they think maybe you can train a horse now," he said with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Ride On Curlin, who wound up eased in the Belmont Stakes, is scheduled to join Gowan's Churchill barn Wednesday after getting some time off at Gowan's farm in Shepherdsville following the Triple Crown rigors.
"He needed it," Gowan said of the time off. "Mentally and physically he was whipped. But he's back to his old self now."
• StarLadies wins first race: StarLadies Racing, an all-women spinoff from the nationally prominent Starlight Racing syndicate, won its first race Sunday at Keeneland with the 2-year-old filly Hopefaithjoy winning a 11/16-mile maiden race. StarLadies is the brainchild of Laurie Wolf of Louisville and Barbara Lucarelli, who with their husbands, Jack Wolf and Donald Lucarelli, are the managing partners in Starlight.
Hopefaithjoy is one of five fillies bought by StarLadies, which has seven investors in its 2013 yearling crop. Among those is Eskenformoney, a daughter of Eskendereya out of the mare But For Money who runs Thursday at Keeneland.
• Oldham meet and greet: The Oldham County Thoroughbred Supporters — a grass-roots organization and initiative to bring in new fans and energize the greater Louisville market about its thoroughbred racing and breeding industries — is staging its third annual Meet and Greet from 4-7 p.m. this Sunday at Alta Vista Farm, 2114 Liberty Lane in Oldham County, just down the road from the Skylight Training Center. State Rep. David Osborne and Churchill Downs' John Asher will give their views of the industry at the event. Cost is $20 at the door, with catered buffet provided and cash bar. RSVPs must be made by Wednesday by calling Del Lowell at 502-639-1498 or emailing Jo Ann Heppermann at joannebr@iglou.com.
Contact Jennie Rees at 502-582-4042. Follow her on Twitter @CJ_Jennie.